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Olive stared at the ring. Then she looked at the man holding it. She couldn’t believe how God had smiled at her. Especially after she messed everything up. She didn’t deserve a man like this.

“Yes. I will. I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make sure you don’t regret this day.” She made that promise and knew she could keep it. She wasn’t the spoiled brat she had been all those years ago when he had almost asked for the first time. She had lived a lot, and suffered a little, and knew what a gift God had just dropped in her lap. A man like Doyle didn’t come around every day, and she would cherish him for the amazing miracle he was.

He pushed to his feet and pulled the ring out of the box. “Would you like to wear it?”

“I would. Do you think it’ll fit?” she asked as he was pushing it over her finger.

“You told me your ring size way back then, I forget why. Something about a birthstone or a class ring or something, and it was a number that stuck in my head. So, it might not now, but I did get the number from you.”

“I can’t believe I don’t even remember any conversation that we ever had about a ring.”

“It was very much in passing. But I guess that’s what I was always looking toward. I didn’t really believe in dating just for the sake of wasting time with someone. I always felt like you should be building toward something, or you shouldn’t be doing it at all.”

“Those are wise words. I wish I had lived by those. But I guess there’s always going to be regrets, although I can’t really imagine my life turning out any better than it is right now.”

“Me either. I...” He looked around.

They were in the middle of town. So, it surprised her when he said, “Is it okay if I kiss you?”

She felt a thrill to the very depths of her soul, and she couldn’t stop her lips from turning up into the biggest possible smile so that her face felt like it was stretched in two because her smile was so big.

“I would really love that.”

His eyes crinkled at the corners as his hand came up and cupped her cheek. “I hope I haven’t coerced you into this in any way. I feel a little bit like I’m taking advantage of someone who was sick.”

“My body was sick, my brain is just fine. I wanted this but didn’t know how to get it. I wasn’t sure how you felt. My sisters hinted at it, but I didn’t believe them.”

“Maybe they knew better than I did. Although, I did have the ring. So maybe I suspected this might happen. Regardless, I love you. I always will.”

His words wrapped around her heart and squeezed as his head lowered toward hers, and they sealed the promises they just made with the sweetest kiss she’d ever had in her entire life. She couldn’t blame her dizziness on her illness, but it didn’t matter, because he was right there for her to hold onto, as his arms wrapped around her, and she clung to him.

“I waited a lot of years for that,” he said roughly as he lifted his head. “And it was better than anything I had imagined. This is better. You and me. I can hardly believe it’s true.”

“It’s true,” she said seriously, and then she grinned. “I wonder what Pastor Garnet would say if we ask him to marry us next Friday?”

That made Doyle laugh out loud. “He might think we’re just a little bit crazy, but maybe he’s expecting it too, because you said your sisters were hinting, and one of those sisters is married to him.”

“That’s a good point. I don’t think we’ll surprise him at all, although, as busy as his schedule was, we probably ought to tell him right away so that he can pencil us in. It seemed like he was in pretty high demand.”

“Raspberry Ridge has been without a pastor for a while, and before that, Pastor Calvin had been slowing down. I’m sure he’s going to be in high demand for a while. But I agree. We better put our names on his schedule.”

They grinned at each other, amused at their little shared joke. It wasn’t terribly funny, but it was fun to share humor with someone she loved. It made her feel closer to him, like the two of them had a little world all their own.

“As much as I would like to stand here and kiss you, I think we ought to finish our walk. It’s good for you, and I probably need it too,” Doyle said, giving her a little wink.

She laughed at his wink and took his arm as he took a hold of the stroller and they started back up the walk.

When they reached the healing garden, they could see that someone was already in it.

“Do we want to disturb her?” Olive asked softly, nodding at the girl who walked with her hands clasped behind her, staring at the water.

“I don’t think we’ll disturb her if we go on in and sit down at the bench, and she almost looks like she wants someone to talk to,” he said.

She realized he was right. She did look a little lost, a little sad, and maybe she needed someone to cheer her up or a stranger to give her a listening ear.

“It won’t be very private if we’re chatting with a stranger,” she said, looking up at him, hoping that that wasn’t going to change his mind about wanting to sit with her. Ricardo didn’t seem to want to have too much to do with her if they couldn’t be alone. It was like her company wasn’t any fun. It was just kissing her and other things that he really wanted.

