He saw her coming over the rise, her pale blue skirt flapping against her legs. Lizzie was moving at a pretty good clip. Pulling the reins toward him, he rolled the wagon to her, bringing it to a stop along the edge of the road.
“Paul.” She ran up to the wagon, out of breath. “I was coming to find you.”
“On foot?” He jumped from the wagon and reached for her hand.
“Ja. I was going for a walk to think about things...to think about us. And then I saw the Clymer Hill Road church spire. It’s so beautiful today.”
Looking over her head, he saw the church off in the distance. It surely was one of the prettiest places in the area. “Would you like me to take you up there?”
“If you have time.”
He started to say, for her he’d always have time, but Paul was still trying to gauge her mood. Something had changed—that was for sure. When he took her hand to help her up on the wagon bench, she didn’t shy away like he expected her to.
Moving to the middle of the seat, Lizzie smiled at him as he settled in next to her.
“It’s a lovely day for a ride, don’t you think?”
Paul didn’t know what to make of any of this. He knew whatever was going on had to be serious. “Lizzie. I’m not sure what’s going on here.”
“I’ve something to tell you and I need to say it at our special place.”
He led the horse and wagon up the long hill to the church. The wheels rattled over the oil-and-stone roadway. In less than ten minutes they reached the spot. Paul sat in the wagon, staring out at the view, thinking that this was all he’d ever wanted out of his life. His Gott, this bountiful earth’s beauty and Lizzie.
“Do you want to get down?” she asked.
He saw a shadow of worry in her blue eyes. Putting his hand over hers, he said, “Let’s go sit on our bench.”
Together, they sat, looking out over the fields and valley, looking toward the horizon. Their fingers were intertwined. They sat that way for a long time, until their breaths came in unison.
Lizzie broke the silence by saying, “I’ve been very stubborn these past days.”
“I hadn’t noticed,” he teased.
“Ja. I think you did. I had a talk with Mary today. She told me some things I hadn’t considered before.”
“Like?”
“Like the fact that love isn’t easy to come by. But when you find it, you should never let it go.”
Paul stayed quiet while he thought about how to go about thanking Mary.
Keeping her eyes averted, Lizzie continued. “My life has been a struggle. But a lot of that I put on myself. After David died and I woke up in the hospital knowing my face, my life, would never be the same...I found it easier to keep to myself. To keep all my feelings inside. To let very few people get to know me. The one constant I’ve had in my life, other than my family, has been you, Paul. And I almost did the unforgivable. I almost let you go. There’s one more thing I need to tell you.”
Lizzie reached out to take his hand in hers. “Paul. I remember. I remember that last day with David. I don’t think any of what happened was our fault. I was going to the barn to get him. I told him we weren’t supposed to be there. I remember climbing high up those bales of hay. We were almost touching the rafters. And David, he was talking about flying through the air. I saw him jumping from bale to bale, his little body leaping high between each one. I tried to find a foothold on the next bale. And then we were tumbling. I lost sight of David. Then the next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital.”
Paul tried his best to blink back tears.
“I never once thought you were to blame.”
“I know, but for years I blamed myself.”
Gripping his hands, she gazed up at him. Paul saw her hurt, fear and guilt slip away.
She blinked and then gave him a small smile, saying, “I’m ready to let the past go and look to the future.”
He couldn’t imagine his life without her in it. But to hear those words coming from his Lizzie...his heart filled with love.
“Lizzie, never once has my love for you wavered.”
Paul stood, pulling Lizzie up off the bench. They faced each other as a cool breeze swirled around them. He brought her hands to his mouth and kissed them. Then, releasing them, he cupped her beautiful face in his hands. He ran his thumb along the scar. And then lowering his head, he kissed the roughened skin. She tried to pull away, but he held her in his loving hands.
“I love every part of you. From your head to your toes, Elizabeth Miller. I love you.”
“I love you with all my heart and all my soul. With all that I am, Paul Burkholder.”
He kissed her, feeling her love and strength. Releasing her, he turned them to face the horizon.
“I think David would be very happy if he could see us together.”
He held fast to her hand. “I know he would be.”
Gathering her in his arms, he held her tightly. She smelled like sunshine and lemons and love. “Why don’t we go give our families the good news about our courtship.”
Tipping her head back, she looked up at him, and laughter bubbled out of her. “Are we courting?”
He nodded. “Your vader has already given his blessing for our marriage.”
Tears sprang to her eyes. “Oh, my. Then I guess our future has already been decided.” And they couldn’t have been happier.