The Promise of Home (Love Inspired) (21 page)
Read The Promise of Home (Love Inspired) Online
Authors: Kathryn Springer
The golden eyes darkened as if he didn’t believe her. “For how long?”
“I was thinking…forever? Or as long as you’re here.”
Dev slowly drew her into his arms, bent his head until their lips were about to touch. The love in his eyes took her breath away.
“What do you know? I was thinking the exact same thing.”
And then he kissed her. A sweet, searching kiss that took Jenna’s breath away and made her believe in promises again.
Epilogue
“H
old still!”
Kate shot Jenna a stern look as she wound a checkered wool scarf around her neck and tucked it in place.
“I don’t have a choice,” Jenna grumbled. “I have more layers than Delia Peake’s Jell-O salad.”
Abby chuckled. “We don’t want you to get cold on your very first winter hike.”
“You know, I’m not sure those two words go together.”
The front door opened and Zoey swept in with a gust of chilly November air, simultaneously stomping the snow from her boots and shaking the snowflakes from her hair.
“Sorry I’m late. I had a couple of last-minute errands to run.”
“I think she’s all set.” Kate flicked the red pompom on Jenna’s borrowed stocking cap over her shoulder. “Only one more thing and we’re good to go.”
“One more thing?”
Zoey held up a pair of snowshoes.
“I can’t wear those,” Jenna gasped.
Abby looked at Kate. “Didn’t someone once write that in the right pair of shoes, and I believe this is a direct quote, ‘a girl can go anywhere’?”
Kate tapped her jaw thoughtfully with the tip of her finger. “As a matter of fact, I do remember reading that somewhere.”
“I don’t think I want to venture to the places these kind of shoes are going to take me.”
“Of course you do,” Zoey said cheerfully.
“You’re going to have fun.” Emma patted her arm.
“Of course she is.” Kate tossed on her coat. “She’s with us!”
Jenna appreciated what her friends were doing. Dev had left for a shoot three days ago, and Jenna already felt the hole his absence had created. She thought she’d been hiding it well until Abby had called to invite her and the kids over for hot chocolate in the library.
Jenna had been ambushed on the moment of her arrival. Alex had kidnapped the children right in front of her very eyes and took them to a sledding hill on the edge of town.
Abby and Kate had been lying in wait for her inside. Abby had made hot chocolate. But they weren’t going to drink it until they returned from a long walk in the woods.
“Come on, city girl.” Zoey tossed Jenna a wink and a pair of mittens. “Show them what you’ve got.”
“At the end of the day, I guarantee you’ll have something to brag about. Or…” Kate said, grinning “…blog about.”
Groaning, Jenna sat down on the bottom step and reached for a snowshoe. “Let’s get this over with.”
They stepped out the back door of the inn and the drop in temperature snatched the breath from Jenna’s lungs. An early snow had blanketed the yard and dusted the trees like powdered sugar.
“Come on.” Kate set out briskly, as if she’d been born with a pair of snowshoes on her feet. “We don’t want to be late.”
“Late for what?”
Abby passed her up with a smile. “For the hot chocolate we promised you.”
The four dogs ambled beside them, Violet barking encouragement to Daisy as they bound through the snow.
They blazed their own trail around the lake, their breath coming out in puffs of frost. Jenna forgot about her cold toes and began to appreciate the beauty of their surroundings.
“Is that smoke?” Jenna pointed to the sky.
“Could be. Maybe we should check it out.”
Jenna increased her pace. It looked as if a gray cloud was close to Dev’s cabin.
She missed living next door to him. They’d rented a cute little house right next door to Gabby Bunker. As much as Jenna had grown to love the cabin, it wasn’t well insulated and Dev had warned her that the road could be treacherous in the winter. Now Logan and Tori were within walking distance of the elementary school.
“It’s probably a campfire,” Kate said. “No need to get excited.”
“In the winter?”
“Hey, some people like to be outside. Look at us!”
