A Promise of Hope (22 page)

25

L
uke leaned against his workbench and glanced across the empty shop, pondering what had possessed him to agree to come in to work on the weekend. Of course, it wasn’t as if he had anything to do at the house.

He’d spent last night visiting with Mel and Sally, which meant he spent the entire evening eating too much and longing for the close, loving relationship his best friend shared with his beautiful wife. And those desires conjured up thoughts of Sarah that had haunted him all night long.

Taking a deep breath, he sauntered to the other side of the shop to Mel’s work area where a half-finished cabinet sat. Grabbing a sander, he set to work, hoping to finish the project for his friend as another way to thank him for the delicious meal.

Luke was deep at work, struggling to tune out memories of Sarah and concentrate on the hum of the tool, when a tap on his shoulder startled him.

“You scared me half to death!” he hissed at the teenager who ran the front of the store. “What is it?”

“You have a visitor out front.” The kid jerked his thumb toward the show room.

“A visitor?” Luke set the tool down on the workbench.

“Yeah.” The kid shrugged. “Some girl.”

“Girl?” Luke’s stomach flip-flopped. Had Sarah come to see him? Had she finally realized she belonged with him and not Norman?

Rushing out front, Luke stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted an English woman leaning on the counter. “DeLana?” he said. “How are you?”

“I’m good.” She smiled. “How are you doing?”

“Fine. What brings you out here today?”

“I was hoping we could talk.” She nodded toward the front door.

Luke glanced out the showroom window toward the large drops raining down on the pavement. “It looks a bit wet out there. How about we talk in the break room?”

She shrugged. “All right.”

He led her through the shop and into the small room in the back, where she sat at the table. He fetched two cans of Coke from the refrigerator and sat across from her, handing her one.

“Thanks.” She popped open the can, which fizzed and hissed in response. She then took a long drink before setting it on the table and meeting his gaze. “I had an interesting conversation with someone about a month ago. I’ve been meaning to stop by, but things kept coming up at work. Today I made it my business to come by and tell you about my special visitor.”

“Anyone I know?” He took a long drink, enjoying the cool carbonation on his dry throat.

Her smile was smug. “Oh yeah. She’s a pretty blonde who is all into you.”

He looked at her with curiosity. “Who was it?”

“Sarah Troyer.” She lifted her can and took another drink while he stared at her, unable to breathe for a moment.

“Sarah?” His voice was ragged. “How…Where…” He shook his head, trying to figure out what she meant. “I don’t understand.”

She grinned. “I gotcha.”

“DeLana,” he began with frustration. “I don’t have the time or patience for games. How on earth did you meet Sarah?”

“She came to see me. She had some burning questions about Peter’s past, so I filled her in.” DeLana explained how they’d visited in a restaurant and she’d told Sarah the history of how she and Peter met and about the night he left.

Hurt radiated through Luke’s soul at the realization Sarah had been a few miles from his shop only a month ago.

“She came all the way out here but didn’t stop to see me,” he muttered. He ran his hand through his hair as the truth sank in—Sarah never loved him, and he was kidding himself by thinking he’d ever had a chance with her. Maybe she really did love Norman.

And maybe she did hate him.

He swallowed a groan.

“That’s where you’re wrong.” DeLana’s smirk was back. “I drove her out here, but she was too afraid to get out of the car.”

“Afraid?” He snorted. “Please. Have you ever known me to be intimidating?”

“No, but her feelings for you are.”

He studied her eyes, finding no sign of a lie or a cruel joke. He needed to know more. “What do you mean?”

“It was obvious when she talked about you that she had feelings for you. I tried to encourage her to come and see you, but she insisted the feelings weren’t mutual.” She pushed back a lock of dark hair. “She was afraid you hated her since you had an argument the night before you left. She was in tears over you. It was difficult to watch her break down. She’s such a sweet, innocent thing. I wanted to pull her into a hug.”

The image of her crying in his arms twisted his heart. He pushed the memory away. Frowning, he shook his head. “It doesn’t matter anyway. She’s marrying someone else.”

DeLana gave a look of surprise. “She is? She didn’t mention that to me.”

Luke nearly dropped his can. “She didn’t mention a guy named Norman?”

She shook her head. “No, she didn’t mention anyone named Norman. But she was very emotional when she talked about you. It’s obvious, Luke, that girl has the hots for you.”

He frowned in disbelief, but his heart thumped in his chest at the possibility that DeLana was right. “She has ‘the hots’ for me? That’s funny, because she accepted it when I told her I was leaving, and she hasn’t contacted me. Her father has my information. She could get my number from him or look it up in the phone book at the library. There are ways to contact people. And you said it yourself that she went home without seeing me.”

