by Linda Ford
Two weeks later, Louise announced, "I saw Adam at the shop today."
She gave Chastity a long look, but Chastity only nodded and smiled as her heart did a funny flip-flop. She hadn't expected Adam to return so soon.
Beryl edged forward. "I expect he's got lots of interesting tales to tell. I wonder if he'll come visit." She slid a look at Chastity.
"I do hope so," Mother said. "He's such an interesting young man."
Mrs. B looked up. "Why do you want a fan? It's not hot."
Mother smiled as she leaned close and yelled in Mrs. B's ear. "We were talking about Adam."
Mrs. B's eyes widened. "I remember him. His folks run the store. Such a nice young man." Smiling, she picked up her fork and turned back to her food.
Mr. Elias perked up in his chair as if he'd been waiting for Adam's return. "I have some things I would like to discuss with him."
"How long was he gone?" Roy squinted his eyes, mentally figuring it out. "Six weeks. Say, he could have gone"—more mental measurements—"why, he could have gone to the East Coast and back in that time."
The Knutsen boys turned in unison from one speaker to the next as if they were of one mind.
John added, "I heard he's planning a big show here. Seems some VIPs are coming to town to see him."
Roy almost jumped from his chair. "How many are coming? When?"
"Who cares?" Beryl interrupted. "Goodness. One would think numbers are everything."
Roy frowned, shifting back. "I was only wondering."
"Perhaps Adam will come for tea, and we can all have our questions answered." Mother turned to Chastity. "In fact, why don't you slip down to the shop and invite him? Tell him how much we'd like to see him."
At her suggestion, Mr. Elias beamed, but the young people looked disappointed because they wouldn't be present at that time of day. Seeing their reaction, Mother chuckled. "I'll be sure and invite him for dinner the first evening he has available."
The Knutsen boys bowed their heads over their plates. Chastity did the same, not wishing to face any questioning glances, not wanting to face her own swirling emotions.
She would have ignored her mother's directive to issue an invitation to Adam, but shortly after lunch the next day, Mother reminded her, "Be sure to drop by Adam's shop while you're getting the mail and ask him to come for tea."
She met her mother's look squarely, wondering if she were more eager to visit with Adam or to play the matchmaker?
Mother smiled, her eyes guileless. "I'm sure he's full of interesting stories of his travels."
"No doubt."
Her mother didn't fool her. But Adam was not the man for her; he was a wanderer at heart. Nor was Michael, who sought someone he wouldn't have to share. Was she doomed to live forever in a boardinghouse, caring for and serving strangers rather than having a family of her own?
Stepping into the sunshine lifted her spirits at once. God would guide her steps as surely as He had put the sun in the sky. It was hard to be patient, but she knew God's timing was best.
The door of Adam's shop was propped open to let in the summer breeze. Chastity stepped soundlessly over the threshold and stopped.
His back to her, Adam was leaning over his worktable absorbed in some papers. He hadn't heard her enter, allowing her a chance to study him unobserved. His hair had lightened in the summer sun. A recent trim left a narrow white edge around his hairline. The way he leaned on the table made his shoulders seem broad while revealing his leanness.
Chastity swallowed back an aching emptiness. He was good and kind. In many ways he was all her heart desired. Except for one fundamental thing. He had not nor, she suspected, ever would promise he wouldn't do any more traveling. And she could not give her heart to a man only to wonder every day when he was leaving. She couldn't love him. She wouldn't.
Follow your heart.
She had promised Colin she would, but it was a promise she couldn't keep. Squaring her shoulders, she vowed she would protect her heart. As she stepped forward, she spoke.
"Hello, Adam."
He lifted his head, staring at the wall in front of him a moment, and then turned slowly. "Hello, Chastity."
His smile didn't quite reach his eyes. His eyes darkened as his gaze swept over her, taking in a wayward strand of hair, resting for a moment on her chin, then descending to her dusty shoes.
Her tongue stiffened, and no words came.
His gaze returned to her face, his eyes slightly narrowed. "What can I do for you today?"
She lowered her gaze to her twisting fingers. She noticed that her fingertips had turned white, so she relaxed her hold. Taking a deep breath, she forced her thoughts to the invitation she had come to deliver.
"My mother asks you to come to tea at your convenience."
He nodded his head in acknowledgment. "How is your mother?"
The tension eased from her, and a slight smile caught her lips. "Mother's fine. She's getting around with both canes and, as often as she can elude my supervision, using only one." Taking another breath, she smiled more warmly and went on. "I sometimes wonder if I were noncompliant when I was a child and now I'm reaping what I sowed."
Adam's smile brightened, and his eyes warmed. "Were you?"
"Not that I recall. I think I was more likely to retreat to my room than defy my mother."
"Not very confrontational, are you?" He leaned one hand on the table.
"Only when I feel it's worthwhile."
"Like defending someone else, I suppose?"
Not knowing how to answer, she chose to ignore his remark. "I didn't expect you back so soon."
He crossed his arms over his chest. "It was six weeks."
Her glance slid over the pictures on the wall behind him.
"Did you expect me to disappear into the beyond and never return?"
She shrugged. "I guess I didn't know."
