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Sarah did not know how long she stayed with Lola, holding her lifeless hand. She was still thanking God for showing her how to reach Lola in her final hour when Croft found her that way.
He disentangled Lola’s fingers from Sarah’s and drew the sheet over Lola’s body.
“Come with me, Miss Ellinger. You need to come away.”
“She is with Jesus now,” Sarah murmured, unwilling—unable—to stand.
“Is she? You were able to lead her to the Savior?”
“Yes. The Lord answered my prayer.”
“Then he answered mine, also.”
Croft lifted Sarah up and placed his arm around her. “Come, now. Get your feet beneath you.”
“So . . . tired.”
“You are weak from lack of sleep and nourishment. Please try,” he urged her. Somehow, he got her from the room and onto the cot in his office. He went at once and fetched hot water, disinfectant soap, and clean washcloths.
“You must eat, but not before I wash your hands and face.” He brought a hot, wet cloth to her hands and, one at a time, washed and rinsed them.
“I know you meant well; I know you felt the need for Lola to see your face as you shared Jesus, but you have put yourself in jeopardy doing so.”
“If my jeopardy bought Lola’s salvation, I am happy to bear the consequences.”
One corner of his mouth quirked upward. “How did I know you would answer so?”
Then he lifted a steaming cloth to her face and began to clean it. The heat of the soapy cloth stroking her face was too gentle, too comforting, and she was too weary to resist. She closed her eyes and gave herself over to Croft’s ministrations. As he rinsed her face with another warm cloth, she sighed.
When he finished, she opened her eyes, surprised to see him bending close, studying her.
“I pray you have realized by now that you need not fear me, Miss Ellinger. If anything, you have found the one man in this world who was as broken as yourself. I respect you more than you can imagine, and I promise you: I would never intentionally harm you.”
An enormous gulf lies between ‘hurt’ and ‘harm,’ Sarah, and not all that hurts us, harms us. Faithful are the wounds of a friend.
With no little measure of wonder, Sarah admitted to herself that she was not anxious or agitated at his nearness; she felt neither threatened nor the urge to flee.
“If you allow me, I shall help you grieve for your friend, Miss Ellinger. You may lean upon me, and I shall offer you my consolation in Christ.”
Unlike how Sarah had reacted before the Lord healed her heart, the thought of a man offering his strength to her no longer rankled: It calmed and comforted her.
Sarah stared back, peering into the brown-flecked depths of his eyes for the first time, surprised at what she found there—not merely another man, but a kindred soul, a fellow sufferer like herself. Redeemed by grace.
I have nothing to hide from him. He knows the truth about me. All of it. And he has entrusted me with his own failings and pain.
“Thank you . . . Bryan.”
He smiled—a rare occurrence for him. Sarah decided she might like his smile.
“Good,” he murmured. “Now, then, let me get you something to eat.”
He smiled again. “Sarah.”
The End
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I pray you have enjoyed and benefitted from Sarah Redeemed, the final installment in the Girls from the Mountain series.
Sarah Redeemed touches on a difficult and controversial subject. If you are interested in learning more, I have included two resources in the following pages: an appendix titled, More on the Subject, and a page of Group Discussion Questions suitable for a book club or any small group study.
Also, if you have not read the full stories of Rose and Joy Thoresen and how they rescued Tabitha, Tory, Sarah, and the other “girls from the mountain,” check out my series, A Prairie Heritage. Rose’s particular tale begins in A Rose Blooms Twice, while her daughter’s story begins in Joy on This Mountain.
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Interested in my other novels? Page ahead to see a complete list of my books.
Thank you. I appreciate your readership and the fellowship we share in Jesus.
Many hugs,
—Vikki
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