Authors: Connie; Stevens
She slowly raised her eyes to meet Gideon’s eyes again, comprehension dawning like the first light of day. “It’s because of who I am in God’s eyes. I’m His. Because He loves me and promised to never leave me, I’m not worthless.”
Gideon pulled her hands across the small table and drew her fingers up to his lips. “You are God’s treasure.” He placed a gentle kiss on each of her hands.
Miss Pearl tiptoed to the back door. “’Scuse me, I’m just going to go take the laundry off the line.” She slipped out, leaving Gideon and Tessa alone.
Gideon rose from his chair and stood with his back to her, looking out the window. “Tessa, I know how you feel about my selling the mercantile and starting a horse ranch. It’s been my dream for a long time. I’ve put a great deal of study into it, and I believe I have God’s approval. It will take some time. I need to purchase some acreage, acquire breeding stock, put up fences, a brood mare barn”—he turned to face her—“and a house.” He stared at the floor. One boot scuffed the other.
Sorrow pinched her. She’d intended to apologize to him for her hasty opinion, but with everything that had happened, her apology slipped through the cracks. “Gideon, I—”
“Tessa, do you think—”
She smiled. “You first.”
Gideon didn’t smile. He raised his eyes and held her gaze.
She couldn’t look away even if she’d wanted to.
“Tessa, I’d like to ask you to reconsider your opinion.”
Emotion swelled in her chest. She wasn’t sure she could contain it. He wasn’t just asking her to change her mind. He was telling her he valued her support of his dream. “Gideon, you and your father built a solid, reputable business through hard work and integrity. When your father passed away, he left you a legacy. But I see now that the legacy he left isn’t the mercantile. It’s the integrity he taught you. Your dream will succeed because of that integrity and hard work, but most of all because you have God’s blessing.”
A light from within slowly lit Gideon’s face. “Tessa, there’s one more thing I need for God’s blessing to be fulfilled.” He crossed the kitchen and lowered himself to one knee in front of her. Enfolding her hand in his, he spoke as solemnly as if taking a vow. “Tessa, I love you. My dream won’t be complete unless you’ll marry me.”
A single tear slipped down her cheek. “Gideon, it’s my dream, too. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He rose and drew her up from the chair. Cupping her face in his hands, he leaned down and sealed their pledge with the gentlest of kisses.
She snuggled into his embrace, releasing the shackles of her father’s accusations.
Gideon lifted her chin. “There’s just one other question I need to ask you.”
She couldn’t imagine anything else being important enough to need an answer this minute, but she nodded. “What is it?”
He pressed his lips into a thin line and took a deep breath. “You said you’ve already made plans to attend the barn dance with someone.” His dark eyes searched her face. “Who?”
Tessa threw her head back and gave free expression to the joy that overflowed within her. “Gideon, it’s you. I always planned to go with you. I was just waiting for you to ask me.”
G
ideon wiped his hands on a rag and tiptoed out of the stall to stand beside his wife. If there was any doubt of God’s blessing on his dream, the twin foals standing on wobbly legs beside their mother erased it.
Tessa leaned against him. “Just look at them, Gideon,” she whispered. “Aren’t they precious? Did you know she was going to have twins?”
Gideon grinned. “Well, I thought she was a mite plump, even for a pregnant lady.”
His wife lifted her shoulders in a contented sigh. “I’m so glad I got to help bring those little ones into the world.”
He slipped his arm around her as they made their way out of the barn to give the new family some privacy. “The two yearlings are coming along well. They’re both broken to halter, and by this time next year, I’ll start training them to harness.”
A high-pitched whinny drew their attention to the small corral attached to the barn where another new mother with her month-old foal trotted along the fence. Beyond the fence, two more mares and their foals grazed in the meadow among the wildflowers.
Gideon paused to lean on the top rail and appreciate the blessings God had given him. “Five strong, healthy foals so far.”
Tessa propped her arms on the fence beside him. “The miracle of birth is something I’ll never tire of watching.”
He grinned down at her and drew her close as they walked toward the house. “If God keeps blessing us like this, we’re going to have to add on to the brood mare barn next year.”
She cocked her head to one side but kept looking straight ahead. “I think we should add on to the house first.”
When he cast a sideways glance at her and saw a twitch play at the corner of her mouth, he thought she was teasing. She’d not made mention before of the house being too small. In fact, she’d told him it was the most beautiful house she’d ever seen.
