Love Inspired Historical November 2015

by Linda Ford

  At the bank, he slid his hands in his pockets and stared moodily at the water’s lazy path.

  She soaked in his stern profile. “How’s Clara dealing with everything?”

  “The days aren’t so bad.”

  “She isn’t sleeping well?”

  “It’s difficult for her to fall asleep. Sometimes she has nightmares.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” She took a step closer, aching to hold him. “What about you? How are you coping?”

  “Since Charles hasn’t been around for a while, it will take time for the reality of his death to sink in.” Angling his body toward her, he roamed her features almost hungrily. “Why are you here, Jane?” His tone was soft, sad.

  It was now or never.

  Lifting the satchel up and over her head, she dug out her journal. Held it out to him with shaking fingers.

  Disconcerted, he took it. “Why are you giving me this?”

  “You were right. About me keeping secrets.” She tapped the cover, anxiety blooming in her chest. Inside that book were her most private, intimate thoughts. And she was giving him permission to read every word. “Contained in this journal is the biggest secret of all.”

  His brow screwed up, and he pressed the journal into her unwilling hands. Throat working, he said, “I don’t want to read about it. Whatever this truth is you want me to know, you can tell me to my face.”

  This wasn’t the plan. Head dipping, she ran her fingers over the worn cover. She’d counted on him going off alone to read about her love for him. She wasn’t sure she had the courage to look him in the eye and see his reaction firsthand.

  Tom lightly grasped her chin and urged her to look at him. He’d inched closer.

  “Don’t be afraid, Janie girl. You can tell me anything.”

  “It will change everything between us,” she warned, feeling slightly sick. “Probably not for the better. I’ll understand if you don’t want to see me anymore.”

  “That won’t happen.” He sounded sure of himself.

  “You didn’t want to see me these last few days,” she responded, wincing at the undisguised hurt in her voice.

  His hand dropped to his side. “That’s because I have a secret of my own.” He sighed.

  “You do?” Her brain scrambled to latch on to possible explanations. Could he have found her replacement and didn’t want to hurt her feelings by telling her? Or worse, could he have decided to court someone? Patricia Vinson, perhaps?

  “I do. But you first.”

  Fumbling to replace the journal, she dropped the satchel and bent to retrieve it. “This was a mistake. Forget I was ever here.”

  A disbelieving laugh burst out of him. His hands covered hers and, taking the satchel from her and laying it on the bank, he took her elbows and gently pulled her up. His woodsy scent teased her senses.

  “I don’t think so.” Releasing her, he remained very close, a hand’s width away. “You like to finish what you start, remember?”

  Sucking in a fortifying breath, she fisted her hands and focused on the rapid pulse at the base of his throat. “Ever since I was fourteen, I’ve had feelings for you. It started out as this childish infatuation, and I thought that, given time, it would pass. That I would stop feeling this way. But I didn’t.” A dry half laugh, half groan escaped. “Not when you began pursuing my sister. Not when you proposed to her. Not when you left…” Closing her eyes, she recalled the horrid emptiness and desolation his absence had wrought.

  Tom’s big hands came up to cradle her face. Resting his forehead against hers, he murmured, “I’m sorry I put you through that. I didn’t know.”

  She stared glumly at their boots. “I was prepared to marry a man I didn’t love in order to get over you.”

  “What?” His head lifted, his fingertips urging her jaw up. Meeting his shocked gaze took guts. “That’s why you were marrying Roy?”

  “The day you came back and found me wandering in the woods, I wasn’t upset because I didn’t get to marry him. I was upset because my plan failed. My chance at rooting you out of my heart failed.” Gathering her courage, she placed her hands on either side of his waist. He inhaled sharply, muscles bunching. “These last weeks, my love for you has only gotten stronger. More resilient. There’ll be no destroying it now. I know that’s not what you expected to hear. Certainly not what you wanted to hear—”

  His mouth caught hers midspeech, startling her. His fingers slid into her hair as hers curved into his sides in a bid to anchor herself. Making a low sound deep in his throat, Tom pulled her against him, his kiss fierce and demanding. Wondrous emotion cascaded through Jane. Hope she’d assumed long dead buoyed her. He wouldn’t be kissing her this way if he didn’t like what she’d had to say.

