The Sound of Sleigh Bells by Cindy Woodsmall

Author:Cindy Woodsmall
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 0307446530
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Published: 2009-10-06T06:00:00+00:00

Lizzy opened her stove and pulled out a pan of rolls. In spite of her many guests, she’d never felt so alone. She’d held on to her optimism that when Beth learned the truth, it might work out smoothly somehow, but now that she’d witnessed her niece’s reaction to Jonah, she knew it had been a false hope. Beth had shown no measure of openness toward him, and Jonah might find it easier to break through a solid oak door with his bare hands than to remain—or was it to become?—friends.

Lizzy could blame no one but herself, but she wanted a bit of comfort, which meant finding Omar. It was ridiculous to feel this way. She’d been a single adult, running her own life, for nearly twenty years. Whether her decisions were wise or stupid, she’d borne the weight of them without the arms of a man to shore her up. So why was this ache to be with him so strong that she couldn’t ignore it?

Tears threatened, and she grabbed her thickest sweater and slipped out the back door. At the second eight-foot grill, Omar stood without his coat on, basting chicken in barbecue sauce. It seemed a little cool not to have on a jacket. She moved in his direction, and the crowd of young people filling her yard seemed to fade away.

As if a match had been struck at midnight, she understood a dozen things about herself. She wasn’t worthy to become the wife of a bishop. She’d been meddlesome and used trickery to cover her deceit.

When Omar’s eyes met hers, her composure broke. Tears ran down her cheeks.

He moved to her. “Was iss letz?”

The concern in his eyes as he asked what was wrong magnified her emotions. She shouldn’t be here, not if they meant to keep their relationship quiet. They’d agreed not to tell anyone until the time was right. Although they weren’t sure when that would be, they knew they’d know when it arrived—like knowing a hayfield was ready or the corn was ripe. Now she wondered if that time would ever come, because it seemed that Omar should be free of someone as foolish as she was.

He turned to Stephen. “Can you watch this grill? I’ll be back in just a few minutes.”

“Ya.”

He placed his hand under her forearm and guided her toward the carriage barn. “Kumm.” He opened the wooden door, and they stepped inside.

She paced back and forth in front of him. “I saw it, Omar. I saw the reason I meddled in Beth’s life. Why I lied to Jonah about who he was writing to. Even why I do these get-togethers year after year. And it scares me.”

“What did you see?”

“I thought it was because of what Beth needed. But that’s not it.” Her ego lunged forward, urging her not to say more, but she would. “I don’t want anyone spending their life alone, not if they don’t have to. All this time I thought I’d accepted God’s providence in the way my life went.

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