Canyon Walls Page 15

  A charge of electricity raced through Cassie. “So what did you tell him about us?”

  Will stepped closer to her. “That if you ever gave me another chance, I would be a fool to mess it up. That you were the kind of girl I’ve been searching for.”

  She reached for his hand and intertwined his fingers with hers.

  Will motioned at the meeting room with his head. “Are you nervous about what’s going on in there?”

  Cassie shook her head. “It’s in God’s hands now.”

  Epilogue

  Cassie sat straight up in bed and looked around, disoriented. Her eyes fought to adjust to the dark room. Then someone pounded on her front door.

  She groaned as she climbed out from under the covers. She pulled her bathrobe off the hook on the door and slipped it around her. “Just a minute,” she called.

  She shuffled through the house, turning on lights on her way to the front door. Through the peephole, Beth stared back at her. She opened the door. “Come in. What’s going on?”

  Beth looked wide awake. “We have campers out of their cabins again. Up for a hike?”

  Cassie groaned. “I guess there’s not much choice.”

  “I’ve already told the counselors where they need to look,” Beth said.

  Cassie yawned. “Let me change.”

  Cassie and Beth walked silently toward the canyon wall. As they trudged through the darkness, she thought about Will. She couldn’t wait to call him in the morning and tell him that she had hiked through the darkness looking for teenagers again.

  Will and Cassie had been together for just over a year now, and it had been an amazing journey.

  Mr. Hartley had offered Cassie the permanent director position after the meeting, and with Will’s help, almost twice as many people had visited Sunset Camp this year than the last.

  Weddings, family reunions, and corporate retreats had taken place in the canyon. The weddings had been held in the tabernacle, in the chapel, and outside under the trees. Beth had catered most of them and was beginning to be well known for her food. She had even made a few of the wedding cakes.

  Most importantly, Cassie had fallen more in love with Will than she could have ever imagined.

  Cassie and Beth turned on the trail leading up the canyon. When Beth nudged her and motioned toward the steep incline, Cassie nodded.

  She followed behind Beth in the dark slowly, making sure her footing was solid as she pulled herself up with the rope.

  When she reached the top, she took the hand that reached for hers. She flinched when the hand she held wasn’t Beth’s.

  “It’s okay. It’s me.”

  Cassie’s stomach fluttered. “Will? What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?”

  The darkness gave way to a soft glow of light. Cassie looked over to a beaming Beth lighting votive candles lined up on a log.

  Cassie’s heart pounded so hard she was sure Will and Beth could hear it. “What’s going on?” But when Cassie looked into Will’s eyes, she knew. Cassie pressed her hand against her chest and took a deep breath. They weren’t there to find campers. Will had planned out every detail of this for her.

  Will dropped to one knee on the orange dirt. “Cassie Langley, I love you. I thank God every day for bringing you into my life. Your spirit and your strength are beautiful. I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  Cassie clasped her hands over her mouth. Tears ran down her face.

  Will pulled a little square box out of his pocket and opened it to reveal a ring that sparkled in the moonlight. “Will you marry me?”

  Cassie nodded her head, no words coming out. She pulled him to his feet, and he wrapped his arms around her.

  “Yes,” she whispered in his ear. “A million times, yes.”

  About the Author

  JULIE JARNAGIN grew up in a rural community where her family farmed and raised cattle, inspiring her to set much of her fiction in small towns. She earned a BA in journalism/professional writing from the University of Oklahoma and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. Her articles have appeared in local and national publications. Through her writing, she hopes to share stories that reflect God’s love.

  Julie lives in Oklahoma with her husband and young son. Visit her website at www.JulieJarnagin.com.

  Dedication

  To my husband, Kevin. Your love and support mean the world to me. I love you today, tomorrow, and always.

  A note from the Author:

  I love to hear from my readers! You may correspond with me by writing:

  Julie Jarnagin

  Author Relations

  PO Box 721

  Uhrichsville, OH 44683