Tying the Knot (40 page)

Anne bit her lip, as if trying to hold in all the emotions that played on her lovely face. Noah rubbed his thumb along her lower lip, dying to kiss her. Instead, he found the words he’d been yearning to say for a month. “I love you, Anne.”

Her gaze turned so tender he felt as if he might turn into a pile of Granny D.’s oatmeal, a messy glob of emotions. Suddenly Anne took a deep breath, and her words came out in a flood of fervent passion. “I’ve loved you since that moment last year when God used you to keep me from drowning in despair.” She touched his cheek. “Only God could design my dream man from my deepest fears and needs. A man who understands my sorrows, who can share my happiness. A man who will risk his life to protect me. Noah, you’re the man I want.”

Want.
Present tense. He could feel a goofy smile taking over his cheeks, lighting his eyes. “You sang to me, didn’t you?”

She wrinkled her nose. “It was the only thing I could think of at the moment.”

“You have a beautiful voice.”

“Liar.” She blushed and he relished it.

“So, when you say you’re moving to Minneapolis—” his chest tightened, but he pushed words through—“do you think you’d consider . . . I mean . . . what do you think about . . . Anne Standing Bear?”

Her breath caught; her eyes became luminous. A smile tugged at her mouth. “There’s a certain ring to it. Let’s see what God has in store.”

Somehow he found his voice. “I think that’s another one of your brilliant ideas.”

“Kiss me, Noah.” Anne leaned close, her face expectant.

He thought his heart might combust from mind-blowing joy.
God, You did this! You brought this woman into my life, not once, but twice. You let me protect her and love her. You gave me the partner I needed—in life, in love, in ministry. Now our future belongs in Your very capable hands.

“Anything for you, my sweet thundercloud.” He grinned, then drew her closer, kissing her. He poured out his love for her in his touch, gentle yet brimming with promise. She tasted as sweet as the morning, as delicious as hope. He savored it, hating when she pulled away. “Or maybe I should call you my sunshine.”

She laughed, a giggle of delight. Then she touched her forehead to his, her eyes glistening, her fragrance pouring over him like an embrace. “I came here looking for peace. I never thought that God would help me find it in the arms of a born-again gangbanger with a heart for the inner city.”

“I have a feeling He’s just getting started.”

Anne sighed, an audible swell of contentment that filled even his chest. “So you did keep me on staff to make all your dreams come true.”

“What?” He frowned at her, confused by her quirky smile and her delicately raised eyebrow.

She ran her fingers lightly over his face. “Just a hunch I had.” She kissed him again, softly, perfectly. He had to agree.

When she pulled away, he laced his fingers into her silky, chestnut hair. “Are you sure about this, Anne? I know what you’ve been through—”

She stopped his words with a kiss that made him nearly forget his name let alone his fears. “Noah . . . don’t forget. It is well with my soul,” she murmured against his lips.

Noah’s heart swelled. “Oh yeah,” he whispered. When she looked at him, he saw a wonder in her eyes that he hadn’t seen since the first day they’d met, when he’d tried to tell her—through his touch, his song, his eyes—that she could trust him.

And, finally, her response told him she’d read him perfectly.

A Note from the Author

On March 1, 2002, at 1:00 P.M., three men broke into our high-rise apartment in Russia and brutally attacked me and my children. By the grace of God, our lives were spared and we were not terribly injured—physically. But the masked attackers had left deep spiritual and emotional wounds. We were sent to a trauma center for counseling for a month, then returned to Russia, our field of service, to complete our missionary term. Four months later, burned-out and spiritually empty, we packed our bags and returned to America for our scheduled one-year home service.

I had no plans to return. Secretly, I harbored deep in my heart a resolve to never again set foot in Russia, with its many dangers. I had done eight hard years of service there and felt that I had given the best part of myself to a country that didn’t care. And no one—not even God—was going to change my mind. Yes, He’d spared my life, but I had serious doubts I could ever trust Him again.

But God knew better. Not only is He gentle, but He understands and can handle my pain and my questions. I dove into the Psalms, finding hope in David’s cries to the Lord and healing in his praise to the Almighty in the darkest hours. I observed God’s goodness to me, providing for my needs in the past—and present—and I allowed myself to be embraced by the body of Christ, who loved us well. Finally, as time and distance began to heal me, I was able to look behind and see God’s grace embracing me every moment of the difficult journey. He reminded me that He would meet me in my future with the same abundance of grace.

I wrote Anne and Noah’s story while struggling through the dark night of the soul. Amazingly, many times I felt as though the words that appeared on the page were more for me than for Anne. I journeyed with Anne until I, too, could see God embracing me in the darkest hour. Her victory is mine.

On New Year’s Eve 2003, I surrendered to the Lord my future, agreeing to continue missionary work in Russia if God so chose. The peace that flooded my heart told me that His grace would carry me wherever He took our family. His grace is sufficient. For every heartache, every fear, every wound.

Thank you for reading
Tying the Knot
. I pray that somehow Anne and Noah’s journey of faith and love will encourage and bless you. And that you will know, above all, that it is well with your soul.

In His grace,

Susan May Warren

About the Author

S
USAN
M
AY
W
ARREN
recently returned home after serving eight years with her husband and four children as missionaries in Khabarovsk, Far East Russia. Now writing full-time as her husband runs a lodge on Lake Superior in northern Minnesota, she and her family enjoy hiking and canoeing and being involved in their local church.

Susan holds a BA in mass communications from the University of Minnesota and is a multipublished author of novellas and novels with Tyndale, including
Happily Ever After,
the American Christian Romance Writers’ 2003 Book of the Year and a 2004 Christy Award finalist. Other books in the series include
Tying the Knot
and
The Perfect Match,
the 2004 American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year.
Flee the Night,
Escape to Morning,
and
Expect the Sunrise
comprise her romantic-adventure, search-and-rescue series.

Reclaiming Nick
is the first book in Susan’s new romantic series.

Susan invites you to visit her Web site at
www.susanmaywarren.com
. She also welcomes letters by e-mail at
[email protected]
.