Lawfully Rescued
Page 12
For Faye, the highest angel had loved the people and felt sadness, like a parent with a child. He wanted more from them and felt he had to teach them right from wrong. She’d dreamt of how inspiring it would be to be visited by an angel. A loving, nurturing, gentle angel that cared for her and motivated her to do so much more with her life. Oh yes, she loved the story of Gabriel.
Staring ahead, she watched the people take their seats. Ladies, including her mother, tucked their skirts around them modestly as they sat on blankets under the trees. Pulling out their bibles, they began to smile and chat with each other in earnest. Today was the women’s group meeting. Her pa was across the clearing enjoying a pipe with a few other men. Faye heard a snap beside her and whipped around guiltily expecting punishment for not listening as directed. She was supposed to be with the other children in bible study.
“Shhh.”
A young boy edged up close to her under the bushes. His dark golden-brown hair and slate gray eyes had her mesmerized. She’d never seen eyes like that or anything of the sort before. He smiled, revealing a dimple in his right cheek as she stared at him.
“Are you hiding, little fairy?”
“Yes, but I’m no fairy. Do be quiet or they’ll spot us.”
“You look like a fairy to me,” he countered, his grin widening. “A beautiful muddy little fairy.”
Faye put her finger to her lips, indicating that he should be silent as the adults began reading from their books. Faint, delicate, feminine voices carried in the morning breeze setting her imagination wild. She could picture the massive arc in her mind and the animals lumbering by as they boarded. Sighing happily, she glanced over to see that the boy was staring at her with an unfathomable look to his face.
“You are magical,” he whispered in awe. “You remind me of some fairy princesses in the stories my Da tells us around the fire. What’s your name?”
“Faye. What’s yours?”
“Faye? That’s just like the magical folk in my Da’s tales, the fae. I’m Gabriel.”
“Are you an angel?” she asked quietly, suddenly afraid that she’d truly been well and caught by someone from up above. No one ever said how old Gabriel the angel was in the stories. Could he have been a grey eyed, mischief making young boy?
“No, my Da would say quite the opposite,” he countered with a wry grin. “But you? Your name is quiet fitting with all those inky curls around your face. How old are you Miss Faye?”
“I’m six. I’ll be seven soon. How old are you?”
“I’m eleven and old enough to know you are supposed to be with the other children.”
“Are you going to tell on me?”
“No, Miss Faye. I won’t breathe a word. Why are you here and hiding?”
“My mother says that I’m too young to comprehend my actions and that I act childish. I think their fantastic stories that they weave are so much better than Pastor Smith’s tales. What about you?”
“I saw you climb under the bushes and was curious to know more.”
“Well, now you know,” she countered as she saw her mother’s eyebrow suddenly raise in alarm. The woman had an uncanny ability to sniff out her escapades if she stayed away from the whiskey. Her mother had always hidden away her drinking from others, including her father, but for Faye? She was the recipient of her frustrations and anger. She blamed Faye for driving her to drink, making her feel incredibly guilty.
“You look frightened.”
“I am more concerned that your talking with get me caught.”
“Hiding for a moment’s peace in order to dream away the world we know?”
She glanced at him startled by his words. He seemed to be a kindred soul and understood exactly what was tumbling through her deepest shadows of her mind. It was wrong to be so wary, so frightened and feel so alone. She might be extremely young, but she felt so very old. This boy lying in the muck near her understood her like no other.
“Miss Faye, I know it seems quite silly to say so, but I think we were meant to meet,” he said suddenly, surprising her. Gabriel reached down and snapped off a long frond. Splitting it, weaving it and knotting it. He smiled warmly at her, holding out his hand.
“Someday, I want to create a story for just us. One that makes you smile and crawl in the mud with happiness. I think us meeting today was destiny. I think we could both use a bit of happiness,” Faye’s eyes grew wide as she listened to his words, staring at him in surprise. Her chubby, childlike hand had mud under the fingernails from where she’d crawled up under the bushes. She put her hand in his and noticed that he also had debris underneath his nails. His young hands had done a significant amount of hard labor and was callused as any grown man.
