Second Chance Bride (22 page)

“I don’t care who you are,” he said in a low voice. “As Matilda or Annie, whichever you choose, you would be my wife. No one would dare to threaten my wife.”

“I can’t,” she whispered again. “I’m afraid of disappointing you again, of failing.” With as much strength as she could muster, she took a step toward the stage but glanced back. She had to see John again before she left.

She could read both love and pain in his eyes. He wouldn’t be easy to live with. He struggled for balance between his past and who he’d become, just as she did.

But he’d asked her forgiveness. As a Christian, how could she turn her back on him?

Seeing her indecision, he hurried toward her and took her hand, careful not to hurt her. “Please.”

“I forgive you, but how can you forgive me? You know what I’ve done, you know how I lied to you.”

“We’ll work this out together, but God will be with us.”

“God will be with us,” she repeated. Did she have the courage to try?

“Will you please stay and marry me?”

She watched him and considered his expression, which looked stripped of all pride. In its place she found warmth and love. Warm blue eyes pleaded with her.

She nodded. “I’ll stay.” She dropped the valise.

“And marry me?” he persisted.

She nodded. “I love you, John.”

“Thank you, God!” he shouted, then he put his hands around Annie’s waist and lifted her in the air, turning round and round. Then, to the delight of the cheering crowd, he carried her to his surrey and gently settled her in the seat before he climbed in beside her.

“Let’s go tell Elizabeth.” He pulled her next to him and whispered, “I’ll love you forever, Annie.”

In that moment, surrounded by people who cared about them, with puffy clouds floating across a clear blue Texas sky and the cactus blossoms blooming yellow and purple, Annie knew she wasn’t the only one blessed.

John Matthew Sullivan had received a second chance, as well.

Dear Reader,

When I started to research this book, I discovered that alle-over was a popular schoolyard game in central Texas in the nineteenth century. Imagine my amazement to remember my father and my brother playing the same game when I was a child. They would stand, one on each side of the garage. One would throw the ball across the roof and shout, “Alle-over.” Then they would run around the garage. My father learned this as a child from his father.

The game Annie MacAllister and her students played is a link between my past and my present—the game Dad learned so long ago occurring in a book I’ve just written.

That’s what Annie learned: her past was part of her present, no matter how she attempted to hide it. But she also learned that the God of the Bible and the Savior who died on the cross centuries ago are still with us, still active today, leading and guiding us in our present and toward our eternal future.

1. Annie has lived a hard life. Even as she attempts to escape it, her past follows her. Has there been an event or action in your past you have tried to hide or get away from or forgive? How did your faith help you?
   
2. During church Annie hears a scripture that changes her. What scriptures have been important in your life? How?
   
3. John’s faith has mostly been a matter of expectations: going to church was what a member of his family did. Have you ever felt this way? Do you know someone who has? How did your faith become deeper for you?
   
4. Because of his family background and his pride in his family’s history, John feels he must live his life in a certain way. Do you know people who allow their pride to divide them from God or from others? Would hearing the scripture that changes Annie help these people or would they still be likely to judge?
   
5. Because of her childhood, Annie finds it hard to trust people, to believe that people will accept her. Has there been an experience in your life that affected you in the same way? How did you overcome it or compensate for it?
   
6. During a time of sorrow, Annie’s father changed. What words from the Scriptures might help a person who allows traumatic events in life to turn them away from God and those who love them? What words of healing could you use?
   
7. Have you had a friend who has gone through a time when his or her faith was tested? Did you find a way to support this friend? How?
   
8. Annie has to decide either to tell the truth and lose everything or to continue with a life she loves. How would you decide which to do? Do you believe Annie’s choice was correct? Why?
   
9. Has there been a moment in your life when you had to take a stand for something you believed? Have you ever faced a time when this stand cost you what you wanted most? How did you handle that?
   
10. Annie learns that she can overcome her difficult past through hard work. Do you believe this is possible, or do you believe people are constantly judged by their choices, even though they may have repented? Does God allow us a second chance? Can you give an example in your life of a second chance?
    
11. If we see problems in our friends’ lives—broken personal relationships, addictions—how can we speak a word of healing?
    
12. How often should we forgive others? The title of the book suggests giving others a second chance, but in Matthew, Jesus tells us to forgive seventy times seven. What do you believe? Why? Could you have forgiven Annie for her lies and her past? Why and how?
    
13. John finally recognizes that he’s judgmental and controlling. Do you believe we can overcome these traits? Do you know people like this? How can they change? Can faith help? How?