March 1920
“I SHOULD BE BACK BY tomorrow night.” Noah zipped his duffel bag closed and turned toward the foyer of the house his growing family called home. Complete with a very happy grandmother to coddle the children to her heart's content.
“I packed you a sandwich for the train.” Kizzie stepped forward with Charlie hopping behind, his grin wide and as welcoming as ever.
“And a slice of cake,” Mother added, following with a wide-eyed baby Julia in her arms.
Well, she wasn't as much of a baby anymore. Over a year now. And she wouldn't be the baby of the family come summer. His gaze dropped to Kizzie's middle, where the next addition grew. His smile spread with the gratitude in his chest. His family.
“I can eat at a restaurant if I need something, ladies.” He chuckled, dropping the bag at his feet as they approached.
“Daddy's going!” Charlie hopped close enough for Noah to sweep him up in his arms. The little boy's giggles never grew old. Neither did the word daddy.
“Only for two days.” He emphasized the words as he met his wife's gaze. “And Molly has already agreed to help out some more at the store, so you can be free to check on the hotel construction.”
Kizzie set the lunch bag on top of his duffel and sent him a saucy look. “Are you afraid I can't handle everything without you, Noah Lewis?”
He captured her around the waist and pulled her close. “I'm certain you can, but I just don't want you getting used to it.”
She pressed a kiss to his lips. “I don't plan on it.”
At her clear display of affection, Charlie planted his own kiss directly on Noah's mouth too.
“A man who's loved so well will always make short trips.” Mother stepped forward to give Noah access to his little girl.
She boasted the same dark hair and large blue eyes as her mother, and her smile proved every bit as active as her big brother's.
“And don't forget, next week your sister and her husband are coming for a visit, so you can't stay gone too long anyway.”
As if he'd ever want to.
He grinned at his mother, living in her element. Surrounded by family. Clarice had seen the news about George in the papers and come home to be with her mother, reconnecting their families in a way they'd only hoped might happen.
They still hadn't heard anything from George, but an anonymous envelope of cash arrived several months after he left with the initials G.L. signed on the paper wrapping it, so at least he was alive.
And trying to make amends in his own way.
Julia's little hands reached out to him, and unable to resist the pull of his little girl, Noah swept her into his other arm.
Arms full. That was how his heart felt too.
Julia joined the sweet farewells by offering a sloppy kiss to his other cheek.
“Gracious sakes, you're gonna have enough sugar to last you a whole week.” Kizzie tugged Charlie free and placed him back on the ground, but the little boy only ended up grabbing Noah's leg.
“I can't imagine having enough kisses to keep me away that long, my dear Mrs. Lewis.”
“I going too, Daddy.” Charlie looked up.
“Not this time, little man.” Noah ruffled the little boy's head.
“Me go.” Julia added.
“Look at all this fuss you're causing, Noah Lewis.” Kizzie shot him a wink. “If you're gonna catch your train, you need to be off.” She took Julia from him, but not before he'd placed a kiss on his daughter's head and another, slightly longer one, on his wife's lips.
Oh, how he loved her!
“Right.” He took the sandwich bag in one hand and tossed the duffel over his shoulder.
Charlie and Julia followed behind as Kizzie walked Noah to the carriage, with Marty at the helm to drive him to The Hollows train depot.
“Two days,” he said, more for himself than her. He'd not been apart from them since the day she'd agreed to marry him while they danced in the storefront of Carters Mercantile, now Lewis Mercantile. And though they'd had their own bits of adjusting to do as newlyweds and an instant family, he knew he wouldn't have changed a thing about his choice. The woman loved with such open and generous affection, he couldn't imagine ever receiving anything better on this earth. “If Mr. Laws is serious about selling his store's inventory to us at low cost, it will be a worthwhile trip all around.”
“Then the faster you set off, the quicker you'll get back.”
He pulled her to him for one last embrace as the children hugged his legs, and then he joined Marty on the wagon seat.
If his plan worked out as he hoped, perhaps he'd come home with much more than just new inventory for the store.
