by Raina King
His wife blinked back tears, looking away. “How can you distrust me so much? What have I ever done to earn that?”
“Nothing,” he stared at the floor, miserably.
“I think I understand what’s going on, Mrs. Hunt,” said the reverend. “Arlen, it was the books, wasn’t it? You saw her disillusionment with life here on the mountain, and you figured that if she kept reading her adventure novels, it would only get worse.”
Arlen shifted his gaze, nodding. “It’s not Nora’s fault. I just…I was reminded of how miserable Sylvie was before she left, and then to make matters worse, she died not long after setting foot back in Missouri. I never had the chance to cable her, or send a letter, and ask why. Her family couldn’t even tell me much—just that she was homesick, and hated Carville.”
“But I’m not Sylvie, Arlen! I may have been disappointed in how things turned out, but I’d never leave.”
“You never thought about it? Not even once?”
Nora shifted uncomfortably. “I admit I did entertain those thoughts on occasion, later on, when I was angry with you. I was cooped up in this house, and you were working such long hours. I felt so alone and abandoned. Returning to Pennsylvania started looking like a solution. But I was looking at things from the wrong perspective—my own selfish perspective. I committed to you, and we have a daughter together. Whatever I wanted as a girl, I’ve established a family as a woman. This is God’s path for me now. If I’d been thinking of things in that way, I’d have never had such thoughts in the first place.”
“Those kinds of thoughts can be dangerous,” Reverend Holden said. “What starts out as a harmless fantasy can be twisted by the Devil, and used against you. Next thing you know, you’re packing a bag. That’s probably what happened with Sylvie—especially since she had no children tying her down.”
“That’s what I was afraid of,” Arlen said. “But I realize now I should have talked to you. I should have trusted you.”
“I should have tried harder to talk to you, too,” Nora murmured, “or gone to the pastor to talk. I shouldn’t have kept everything bottled up inside.”
“I’ll always be here in the future if you two need me,” the minister said. “But how will you address the situation now?”
Nora looked up at Arlen hesitantly. “I know now that it’s my job to find fulfillment and happiness in the role God has given me. But even so…I don’t want to live on the mountain. I can live without a big city, and after this whole fiasco with Gwen getting sick, I have lost my taste for danger and adventure. But…I need to see other people, and to have access to books. I care so much about you, Arlen, I do enjoy the beauty out on the claim most of the time, but it’s too lonely, especially in the summer when the sun is up longer and you’re gone all day working in the mine or out on our claim.”
Arlen rubbed a hand over his face. “Nora, I want to make you happy, but I need to be on the claim to work it. I don’t want to be a miner the rest of my life. I really believe that claim has a deep vein of ore. I know all miners say that, but my gut tells me I’m close.”
“I don’t want you to give up your claim…but I don’t know if I can take being alone all summer, and then cooped up in the cabin all winter.”
“What if you moved into town part of the time,” Reverend Holden suggested. “Rent a small house, and live there all winter, and part of the week in the summer. You can work the claim Friday evenings and all day Saturday, then return to the house in town in time for Sunday services.”
Nora’s mouth fell open. “Could we, Arlen?”
Arlen paced the floor. “I don’t know. It would make finances tight. You’d have to be creative with household expenditures. Maybe if you can make things last longer, be more frugal with the meals…”
“I’ll do it! I know I can. It will be worth it.”
The beaming smile on his wife’s face was all he needed to know it would be worth it for him, too.
Chapter 13
Six months later.
Nora glanced out the window at the darkening sky as she sat at her desk. Arlen would be home soon—it was his last day at the mine until spring. Dinner was nearly done, Gwendolyn was down for a late nap, and she had only a few minutes to herself before her husband arrived.
She pulled out the leather-bound journal and opened it, dipping a pen into the ink fountain. She re-read the last few lines of the story she had written, then continued the tale, getting in a half-hour of writing before she saw Arlen coming up the walk to their home.
She left the journal open so the last page could dry, and put the pen aside.
“I’m so glad you’re home!” she cried as he came in the door. She threw her arms around his neck, planting a gentle kiss on his lips.
He kissed her back, long and deep, before standing back to look at her. “Well, don’t you look beautiful.”
“I did my hair, to celebrate your last day of work for the season,” she smiled, blushing. “It looks like you got home just in time, too. I think it’s going to snow.”
“First real snow of the season.” He winked. “I can’t wait until Gwen is old enough to go sledding.”
“I know. But we have some time yet for that—she’s barely crawling.”
“What’s that?” he said as he hung up his coat and glanced over at the desk. “Is that the journal I gave you?”
“Yes—don’t look at it!” She moved to block his way, putting her hands on his chest. “I wanted it to be a surprise. I decided that your idea was a good one—I’m going to write my own stories, so that I don’t have to buy so many. We have to be careful now that we have this house in town to pay for.”
He took her in his arms. “I told you I didn’t want you to deprive yourself of books. I did that for so long, I think I owe you a good two dozen books.”
She laughed. “I know, but the way I coast through books, I’ll put us in the poor house. And I’m actually enjoying this.”
“So I can’t see it?”
“Not until it’s done,” she said.
He kissed her cheek. “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight, Mrs. Hunt?”
“Why yes, I believe you did, Mr. Hunt.” Nora grinned.
“I love you so much,” he whispered. “You are the best thing that ever happened to me. You’ve mended both my broken heart and my broken spirit—I wasn’t really letting God into my life after Sylvie left. I suppose part of me blamed Him.”
“I was getting fairly bitter, myself, for a while. But I know that was wrong of me. I’m glad we both saw the truth, before it was too late. I can’t imagine my life without you. I love you, Arlen Hunt.”
He leaned down, taking her chin in his hand, and kissing her softly on the lips. “Neither one of us is going anywhere.”
##
Wayward Love, Coming June 16, 2014
About Wayward Love
An Inspirational Mail Order Bride Historical Western
Estelle Winthrop had it all: a nice home, a loving family, and her childhood sweetheart, Holden Parker. Then Estelle received a letter from Holden, telling her he was leaving her to seek his fortune out west. Devastated, Estelle swore never to love another man.
Five years later, Estelle sees an advertisement for a mail order bride by a “Reverend Holden Parker”. Could it be her Holden? Writing under the name “Elizabeth” to find out, she is swept away as her old love for Holden resurfaces. Then Holden asks “Elizabeth” to marry him and join him out in Colorado at his first church assignment, and Estelle can’t say no.
When his bride-to-be steps off the train, Holden Parker is none too pleased to discover that she’s really, Estelle, the girl he heartlessly abandoned years before. She is a reminder of his past, and the dark secrets he has kept all these years. Despite his rejection, Estelle won’t leave, and he is terrified that his past will catch up with him, and threaten the new life he’s built as a pastor to his own church. Now he is forced to face his demons every day…and watch as the bachelors of the to
wn are drawn to Estelle like moths to a flame.
Will Holden unburden himself, and truly accept the forgiveness of the Lord? Or will tragedy prevent him from ever telling Estelle the truth?
From the Author:
Thank you so much for supporting my work! I hope you loved spending time with me and the people of Carville as much as I loved writing about them. If you enjoyed Pearl of Promise, please consider leaving a review. Reviews help an author by making their book more visible in search results, and they help readers to make a more informed buying decision.
About the Author:
Raina King is a homeschooling mom of four sweet children, dedicated to serving the Lord and trying to live Titus 2 and Proverbs 31:10 to the best of her ability. Like her characters, she often falls short of the glory of God, but she always finds purpose and joy in her daily journey. She has finally fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming an author while writing about the newly matched couples in Carville, Colorado.