Looking back, she wished she had been smarter and had seen that right away. Or had paid attention to the nagging thoughts that gripped her when she was around him.

“That’s okay with me. Just having you with me is enough. I can’t think of anything that having you won’t make better.”

She gave him a smile, probably one of those sappy, love-filled smiles that people who were in love gave to each other all the time. She never thought that she would be one of those people, and yet here she was.

He opened the gate, and she walked through holding it while he pushed the stroller through. Livvy had fallen asleep on their walk.

It would be a fun story to tell her that they had gotten engaged while she slept in the stroller beside them. She could hardly wait for Livvy to grow up and to be of an age where she could tell her stories like that. But she didn’t want to wish the baby years away. They were so short and fleeting.

“I hope we’re not bothering you,” she said to the young girl as she turned around as they approached.

“Not at all. This isn’t my personal place, as much time as I spend here.”

“I’ve been ill, so I guess I haven’t noticed that you’ve been around,” she said.

“I’m Becky,” the girl said, holding out her hand. “I just moved to Raspberry Ridge, and I’m renting the old rundown farm that’s back by the Brandstetters.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Becky. I’m Olive, and I grew up here. But then I moved away for a while. And this is my...fiancé, Doyle. He grew up here too. We’re both back to stay.”

It felt so good to say that. To introduce Doyle as her fiancé, and to say that they were back to stay. This was where she was going to put down roots. This is the home that she had always sought. This was where she and Doyle would raise their family.

She smiled a little at that thought. She didn’t even know if he wanted to have more children. She did, but she could understand that he might not. Kids were a lot of work. She knew that now. And she hadn’t even been the one to take care of Livvy for most of her life so far. She’d been too sick herself.

Becky shook her hand and then shook Doyle’s hand.

“If you don’t mind, I see Homer over there, and I wanted to have a word with him. Can I leave you two here?”

Doyle looked her in the eyes, and it was like there was a silent message going between them. She remembered the words he had said earlier, thinking that the young girl looked like she had some problems and maybe could use a listening ear. She thought that might be what he was doing now, leaving so Becky might feel free to talk, where she might not feel as easy with a man standing near.

“Sure. Maybe if Becky wants, we can chat for a bit. I’m not familiar with the farm she’s talking about, and I’m curious.”

Doyle squeezed her shoulder and then said, “If you don’t mind, I’ll just go ahead and push Livvy. I think she’ll stay asleep if the stroller stays moving.”

“That’s just fine.”

They strolled off, and Olive looked back at Becky.

“Is that your daughter?”

“Mine, not his.” She didn’t want Becky to think that Doyle was that kind of man. Which was the logical assumption. Although, she thought that Doyle might take umbrage at the fact that she made a distinction with Livvy. He might want to be included when she talked about her parents. Regardless, once they were married, it wouldn’t matter. But for now, the only one in the relationship who had loose morals was her.

“I see. He seems to adore her.”

“He does. I... Sometimes God gives you something that you don’t deserve. That’s what happened when God gave me Doyle.”

Becky smiled as though she thought that was sweet.

“I just had malaria not that long ago, and I’m still recovering. Would you like to go sit down for a little bit? I really would like to hear about your farm.”

“Sure,” Becky said, turning with Olive and walking down the path. “I’d like to buy it, but it’s a little bit more money than what I can afford.”

“What are you planning on doing with that?” she asked. She’d wanted to ask whether a single woman would be able to handle a farm by herself, but she didn’t want to insult Becky.

“I grew up near Strawberry Sands. I...have adopted parents there now. But I feel like I am taking advantage of them and keeping them from doing everything that they could with their natural children, so I thought I ought to move out.”

“How do your parents feel about that?” Olive asked, knowing that she hoped that Doyle would consider Livvy his, and in that case, she assumed he would be very hurt if she left thinking that she was leaving more room for his “real” children.

“They say that they’re sad. They want me to come back, but sometimes you just need to get away, you know?”

Boy, could Olive ever tell her about that.

“I felt like that at one time.”

“Did you?” Becky asked as they came to the bench and settled down beside the soft waterfall. Flowers bloomed in profusion around them, and with the blue sky and the lake breeze, it felt like a perfect place. Calm and restful.

“I did,” she said, trying to think of what she could say.

“And how did that work out?” Becky asked, seeming genuinely curious.