The meeting with Mr. Laws went well, and they made arrangements to have the inventory shipped to Lewis Mercantile within the next few weeks. Noah paid the first half for the inventory with plans to pay the other half upon delivery. The entire business deal was finished by supper, as Noah had hoped, so he took the last train west to a small town at the edge of the mountains called Flat Creek.
Once Noah took supper in the hotel's restaurant downstairs, he climbed the stairs and readied for bed. All he knew about Kizzie's family was a list of names, descriptions, some of Kizzie's memories, and the knowledge that her father had cast her out two and a half years ago.
Otherwise, he had no idea what the journey looked like, how her family would receive him, or if he could even find the McAdams’ home.
But he had to try. For Kizzie.
If nothing else, to know they were alive.
First thing the next morning, with directions from the hotel owner, Noah hired a horse and took a well-worn path up the mountainside. Early spring buds sprinkled the evergreen forest with hints of color and mingled blooms with the scents of pine. Birdsong greeted him through the cool morning air as he climbed higher up the mountainside, the natural wonders attempting to loosen the tension in his body. As if to completely shock his nervousness away, the trees on his left gave way to reveal an endless horizon of blue mountains upon blue mountains, swathed in morning fog and sunlight.
He'd never seen the world so vast and beautiful.
Their busy home inside a crowded town must have been such an adjustment for her, but he'd never have known it. She hummed and smiled and radiated joy in it all.
Even when she'd been used to … this.
He brought the horse to a stop and gazed out over the waiting world, wondering how far he could see from this lofty height. How he wished he'd brought a camera to capture the view for her, but the grandeur wouldn't transfer in black and white.
But why was he surprised at his wife's personality? Whatever strength God forged inside Kizzie through her past and hurts, He'd bloomed into an impenetrable joy she poured into those she loved, and he was a happy benefactor.
Joy, love, laughter, wit, and the constant supply of Kizzie's daily cookies.
“To make the day sweeter,” she always said.
He sent God a grateful prayer over the blue-hued vista before continuing his trek.
The trail continued, rising higher, until he came to a flat area consisting of a collection of various buildings. A white two-story building offered a sign which read STORE, and another nearby rock structure looked like a blacksmith's shop. A little way through the trees, a white building—perhaps a school—stood on a hillside with a small house poised near the bottom of the hill.
Where to go next?
After a moment's pause, he approached the store and dismounted. A bell jingled his entrance, and a young girl stepped behind the counter from a back room of the shop. The room was about a third of the size of his and Kizzie's store, with, of course, much less inventory, but canned goods, some hardware, and a few reams of cloth were all featured in various places throughout the room.
“Can I help you, stranger?”
His attention traveled back to the girl. Something in her eyes looked familiar. Not the color of Kizzie's, but the same shape, and her hair was slightly lighter than his wife's.
“Good morning.” He stepped closer, watching expressions he knew so well travel over a new face. “I'm looking for the family of Sam McAdams.”
The girl's gaze sharpened on him, and a wariness tightened her young features. How old was she? Sixteen? And which sister? Maggie?
“Why are you looking for Sam McAdams’ family?”
“My name is Noah Lewis.” He drew another step closer and offered his hand. “I'm married to Kizzie.”
The girl's body froze, and then as the information sank in, her eyes widened. She braced her hands against the counter and continued to stare until her bottom lip trembled. “You're … you're Kizzie's husband?”
“I am.”
She blinked a few times, her eyes growing glossy. “She's … she's alive?”
“She is.” He nodded. “And the mother of two.”
A sound like a cross between a laugh and a sob erupted from the girl's lips, and she attempted to catch it.
“She doesn't know I'm here because I didn't want to disappoint her if, well, if your family wasn't willing to see her, but I thought I had to at least try. So I'd like to talk to your—”
“I can't leave, since Mrs. Cappy's gone,” came her quick response, those dark brown eyes still wide. “But Daddy's helping Jeb with repairing his barn after a tree fell on it. Laurel and Jon's there too. It ain't but a little over a mile up the mountain.” Her bottom lip trembled again. “We didn't know nothin’ about her. If she was alive or not.”
