Happy Friday! To kick off the weekend, I’ve got a FREE Friessens short story that is not published anywhere and follows new release KEEP ME IN YOUR HEART. Plus, don’t forget to vote for your favorite audio title for your chance to win the new Kindle Paperwhite with Audible, and also be sure to grab some free audio codes. Have a wonderful weekend & be well– Lorhainne
“I have missed the Friessens so much, but, oh, what a way for them to return…The emotions are so real that there are moments that literally tear at your heart…This is one that will have your heart racing at times and keep you completely involved from start to finish. ” ★★★★★ Catlou., Amazon Reviewer
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Chapter 1
The phone was ringing. Sara reached over, and there was Devon beside her, the back of his hand resting over his eyes. He didn’t move, so she reached over him for the phone by the bed. The clock read 9:08, and morning light filled the bedroom.
“Hello…?” Sara’s voice was groggy. Devon rumbled and stirred under her, and his hand slid over her back as she sat up.
“You’re still sleeping?”
It took her a moment to realize it was Gabriel. She put her bare feet on the new carpet in their bedroom, wearing just a tank and her underwear, and strode out as Devon rolled over and went back to sleep.
“Yeah, it’s called being sleep deprived,” she said.
What time had they gotten home? Right, at dinner time the day before, on what was meant to have been her wedding day.
“Well, get up,” Gabriel said. “We need you and Devon to come out to the ranch.”
Sara stepped into the living room, with its blue sectional opposite the kitchen island and high bar stools with cloth backs. She reached for a fleece blanket tossed over a gray cloth side chair and pulled it around herself.
“Why, what’s going on?” she said. “Devon is still sleeping…”
But then she saw him in the doorway, wearing a pair of sweats, yawning as he walked into the kitchen, reached for the empty coffeepot, and turned on the tap.
“Who is it?” he said.
She let the receiver slide away from her mouth. “Gabriel. He wants us to come out to the ranch.” She thought she heard something in the background over the phone. “Look, Gabriel, maybe tomorrow. Seriously, Devon and I kind of have plans today. Not to mention we just flew back from a shitstorm, so I kind of need a day to decompress.”
Devon looked over to her as he left the coffee to brew. On the plane home, they had decided they would go to the courthouse that day, just him and her, to become mister and missus, and they weren’t telling anyone.
“Well, cancel your plans,” Gabriel said. He was serious. “This isn’t the time to hide out and lick your wounds. We’re a family. Come over in, say, an hour.”
She shook her head, watching Devon yawn again as he leaned against the counter by the sink, his arms crossed over his bare chest. “You know, Gabriel, if this were any other time, I’d say okay—but no, I’m not canceling. As I said, Devon and I have plans today. What’s so urgent, anyway? Is something going on? Is it Mom and Dad?”
She knew her parents were both reeling over what had happened in Boston. Yes, Chelsea was alive, but she wasn’t with them. Sara still didn’t know how to come to grips with the entire ordeal.
“We’ll tell you when you get here,” Gabriel said. “I’m not kidding, Sara. Whatever you and Devon decided to do today, change your plans.” There he went again.
“Gabriel, what part of ‘we’re not coming’ do you not understand? We’re not rescheduling our day. Our plans are important.”
Devon walked over, evidently picking up on the fact that something was going on. He reached for the phone with a frown. “Let me talk to him.”
She hesitated only a second. “Devon wants to talk to you,” she said, then could hear her brother saying something as she handed the phone to him.
“Hey, what’s up?” Devon said. That was all he asked, seriously? “Uh-huh. Yup,” he continued.
Sara walked over to the counter, where she could smell the coffee brewing, and pulled the blanket up higher around herself.
“Okay, sure,” Devon said. Then he hung up and tossed the phone on the island. Sara just stared as he opened a cupboard, pulled out a glass, and filled it with water from the large refrigerator dispenser.
“What was that?” She rested her hand on the counter.
Devon downed the glass of water, then opened the dishwasher and shoved it on the top rack. “We’re going out to the ranch,” he said.
She stared at him. He pulled two mugs from the cupboard and reached for the pot of coffee, which was still filling, but she slapped her hand over the carafe so he couldn’t pull it out. He sighed.
“Why?” she said. “I just told Gabriel no. Did you forget our plans today? The courthouse, remember? No more family disruptions. This time, you and I are selfishly putting ourselves first. Or have you changed your mind?” She wondered whether she’d growled the last part. She was tired and still feeling battered and bruised as if her body and mind had been put through the wringer.
