Arlene James - Their Small-Town Love

Ivy’s eyes filled with pain. “I don’t think I’m meant for that,” she mumbled.

“Well, that makes two of us,” he said, needing instinctively to erase that pain.

“Really? You don’t want a family of your own?”

“The way I look at it,” Ryan explained carefully, “I already have one. My students mean a lot to me.” He smiled. “You might even say my devotion to my work has gotten a bit out of hand. I spend most of my time occupied with coaching, administrating and just spending time with the students. Some of them desperately need an adult who will listen.”

Ivy tilted her head. “Is that enough for you? Listening to someone else’s kids? I used to think work was enough, too.”

“Not anymore?”

She pondered that before shaking her head. “No,” she said softly. “Not anymore. Family is everything.”

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says, “Camp meetings, mission work and church attendance permeate my Oklahoma childhood memories. It was a golden time, which sustains me yet. However, only as a young, widowed mother did I truly begin growing in my personal relationship with the Lord. Through adversity, He has blessed me in countless ways, one of which is a second marriage so loving and romantic it still feels like courtship!”

The author of more than sixty novels, Arlene James now resides outside of Fort Worth, Texas, with her beloved husband. Her need to write is greater than ever, a fact that frankly amazes her, as she’s been at it since the eighth grade! She loves to hear from readers, and can be reached at 1301 E. Debbie Lane, Suite 102, Box 117, Mansfield, Texas 76063, or via her Web site at www.arlenejames.com.

And after you have suffered for a little, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.

—1 Peter 5:10–11

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Epilogue

Questions for Discussion

It looked just the same.

Ivy let the hunter green, barn-style door slowly swing closed behind her as she surveyed the homey lobby of the Heavenly Arms Motel. Hap’s old rocking chair still sat before the potbellied stove in the corner, and the game table, its surface worn by the shuffle of countless dominoes, still claimed center stage. On closer inspection, one of the black leather couches appeared to be a replacement for a former version, but it all felt just as she recalled, much more of a living room than a motel lobby, despite the chest-high counter behind her.

In nearly seven years, nothing appeared to have changed, not at the motel and apparently not in her hometown of Eden, Oklahoma. On the one hand, Ivy found that comforting; on the other hand, she prayed that this was not a harbinger of things to come.

The sound of a door opening made Ivy turn just as a petite blonde in slender jeans and a striped T-shirt emerged from the office to smile across the counter at her. Ivy masked her surprise, partly relieved and partly disappointed. She’d expected Charlotte or one of the other Jeffords. The presence of this small, pretty stranger demonstrated that some things had changed around here, after all.

“Hello. Can I help you?” the blonde asked, swinging a chunky toddler onto her trim hip. Dressed in olive-green corduroy overalls and a bright yellow T-shirt, the boy twinkled blue eyes at Ivy, expecting instant acceptance.

Ivy smiled, despite the pang in her chest, and addressed the blonde. “I have a reservation.”

The woman seemed relieved. “That’s good. We’ve booked a full house.” As she pulled a registration form from beneath the counter, she asked, “Here for the reunion?”

Ivy accepted an ink pen and began to fill in the required information as best she could. “That’s right. The reunion.” More than one, hopefully.

“Seems to be a big deal around here,” the blonde went on.

That, Ivy thought, is an understatement.

The annual high school reunion, always scheduled for the Saturday before Easter, counted as one of the highlights of the year in the small town of Eden and had for as long as Ivy could remember. Tonight’s banquet would be the first that thirty-year-old Ivy had attended, however. In the twelve years since she had graduated from Eden Memorial High School, she had returned to her hometown only rarely—and not at all for more than six years.

Truth be told, she’d gladly have skipped tonight’s festivities, had they not been her excuse for returning after all this time. She trembled a little, recalling her father’s last words to her.

“If you have any shred of decency left, you won’t ever show your face around here again. You’ve got nothing to say that I want to hear, so don’t bother calling or writing, either.”

She had honored his wishes and had planned to keep doing so—until several months ago when she’d found herself on her knees in a break room at the radio station where she’d worked in Tulsa. The good friend who had knelt with her had held her hand as Ivy wept and confessed to God her many failings.

In the time since, Ivy’s world had literally turned on its head. She learned that God’s forgiveness removed the eternal ramifications of her sin and that she owed it to herself and others to try to make amends to anyone she’d ever harmed. But how did she approach someone who never wanted to see her again, let alone ask for his forgiveness? She already knew that turning her life over to God did not mean that everything would suddenly become perfect. Quite the opposite in some respects. It could make, and had made, life very difficult. Then again, most of the mess was of her own making.

Ivy pushed the form back across the counter and smiled at the pretty hotel clerk. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have a permanent address at the moment.”

The woman glanced down at what was written on the form before saying, “Oh, that’s all right, Ms. Villard. Your credit card has been approved, and that’s what counts. Welcome back, by the way.”

That might well be the only welcome she would receive, Ivy mused. She hoped, prayed, that her sister, Rose, would be glad to see her, but their father undoubtedly would not be. Ivy expected that he would refuse to meet with her. Still, she had to try. He had been right, after all, about everything.

Ivy had elected not to inform Rose of her plans to attend the reunion, despite their recent tentative communication via e-mail. As much as Ivy would have liked to prepare her younger sister for seeing her unexpectedly after all these years, she knew that she would do better to protect Rose from their father’s anger. Should Olie conclude that Rose had participated in, or even kept mum about Ivy’s plan to see him, he might well cut Rose and her family from his life as he had Ivy. It seemed best to just show up where she expected her sister to be and let matters proceed from there. Or not, as God willed.