  Matching his ardor, she poured the fullness of her love into the embrace, showing him everything she’d felt but hadn’t voiced until today.

  “Jane.” The reverent way he spoke her name made her shiver. When he lifted his head a fraction, she basked in the awed sort of tenderness aglow in his gaze. “I had no idea you felt that way about me. I thought you weren’t interested in anything more than friendship. I’ll be honest, I came home expecting you to still be the sweet young girl I left behind.” His thumb caressed her cheek. “When I saw you in that wedding dress, all grown-up and so beautiful I couldn’t think straight, I panicked. We were friends. As an older brother figure, I wasn’t supposed to be attracted to you.”

  His lips turned up in a wry smile that had her heart singing.

  “You hid it well.” Boldly encircling his neck, she toyed with the ends of his hair, the freedom to touch him a heady thing.

  “I can’t think how,” he said ruefully. “I assumed it was obvious.”

  “Not to me.”

  His smile dimmed slightly, and he grew earnest. “I love you, Jane. Only you. Without you, there would be no joy, no purpose in my life. I want you for my bride.” Brushing a tender kiss on her lips, he drew back, his hands going to her waist. “But only if you can accept my past.”

  Her heart stuttered, knocked against her ribs. He looked so serious and somber. “What are you saying?”

  “I can’t erase what happened with Megan. I have to know you believe me when I say I don’t love her anymore. I care for her as a friend, and I wish her every happiness, but I don’t want to be with her. I didn’t understand what real, abiding love was until I went to Kansas and witnessed what my brother had with Jenny. I didn’t experience it for myself until I came home. To you.” His fingers flexed on her hips, and his body was as taut as a bow. “I need to know you trust me, Jane. That you trust my love for you is true and loyal.”

  Any lingering reservations disintegrated in the face of his ardent confession. “I do, Tom. I trust you. Not once have you misled me. Or lied to me.” His features relaxed into soft admiration. Jane swallowed against rising emotion. This next part was difficult to get out. “Now I have a question for you. Do you trust that the next time I encounter a problem, I’ll come to you instead of trying to handle it on my own in order to prove something?”

  “Yes,” he said without hesitation. “You don’t have anything to prove, my sweet Jane. Like I said before, you’re one of the most courageous women I know. You just had to be able to see it for yourself.”

  She smiled up at him. “I love you.” Leaning into him, she feathered kisses along his jaw. “I love you.” Continuing her path, she felt his lips curve in a smile beneath hers before she traveled up his other cheek. “I love you, Tom Leighton.” Meeting his love-filled gaze, she gushed, “You don’t know how wonderful it is to say that out loud instead of in my head. Or on a page.”

  Laughing huskily, he cupped her cheek. “Oh, I have an idea, because it feels like that when I say it to you. I love you, Jane O’Malley. What do you say we put these words into practice? Marry me.”

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Epilogue

  Three weeks later

  “You’re practically
glowing, sister of mine.”

  Setting her brush on the dresser, Jane took one last look in the mirror, satisfied there were no lingering tangles. She turned to where Jessica sat on the bed, resplendent in a lacy lilac creation that complemented her skin and hair. For once, she’d agreed to have her hair arranged in a becoming, complicated style. A sad sort of smile spoiled the effect. A smile that said she was valiantly trying to mask her grief and be happy for her twin.

  Jane ran her hands over her frothy white skirts. “Maybe we should’ve waited a little longer to get married.”

  While neither she nor Tom had wanted to postpone their nuptials, compounding Jessica’s loss was something they’d intended to avoid. The morning after his proposal, Jane had hesitantly revealed her happy news, prepared to wait until autumn if it would help Jessica.

  “You’ve waited for years to marry your beloved. I wasn’t about to be the reason for your delayed happiness.”

