Anna Meets Her Match Read online

  Anna bit her lip and looked to her husband of some two hours. Would moving into the house give Tansy a way to control them? Then again, would a man who hadn’t blinked an eye at Tansy’s money allow such interference? Anna apparently knew the answer to that question.

  “It is a wonderful old house,” she said with a slow smile.

  Reeves folded the papers and stuck them back in the envelope. “The antiques that my aunts have given us would look good in it,” he allowed, sending a pointed glance at Hypatia. She sent another back to him. No, she had not known what Tansy was planning, but she could find no grounds for objection to Tansy giving her house away, especially as it seemed to signal a great turnaround in Tansy’s relationship with her granddaughter.

  Reeves stashed the envelope in a pocket of his tuxedo and addressed Tansy, one arm pulling Anna close. “Thank you.”

  To everyone’s surprise, Tansy’s face crumpled and she began to cry. “Thank you!” she wailed. “All I’ve ever wanted is for her to be happy, and now she is!” She looked at Anna, tears sliding down the crevices in her face. “I knew how badly I’d messed up when you almost let him get away just to keep from pleasing me!”

  Reeves and Anna exchanged looks, and then, as one, stepped forward to lightly embrace and pat Tansy. Gilli rushed over then, that confounded Special now clutched in the bend of her elbow. She tugged sharply on the tail of Tansy’s stylish silk suit jacket.

  “Wanna hold my cat?”

  Tansy actually bent down to comply, and wonders of wonders, Special complacently allowed Tansy to drape him over her shoulder. Gilli followed them to a quiet corner, where they petted the cat and chattered happily.

  Hypatia laughed, gazing with satisfaction at her nephew and his lovely wife. Just look, she thought, at all that God had done.

  And just think of what He would yet do.

  Dear Reader,

  Even the most yielded Christians experience failure. It’s part of life. Do you learn from failure? Does your self-esteem suffer when, despite your best efforts, the worst happens? Or have you learned that failure can be God’s way of preparing us for something better than we have imagined?

  Even the most yielded Christians experience emotional pain. Often, what hurts us just isn’t fair or right. Sometimes we react in ways that, while entirely justifiable, may actually cause us more harm. Worse, we can become trapped by those “justifiable” actions and attitudes, causing much needless pain.

  The “fix” for both difficulties is simple but profound: Jesus, in our hearts and on our minds. All the time. Think about it! Think about Him!

  God bless,

  QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  Reeves and Gilli were driven out of their home by a massive infestation of honeybees—and straight into the sanctuary of Chatam House. In real life, does God ever use calamity to send us into sanctuary?

  The failure of Reeves’s marriage left him feeling inept and unloved, even by his three-year-old daughter. How did this affect his performance as a husband and father?

  Anna rebelled at a young age out of blind resentment because of a feeling of emotional abandonment. Rebellion by children is often called “acting out” and acknowledged as normal, but it can have lifelong consequences. What could Anna’s grandmother, Tansy, a Christian woman, have done to prevent Anna’s rebellion from becoming a habit that tainted her whole life for many years?

  What could lead a Christian woman to behave as Tansy did? Genuine concern? Emotional pain? A lack of faith? Misunderstanding of the parental or the Christian role?

  According to Romans 3:6, “the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.” To Reeves, having a mind controlled by the Spirit meant dwelling on the things of Christ, rather than what had and could go wrong in his life. Do you agree or disagree with this outlook and why?

  Reeves spoke about being “yielded” to the Holy Spirit. What does this mean? How is it accomplished? What benefits might be afforded the Christian who is truly “yielded” to the Spirit? Complete freedom from worry? Recognition of God at work in one’s life?

  Is the fact that Anna prayed when she realized that she could be late for work after her run with Reeves significant? Why or why not?

  Anna and Gilli seem to get along very well, despite Anna not being used to dealing with children. Why do you think this is?

  Reeves came to consider Anna as the answer to his prayers. Why? Can one person be the answer to the prayers of another? Why or why not?

  When did Reeves realize that Anna was no longer his enemy but someone he could spend the rest of his life with? Have you ever had someone in your life you thought you hated, but then fell in love with? How did it turn out?

  The aunties not only discussed the possibility of a relationship between Reeves and Anna, they prayed about it and, at times, attempted to arrange for the two to bump into one another. Is this type of interference ever acceptable? Why or why not?

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-3970-2

  ANNA MEETS HER MATCH

  Copyright © 2009 by Deborah Rather

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

  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 Steeple Hill Books.

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  *Everyday Miracles

  *Everyday Miracles

  *Everyday Miracles

  *Everyday Miracles

  **Eden, OK

  **Eden, OK

  **Eden, OK

  †Chatam House