"I told you I was going on tour. I didn't plan to be gone long."
Chastity could think of nothing to say in response.
"How are your wedding plans coming? The big day must be close now."
She looked sharply at him. "I thought you would have heard." Everyone in town knew.
His face gave away nothing. "Heard what?"
"Michael and I have decided we're more suited to being friends than husband and wife."
His expression never changed.
"It was quite amicable," she murmured.
"Friends?"
She nodded.
"You don't love him?" He was so impassive she wondered if he truly heard.
"Only as a friend."
"I see."
What did he see? she wondered, feeling compelled to explain. "We discovered we really had different goals and expectations."
"Are you saying you didn't love each other enough to reconcile those differences?"
Her eyelids twitched. He made it sound mean-spirited and selfish whereas it had been, as she said, amicable. "I guess you could put it that way if you want to." Her terse tone indicated he would be wrong to do so.
"It's none of my business, I know, but I'm curious to know exactly what you found to be such a big difference you couldn't work out."
For a moment she was tempted to tell him it was indeed none of his business, but something in his eyes made her answer. "I think Michael discovered I was not the malleable person he hoped to have for a mate." She shrugged. "And I did not wish to be confined to his set of parameters."
"It sounds to me as if you're saying neither of you was willing to accept the other as you are."
She nodded. "I suppose that sums it up."
He strode to the window. "Then I guess it was never true love." The light sharpened his features and painted streaks through his hair. "It seems to me that true love accepts the other person just as that one is and wraps love softly around the beloved without binding or constricting."
Chastity couldn't breathe. A tiny pulse hammered against her left temple. Soft love. It sounded like a
dream too good to be true. Love trusts.
At that moment Jack bounded into the shop. "I've done my chores, Adam. Dad says I can help you." He skidded to a halt. "Hi, Miss LaBlanc. How are you? What do you want me to do, Adam?"
"Hi, Sprout. Give me a minute, will you?" Adam shoved his hand through his hair, looking as if he wanted to say more to Chastity.
Before he could, she turned and dashed out the door.
* * *
Chastity set out the tea things, wishing she could somehow avoid meeting Adam. His words haunted her; they condemned her. She understood that as Michael had wanted to confine her to his own expectations, she had done the same to Adam. Her fear wanted to bind him to certain rules. Yet she didn't know how she could do otherwise; her heart dreaded making a mistake she would regret the rest of her life.
She knew she must sort out the problem in order to love the way she wanted to love and be loved. If not with Adam, then with the man she would trust God to provide.
When the bell at the back door rang, she grabbed the teapot and hurried to the dining room, calling to Emma to let in their guest.
Emma mumbled something about running away and then called for Adam to enter.
Chastity kept busy handing out tea, making sure Mrs. B's was quite correct and her mother had the little table close to her knee. She hoped if she took long enough, Emma would wait on Adam. But today Emma seemed inclined to passing out the cookies slowly, forcing Chastity to hand Adam his cup.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
Unable to stop herself, she glanced up. His blue eyes glittered knowingly. She dropped her head, ignoring his low chuckle.
"I won't bite," he murmured for her ears alone.
His comment was so unexpected that she pulled back and laughed. "Then I promise I won't either."
It was that easy to make a truce, and Chastity relaxed and settled back to listen to his tales.
"I feel it was a very successful tour," he concluded. "Mr. Edwards of Calgary, a prominent businessman, has organized a group of other businessmen and notables to come here to Willow Creek and see more of my work." He managed to look uncomfortable and pleased at the same time.
"That's wonderful, Adam," Mother said. "I expect they'll want to buy as many pictures as you care to part with."
Adam laughed. “Thank you, Miz LaBlanc."
Mr. Elias excused himself, heading for the stairs. He surprised them all a few minutes later when he reentered the sitting room and marched to Adam's side. "I have something I want to show you." He unwrapped a parcel and pulled out a book, handing it to Adam.
Adam read the title out loud: "Memoirs of a Soldier, by T. L. Elias. Why, Mr. Elias, you've had your life story published."
Mother sat forward. "How thrilling! You wrote it yourself, Mr. Elias?"
He nodded.
"So that's what you've been working at?" Chastity asked, giving an I-told-you-so glance to Emma.
"It's taken me a long time," Mr. Elias said.
Adam was still examining the book, reading excerpts aloud, when Chastity followed Emma to the kitchen.
"A book. Can you imagine?" Emma was obviously vexed no mystery was involved.
"It sounds as if he had a very interesting life."
Emma sighed. "I had so hoped it was something a little more dramatic."
Chastity laughed. "Seems to me life is complex enough without looking for something to complicate it."
Emma considered Chastity. "Are you referring to anything in particular?"
"No, just things in general."
What had once seemed so clear was now muddied. Somehow she had to sort out exactly what she wanted in life—and how much she was willing to risk.
But the days passed, and she found herself no closer to discovering the answers. And if life wasn't complicated enough, her mother seemed determined to make it even more so.
“There is no reason to celebrate my being an old maid," Chastity insisted.
Mother waved away her arguments. "My only daughter, my only child, is about to have a birthday, and I plan to celebrate."
