New Beginnings Spring 20 Book Box Set

by Hope Sinclair

  The answer: he couldn’t. So instead, he focused on what was good, and he buried the bad deeper and deeper inside. He ignored it, even though he knew that doing so would surely lead to disaster.

  ***

  “These are the sweetest cherries I ever have tasted!” Rea Helms declared as she plucked another stem from the bowl of cherries and popped it into her mouth with a soft crunch.

  “I must say, I’m quite impressed myself!” Sue agreed, marveling at the bowl of cherries—freshly picked from Peter’s orchard.

  “Did you doubt your future-husband’s agriculture prowess?” Rea teased with a grin.

  “I didn’t doubt him,” Sue said. “But Peter was always so modest in his letters, I had no idea that he grew such wonderful cherries!”

  “They’ve been called the best in Oregon,” Rea said. “Two years in a row!”

  Peter might not have bragged about his cherry crop, but when Sue had asked if he’d be willing to supply a portion of cherries from the orchard that she could use to bake a pie, he had readily risen to the occasion.

  Sue’s new friend, Rea, had been more than impressed… and Sue felt proud to call Peter her betrothed.

  She also felt eager about her budding new friendship.

  If Sue’s move to Oregon had taught her nothing else, it was that the Lord blessed those who turned prayer into action. He had blessed Sue with a husband when she took a chance on Peter, and after a couple of weeks spent tirelessly trying her best to forge friendships in Hood River, the Lord blessed her yet again with a new friend.

  Sue met Rea at church, when they by chance ended up sitting side by side in a pew. Rea took an immediate liking to Sue and made a point of inviting her to visit after the service. They had become fast friends after that.

  Like Sue, Rea had found the answer to her prayers in the pages of the Matrimonial Times.

  Rea was originally from New York, but between a sharp-tongued wit and a soft figure, the young woman had struggled to find a husband in her home state. So she had taken a chance on finding a husband out west.

  When Rea landed on Ezra Helm’s advertisement, she was immediately curious. Ezra was an older man, and he had experienced a great of what life had to offer—good and bad. While these attributes had made it difficult for Ezra to find a bride in Hood River, Rea thought they made him all the more endearing. They began exchanging letters.

  Rea and Ezra couldn’t be more opposite. Rea was loud and outspoken, and Ezra was quiet and thoughtful. But together, they complimented each other better than bread and butter. After a short engagement, they were married. They had been married for nearly two years now, and by this year’s fall harvest, they would be celebrating the birth of their first child.

  “Speaking of your soon-to-be-husband…” Rea smiled. She took the bowl of cherries away before either woman could snack on one more, and she poured them into the doughy pie crust that she had pressed into a stone dish.

  “What about him?” Sue blushed.

  “Have you made any plans for the wedding?”

  “We have!” Sue nodded eagerly. “We’ll be married in the church, on the twenty-third of May.”

  “Sue!” Rea squealed eagerly. “That’s so soon! Are you going to be ready by then?”

  “I surely hope so,” Sue said. With the ample free time that she had, planning a wedding hadn’t been much of a challenge. Besides the church, she had ordered their outfits—a white dress for her and a fresh suit for Peter.

  “Who do you plan on inviting?” Rea asked.

  “I was thinking of inviting everyone,” Sue confessed. “Everyone has been so friendly, and I don’t want anyone to feel left out.”

  Sue had already gotten to work, writing invitations on thick white parchment. Once they were finished, she planned to deliver them to the new acquaintances that she had made around town.

  “Everyone?” Rea looked shocked. “That’d be a mighty big wedding!”

  “Hood River isn’t that big of a town.” Sue shrugged. “I’d like to at least invite everyone I’ve met. I’m hoping that’ll help them warm up to me a little bit. No matter how hard I try, everyone seems to want to keep their distance from me!”

  “Give them time,” Rea encouraged. “It took a while for them to warm up to me when I first arrived, as well. And besides, you really do have a heart of gold, Sue. It’s impossible not to like you!”

  Sue appreciated the kind words, and she sure hoped her friend was right.

