I could understand his point of view now. Sometimes it was hard for me to remember I wasn’t the only one that had suffered a loss. I forgot that David was the one who saw him die. David was the one who was with him for the better part of four months straight. They had a bond, too. “David, you’re not betraying him by loving me,” I said quietly.
David looked off into the distant night not saying a word for a time. “It’s hard not to feel like it, but I can’t decide what to do with myself right now. You are a beautiful woman through and through. When I saw you on my doorstep, I nearly jumped out of my skin. I couldn’t believe it. You were more than even my imagination could conjure up,” he said as he finally stood.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“I think I need to pray on this, Wendy. Maybe then I’ll know what path to take,” he said quietly. His expression seemed pained, and I felt a mild guilt begin to seep in as he left me alone on the porch.
It gave me time to think about what had just happened, but truth be told, I didn’t want to. I was terrified of thinking about it from his point of view, yet I began to realize it could be seen as betrayal.
“Jacob, what were you thinking that day when you told David to look after me?” I asked the heavens. My only response was unsettling silence. I didn’t fight against that silence. I welcomed it. I needed the time to think, and so did he, but I hoped we wouldn’t lose what we already knew was there.
Chapter 4:
Valentine’s Day morning I walked downstairs as I normally did to get started on the cooking. I felt like a ghost in this house. David was much busier than normal because it was peak season for his business. I couldn’t tell whether I was coming or going. Maybe it was Valentine’s Day making me feel even more distraught. It was supposed to be a day of love, but it just wasn’t.
I got downstairs, and that’s when I saw it: On the table was a pretty card. It was decorated with fine ribbon and gorgeous lac and handwritten in fine calligraphy. Sitting beside it was a box of chocolate chip cookies. I wondered for a moment if my eyes were betraying me. Was it David, or perhaps Thomas had asked him to take him to get it? As much as a valentine from my son would make me grin ear to ear, I wanted it to be David’s doing. I wanted something to tell me that this would change.
I sat down at the table and looked at the card for a moment like it was a rattlesnake I’d just spotted in the grass. I was almost afraid to open it, but I finally reached for it and let my fingers trace over the beautiful details. Whoever put the card out for me had a good eye.
I opened it to read what it said and immediately I knew who it was who’d written this Valentine.
Wendy,
I know our time together has been bleak and filled with a lot of uncertainty. Although I know I’m working more often than I’d like and the days go on without much from me, I haven’t forgotten you. I never do.
Tonight I want us to spend some time alone and just talk. I’ve arranged for Thomas to stay with a neighboring family for the evening. Of course, this is all pending your permission, but I know the Jansons well. They’re good people that would treat him just like family.
If you’ll accept my offer, then I’ll be waiting tonight. We’ll make ourselves whole again one step at a time. That is my promise to you.
David
His words hit me like a bullet. I was shocked because it had come out of nowhere. David was a quiet man. He didn’t speak much, and he was mostly business. Maybe trying to distance himself from me was no longer working. That was the only thing I could think of in all of this.
I smiled brightly and hugged the valentine close to me as I squealed in delight. After all this time, I finally saw some light on the horizon.
When evening came, I made sure to keep my agenda clear. I had even paid special attention to what I was wearing and how I wore my hair. I’d pinned it up tonight—it was normally down—because I wanted to wow him before he even said a word.
It turned out to be the opposite when I saw him, however. He stepped out freshly shaven and clean-faced. His clothing was clean and pressed—not his usual workwear that I’d grown accustomed to seeing him in all this time. There was something endearing about how he looked whenever he’d just gotten done with a day of work, but this look on him made me blush and turn my head. You’d have never known this was a man who herded cattle and tended the land. He looked like a real gentleman. I knew he must have had this planned for quite some time. A getup like what he was wearing wasn’t something you just found.
The smile on my face couldn’t grow any wider, and I stood up to greet him. “David, I don’t know what to say,” I said as I looked him over once more before meeting his gaze again.
“Don’t say anything then,” he said with a chuckle as he walked over. He embraced me once more before his eyes met mine. I felt enraptured yet again, taken by his bold and masculine energy. “I guess you’re wondering what this whole day has been about,” he said with a smile.
“I can’t say I haven’t,” I said.
He smiled and sat down. “This might be awhile. Better pour us up something good to drink,” he said with a grin.
“Cold water it is,” I teased as I moved over to get the pitcher. I felt so much more natural around him right now. I attributed that to the thoughts going on in my head. I was envisioning us cuddled closely and becoming a real family, not the strange and divided household we were right now.
“I got your money.”
The simple statement made me freeze. “What?” I asked in disbelief.
“I had Nathan hand it all over. I got the lawyers on it. They’re hounds for sure,” he said with a chuckle. “What good am I if I can’t fix simple problems like that?” he asked, grinning.
I moved over to him and sat his water down, but I was still in shock. “Then I’m finally done with Nathan for good,” I said.
He nodded. “Sure are. He won’t be messing with you anymore. I got the account set up in your name and everything down at the bank. You don’t have to worry about a thing.”