“Why would we need to add on to the house?”
She peered up at him in a demure fashion. “Think about it. You’ll figure it out.” She continued on toward the house, leaving him standing by the birch trees, scratching his head.
He watched as she stopped by the vegetable garden to pull a couple of weeds from the row of carrots.
I’ll figure it out?
She dusted off her hands and climbed the front porch step to their home, pausing in the doorway to send him a secretive smile.
Realization dawned, and he let out a whoop of exultation. “Tessa!” He ran and scooped her into his arms, his joyful laughter blending with hers as he twirled her in a crazy circle. When he let her slip to the ground, his arms surrounded her, and he lowered his face to smother her with kisses. God had blessed them with such an amazing love.
Revealing
F
IRE
To all my sisters:
Those God gave me by birth—Pam and Chris
And those God gave me by grace—
Kim, Eileen, Margie, Susan, Ginger
I thank God for every one of you.
O
h, for mercy sakes! Stop flittering about like a silly schoolgirl!” Pearl Dunnigan glanced over her shoulder, thankful there was no one to hear her self-admonishment except Maggie, the cat. Perhaps she should have declined when Hubert Behr asked her to dinner. How preposterous for a woman in her September years to experience flutters over a man’s attention.
She propped her hands on her hips and frowned at the two dresses carefully arranged on her bed. Her newest, a dark blue with tiny flowers, was simple, just an everyday housedress. No elaborate trim or fancy buttons adorned the bodice, no special tucks or decorative stitching embellished the garment. The other was her Sunday best. Dove gray with purple ruching around the neck and cuffs and exquisite little purple buttons; the dress was elegant. Every time she donned the dress for church, she pictured fine Eastern socialites sitting down to tea, holding delicate bone china teacups with gracefully gloved hands. The image always made her snort. She’d be as out of place at a fancy tea party as Queen Victoria at a hog-calling contest. But every lady should have something special to make her feel dressed up, even for just one day a week, and Pearl loved feeling like a lady. Cooking and cleaning all day for a house full of boarders provided her an income, but at the end of the day all she felt was exhaustion. When Hubert smiled at her, she felt … revived.
She picked up the gray dress and turned with it in front of her to face the small mirror over her washstand. What would folks think if they saw her on the arm of a gentleman like Hubert in the middle of the week, and in her Sunday best no less? She held the dress against her and smoothed her hand over the precise gray tucks, each one embroidered with purple silk thread. Glancing back at the dark blue still lying on the bed, she knew her mind was already made up.
A knock drew her attention. “Miss Pearl?”
She recognized the voice of Tessa Maxwell, a dear friend who was like a daughter to her. Hastily returning the gray dress to the wardrobe, she called out, “I’m in here.”
The young woman with honey brown hair, holding a blond-headed toddler by the hand, poked her head in the door of the bedroom. “We stopped by to see Grandma Pearl while we were in town.”
Pearl crossed the room with her arms held out. “Come here, punkin!”
“G’ma!” The little girl pulled away from her mother and ran to Pearl.
Gathering the child to her, Pearl inhaled the child’s sweet scent. “How is my sweet little Susan today? My goodness, how fast she’s growing.”
Susan stretched her hand up over her head. “I dis big.”
Tessa gave a sad little smile. “You know I’ve already had to pack away so many things that she’s outgrown.” The young mother heaved a deep sigh. “I wish she could stay little.”
Pearl nuzzled the little one, her own sigh matching Tessa’s. “I don’t think I realized all I’d missed by not having young’uns of my own. But I’m grateful that you’ve let me be a step-grandma.” Pearl planted little kisses all over the child’s head, and the tot rewarded her with a smile.
“G’ma, cookie?”
“Not before supper,” her mother admonished.
Tessa hugged Pearl’s shoulders. “I just came from the mercantile. Mr. Behr asked if I could bring in some gingerbread cakes and sugar cookies to the store.” She reached out to catch Susan’s hand to keep her from investigating Pearl’s bureau drawers. “Taking care of a home and a husband, and now this little sweetheart, doesn’t leave me much time for baking like I used to do. But Mr. Behr said anytime I can bring baked goods in, he’d be pleased to have them to sell.”
At the mention of Hubert Behr, Pearl’s heart did a giddy flip and telltale warmth stole into her cheeks. Her mouth took on a mind of its own and stretched into a wobbly beam of pleasure.