  Rea slid the pie into the oven, then sat back. Her hands absently landed on her stomach, and she cradled the baby growing inside of her.

  Sue felt a pang in her own heart, and her mind wandered away from the topic of making friends in Hood River. Instead, she found herself thinking about babies and how much she hoped that soon she, too, might soon know the joy of becoming a mother…

  EIGHT

  “Good morning, Mrs. Sullivan!” Sue said cheerily as she sailed through the parlor of the boardinghouse.

  It was a warm spring day, and Sue had an exciting day planned ahead of her. First, to fill the morning hours, she planned to meet Rea. As the weather warmed, the friends had made a new habit out of lounging by the riverbank and enjoying the soft spring breeze. Rea had been teaching Sue how to cross-stitch, and Sue had plans on finishing a pattern for Peter before the wedding.

  After enjoying her morning with Rea, Sue would be meeting Peter in town. He would take her back to the cherry orchard, and she would finally get a chance to see the farm for herself!

  She was anxious to start the day. So anxious that when Mrs. Sullivan called after her, she nearly skipped straight through the door without stopping. Then sense got the better of her, and she twirled around.

  Sue hadn’t known Mrs. Sullivan for long, but she knew the old woman well enough to know that she wasn’t the sort of woman to make a fuss out of her feelings. Mrs. Sullivan had one facial expression, and it was passive contentment, neither happy, nor sad.

  So when Sue saw a troubled expression on Mrs. Sullivan’s face, it was enough to immediately give the younger woman pause. She returned to Mrs. Sullivan’s side at once.

  “What’s the matter, Mrs. Sullivan?” she inquired.

  “Miss Wilt,” Mrs. Sullivan sighed, “I hate to do this, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask that you pack up your belongings and find somewhere else to stay.”

  “What! But Mrs. Sullivan—” Sue stammered. Her knees quivered and she felt her stomach turn. Sue wasn’t the sort for crying, but the shock of Mrs. Sullivan’s revelation was so sudden and severe that Sue might as well have been slapped across the face. Her cheeks turned bright red, and she blinked several times as she attempted to make sense of what the older woman had just said to her.

  “I am sorry, Susanna,” Mrs. Sullivan said sadly. The look on her face softened, and Sue realized that the expression was remorse. “I’m afraid I have no other choice, after the complaints that I’ve received.”

  “Complaints?” Sue gasped. “Has someone complained about me, Mrs. Sullivan?”

  Sue felt like she had been slapped all over again. She had made such a great effort to befriend the people in Hood River, and the thought that she had left a bad impression on anyone devastated her.

  “I’d really rather not get into this,” Mrs. Sullivan said, swallowing heavily.

  Sue knew that Mrs. Sullivan didn’t like confrontation, but Sue also knew that she couldn’t leave the boardinghouse until she got to the bottom of this ‘complaint.’ “Please,” she pleaded. “If I have offended someone, I need to know. I need to make it right!”

  “I’m not sure there’s much you can do to mend a reputation, once it has been damaged,” Mrs. Sullivan said sadly.

  “My reputation has been damaged?” Sue squawked in disbelief.

  Mrs. Sullivan sighed again, and then she reached into the drawer behind her desk and pulled out an envelope.

  “I received this letter yesterday evening,” Mrs. Sullivan said slowly. She folded
the envelope over in her hands, but she didn’t open the letter, nor did she make any effort to hand it to Sue.

  “What does it say?” Sue frowned. Her mind was racing, as was her heart, but she had no clue as to what the letter might contain.

  “I’d rather not repeat it,” Mrs. Sullivan said. “It disclosed some unsavory details from your past.”

  “Unsavory details?” Sue repeated breathlessly. “Mrs. Sullivan, I assure you… there’s nothing in my past to hide! I’m innocent, I swear!”

  “Sue, I think you’re a very sweet girl, and I’ve come to think very highly of you in the last few weeks that you have been here,” Mrs. Sullivan said. Despite the tension in the room, the compliment was not lost on Sue, and she felt a fleeting moment of warmth flood her heart. The sensation quickly faded though, when Mrs. Sullivan continued.