“You’re just as stubborn as your brother was, Luke. You’re not listening to me. She hasn’t contacted you because she thinks you hate her.” DeLana leaned forward, her eyes serious. “I got the feeling she would love for you to come after her. She needs the fairy tale, Luke. You have to ride in on your white horse and sweep her off her feet like a Disney movie.”

He looked at her in confusion, and she snapped her fingers.

“I forgot.” She chuckled. “You aren’t allowed to watch movies or television. Just trust me on this. She wants you to come and save her, but she doesn’t know how to reach out to you. I think she’s afraid of being hurt again.”

Luke leaned back in the chair and raked his fingers through his hair, letting her words soak into his mind. He crossed his arms and studied her expression. “Why are you telling me this?”

She placed the can on the table. “To be honest, I’m not sure what possessed me, but I’ve had a nagging desire to come and tell you all this. I guess it’s because I let your brother slip through my fingers eight years ago, and I didn’t want it to happen to you. I love my husband, and I don’t regret marrying him. However, as I told Sarah, sometimes I wonder what would’ve happened if I’d run away with Peter the night he begged me to leave town with him. I don’t want you to let the love of your life slip through your fingers too.”

He narrowed his eyes, challenging her. “What makes you think she’s the love of my life?”

DeLana snorted, lifting the can again. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see your expression or hers and figure it out.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice for effect. “Luke, don’t be a dunce. You’re wasting your life away living like a hermit here in Ohio. Go back to Pennsylvania and marry that girl.”

His mouth gaped. How on earth had she figured out so much about him? While he studied her, she pulled an envelope from her purse.

“I brought photos of your nephew. He’s almost nine now.” She slapped a few photographs onto the table in front of him.

Luke flipped through the photographs, silently marveling at how much Cody looked like Peter. Warmth filled his heart. How could he have lived in the same town as his nephew for nearly nine years and never contacted him? He needed to be the uncle the child deserved and the uncle the twins deserved too.

“He’s grown up so much,” Luke said. “It’s amazing how time flies.”

“I’d love for you to meet him sometime.”

He glanced up at her. “Really?”

She nodded. “Alex and I are going to tell him about Peter soon. We want him to know his other siblings, and Sarah promised to keep in touch.”

“I’d love to meet him.” He stared at the snapshots.

They chatted about old times, swapping funny stories about Peter. After nearly an hour, DeLana stood and said she had to get home. Luke walked her to the show room.

“It was great seeing you again.” DeLana pulled him into a quick hug.

“You too.” He rubbed her arm. “Thank you.”

She gave him a wicked grin. “If you want to thank me, then go to Pennsylvania and tell Sarah how you feel about her before it’s too late.” She winked and then rushed out the door into the blowing rain.

Luke stood at the window while DeLana climbed into her SUV and sped through the parking lot, her tires leaving their wake in the puddles.

His stomach tightened while he contemplated all she’d revealed about her visit with Sarah. While it cut him to the bone that Sarah had visited DeLana without seeing him, he felt a ray of hope that she could possibly love him.

For a split second, he considered calling a taxicab, leaving the shop, and heading to the train station.

But how could he truly know Sarah wanted to be with him and not Norman?

It just didn’t make sense. Why would Sarah share her true feelings with DeLana, a stranger who had shared an intimate love affair with her late husband, but not tell Luke how she felt?

He considered the thought. Then another idea struck him—why would DeLana come to see him after all of these years to share a lie?

A headache throbbed in his temple while he considered all of the possible motives for DeLana’s visit. All he knew for sure was he was more confused than ever.

On Sunday evening, Luke sank into a kitchen chair and flipped through the letters he’d piled up on the table over the past couple of days. He’d been so consumed with his conversation with DeLana he hadn’t bothered to open his mail or read the newspaper.

He glanced through the usual bills without much interest and then stopped when he found a handwritten envelope with a Pennsylvania postmark. His heartbeat leapt when he read “Kauffman” in the return address.

Ripping it open, Luke held his breath as his eyes scanned the block handwriting.

Dear Luke,

I hope this letter finds you well. The shop has been busy since you left. We sure could use your hands around here these days. Please remember the job here is always available for you if you decide to come back.

The real reason why I’m writing isn’t to tell you about the business at the furniture store. I wanted to tell you that the person who misses you most of all is Sarah Rose. She hasn’t been the same since you left. I haven’t seen her smile or heard her laugh in weeks. She spends most days in her room, reading her Bible and not talking to anyone.

