Unfailing Love (When Hope Calls Book #3)

Janette Oke, Laurel Oke Logan

• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
• Year: 2022
• eBook ISBN:
  9781493437221
• Print ISBN:
  9780764235153
• Subtopic: Historical Literature

Heartwarming Conclusion to the Companion Series
to Hallmark Channel's When Hope Calls

Lillian Walsh and Grace Bennett have learned so much already about caring for children in distress. It hasn't been easy, but it becomes even more difficult when they suddenly discover that three children have run away. Concerned for the trio's safety, the sisters will do all they can to find the children.

But the runaways are not the only thing putting the future of the children's home in question. Lillian is faced with choosing between her dreams with fiancé Walter and her commitment to her sister. Steady Ben Waldin is keen to find where his family settled in Canada and to give little Janie a place to permanently call home. And the sisters receive a pair of surprise visitors that leaves them and their family uncertain.

As all of the people invested in the children's home seek to determine their paths forward, they begin to realize that sometimes loving well means making difficult choices.

Chapter 1
Gone

Lemuel staggered forward in the darkness, tucking up his collar as if that could somehow keep the rain from soaking through to his skin. He couldn’t figure how the two others ahead of him seemed able to move forward through the stormy night without hesitation.

I can’t do it! This is daft. “Freddie,” Lemuel called again, whining a little this time. “Come on, Freddie. Wait!”

“We ain’t waitin’” came the terse response from farther up the road. “Nobody invited ya. So if yer comin’, ya gotta keep up.”

For a moment as they rushed past the long drive leading toward the Thompson farm, Lemuel’s home for half a year, he paused in place. Trying to think quickly through all the implications of this decision, he found himself panting heavily. He was almost convinced that he should dart toward the safety of his house and sound the alarm instead of following heedlessly. There might still be time to call for help and catch the runaways before they were too far gone.

A prickle of frustration made him cringe. But I can’t tattle. I ain’t a little kid. I’m ’most fifteen, fairly grown up. An’ I ain’t no tattletale. It was one of the hardest of the schoolyard codes for Lemuel to understand and keep. As frustrating as Freddie had been at school after joining them for the last couple months of the year, Lemuel had resolved not to turn him in to the authorities—not even to Miss Lillian and Miss Grace—nor to Mr. Waldin, who watched over him. So I gotta stay with him. Talk him into goin’ home. Make sure he doesn’t get into worse trouble. Mr. Thompson—Dad, I mean—he said he doesn’t like talebearers. So I’ll just follow ’em till I figure how to turn ’em back. Before mornin’ maybe it’ll all be o’er.

With a heavy heart Lemuel moved out into the road again. The outline of his home faded into the dark mist of the storm as he blundered forward. “This is stupid,” he protested again, aloud this time.

“Quiet,” the girl next to Freddie scolded. “Keep your voice down and your boots quiet, or else . . .”

Lemuel fought against the urge to argue. He’d already learned it was pointless where the girl was concerned. He’d have to work on getting Freddie to come to his senses instead. Miss Tilly would be loading the table with supper right now. Lemuel pressed a hand against his empty stomach and muttered under his breath. He quickened his steps in order to keep up.

“Father will arrive tomorrow. And everything will change.” Lillian whispered the words aloud as she dressed in preparation for their supper guests, shivering in the second-floor bedroom. An early summer storm was descending from over the mountains.

Lifting her customary gray wool skirt from its hook behind the door, she stepped into it carefully, drew it upward, and fastened it around her waist. Then, pushing her arms into her best printed blouse, which was clearly showing signs of wear, Lillian tucked and smoothed the garments properly, tossing a warm sweater over all.

“Father will bring back the rest of my clothing with him. That’ll be a relief.” She still wondered why he hadn’t agreed just to ship the wardrobe crate back home after it had become clear that Lillian would not follow him to Wales after all. Was it a practical decision as he’d claimed, concern that her wardrobe would be lost in transit? Or merely stubbornness? In truth, Father could be rather set in his decisions. Never mind, I’ve been fine without all those clothes.