  “Unfortunately,” she said, “the allegations in this letter are too grave to be ignored. When these rumors make their way around town—which, no doubt, they already have—I can’t be associated with these sorts of allegations. They could put my entire life’s work at stake. The reputation of my name, and this boardinghouse… I could lose everything.”

  “I don’t understand.” Sue shook her head, and the heaviness in her eyes made her wonder if she might actually break down into tears right there on the spot. “What did the letter say? What could possibly be so bad that it warrants throwing me out on the street?”

  Mrs. Sullivan sighed and swallowed heavily. Then she slipped the letter toward Sue. “Please pack your things and leave,” Mrs. Sullivan requested. “I am terribly sorry, Sue.”

  Sue shook her head, squeezing the envelope between her fingers. She was tempted to ask Mrs. Sullivan where she was supposed to go, now that she had been kicked out of the only boardinghouse in Hood River. But she realized there was no point asking such a question. It wasn’t Mrs. Sullivan’s concern.

  It didn’t take Sue long to pack her bags and carry them out of the boardinghouse. This time, she didn’t bid Mrs. Sullivan farewell as she passed through the parlor. She kept walking straight through the front door, and she never looked back.

  ***

  “Who would write such terrible things?!” Sue sobbed.

  She had done a good job of holding in the tears as she walked down Hood River’s Main Street and navigated the soft slope toward the riverfront, but when she had spotted Rea waiting for her, gingham blanket already spread over the grass, Sue hadn’t been able to hold back the tears any longer.

  She had burst into a fit of tears on the spot, and she hadn’t been able to suppress the waves of emotion until Rea had gotten her to sit on the blanket and take several deep breaths.

  Sue might have been able to hold herself together after that, but then she made the mistake of opening the envelope that Mrs. Sullivan had handed her. As soon as she read the letter, she had dissolved into a second fit of crying.

  The allegations detailed in the letter were indeed preposterous. The letter boldly asserted that Sue, prior to accepting Peter’s proposal and moving to Oregon, had lived a Godless life of sin in the east. More specifically, the letter had alleged that Sue was the sort of woman who had flagrantly abandoned her virtue and had indulged in a host of adulterous activities. The letter even went as far as to assert that Mr. Swift was just the latest in a long line of conquests.

  Sue was horrified. More than horrified, she never wanted to show her face in Hood River again! How could she, with such horrible rumors spreading about her past?

  The worst part: there was nothing Sue could do…

  “The letter isn’t even signed,” she choked. “Anyone could have written it!”

  It was true, the letter had been sent anonymously.

  “I know exactly who wrote it,” Rea scowled darkly. “A coward, that’s who!”

  “Apparently a coward’s word is worth more than mine in this town.” Sue shook her head. Fresh tears dusted the rims of her eyes, and she buried her face in her palms. She was grateful that she and Rea were alone by the riverfront. Privacy was exactly what she needed now.

  After reading the allegations made against her in the letter, she wasn’t sure how she could ever face the people of Hood River again. Especially if Mrs. Sullivan was right in her assumption that the allegations made in the letter would eventually materialize into gossip and spread rapidly around the small town.

  “That old bat had no right to throw you out,” Rea seethed. “Especially over an anonymous letter! I could just as easily write a letter alleging her of these same sins! How would she respond to that?”

  Sue swallowed the lump in her throat and dabbed the corner of her eyes with the handkerchief she was meant to be cross-stitching for Peter.

  “I don’t blame Mrs. Sullivan,” Sue said sadly. “She was only looking out for her business. But I do want to know who would write such terrible lies about me. Who could I have offended so greatly that they would take an action like this against me?”

  Rea shook her head. “We’ll get to the bottom of this, Sue,” she promised. “For a start, you can stay in our home until the wedding. We’ll be happy to have you! And I’ll show the letter to Ezra and see if he—”

  “No!” Sue gasped louder than she meant to. She blushed and apologized, “I’m sorry, Rea. I know you want to help, but I couldn’t stand the thought of Ezra reading the contents of this letter. I couldn’t stand anyone reading it, for that matter.”

