Big Sky Dreams: Sabrina Part 34

Rylan nodded and said, "I hope she kept reading that Bible I gave her. I don't want her all cleaned up and going to h.e.l.l."

Sabrina turned her head to look at him. "I don't think I've heard that phrase. What did you mean?"

"Just that she walked away from prost.i.tution, and that's great, but unless she repents before G.o.d and believes in His Son, she's a former prost.i.tute who will spend eternity separated from G.o.d."

Sabrina suddenly reached for his hand. "I'm so glad you said that, Rylan. Something's not right between Crystal and me. Since that night with the deputy, she's been avoiding me. I don't know what it means, but I have to remember what you said. It's about eternity, or it's not worth a thing."

"It's what makes reaching folks like Jessie Wheeler and Nate Kaderly very hard," Rylan said. "They're moral, kind, and hardworking. It isn't immediately obvious how lost they are."

277 Sabrina laid her head on his shoulder and sighed. "Are you ever overwhelmed by all the sin and lostness?"

"I'm tempted to be, yes. But then I work not to lose sight of the cross and my fear of G.o.d, and I believe again that He is able. You're not giving up on Crystal, are you?" he suddenly thought to ask, hoping she was not.

"No, but I've got to figure out what went wrong and find our friends.h.i.+p again."

"I'll pray you can do just that."

Sabrina angled her head so she could look up at him.

"I love you, Rylan Jarvik."

"I'm certainly glad to hear that," Rylan said before using his arm to draw her in close. He hugged her for a long time, both of them quiet again. Not until Becky came looking for them did either one feel a need to speak.

"I can't remember the last time I was so tired," Meg said, sitting on the side of their bed, thankful that Savanna had gone right to sleep. "Here, let me get your b.u.t.tons," Brad offered, but Meg didn't move.

She was looking at his face, studying the weary lines and sad eyes. "Are you all right?"

Brad looked down at her. "It's not real yet. I don't mean her death but the chance that she might return to normal. That's what really died for me today."

"Oh, Brad, it's so true, isn't it? It's almost like hope died."

"Yeah. If you had asked me a week ago if I still had hope, I would have said not much, but I realize now that's not true. I'm grieving that loss more than anything else."

Meg put her arms around him and told him to come to bed. Brad helped her with her dress, and with as little ceremony as they could manage, they slipped under the covers. Sleep did not come as fast as they expected. Their minds didn't relax as fast as their weary bodies, 278 each one thinking about how swiftly their world could change and how precious life was.

Brad ended up reaching for Meg's hand and then started to pray. He thanked G.o.d for all the time they'd had with his mother, both before and after her husband's violence had put her in such a state. He asked G.o.d to forgive and save his father if he was still alive. And then he asked G.o.d to forgive and save himself and Meg, so that none of this time would be wasted. He finished by asking that they would use what they'd learned to grow more and to pa.s.s G.o.d's Word on to Savanna and the baby, as Theta had for him.

, Jessie had asked Sabrina to sweep the boardwalk in front of the store on Monday morning. She had been working on it for a while and was almost done when she spotted Crystal. She had been coming up the street but stopped short when she saw Sabrina. Sabrina could see that Crystal was going to turn and walk away, but she had questions and wanted answers.

"So tell me," Sabrina began when the women were still 15 feet apart, "what happened?" Sabrina finished when Crystal was directly in front of her.

"I don't know what you mean," Crystal said, and Sabrina decided to speak plainly.

"Listen, Crystal, I'm not going to force myself into your life. You didn't meet me at the hotel, and you haven't answered your door since. That's fine. I just wondered what I did. I thought you'd have guts enough to tell me."

They were just the right words. The shorter woman's eyes narrowed and her chin came up.

"I don't need your type of friends.h.i.+p. All you want to do is tell me I can have a better life. You haven't said it, but I know it's coming."

"I do believe you can have a better life, but my friends.h.i.+p isn't contingent on that."

279 "Sure."

"Tell me something," Sabrina forced herself to stay calm when she was confused and getting frustrated. "What happened to make you suddenly feel this way?"