  “Jess—”

  “We’re not talking about me today.” Material rustling as she stood, she came and straightened the wedding gown’s swooping neckline. “Today is about you and Tom.” Pride and affection turned her eyes a brighter green. “I’m thrilled for you, sis. Truly. You got your fairy-tale ending. There’s no one else I know who deserves it more than you.”

  Jane hugged her. “You deserve it, too, Jess,” she whispered into her shoulder.

  Surreptitiously wiping a tear from her cheek, Jessica huffed a dry laugh. “No more mushy stuff. I promised myself I wouldn’t bawl like a baby.”

  A commotion outside brought the twins into the main room. Through one of the windows flanking the door, Jane spotted a surprise visitor.

  “What is Aunt Althea doing here?”

  “She came for your wedding, of course.”

  The mantel clock showed they had one hour to get to the church. “That’s cutting it awful close.”

  Jessica continued to stare through the glass. “Your wedding isn’t the only reason she came.” Taking Jane’s hand, her expression pleaded for understanding. “I wrote to her the day after the fire. I asked if I could stay with her for a while.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “You were floating around here with your head in the clouds.” Her lips had a rueful twist. “I couldn’t bring myself to bring you crashing back to earth. Are you upset?”

  “Of course not. If you feel going to Maryville is best for you right now, I support your decision.” Lightly touching Jessica’s cool cheek, Jane attempted to mask how much she’d miss her. “It’s not forever, though, right?”

  “No, not forever.”

  “You’ll write often?”

  “I’ll try.”

  They shared a smile, both aware Jess wasn’t one to put her thoughts on paper.

  “I’m sorry about dumping all the baking responsibilities on you,” Jess said.

  “I don’t mind. I’ve been baking at Tom’s all along, so nothing will change except for the fact I won’t have to transport all the supplies back and forth.”

  Her cheeks heated. Starting tonight, she wouldn’t be coming here to sleep. She’d get to stay for supper. She’d get to read Clara a bedtime story and tuck her in bed. She’d get to have Tom all to herself.

  Shaking herself out of those pleasant ruminations, she said, “When are you leaving?”

  “In a couple of days. I’m sure Althea will want a chance to reconnect with Mama first.” Once again observing the reunion in the yard, she brought her brows together. “Caroline looks happy. As happy as Caroline can be, that is.”

  Jane laughed as she studied her friend observing Alice and Althea fuss over each other. It was true. A smile on Caroline was as out of place as a star in the noon sky. Maybe one day that would change. She certainly hoped so.

  “She was only being protective. Now that Tom is going to become my husband, there’s no further cause for her to worry about me.”

  Her husband. An impatient thrill radiated outward from her middle. She could hardly wait to see him standing in the church, handsome in his black suit, ready and eager to make her his wife.

  “Speaking of your groom, we should probably go. Wouldn’t want to make the poor man think you changed your mind.”

  Her smile stretched from ear to ear. “I’m fairly certain he knows nothing could keep me away.”

  “Enjoy every moment you have with him.” Jess’s tone was insistent. “Happy or sad. Good or bad. Each minute, each hour, each day you have together is precious.”

  Now it was Jane’s turn to tear up. “I will, sis. I promise.”

  “Love you, Jane.”

  “I love you, too.”

  *

  Tom stood transfixed as his bride walked the aisle toward him. As he’d requested, Jane’s deep red hair cascaded freely to her waist, the glow of candles glinting off the lustrous waves with every step. She was wearing a different wedding gown than the one he’d found her in. This one was softer, flowing and romantic. Not that he paid much attention. He kept being drawn back to her face, peaceful and happy and, perhaps most importantly, confident. In herself. In him. And in their love.

  He could hardly believe how much their relationship had transformed in the short weeks since they’d dared to be honest with each other. He was also aware he didn’t deserve the blessings that were Jane and Clara, and remembered to thank God on a daily basis.

  Their guests watched with obvious delight as Jane paused to give Clara a bouquet of purple orchids and sweet kiss and hug. Only their closest friends and family were in attendance. They’d both wanted this ceremony to be a private, intimate celebration of their commitment to one another.

