Promises of Love - A Christian Romance

Zoe, a medical student, questions her engagement to Harrison, a veterinarian, after a whirlwind Christmas proposal. Her reawakened faith and a crisis at her family's drought-afflicted farm in Queensland complicate matters further. Meanwhile, Harrison seeks a family life he once shunned, fearing he might lose Zoe to Spencer, a charming pilot. Facing tough decisions and potential heartbreak, Zoe must navigate her promises and the path to the altar. This love story, set against personal and environmental challenges, explores themes of faith, choice, and love’s enduring promise.

When Zoe Taylor's alarm clock buzzed on the morning after Christmas, she stretched her hand out and hit 'snooze' and drifted back to sleep. A moment later she sat with a start—Harrison would be here in less than half an hour. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, the brand new, white gold engagement ring on her finger caught her eye. A warm glow spread through her body as she held her hand out, allowing the diamond to sparkle in the early morning sunlight. Fancy Harrison proposing to her in front of his entire family and friends during their Christmas celebrations at his parents' place yesterday afternoon! Exhaling a long sigh of contentment, her heart warmed with love for him.
She slipped out of bed, showered, and dressed in the outfit she'd selected the night before—a pair of white shorts and the lightest shirt she owned—a striped blue and white sleeveless T. Following a quick scan of the apartment in case she'd forgotten something, she grabbed her bag and headed downstairs just as Harrison's sports car turned the corner.
Her heart quickened as he jumped out of the car and strode towards her. His smile was wide, his teeth strikingly white against the brown stubble on his face. As he lifted her off the ground and spun her around, nearly dropping her, joy bubbled from deep within and she laughed out loud. Could life get any better?
He lowered her to the ground and brushed her hair with his hand, gazing deeply into her eyes before kissing her slowly.
She melted into his arms and lost herself in his embrace before remembering where they were. Tearing herself away, she stifled a giggle. "What will the neighbours say?"
Harrison glanced left, then right. "I don't see any, do you?"
She chuckled. "No."
He lowered his lips again, and by the time he finished, she was breathless and flushed. Her chest heaved. "We need to get going, Harrison."
"Can't we go inside?"
Mixed feelings surged through her. How could she keep her resolve with Harrison's soft brown eyes looking at her like that? As she lifted her hand and gently stroked the stubble on his cheek, she willed her heart to remain strong. "No, Harrison. I told you last night. I want to wait until we're married."
His bottom lip protruded in a pout and he looked at her with puppy dog eyes.
She chuckled. "You'll trip over it if you're not careful." Stretching up, she slipped her hand around his neck, and gently pulling his head towards her, brushed her lips across his. "I'll make sure it's worth the wait."
"It's going to kill me, you know that."
The sweetness of his breath tickled her senses. She laughed. "No, it won't." Placing a quick kiss on his lips, she pulled away. "Besides, we need to get going. Mum and Dad are expecting us for lunch."
Harrison's shoulders slumped as he let out a resigned sigh. "Best get going, then." Leaning down, he picked up her bag and placed it in the boot beside his before opening the passenger door of the car and holding it open for her. Zoe laughed as he stole another kiss before she slipped under his arm and onto the soft leather seat of his fancy new convertible.
Harrison slid in beside her and raised his brow as he glanced at the roof. "Up or down?"
"Need you ask?" She laughed again as she positioned her cap on her head, pulling her pony tail through the hole in the back.
"No." Chuckling, Harrison flicked the switch and the top folded down. He turned the key in the ignition, bringing the car to life, and accelerated down the tree lined street. If the neighbours hadn't been awake before, they would be now.
They soon left the bustle of the city behind. Hot wind pulled at Zoe's thin shirt and whipped loose hair around her chin as they sped along the country highway, heading north-west towards her parents' property. A thin haze of smoke from distant bush fires hung in the air and began burning her throat. She sipped her water, but finally asked Harrison to close the roof.
"At least we can talk now." He slipped his hand onto her leg and raised his brow, one side of his mouth lifting in a playful grin.
Chuckling, she raised her hand and inspected her ring. "Guess we can."
