A Love Made New (31 page)

He looked at her, his hands moving from her waist to cup
her face. “Please tell me you're coming back to Birch Creek. That you're coming back to me.”

She gazed up at him, her heart so full of love and peace that she knew God was speaking straight to her soul through the unabashed words of this man. “
Ya
,” she said. “I'm here to stay.”

He pressed his lips against hers, his kiss gentle and loving, a reflection of himself. When he pulled away she said, “I love you, Asa. That never changed, even while I was gone. And I'll love you forever,
nee
matter what comes between us.”

“
Nix
will,” he said. “Nothing will ever come between us again.”

“You're right,” she said, unable to resist giving him a teasing look. “Seeing that God brought us together, after all.”

“Remind me to thank him,” Asa said, grinning, his lips hovering over hers. “Later.”

S
EVEN MONTHS LATER

A
bigail sat at the table in the kitchen and looked at her family. Every one of them was here at Aden's request—Andrew and Joanna, Sadie, Asa and her. When Asa sat down next to her and held her hand under the table, Abigail smiled at her husband. She and Asa had married earlier in March, having decided to take their relationship slow when she returned to Middlefield.

Although she and her sisters were happy with their husbands and, in Joanna's case, also with her new son, Samuel, who was spending the afternoon with his
aenti
Irene and
onkel
Sol, there were still times of grief, times when Abigail couldn't bear to see her parents' empty seats at the table. She still felt the pain of their loss, but it was soothed by knowing that she had this family, this new family that she loved and who loved her.

Asa gave her hand a squeeze and released it. Then underneath the table he tapped his foot against her bare one. He wore socks, one of several pairs she had knitted on her fine loom. When she
presented him with the first pair at Christmas, he'd acted like she'd given him something priceless. When she questioned him about his reaction, he said he didn't want to take her handiwork for granted because it was so special. Just like she was. Since then she had knitted socks, scarves, and even a few sweaters on the loom, and they sold quickly in the store along with her tapestries.

Asa leaned over to Abigail and whispered in her ear. “I wonder what this is all about.”

Abigail shrugged. “I don't know. It's Aden's first
familye
meeting.”

“Hey,” Joanna said with a smile. “
Nee
whispering, you two.”

Abigail folded her arms across her chest. “As if I haven't seen you and Andrew whispering before.”

“So you were eavesdropping?”

“
Nee.
At least not much.”

Everyone laughed as Aden came back into the kitchen. He sat down in their father's chair, which had now become his chair. He had slipped into the role of family patriarch with ease and confidence. He gave Sadie a smile and then put a letter on the table.

“I appreciate you all coming this afternoon.” He looked at Joanna. “I really appreciate the brownies you brought, too, Joanna. They're
appeditlich
.”

“As always,” Andrew said, giving Joanna a smile. Joanna looked down shyly.

Abigail nodded. She'd had two, and didn't feel a bit guilty about it. She knew now that she had to enjoy life, to not let guilt and pain shadow everything—including brownies.

“As you all know, I've been looking at all the offers for the gas rights here on the property. I've been taking
mei
time, praying about it, and talking with Sadie about it.” He cleared his throat.
“I appreciate you putting
yer
trust in me with this. I wanted to make sure that whatever the decision, it would be the best one for all of us.” He pushed the paper over to Sadie, who handed it to Andrew. “That's the company I think we should sell the rights to. They didn't have the largest bid, but they had the most integrity. And as you can see, the money they offered is substantial.”

Andrew's eyes widened as he scanned the letter. Without a word he handed it to Joanna, who put her hand to her mouth as she read. She gave the letter to Abigail. Asa leaned over as Abigail read the letter—and gasped at the amount. She jerked her head up and looked at Aden. “Is this for real?”

“
Ya.
It's very real.”

She turned to Asa, who also looked shocked. This was more money than she'd ever imagined. If they took this bid, they could close up all their businesses and never have to work again. She handed the paper back to Aden, who folded it back into thirds.

“I can give you all the information about the company. I've done a lot of research—”

“We trust you,” Abigail said, the word
research
making her eyes glaze over. The last thing she wanted to do was to read about a drilling business. But Asa's eyes sparked with interest. “At least I do. Asa?”

“I trust you, Aden. But I'd like to read up on the company anyway.”

Aden nodded. “I'll get you the paperwork in a minute.” He turned to Andrew and Joanna. “What do you think?”