“Well, I hurt someone who is close to me. Quite badly actually. And it’s a regret I’ll carry with me throughout my life. When you hurt other people, you don’t forget about that. Especially people that you love.” She paused for a moment, fingering the end of her shirt and then brushing her hands down her lap. “You don’t want to hurt the people who are closest to you. Sometimes you think you’re making the best decisions that you can, the best decisions for yourself, sometimes even the best decisions for everyone involved, but it causes pain. I know we can learn and grow from the times that we’re hurt, but you won’t forget the pain you cause to the people who love you.”

“So you want me to think carefully about the steps I take because you think that hurting people lasts a lifetime?”

“I definitely think you should think carefully about the steps you’re taking. I know if I could go back and do things over again, I would make decisions based on what’s best for others, rather than being selfish and thinking about myself. However, you always have to do what God wants you to do, no matter how that affects the people around you. It’s two different things.”

“I see. So doing it because it’s God’s will is one thing, doing it because I want to is something completely different.”

“And I think you already knew that.”

“I did. But sometimes what you want to do is so compelling, and sometimes the need to get away...takes precedence over everything else.”

“Have you talked to your adoptive parents about your need to heal?”

“I don’t want to burden them with it.”

“Isn’t that what parents are for?”

“I’m used to handling things on my own.”

“Would you like it if someone close to you said that rather than asked you to help them?”

Becky sat there for a minute, as though thinking about what she said. “I have a little sister. I would be really hurt if she thought she could handle something really huge on her own and was afraid that drawing me into it would hurt me.”

“That’s probably how your adoptive parents feel about you. Unless you think that they don’t love you?”

“I know they love me. There was never any doubt about that,” Becky said. She fiddled with her hands in her lap for a little bit, rolling a blade of grass that she’d plucked from somewhere between her fingers before throwing it into the water. “There was a boy that I liked.”

Of course. It was a lost love story. Olive almost smiled.

“And?”

“And he went away to college. He had me taking care of his horses. I did happily, until...something happened. It hurt. And... I, well, basically I came here.”

“Do your parents know about this boy? Do they approve of him?”

“I think so. We were never really together together. He wanted to go to college first, and I understood that. He was a lot older than I was.”

“Is he with someone else now?”

She hoped not. She hoped that Becky would say that he just had other interests. Becky seemed like such a sweet girl, and she hated to think that her heart had been broken because some guy had decided that he wanted someone else.

“I don’t know. I don’t know anything about him. He...stopped talking to me.”

It sounded almost exactly like what Olive had done to Doyle.

“I had that happen to me. Only... I was the one who quit talking to the person who loved me and had been kinder to me than anyone else in my life before.”

“That’s Rodney. That’s how I would describe him. The person who understood me and was kind to me when no one else was. He saw something in me that I didn’t even see in myself.”

“Yeah. And I ended up hurting him. And leaving him for a while.”

“Did you find someone else? Is that your fiancé?”

“Actually, no. He waited for me. I don’t even know if he deliberately thought about waiting for me, or if he just couldn’t find anyone else. I haven’t asked,” she said, laughing a little and realizing that probably was a question she should have asked. “Anyway, I don’t know what to say to you, other than I really appreciated the fact that when he saw me, even though I had hurt him, he always saw good in me. That probably is the reason we’re together today. Because when I came back, he didn’t hit me with a bunch of vitriol, even though I deserved it for what I did to him; he forgave me immediately and saw me for the best that I was, rather than the worst of what I had done.”

“That’s hard.”

“Yeah. And a lot of years passed between the time I left and the time I came back. Time does heal.”

“And distance. Maybe I should tell my parents that. I just need some distance, to try to make it so that if I ever meet him again, I can be kind.”

“What were you planning on doing with your farm?” Olive asked, wondering if that might lead into her gently suggesting that Becky might be better off back with her parents.

“I wanted to do a riding stable, kind of like we did down in Strawberry Sands. I am good with horses, although I don’t have a lot of money. But lots of people start out at the bottom and work their way up, and I’m not afraid to work.” She looked very determined.

“Well, just know that I’m here if you want some help, although I don’t have any money either, so I can’t give you that kind of help.”

“I don’t think I would ask for it. What I can’t do on my own, I can’t expect someone else to invest in someone that they don’t know.”