Devon let out a sigh and leaned down and kissed her. “I didn’t forget, Sara. We have time. Look, your brother said it’s important and can’t wait. No biggy. We’ll drive out. Your dad likely wants to count his chicks and make sure you’re all here. I know he and your mom were kind of messed up by what happened. Give them that, okay? Your brothers weren’t there and didn’t get the first-hand shitshow, so we’ll go, talk, hug it out, whatever they need, and then we’ll be at the courthouse by two.”
He’d somehow wrangled the coffeepot and filled two mugs and was now sliding the carafe back onto the burner. She was still stuck on this idea of hugging it out, something he had never seemed inclined to do before.
“I’m going to grab a shower,” he said, already walking with his coffee. She stared at his back and then glanced to the phone, wondering what exactly her brother had said.
“Uh, Devon, you do realize this is my family we’re talking about. If this is a matter of my mom and dad gathering what’s left of their flock, as you say, then it’s going to require a little more than us slipping in and out. And when we leave, they’ll ask where we’re going. Remember that we aren’t telling anyone? We were going to tell my family after.”
He was staring at her from the door of their master suite, a highlight of their three-bedroom house in town. “Sara, you’re making too much of it. And why would they ask if you don’t bring it up?” He raised a brow and gestured to her. “Are you going to stand there or join me in the shower? The sooner we get out there, the sooner we’re back in town and at the courthouse.”
Then he was gone.
She took a swallow of coffee and started after him, calling out, “You do realize this is my family! There’s no such thing as going out there and coming right back.”
But instead of an answer, all she could hear was the shower running. She took in her engagement ring, wondering why it was that their wedding seemed to always be just out of reach.
Chapter 2
Sara took in all the cars, the pickups parked out front of her parents’ ranch house. It seemed everyone was there.
As Devon parked their newish gray four-door compact and turned off the engine, Sara glanced over to him. He had said very little to her, and she sensed he was taking this order to attend the ranch far too lightly. She had thrown on blue jeans and a loose gray top that fit her mood.
“You still believe we’re going to be in and out?” she said.
He shrugged and smiled. “Don’t worry. I told you we’re getting married today. End of story. Come on, let’s go. The quicker we get in there and do the talking thing, the quicker we can leave.”
She stared at Devon as she stepped out of the vehicle. She couldn’t get past the way he was talking. For a moment, she wondered whether she was hearing things. She realized he was already walking to the house as she pushed her door closed.
“You know, Devon, at any other time, this eagerness to see my family would be cute, but right now it seems kind of weird,” she said. She heard the rattle of another car approaching, and she turned at the bottom of the steps to the house, seeing Anton pulling up just as the screen door squeaked open behind her. “Isn’t that your brother?”
“Huh,” Devon said. “Yeah. Wonder what he’s doing here.”
Her dad had walked out onto the porch, wearing blue jeans and a red T-shirt, and he smiled at her. She made herself walk up the steps and hug him. He squeezed tight.
“Okay, you can let go now,” she said. “I’m fine, as you can see.”
“I know,” he said. “Hey, listen, thanks for coming out. You doing okay?”
What was she supposed to say to that? The events of the past few days had basically derailed her family and her wedding.
“I’m fine,” she said, “or I will be. So who’s here?”
Her dad still had his arm around her, and she took in Devon walking over to his mom and brother as they stepped out of the car.
“Uh, what’s going on?” Sara said.
The door squeaked again, and her dad’s arm fell away as Jeremy stepped out. He and Chelsea were twins, close. She wondered where his head was amid all this.
“Wanted to have a word with you,” he said.
She realized he was still holding the door open. To say this was weird would have been an understatement. In the meantime, her dad had walked down the stairs, over to Devon, his mom, and Anton.
“Sure,” Sara said. “This is starting to seem mysterious.”
She strode into the house, where her mom was rocking CC, a bottle in his mouth, and Gabriel was walking out of the kitchen with a coffee. He leaned down and kissed her cheek.
“Hey, you,” he said.
She realized Tiffy and Elizabeth were in the living room, and she spotted Zac, Brandon, and Shaunty in the kitchen, eating and making something. She turned back to Jeremy, who was quiet, holding a sheet of paper.
“So what is this?” she said. “I’m here. Jeremy, you want to talk to me?” She sat on the sofa beside Tiffy, who patted her leg.
“Well, we were all talking last night…” Jeremy started. She heard voices and the squeak of the door.
“About what? You know I’m tired. The last few days have been exhausting. Is this about Chelsea?” She glanced toward her mom, whose lingering sadness she could still see.
