Season of Hope

by Lisa Jordan

  He wished he’d grabbed a rod out of his truck before he headed down to the creek. At least he’d have something to do with his hands other than jamming them in his pockets or throwing stones.

  “Tori asked me to go with her and when I said she asked the impossible, she said she needed to be with someone who considered her a priority. I tried to tell her I wanted to have what you and Mom, what Granddad and Grandma had. I wanted to pass down a legacy.”

  “Son, a legacy isn’t a place or a thing. A legacy happens through the people you love and the lives you change. It’s rooted in faith and integrity. Find your hope, then work like crazy to hold on to it. There’s always hope. Even in the heartache.”

  “How do you do it, Dad? Keep the faith despite everything you’ve lost?”

  “Faith is believing without seeing. Even when facing adversity, I had two choices—walk by sight or walk by faith. Even when everything around me was falling apart, I chose faith. Because somehow or someway, God always shows up. So it’s a choice you make, Jacob—trust God’s unfailing goodness or doubt Him and try to get by on your own. I promise you God’s way is going to offer you the peace you’ve been craving for quite some time.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “You’ve lost your way, son. Take some time and talk to God. See which direction He sends you.” Dad touched his shoulder and pulled him into a hug. “I’m going back to the house to take my wife on our honeymoon. Go after Tori, Jake. She’s worth it.”

  As Dad headed back to the house, Jake returned to the log and buried his head in his hands.

  God, where do I go from here?

  Chapter Fifteen

  Jake had nothing left to lose but he had so much more to gain, provided Tori was willing to give him a second chance to make things right.

  He pulled up in front of a Tudor-style home on a large corner lot and checked the house number against the address plugged into his phone’s GPS. Seeing he was at the right place, Jake reached for a small pink-and-green-striped gift bag on the passenger seat and slipped out of the truck, taking a moment to brush lint off his gray dress pants.

  He followed the sidewalk to the covered front porch, where two wicker chairs with yellow cushions sat on each side of the black front door. Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, he rang the doorbell.

  The door opened, and Sophie, wearing a loose blue shirt with a peacock on the front over black leggings, welcomed him with a smile. “Well, now, if it isn’t the hunky country boy. Jake, right?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Good thing you’re so handsome. I’ll forgive you for the ma’am part. Call me Sophie. Come in. I’m going to assume you’re here to see Tori.”

  “Yes, ma—Sophie.”

  She smiled and waved for him to follow her. “Good. Took you long enough to get here.”

  “Sometimes it takes a while for common sense to kick in.”

  “You’ve got that right.” Sophie led him through a room filled with plants and stopped in front of a set of double doors. “Tori’s sitting on the lanai. Go and put a smile to her face.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  Jake turned the handle and stepped onto the brick-lined covered patio. Manicured privacy bushes at least seven feet high lined three sides of the long, narrow yard. A trickling waterfall cascaded into a small in-ground pond.

  Tori sat in the corner at a round metal-and-stone-tile table with her knees pulled up and her back to him. Her ever-present iPad and cell phone sat next to a half-finished glass of iced tea. “Sophie, what do you think about checking out Jeanne’s tonight for dinner? Their website offers a gluten-free menu for you.”

  He shoved his hands in his front pockets and rocked back on his heels. “I’d prefer if you had dinner with me.”

  Tori whipped around as her hand flew to her mouth. “Jake. What are you doing here?”

  “To see you. To talk.”

  Tori rose to her feet and clasped her hands in front of her. “What do you want to talk about?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know...the weather, the latest Pirates game or maybe the fact that you’ve been gone for a day, and I miss you like crazy.”

  “Jake—”

  He held up a hand. “Let me talk, please.”

  She nodded and waved a hand to the cushioned patio chair next to hers. “Have a seat. Want some iced tea or lemonade? Sophie may have a soda in the fridge.”

  Tori brushed past him, but he caught her wrist and tugged her gently to him. “Tori, I’m fine, especially now that I’m here with you.” He slid a stray piece of her hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. “I missed you.”

  “I think you said that already.”

  “I wanted to make sure you really knew it. It was a mistake to let you go.”

  “I had to leave.”

  He pressed a finger to her lips. “Shh, my turn to talk. It was a mistake to let you go by yourself.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I love you, Victoria, and I want to spend the rest of my life showing you how much if you’ll let me. You are the one I prayed for.”

  “What about the farm? And the Fatigues to Farming program?”

  “The farm’s still there. Evan’s hanging around to lend a hand, and Dad and Claudia can manage the program.”

  She placed a hand on his chest. “But you love the farm. Your goal this spring was to get the program started.”

  He reached for her hand and twined his fingers through hers. “But I love you more. You’re my first priority...well, second actually.”

