Chapter Thirty-One
As Regina made their bologna sandwiches, her whole being thrummed with excitement. Not only did Gabe love her, he wanted to live in the house she so desperately hoped to keep!
“When I asked Dat to help with a down payment, he insisted on your coming with me—to prove we’re courting, so I wouldn’t make a big investment mistake in case you didn’t want to—” Gabe sighed in exasperation. “There I go again, putting the rig before the horse. You must think I’m the biggest idiot on the face of God’s gut earth.”
Regina took her time pouring lemonade and taking the chair across the table from him. She’d always assumed Gabe was coolheaded and in control around young women—even suave enough to date English women—so it was almost fun to hear him tripping over his tongue as he expressed his feelings for her. But it would be cruel to keep him wondering where he stood.
“Shall we pray for a moment?” she asked.
When they bowed their heads for a silent grace, Regina peered at Gabe through the slits of her partially closed eyelids. Lord, You’ve brought us this far and I’m so happy that I might pop! Help us make this dream come true—and help us do it the right way, she added.
Gabe ended the silence with a sigh—and then laughed when he caught her watching him. Then he became serious. “What do you see in me, Red? Anything worth your time?”
Regina’s heart pounded. It was a question that deserved just the right answer—but she needed an explanation first. Gabe didn’t look any different on the outside, yet he’d apparently undergone a complete inner transformation. “What made you decide to stay in the Old Order, Gabe? Last I knew, you were totally frustrated with Amish rules and regulations and you couldn’t wait to jump the fence.”
He picked up a half sandwich and then put it down, sighing. “When Dat was in the hospital and we didn’t know if he’d survive, I—I got a wake-up call that could’ve only come from God,” he replied reverently. “I got scared, Red, when I realized how much I stood to lose if my father didn’t come home . . . and what I’d forfeit if I left my family just so I could play my guitar.”
His whispered admission gripped her heart. “Jah, life’s not the same after you’ve lost your parents,” Regina said softly. “If my friends from church—and Bishop Jeremiah—hadn’t been there for me, I might’ve rolled into a useless, mindless ball and never recovered.”
Gabe nodded. “I also realized what I’d lost after I suggested we jump the fence together,” he said ruefully. “I was so focused on myself, I couldn’t see how I was shooting myself in the foot. Losing you, Red, well—I finally saw that you are a woman of purpose and integrity, while I was skipping out on my vows for a very selfish, adolescent reason. When I grow up, I want to be like you. Strong and true.”
Regina blinked, stunned by the sincerity of his confession—and his compliment. Words eluded her, so she simply gazed at him, basking in the glow of his deep green eyes.
“Do you see anything worth salvaging, Red?” he asked in a voice she could barely hear. “Could you be happy with me despite my tendency to speak before I think and—”
“Oh, Gabe, I’ve wanted to be with you for years—even when you didn’t realize I existed,” she confessed as she reached across the table for his hand. “After all, why would you choose me, when you could court girls who wear pretty, colorful dresses and who could cook you a decent meal—with their soft, clean hands?”
He relaxed and took a deep breath. “I guess it’s like those words to ‘Amazing Grace,’” he said. “The part about being blind but then able to see. And when I look at you, Red, I don’t want to look any further. Will—will you let me court you?”
“Will you let me marry you?” she shot back before she thought about it.
Regina’s hand flew to her mouth as her face burned with embarrassment. “I—I was trying to be funny, but I jumped in feet-first and stomped all over the words the man is supposed to say. I’m sorry, Gabe,” she added meekly.
Gabe’s face shone brighter than the July sun. “I’m not!” he said. “We’re both on the same page, ain’t so? I want to be with you, and you want to be with me—and we want to be here in this cozy little home, jah?”
“Oh, jah. You’ve said it all exactly right, Gabe.”
Regina felt so full of joy she suddenly had to share something very special—something no one else would understand. She rushed back to her bedroom and returned to the kitchen with the pencil sketch.
“When you left last time—when I thought you would skip town to live English,” she said in a rush, “I sinned yet again by drawing your face, Gabe. I thought it might be all I had left of you. I—I was worried I’d never see you again.”
Gabe gazed at the sketch. “This is how I look to you?” he asked in an awed tone. “You surely can’t believe I resemble this fellow with the determined look in his eye. This man has everything all figured out, and he knows exactly how to create the life he wants—without making stupid mistakes.”
Regina shrugged, gratified by his reaction to her work. “It’s you,” she insisted. “So now that you’ve seen it, you don’t have to doubt how I feel—because I love you, Gabe. I loved you even after I thought I’d lost you.”
Gabe blushed, looking flustered. “Well, then,” he mumbled, seemingly at a loss for more words.
