Sanctuary (30 page)

The irony was that in the end, Ivanov himself was Ryan’s proof of man’s depravity. But a sudden realization sent cold shivers down his back, accompanied with a deeper feeling of remorse:
Ivanov—we’re not so different, you and I.

Slipping to the floor, he knelt, overwhelmed with a need for redemption unknowable to his human reasoning, longing for the forgiveness of his sin—yet beset with a lifetime of skepticism. A phrase ran through his mind—
where had he heard it?
—and he embraced it as his own:
Lord, I do believe … help my unbelief!

Faltering, he prayed, a man at the end of his rope. Tears of anguish and sorrow followed. Eventually all inner resistance melted away, and he experienced something new. Something that until this moment he had only heard about but had never accepted as reality.

Rest for his weary soul.

The morning sun flickered through the curtains as Ryan tossed the last remaining items into his overnight bag and zipped it shut. Agent Carlson was waiting in the downstairs lobby. One more meeting with McGuire.

When the phone rang, he turned, staring at it. After a solid week of waiting, there was no doubt in his mind. The caller was Melissa.

Filled with apprehension, he realized anew that his wife might never forgive him. He’d have to make peace with that someday. Either way, this was the moment of truth.

He dropped his bags on the floor and picked up the phone.

  
Chapter Thirty-Five
  

THE SUNSET SEEMED TO LINGER longer than usual as Melissa made her way barefoot over the well-known ridge to Napatree Beach. Sighing with relief, she wondered how the sun would look as it set tonight. A spectacular array of color? Or a gentle whisper of muted tones, like the still lifes she favored?

Breathing hard, she made her way to the promontory, that high area where the point reached out like a finger into the water below. Angling up to the crest, she stood there scanning the shoreline, thankful to be here. With scarcely a breeze stirring, the pre-twilight atmosphere was still. Occasional clouds dappled the line separating sky and sea. The sun had a few more fluid minutes before it dipped into the deep, flinging its molten rays wildly into a burst of breathtaking hues.

Few beachcombers were left. Three or four seemed content to roam the wet sand, scavenging for shells and other debris. One girl had a burlap satchel thrown over her shoulder, filled, no doubt, with sea treasures.

Melissa’s gaze focused on the very tip of the jetty, where large rocks were stacked to create a manmade dock of sorts. Shielding her eyes from the sun as it plunged toward the ocean, she could see the figure of a man sitting there facing the horizon.

It was Ryan, precisely where they had arranged to meet, his hands folded in a contemplative fashion. She felt a pounding in her head, matching the sound of the waters beyond, as she watched him, this man, seemingly a stranger, even though it had been scarcely more than a week since her frantic escape. So much had happened since then. Events from which many married couples never recover.

She smiled to herself. But they weren’t just
any
couple. After Agent McGuire’s explanation of yesterday’s events, Melissa had needed time to think. And to pray.

Slowly, carefully, she picked her way over the boulders, careful not to slip. Somewhere on the sandy hill behind them, FBI agents hovered near, watching like a sturdy angelic guard.

Just as she reached the end of the pier, the sun dipped past the horizon, shooting out sprays of purple and gold. Ryan turned as if on cue, hope reflected in his eyes, delight in his smile.

Three years ago she had promised to love and cherish this man. She would keep her word.

“Mellie,” he whispered, gathering her into his arms.

Safe in the protection of his tender embrace, she felt the promise of a new beginning as husband and wife, under God.

  
Acknowledgments
  

With sincere gratitude we wish to acknowledge our editors, Barb Lilland, Anne Severance, and Carol Johnson, as well as the editorial staff and marketing team at Bethany House Publishers. Our special thanks to Clyde and Susan Gordon who cheerfully assisted with regional research, and to Dale and Barbara Birch who proofread the manuscript. The “wonderfulgut” help we gleaned from our Plain friends and contacts made all the difference.

We treasure the ongoing prayers of our family and friends, including John Henderson who kept us in stitches throughout the writing process. Many thanks to the faithful readers who offered thoughtful words of encouragement and love.

Beverly Lewis

Abram’s Daughters introduces readers to an Old O family. Abram Ebersol and his devoted wife are raising courting-age daughters on a firm foundation of tradition, and they expect their girls to carry on heritage by joining the church and making a cove with God. Each of Abram’s daughters, choosing her path, must come to terms with the Old Ways of thin and living. And sometimes that path has detours forks in the road with unknown destinations….

The Covenant, The Betrayal, The Sacrifice,
The Prodigal, The Revelation

The Postcard
, and its sequel,
The Crossroad
, is the sto an “Englisher” who finds an old postcard while on vacation at a bed-and-breakfast in Amish country. This discovery leads him to the bedside of a woman with a t dark secrets and lost love. As he unravels the mystery finds himself drawn to the shy Amish widow he m Must they sacrifice a future together for the sake of all know and love?

The Postcard, The Crossroad

Annie’s People follows Annie Zook, the only daughter of an Old Order Amish preacher, as she struggles to d if she should join the Brethren. She desperately wan please her parents and her Plain community, but her constant solace and desire—art—is strictly forbidden b church district, as is her friendship with the mysterious and handsome Englisher, Ben Martin. With a life-alt decision on the line, Annie must choose between desires and the only life she knows.

The Preacher’s Daughter, The Englisher, The Brethren

M
ORE FROM

David Lewis

David Lewis’s first solo novel is a beautiful heartwarming story of one woman’s return home and the spiritual ney that follows. More than a decade after tragic separation, childhood friends Jessie and Andy are brought together again in search of the truth about Jessie’s fa As his feelings for Jessie begin to grow beyond fri ship, how will Andy ever manage to protect Jessie from her past…but from her future?

Coming Home
by David Lewis

Losing Alice was the event that changed everything Stephen. Back in Aberdeen, South Dakota, he attempted to pick up the pieces of his life. He married best-f Donna, and they had a precocious daughter with w Stephen had immediately bonded. He went into bus with his high school buddy, and it looked like he things back in hand. The gradual downward spiral b so slowly that Stephen wasn’t paying attention as h started to spin out of control. And then it was too la Or was it?

Saving Alice
by David Lewis