Crystal's defiant stance melted a little, and she said quietly, "I can't have what you have, Bri. I just can't."

"Why not?"

"I don't know how to read, and I can barely write my own name. What kind of job can I get in this town except the one I have?"

"Crystal," Sabrina said just as quietly, glad she had not become angry. "You need a friend like me. I can teach you those things."

Crystal stared at her.

"And I'll always believe you can have a better life, but if you don't want to hear it, I won't talk about it," Sabrina said, not forgetting what Rylan had shared in the garden but praying that Crystal would change her mind about what she was willing to hear.

Crystal wanted what Sabrina was offering, but she was afraid too. She happened to look over just then and spotted Paula coming from the Boar's Head. She looked awful, as if she'd been up all night. A cold feeling swept up Crystal's spine, and she turned back to Sabrina.

"I'll meet you for supper tomorrow night."

"I'll tell you what, come to Jeanette's and I'll cook something." Sabrina's voice dropped at this point. "Then we can start working on reading."

"I can't come to Jeanette's," Crystal started to say, but Sabrina cut her off.

"Yes, you can. I'll expect you at five-thirty. If you don't show up, I'll come looking for you."

Sabrina didn't wait for an answer. She turned to get back to work, her heart pounding with emotion and questions. She didn't know if Crystal would make an appearance, but Jeanette and the others would be warned, and she would try to be ready for anything.

280 Sabrina wasted no time on Monday night. As soon as supper was served, she explained to Jeanette, Heather, and Becky who would be coming the next night.

"I'll make something for us, and we won't be any trouble."

"You can eat with us, Bri," Jeanette said, but Sabrina had to shake her head.

"I'm not sure Crystal would be comfortable with that. I just hope she shows up so I can prove to her she's welcome. We'll eat in the kitchen or on the porch. I'm going to be helping her with something, and we'll need a little privacy anyway."

"I hope we'll get to meet her," Jeanette said, meaning it with all her heart.

"I'm sure you will. She won't be comfortable until she can see for herself that you don't hate her."

"Is that what she thinks?" Heather asked in her sweet, compa.s.sionate way. "That we all hate her?"

"Well, I don't know if hate is the right word, but she would have a hard time believing that she was welcome. And I don't know," Sabrina had to add, "she might not even show up. But thank you for letting me invite her."

"Thank you, Bri," Jeanette said, and Heather nodded. Becky was quiet during all of this, staring at Sabrina as if she'd never seen her before. Sabrina didn't have time to find out what she was thinking. Tonight was her meeting with Chas and Miranda. Rylan would be arriving for her in less than an hour.

"I can't believe how changed she is in the last month alone," Chas said to Rylan when the men were alone in the living room. Miranda and Sabrina had gone to the kitchen to get dessert. "You've heard from both your father and Danny Barshaw. When are you going to ask her to marry you?"

"I have a plan for that, but I need the church family's help."

281 Chas' smile threatened to stretch off his face, his romantic heart giving him away. By the time Rylan was done whispering what he had in mind, Chas had all he could do not to rub his hands together and start to work on the spot.

"What did I do wrong?" Sabrina asked Becky, who was once again working not to laugh, this time at the thinnest gravy she'd ever seen.

"I don't know, but you can't give the girl this stuff! What am I going to do with you?"

"I was trying not to be any trouble."

"And when have you ever been trouble?" Becky asked next. Sabrina gave up.

"Did you make enough for Crystal and me?"

"Of course I did. Enough here for an army! Go on to the front door so you can catch her before she runs off."

Sabrina did as she was told, and not a moment too soon. She went so far as to walk down the front walk and see that Crystal had come partway up the street and stopped.

"Come on," Sabrina called to her.

That woman finished the rest of the walk, her modest brown dress in place, and stood staring up at Jeanette's imposing home. "I've never even been close to this house."

"You'll like it. It's beautiful but also homey."

Crystal stared at her.

"Come on in."

"Is anyone else inside?"

"Sure. Everyone. They'd like to meet you."