Jeremy was looking oddly at the folded piece of paper he held. “Yes and no,” he said. “It’s about you. Look, we’re all still trying to get our heads around what happened. You should know that I spoke with Chelsea after she left you in Boston. She called me. I don’t know where she was, but I talked to her before Dad called and told us what happened. You should know I asked her to come home, but she won’t leave Ric. She’s convinced this won’t be forever, just until after his dad talks to the grand jury and this guy in the military is charged. She wrote something and emailed it to me, something to give to you.”
He was holding the paper out toward her. Tiera, Anton, Devon, and her dad were standing just inside the living room. She didn’t reach for it. She could feel her stomach tightening. When she finally reached out and took it, she didn’t pull her gaze from her brother. Maybe it was the way everyone was looking at her, but she felt like the center of attention for the first time, and it made her feel so uncomfortable.
“Chelsea feels horrible for what happened,” Jeremy said. “She wanted to make it up to you, considering you and Devon have postponed your wedding so many times.”
She glanced over to Devon, feeling the words about the courthouse today on the tip of her tongue. He said nothing, only raised a brow in curiosity.
“Okay…”
“You’re getting married today,” Jeremy said.
Sara dragged her gaze to Devon. “You told them?” she said. She knew it sounded accusing.
But Devon simply looked to her brother and shook his head. “No, I said nothing.”
“Wait,” Jeremy said. “I’m confused. There’s a limo arriving in two hours. Chelsea rearranged your wedding to happen today. I don’t know how she did it, but she hired some wedding planning team who’ve somehow managed to rebook the church and the resort and get all the guests back here. I don’t know what it cost, but apparently she took care of it.”
Sara wasn’t sure whether her shock showed in her expression.
“So what are you two talking about? You were getting married today?” Gabriel said, looking from her to Devon. For a second, she couldn’t help but feel guilty.
“Yeah,” Devon said, cutting in for her. “Listen, it doesn’t matter now, but we were planning on just going to City Hall, as we were starting to believe this big wedding was doomed.”
“What? No,” Gabriel said. Then everyone was talking at once.
She took in the email her brother had given her. Everything was there, her dress, her makeup…but not her sister.
“You were really going to go to City Hall and not tell us?” Laura said.
Sara could see the hurt in her expression. She looked down at the letter. “Yeah. I’m sorry, Mom. I just didn’t want to go back to the drawing board, having to pick another date and start planning again…”
“But you don’t have to, because you’re getting married today,” Tiffy said, then slid her arm around Sara’s shoulders. “Since Chelsea isn’t here, Elizabeth and I were talking, and we’d like to stand in for her.”
Sara felt tears burn and had to clear her throat roughly.
“If you want us, that is?” Elizabeth said.
“Of course I do,” she said. “Thank you. I can’t believe Chelsea did this…”
She heard a vehicle out front, and Devon stepped back, an odd look on his face. Her dad walked over to the door and opened it, and she didn’t know who he was talking to.
“Chelsea sent someone to do your hair and nails, pamper you,” Elizabeth said, looking past her out the window. “That has to be her.”
Sara just looked at her family. For a moment, she was hit with a wave of guilt. They would have been hurt if she and Devon had gone alone to the courthouse. “Okay, I’ll say it,” she said. “I’m glad we didn’t go to the courthouse. I really do want all of you there.”
Tiffy ran her hand over her shoulder, and Laura stood and slid a sleeping CC into Gabriel’s arms, then let her gaze linger on Sara. Then there was her dad, who had been unusually quiet. All he did was nod, and she could see how the past few days had rattled him.
Devon pulled his arms across his chest. “Then I guess I’m not supposed to be here,” he said, “because I need to go home and pull out that tux.”
There was something about this moment. She stood up, hearing the laughter of her family, of Tiera talking with Elizabeth and Anton with her dad, and she strode across the room to Devon, still holding the letter her sister had written. Two ladies she’d never seen before, hairdressers, were being ushered into the dining room by Tiffy and her mom.
“I still can’t believe Chelsea did this,” Sara said as Devon pulled her off to the side. She just held his hand and stared down at the letter, scared to read it.
Maybe he knew, as he pulled her into his arms and hugged her, then kissed the side of her head and pulled back. “Go get that hot number of a dress on, and I’ll be the guy at the front of the church, waiting for you,” he said.
She pulled back just a bit, looking up at him. “Don’t be late.”
He leaned down and kissed her, then rested his hand over hers, the one holding the letter. “She really does love you, you know.”
She only nodded at first, feeling a lump in her throat. “Yeah,” she finally said. “I know.”