  “Who’s your first?”

  “Well, God and I are on good terms again.”

  “How’d that happen?”

  “He showed up.”

  She smiled, that dimple that set his heart on fire appearing. “Like He always does.”

  “Dad and I had a talk about what it means to carry on a family legacy. He said a legacy is built on faith and integrity. He also feels I’ve been trying to offer hope to the disabled veterans as a way of rebuilding hope for myself. It was so tough losing Mom and you and Leo and Micah. So much loss wiped out my hope. Micah accused me of being afraid to take risks. And he was right. I’ve wrapped myself in a cocoon at the farm, in an environment that I could somewhat control.”

  “You’ve been through a lot, and I didn’t make it easier for you.” She lowered her gaze.

  “It’s been a trial, but I realized God was with me all along, even when I was angry with Him. Dad also reminded me we have to find the hope in the heartache.” Jake reached over and grabbed the gift bag off the table and handed it to Tori. “I brought you something.”

  She took it, pulled out the tissue paper, and removed a framed photo of the two of them dancing at Dad and Claudia’s wedding. She touched the glass and looked up at him with a smile. “It’s perfect.”

  “There’s something else in the bottom of the bag.”

  She peeked inside and pulled out an acorn. She held it up and gave him a puzzled look. “An acorn?”

  “From my grandparents’ tree at Bridal Bend. They overcame a lot of obstacles to be together and created a legacy of faith and commitment. I want that for us. We can plant that wherever you want, whether it’s in Pittsburgh or California. Wherever you go, I’ll be with you.”

  She rolled the acorn between her fingers and looked at the framed photo again. She set them on the table, wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, “How about Holland Hill?”

  “What about your job? The partnership?”

  “Sophie and I did some chatting of our own. She felt with today’s technology, I can work from home and return to Pittsburgh a couple of times a month.”

  “Is that what you want to do? Don’t do this because of me.”

  “I’m doing this because of us. I don’t want
you to give up the farm. I just wanted to be a priority in your life.”

  Jake pulled her closer. “And you are. I promise.”

  “There’s just one problem.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I don’t have a place to live anymore. You have the deed to my house.”

  “Your home will always be with me, no matter where we end up. Let’s plant that tree and grow our legacy together. Marry me, Tori. Again.” Jake lowered his head and claimed her lips.

  She returned his kiss, then pressed her hand against his chest. “I love you, Jake. And I’d love nothing more than to be your wife. Again.”

  A peace he hadn’t felt in so long settled over him, giving him rest for his soul and offering a hope he’d been too afraid to reach out and grasp. Jake kissed her again, then wrapped Tori in the shelter of his embrace, ready to risk it all to have a second chance at love in this new season of hope.

  * * *

  If you loved this story,

  pick up Love Inspired author Lisa Jordan’s

  previous books set in Shelby Lake:

  Lakeside Reunion

  Lakeside Family

  Lakeside Sweethearts

  Lakeside Redemption

  Lakeside Romance

  Available now from Love Inspired!

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  Keep reading for an excerpt from The Amish Bachelor’s Baby by Jo Ann Brown.

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  Dear Reader,

  Growing up down the road from my grandparents’ dairy farm, my favorite memories are filled with feeding calves, the rope swing in the hay barn, large family gatherings, and the values of faith, family and hard work instilled by my grandparents, my mom, aunts and uncles.

  In Season of Hope, as a former Marine, Jake wants to honor the friend he lost by creating a Fatigues to Farming program, which will allow veterans with disabilities to learn farming in order to start their own small businesses. This idea is based on actual programs around the United States. Farmers are the backbone of America, and our veterans have sacrificed much to protect our freedoms. Both of these noble occupations need to be respected and honored.

  When I created this series, I wanted to show how the Holland family uses their faith to find hope in heartache. Faith is believing without seeing, and when we’re walking through the valley of darkness, it can be difficult to see the Light, but no matter what challenges we’re facing, God is with us every step of the way, waiting to lead us through those difficult seasons. Hold onto the Hope.

  I love hearing from my readers, so please email me at lisa@lisajordanbooks.com. Visit my website at lisajordanbooks.com to learn more about upcoming novels and events.

  Be blessed,

  Lisa Jordan

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.

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  The Amish Bachelor’s Baby

  by Jo Ann Brown

  Chapter One

  Harmony Creek Hollow, New York

  “Don’t you dare eat those socks!”

  Annie Wagler leaped off the back porch as the sock carousel soared on a gust and headed toward the pen where her twin sister’s goats were watching her bring in the laundry. The plastic circle, which was over twelve inches in diameter, had been clipped to the clothesline. As she’d reached for it, the wind swept it away.