If you can find it in your heart to come back to Sarah Rose, please do it as soon as possible. I’m sure she loves you. In fact, she admitted to Kathryn that she does. If you come back, I think you both would realize you’re meant to be together.

May the Lord bless you and keep you in His tender care.

Sincerely,

Eli Kauffman

Luke stared at the letter, reading and rereading it until he’d committed it to memory. Eli’s words were so similar to DeLana’s.

Then it struck him like a ton of bricks—was God trying to tell him something? Was he, Luke, wrong to think Sarah belonged with Norman and not him? Was he wrong to think it was a sin for him to covet Sarah?

The questions rang through his mind all night and lingered into the early morning as he rode to work with his English driver.

Luke cornered Mel in the parking lot and filled him in on DeLana’s visit and then handed him Eli’s letter. He held his breath while he waited for Mel’s reaction. When Mel met his gaze with a grimace, Luke’s heart sank.

“Are you dense, Troyer?” Mel asked, handing the letter back to Luke.

“What do you mean?”

“What are you doing here?” Mel gestured around the parking lot. “What are you waiting for?”

Luke shook his head. “But isn’t it a sin to covet my brother’s
fraa?”

His best friend raised an eyebrow. “A sin? Why would it be a sin? There’s a verse about it. Let me think…” Mel snapped his finger. “That’s it! It’s from Romans, and it goes something like, ‘By law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage.’” He shrugged. “So, where’s the sin in coveting her? Peter was her past.” He gestured toward Luke. “You could be her future.”

Luke’s stomach lurched with excitement. “You think so?”

“What are you doing waiting here?” Mel gestured toward the pickup truck sitting by the entrance to the shop. “Go! Get packed and rush to the train station. Go to Sarah before she marries Norman.”

Luke gave Mel a quick hug.
“Danki.”
He trotted toward the English driver. “I’ll call you!”

26

L
uke drummed his fingers on the door of the taxicab as it rolled down Route 340 toward Kauffman & Yoder. The train ride had seemed longer than the last time, due to his excitement. Even though Eli didn’t mention a wedding in his letter, Luke prayed he wasn’t too late to tell Sarah he loved her and not to marry Norman.

When the cab pulled into the furniture store lot, he tossed money to the driver, snatched his bag from the floor, and jogged into the showroom, finding Jake on the phone.

Jake looked up and grinned. Ending his call, he rushed around the counter and smacked Luke on the shoulder. “Hey, man! I knew you’d be back. You just couldn’t stay away, huh?”

“Ya.”
Luke forced a smile, anticipation bubbling in his gut. “Is Eli around?”

Jake shrugged. “Should be. Head on back. You know the way.”

“Danki.”
Luke hefted his bag on his shoulder and stepped into the shop. The familiar scents of wood and stain washed over him, and the booming sounds of tools rang through his head as he scanned the sea of men working on various projects. He missed the variety of building furniture.

Nodding greetings to his former coworkers, he steered to the back of the shop and knocked on Eli’s office door.

“Enter,” Eli called over the chorus of tools.

Luke wrenched open the door, which squeaked its protest.

When their gaze met, Eli’s eyes rounded, and he jumped from his chair. “Luke!” Grabbing his hand, he shook it. “It’s so
gut
to see you.”

“I got your letter.” Luke’s voice trembled.
“Danki.”

The older man smiled. “I’m glad you came.”

“How is she doing?” Luke’s stomach clenched.

A knowing smile parted Eli’s lips. “I think she’ll be fine.” He shrugged into his coat. “Let’s call a driver and head to the house now. She’ll be glad to see you.”

Sarah smiled and hugged her arms to her chest while she observed Jessica holding Rachel and Lindsay snuggling Seth. She was so glad Jessica had come to visit after finishing high school for the summer.

“He’s so tiny,” Lindsay said, running her finger over his hand. “Check out those teensy fingers, Aunt Trisha.”

Trisha leaned over the chair and smiled. “So beautiful. Hey, little buddy.”

Jessica grinned down at the baby girl. Rachel scrunched her face and yawned in response.

“You are just too cute.” Jessica glanced up at Sarah and then back at Rachel. “She definitely looks like you. She has your chin.”

Sarah chuckled.
“Danki.”

“I see Peter in him,” Trisha said with a nod.

“You know what’s weird?” Lindsay gave Sarah a serious look. “I see Luke in him. I guess it’s the family resemblance.”