He sighed, the tension he'd been carrying about some confrontation dimming a little. “She's happy. I'm certainly happy to have her in my life.”
The girl's smile burst wide. “That's real good news, Mr. Lewis.”
“Noah, please.” He offered his hand. “And you are … Maggie?”
She sniffled and nodded, wiping her hand on her apron before taking his. “That's me.” She gave her head another shake. “Oh, how I wish I could see Mama's face when you tell her. To know her lost girl is found and fine. That'll do her heart a heap of good.”
Maggie's response hit him.
Several times, as she'd cried over the loss of her family in their private moments, he'd held Kizzie in his arms and attempted to work through a way to help her heal. At times, her father's actions sent him to his knees to help curb the fury. All the while, he'd created some sort of scenario about her family and her life that, perhaps, his hurt for her had misconstrued a little.
If Maggie's reaction gave any indication of the longing of most of the family, if her words about their mother proved an inkling of the desire for restoration, then perhaps they'd been aching as much for a different end to the story as Kizzie.
Maybe not her father, but the rest of the family.
He swallowed through the rising emotions in his throat, his chest tightening with a fight against those emotions.
Perhaps he should have come sooner.
But he'd only begun nursing the idea a month ago and had waited until he had an excuse to go overnight from Kizzie and the children, so that if the trip proved unsuccessful … or worse, she'd never know.
She wouldn't get hurt all over again.
After asking Maggie to repeat the directions one more time, Noah mounted his horse and followed the path past the church and beyond a rock house Maggie labeled as Jon and Laurel's place. The briskness of the morning softened with the warmth of the sun finally breaking through the trees as he continued his ascent. No wonder his wife held an otherworldliness about her sometimes. This place carried a strange sort of old and distant feel to it.
The rhythmic sound of a hammer striking wood reached him first. A woman's light voice echoed over the breeze saying something about … sun tea? The trees parted to reveal a large clearing with a beautiful two-story white house to the right, a covered porch lining the front, and a sprinkling of outbuildings across a field, all encompassed by a fence. Well organized. Tidy. With a mountain climbing up behind it on one side and a view over the trees with a small glimpse of sky on the other.
Barking pulled his attention toward the barn where three dogs charged at him and his horse. He slowed his approach, keeping a firm hold on the horse's reins. A little girl with golden curls stood on the porch, her calico dress blowing in the breeze. A pair of little boys, clearly twins, sat near her with a ball passing between them. Suzie and the twins?
“Down,” came a firm voice from the barn.
The dogs immediately stopped in their tracks but kept their eyes on Noah, as if weighing whether he came as a friend or foe.
Up ahead a young man in overalls and rolled-up shirtsleeves walked forward, a broader and older man a few paces behind. Still farther behind followed another young man, light hair and more refined features, whose crisp clothes gave off more town than mountain.
The young man in overalls came to the fence line first, keeping his distance, and sent a look up and down Noah before offering a curt nod. “Can I help you?”
With a deep breath and another prayer, Noah dismounted and glanced back toward the house. The little assembly on the porch had been joined by a young woman with wild curly hair holding a baby and a blond woman, about the same age, wiping her hands on her apron.
Noah named them all as best he could guess. Jeb, the young man in overalls, and Mr. McAdams, the elder. He had no idea about the refined man or the curly-haired woman, but the family resemblance in the golden-haired woman likely meant she was Laurel.
Noah approached the fence and offered a smile.
“Good afternoon. I'm looking for the McAdams family of Maple Springs.”
“You found ’em.” The younger man dipped his head. “I'm Jeb McAdams.” He gestured back with his chin as the older man approached. “This here is my daddy, Sam. And following up behind him is my brother-in-law, Jonathan Taylor.”
“A pleasure to meet you all.” Noah offered his hand and swallowed through his tightening throat. “My name is Noah Lewis. I'm—I'm married to Kizzie.”
