by Joyce Alec
She shook her head, sadness clouding her heart. Perhaps she shouldn’t stay here any longer. Perhaps this was making things too difficult for him. After all, she’d barely seen him these last few days, and even when she did, they made stilted conversation that broke her heart. There wasn’t that same comfortable friendship that they’d once shared and perhaps there never would be again.
Perhaps it was time to move on.
She could get another job somewhere else, in another town, far away from Joseph. Of course, there were always men seeking brides, so she could become a mail order bride again, but her heart rebelled at the idea. There was such a love in her heart for Joseph that Nora knew she would never be free of him, not even if she moved as far away as she could and married someone new.
Tears crept into her eyes, as she finished clearing up from what had been a very quiet dinner. Joseph hadn’t eaten with her, choosing to take his food into his father’s study, which he was busy clearing out. She’d eaten alone, feeling the oppressive stillness bite at her soul. She wasn’t angry with him anymore, not after some time had passed.
In a way, she could see why he’d kept the truth about Mrs. Allan from her, although she wasn’t really sure she could believe the rest of what he’d said, not when he was keeping himself so far away from her. And yet, deep within her heart, there was still a flickering hope that he might come to her one day soon and tell her again that the fondness he had for her was still there.
Or perhaps it had dried up completely, given what had happened. She just couldn’t tell, and she certainly wasn’t sure just how long she could wait with such torment going on in her heart.
Sighing heavily, Nora let the pain in her heart linger for a moment, before pushing it aside and forcing herself to finish up her chores. No matter how much she thought about leaving, the memory of how she’d found him that day in his father’s study refused to leave her. He’d been a shell of himself, completely broken, shattering into a thousand pieces as she’d sat with him. There had been nothing she could say, nothing she could do except sit at his side, trying her best to be a comfort to him. When he’d cried himself into exhaustion, she’d helped him up the stairs to his room where he’d fallen into a deep sleep. She’d not been able to leave him for a long while, sitting by his bed and just watching him as he slept, seeing the paleness of his skin and the tearstains drying on his cheeks.
“Nora?”
She spun around, having not heard Joseph coming into the room.
“I’m sorry, did you need something?” she asked, taking in the smudges under his eyes, the heaviness that was in his shoulders that had been there ever since Mr. Arbuckle had told him about Mrs. Allan and his father. He walked into the kitchen a little further, gesturing helplessly towards her.
“I need to talk to you.”
She swallowed her anxiety. “Of course,” she stammered, wondering if he was about to ask her to leave. “Although if you’re about to tell me that you think this ain’t working out for you anymore, then you don’t need to bother. I can see it just as plain as you.”
His eyes widened, his mouth falling open for a moment.
“You’re planning on leaving?”
Clearly, this wasn’t what he’d been planning to say, making Nora flush with embarrassment, although she pressed on anyway.
“I don’t know what to say, Joseph,” she continued, a little more quietly. “I can see that you’re struggling, and I don’t want my presence here to be making things a whole lot more difficult for you. If you’d like, I can find someone else to be the housekeeper and–”
“No, no!”
His exclamation was loud, his voice forceful, as he came towards her, his hands reaching for her.
“Please, Nora,” he begged, his eyes wide with what looked like fear. “Please don’t leave me. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything I said to you.”
She swallowed hard, not quite sure what he meant.
“I should have told you the truth about Mrs. Allan, but I didn’t want to break what had been growing between us,” he said hoarsely, his fingers digging into her arms. “I thought that if I told you how I used to sit with her and talk, just like I was doing with you, then you’d think that I didn’t have any real feeling for you, when nothing could be further from the truth.”
Her heart leaped in her chest.
“I—I don’t want you to go anywhere, Nora,” he pleaded, finally loosening his grip on her arms. Giving her one long look, he dropped his hands completely and stepped back. “But this ain’t just about what I want, I know. After what you’ve been involved in and after what I said—or didn’t say—you have to make your own mind up.”
Nora kept her gaze fixed on him, seeing the way he dropped his head, his shoulders slumping all the more. He was a man torn with regret, broken by pain, and she didn’t want to add to that burden.
“Joseph,” she said softly, moving closer to him. “I’ve not known what to say to you these last few days. I’ve tried to keep quiet and let you have the time you need to recover from the shock of what Mr. Arbuckle found out, but I can’t stay here if my heart keeps going towards you without it ever being sure of finding a love returned.” Hesitantly, she touched his hand with her own, her fingers brushing his. “I ain’t saying that what you said about Mrs. Allan was right, but I can see that you had your own reasons for it.” A flush of shame crept up into her face. “Besides, it ain’t the most important thing that’s been uncovered,” she murmured, aware of just how much he’d had to face. “That was only a small part of things, and nothing compared with the truth about your father’s death.” As Joseph raised his head, she reached up and gently brushed his cheek with her fingers, seeing his eyes darken just a touch. “I’m truly sorry if I added to your pain.”