After a moment, however, he met her gaze as though he couldn’t possibly look away. “Well then, Regina Miller,” he said, teasing yet sounding extremely serious. “You’ve committed an even worse sin than painting wildlife by sketching my face, ain’t so? And I’ll carry your secret to my grave, honey-girl,” he added softly. “You have no idea how your talent touches me, and how grateful I am that you shared this picture with me. You’re amazing, Red.”
How could she possibly respond to such a compliment? Regina had a feeling she’d remember this moment with Gabe until her dying day. She swallowed half of her lemonade to settle her runaway emotions. “So, you’re thinking to buy the house?”
“Before anybody else can snatch it away from you,” Gabe said, nodding eagerly. “We can talk to Dat about a loan first thing tomorrow—or I’ll take money from my bank account for a down payment, then go straight to Jessica’s office to start the paperwork. I was hoping to have it signed, sealed, and delivered before I surprised you with it—”
“And that’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard, Gabe,” Regina said as she picked up half her sandwich. “But—but why don’t we just tell Jessica it’s not for sale anymore? Why should you have to pay for a house I already own?”
Gabe looked thunderstruck. “I hadn’t thought about that,” he admitted. “I was trying to prove I could take care of you and—and I figured your uncle wouldn’t have a thing to say about it if I bought the house,” he explained. “He couldn’t accuse you of defying his wishes.”
Regina chuckled. “I can’t wait to see Uncle Clarence’s face when I tell him I’ll soon be living here with you, Gabe,” she said. “But that’ll happen no matter whose name is on the deed, so why not just take the house off the market?”
“It would be simpler,” he agreed. “We can use my down payment as plan B, if Jessica’s got some legal reason she has to keep the place listed.”
Regina suddenly felt as though the whole world had changed course—because it had. Someday soon she’d be Gabe’s wife, and they would begin their life together in this home they both loved. It was a far cry from believing she could never marry because she wanted to keep her painting a secret. “We’ve come a long way in a short time, Gabe,” she whispered.
“We have,” he agreed as he clasped her hands on the table. “It’ll all work out now. We’ll court for a while, and then we’ll set a date to begin our happily-ever-after, Red. Me and you. Right here, honey-girl.”
* * *
Gabe arrived with Red at Jessica’s office just as the Realtor was opening her door on Monday. “We’d like you to take Red’s house off the market!” he began jovially.
“We’re getting married soon, and we plan to live there ourselves!” Red put in with a big smile. “This changes everything, jah?”
Jessica’s key stopped just short of the lock. She resembled a deer blinded by high-beam headlights. “Uh—congratulations on your engagement,” she began, swallowing hard. “But I sold the house yesterday afternoon. The buyer’s paying full price for it, in cash, including an allowance for all the furniture. I—I was coming to tell you about it first thing this morning, Regina.”
Gabe exhaled hard, clutching Red’s hand for support. “You sold it?”
“How could that be?” Red demanded with a frown. “We were there all yesterday afternoon, and nobody came by to look at it or—”
“The buyers and I were here, filling out the papers,” Jessica hastened to explain. “I couldn’t argue with the fifty thousand dollars of earnest money they laid on the table. And you’d given your consent to accept a full-value offer, Regina, because you were certain you had to be out of your house. I had the impression that changing your mind wasn’t an option.”
Gabe’s thoughts swirled like a tornado, and Red’s expression told him she was as flummoxed—and as keenly disappointed—as he was. “Who bought it?” he demanded. “We can return their money—persuade them to back out.”
Jessica got an odd look on her face. She studied Gabe closely. “I’m not at liberty to say,” she replied. “The buyer insisted that the transaction be kept confidential. Sometimes that happens when ex-spouses are involved, but—”
“Ex-spouses?” Gabe blurted. “We don’t know anyone who’s divorced! We don’t believe in it.”
“Must’ve been somebody English,” Red suggested ruefully. Her sigh sounded like a balloon with a slow leak. “Are you sure it’s a done deal, Jessica? We had our hearts set on living in that house, and I was delighted about keeping my furniture—and telling my uncle I wouldn’t be moving to his place. So now . . . ”
Gabe tucked Red’s hand in his elbow, trying to sound more in control than he felt. “So now we make plan C,” he said under his breath. “I don’t have a clue what we’ll do, Red, but we’ll work it out. I promise.”
As they walked back to the rig, Jessica called after them. “Congratulations anyway, kids! Keep the faith—this will turn out exactly the way it’s supposed to.”
Gabe shook his head and kept walking. “Jah, we’ve kept our faith,” he muttered.
“Even after we got turned out,” Red chimed in. “I guess God’s not finished testing our mettle yet.”