I placed my hand on his. “I thought I was bothering you so much, David. I didn’t know you … ”
“Now wait a minute. I’m not done,” he said grinning at me.
I stopped my sentence abruptly, but I couldn’t help but smile at him. “All right,” I said.
“You must have thought I was going to just abandon you and Thomas. Well, I want you to know I have no intention of doing something like that,” he said softly. “I shouldn’t have been so hesitant. We’ve been around each other for weeks now, and I’ve been a bit of a fool. A good woman is sleeping in the room next to me, and I can’t even bring myself to tell her how I feel,” he said sheepishly. “I guess I’ve never really been good with women. Jacob used to make fun of me about it. He said I could use some classes,” he said with a chuckle.
I couldn’t help but laugh, too. It sounded exactly like something Jacob would have said.
“I’ve never been with a woman in any kind of serious way. I’ve been a loner, and I thought I always would be one. I’ll admit it took me longer than it should have to warm up to the idea, especially considering the circumstances, but now I’m ready,” he said.
My smile began to grow. “So what do you mean?” I asked as the anticipation in my heart grew.
“I mean, I think I’m ready to stop being such an oaf and actually show you how I feel,” he said.
His hands laced with mine, and I could feel my heart speed up its rhythm. His lips suddenly met my own. I fell easily into his kiss. I had been waiting on this for so long. My every worry was cleansed. I knew now that David and I really did have something for each other. I wasn’t going to suffer anymore with Nathan, and my son would continue to live in a home he was happy in.
Our kiss lasted for a long time, but eventually we parted ways. Our eyes met for a brief moment before we both donned goofy expressions from having done something so intimate for the first time.
“Wendy Reins, I want to m
ake you my wife—if you’ll have me,” he said suddenly.
I didn’t think I could grow anymore shocked, but when I saw him settle down on a knee and take my hand in his, I knew he was serious. “David?” I asked.
He pulled from within his pocket a ring. It was beautiful, glimmering and crystal clear. I’d never seen anything like it. Because we were such simple people by nature, I rarely wore jewels. This was a step I had never taken before. Even when I married Jacob, I never got a ring because we were so humble. But David wasn’t Jacob.
He had a hopeful yet nervous look on his face as he waited for my reply.
After I’d gotten over my initial shock and elation, I lifted my hand, and he placed the ring on my finger. It fit perfectly. I smiled at it, and then him, before I embraced him in a tight and sudden hug.
“You’re not going to have to worry again. If Nathan decides he has a problem, he can come up here, and we’ll talk about it,” he said with a chuckle.
“Now now, God don’t like ugly,” I said, pushing him a little.
We stayed in each other’s embrace for a long time. The feeling of security washed over me. I was sure now that I was forever in good hands after we’d vowed to marry on that Valentine’s Day.
Our wedding was simple with only close friends and family gathered. Afterward, Thomas was both thrilled and overly curious about marriage. About six months later, he was asking all kinds of questions. He had began to notice more about the things that went on around him now that he was older.
I was kneading some dough for rolls, and he was sitting at the table with some jam and sliced bread. “Why are you married?” he asked, not even looking up at me as he played with his food.
I had to think of a new way to explain this to him, but I was at least thankful there would be plenty of time before he was not only curious but also understood it. “Ma is married because she loves someone. Being married is how I get to show David that I love him,” I said.” Some people marry for other reasons, but for us, that was why we chose to.”
“Other reasons?” he asked.
“Some people have other reasons why they marry, but I can’t really say why. However, God smiles down on us when we marry for love. He expects us to mind his word and love the one you marry with all of your heart. One day, it’ll be your turn,” I said winking at him.
Thomas processed the answer before declaring, “Marrying is good!”
I laughed. Being a mother, I knew the many transitions he would go through when it came to girls and love. He might think girls were gross, but eventually he would understand when he met the one. I could only hope his marriage would never end as tragically as his fathers and my own. Hopefully no wars would begin any time soon, but I knew that wasn’t the only way to die. I decided it would be better to not worry for now, but it was always in the back of my head.
“You know it’s going to be different when he gets older,” David said from the doorway as he kicked off his boots.
Thomas turned around to see him and grinned. “Hey David.”
David smiled back. “Hey there. I’m glad you like what your mama cooked, but don’t forget to pick up your mess in the hallway. I don’t know about you, but train tracks and toys don’t belong in the middle of the floor,” He said pointing.
Thomas complained but after he finished his breakfast, he got up to do as he was told.
“I nearly kill myself on his toys every day I come in,” he said sighing.
I smiled. “It’s part of having a child in the house. You’ll get used to it,” I said.
He walked over and watched for a moment as I rolled the dough. I thought this might be a good moment to bring up something Thomas had said earlier in our on-and-off conversation. “You know, he asked me why I married you, and where his pa was.,” I said quietly as I continued my work.
David sighed and rubbed his hand through his hair uncomfortably. “It was bound to come up in conversation. I say we take this all one step at a time. He’s young and doesn’t understand these things yet, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it.”