Jenna increased her pace anyway, feeling the pull of muscles she hadn’t known existed. She recognized the trail they were on now. It was the one Dev had taken her and the children on the night of their “field trip.”
She reached the top of the rise and saw a familiar figure standing next to, of all things, a campfire. A smile spread across Jenna’s face.
“Did you guys plan this?”
“Sorry, we can’t take the credit.” Kate nudged her toward Dev. “This time.”
“We only did what we were told,” Abby added.
“What’s going on?”
“We promised you hot chocolate at the end of our hike.”
“We just didn’t specify where.” Emma grinned.
“Or with who,” Zoey added.
Laughing, the four women linked arms and trudged back down the trail.
“My partners in crime.” Dev grinned. “Abby and Kate packed us enough food for an army.”
“A picnic? In the snow?” Jenna grinned back. “I love it.” She chucked her mittens aside and plopped down on the blanket to work at the buckles on her snowshoes. “I didn’t know you were coming back today. Didn’t you get the photographs you were hoping for?”
“No, but I got something else.”
“Frostbite?” Jenna teased.
Dev knelt down but didn’t pull off her other snowshoe. He took a small velvet box out of his pocket.
“This.”
Jenna’s breath knotted in her lungs when he opened it to reveal a stunning, heart-shaped diamond. On each side of it were two sapphires. Tori’s and Logan’s birthstone.
“I love you, Jenna. Be my wife. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to be there when Logan starts to drive and intimidate the first boy that dares to ask Tori out on a date. I want to watch our little boy or girl take their first steps. I might not have all that much to offer a city girl—”
“Stop right there.” Jenna pressed a finger to his lips. “I’m not a city girl anymore.”
“What are you then?” Laughter danced in Dev’s eyes.
Jenna slid the ring on her finger, lifted her face for his kiss.
“Yours.”
* * * * *
Dear Reader,
Welcome back to Mirror Lake! I hope you enjoyed your visit!
In
The Promise of Home
Dev’s heart was stirred by God’s creation. And in the North Star, Jenna saw a beautiful picture of his faithfulness. God never changes—you can trust Him!
I live in the country, so every time I take a walk on the trails through our woods, I think of Psalm 19.
“The heavens declared the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
I encourage you to read the whole chapter when you have a chance.
I have been having a lot of fun writing this series and I hope you schedule another visit to Mirror Lake soon, to reconnect with old “friends” and make new ones. Please visit my website at kathrynspringer.com and say hello. I’d love to hear from you!
Keep smiling and seeking Him!
Kathryn Springer
Questions for Discussion
- What brought Jenna to Mirror Lake? Have you ever had to drop everything to help out a family member or friend in need? Describe how you felt about it.
- How did Jenna’s childhood mirror Logan’s and Tori’s? Do you think that made it easier or more difficult for her to care for them?
- What misconceptions did Dev have about Jenna when they met? Why?
- Why didn’t Jenna want Logan to get attached to Violet and Dev? What was the real reason behind her reluctance? What part did her past play in that decision?
- Kate and her friends held a surprise “housewarming” party for Jenna. Has anyone ever done something like that for you? What was it? How did it make you feel?
- If you could interview someone for a newspaper, who would it be? Why?
- What was the turning point in Dev’s and Jenna’s relationship?
- Read Psalm 19. Which verses impact you the most?
- What is your favorite part of the day? Why?
- Jenna and Dev were both wary of getting close to people but for different reasons. What were they?
- What are some of the “shooting stars” that take your focus off God?
- What was your favorite scene in the book?
- Why didn’t Shelly want Jenna to continue to care for the children? What made her change her mind?
- Why didn’t Dev tell Jenna how he felt about her right away?
- Dev came to Christ through the influence of his brother. Who has had the most influence on you in your faith journey?
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired
story.
You believe hearts can heal.
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ISBN: 9781459230880
Copyright © 2012 by Kathryn Springer
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical,
now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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