  When she reached him, he held out his hands and she took them, her smile as brilliant as the constellations they’d mapped from his front porch the other night.

  “How are you?” he murmured for her ears alone.

  And the reverend’s, of course, who was opening his Bible and seconds away from beginning the ceremony.

  Her eyes sparkled. “Better now that I’m here.”

  He hadn’t seen her since the previous morning, and he’d missed her terribly. The knowledge they’d never have to be apart again flooded his soul with a contentment he hadn’t dreamed he’d experience.

  Jane was a compassionate, gutsy, amazing woman. His friend. His beloved.

  And she’d chosen him.

  She’d loved him from afar all those years. While he regretted the lost time, he understood they hadn’t been ready for each other. God, in His infinite wisdom, had brought them together at just the right time.

  The ceremony was both poignant and brief, and soon he was taking Jane in his arms, sealing their vows with a kiss. At the whistles and clapping splitting the silence, she broke away and laughed up at him, her cheeks a becoming shade of pink.

  “I have a surprise for you, Mrs. Leighton,” he murmured, taking her hand and pressing a quick kiss to her knuckles.

  She beamed up at him. “I’ll follow you anywhere.”

  Not giving their guests a chance to waylay them, he led her through the church and out into the balmy summer evening, where his horse was waiting. When he’d boosted her up and climbed on behind her, she relaxed into his chest. “Is the surprise at the reception?”

  “We’re not going to the reception.” Guiding the horse out of the yard, he said, “At least not for a while.”

  “What about Clara?”

  “Mary and your ma agreed to keep an eye on her for us. She’s spending the night with them, anyway.”

  Blushing again, a shy smile tipping her lips, she lapsed into silence the rest of the ride. At the sight of his home—their home now—she tossed him a quizzical look.

  “Patience, my love.” Helping her down, he couldn’t resist stealing another kiss. “Close your eyes.”

  “What are you up to?” Her eyes were alight with excitement.

  “Do as I ask, and you’ll find out.”

  She closed them. Guiding her to thei
r spot by the stream, he let go of her arm. “Don’t peek.”

  Working quickly, he dug a match out of the saddlebag he’d left there earlier and lit the dozen or so lamps situated in a circle on the ground and suspended from the branches overhead. He returned to her side, sliding his arm about her waist. “Okay. It’s ready.”

  Her lids fluttered open. Her lips parted as she soaked in the scene. “Oh, Tom.”

  Several large, colorful quilts covered the grass and in the middle a feast awaited—bowls of fresh berries, platters of ham, cheese and bread, jars of lemonade and a miniature iced cake just for them. The sun had already dipped behind the mountains, coloring the expanse above in shades of pink, orange and blue. In the field on the far side of the stream, lightning bugs flashed in the growing dusk. And the light from the lamps reflected on the water.

  Jane took a step, only to whirl around and throw her arms around his neck. “It’s wonderful! I can’t believe you did this.”

  Rubbing circles low on her back, he smiled at her enthusiasm. His efforts had paid off. “I admit to having selfish motivations. I wanted you all to myself.” He kissed her temple, then her cheek, then the corner of her mouth. Tangling his fingers in her silken hair, he leaned away far enough so that he could gaze into her adoring, shining eyes. “Today you’ve made me the happiest of men.”

  Her hold about his neck increased. “Today marks the end of a dream for me. And the start of reality with you, the man I love more than anything else on this earth. Today we begin our future as a family.”

  Tom was full up with happiness and a deep sense of gratitude. God had brought him through trials and suffering, ultimately blessing him with a family he could love and provide for.

  “I love you, Janie girl.”

  Pulling her as close as he possibly could, he lowered his head and kissed her, showing her without words how much she meant to him.

  *

  Dear Reader,

  I’m honored you chose to read my book. I hope you enjoyed Tom and Jane’s story. Those of you who have read the previous books in this series will have met them before and know that Jane has had a crush on him since her teens. Tom, on the other hand, only had eyes for her big sister, Megan. Quite an obstacle to overcome.