The Little Bookshop Of Promises. Debbie Macomber

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СКАЧАТЬ Cal shook his head. “If they were going to leave town, they’d at least mention it to Glen and me. Something’s going on, something they don’t want to talk about.”

      Jane wondered if he was overreacting, but that wasn’t like Cal. If he suspected something was amiss, then he was probably right. “Do you know what it might be?”

      Cal took her hand. “I’m afraid that after nearly forty years, my parents’ marriage is in trouble.”

      * * *

      Savannah hadn’t heard a word of Pastor Wade McMillen’s sermon on Sunday morning. When the singing started, signaling the end of the worship service, she hardly knew where the time had gone. She’d been confused and distracted since receiving Richard’s letter, which she hadn’t answered yet. He wanted her forgiveness, and she could see no way to refuse him that, although she knew both Grady and Laredo would prefer she not respond.

      “If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to Wade,” Savannah whispered to her husband. The church started to empty.

      “I’ll collect the kids,” Laredo said as they slipped out of the pew.

      “I won’t be long.”

      Almost everyone had left by the time Savannah reached Wade and his wife, Amy, who stood in the foyer and spoke to as many of their flock as possible. Wade’s eyes met hers, and Savannah felt as if he’d read her heart.

      “Do you have a moment?” she asked him.

      “Of course.”

      Amy made an excuse and was about to leave when Savannah stopped her. “No, please, I’d like you to stay.”

      Both the pastor and his wife gave her their full attention.

      “It’s about Richard,” she began.

      Wade sighed and shook his head. “Something told me this had to do with your brother.”

      “He wrote for the first time. He said these three years behind bars have given him a perspective on the wrong he committed. He’s asking for my forgiveness.”

      “And Grady’s?”

      Savannah shook her head. “He wrote only to me.”

      “I see.”

      “Grady doesn’t want me to answer him. He’s afraid it’ll open the door to...something else, and he doesn’t want Richard back in our lives. I don’t blame him. I love both my brothers, but Richard’s brought us nothing but pain and embarrassment. He’s hurt our family and our community. I’m ashamed that people know the things he’s done.”

      “But you feel you can’t ignore his plea?” Amy asked.

      “God’s word is full of forgiveness.” Savannah couldn’t stand inside a church and say otherwise. That was what made this situation so difficult. Truly forgiving Richard meant forgetting everything he’d done. She wasn’t sure that was possible.

      “It’s in forgiving others,” Wade said quietly, “that we learn to forgive ourselves.”

      “Sometimes it isn’t as simple as it sounds,” Amy said. “Shortly after Joey was born, I heard from my mother. She told me she wanted to mend fences.”

      Savannah knew how deeply Amy had been hurt by her mother, who’d abandoned her when she was pregnant, leaving her to face the world alone.

      “As soon as she learned I’d married Wade and that he’d adopted Joey, she wanted back in my life. It took me a long time to be able to forgive her for deserting me when I needed her most.” Wade placed his arm protectively around his wife’s shoulders. “But I have forgiven her. I can look back now and not feel that pain anymore. Yes, I know the type of person my mother is. But while I love her and have forgiven her, I avoid contact with her. I have to be realistic about it. She’s a selfish, self-destructive person, addicted to drugs and alcohol. I love her, I pray for her, but I’ve chosen not to make her a part of my life.”

      Savannah let the words settle in her mind. The way Amy felt about her mother was the way she herself felt about Richard. She wanted a better life for him, but not at the risk of her own or her family’s. “Thank you,” she said and hugged Amy.

      Wade hugged Savannah next. “Your heart will tell you what to do,” he assured her.

      The minute she’d finished with the noon meal and tucked Laura and Matthew in their beds, Savannah sat down in front of the computer and typed a letter.

      Dear Richard,

      After three years without a word from you, I’ll admit your letter did take me by surprise. I’m glad to hear you regret the crimes you’ve committed and the pain you’ve caused Grady and me—and those poor helpless immigrants in New York City. My prayer is that this realization is a new beginning for you.

      You asked about home, and I’m pleased to be able to tell you that the Yellow Rose is thriving. The partnership between Grady and Laredo has been a good one.

      As for Laredo and me, our marriage is very happy. Laura and Matthew keep me busy, and my rose gardens take up the rest of my time. I’ve raised several prizewinners in the past few years. My catalog business continues to blossom (pun intended). Laredo splits his time between ranch work and raising quarter horses. He has a gentleness about him that children and horses instinctively respond to. I married a good man.

      I want you to know that I do forgive you, Richard. You’re my brother and I could do no less—but forgiveness is all I have to offer you.

      You rejected your home, your family, your heritage, and that can’t be undone with a mere apology. The trust that used to exist between us has been destroyed. Not once but twice, and that isn’t easily repaired. I can forgive you, Richard, but I can’t trust you.

      Savannah

      When she’d finished, Savannah read the letter through, then saved it. She glanced up as she heard the sound of footsteps.

      Laredo had moved into the room and now stood behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders. “You answered him?”

      “Yes,” she said tentatively, knowing he might disapprove.

      “Tell me what you think,” she said and scrolled the letter back onto the monitor for him to read.

      “Well?” she asked a few minutes later, wanting his opinion.

      He kissed her cheek. “I knew you’d answer. You’re much too kindhearted to ignore Richard’s plea for forgiveness.”

      “But I can’t allow him back in my life,” she said and experienced an almost overwhelming sense of sadness. The brother she loved was someone she no longer knew. In the years since their parents’ deaths, he’d become a stranger.

      “Are you going to let Grady read your letter?” Laredo asked.

      “Yes,” she said, “if he wants to. He has a right to know what I told our brother.” It wouldn’t be easy for Grady to accept her decision. СКАЧАТЬ