"But, Mother," Chastity complained, "I'll be twenty-five. Too old to have a birthday party."
"Fine. Then we'll call it something else. How about a celebration of joy?"
Chastity shook her head. "I'd just as soon forget the whole business."
"It's important to me," her mother insisted.
Chastity studied her mother's face, set in quiet, resolute lines. How could she deny her? Besides, what would be the point? She would find some way of doing what she wanted. "Promise me you won't invite anyone extra, and we'll have just a little celebration with the residents."
Her mother smiled and said, "We'll have a grand time."
Chastity turned back to kneading the bread dough, troubled that she had not given her promise.
* * *
Chastity was almost grateful when the birthday arrived, hoping it would put an end to her mother's furtive whispers behind Chastity's back and her hiding things quickly when Chastity would enter a room.
Emma baked a big cake and decorated it with icing roses.
"I feel like such a fraud," Chastity complained. "All this fuss for nothing."
Emma finished the last rose before she straightened and answered. "It's fun to do something special." She washed the icing from her fingers. "I hope you don't mind, but I invited Gordon."
Chastity shrugged. "I don't mind. He'll be the only guest."
Emma gave her a quick look, then busied herself wiping the table. "Your mother is excited about the party."
"All I agreed to was a birthday supper." She studied Emma's bent head. "She didn't do anything I should know about, did she?"
Emma shrugged. "Not that I know of."
Chastity waited, suspicion growing in her mind. "I said nothing special."
Emma looked at her, her eyes wide. "I'm sure your mother wouldn't do anything you wouldn't approve of."
"How I wish."
After a quick teatime, Emma ordered Chastity out of the house. "You're the birthday girl. I don't want you doing the work, so go away while I finish up meal preparations."
Chastity hesitated, but the turkey was cooking in the oven, and the potatoes were peeled. She had gathered lettuce and radishes from the garden earlier. There wasn't a great deal left to do.
"Thank you, Emma. A little time off is the best gift you could give me."
Emma shooed her away.
Chastity wandered the streets of the town, enjoying the late summer display of flowers. Already some of the trees looked worn out. The evenings were growing short, the nights cold.
And I'm stuck in a rut.
For weeks she had battled a restlessness she couldn't identify. She had tried to ignore it, explaining it away as missing Colin. Even praying didn't ease it completely. As she walked around town, she determined to use the time alone to sort out her thoughts.
But an hour later she stood in front of the little white house with the picket fence and now-dusty arbor, still searching for answers.
She stared at the house and yard. For so long this little house had symbolized everything she longed for. But now she derived no pleasure from her dreams. What good are empty dreams? she wondered. A little white house with a picket fence meant nothing if she was alone.
Neither the house nor the place provided the security she wanted.
Colin's words rang through her brain.
Love always protects, always perseveres, always trusts, always hopes.
She wanted love.
But she wanted so much more.
She wanted a little house filled with love.
She wanted her mother to be happy and that meant keeping the boardinghouse.
The things she wanted seemed to oppose one another. It was impossible to sort out.
God, please show me what I need to know. Grant me wisdom and patience.
She breathed deeply, letting God's peace fill her, knowing He would lead her to what was best fo
r everyone. After a moment, she turned her steps homeward.
As soon as she stepped inside back door, Emma called, "Supper is ready."
"I hope I haven't kept you waiting." Chastity couldn't help feeling a little guilty at the amount of time she had spent daydreaming.
"No, Silly. Perfect timing. Come on."
Emma pulled Chastity toward the dining room. The first thing Chastity noticed was that the connecting door was closed, an unusual occurrence. Then Emma threw open the door and pushed Chastity inside.
She gasped. Red, white, and blue streamers hung across the ceiling to the corners of the room, and bouquets of bright flowers flooded the table.
"Oh, my!" she murmured, blinking.
No extra company, she had insisted. Nothing special. Gordon Simpson she had expected, but not Doc Johnson, Pastor Simpson, and Miss Martha, Michael—and Adam, grinning enough to split his face in two.
Chapter 10
"Happy birthday!" everyone shouted.
Chastity shot a scolding look at her mother, who only smiled and said, "You're to sit in my place tonight."
Emma pushed her toward the head of the table.
Chastity spent several seconds adjusting herself before she looked at the group seated around the extended table.
Mr. Elias beamed at her from the far end.
To her left sat her mother, with Mrs. B at her side.
On Chastity's other side, Adam was so close she could say with certainty that he had very recently shaved with a soap reminding her of pine trees after a rain. Michael sat next to him with the others filling in the places on either side.
Michael grinned. "I think we succeeded in surprising you."
"I wasn't expecting this. Mother promised me she wouldn't do anything special."
Mother sighed. "What would be the fun in that? Besides, I never promised."
Adam chuckled. "Your mother has been planning this for weeks."
Chastity had promised herself not to look at him until her surprise and confusion had settled. She feared her heart would be in her face…that he would see things she didn't want him to see. But her eyes seemed to have a will of their own and sought him. His blue eyes flashed with laughter, unblinking as they met her gaze.
Her pulse beat wildly behind her temples. She was trapped by his look, floating to the sky.