Sarah’s heart thumped at the sound of Luke’s name.

“That’s not weird,” Trisha said, rubbing Seth’s cheek. “My husband is a dead ringer for his uncle Poochie.”

“Uncle Poochie?” Lindsay guffawed, and the baby squirmed.

“It’s a long story,” Trisha said. “I’ll have to tell you some other time.”

“Have you seen Jake yet?” Sarah asked Jessica.

Jessica shook her head and her face flushed. “Not yet. He thinks I have another week of classes. I’m going to surprise him at the shop.”

“He’ll be excited to see you,” Lindsay said. “He always asks about you. He’s still crazy about you.”

“Don’t rush it,” Trisha warned with a serious expression. “You’re young and have your whole life ahead of you.”

“Ya.
That’s right,” Sarah agreed with a nod.

An engine rumbled outside, and Sarah peered out the window as
Dat
and another man climbed from the cab of Mike Gray’s pickup truck.
“Dat’s
home early.”

Settling back in the chair, she took in the sight of the women cooing to her twins, who were almost six months old. It was hard to believe Peter had been gone nearly thirteen months.

Life had changed so much since the Christmas morning they’d been born. She’d lost her friendship with Luke and turned down a marriage proposal from Norman. It seemed things were changing daily.

She couldn’t help but wonder what tomorrow would bring. She hoped she’d soon find happiness for her and the twins.

Luke glanced around the Kauffman’s kitchen, and his pulse pounded. He wondered if he’d made a mistake coming here.

“She’s up in the nursery visiting with some out-of-town relatives.” Eli gestured toward the stairs. “Go on.”

Luke gnawed his lip, facing her father. “What if she’s not happy to see me?”

Eli gave a knowing smile. “She will be. Trust me.” Taking Luke’s arm, he steered him toward the stairs. “Go.”

“But we argued the last time we spoke. I said some awful things to her.” Luke adjusted his hat on his head. “She probably hates me.”

“She doesn’t hate you, Luke.” Eli made a sweeping gesture toward the stairs. “Go tell her how you feel and listen to her.”

With a deep sigh, Luke climbed the steps to Sarah’s room. His heart was pounding so hard in his chest he was sure Sarah would hear it. Doubt mixed with worry swirled in his gut. What if she told him to leave?

What if she said she loved Norman?

Approaching her room, his palms trembled, and sweat beaded on his brow. The next few moments would change the rest of his life.

Sarah had the nagging sensation of being watched. Glancing toward the doorway, her eyes focused on Luke. She gasped. “Luke?” she whispered, her voice quavering with a mix of shock, awe, and affection.

His handsome face displayed a tentative smile. “May I come in?”

“Please.” She gestured toward the twins. “Your niece and nephew have missed you.”

Misty-eyed, he stepped over toward Jessica, who held out Rachel. “I’ve missed them too. Hello,
mei liewe.”

Sarah’s heart swelled when he called Rachel “my love.” He did love the children.

But did he love Sarah too?

“Would you like to hold her?” Jessica asked with a smile.

He glanced at Sarah for permission, and she gave a quiet laugh. “Of course. You’re her
onkel.”

Jessica passed the tiny bundle to him. He held her as if she were the most precious little person in the world, and Sarah’s heart turned over at the sight. He looked so natural with Rachel in his arms. He looked like a father.

She suppressed the thought. He didn’t love her.

Lindsay rose and handed Seth to Sarah. “We’ll go downstairs and let you visit alone. We can run by the shop and see Jake.” She motioned to Jessica and Trisha. “Luke, this is my sister and my aunt Trisha.”

“Nice to meet you.” He nodded as they exited the room. His eyes then met Sarah’s, and the intensity in them caused her pulse to double. “It’s so good to be back with you and the
zwillingbopplin
again.”

“We’ve missed you.” Sarah’s mouth dried.

“They’ve gotten bigger. Rachel still looks just like you.”

“Lindsay says Seth looks like you.” She sidled up to him. He leaned over, and she inhaled his scent, so familiar, so warm.

“No,” he said. “He’s still my brother, through and through.” He smiled at her, and her heart somersaulted.

She resisted the urge to touch his sweet face.

Questions swirled through her mind as she watched him with her baby. First and foremost, she wanted to know if he was back for good, but the answer scared her. She took a deep breath before she spoke.

“Why are you here?” Her voice was thick as fear slithered through her—fear that he’d say he wouldn’t stay long.

“Your
dat
wrote me.” He kept his eyes trained on the sleeping child snuggled in his large arms like a precious doll.

