His lack of response shook her. He sat looking out over the ripening fields, then stared down at his callused hands.
“I know we didn’t have a conventional kind of courtship,” she added. “It wasn’t necessary, not for me anyway. You’re everything you claimed to be in that Farmer’s Newsletter ad—decent, hardworking, honest—and it’s enough. More than enough.”
He remained still. So still that Emma didn’t know what to think.
“Say something,” she pleaded. Despite what he’d claimed earlier, she sensed that her thoughtless, desperate remark had hurt him and she couldn’t bear that. He’d been so good to her, to them. So understanding and patient.
“I loved you sight unseen,” he said.
Emma couldn’t help it; she disregarded his words. He’d told her himself that she’d been the only woman to respond to his ad. It wasn’t like he’d chosen her from among dozens of eager applicants.
“You don’t believe me,” he said stiffly. “I can see it in your eyes.”
“It isn’t that …”
“Then what?”
“Well, first, you didn’t exactly have a wide range of choices, now did you?”
“It wouldn’t have mattered if a thousand women had answered that ad. You’re the one I would have picked.”
“But I came with … Jamie.” She leaned forward and kissed her daughter’s brow.
“You came with an asset. What is it advertisers like to say? Added value. Not only did I find a wife, now I have a family. For years I’ve lived alone, wishing for this very thing, needing it, wondering if it was possible for someone like me.”
There was a silence. Then Emma said, “Dave, why do you think I answered the ad?”
“For Jamie. You said so yourself.”
She smiled and reached for his hand, linking her fingers with his. “I answered it for me, too. Yes, Jamie needs a daddy, and I love my daughter to the depths of my soul, but I’m not completely unselfish. I was lonely, just like you were. I wanted a husband, a man in my life. A good man, who would encourage my dreams and share his dreams with me.”
A smile came to his eyes and she knew the reason. In those early letters, he’d explained what she should expect of life on a farm. He’d told her about his vision for America’s independent farmer and his own place in that future. He’d written about Buffalo Valley and how he hoped the town would survive and even flourish. There’d been no false enthusiasm in his words. No sentimentality. His was a dream that entailed hard work, careful planning and a willingness to change. He’d told her that he accepted these challenges and was looking for a woman who would accept them, too. A woman who would embrace this life of his. A woman who could value him for who he was.
“I expected my dreams to scare you off,” he said.
“They didn’t. I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Married to me.” His wholehearted smile made his handsome in a way that went beyond the merely physical. “Damn, but I feel like the luckiest man alive.”
“I feel so blessed myself.”
Dave glanced over his shoulder toward the doorway leading to the house. “Well, Mrs. Stafford, I recall that we were both a bit sleepy earlier.” He raised his arms high above his head and released a loud and completely phony yawn.
Emma chuckled. “It seems I’m rather tired myself. Shall we go to bed, Mr. Stafford?”
“Oh, yes, but be warned—I don’t expect either of us will do much sleeping.”
All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.
All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II B.V./S.à.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
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Harlequin MIRA is a registered trademark of Harlequin Enterprises Limited, used under licence.
Published in Great Britain 2013
Harlequin MIRA, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited,
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Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1SR
© Debbie Macomber 2013
eISBN 978-1-472-01254-8
Farmer Takes a Wife Page 3
