Her Small-Town Hero Read online

  Only the day before that Holt had insisted on buying a lovely diamond solitaire to go with the simple gold bands he and Cara had chosen for wedding rings. He’d also come up with, all on his own, a handsome black suit, white shirt, black-and-red pin-striped tie and black cowboy boots. Most astonishingly, he’d managed an almost identical outfit for Ace.

  Cara informed her brother by telephone on Friday morning of the impending nuptials. He did not offer to walk her down the aisle as he had at her first wedding. Indeed, she’d hung up while he was raving about the fortune that could still be wrangled from the Elmonts, if only she’d “listen to reason.”

  How the whole of Eden had gotten the news about the wedding, Cara didn’t know, but when she showed up at the church with Charlotte and Ty, who had dismissed her effusive thanks for his generosity with a heartfelt hug, the parking lot literally overflowed. Cars lined both sides of the streets in every direction. Cara couldn’t have been more pleased. She only hoped that the ladies of the church, who had volunteered to prepare a meal for the reception, had gotten together enough food for all these people.

  The only sad moment of the morning had come when Holt had sent in a copy of the Duncan paper, folded to the page that contained the obituary of Mrs. Poersel. Yet, it somehow seemed fitting that their wedding should take place on the same day as the old dear’s funeral. Cara’s only regret was that she and Holt couldn’t be there. She didn’t think her aunt’s old friend would mind.

  Now she stood with Charlotte in the freshening breeze, the barest hint of spring ruffling their skirts, and at last felt the serenity of that golden haven she had come seeking. Cara stepped off toward the church, and Ty rushed forward to open the door to her future.

  Charlotte looked resplendent in a pale, minty suit that brought out the green flecks in her hazel eyes, her long auburn hair hanging down her back. Cara had twisted her own hair into a sleek roll on the back of her head, anchored with pink rose buds and white baby’s breath. Charlotte had loaned her a set of genuine pearls for jewelry.

  Having agreed to act as Cara’s matron of honor, Charlotte preceded her down the aisle at a stately pace. They had chosen to forgo music, but Hap was there to escort Cara, his eyes misty and his dentures on display. Ryan, whose single duty as best man was to hold Ace, stood next to Holt before the altar.

  Grover made an eloquent business of the rites, but both Cara and Holt were content to repeat the time-honored vows without inventive deviation or embellishment, while Froggy Priddy slipped around with a camera in his role of self-appointed photographer. Afterward, neither could stop smiling as they stood together in an impromptu reception line while their uninvited but very welcome guests streamed past them at the front of the church to the fellowship hall beyond. The very last to offer his congratulations turned out to be, to their surprise, none other than David Hyde, the attorney.

  “Tyler didn’t think you’d mind my showing up,” he said, “especially since this seems like such a good time to give you this. It came by special messenger this morning.”

  Cara watched as he pulled an envelope from his inside coat pocket and handed it to her. A glance at the return address showed it to be from her former in-laws, but to her surprise, the envelope was addressed to Holt. Curiosity more than anything else piqued her interest, but she dutifully handed over the letter to her new husband.

  Holt considered but a moment before tearing open the envelope and removing two pieces of paper. He glanced at the smaller of the two before passing it to Cara, who quickly realized that she held in her hand a check for twenty-five thousand dollars. That “finder’s fee” of which Eddie had spoken! She digested that while Holt quickly read the letter, which he then handed back to Hyde.

  “What does it say?” she asked, passing the check back to the attorney, too.

  Holt slid his arm around her waist. “They respectfully request that I urge you to consider a formal visitation agreement, a very generous one. For them.” He smiled down at her. “So they can see their grandson and heir.”

  Cara closed her eyes and leaned into him. It was over. She’d won. They’d won. Ace would grow up with every advantage that a loving Christian home could provide.

  “I suppose the check is their way of sweetening the deal,” Holt said with a chuckle, pulling her close. “As if it could get any sweeter.”