He pressed another kiss to her lips, and then she watched as the man she loved so much walked to the door with his brother, Anton, past the jabs from her brothers and her dad, laughing.
She felt a hand on her arm and turned to see Tiera, whom Elizabeth had left to tend to CC, who had decided to start fussing and crying.
“How are you doing, Sara?” she said. “I wanted to talk with you before you and Devon get married.”
Sara forced a smile. She could see Tiera was a little uncomfortable by the way she pulled her arms across her chest, then let them fall away. “I’m glad you’re here,” she said, reaching over and touching her arm.
“I didn’t want to intrude, but Gabriel called me and Anton when everything was going on in Boston. He told us what was happening there. I’m sorry. That was a horrible thing that happened to you, but it was also the first time I really felt part of this family. I told Gabriel how much I appreciated knowing what was happening. There was nothing Anton and I could do, but we were happy your sister wasn’t hurt.”
She didn’t know her brother had done that. She took in Tiera’s chestnut eyes, like Anton’s but not so much like Devon’s. “I’m glad Gabriel did that.”
“You have a wonderful family,” Tiera said.
Sara nodded. “I do. I really want to get to know you, Tiera. You and Anton are part of this family.”
She wasn’t sure what to make of the way Devon’s mom looked at her, then past her. “You’d better get going,” she said. “You’ve got some ladies here to fuss over you.”
Sara only nodded, then stepped closer and hugged Tiera. She kissed her cheek and stepped back. “In case I haven’t told you this before,” she said, “thank you for having Devon.”
Chapter 3
The silky taffeta of the white dress touched the floor, its cap sleeves off her shoulders. Her hair was up, pinned with flowers and a veil that draped behind her. She felt like a princess as she sat in the back room of the church, surrounded by reds and golds, seeing herself in the full-length mirror.
Tiffy and Elizabeth had stepped out, and she was alone with a letter she hadn’t been able to read. She knew she had to do it before she left this room and started a new chapter in her life.
She opened the small clutch purse she’d brought, which held lipstick, the ring engraved with hers and Devon’s initials, and her sister’s letter, the email she had sent to Jeremy.
She unfolded it and took in the subject line: My little sister, please forgive me.
She made herself pull in a breath as she fought the ache, knowing her sister wasn’t there.
Dear Sara,
I told you I love you, and I hope you and Devon can take some measure of joy in today and accept this gift of your wedding. It’s a day late, but at least your day is here. I wish I could turn back the clock and undo what happened. But I can’t do that, so I’ve moved a mountain for you. That, at least, is something I learned from Dad.
She lifted her other hand to her mouth, unable to help the laugh that hiccupped out despite the tears she had to keep blinking back.
I wish I could be there, but I can’t. It’s about more than the fact that I’m married to Ric. We’ve had our troubles, but I really love him, just as I know you love Devon and would go to the ends of the earth with him. Well, I have to go there with Ric now. He didn’t ask for this, and he even tried to urge me to go home and walk away. But if the roles were reversed and it were Devon, could you walk away from him?
“No. You already know that, Chelsea,” she said out loud, wishing her sister were there.
I just wanted you to understand, because I know you were so angry today when I saw you. And I don’t blame you. Just know that I’m always thinking of all of you. Please keep me in your heart, and before you know it, I will see you again. I love you, all of you.
—Chelsea Friessen-Taft.
That brought a smile to her face. So Chelsea hadn’t dropped the Friessen name, after all.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” she said.
It opened to reveal her dad: tall, solid, looking absolutely dashing in his dark suit. “You look beautiful. You ready?” he said as he walked in. She could see Tiffy and Elizabeth in two matching green dresses in the hall behind him, looking beautiful, as well.
“I am. You okay, Dad?” she said.
He rested his hands on her shoulders, and she could see the mist in his eyes again. “Seeing you like this, I am okay. You know how much I like Devon. He’s family. But, Sara, just let me be clear: If you two have plans of moving…”
“Dad.” She pressed her hand to her dad’s chest, taking in the way he looked down at her with the love he had for all of them. “Devon and I are not going anywhere. So how about you walk me down the aisle?”
She heard a tap on the open door, and Tiffy poked her head in. “Everyone’s ready,” she said.
Sara looked up to her dad, who stood beside her and held out an arm to her, and Elizabeth strode in with a bouquet of white and pink roses for her. Sara tucked the letter in the pocket of her dress, took the bouquet, and slid her hand over her dad’s arm.
Andy nodded to Tiffy, and the music started up. He looked down at her and smiled. “I’ve waited forever for this moment,” he said.
“Me too, Dad,” she replied. “Me too.”
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