On Thanksgiving Day, Hawk sat out on the porch swing, wearing his warmest jacket, his hands in his pockets. His mother, Riley, and Jordan were in the kitchen, up to their elbows in piecrust, and having a ball. He could hear them laughing, clear out here. Jesse, Grandpa, and Elliot were watching football. Abby and Jay promised to be there around two o’clock, with a double batch of Abby’s homemade dinner rolls.
On this day of heartfelt reflection, Hawk had been counting his many blessings and marveling that God had given him a new love. Jordan was everything his heart desired. And his family had fallen in love with her too. Jordan knew about Hawk’s affair with Kennedy. She had made a similar mistake several years ago. Together, over the past ten months, they had sought God’s healing and committed to a different course for their current relationship. Hawk had every hope that someday he would stand at the altar and look at Jordan the way Jay had done with Abby. It was never too late to do the right thing. He frequently recited the words from Isaiah 1:18 as a reminder: Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.
Hawk reached in his pocket and pulled out a photo that had arrived in yesterday’s mail, the only contents of an envelope that had been run through a postage meter. It was a picture of a beautiful baby girl, maybe five months old. She had a head full of dark, silky hair and happiness in her eyes. On the back was written: “June 12, the second happiest day of our lives.” He stared in awe at the picture, wondering what her name was and if she would ever know her parents’ story.
Hawk smiled. I’m thankful for you, my friends. You showed me what real love is. He put the picture back in his pocket.
The door opened and Jordan came outside, bundled up in a navy down jacket and a pink stocking cap. “I just put my first cherry pie in the oven. And I cannot tell a lie, it was so much fun.”
Jordan sat next to him and pulled his arm around her. “I love Kate. She actually taught me how to make a piecrust. I never did anything like that with my mother.”
“Mama’s an amazing cook,” Hawk said. “She loves doing it. She’s been teaching Abby since she was old enough to hold a spoon.”
“It’s weird, but I feel more out of control in the kitchen than I ever have riding a horse.”
Hawk grinned. “I feel out of control doing either.”
“Then let me teach you to ride,” Jordan said.
“Why?”
“Because I love it, and I want you to love it too.”
“Okay,” Hawk said. “But only if you let me share with you something I want you to love.”
“Sounds fair.”
“Me first. Come on.” Hawk took her hand and hurried out to his Jeep. He opened the passenger side door and she hopped in. He ran around to the driver’s side, got in, started the motor, and backed out of the driveway.”
“Where are we going?” Jordan said.
“You’ll see.”
Kate looked out the kitchen window and saw Hawk’s Jeep pull out of the driveway. She wiped her hands with a towel and went out to the living room.
“Does anyone know where Hawk and Jordan just went?”
“I don’t,” Elliot said.
Jesse looked over his shoulder. “Not me.”
Buck shook his head. “I didn’t even know they left.”
“Hmm.” Kate went back in the kitchen.
Riley shrugged. “I was with you.”
“I hope they’re back by the time these pies are ready to come out of the oven. I thought Jordan would get a kick out of taking hers out.”
Kate smiled. It had been so much fun making pies with Jordan and Riley, both of them so eager to learn. She had known Jordan for only six weeks, but it felt as if she’d always been part of the family. Hawk didn’t talk much about his intentions, but number-one son was smitten. Kate had never seen him this way with any woman before and wondered how he’d kept her a secret for the past ten months while the two of them went through an intensive recovery workshop.
“Well, Riley. How about helping me make the sweet potatoes? We’ve got to keep the momentum going if we’re going to eat at three.”
Hawk stopped the Jeep and turned to Jordan. “Promise you won’t peek.”
“I won’t peek. But I may die of curiosity if you go any slower.”
He hopped out and ran around to her side and opened the door. “Keep your eyes closed. Now give me your hand and step down. That’s it. Okay, you can open your eyes.”
Jordan’s eyes flew open. “I see beautiful trees. What am I supposed to be seeing?”
“A big log house with a covered front porch. And a barn. You don’t see it?”
“No, I don’t, David Copperfield.”
“But it’s right there.”
Jordan’s eyebrows came together. “Is this supposed to be something like a snipe hunt?”
“Absolutely not. I’ve never been more serious in my life,” Hawk said. “Look really, really hard. Imagine the future. See those eight acres there—between that red flag and that sign way down there? They’re mine.”
“You never told me you had land. Nice. Great view.”
“Can’t you picture that big log house, with the front porch facing those rolling hills and the lake?”
“What happened to the barn?” she said, a grin tugging at her cheeks.
“Oh, it’s there. Can you picture it?”
“Yes, I can imagine horses in that barn,” Jordan said.