With a sigh, she let her eyes move around the room. Father had written that “for the time being” Lillian should remain in the master bedroom. His final telegram had asserted that he would keep his reservation at the hotel in town until the path forward had been considered carefully.

Lillian’s mind tumbled. She wished again that she could have spoken to him. It seemed that Father was reluctant to place a telephone call even now that he was back in Canada. Well, I know him. I’m sure he wants to wait to discuss all the changes in person. He wouldn’t want to risk an upsetting conversation when he’s still so many miles away. He means it as a kindness. But it’s been so, so hard to wait.

There was a commotion in the foyer below. A last quick twist of her auburn hair, a couple of pins, and Lillian was ready to join the rest for supper. Walter, Lillian’s fiancé of just a few months, was expected, as well as her former charges Lemuel and Harrison. She wondered which of them had just arrived.

But as Lillian descended the stairs, she realized the sounds were not a joyful welcoming of guests. Her pace quickened.

“I don’t know. That’s all they said.” The voice was Harrison’s, and he was breathing hard.

And then Miss Tilly’s words came more calmly. “Where’d ya see ’em, son? How far down the road?”

Lillian rounded the corner to the landing, eyes sweeping the foyer. Grace was already throwing a coat around her shoulders, and Ben and Walter were pushing their feet into boots.

“What’s happened?”

“Oh, sis, they’ve gone. The pair of them. It seems they’ve run away.”

Instantly, Lillian knew without asking which of the children in their care would attempt such a desperate act. It would be Freddie and the new girl. “They went together?”

“Yes, yes,” Grace answered. “Stay here. We’ll get the car started and search for them.” She paused at the door, turning back to instruct, “Pray for us, please. Pray for them! It’s so dark out with the storm moving in. It’ll take an act of God to find them tonight.”

Silence fell as the door closed. For the first time Lillian noticed the other youngsters crowded together in the parlor doorway.

“Come along, Janie, boys.” She drew them forward with gentle hands. “I expect Miss Grace and the men will find them. Let’s go eat our supper and we’ll pray that God will keep them safe.”

However, even after supper had been accomplished, there was no word. The wind had become shrill before Lillian tucked the children into bed, staying with them until they’d all fallen asleep, answering questions as honestly and reassuringly as she could. As she pulled the last door shut behind her, she whispered a word of prayer for their tender hearts. Then she returned to the kitchen, where Miss Tilly was seated at the table, hands folded and pressed against her forehead. Her eyes opened when Lillian took the chair beside her.

Lillian found herself articulating aloud the one question that could not be stilled inside of her. “Why, Miss Tilly? Why do these dreadful things keep happening?”

Two workworn hands moved to cover her own, squeezing tightly. “Why’d we have ta go through them things in the past, dear? I guess ’cause now we know what we learnt then. If we hadn’ta learnt it, we wouldn’t be set fer this. God leads us forward one step at a time, readyin’ an’ growin’ us for what comes next.”

Grace arrived at the kitchen door. Slipping her drenched coat off her shoulders, she let it fall across the washstand.

Lillian rushed to fetch a towel. She glanced at the pendant watch on a chain around her neck. It was past midnight already. “No luck at all?”

“No. And worse yet, we haven’t even found any sign of Lemuel.”

Lillian shook her head in disbelief. “I thought he just caught the pair of them running away. That’s what Harrison said. The boys seemed as shocked as the rest of us. They were just coming for supper when they saw children creeping along in the shadows. Lemuel was trying to talk them out of it. That’s why he didn’t come inside with Harrison. He was trying to get them to give up on the idea. You don’t think . . . ? It couldn’t be that he was . . .”

No attempt at an answer followed.

“No, he couldn’t have planned to go along with them. It’s impossible.” Lillian asserted the words she’d wanted to hear from Grace. “It’s not like him. I could never believe it.” Looking around the room and seeing no eyes meet her own brought an instant lump to Lillian’s throat.

As Miss Tilly set a steaming cup of coffee on the table, Grace shook her head and slumped down onto a chair. Her hands enveloped the cup gingerly, drawing in its warmth. She appeared entirely depleted.