Andrew looked at his wife. “Joanna? It's up to you. This is
yer
legacy.”

She shook her head. “It's our legacy.” She gestured to everyone. “All of ours. And if Aden says this is the right company, then I support his decision.”

Aden's shoulders slumped a little, as if he'd been worried this process would have been more difficult. Sadie put her hand on his forearm and smiled. “I told you,” she said in a quiet voice. “I told you they would all be fine with what you decided.”

“Once we receive the money, it will be split into thirds,” Aden said, lightly brushing his hand over Sadie's before she removed it from his forearm. “I think it's only fair that I tell you what Sadie and I have decided to do with our share.” He glanced at Sadie, this time taking her hand and holding it on the table. “We have everything we need. Two thriving businesses. A beautiful
haus
. Our family.” His green eyes grew glassy. “We don't need anything else. So we're giving our share to the community fund.”

Abigail drew in a breath. Even though it was a third of the proceeds, it was still a significant amount. Then she looked at Asa. She could see her thoughts reflected in his eyes. “We'll do the same.” He nodded and smiled.

“So will we,” Joanna said.

Sadie held up her hand. “You don't have to do that,” she said. “We don't want to pressure you or make you feel like you have to. Whatever you do with
yer
money is
yer
business. We won't judge.”

“But you're right,” Abigail said, taking Asa's hand. She placed both their hands on the table, just like Sadie and Aden's. “We have what we need.”

“The money isn't ours,” Joanna added, her and Andrew's hands joining everyone else's. “It's the Lord's. He's blessed us so much.” Her voice sounded strangled. “We need
nix
more.”

The room was silent as the sisters and their husbands looked at one another. Tears swam in Sadie's eyes, Joanna was already crying, and the lump in Abigail's throat nearly strangled her. “
Mamm
and
Daed
would approve,” she whispered thickly.

“
Ya
,” Joanna said.

“
Ya
,” Sadie added.

Aden looked at Asa. When he spoke, his voice wasn't steady, either. “I'll get you that paperwork so you can look over it. Also, I mentioned to Freemont that we would be making a sizable contribution to the fund. He nearly passed out and said he was glad you were in charge of the community fund and not him.”

Sadie rose. “Abigail, Joanna, would you help me with the dishes?”

Abigail nodded and stood, along with Joanna. Aden, Andrew, and Asa left the kitchen, mumbling something about going to the store office to look over the drilling paperwork and specifics.

Sadie filled the sink while Joanna cleared the table and Abigail took a hand towel out of the drawer. This wasn't her house anymore. She loved the cozy home she and Asa had made for themselves in his childhood home. But a part of her would always be here, among her sisters, whom she loved.

Joanna set a stack of dishes on the counter and Sadie turned off the water. They faced each other, then clasped hands. “God made beauty,” Sadie said.

“—and love,” Joanna said.

“—from ashes.” Abigail put the towel on the counter and opened her arms wide. Then the three of them hugged.
Thank you, Lord.

W
hen it comes to support, I've got the A Team on my side: editor extraordinaire Becky Monds, Sue Brower, Kelly Long, Tera Moore, my husband, James, and my children, Matt, Sydney, and Zoie. They have supported me throughout this book and the entire Birch Creek series, and for that I'm very, very,
very
grateful. As always, a special thanks to you, dear reader, for taking another literary journey with me.

1. Even though they had been separated for weeks and hadn't talked to each other since Abigail's return to Birch Creek, she assumed that Joel was going to propose. Instead, she discovered he'd been unfaithful. Have you ever experienced betrayal? How did God help you move past it to forgiveness?
   
2. Do you agree with how Asa initially responded to God's call for him to return to Birch Creek? Why or why not?
   
3. Abigail's body issues stemmed from her own self-doubt. How did Asa's persistent love for her mirror God's love for us?
   
4. Sol didn't believe he was worthy of love. When was a time you felt unworthy of something? What helped you believe that you are worthy?
   
5. Which character in
   A Love Made New
   did you feel embodied the definition of being faithful?
   
6. Do you think Emmanuel will ever return to Rhoda and Birch Creek? Why or why not?
   
7. Abigail thought about how God took a terrible situation (her parents' death) and turned it into something beautiful, easing
   all three of the sisters' grief. Think of a time when God took a tragedy in your life and transformed it into something you never expected. What lessons, if any, did you learn from the experience?