  “What about Peter?” Rea asked. “Do you think you’ll tell him about all of this?”

  “I have to, of course.” Sue sniffled. “I’m horrified, but what choice do I have?”

  “I understand.” Rea nodded. “And I think that’s for the best. It’s better that you tell him yourself, surely, than if he hears it from someone else?”

  “I can’t imagine,” Sue shook her head and cringed at the thought. Then, with a horrified gasp, “What if he doesn’t believe me when I tell him that this letter is full of lies?”

  “How could he not believe you?” Rea said. “You’re the woman he wants to marry, and this letter… Well, as far as he’s concerned, this letter is from a nameless coward hiding behind a pen and paper!”

  “I hope you’re right.” Sue sniffled again.

  “Well if Peter doesn’t believe you,” Rea said, “that speaks to his character more so than your own.”

  “His character isn’t being called into question,” Sue reminded her. “Mine is…”

  “But surely if this situation were the other way around, and Peter was being accused unjustly, you’d believe him?” Rea propositioned.

  Sue stopped to consider it, and then she nodded resolutely. “Of course,” she said. “I love him, and I trust him completely.”

  “Good!” Rea smiled. “And I’m sure he feels the same way. You have nothing to worry about, Sue.”

  Rea held Sue’s hands tightly in her own as they prayed. By the time Sue left the riverfront and walked toward town to meet Peter, she was indeed beginning to feel better about the horrible predicament that she had found herself in…

  NINE

  Peter set a clean glass on the wooden table, then he lifted the pitcher of lemonade and poured a generous amount into the cup. His lips were parched from a morning spent working in the orchard, and he was desperate to quench his thirst.

  He was just about to raise the glass to his lips and take a sip when he heard the farmhouse door flutter open behind him. Startled, he slammed the glass back on the table and whirled around.

  “Dylan!” he gasped, seeing his longtime friend and trusted employee standing in the doorway. “You frightened me!”

  “I apologize,” Dylan said awkwardly without meeting Peter’s eyes.

  Peter and Dylan had grown up together. They had been close friends for years, and there wasn’t much about Peter that Dylan didn’t know, and vice versa.

  When Peter had struggled with the aftermath of his failed engagement, Dylan had been the first to offer his condolences and unwavering
support. When Peter had purchased the drought-stricken field that he intended to turn into an orchard, Dylan became his first employee. And when Peter had found success at the end of the cherry orchard’s first harvest, Dylan had been right by his side to share in the glory and celebration.

  Peter regarded Dylan as a brother. And considering the fact that Peter had no remaining relatives to speak of, this was an honor most high.

  And of course, it had been Dylan who suggested that Peter look to the Matrimonial Times to find a bride and had helped Peter craft the advertisement that ultimately caught Sue’s eye.

  Peter knew he owed Dylan all the thanks in the world, and he shuddered to think of where he’d be without his close friend.

  “Can I pour you a glass of lemonade?” Peter asked. He reached for a clean glass to offer his friend.

  Dylan kept his eyes locked on the ground as he accepted.

  “Yes, that’d be great.”

  Peter frowned, and he studied his friend’s strange posture and demeanor as he poured the lemonade into the glass and offered it over.

  Dylan nodded in gratitude as he took the glass, and he quickly poured the contents down his throat with one giant gulp.

  “Wow,” Peter remarked. “You were thirsty. Do you want some more?”

  “No.” Dylan shook his head, then he pointed his eyes up at Peter. His eyes were fierce, and his face was locked in a pained expression. “I need to tell you something.”

  “What’s the matter, Dylan?” Peter wanted to know. He had never seen his friend like this. Dylan was usually quite easygoing, and the serious expression he wore looked out of place on his youthful face.

  “It’s about Sue,” Dylan said.

  Peter frowned. He didn’t know Dylan to be the type to spread gossip, particularly when it pertained to another man’s wife—or soon-to-be-wife. “Let’s sit down,” Peter suggested.

  He poured a fresh glass of lemonade for Dylan, despite the man’s objection, and then they both stepped outside onto the front porch of the farmhouse.