I nodded and smiled. “Then I’ll do that. He loves you to death anyway,” I said. A thought suddenly struck me. “But is it OK? I want to keep his father’s memory alive. Jacob was a good dad,” I said.
At those works, a kinder expression crossed David’s face. “I’d never tell you to erase Jacob from his life, let alone yours. He’s a part of mine, too. God’s will was at work here. I don’t know for sure if we’ve done it all right, but he’ll let us know with time,” David said as he embraced me fully once more. This had become my favorite feeling in the world.
As he hugged me, I thought about what he said and realized just how much I believed him. Our lives had turned around completely, and I knew I couldn’t give credit to anything else in my life. He’d watched over me and delivered me through my roughest times right where I needed to be.
The End
Return to the TOC for Bonus Content
Western Mail Order Brides
Caroline
Chapter One:
A light breeze blew off Lake Michigan as Caroline O’Leary (no relation to the woman with the infamous cow, as her father always liked to tell people) walked along the shore ine with her best friend, Annette. The girls had linked arms and kept their heads bowed together, sharing secrets for the entirety of the walk. They found that stance kept unwelcome advances from suitors at bay, and that was important to them, as they were frequently the objects of flattery from young men hoping to get close to their families’ fortunes.
“My father wants me to marry within the year,” Caroline confided.
Annette’s eyes widened. “Did he actually say that to you?”
Caroline sighed. “No, not exactly. I might have been listening at the doorway while he was talking to my mother. But, in my defense, I have every right to eavesdrop. It’s my life. No, what he actually said was that he would have me married off within a month if the right offer came along.”
“And what did your mother say?” Annette asked.
The late May sunshine warmed the girls as they paused beside a stretch of park to gaze at the boats coming into the docks farther down the shore. Caroline adjusted her hat as she sighed. “She told him not to be too hasty, that my marriage was a good merger opportunity.”
Annette laughed. “Isn’t that just the way you want to spend the rest of your life? As an acquisition or a means of expansion for your father’s business?”
“What about you?” Caroline asked. “What does your father have planned for you?”
With a roll of her eyes, Annette linked her arm back through Caroline’s and tugged her forward. As they began walking again, she said, “You know that I’m promised to Ethan Fairbanks. We’ve been betrothed since we were babies, though I heard that he went West last year to have some grand adventure. It won’t matter if I meet anyone else. I just don’t have a choice.”
“And you’re OK with that?” Caroline asked, her pretty red bow of a mouth puckering into a frown. The way Annette described her future made Caroline feel empty and heartsick for her friend. Never mind that her own father had the same future in mind. Caroline still believed that she had a choice to make.
Annette shrugged. “I like Ethan, and I think that we’ll have a nice life together. Besides, it’s not like we’re getting married tomorrow. I have plenty of time before I have to start that part of my life.”
The friends walked along in silence for awhile, Caroline thinking about what Annette had said. She knew that just because that was her friend’s truth that didn’t mean it applied to her. God had different plans for each person. That was what her pastor always said anyway.
Caroline had faith that the Lord did have a plan for her, and she needed pray so that she could follow His path. She had to admit, though, that she didn’t always feel like she knew what that meant. Sometimes her prayers felt hollow and selfish.
“Oh, look, Pastor Danforth and his wife. Let’s go say he
llo,” Annette said, breaking into Caroline’s thoughts.
The pastor and his wife were walking toward them, and it didn’t take the girls long to reach them. Mrs. Danforth smiled warmly as the girls approached. “How are you girls on this fine day?” she asked them.
“Well, thank you,” Caroline said.
“We were just enjoying the fine spring weather,” Annette added.
They chatted for a few more minutes about the lovely warm May they’d been having when Pastor Danforth broke in. “Caroline,” he said, “your father stopped in to chat with me the other day. He wanted to know if I knew any eligible young men who might be a good match for you.”
Caroline couldn’t help as her jaw came unhinged. Usually the pastor kept things to himself even when begged to share information, but when she saw the look he exchanged with his wife, she knew that he had already given some suggestions to her father. Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach.
“Pardon me, Pastor Danforth, I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t want to marry any of the men my father thinks would be right for me. I don’t mean to speak against him, but he wants me to wed for what the marriage can do for our family name, for our wealth, but I … I want to marry for love,” Caroline said, hardly daring to believe that she had been so bold. Beside her, Annette was barely containing her shock.
A frown flickered onto the pastor’s face, but then Mrs. Danforth squeezed her husband’s arm, and his expression changed. “You know, I won’t interfere in your family’s affairs, but I did get a letter from an acquaintance who went West last year. He settled in Dakota Territory—South Dakota now. He’s looking for a wife. If you’d like, I’ll give you the letter, and you can correspond with him.”
The pastor’s words intrigued Caroline. She wasn’t sure what to say at first, but an impulse, almost as if she was prompted by a higher power, made her say, “Yes, thank you. It can’t hurt to write a letter, can it?”
Regency Romance: Fallen Duchess (A Historical Victorian Murder Mystery Love Regency Romance) Page 20
