Sarina righted herself and found her voice. “I will never forgive him.” Then, she crumbled and fell sideways on the grass. Was that her wailing? Was it a wolf on the hillside? It didn’t sound human.

Feeling helpless, Denny looked around, wishing for Max or Hannah. Silently he prayed for the wisdom to help this young woman. He prayed for guidance, for courage, for self-control, for he knew as he looked down at her, doubled in pain and weeping, that he loved her, and this shocked and left him speechless.

Max appeared, followed closely by Hannah. Without a word, Max bent and scooped Sarina into his arms. As he carried her toward his house, her wails echoed the length and breadth of Cove Road, and Denny was glad that Alma was out of sight and out of hearing.

Hannah touched Denny on the shoulder. He started and looked up at her. “Thank you,” she said. “Anna called us. She said there was a letter.”

He nodded.

“You read it?”

“Yes.” He handed the missive to Hannah.

She nodded toward Max and Sarina, turning into his driveway. “It must have been devastating.”

“Yes,” Denny said. “Devastating.” He could feel heat in his face, anger roiling in the pit of his belly. “Cruel. He is a totally selfish and unfeeling man. He doesn’t deserve Sarina.”

“I agree with you, Denny. I’d best get on home. Thank you, again. Thank you for all you’ve done for Sarina.” Hannah hurried away.

Denny’s legs quivered. If he tried to stand, he was certain that they would give way beneath him. His confession, though only to himself, confused and unsettled him. It was wrong, just plain wrong. Sarina was a married woman. To love her, to want her, violated the laws of God and betrayed the very core of his being.

Later, after an exhausted Sarina had gone to bed, Hannah and Max sat on the front porch. He reached for her hand and she wound her fingers through his. “Youth is a dreadful time of life. So much angst,” Hannah said. “I wouldn’t want to be young again.”

“Zachary’s my son. I can’t help but feel in some way responsible for what’s happened. But damn it.” Max slapped the palm of his free hand on the arm of the rocker. “He picked the worst time to insult me, to make demands.” He thought a moment. “Still, if I’d listened to him, sat down, and talked. With all the land we have, what are twenty acres?”

“This goes deeper than Zachary wanting twenty acres to build rental houses. So if you had given him land, for a year or two he would have been busy building houses and renting them. What then? Zachary is possessed by wanderlust. It’s like an addiction. He must keep moving, searching for God knows what.”