“You’ve helped me with it,” came the quiet reply, his fingers curling around her own. “You’ve helped shoulder my burdens just by being beside me. I know I’ve been quiet, I know I’ve been hiding away, but I just didn’t know what to say when it came to you. There’s been so much going on in my head that I’ve been struggling to think clearly.”
She gave him a small smile, moving even closer to him as he took her other hand in his.
“I didn’t know what to say either,” she admitted gently. “I’ve wanted to come to you so many times, but I didn’t know what to do or what to say. I’ve just been carrying on here, worrying about you and trying to pretend I don’t feel the way I do about you.”
His smile grew tender, his eyes warm as they fixed on her own. “Guess we’re both just as lost as each other.”
She nodded. “I guess we are,” she whispered, her heart thudding wildly. “But you’re getting there, Joseph. I’ve seen how strong you are. You’ve been working at your father’s study instead of keeping it locked away.”
Something changed in his expression.
“I’m determined to keep going at the general store,” he said, his jaw suddenly clenched. “I’m gonna do my father proud and make his business even better than it was before. I ain’t going to let this stop me. Mr. Arbuckle’s already on the trail of Mrs. Allan, and I’m leaving it up to him to find her and bring her to justice for what she’s done.”
Nora said nothing, just watching him speak as her heart broke free of the confusion and pain that had trapped it these last few days.
“I want to find myself again,” Joseph murmured, looking down at her. “I want to make this home my home, to remember the good times I shared with my father, even if he wasn’t really the talking sort.” He let go of one of her hands and wrapped his arm around her waist, drawing her closer to him until she rested against his chest. His breath fluttered across her cheek, making her almost giddy with excited anticipation.
“Nora, I want you to be here, in my home, for good,” Joseph continued, his free hand reaching up to run down the curve of her cheek before tipping her face up to his own. “I can’t bear the thought of you leaving. My heart is still full with nothing but you. De
spite everything, I’ve always been certain of my love for you. I’ve pushed it aside for too long. I let it get clogged up in confusion and fear, but not any longer. I’m telling you straight. I love you. I want you to live here with me. I want you to be my wife.”
Her startled gasp was caught by his lips as he bent to kiss her, his arms tightening around her waist. Nora enveloped her arms around his neck, happiness wrapping around them both as they embraced. When he raised his head, she realized that there were tears on her cheeks, tears that he wiped away gently.
“You’ll marry me, Nora?” he asked, his eyes lit with hope. “You’ll be my wife, won’t you?”
“I will,” she replied, as he caught her face with his hands. “I can’t help but love you, Joseph.”
His smile spread, the heaviness gone from his eyes, the pain wiped from his expression. Finally, a healing was taking place within him, a healing that would continue as they spent their lives together, connected to one another with the bonds of both love and matrimony.
“Then I guess I’ll go on out and see the preacher tomorrow,” Joseph whispered, his head close to her own. “What do you think about getting hitched tomorrow?”
She smiled and leaned into him, her heart so full she thought it might burst within her. “Tomorrow can’t come soon enough.”
The Bride’s Heart
Text Copyright © 2018 by Ruby Hill
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.
First printing, 2018
Publisher
Love Light Faith, LLC
400 NW 7th Avenue, Unit 825
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311
Created with Vellum
1
California 1872
Miss Hazel Stevenson smiled to herself as she sat on the porch steps, humming softly.
“Are you ready to go to the dance?”
Hazel chuckled as her younger sister, Martha, sat down on the steps beside her.
“I’m so excited.”
Hazel smiled and wrapped an arm around her sister’s shoulders. “Sure am. Where’s John and Sophie?”
Martha shrugged, her expression a little mulish. “I don’t know. Inside somewhere. Last I heard, they were talking to Mama and Papa about them coming to live out on John’s ranch. Says he’s got an empty cabin on his property that he wants them to live in.”
Hazel blinked, a little surprised at the news. “John and Sophie want our parents to come out and live with them?” Sophie, their eldest sister, had married John Barker only a few months ago and had gone out to live with him on his ranch. It was only a few miles out of town, so they saw them often enough, but Hazel had never expected this.
“Did Mama and Papa sound as though they might agree to it?” she asked, frowning a little. “I know Papa’s needing work, but I didn’t think things were that bad.”
Martha shook her head, her shoulders a little heavy. “I don’t want to move out of town.”
Hazel sighed inwardly and tried to smile. At thirteen years old, Martha was the baby of the family and a good six years younger than Hazel. She’d evidently been a surprise baby, but was dearly loved by all the family.
“I guess we have to do what’s best for Papa,” she slowly murmured. “I don’t want to be moving away either, but he needs to bring in money somehow. Maybe helping John on his ranch is just what he needs.”
“What about us?” Martha whined, twining her thick braid through her fingers. “I don’t want to live outside of town.”
Hazel closed her eyes, trying to convince herself that it wouldn’t be so bad. “I know Martha, but it might be more fun than you expect.”