Tessa cocked an eyebrow at her. “What’s this? A smile through the blush?”
Pearl stroked Susan’s yellow curls and shrugged. “Don’t suppose I can keep it to myself much longer. I’d like to tell you and Gideon before the whole town knows about it. Hubert and I—that is, Mr. Behr has asked me to join him for dinner tomorrow night.”
Tessa’s eyebrows arched a notch higher, and Pearl decided to blurt out the rest before her friend’s imagination got carried away.
“He—Mr. Behr—asked me two weeks ago if he could …”
“If he could what?”
Pearl bent and straightened Susan’s pinafore to cover the nervous tremble in her voice. She cleared her throat twice. “He asked permission to—” Her voice cracked. “Oh mercy sakes! He asked permission to call on me.”
Tessa’s eyes widened along with her smile. “Call? You mean he wants to court you?”
“No, it’s nothing like that.” Her pulse tapped an erratic rhythm. “He just asked if …”
“Mr. Behr is taking you to dinner? That’s so exciting.” Her friend appeared genuinely happy at the news. “Mr. Behr is such a nice man. Where is he taking you?”
An involuntary smile tweaked the corner of Pearl’s mouth. “He said he’d reserved the best table at the hotel dining room.”
“Really?” A grin split Tessa’s face.
Pearl took a deep breath. “Really. I was just trying to decide what I’ll wear when you came in.” She crossed to the bed and looked down at the dark blue dress draped across the end of the bed. “I think I’ll wear this. It’s new and quite serviceable.”
Tessa’s lips pursed and her eyebrows dipped as she looked over the dress. “Miss Pearl, you’re not wearing a housedress for your dinner with Mr. Behr, no matter how nice it might look on you when you’re sweeping the front porch.” Her young friend opened the wardrobe and fingered through the garments hanging there. “Here. This will be perfect.” She extracted the light gray with the purple trim.
“Oh honey.” Pearl lowered her voice like she was telling a secret. “Don’t you think people will think I’m being a foolish old lady, getting all gussied up to have dinner with a friend?”
Tessa gave Pearl a quizzical look. “A friend? Is that why Mr. Behr spent every minute with you at the church potluck supper a couple of weeks ago? Is that why he started stammering a little while ago when I told him I was planning on stopping by here, and why you blushed when I mentioned his name? Because he’s your friend?”
Pearl took the gray dress from Tessa and laid it on the bed. “Honey girl, I’m more than fifty years old—too old for such nonsense.” Susan cackled as though she understood Grandma Pearl’s joke.
Tessa plunked her hands on her hips. “Who says you’re too old? I don’t ever remember hearing there is a certain age at which people are no longer allowed to enjoy each other’s company.” The two women watched as Susan sat on the braided rug and pulled off her shoes. “Besides, you’re a lovely lady and …” She leaned forward and finished in a conspiratorial whisper. “And Mr. Behr is a handsome man.” She straightened. “And furthermore, I think the occasion calls for a new bonnet as well. Mrs. Pettigrew is displaying some pretty new things in her shop. She could fashion something for you with some lovely purple flowers on the brim that will go with the trim on this dress.”
“Oh, pshaw!” Pearl flapped her hands. “There are plenty of things I can spend hard-earned money on besides a new bonnet.” She caught her reflection in the mirror and hesitated. Her hair used to be honey brown. Now there was much more gray than brown. A new bonnet might make her look like a girl again. As quickly as the thought crossed her mind, she dismissed it. Such nonsense. She picked up Susan’s shoes. “Come sit on the front porch with me awhile.”
The scent of the lilac bushes by the porch beckoned Pearl to spend time with Tessa and little Susan. They settled themselves on the swing, and Pearl reached to tickle Susan’s tummy.
“I remember one time.” Tessa’s teasing smile pulled the corners of her mouth upward. “You told me once that I
needed
to buy myself some new hair ribbons. I think you
need
a new bonnet.”
Pearl squirmed “That’s not fair. You’re using my own words against me.” She reached through the railing and plucked a lilac blossom and held it to her nose. The sweet fragrance pulled a soft sigh from her, but the contentment that normally accompanied her brief respites on the porch swing surrounded by the scent of lilacs eluded her. She pushed against the railing with her toe and set the swing into a gentle motion.