  Snow crunched beneath her boots, and she ducked under the clothes that hung, frozen hard, on the line. She despised bringing in laundry during the winter and having to hang the clothing over an air-dryer rack inside until it thawed. She hated everything to do with laundry: washing it, hanging it, bringing it in and folding it, ironing it and mending it. Every part of the process was more difficult in the cold.

  Pulling her black wool shawl closer, she ran toward the fenced-in area where Leanna’s goats roamed. She wasn’t sure why they’d want to be outside on such a frigid day, but they were clumped together near where Leanna would feed them later. Annie sometimes wondered if the goats were one part hair, hooves and eyes, and three parts stomach. They never seemed to be full.

  And they would consider the cotton and wool socks a treat.

  Annie yanked open the gate, making sure it was latched behind her before she ran to collect the sock carousel. She had to push curious goats aside in order to reach it. One goat was already bending to sample the airborne windfall.

  “Socks are for feet, not for filling your bottomless stomachs,” Annie scolded as she scooped up the socks that would have to be washed again.

  The goats, in various patterns of white, black and brown, gave her both disgusted and hopeful glances. She wasn’t sure why her identical twin, Leanna, liked the creatures, especially the stinky male.

  Leanna had established a business selling milk and had begun experimenting with recipes for soap. Her twin hoped to sell bars at the Salem farmers market, about three miles southwest of their farm, when it reopened in the spring. As shy as her twin was, Annie wasn’t sure how Leanna would handle interacting with customers.

  They were mirror twins. Annie was right-handed, and Leanna left-handed. The cowlick that kept Annie’s black hair from lying on her right temple was identical to Leanna’s on the other side. They had matching birthmarks on their elbows, but on opposite arms. Their personalities were distinct, too. While Leanna seldom spoke up, Annie found it impossible to keep her opinions to herself.

  How many times had she wished she was circumspect like her twin? For certain, too many times to count. Instead, she’d inherited her grossmammi’s plainspoken ways.

  Annie edged toward the gate, leaning forward so the socks were on the other side of the fence. She needed to finish bringing in the laundry so she could help her grossmammi and Leanna with supper. Her younger siblings were always hungry after school and work. She’d hoped their older brother, who lived past the barn, would bring his wife and kinder tonight, but his six-year-old son, Junior, was sick.

  Keeping the sock carousel out of the goats’ reach, she stretched to open the gate. One of the kids, a brown-and-white one her twin called Puddle, butted her, trying to get her attention.

  Annie looked at the little goat. “If you weren’t so cute, you’d be annoying, ain’t so?”

  “Do they talk to you when you talk to them?” asked a voice far deeper than her own.

  In amazement, she looked up...and up...and up. Caleb Hartz was almost a foot taller than she was. Beneath his black broad-brimmed hat, his blond hair fell into eyes the color of early-summer grass. He had a ready smile and an easy, contagious enthusiasm.

  And he was the man Leanna had her eye on.

 
; Her sister hadn’t said anything about being attracted to him, but Annie couldn’t help noticing how tongue-tied Leanna was when he was nearby. He hadn’t seemed to notice, and maybe Annie would have missed her sister’s reactions if Annie didn’t find herself a bit giddy when Caleb spoke to her. Before Caleb’s sister, Miriam, had mentioned that Leanna seemed intrigued by her brother, Annie had been thinking...

  No, it didn’t matter. If Leanna had set her heart on him, Annie should remind him how wunderbaar her sister was. She’d do anything to have her sister happy again.

  “Gute nammidaag,” Annie said as she came out of the pen, being careful no goat slipped past her.

  “Is it still afternoon?” He glanced toward the western horizon, where the sun touched the mountaintops.

  “Barely,” she laughed. “I’ve been catching up with chores before working on supper. Would you like to eat with us this evening?”

  “Danki, but no.” Caleb clasped his hands behind him.

  Annie was puzzled. Why was he uncomfortable? Usually he chatted with everyone. While he traveled from church district to church district in several states, he’d met with each of the families now living in Harmony Creek Hollow and convinced them to join him in the new community in northern New York.

  “What can we do for you?” she asked when he didn’t add anything else.

  “I wanted to talk to you about a project I’m getting started on.”

  Curiosity distracted her from how the icy wind sliced through her shawl, coat and bonnet. “What project?”

  “I’m opening a bakery.”

  “You are?” She couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice.

  A bakery? Amish men, as a rule, didn’t spend much time in the kitchen, other than to eat. Their focus was on learning farm skills or being apprenticed to a trade.

  “Ja,” he said, then grimaced at another blast of frigid air. His coat was closed to the collar, where a scarf was edged with frost from his breath. “I stopped by to see if you’d be interested in working for me. The bakery will be out on the main road south of the turnoff for Harmony Creek Hollow.”