Del moved to the bookshelf on one side of the fireplace. A cheery blaze helped warm the room. It added to the romantic mood, he hoped. Taking a slim, leather-bound volume from the shelf, he thumbed it open to a poem that he’d read many times. In fact, he could recite it from memory but wanted the book open. He thought it created suspense to search the book.
Returning to the sofa, Del sat angled toward Josie. He saw she held her breath, anxious to hear the poem. Good!
With a low, smooth voice, he softly began reading Lord Byron’s poem.
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.
And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!
“It’s the poem I associate with you. Last night, as we walked through the dark, I saw you like the poem come to life.” He searched her face for something beyond the amazement he glimpsed there. For a hint of the tenderness, he hoped to find.
“This morning, you came into the kitchen with a veil of black around you. That gorgeous head of hair brought this poem to my mind again.” He couldn’t find any tenderness in her eyes. They filled instead with a look he thought of as hope. It was good enough.
“Well, Josie mine, will you be just that? Will you be mine forever?” Surprised at how steady his voice stayed as he proposed, Del set the book aside and held Josie’s trembling hand.
At last, she spoke. “I want to, Del. Badly. For months, I’d wait for just a glimpse of you in the hall or by the front door.” She stopped speaking and swallowed convulsively. In the shadowy light of the fireplace, he watched tears slid down her cheeks. “It’s so fast. Are we being carried away by the circumstances? It feels so right to be with you, but feelings can manipulate a person. Make them forget about the reason.”
He knew what she meant but still twisted her words. “Seems to me the reasons we’re together are pretty good.”
What a tease! She huffed before a little giggle escaped her. “I do love your sense of humor.” Needing a handkerchief, she reached for her clutch purse. Inside, her hand bumped against the present. She’d forgotten it. Pulling it out, she let it sit on her outstretched palm.
“What’s that? A gift from a secret admirer?” Del’s voice teased. Was that jealousy she heard along with his joke?
In the dim light, she tried to make out the emotion in his eyes. He sat with his back to the fire, making it too hard for her to know what was in his blue eyes.
“I found it waiting for me at the rooming house. It could be from an admirer.” He harrumphed at that.
When she lived with her parents, the family opened gifts on Christmas Eve. She decided this was a perfect time to unwrap this gift. It put off her making a decision. How would she answer Del’s proposal? She badly wanted to say yes. Would that be a mistake? If only she had a sign to tell her what to do.
Carefully, Josephine untied the bow and set the lovely silver ribbon aside. The red foil paper rustled as she removed it. Now a cardboard box sat in her hands. Opening it, she drew out a small mound of tissue paper.
Pulling the thin paper aside, the metal top of a glass ornament showed. She held the clear ball up. Light from both the oil lamp and the fire caught it, helping her see what was trapped inside. A small baby carriage, identical in every detail to the one that stood at the end of the sofa, had been captured inside the glass. In gold paint, Family’s First Christmas circled the ornament.
The sign she wanted! The carriage and the wording said this was supposed to happen. It was another mystery how the sender knew about Del’s baby buggy or that they would be considering marriage at the moment that she opened the gift. Regardless, she took it as the sign she wanted.
Wordlessly placing the ornament back in the box, she set it aside. “Yes. With all my heart, yes!”
Del gave her a confused look before understanding dawned in his eyes. Quickly embracing her, he smiled down at her and brought their heads close together. Before his lips met hers, she heard him softly mutter, “Thank goodness!”
Finally, Del thought. Finally, I’ll get to feel the softness of her lips.
As he leaned toward her, a light flashed at the window. He jerked his head up as Josie screeched. A face leered in at them, illuminated slightly by the light the peeper carried.
Thrusting her protectively behind him, Del stared menacingly toward the face. It moved away from the window, drawing a loud sigh of relief from Josie. Their relief was short-lived when, minutes later, a knock sounded.
Del stiffened and hissed between clenched teeth. “Stay in here. I’ll find out what’s going on.”
Josie nodded but followed him to the doorway of the room anyhow. She stopped there and peeked around the jamb.
Jumping when the pounding started again, Del directed a command over his shoulder. “Whoever’s outside means business. Josie, you duck out of sight.”
The pounding continued and Del threw open the door. A figure with hand upraised to pound fell into the room towards him.
With a gasp of recognition, Del stretched out his hands to catch the lantern from the tumbling man. Surprise made his voice louder than normal when he spoke. “Reverend Williams! What are you doing at my door?”
The startled man righted himself and then reached for his lantern. Rather than handing it over, Del set it on a nearby table and shut the front door. Every movement was deliberately done. He needed to give himself time to settle his racing heart.
Calmly, Del examined the older man who leaned into the wall with a hand to his chest. “Will you be okay, preacher?”
The low rumble of a chuckle came from the man as he straightened away from the wall. “Just gave me a shock. I wanted you to open the door and when you did—” The man broke off to finish mimicking his fall with a hand waved from shoulder to thigh. He shook his head in wonder. “Can’t think why it all should have happened this way.”
Personally, Del didn’t care why the preacher had taken a tumble. Working to keep the impatience out of his voice, he pushed the topic that needed answers. “Why were you peeping in my window and then pounding on my door?”