Crystal followed Sabrina up the walk, a feeling of unreality coming over her. But she was in for the surprise of her life. She met the women inside, as though nothing was out of the ordinary. They ate supper in a beautiful garden room, and then she started learning the alphabet 282 with Sabrina, who was the same today as she had been every other time they talked. Crystal walked away three hours later, her heart stirring with hope that she would have said was long dead.

"And then we worked on the alphabet-she already knows some of it," Sabrina told Rylan when he came to the shop on Wednesday, "and I could tell she was so pleased with her progress. We worked for two hours!"

Rylan watched Sabrina's animated face and could tell that she was losing her heart to this woman. He knew that feeling well. There were many in town that he ached for, Nate Kaderly among them.

"I prayed for you," Rylan said when she took a breath, and she smiled when she caught herself.

"Am I driving you mad?"

"No, it sounds great. Does she want another lesson?"

"Yes." Sabrina's eyes shone up at him when she answered. "Next week."

Jeanette had sat quietly for all of this, not even suspecting that Sabrina was teaching the other woman to read. She could see why she would want that kept quiet.

"What did you think of Crystal, Jeanette?" Rylan asked.

"She broke my heart," that woman admitted. "Her eyes were guarded when we met, but she looked so vulnerable when she followed Sabrina into the conservatory that I almost wept." "She's not had an easy time of it," Rylan said.

"But she might have a chance now," Jeanette added.

Neither Rylan or Jeanette could have missed the way Sabrina sighed.

Sunday morning the three women met as usual at the front door 283 for the walk to church. This was not a new routine because Becky had always stayed with Theta. Theta's absence was still being felt keenly, but each woman was dealing with it in her own way.

"All set?" Jeanette asked when Heather joined them at the door.

Before she could answer, however, Becky joined the group. She was obviously dressed to go out, and evidently going to church with them for the first time. Jeanette had all she could do not to comment. She, Heather, and Sabrina said not a word, or dared to even look at each other, but went out the door and down the street.

"In two weeks' time," Chas announced at the end of the service. "We're going to have a church picnic. Our hosts will be the Holden families. If the weather cools on us by then, we'll bundle up and build a big fire. Bring plates and such, and two dishes to pa.s.s. We'll head out directly after the service and eat around one o'clock. If you have any questions, see Miranda, me, or anyone from the Holden family. Even Savanna."

Everyone laughed at Chas' zany brand of humor. He grinned with pleasure, and the congregation was dismissed. Rylan, who had stood quietly at the front, wasted no time getting to the women from the Fulbright house.

"Welcome, Becky," the big man greeted.

"Thank you, Pastor Rylan," she said, nearly all of her bl.u.s.ter subdued.

"How are you?" Rylan asked the rest of the women, his eyes lingering a moment longer on the youngest woman.

"We're doing well. Can you join us for dinner?" Jeanette asked. "We have plenty, and there's something I need to tell you and Sabrina."

"That sounds fine," Rylan agreed, telling the women he would see them shortly.

284 They all started for home, and Sabrina could not keep her curiosity to herself.

"What did you think, Becky?"

"I like it," she said, her voice clipped, but not unfriendly.

"I do too," Sabrina said, her voice soft, causing all the other women to smile with her.

285.

"THE APARTMENT ABOVE THE shop will be open by the end of the month," Jeanette told just Rylan and Sabrina when the meal was over. "Mr. Aspenson caught me as I was leaving yesterday. He's found a house to live in. I could have told just you, Bri, but I thought I'd save the news in case you wanted to discuss it with Rylan. You're welcome to it if you want it, Bri, but I hope you know by now that we don't want you going anywhere." This said, Jeanette stood up. "I a.s.sume you might want to talk about it., so I'm going to leave you alone."

Rylan and Sabrina thanked her, watched her walk from the room, and then looked at each other.

"What do you think?" Rylan asked.

"I don't know. It wasn't so long ago that I would have jumped at it, but now I'm not certain."

"What changed?"

"My att.i.tude and Jeanette's."

Rylan looked confused, so she went on.