May 22, 1897
Rebecca Roth stood in her mother’s garden while Millicent took photograph after photograph of her and her brand-new husband.
“Time for Jenny to join us,” Ben said, and Rebecca’s daughter ran straight into his arms. He lifted her up and kissed her on the cheek.
“Now I can call you Papa, right, Mr. Ben?”
“Yes, Jenny. I’m your papa now.”
Her daughter wrapped her arms around Ben’s neck, bringing tears to Rebecca’s eyes. She still couldn’t believe how truly blessed she was. To be reunited with her family, fall in love with her best friend and confidant, and find he loved her, too, and wanted to adopt Jenny so he’d legally be her father, all in less than a year, was almost more than she could absorb at times. Thank You, Lord, for answering all of my prayers in such an awesome way.
Millicent took several more photos of the three of them before saying, “I think that’s enough. I should probably let you enjoy your reception now.”
Rebecca chuckled. “That would be nice.”
Ben still held Jenny in one arm and put the other around Rebecca, pulling her close. “Yes, let’s go taste that beautiful cake Gretchen and Jenny made for us.”
The three hurried inside to join their guests—Rebecca’s family; the boarders, old and new, who’d become family to her; Mrs. Butler from the orphanage—all were there, along with several of those Ben had helped along the way. His aunt and uncle and his grandparents who’d become so precious to her and Jenny had come from Boston, and Molly, Sarah and her husband—so many who’d come to help them celebrate this day.
Rebecca actually pinched her arm to assure herself this was truly a dream come true. She and Ben had decided against a wedding trip, opting instead to spend a few nights alone in their new home while Jenny stayed at Heaton House.
Then she’d move in with them and they’d start their new life as a family. At first Jenny had wanted them to all live at Heaton House, but with Ben’s background in helping orphans when it was time for them to go out on their own, and Rebecca’s gift for mentoring young women, and their desire to help in ways similar to how her mother had with Heaton House, they’d decided to use their inheritances to buy a house one street over from Heaton House.
When Rebecca told her mother she felt she was letting her down by moving out, her mother had sliced her hand through the air. “Nonsense! You’re going to be right around the corner and I can see you anytime I want. I will miss seeing you all each day, but I am so very thrilled that you’ve found true love, Becca. I’m more than happy that you and Jenny have Ben. He’s a fine man and I love him already, of course. I’m overjoyed that Ben will be the husband you deserve and the papa our Jenny needs and I’m delighted to have him join the family.”
“I will still keep the books for you and I can do the shopping for both of us—”
“You can do that when I can’t. But we can still go shopping together and I’d enjoy that most.”
Rebecca had hugged her. “Oh, Mama, so would I.”
Now, as she and Ben stood with knife in both hands to cut the cake, she looked up at her husband to find his loving gaze on her. Together they sliced the cake and cut one small piece before handing over the knife to Gretchen to slice the rest.
He leaned over and kissed her in front of all their guests, then whispered in her ear. “I love you, Rebecca.”
“I love you, too.”
Jenny pushed her way in between them. “And I love you both! May we have cake now?”
They pulled her up into the circle of their arms and kissed her on each cheek. “Yes, we can have cake now.”
Bubbling over with happiness, Rebecca laughed with all the others as she thanked the Lord above for allowing her the longing of her heart by bringing her and Ben together. She’d been blessed more than she’d ever imagined.
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Keep reading for an excerpt from BIG SKY HOMECOMING by Linda Ford.