Stepping forward, Lillian unfolded the towel. Easing it over Grace’s dripping hair, she pressed down here and there in order to absorb as much of the excess rainwater as she could. Grace made no move to assist. Instead, she lifted the hot coffee to her lips.

“You need to rest, Grace.”

“Can’t. Ben and I came back so we could warm up and change clothes. Then we’ll go back out.”

“Where’s Ben?”

“Barn.”

Stepping around the chair so she could see her sister’s face, Lillian insisted, “I’ll go, Grace. I know the area better than you—better than Ben even—especially as we start searching farther from town. I should go and you should rest.”

Grace looked up, her eyes red from the cold and tears. “I couldn’t sleep anyway. I have to go.”

“Then you understand why I have to come too.” Lillian’s reply was little more than a whisper, her plea to be included.

“No, no. Please. You should get rest now because one of us should be functional in the morning for the sake of the other children. And don’t forget that your father will arrive tomorrow evening—no, in fact, it’s already after midnight. Your father arrives at supper tonight.”

Lillian draped and tucked the towel as best she could around Grace’s damp hair before rushing upstairs to retrieve dry clothing. At least she’d save her sister as many steps as she could. That’s just like Grace, always working the hardest, always doing the most. Well, not this time. I won’t let her talk me out of going.

When Lillian came back, laying a small pile of Grace’s clothes on the table, she began immediately to dress herself for the rain, pushing feet into rubber boots, arms into coat sleeves. Her steady flow of words was intended to drown out Grace’s further objections. “You’ll have to tell me where you’ve already searched. There’s the old cabin where Harrison hid the filly last fall, but I suppose you’ve already checked there. There’s the bend in the river where Freddie spent so much time fishing. There’s that trail leading to the old rope ferry, where they could have crossed . . .”

“Oh, sis. We’ve tried all those. And we’ve woken up almost everyone in town. There are probably about a hundred people out searching right now. There’s no need for you to—”

“I’m coming.” This time Lillian was adamant.

Grace rose from the chair, stepped closer to the hot woodstove, then peeled away the outermost layers of her wet clothing. Lillian watched the door, wondering how long it would take for Ben to be ready, for him to expect Grace to return to the waiting car.

Soon they stepped from the porch together, arm in arm, stooping down as if by doing so they could dodge the rain. One after the other the sisters lunged onto the front bench seat of their oversized automobile.

A moment later, Ben slid into the driver’s place. “Which way now?”

“Wherever Freddie found the foxes,” blurted Lillian. “Let’s go there.”

“We’d have ta walk a ways inta the woods. In the rain. In the dark.”

“Whatever it takes.”

Morning broke and Lillian roused herself from the chaise where she’d fallen asleep sometime after four. Someone had covered her with Mother’s afghan. The house was silent. She checked the clock that sat on the mantel. It was now almost six. Summer mornings dawned early, and she supposed that Miss Tilly would have risen already. She hurried to the kitchen but found it empty and quiet.

A flutter of dread ran through her. Father comes home this evening. And this time he’ll bring that woman—Delyth—with him. The one he referred to in his letters. And yet, there’s been no confirmation at all about the nature of their relationship. Do they plan to wed? Are they already man and wife?

Lillian paced as she pondered the dilemma, keeping an ear listening for any other movement in the house. She recited the progression of logic once more. It seemed unlikely that her ve...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title Page
• Books by the Authors
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• 1. Gone
• 2. Lemuel
• 3. Ben
• 4. Long Saturday
• 5. Commiserating
• 6. Supper with Father
• 7. Sunday
• 8. Upping the Ante
• 9. Monday
• 10. Backroads
• 11. Floundering
• 12. Surprises
• 13. Junctures
• 14. Hunted
• 15. Stopped
• 16. Shock
• 17. Discovery
• 18. Resettling
• 19. New Ground
• 20. Forward
• 21. Relationships
• 22. Conversing
• 23. Conflicted
• 24. Calgary
• 25. Conclusions
• 26. Home
• Epilogue
• About the Authors
• Back Ads
• Cover Flaps
• Back Cover