Free Sarah's Prayer: A Sunset Single (Sunset Series 1.1) by J. Brent Eaton

going. "
    Sarah paused. This was a lot more emotional for her than she realized. She recounted the conversation, every juicy detail about the happy ending last night and what she learned from Gabe punctuated by on occasional " Oh my... " or " That poor man... " and " Wow... " from Jen.
    There was a heavy silence when Sarah ran out of emotion and narrative.
    Jen ventured into the heaviness first. " Sarah, I just have a question for you. "
    "Sure, Jen."
    " I'm not sayin' that Michael's necessarily the one or anything, but if the two of you lived happily ever after, are you okay being with a guy who'll have to get around the house on crutches part of the time? "
    Sarah's first response? A flash of anger and defensiveness. "Why wouldn't I, Jen. I don't look at the surface of people. It's Michael's heart and soul I care about. I never knew he had a prosthetic leg until he told me. If he's the man God has for me, that won't matter, Jen."
    " Okay, okay. Settle down. I asked that intentionally. I knew that's what you'd say. I just wanted to hear it from you... Now that you've said it, do you want my nursing assessment of the situation? " They were both accustomed to interdisciplinary input in their hospice cases, so Sarah had come to trust and value Jen's judgment.
    "Sure..."
    " It's love. "
    Sarah didn't know how to respond. "But, Jen. We just met. It's been a week..."
    " Well, he did try to meet you before, but... If God is in this, time doesn't matter. "
    "I guess you're right. I'm just trying not to get my hopes up."
    " That's appropriate. Like I told you, just enjoy this for what it is. Let things progress the way they're supposed to. My 'wingman' told me to slow down with Jake. She said he's like a cute little wild animal. If you're still and patient, he will come to you. Sarah, you're the most still and patient woman I've ever met. "
    Sarah had to smile at that. "Thanks, Jen. Michael is a quiet man with a lot of pain built up. I guess the steamroller approach just wouldn't work, would it?"
    " Heavens, no. Take it slow, but take it, sweetie. Now, about that kiss... "

Chapter 10
    Sarah's world just seemed different the next several days. It was hard to pin down exactly what was different. Sure, the weather was changing, but Sarah had endured a lot of weather changes in Sunset over the years. No, it wasn't anything in particular. Maybe she was different.
    Michael sent several emails to Sarah with cute little comments that brightened her day. She looked forward to hearing her phone bleep indicating a new email and hoping it was from him.
    On Wednesday afternoon just such a bleep occurred.
    Dearest Sarah,
    I'm enjoying the heck out of sending you notes about my day and how much I liked being with you. I even get a kick out of writing you to let you know how much I miss you. There's just something missing that only you can help with. I miss hearing your voice. You have such a beautiful voice and a lovely laugh.
    There's only one problem. I don't know how to call you. If it wouldn't be too much trouble would you mind sending me your phone number so I can do the gentlemanly thing and call you?
    Blessings!
    Michael <3
    Sarah's lovely laugh filled the office. She rectified the problem immediately.

    Armed with Sarah's cell phone number, Michael called her sparingly. Either he was still very shy or he had a great sensitivity for her privacy. He knew the difficulty she had been through in her life and didn't want to do anything to violate his boundaries with her. Michael was a patient man. He also had enough of his own painful issues to bear.
    Sarah's insecurities crept up when she considered how little he called. Little did she realize that Michael was trying to do the right thing. She made a call of her own.
    "Jen, I just don't get it. We had such a great time that night. Michael only called me twice last week. Sure, we went to lunch after church and had a wonderful time, but he seems hesitant. Am I doing something wrong?"
    " I don't