Place Called Bliss, A

by Ruth Glover

  “Whoa!”

  The faces of the other four turned toward Cameron.

  “What do you mean whoa?” Molly asked pertly.

  “Her brother. She said I’m her brother. You heard her.”

  “So?” Molly asked impatiently.

  “I’m not her brother . . . never her brother.”

  “We know that,” Molly said.

  “But does she?”

  “I . . . I don’t understand.” Margo’s face expressed her bewilderment. Her hand, clutching a chair back, expressed her alarm. Was one member of the family about to disown her? Hard as it was to even think that Cameron might be her brother, his rejection, for whatever reason, would be shattering.

  Cameron was looking at Margo searchingly. “I don’t believe you know,” he said slowly. “And if not, it would answer so much—I’m not your brother, Margo,” he said. “I’m not Molly’s brother. I’m not a true-born son of Angus and Mary.”

  “Not . . . not a Morrison?” Margo asked stupidly.

  “Oh, I’m a Morrison, all right. But two or three times removed from this branch. My father, a distant cousin, died on a fishing expedition, and my mother died when I was born. Angus and Mary took me in and raised me as their own. I thought everyone knew. Obviously,” he said, a certain light in his eyes, “you didn’t know.”

  “No,” she said as steadily as she could considering that her breath was ragged in her throat, and her heart was thudding to an erratic beat.

  Watching the wordless interchange, Molly whispered, “Well, what do you know!”

  Angus, with a smile and a shrug, said, “I’ll tend to the cows, lad.” Not too old to be remembering the ways of young love, he added simply, “The horse and buggy are still at the door.”

  Cameron held out his hand and Margo took it. Together they stepped out into the shadows of the northland’s long evening. And though her black and curly hair reached almost to his chin, “Come, wee Margo,” he said. “Come explore Bliss with me.”

  Ruth Glover was born and raised in the Saskatchewan bush country of Canada. As a writer, she has contributed to dozens of publications such as Decision and Home Life. Ruth and her husband, Hal, a pastor, now live in Oregon.