“I suppose, although, sometimes there are people looking for things to invest in. And there are some people who would like to see Raspberry Ridge grow and businesses come in, including tourists, and a stable just might do the trick there.”

“I’m hoping. But it’s going to be slow.” Becky stood slowly. “I think I’m going to go make a telephone call to my adoptive parents. Thanks for chatting with me.”

“My pleasure.” Olive sat looking at the waterfall for a bit, wondering if Doyle really had gone to talk to Homer and also thinking about the marriages of her sisters, and her. If she had ever thought about them getting married, she certainly would never have considered that they might get married within three weeks of each other. That was just crazy.

She had just decided to get up when her phone rang. She didn’t recognize the number but swiped anyway.

“Hello?”

“Olive! I bet you don’t know who this is.”

“Your voice sounds familiar, but...no. I can’t place it.”

“Five years ago, on the Suez Canal. We shared a state room, because both of us ended up displaced, and that was the only thing available.”

“Birdie! Oh my goodness. That was the best boat ride ever. And the Suez Canal, wow. Desert on both sides, water in the middle. Nothing like it.”

“I know, right? And I had good company for that whole trip.”

“I had the best company too.”

They had begun the ride as strangers and gotten off the boat best of friends. It was not until later that she found out that Birdie was actually a world-famous pop singer. Birdie had never even mentioned it while they were on the boat. Although, she had insisted on paying for everything, because when Olive had confided to her that she was broke, expecting Birdie to say the same thing, Birdie had said not to worry about it, the trip was on her. And she had been true to her word.

That wasn’t why Olive loved her, but her generous heart was definitely a part of her personality that was beautiful inside and out.

“So what’s going on? Why are you calling?”

“I was just hoping your phone number had stayed the same. Unlike me. I’ve changed mine at least three times, because stalkers keep getting it.”

“I’m sorry about that.” Those were the least of her problems. She probably would never have to deal with a stalker.

“Anyway, this last tour has ruined me. I am physically and mentally exhausted in every way possible. And I remember how you talked about Raspberry Ridge and how beautiful and peaceful it was there. The serenity of being by the beach and the companionship and support of a small town. I don’t know why, but I just long to be there, even though I’ve never seen it.”

“It’s a beautiful place.”

“Well, I’m going to be coming. I rented a beach cottage for the summer. Starting July. I have a big tour starting in January, and I have to start practicing for it in December. But I need some quiet months to try to get my sanity back.”

“Raspberry Ridge is the best place to do that.”

“I figured you’d say that. But I need to do this on the down-low. I figured you’d probably figured out who I was by now, and I knew that you would recognize me. Just... I’m a regular person, okay?”

“You’ve never been anything but a regular person to me, special because you’re my friend. Not because of anything else.”

“Good to hear. I appreciate it.” She took a breath and then blew it out. “All right. I have a few more shows I have to get through, and then I can crash. I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to it.”

“I wish I could help you, but I can’t carry a tune in a bucket, so you’re on your own, but I’m here if you need me.” She paused for a second and then said, “Remember that boy I told you about?”

“The one whose heart you broke and you were wrapped up in guilt and felt bad, but said you could never go home because you couldn’t face him?”

“That boy. Yes.”

“What about him?”

“I’m getting married to him next Friday.”

“Shut the front door,” Birdie exclaimed.

“I’m dead serious. God has a really amazing way of working things out.”

“I’ve yet to see Him work that out for me.”

Olive considered pointing out to Birdie that she was a world-famous pop star, and God probably had a lot to do with that, but she refrained. Birdie was coming here for a while; they would most likely see each other and chat then. Maybe the topic would come up, or maybe it wouldn’t, but whatever God allowed, she’d try to point her to Him.

“Thanks for answering. I know I probably came up unknown.”

“Sure thing. I am thrilled to hear from you, and I’m really excited that you’re coming to Raspberry Ridge. Even if you need to sleep and take it easy the entire time, I know you’re going to love it here, and I’m excited for you.”

“And I’m excited for your marriage. Congratulations. I am really glad things worked out for you.”

They hung up, after promising to meet up when Birdie made it to Raspberry Ridge and had a chance to rest.

A marriage, finally recovering from her illness, and now a friend coming to visit, as well as a brand-new and very satisfying relationship with her sisters who were all planning to live in the same small town with her. She didn’t think her life could get any better. It was amazing how God had worked everything out.