Gabriel slipped the woven frond ring on her middle finger gallantly. “Miss Faye, will you be my fairy bride? We’ll make our own adventure together.” he asked with a happy, playful grin. His large grey eyes crinkled at the edges as he winked at her. Nodding eagerly, her curls bobbed around her face as she stared at the woven ring made of iris fronds from the water’s edge.
“I want to give you something too,” Faye said quickly, digging around in the pocket of her dress, her muddy hand emerging with a piece of quartz. She pressed it in his hand playing along. “I found this heart shaped rock last week and it’s my favorite rock of all. See how shiny it is?”
“It’s perfect. Thank you.” “Does this mean we are betrothed like real grown-ups?”
“Yes, I think so. You’ve my ring and I’ve your heart.”
“Then yes. I’ll marry you.”
Feeling a hand clamp down around her ankle, Faye’s eyes widened in alarm and suddenly matched Gabriel’s suddenly pallid expression as both were yanked from beneath the bushes together. Faye was held aloft by her father. Her eyes were almost at eye-level of her mother’s disapproving stare as she struggled to keep her bloomers from showing. Glancing over at Gabriel, she flinched and began to cry as a large man began to strike him not far from where she was dangling in the air.
“You philander rapscallion! How dare you bring that child to ruination before her very parents? Don’t you realize that you represent the family?” the man screamed as Gabriel crouched down in a protective ball.
“Your young man was behaving most inappropriately!” Faye’s mother shouted aloud in agreement, egging him on.
“Aye! As well as your daughter too – both should be kept away and hopefully this goes no farther than from us. I can’t have your slovenly daughter claiming a stake on my boy. He’s destined for better!” Faye’s mother swelled up and became red-faced as her temper was unleashed.
“Your boy shouldn’t be manhandling young innocent girls who don’t know any better! If you ask me, that is a learned behavior. You should be ashamed of yourself and of how he has acted on your behalf.”
“I was just thinking the same thing,” Gabriel’s father drawled out pointedly looking at her mother and then to her. “A learned behavior, I see.”
“Now see here!” Faye’s father stepped forward, seeing her mother prepare to take issue with his words. Words she didn’t understand then, their implication, but understood them now.
They had argued for several moments as her father put her on the ground indelicately. She watched as Gabriel stood there unwavering in the brunt of their anger. They’d believed that he’d led her astray, whereas she wholly believed that her path in life had just been revealed to her. She stared at his young stoic face and caught a sad smile, just before being yanked away by his father. He looked over his shoulder at her, those grey eyes would haunt her for many years to come. He mouthed the very words that touched her heart, burning into her soul:
I’ll return for you.
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Other books by Barbara Goss:
1. Forbidden Legacy
2. Captured Heart
3. Stolen Heritage
4. Dangerous Illusions
5. Silent Love
6. The Final Vow
7. The Kissing Bridge
8. Drawn from Darkness
9. Temptation by Moonlight
10. The Romantic Ruse
11. Shadow of Shame
12. Shadow of Deceit
13. Shadow of Regret
14. Shadow of Hope
15. Shadow of Love
16. Shadow of Faith
17. Shadow of Second Chances
18. Sunshine in the Rain
19. Yesterday’s Rain
20. Mail Order Mishap Book 1
21. Mail Order Vixen Book 2
22. Mail Order Ruse book 3
23 Mail Order Calamity Book 4
24 Mail Order Compromise Book 5
25. The Guilty Proposal
26. The Reckless Proposal
27. The Shotgun Proposal
28. The Housekeeper’s Proposal
29. Dan McCall’s Bride
30. Looking for Love:
31. Delightfully Deluded
32. Ricochet Romance
33. Wanted: Horse Breeder – spring 2018
34. Wanted: A Trusting Heart – August 2018
35. Lawfully: Rescued –September 11, 2018
36. A Bride for Nathan – Oct. 18 2018