"Like it?" He had one eye on the road and one eye on her.
She nodded, a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. "I love it."
"I'm glad." His voice was warm and gentle as his hand moved slowly up her leg.
She slapped his hand playfully—he wasn't going to make it easy for her. Maybe it didn't matter, after all, they’d be married before long. But no, how could she go against all she'd been taught? Maybe she'd let her faith slip of late, but she knew what was right and what was wrong. And this was wrong. Surely he knew it too, having been raised by Christian parents. Was he just testing her?
"So, when can we get married?" He raised both his brows expectantly as he gently caressed her leg.
Zoe laughed again. She couldn't help it. He was just like a little kid sometimes, but she loved him, especially when he looked at her like that. Before she could answer, the car skidded off the road. Gravel sprayed into the air as it spun out of control. She screamed and held on, her heart thumping. When would it stop? Her heart raced. What were they going to hit?
Harrison gripped the wheel with both hands, struggling to regain control. Gradually he brought the car to a stop. Leaning his head against the steering wheel, he sucked in quick breaths.
After several seconds he raised his head. "Sorry, Zoe." He spoke quietly, meekly.
Her chest heaved. "You could have killed us." Her hand shook against her chest, and she could barely speak.
"I know. I'm sorry. It was careless of me." He turned his head and met her gaze. Releasing a long sigh, he drew her close and kissed the top of her hair as he stroked her face with his fingers. "I really am sorry, Zoe."
They weren't hurt and it was silly to stay angry. Exhaling slowly, she lifted her face and looked into his eyes. "Just keep your eyes on the road in the future."
He gave her a hang dog look. "I will. I've been suitably chastised."
"Good."
He took her hand and pressed it to his lips. "I love you, Zoe."
Her heart softened. How could she stay angry at him?
A sheepish grin grew on his face. "You didn't answer my question."
She chuckled as she shook her head. "I don't know. When were you thinking?"
"Easter, perhaps?"
Her eyes widened. "Easter? How could we organise a wedding that soon?"
He ran his fingers down her hairline, tucking some stray hair behind her ear. "You don't know my mum."
"But we need to organise and plan it, Harrison, not your mum."
"You're right. But she'll want to be involved."
Zoe blew out a breath. To be honest, no way could she think about organising a wedding any time soon, with or without help from either of their mothers—her Internship began in two weeks. She angled her head. "Could we wait until next year?"
Harrison's head jolted up. "Next year?" His eyebrows puckered. "That's ages away."
She gazed into his disappointed eyes. "I know, but I've got a really busy year. You know that."
His shoulders slumped as he exhaled slowly. "Yes, I do know that." He rubbed his thumb along the top of her hand. "I'm sorry, Zoe, I'll try to be patient, but that's a really long time."
She smiled at him. "It'll go quickly, you'll see."
"I hope so." Leaning forward, he cupped his hand around her face and kissed her gently.
As she melted into his arms, waves of warmth flowed through her. Reluctantly, she finally pulled away. "We'd better be going."
He glanced at the clock on the dash. "Guess you're right." Sighing heavily, he straightened in his seat and engaged first gear before pulling back onto the road.
For the next few minutes, Zoe sat in silence with her hand on his leg. It was going to be a long year. As much as she wanted to marry Harrison, she just had too much on her plate. And besides, his proposal had been totally unexpected, catching her off-guard, so he couldn't really expect her to drop everything and plan a wedding, could he? She sighed. Maybe she was being selfish.
As she studied Harrison's profile, a smile grew on her face. This handsome, clever, caring man was going to be her husband—what a lucky girl she was.
He glanced at her. "So, what reason did your folks give for not making it to the city?"
Zoe's smile slipped as she let out a sigh. The reason her mother gave when she called yesterday didn't ring true, and it had been puzzling her. Being country folk, her parents avoided the city as much as they could, but to call off their trip at the last minute because of a problem with a pump? That didn't sound right. Her father could fix things like that. She shrugged. "I'm not really sure. I got the feeling Mum wasn't telling me something."
Harrison's eyebrows drew together. "Like what?"
"I don't know. Guess we'll find out soon."