Grace

by Cheryl Wright

  She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted.

  “Good afternoon, Grace, Joe.” It was Mrs Baker. Couldn’t she see they were in the middle of something important.

  “Mrs Baker,” Joe said with a nod. “We were just about to go on a walk before luncheon.” He hooked his arm through Grace’s and they headed off for their stroll.

  Chapter Six

  The day had been wonderful so far. She’d enjoyed their stroll through the forest but that had come to an abrupt end when a whistle sounded.

  “That’s everyone being called back for luncheon,” he said. “There is a group prayer of thanks, and we eat. After that, our time is our own.”

  They turned to go back, and not for the first time today, Grace didn’t want to be around other people. She enjoyed their alone time, although she knew she shouldn’t.

  Joe was very special – he made her laugh, and he made her feel safe. He always made her feel things she’d never felt before.

  She was leaning over a small bush, smelling the fragrance of the tiny flowers when he’d made the announcement. She straightened and hooked her arm through his.

  Grace failed to see what he held in his hands. “These are for you, Grace,” he said, holding out a bunch of wildflowers. “They didn’t cost a heap of money, but they come from the heart.”

  What a beautiful thing to say. “Thank you, Joe. I will treasure them.” She had to fight to stop a grin from crossing her face.

  He grinned and she could no longer fight it. Then he became serious. “I would pay one hundred dollars for flowers for you if it meant you understood how I feel about you.”

  She suddenly felt light headed and her steps faltered. She didn’t want him to feel this way about her. There was no future for Joe with the likes of her. Not to mention she’d made it abundantly clear she was not in the least interested in marriage.

  He grabbed her by the arms. “Grace? Are you alright?”

  She glanced at him, but quickly looked away. “Your words startled me,” she said quietly. “No one has ever said such a thing to me before.”

  “Has anyone ever felt like this toward you before?” His words cut through her heart. How exactly did he feel? He had hinted plenty of times, but she’d chosen to ignore him.

  Perhaps she was misinterpreting his question anyway? “What exactly do you mean by this?”

  They began to walk again, and she hoped that was the end of it. But it was not to be.

  “I think you already know,” he whispered.

  Did she? Deep in her heart, Grace knew exactly what he meant, but hoped she was wrong. She had always vowed not to marry. She had seen the way Father had treated her mother at times, and was not interested in any of that.

  Oh, he hadn’t been violent – he’d never harmed her – but Mother was a slave to his whims. He would bellow if he didn’t get his way, as he had to Grace when she said she wouldn’t marry at his command.

  She wasn’t willing to live her life like that. She didn’t blame her mother, she’d had no other choice. Coming from a family of little means, she had been promised to Grace’s father when they were young as payment to his father for an overdue account.

  Her mother had been traded like a piece of beef. The thought still left a sour taste in Grace’s mouth. She had absolutely no intention of being treated like a piece of cattle as her mother had been.

  “Oh there you are!” Mrs Baker came running up to them as they re-entered the picnic area. “Preacher Devon is about to say a prayer of thanks for the food.”

  She stood to the other side of Joe and hooked her arm through his. As much as Grace liked Mrs Baker, she sometimes wished she would leave them be.

  She felt a tinge of regret at her thoughts. Mrs Baker was such a lovely person, and Grace was sure she meant no harm. More likely the total opposite.

  “Sit down, children,” Preacher Devon instructed, and the children went running back to their parents.

  When everyone was quiet and the children were all seated he began. “Heavenly Father, thank you for the food we are about to consume, and for the friends we have gathered here today. Amen.”

  Amen echoed throughout the clearing.

  Joe opened the picnic basket and placed everything on the blanket. He had made an assortment of sandwiches, had whole carrots, as well as some apples. He also had a bottle of water. “It looks lovely,” she said, reaching for a package of sandwiches.

  They chatted as they ate, enjoying the fresh air and each other’s company. The children ate quickly then raced off to play again.

  “It’s lovely here,” Grace said, meaning every word of it.

  His hand suddenly covered her own. She stared down at their entwined hands, with a mind to pull her hand away.

  But she couldn’t do it. Grace liked the feel of Joe’s hand on hers. Liked the feeling she got when he was near.

  He glanced at her, and she was sure he was wondering how long it would take for her to snatch her hand away.

  Instead she covered his hand with her free one.

  “Grace,” he said softly so the rest of the parishioners wouldn’t hear. “I really like you.”

  She opened her mouth to speak when a familiar voice interrupted. “Hello you two. How is my order going?”

  Mrs Davis.

  “Good afternoon, Mrs Davis,” Joe said, obviously wishing she would leave business to another day. “It is well on track. I have finished three gowns and almost done with the fourth.”

  He glanced at Grace, then back at their customer. “All your matching bonnets are complete.”

  “That’s wonderful,” she said cheerfully. Mrs Davis suddenly left them alone again.

  Grace breathed a sigh of relief. “Is she always like this?” she whispered.

  “Always. I guess she figures if her husband is paying all this money, she has a right to ask anywhere, anytime.” He scrubbed his fingers through his hair. “It can be rather frustrating.”

