“And be our mother,” Kayla added.
Sam rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Like they said—will you marry me?”
“In a New York minute. I love you, Sam.” She cupped his face and kissed him with all the love she held in her heart.
The twins grinned at each other and winked.
Bonkers began to purr, but no one noticed as he wound the red ribbon around and around their boots and ballet shoes.
In the little dressing room at the back of the stone church on the outskirts of Council Grove, Cheryl Steele planted her hands on her hips. “This veil is crooked. I can’t possibly wear it.”
“Hush,” Angie said. “Come here and let me fix it. There.”
Cheryl turned around. “Well? How do I look?”
“You look…radiant…beautiful…. I don’t think I can find the right words. Sam is a very lucky man. I hope he knows it.”
A mischievous grin curved Cheryl’s lips. “He does. I tell him every chance I get.”
Angie chuckled. “I’ll bet you do.”
Cheryl reached out and grasped her sister’s hands. “Have I ever thanked you?”
“For what?”
“For pushing me into going back to the ranch that night?”
Angie leaned close. “I might have made the suggestion, but I think the plan came from much higher up.”
“I think so, too.”
“I’ve never asked, but was it hard for you?”
“You mean facing the community and telling people who I am? Yes, and no. The day Sam and I first came to church here I was scared witless. But with his family around me, and God’s grace filling my heart, it turned into a healing time. Becoming a Christian, accepting Christ as my Savior, has changed me more than I can say.
Over the past few months so many people have come up to me after church and talked about Mom. A lot of people felt they let her down. Spousal abuse wasn’t talked about back then. Things have changed. For the better.”
“Do you think they’ll accept Jake?”
“Yes, in time. The sheriff made it known that Jake was the one who solved the theft of Sam’s cattle. There will always be people with prejudices against an ex-con, but there are enough people here who believe he deserves another chance. With Walter Hardin as his outspoken supporter, Jake has a good shot at it.”
“And Doris? I noticed she wasn’t here?”
“Doris and I are trying to mend fences. That may take a while. She wants to shut herself away from the world. I know how that feels, but I haven’t given up on her. Listen to me, I sound like a rancher’s wife already. Mending fences.”
“I knew those New York roots weren’t as deep as you pretended.”
“I guess they weren’t.”
A knock sounded at the door and Angie went to open it. Jake stood on the other side. Cheryl had chosen him to walk her down the aisle. His guitar rested in the front pew. She wasn’t about to get married without his beautiful music as part of the ceremony. He looked at once handsome and uncomfortable in his rented tux.
He cleared his throat and pulled at the collar of his outfit with one finger. “Are you ready?”
Two little girls in matching floor-length lavender dresses pushed in past his legs. “Come on, Cheryl. We’re ready,” they said together. Each one grabbed her hand and tugged.
“Daddy is so nervous.”
“I wish Bonkers could be here.”
“Don’t we look nice?”
“Did you see Aunt Becky’s baby?”
“He’s so cute. Grandma says—”
“—we might get a baby brother, too.”
“Maybe even twins, like us!”
Cheryl let herself be led from the room by the excited pair. At the doorway, she cast a wide-eyed look back at her sister. “What have I gotten myself into?”
Angie laughed softly. “Only God knows, honey. God only knows.”
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed Love Thine Enemy. I have always wanted to write a story set in the beautiful Flint Hills of eastern Kansas. My childhood home lies at the western border of the hills.
Nothing is more awe inspiring for me than to see the night sky glowing orange from the immense range fires and smell the distant smoke drifting on the wind. In the light of day, huge expanses of scorched ground look as if nothing will ever grow there again, yet in less than a week, new green grass can be seen where only ash existed.
The hardy bluestem grass can survive because its roots go deep into the soil, sometimes as much as five feet deep. I have often thought that we, as Christians, are like that grass. We, too, can survive the harsh tests of life if our faith is deeply rooted in God’s grace.
Blessings,
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
How do you feel the setting of this book (rural Kansas) affected the believability of this story?
Cheryl closely guarded a secret from her past. How would the story have been affected if that secret had been revealed to Sam sooner?
What personality trait of Cheryl’s was most profoundly affected by her finding faith?
Sam has two small children. How did the presence of the twins affect Sam’s attraction to Cheryl and hers to him?
How did the children affect Cheryl’s journey toward faith?
Bonkers the cat provided a touch of comic relief in this story. What other role did Bonkers play?
At what point in the story do you believe Cheryl began to seek the Lord’s purpose in bringing her back to the area where she grew up?
What particular element of this story did you like the best? What part did you dislike the most?
The prairie fire played a significant role as a turning point in this story. What parallels can be drawn from the analogy of that fire to our lives?
Cheryl’s family history includes alcohol abuse and spousal abuse. Her younger sister was able to face that knowledge and move forward in her life. Why do you think Cheryl had a need to hide that part of her past, and how did that affect her as an adult?
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0137-8
LOVE THINE ENEMY
Copyright © 2006 by Patricia MacDonald
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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