“What?” She studied him. “Why?”

“He asked me to come back and see you because you’ve been unhappy.” He ran a large finger over Rachel’s chin, and she sighed in her sleep. A loving smile graced his lips. “And DeLana came to visit me at the shop.”

“DeLana?” Sarah’s eyes popped wide open.

“She also said you missed me, and I should come back.” He grinned. “She said I should ride back on my horse and sweep you off your feet like a fairy tale in some movie.”

“Oh.” She studied his eyes, trying to discern if he was laughing at DeLana’s analogy or if he was saying he wanted to be with her. She had the sinking feeling that he was laughing, and he wasn’t going to stay after all. She feared he was only here to visit and see the twins.

She needed to find out what his intentions were, but they couldn’t talk with the children sleeping. Since Seth was already asleep, she placed him in his cradle. She then removed Rachel from Luke’s arms, and placed her in the other cradle. Taking Luke’s warm hand in hers, she led him into the hallway, gently closing the door behind her.

Still holding his hand, she guided him into her mother’s sewing room, closing the door behind them. Once there, she stood before him. She knew she had to apologize to him, and she wracked her brain for the right words.

His eyes scanned her face, and she looked down, suddenly self-conscious.

“Why are you staring at me?” she asked, running her hand over her prayer
kapp
to be sure it was straight.

“I can’t believe I’d forgotten just how beautiful you are.” His face and eyes were serious.

“Danki,”
she whispered, her body trembling at his intense expression. Squeezing his hand, she cleared her throat. She had to apologize before she lost her nerve. “I’m sorry, Luke.” Her voice quaked. “I’m sorry for everything I said. You’re not a liar, and I never meant to compare you to Peter.”

His expression softened, and he touched her face. “No, I’m sorry. I was wrong to say you regarded me as gum on your shoe. I know you don’t.”

Tears began to drip down her cheeks. “You’re so much more than that to me, Luke. So much more. I’ve missed you.”

“I’m glad you feel that way.” He swiped away a tear with his thumb. His touch was so gentle and so loving. “I didn’t arrive here on a horse like the fairy tale DeLana mentioned, but I would like to sweep you off your feet.”

Her pulse quickened in her veins, and her breath caught in her throat. “I think you’ve definitely swept me off my feet.”

He cupped her face in his hands. “I’m here to ask you not to marry Norman.” His eyes pleaded with her. “Please don’t marry him, Sarah Rose. Please.”

Her voice failed her for a moment. “What are you talking about? I was never going to marry Norman.”

Luke raised his eyebrows in shock. “You weren’t?”

She searched his eyes. “Who told you I was going to marry him?”

“Timothy said Norman was going to ask you when May arrived, and it was only natural for you to marry him since you’re such close friends.”

She groaned. “It wasn’t true. There were no plans. Norman asked me to marry him the night I arrived back home after visiting DeLana, and I told him no. I said I only wanted to be friends.”

She studied his brown eyes, drinking in the warmth she found there. “I told him I couldn’t marry him because I didn’t love him. When I looked into the eyes of my
kinner
I knew I couldn’t raise them in a loveless marriage. They need so much more, and I do too.”

Taking her hands in his, he pulled her to him. Her pulse pounded like a horse trotting through town.

“Sarah,” he began, his voice ragged. “I’m miserable without you. I think of you day and night.” Leaning down, he brushed his lips over her cheek, and her knees buckled.
“Ich liebe dich,
Sarah Rose. I want to come back here and stay. I already have a buyer for my land. He’s been asking me for years to sell so he can build an English housing development.” He released one of her hands and ran his thumb over where his kiss had fallen. “Will you marry me?”

She blinked back tears. “Luke, I love you too,” she whispered, her voice quaking. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

A smile broke out on his lips. “I am the happiest man on earth.” He leaned down again. His lips brushed hers, sending her stomach into a wild swirl.

He pulled her to him, and she buried her head in his chest, listening to the sound of his beating heart. She let the feel of his lips soak into her heart.

“At first I thought being with you would be a sin,” he said.

“You did?” she asked. “What made you change your mind?”

A smile formed on his lips. “My best friend Mel. He reminded me of a verse in Romans.” He rubbed her back. “He made me realize my brother was your past, but I could be your future.”

“Ya.”
She buried her face in his chest again. “I’d like that, and so will the
kinner.”
Closing her eyes, she said a silent prayer, thanking God for her beautiful twins and for Luke.

He held her close. “Your parents named you right. You’re my beautiful rose. My perfect, lovely, sweet rose.”