  That was the moment she realized he’d pulled his hand away.

  She stared at his head, and pointed upwards as she giggled. “Um, your hair is all messed up.”

  He frowned at her. “Really? Or are you just saying that?”

  “Really.” He pulled his fingers through his hair again, trying to fix it. She shook her head. “Not working.” He had another attempt. “That is far worse,” she said, frowning this time.

  He continued to fix the mess, but it was beyond redemption. Grace leaned forward. “Here, let me.”

  Her fingers began to weave their way through his chestnut hair until suddenly his hand reached up and grabbed her wrist.

  “You have no idea what you’re doing to me, do you?” He stared into her eyes, and pulled her hand down to his mouth where he gently kissed the back of her hand. “When we’re married, you can do it as much as you like. But out here, with all these gawkers hanging around enjoying the peep show?”

  “Did I do something wrong?” Grace felt disappointment. She thought she was helping.

  Joe glanced about. “See all these people? They will be watching us. Every moment, every movement, every touch.”

  “Wait, what?” His previous words suddenly hit her. “I didn’t say I’d marry you!” She was suddenly indignant, and Joe sat there laughing at her.

  He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “I wondered how long it would take before you realized.”

  He sat there grinning as though his words were not outrageous, and as though she’d agreed to marry him.

  The cheek of the man!

  She stood up in a huff and scampered away before Joe could stop her.

  Joe stared after her – his little joke had backfired. The last thing he expected was for Grace to take off.

  By the time he stood, she was out of sight. Which way did she go? She didn’t know this area at all, and now he was afraid she would get lost.

  His heart pounded in his chest. He stared toward the area they’d not long left, but wasn’t sure if she’d gone
that way or down toward the river.

  He ran over to Mrs Baker. “Did you see which way Grace went?” he asked urgently. The woman looked confused.

  “But she was just there with you.” She pointed toward their picnic blanket. “What did you do, Joe?”

  He looked to the ground, feeling like a scolded school boy. “I, I made a joke about getting married.”

  Mrs Baker stood. “Will you never learn?” She sighed. “We could organize a search party.”

  “No!” He shocked himself with his outburst. “I mean, thank you, but I’ll attempt to find her myself. She surely couldn’t have gone far.”

  He made his way back to the area where he’d picked the wildflowers for her, hoping Grace would go where she knew.

  He glanced around as he followed their original path, hoping she hadn’t gone far. It wasn’t long before he found her sitting on a log, studying her ankle.

  Joe wanted to pull his gaze away, but that ankle was far too beautiful and coaxed his eyes to stare. He finally noticed the swelling.

  “What happened?” he asked urgently. “Let me see.” She quickly dropped her skirts back over her previously bare ankle.

  “I, I tripped,” she said softly. “I think I’ve twisted my ankle.”

  This was all his fault. Him and his silly jokes. But this time it wasn’t a joke. He was in love with Grace and wanted to marry her.

  It seemed crazy that he should be in love with someone after such a short time, but he was. He couldn’t get her out of his mind when they were apart, and wanted to be with her constantly.

  And when they touched? His nerve endings went out of control.

  The problem was he didn’t know if Grace felt the same.

  He kneeled down in front of her and her eyes opened wide.

  “Don’t you dare ask me to marry you!” She was becoming hysterical and all he could do was laugh.

  “I won’t, I promise. But I do want to check that ankle.” He pulled at the bottom of her skirts, but she held on tight to it.

  Now he was getting exasperated. “I want to make sure it’s not broken,” he said quietly, and she lifted her skirts just a little. Barely enough for him to see.

  He pulled off her boot and it looked distorted, like it might be broken. Before she could protest, he swooped in and picked her up as she clutched her boot.

  “Put me down, I can walk,” she demanded. He caused this problem and he would fix it.

  “I’m doing no such thing, Grace. If it’s broken, walking on it will not only be painful, but will do further damage.”

  She seemed to accept that because her arms slid around his neck and her head rested on his chest.

  He was not going to complain.

  Mrs Baker ran to them as they emerged from between the trees. “Oh my goodness, what happened?” She hovered so much Joe could barely walk.

  “She might have broken her ankle, but I’m not sure,” he said. “Did I see Doc Spencer here earlier?”

  “Oh, of course. I’ll find him.” And in the blink of an eye, Mrs Baker was gone.

  Chapter Seven

  It had been a long day.

  Between Doc Spencer pushing her ankle around and calling for makeshift splints, and the bumpy ride home, Grace was exhausted.

  Little did she know when they set out for the church picnic the day would end disastrously like this.

  She’d ruined the day for everyone. Especially Joe who had been looking forward to it all week. It was all she could do to keep from crying.

  He’d been attentive and had looked after her for the rest of the day, and still was.

  “You can take me home now,” she said firmly. After being properly attended to at the doctor’s surgery in town, he’d taken her to his cottage.

  The dwelling was far larger than her own home, having been his parent’s home before they’d passed on. It was a three bedroom cottage with a large sitting room and large kitchen.

