Lost Letters: When Jonathan Almost Told Clara His Heart

Some of you have asked, “Did Jonathan ever come close to saying more than he did?” This letter shows him circling the words his heart carried—but his pen couldn’t quite release.

Dear Miss Whitmore,

Your reply reached me on an evening when the sky was the color of pewter, and the wind had set the pines to a restless sound. I had just returned from riding fence, cold to the bone, and your letter was waiting on the table. I will not pretend I read it only once.

It is a strange thing to be known, even a little, across such a distance. Your words carried something I had not expected—kindness, steady and plainspoken. I have thought of them more than once while working cattle or mending gear in the quiet hours.

I would tell you—
[The sentence breaks here. Ink blotted, words crossed through.]

I mean to say, it eases something in me I had not realized was so heavy.

The days are growing shorter. Winter will set its hand over these hills soon. There is work enough to fill every hour, but the evenings are long. If you would be willing to write again, I would count it a favor I cannot rightly name.

Yours sincerely,
Jonathan

Jonathan’s letters thread between the lines of Letters from Willow Creek. This bonus content blog series shares the words that never made it into the book. Read Chapter 1 of Letters from Willow Creek or step into the full story by clicking the button below.💌