Reverend Williams peeked at Josie before looking at Del. “To tell the truth, I didn’t believe you’d be here for Christmas. When that sparkly woman visited and told Minnie to prepare the house, we both balked. Something about her just made us want to believe it though. Kind of like a Christmas miracle.”
“Do you mean Mrs. Klaussen? My landlady?” Del tapped a finger to his chin as he mentally added one more mystery to their Christmas experience.
“Yes, that’s her. Sweet woman. Sure enough, she was right. I saw the lights in your house as I came back from Christmas Eve service.” Reverend Williams pointed in Josie’s direction. “And you’re not alone. At night. In a house with a woman.”
Del should have said, “She’s agreed to marry me.” After the fright the man gave them, he decided to prod the man. Tease him a bit.
“It was cold at the rooming house. You wouldn’t want me to leave her there. She and her baby needed to stay warm.” Del grinned with delight when the pastor’s eyes bulged a bit at the mention of a baby. Reverend William’s gaze went beyond Josie to the buggy parked at the end of the sofa.
The man cleared his throat meaningfully. “When I was a young min
ister, anyone caught in this situation would have been forced to marry. It seems now, with girls cutting their hair and wearing short skirts, morals have gone out the window.” His glance measured Josie. Del hoped he saw that both her skirt and hair were long.
“Tell you what preacher, I’ll marry her right now if you want to do the deed for us.” Del quickly searched his Josie’s face to be sure she agreed. She nodded eagerly and moved to loop her arm through his.
“Reverend Williams, please meet Miss Josephine Withers. Together, we’re caring for an abandoned baby. You can help us become a true family.”
The preacher shook her hand and smiled. “We’ll need Mrs. Williams and our daughter as witnesses, but yes, I’ll marry you two tonight.”
With some hesitation, Del asked, “About a marriage license.”
The older man grinned, shamefaced. “We’ll do it uptight tonight for you two. Then after the holiday, we’ll fudge on the license. Seems to me some powerful forces are bringing the two of you together. A Christmas wedding is called for.”
And that’s just what they had. By the time the witnesses joined them, it was after midnight. Peaches had been fed and changed. Mrs. Williams begged to hold her so the sleeping baby joined them for the Christmas wedding she unknowingly helped to make happen.
Del lit the small candles perched on tree branches. The lights reflected off of red and green glass balls. The fire still blazed and oil lamps sat on each table in the front room. Del and his sweetheart stood perpendicular to the Christmas tree, holding hands. Reverend Williams faced them so that the preacher and the couple framed the tree for the two witnesses who sat on the sofa. Three actually, if one counted the sleeping infant.
Reverend Williams kept his voice soft. The subdued lighting and sleeping baby called for quiet. “And do you Delmar Peale, take this woman to be your wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward. For better or worse, in sickness or health, for richer or poorer, to love and cherish, till death do you part, according to God’s holy ordinance?”
Del’s rumbled out, “I do.” Taking Josie’s hand, he kissed it to demonstrate his joy.
“Now, none of that. Kissing comes at the end, young man!” The preacher’s eyes twinkled in the candlelight. He pushed his humor away and continued with a serious tone.
“Do you, Josephine Withers, take this man to be your husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward. For better or worse, in sickness or health, for richer or poorer, to love and cherish, till death do you part, according to God’s holy ordinance?”
Silence answered him. Del gripped her hand tightly and looked down. Josie gazed up at him with tears that sparkled like crystals. “I…I do.”
The women on the sofa released their breath in tandem. Del worked not to laugh at that. The tension of wondering if she’d changed her mind had him giddy now that it was gone.
“By the power vested in me by God, the Church, and the state of Maine, I now pronounce you man and wife. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.”
The minister smiled at them. When he didn’t make the offer, Del asked, “Now pastor? May I kiss my wife?”
A titter of laughter along with a hearty guffaw from the preacher was his answer. Del leaned down and brought their lips together for the first time. Soft, yielding lips met his as her arms circled his waist.
He lifted his head and lost himself in her tear-filled eyes as he embraced her. “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Peale.”
Chapter 7
With a bottle in one hand and a mug in the other, Del entered his bedroom. Wiping at the cup’s bottom, he set it on the nightstand nearest his sleeping wife. From the cradle, Peaches snuffled and began to complain.
He watched Josie stir and then open her eyes. She smiled at him, no confusion evident in her face. He wondered if she’d panic at a man standing over her. Not his Josie. She only pulled the sheet over her bare shoulders and sat up.
“Did you bring me coffee in bed? That’s a present I’ve never gotten for Christmas,” she teased in a sultry voice that surprised him. After her response last night, though, he shouldn’t be surprised.
Leaning over her, he kissed her with one hand behind her head and the other bracing himself on the bed. “Do you know I love you?”
She searched and saw the truth in his eyes. The love she felt was reflected back at her.
Reaching a hand up, she caressed his cheek. As she parted her lips to tell him what was in her heart, a cry interrupted them. He pulled away and waved toward the mug.
“Enjoy your coffee while it’s hot. I have to take care of my other lady.”