  It seemed a shame that Joe didn’t cook when he had such wonderful facilities available. Or was that another one of his jokes?

  Sometimes she couldn’t tell his jokes from what was real.

  Against her better judgement, Grace sat in the sitting room with a cushion behind her back and two pillows under her ankle.

  Doc Spencer had supplied her with a set of crutches that she would need to use for at least a few days.

  She sighed.

  The worst part was this injury was self-inflicted. If she hadn’t run away from Joe and his heartfelt words, this would never have happened.

  And what of her business? It hadn’t even had a chance to become established and she had to abandon it.

  “What is going on in that pretty little head?” Joe asked. He stood in the doorway watching her every move, a mug of tea in his hands.

  She sighed again. “Far too much, I’m afraid.”

  He placed the tea on the side table, then sat down in a nearby chair.

  “Talk to me – tell me what is worrying you.” She stared into his face. Concern was written all over it.

  Grace squeezed her eyes tight. “What about my business? How does it run without me? I might as well close down.” A tear trickled slowly down her cheek and he brushed it away with his thumb.

  The action sent a shudder rippling through her.

  “It’s all my fault,” he said, studying her. “If I hadn’t joked about getting married, you wouldn’t have run off.”

  “Only it wasn’t a joke.” She said the words quietly and watched closely for his reaction.

  He shook his head. “No, it wasn’t. I’m really sorry, Grace.” He reached over and took both her hands in his. “I do want to marry you. I care for you – a lot.”

  He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

  “You don’t have to do anything. It’s my fault. I’m the one who ran off.”

  He stood and began to leave the room. “I have to prepare the spare bed for tonight. I’ll be back shortly.”

  “What? No!” She glared at him. “I can’t sleep here in the same house as you!”

  He turned back to face her. “There’s no choice. Doc Spencer said you’ll need help for at least couple of days before you can be alone.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Grace. That sprained ankle is going to take some time to heal.”

  He left her alone and Grace tried to stop her thoughts from overtaking rational thinking. Foremost on her mind was the fact they would be under the one roof with no chaperone. And they weren’t married.

  Her reputation would be in tatters.

  Did that mean Joe would get his way? Would she be forced to marry him because of this situation?

  She really liked Joe, but didn’t want to be forced into marriage with him, as much as he wanted to marry her.

  She could hear him whistling. Did that mean he was happy about their predicament? She felt annoyance building up inside her.

  “Your room is ready,” he called as he returned to the sitting room. “Do you want to rest now?”

  “What I want, is to go home,” she said between clenched teeth.

  She began to stand and almost toppled over. “Easy.” He grabbed her arms before she could fall. “This is exactly why you have to stay here for a few nights at least.”

  She reluctantly nodded her agreement – what else could she do? It was clear she wouldn’t be able to care for herself, at least until she mastered the crutches.

  His hands slid beneath her and he carried her to the spare room. It wasn’t tiny but wasn’t overly large either. The windows were covered with lace curtains, and there was a pretty upholstered chair in the corner.

  Next to the bed sat a three drawer cupboard with a runner and lantern on top. The eiderdown was made with a pretty flower pattern and looked perfect in this room.

  Grace decided Joe’s mother had furnished the room – it was far too feminine for him to have designed it.

  “Do you like it?” His voice came out of nowhere and s
tartled her back to the present.

  She turned to him and smiled. “I do, I really do. Your mother’s handiwork?”

  “Yes, she furnished the entire cottage. It was something she loved to do.” He sighed.

  Grace looked up at him. “You obviously miss her.”

  “I do. I miss them both.”

  He carried her to the bed and placed her gently on top. “I’ll bring your tea in here, and if you feel like it, you can have a nap.”

  Joe sat down on the bed and took both her hands. “I’m truly sorry, Grace. I never meant for any of this to happen.” He opened his mouth as though to say something else but didn’t.

  He returned shortly with her tea, then left her alone. It didn’t take long before Grace fell asleep.

  * * *

  Grace awoke to movement not far away, and could hear the low murmur of voices. The aroma of food drifted into her senses, and it made her realize she was hungry.

  Moments later Joe was standing in the doorway watching her. “Did you have a good nap?” He looked rather amused, though what he found funny, she had no idea. “Supper is ready.”

  She pushed back the eiderdown that she’d climbed under earlier, and began to get out of bed but the crutches were nowhere to be seen. “Let me,” he said scooping her up and not giving her the opportunity to refuse.

  He carried her out to the dining room table, where a delicious looking meal had been served. Three settings were laid out, which confused her.

  “Hello Grace.” Mrs Baker was in the kitchen, organizing the food. “I hope you’re hungry.”

  “Oh, hello Mrs Baker.”

  Joe helped her onto a chair, then explained. “Mrs Baker kindly made supper for us. She’ll be staying the night too.”

  Relief overwhelmed her, and she let out a huge sigh.

  “What? You didn’t honestly think I would put your reputation at stake, did you?” He looked truly offended. “Of course I had to organize a chaperone, and Mrs Baker offered to do it.”

  She reached out her hand to him. “Thank you, Joe. I really appreciate it.”