Both Jeb and Sam froze in place, from their expressions all the way down to their feet, much like Maggie had done. No one moved, except Mr. Taylor, who joined them at the fence, his smile wide and hand outstretched. “Jonathan Taylor.”
Noah pulled his attention away from the other two men to take Mr. Taylor's hand. His accent sounded English. What on earth was an Englishman doing back in these mountains? “Noah Lewis.”
“You're … Kizzie's husband,” Jeb repeated, his gaze boring into Noah's.
“Yes, we've been married almost two years.” His attention shifted from Jeb to Mr. McAdams. “Kizzie doesn't know I've come, because I wasn't certain of the welcome, so I didn't want to get her hopes—”
“Kizzie's alive?” The question burst out of Mr. McAdams’ throat on rasped air. “She's all right?”
Noah had stiffened at the man's explosive response and then released a nervous laugh as his positive response made its way into Noah's comprehension. “She's wonderful.” The answer emerged before he could catch it. “I mean, except that she misses her family, and … I thought if I could see … if perhaps you'd be willing to see her—”
“Mama!” Mr. McAdams turned his face toward the house, his voice carrying over everything else. “Laurel, git your mama. Git her quick.” The older man rounded the fence and in two steps grabbed Noah in a hug.
The strength in those arms held Noah fast. His throat closed for a whole different reason.
For Kizzie.
When Mr. McAdams released Noah from his hold, the man's pale, red-rimmed eyes held a glossy sheen. “You're tellin’ me true, boy? You know where my girl is?”
“Yes, sir.” The heat in Noah's chest rose into his face, burning his eyes. “We have two strong and healthy children.”
The man shook Noah by the shoulders and released a big laugh. “Two more grandyoung'uns.” He turned back toward the house where an older woman, about his mother's age, came forward in a simple dress and apron. Her golden hair, seasoned with small hints of gray, was twisted tight against her head in a bun with a few locks falling free around her face.
There was no mistaking the resemblance. The fine features and high cheekbones. The eyes.
Other younger women and the children he'd seen on the porch followed behind her, all looking from Noah to Mr. McAdams as if somebody was going mad.
“Caroline.” Mr. McAdams laughed again. “This boy, he's married to our Kizzie. She's alive.”
Mrs. McAdams paused in her steps, and the color drained from her face as she stared first at Mr. McAdams and then focused on Noah, as if the words took some time to make it to understanding. She stumbled a step forward.
“Did he just say Kizzie is married?” This from the woman he presumed was Laurel. She released a laugh of her own and burst forward, taking her father's place to hug Noah. “And you're her husband?”
“Y–yes. Happily so.”
Her eyes lit with her grin, and she squeezed his shoulders. “Well, I'm your sister-in-law, Laurel Taylor, and I'm pleased as punch to meet you, Noah Lewis.”
Taylor? Noah's attention flipped from Jonathan back to Mrs. McAdams, who'd moved closer to him, her watery indigo eyes searching his face. So Jonathan was married to Kizzie's older sister.
Then, as if Mrs. McAdams finally believed him, her smile bloomed, and she dipped her head. “I reckon you're tired and hungry from your travelin’, Noah. Why don't you come on into Jeb's house and we'll have you rest up a little.”
“And you can tell us about our Kizzie,” Mr. McAdams added, patting Noah on the back. “And to family, I'm Sam.”
“It's a pleasure to meet you all.” Noah's face stretched with his grin, and he nodded toward the man, continuing to fight his own emotions for control. “A real pleasure, Sam. A real pleasure.”
Kizzie finished cleaning up the front of the store as Charlie taught Julia how to place cans on a little shelf she'd assigned to him. And then, with Julia's help, he removed the cans and replaced them, over and over again, each time giving Julia different directions.
He called it his “work,” and Kizzie chuckled at his delight in finding all sorts of things to put on the shelf along with the cans. A ball. One of his wooden animals. Julia's shoe. A dust bunny.