  “What should I tell them?” David Hyde asked, tucking the folded letter back into the pocket from which it came.

  Cara looked at her husband and smiled. “Tell them we’ll pray about it.”

  Nodding, Hyde held up the check. “And this?”

  Holt shrugged. “I don’t know.” He looked down at Cara. “What do you think, wife?”

  She considered. “Well, you did find me. Sort of.”

  “And I’m keeping you,” he declared, pulling her closer still. She laughed and kissed his cheek. “Hey, maybe we should send it to Eddie,” he said. “I mean, fair’s fair, don’t you think?”

  “Poor Eddie,” Cara said. “I’d hate to think that was all he’d get out of this.”

  “It does seem like a pittance compared to what we have, doesn’t it?” Holt said.

  Cara looked to David Hyde. “Make it our wedding gift to him, then.”

  Hyde just smiled and shook his head before slipping the check into his coat and walking away.

  In the moment they had to themselves, before good manners would compel them to join the reception in the fellowship hall, Cara laid her head on her husband’s shoulder and thought about what he’d just done, how easily he’d let go of that check. She knew that her son, not to mention her heart, would always be safe with Holt.

  My hero, she thought, just before she winged a prayer of humble gratitude and growing wonder heavenward.

  “Ready to celebrate, Mrs. Jefford?” he asked, folding her arm around his.

  “With you,” she answered. “Always.”

  Dear Reader,

  Have you ever allowed guilt to separate you from God’s blessings? I have—while God stood ready to supply my needs! All He requires is that we let go and let Him. As both Cara and Holt discover, that seems difficult—until we understand what we’re holding on to instead of God.

  Are you holding on to guilt, fear, pride, pain or intentions/goals instead of God? Guilt can be deserved, fear justified, pride misplaced, pain real, intentions good, but anything that keeps us from letting go and letting God is harmful.

  As Scripture says, let us conquer our woes overwhelmingly through Him. Sometimes that means laying it all on the line for truth, which is precisely what must happen in the final book of this series, Their Small-Town Love, coming in February 2009. I hope you will enjoy Ryan and Ivy’s journey to love and truth.

  God bless,

  QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  1. What does it mean to conquer difficulties through Christ? See Romans 8.) What did it mean in Cara’s case? In Holt’s?

  2. Holt is an active Christian; in light of that, is Holt’s suspicion of Cara understandable? Necessary? Why or why not?

  3. None of Cara’s clothes are appropriate for Oklahoma weather. Would this make you suspicious of who she is and where she came from? Why or why not?

  4. Holt’s grandfather Hap welcomes Cara, a stranger, into their lives. Would you be as welcoming of a stranger as he? Why or why not?

  5. Cara believes that she cannot publicly confess her deception, and therefore cannot receive God’s forgiveness. Do you agree?

  6. Exodus 20:1—17 and Deuteronomy 5:6—21 give us what we know as the Ten Commandments. Exodus 20:16 and Deuteronomy 5:20 use the same words to convey what we think of as the ninth commandment—“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Does Cara break this commandment? Why or why not?

  7. What impact does Aunt Jane have on Cara? Why does her influence not lead Cara to a full understanding of the mission of Christ? Should it have?

  8. Holt eventually comes to realize that he continues to allow himself to be affected
by his past. Has this ever happened to you? What did you do to change things?

  9. Cara is extremely protective of her son, Ace, going so far as to carry him on her back when she’s cleaning motel rooms. Is she justified in doing so? What would you have done in her position?

  10. Because Holt is an oil rigger, he believes that this prevents him from getting married and having a family. Do you agree with him? Why or why not?

  11. Does Holt’s visit with Mrs. Poersel soften him toward Cara’s situation? How?

  12. Cara assumes that Holt wants to marry her in order to provide protection for her and her son. Is this an acceptable reason for marriage? Why or why not?

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-2576-7

  HER SMALL-TOWN HERO

  Copyright © 2008 by Deborah Rather

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