Lifting Peaches, he carried her to the dresser. They’d fixed up a changing area there. Until he purchased a changing table, it would fill the need. With a rag wet from the pitcher of water sitting in the bowl on the washstand, he wiped her quickly. She squirmed at the cool rag before wailing loudly.
Giggles from the bed drew his gaze away from Peaches. His smirking wife wagged a finger at him. “Are you pinching our baby, Mr. Peale? She sounds angry with you.”
“Just enjoy your coffee, ma’am. This one wants her bottle and doesn’t care if she has a diaper or not.” With deft hands, he diapered the unhappy girl and wrapped her snuggly in a receiving blanket. The warm flannel calmed her a bit, but she still whined and snuffled against his shirt.
Carrying her to the bed, Del sat beside his wife and offered Peaches her breakfast. She growled greedily as her mouth latched onto the bottle. “This is one determined little gal. Can’t wait to see what she’ll accomplish someday.”
The smile on Josie’s face faded. “Will we see her grow up?”
He leaned forward and kissed his wife’s hair. “Remember the ornament. ‘Family’s First Christmas’ it read. I take that as a good sign we are meant to be a family and raise this one. Maybe a few others along with her, if we’re blessed.”
Josie sighed and leaned against his shoulder. “I hope so. It would be too cruel to take her from us now.”
“Sweetheart, don’t borrow trouble. Just enjoy our first Christmas together.”
A younger girl would have been embarrassed. She probably blushed from her head to her toes at waking up with a man standing over her. Josephine had been sure she’d never have a husband. She decided to enjoy him as the miracle he was.
She watched him care for the baby and wondered if she could be in love with him. Had she been falling in love over these last months? Perhaps that’s why she savored every word of greeting he gave her and ached to catch a glimpse of Del?
When he told her not to borrow trouble, she knew he was right. This moment, this day—it was a miracle. Magical, in fact. She wanted to jump up and make her husband breakfast.
She would, too. Except, well, she lacked the boldness to get up without a nightdress on. The confident temptress disappeared if she had to stand naked in front of him.
“Um, Del. Could you take Peaches downstairs maybe. I’d like to get up and start breakfast.” She absolutely refused to say she wanted to dress. She knew she would flush red then.
He looked at her, confused. Then a teasing grin appeared and his eyes twinkled. Tucking the bottle against him, he moved his free arm in a wide arc. “Go ahead and get up. Peaches and I won’t mind.”
Choking back a giggle, she sneaked one arm out from beneath the bedding. Pointing it toward the door, she managed a firm voice. “Enough! Go on. I want privacy!”
Gathering the baby close, he strode to the door. Before leaving, Del looked over his shoulder. Was that a wink?
What happened to the grim-faced fellow lodger she knew? She had to believe that he was happy with her and with their sudden marriage. God willing, this was more than Christmas magic, that they had the start of a strong marriage.
Their holiday was memorable. Reverend and Mrs. Williams invited the Peales to join their celebration. Shortly after noon, they sat down to a table filled with dishes Josephine grew up associating with Christmas. Baked ham, mincemeat pies, plum
pudding, to name just a few. She enjoyed watching the antics of the children enjoying their new toys. Mrs. Arnold, the Williams’ daughter, played the piano and the adults sang carols. All in all, the day cemented the feeling of being a part of something new and grand.
Late in the evening, an exhausted Peaches quickly went to sleep after her feeding. In fact, Josephine had to gently jostle her awake so she could finish eating. The baby had been the center of attention that day. After being passed from one lady to another, the infant was ready for her cozy cradle.
Leaving her snuggled under her wooly blanket, Josephine quietly left the room to join her husband downstairs. The sitting room was dark save for the glow from the candles on the tree. She stood in front of it and admired the sight. One candle glinted off the ornament she’d mysteriously received. The gold lettering reflected the light and showed off the tiny baby buggy tucked inside the glass ball.
Smiling, she turned and felt a tug on her hand. Del pulled her down beside him and wrapped an arm around her.
With a squeeze, he spoke softly in the darkness. “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Peale. Glad you were my gift this year?”
“So glad. But I don’t think I was your gift. It was Peaches. We were given her.” For just a moment, thickness clogged her throat. When she had the emotion under control, she continued. “…and hope.”
By the glimmer of the candles, he looked down at her. “Let’s hang onto both, then.” Del sat silent for a moment. Then he placed a kiss on the inky dark hair at her temple. “Do you know I was afraid to approach you? I’d watch for you to come up the stairs, telling myself that I’d ask you to take a stroll with me. The words refused to leave my mouth when I’d see you.”
Josephine pulled away from him. Shocked, she angled her body to better see his face, even in the dimly lit room. “I can’t believe that. You seemed, well, impersonal whenever we met. What kept you from asking me? Pride?”
Raising her hand, he gently pressed his lips to her palm. “No, you seemed withdrawn. Like someone still grieving.” He wrapped an arm around her again. “I didn’t know then who you’d lost. It’s just that I sensed you were healing from something.”
A Snowy Delivery for Christmas (Ornamental Match Maker Series Book 21) Page 5