Her life bloomed with joys of the measureless sort, and the fact that Noah was returning home today just made the day a little brighter. She shouldn't feel so attached to her darling husband, she supposed, but it was the first time they'd been apart since marrying, and she loved him something fierce.
Crazy fierce.
Real love flowed from him every day. Toward her and the children. To others around them as they ran the little store together. Even to the ladies in the boardinghouse, who they were training to employ in the hotel they were building on Noah's inherited property right outside of town.
Noah offered an example to them of how a good man treated women, because most of them were a lot like Kizzie used to be.
Not knowing what real love looked like.
And that knowledge changed everything.
She'd just sent Molly to the back of the shop to restock the fabric section when the doorbell jingled. Kizzie turned to welcome the shopper and halted.
Every bit of heat drained from her body right out the bottom of her boots.
Standing in the doorway in their Sunday best stood her mama … and Daddy. She shook her head, trying to clear her vision, but each time she blinked, there they stood, staring at her like she was at them.
“Mama?” The word scratched from her and broke the frozen moment.
Mama rushed forward, arms wide, and wrapped Kizzie and baby Julia in her arms. The peppermint scent of her mama smelled real. Her arms felt real. But … how?
Kizzie pulled back and looked at her mama's face, waiting for it to disappear. “How?”
Mama laughed, her familiar eyes swimming with unshed tears. “Your man, Noah, he came to find us.”
“Noah?” Kizzie glanced toward the door where her daddy still stood, his big shoulders bent a little and his eyes red-rimmed, but not from alcohol.
No.
From tears.
She laughed out a sob. “Daddy?”
His smile wobbled wide, and in three steps he held her in his arms along with her mama. The scent of pipe and honeysuckle and woodstove mingled together with a rush of home and memories, and she pressed into her daddy's massive shoulder, her body shaking with her sobs.
How could this be?
The doorbell jingled again, and she wanted to yell to the patron to come back in an hour, but when she raised her gaze to the door, a whole new set of familiar, teary-eyed, smiling faces greeted her.
Jeb stood beside a curly-haired woman, and he was holding a baby girl in his arms. Laurel pushed forward, holding the hand of a blond-haired stranger dressed so nice he even boasted a bow tie. Maggie waited beside Laurel, her shoulders shaking from crying, and Isom stared wide-eyed around the store. Even little Suzie, who wasn't a baby anymore, stood holding the curly-haired woman's hand on one side and a little twin, James or Jon, on the other.
Her family.
The bell rang again, and this time, her husband entered, hatless. His hair waved in all directions, he had a little dirt smudge on his cheek, and he was easily the handsomest man Kizzie had ever laid eyes on.
His gaze found hers among the suddenly crowded store, and he grinned.
No, now her family was all here.
“I'm sorry, girl.” Her daddy's rough whisper caressed her ear. “I'm so sorry.”
And the crying and hugging started all over again, then the introductions of new faces. Like Laurel's husband, Jonathan. And Jeb's wife, Cora. Then Jeb and Cora's baby girl, Faith.
“How long can you stay?” Kizzie finally asked, as Noah made his way to her side, his smile as big as all the others.
“We reckoned a few days so we could get a good look at your store,” Daddy answered, his chin still wobbling a bit.
“And your young'uns,” Mama added, wiping at her eyes.
“And Noah mentioned y'all were building a hotel.” This from Jeb.
“He also mentioned we'd have a place to stay for free.” Laurel tossed out the sentence, brows high in humored anticipation.
“Did he?” Kizzie looked over at her husband, tears still streaming down her cheeks.
Noah slipped an arm around her waist. “I made sure the boardinghouse had a few vacancies for the next week.”
Kizzie laughed and leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder before staring back at faces she thought she'd never see again.
“You have a place to stay for as long as you want.” She chuckled through another sob.
Noah pressed a kiss to her head before releasing her to introduce Charlie and Julia to her family.
Too wonderful?
Yes, but she was beginning to understand more and more every day that she was loved by a God who celebrated the wonderful and good and hopeful.
And His love bloomed in the most unlikely places … and made them beautiful.