There was nothing but a small sniff, and Hazel hugged her sister tightly for a moment before letting her go, trying to put a bright smile on her face. “Now, no more of that. You were all excited about the dance a moment ago, what’s happened to that?” She leaned in, making Martha smile. “Is there anyone you’re particularly looking forward to dancing with?”
Martha blushed and looked away, giggling as Hazel elbowed her. “No,” she muttered, hiding her smile from Hazel. “Why, are you?”
Now it was Hazel’s turn to blush. “No,” she replied, her cheeks burning as she lied. “Not in the least.” She saw Martha’s narrowed gaze, the cheeky smile on her face, and couldn’t help but laugh.
“Come on,” she chuckled, getting to her feet and pulling Martha up beside her. “Let’s go and see if we can’t hurry Papa up. The dance is sure to be starting soon!”
It took only a little bit of cajoling for the rest of the Stevenson family to make their way out of the house, although Hazel couldn’t help but notice the concern on her mother’s face as she left the house. She wanted desperately to stop and ask her what was going on, whether they were truly considering staying with John and Sophie, but her mother simply patted her hand and told her she’d speak about it later.
That was frustrating, of course, but Hazel soon forgot about it all the moment they stepped into the village square and saw all the dancing already going on.
Her heart lifted as she took in the view, hearing Martha’s squeal of delight.
“Can I go be with my friends, Mama?” Martha asked, rushing over to cling to her mother’s arm. “I’ll be good, I swear it.”
Her mother laughed and shooed her off, watching her youngest daughter go with a soft smile on her face.
“She is growing up so quickly,” she said, half to herself, catching Hazel’s attention. “Soon all of you will be grown up with families of your own.”
Hazel averted her eyes as her mother looked back at her, one eyebrow lifted.
“Is that boy ever going to make his intentions clear, Hazel? Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”
“I don’t know what you mean, Mama,” Hazel replied, trying to be nonchalant even though her eyes were already seeking him out amongst the crowd. “We’re just friends, nothing more.”
Her mother shook her head and laughed softly. “You can keep telling yourself that, my dear, but I can see the look in your eyes whenever he comes by.” Her smile grew tender as she glanced towards her husband. “It is the same look I used to have when I was courting your father.”
Hazel tipped her head, looking at her mother closely. “You still love him, don’t you?”
“Of course I do!” her mother exclaimed, evidently astonished by the question. “It’s just that love blossoms quickly, bringing that first spark of excitement and hope. It takes time for the roots to bury down deep. That’s all I meant. Your feelings will grow and change, should this be a long-lasting relationship, Hazel. Don’t hurry this part of it.”
Nodding slowly, Hazel thought carefully about what her mother had said, taking her words and burying them deep in her heart. Her mother was always so wise, so careful, in all that she said and did. It gave her a wonderful example to follow.
“On you go now,” her mother whispered, pressing a gentle hand to Hazel’s back. “I can see him waiting for you.”
A sudden awareness crept over her as she looked across the square, seeing Christopher looking over at her. His eyes were dark, his face covered in flickering shadows as he leaned against one of the hay bales where some other couples were sitting. It was obvious that he didn’t want to make himself too noticeable, waiting for her to spot him. What Hazel had told her mother was the absolute truth they were nothing more than friends. Although there was a spark there that could not be denied.
“He’s just a little shy,” Hazel explained, wondering why her hands had suddenly become so clammy. “I’d better go over and say hello, Mama.”
Her mother laughed softly. “Don’t you worry about me, Hazel. Go on and enjoy yourself now. I’ll see you back home later.”
Hazel barely heard her mother speak, wanting nothing more than to go and speak to Christopher, wondering if he’d ask her to dance. It took her a few minutes to work her way past all the dancers who were in the middle of a two-step, but soon she made it through.
“Christopher,” she said and smiled, aware that her cheeks were already warm. “Good to see you this evening.”
He slowly unfolded himself, standing up tall beside her. His eyes lingered on her face for a moment before sweeping down her form. “Good to see you too, Hazel,” he replied, his voice low and husky. “I was hoping you’d be coming tonight.”
She smiled, a thrill of excitement racing up her spine. “Were you?”
“Sure was,” he replied quietly. “You sure look pretty this evening, Hazel. The prettiest gal around, I’d say.”
Her blush deepened, as she took in his tall frame, his broad shoulders, and his arms filled with strength. “You’re not so bad yourself, Christopher. Truth is, I’ve been looking forward to seeing you.” Glancing back towards her mother, who looked away hurriedly in a belated attempt to show she wasn’t watching them, Hazel shook her head, laughing. “You didn’t want to come over to speak to me?”
Looking away, Christopher dropped his head, evidently a little embarrassed. “I wasn’t sure what your mama would think of me.”
“She likes you well enough,” Hazel replied, putting one hand on Christopher’s arm in an attempt to push the worry from his expression. “You’re a hard-working fellow by all accounts, and that’s good enough for her.”
His smile grew warm, as he took a step closer to her. “I’m glad to hear it.” His gaze ran over her, heating her blood. “You’ve not got anyone to dance with yet, do you?”