“There are! Now you’re getting it.”
Jordan got a serious expression and seemed to look deep inside him. “Hawk, what are saying? What’s this about?”
“Babe, this is about you and me and everything we love.”
“Could you be a little more specific.”
“As a matter of fact, I can.”
Kate stood at the sink rinsing off the celery stalks she planned to chop for her dressing.
Elliot came up behind her and put his arms around her. “Smells terrific, honey. Can I do anything to help?”
“Not yet,” Kate said, “but when I get closer, I’m sure I’ll have something … Oh my, is Hawk doing what I think he’s doing?”
Elliot looked out the window. “That would be my guess. Oh, definitely. That’s what he’s doing, all right.”
Kate wiggled out of Elliot’s arms and rushed to the kitchen door. “Everybody outside on the porch! Hawk is proposing to Jordan! Come on, Riley!”
The entire family poured out onto the porch. Off in the distance, Hawk was kneeling on one knee, holding something in his hand.
Riley’s face beamed. “Does this mean Jordan is going to be another big sister?”
“No, she’ll be your sister-in-law,” Jesse said, “but only if she says yes.”
Hawk looked up at Jordan, whose eyes glistened. “I love you more than anything on this earth. And I’ve dreamed of building a house on this land ever since I was old enough to understand that I never wanted to leave it. Sure Foot Mountain is in my blood. And you’re in my heart, in my soul, and on my mind, with every breath I take. You are, in the deepest sense of the word, a pure gift from God. I can’t imagine a future here that doesn’t include you. Will you marry me?”
A tear trickled down Jordan’s face. “And that includes the barn, right?”
Hawk laughed. “Yes, that includes the barn.”
“Then yes! I’ll marry you.” She threw her arms around him.
Still laughing and completely flustered, Hawk said, “Wait, babe, I forgot to give you the ring.” He opened the tiny black box and revealed a marquise solitaire.
Jordan put her hands to her cheeks and drew in a breath. “It’s perfect!”
Hawk smiled, and slipped it on her finger. “It’s a size four. I’m so glad I guessed right. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Hawk, just kiss her, for heaven’s sake,” Kate said. “There, finally. Oh, I’m dying to know what they were laughing about. Jordan’s got such a quick wit.”
Elliot pulled Kate close and kissed her cheek. “I’m sure you’ll manage to pull every detail out of them before you’ve served dessert. I’m so happy for Hawk. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s ready for this. And Jordan’s going to fit right in.”
“So she said yes?” Riley said.
Jesse grinned. “Looks to me like she’s still saying yes.”
Buck took Jesse’s arm. “Come on, boy. Let’s give them a minute to themselves. We still have a ways to go before this football game is decided.”
Kate waited to speak until she and Elliot were alone in the kitchen. “You’ve been so good to mentor Hawk. I wondered if he would ever recover after his affair with Kennedy. But he’s allowed God to use it to make him stronger.”
“I’m so proud of him. He’s going to make a good husband,” Elliot said. “He appreciates on a much more mature level the decision he’s making and what a blessing it is to love a woman who shares his values and his dreams. He and Jordan seem perfectly suited.”
“They do, don’t they?” Kate giggled and wiped her eyes. “I just love that girl. She’s added so much to our family already. And she loves my son. Really loves him. Only God could have turned Hawk’s life around this way.”
Elliot pulled Kate into his arms and smiled. “You’re right. Well, unless you need help, I’ll leave you alone with your thoughts.”
“Thanks.” Kate brushed his cheek with back of her hand. “You know me too well.”
Kate went over and stood at the sink. It looked to her as if Hawk and Jordan, hand in hand, were walking the perimeter of the acres that Hawk had chosen. How excited they must be at this moment in anticipation of planning their future together. It had been two years to the day since Elliot had gotten down on one knee and proposed to Kate, right there in the dining room with her dad and all the kids present. She remembered how gloriously happy she was, and it had just gotten better and better since they married.
And now Abby and Hawk had tasted that same joy. She had no doubt that Jesus was the Lord of their lives and would direct their steps through times of joy and times of sorrow. She wished she could make an easy way for them, but only He knew the path they needed to take in order to grow into His image.
Kate wiped a tear off her cheek. How she loved each of her children. How blessed she was that Abby and Hawk wanted to stay on Sure Foot Mountain. She hoped that Jesse and Riley would make that decision too, when the time came. And she hoped with all her heart that one day her grandchildren would carry on the legacy of this mountain resort called Angel View.
As for Kate, her roots had grown deep and strong, and she couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. She was content to share her life with Elliot and looked forward to many more happy years as they grew old together.