Holiday Illusion (19 page)

Eyes sparkling like rare jewels, Paulo took it all in, completely still in his dumbfounded awe. Dressed in a heavy winter down coat, hat, gloves and waterproof pants and boots, the child was as protected as he could be against the cold. Tentatively, he moved toward the fun, hands outstretched. He pulled off one glove and sank small fingers into the white powder, squealing, “It's cold! Let's build a snowman.”

With Anna's help they soon had a round, white, three-tiered man with Lucas's cap on his head, two eyes made from brown leaves and a broken stick for a nose. Pebbles from the gravel walkway became a huge, dotted smile below the stick. The smile was almost as big as Paulo's.

As the snow started to fill in the patches they'd created while making the snowman, building the powdery stuff back up, Paulo grinned, giggled and sat down in the middle of it. He then stretched out on his back, swinging his arms to make wings for a little Paulo snow angel.

Lucas burst out laughing, ran and landed with a thump in the snow beside Paulo. A white mist flew up and splattered Paulo in the face. The boy couldn't stop laughing and Lucas felt his throat clog.
Thank you, God.

He looked up at Anna, who'd waded into the stuff. Grabbing her hand, he yanked and, with a shriek, she landed beside him. “Hey! My pants aren't waterproof, you goof! It's cold and I'll be frozen.”

“But you've thawed my heart, Anna,” he whispered, turning serious, every sight and sound fading except for the vision of loveliness before him. “I love God and I love you. And you
still
haven't answered my second question. Will. You. Marry. Me?”

She gulped. “Are you sure? More than sure?”

“We've been over this. I won't say it doesn't matter because I know it does…very much…to you. But we'll work it out. We can adopt. I know of an orphanage full of children who need a mom and dad to love them…and teach them about the love of Christ, too. Starting with that little boy right there. Marry me,” he insisted.

Tears dripped down her chin, salting the snow, melting it where they dropped. She nodded, blinked away the tears and grinned. “Yes, absolutely yes. I want that more than anything.” Lucas pulled her down to him and planted a kiss on her starting-to-turn-blue lips.

She laughed against his mouth, her warm breath filling him with joy, longing and a thankfulness he never thought he'd ever feel.

Paulo's sweet giggles brought them around to see doctors, nurses and other hospital staff standing in a semicircle around them. Anna blushed furiously and Lucas cleared his throat. “Ah, well…um…yeah. Hey, she said, yes!”

Laughter and applause broke out, and Paulo looked up at Lucas. “See, God does answer prayers.”

Dear Reader,

 

I hope those of you familiar with the Carolina coasts won't hold it against me for taking some license with the landscaping. Haven and Rocking Wave Beach are both fictitious towns straight from my imagination, and I certainly had fun creating them.

As this story developed, it occurred to me that a lot of what I was writing could have a double meaning. Hence the title
Holiday Illusion
. Lucas and Anna kept focusing on Anna's past and the people that could possibly want her dead, while all along it was Lucas who was in danger. Sometimes in life I find that I get so focused on one thing that I don't see what it is I really need to see until I stop and take the time to pray and seek God's guidance. I hope some of you can relate.

I'm often online at www.lynetteeason.com, and I love to hear reader responses. Let me know what you think. Until next time…

 

Lynette Eason

1. Lucas and Anna were doing good work in the jungles of Brazil. Do you think it was wrong for them to leave? Why or why not?
   
2. What do you think about Paulo and his unwavering faith in God and Anna? Do you know anyone with faith like that?
   
3. How does your faith in God compare to Paulo's and Anna's?
   
4. Why do you think Lucas and his father butted heads so much? Why do you think what was important to Lucas was so different from what was important to his father?
   
5. Growing up, Godfrey was jealous of Lucas and Lance. He's a prime example of what can happen when you allow something wrong to consume what and who you are. How can this adversely affect someone? What are ways to overcome jealousy?
   
6. Anna and Lucas had a lot of bad stuff happen to them. Yet Anna never blamed God. How did that influence Lucas?
   
7. Anna desperately wanted to fall in love with Lucas, but wouldn't allow herself that kind of relationship with him because he wasn't yet a believer. How do you feel about that? Do you think she made the right decision?
   
8. Who did you think the “bad guy” was? And were you surprised when it turned out to be Lucas's cousin? Why or why not?
   
9. What was your favorite scene in the book? Why?
   
10. Do you think Anna was right in keeping her barrenness from Lucas for so long? Did you like his response when he found out?
    
11. Do you feel Anna was too stubborn for her own good when it came to asking for help? Or do you feel she did the right thing and was trying to keep the people she loved safe?
    
12. What are your thoughts about Paulo's prayer right before he went into surgery? What kind of impact would that prayer have had on you if you were Lucas?
    
13. Sometimes we get something in our minds that takes all of our attention and pulls our focus from the main thing—God. What happens to us when we allow that? Do we end up getting blindsided, then wind up wondering what happened? What do you think God thinks about that?
    
14. Did you like how the book ended? Why or why not?