“Honey, there is nothing foolish about your desire. I am rather happy that you have it, excited really.” He beamed. “However, as I mentioned, there is more at stake, and we have to do this right. You are certainly less vulnerable than the night of your mother’s funeral but...”
“I haven’t completely rid myself of the fear,” she said, finishing his thought. “I’m still dealing with anger and frustration about my past and the betrayal I felt from my mom. Do you think I will ever be completely free of those emotions?”
“I believe so. I also believe they will come up again from time to time in the future. Not being able to discuss all of this with your mother leaves doubt and confusion in your mind that will never be totally resolved. However, you shall eventually be free from its chains. Just look at the day you have had today.”
“Yes, but what if I can never be rid of this wall in my heart?”
Bryce pulled her into an embrace. “You will, honey. I know it. I cannot explain it, but I know it is coming. We can manage these obstacles. I promise.”
Holly leaned into his shoulder and relaxed. Her heart beat wildly in her chest. She loved him so much. And when she was in his arms everything else around her vanished. She closed her eyes and absorbed his love, his strength, his peace and the confidence that everything, absolutely everything, would work out. “Oh, Bryce, I love you.”
“I love you, too.” He kissed the top of her head. She smiled. He was kissing her, just not on her lips.
“When I’m in your arms like this, I don’t feel the resistance. Does that count?”
He tilted her face to meet his. “Yes.” He closed his eyes and pushed away from her. She felt the sudden coolness between them. “Soon, my love. We shall be kissing very soon.”
“Cannot be soon enough,” she mumbled and got down from the buggy.
* * *
Bryce strained every muscle in his body not to give in to his desires for Holly. Perhaps later tonight he might be able to kiss her. If he didn’t soon, they’d be sending him off to the asylum.
Dear God, give me strength. I don’t know if I can hold out much longer
.
Bryce secured the buggy and hopped down to join Holly. “Shall we go see if your father is free?”
Holly giggled. “He is. He’s in the window. I imagine he saw us carrying on.”
Bryce groaned. He held out his arm for her.
“Relax, we didn’t even kiss. Not for a lack of trying on my part.”
The touch of her hand in the crook of his elbow calmed him. “I am aware of that. You are temptation with a capital
T,
I will have you know.”
“Good.”
Bryce shook his head from side to side. “It shall be an interesting marriage.”
“If you ever ask me,” she teased.
“Let us not bring that discussion up again right now. We have bigger concerns.”
Holly grew somber. “Yes. Yes, we do.” They walked into the house and headed straight for her father’s study.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Graham.” Bryce extended his hand.
John Graham received it and gave a firm handshake. “Mr. Jarvis.” He leaned over and kissed his daughter on the cheek. “Hello, daughter.”
“Hello, Father.”
John motioned for them to sit. Bryce took the lead. “Holly had a memory surface this morning and she would like to discuss it with you.”
John sat straight and gripped the arms of his chair. “What memory, sweetheart?”
“Did I fall down a well when I was really young?”
John paled. “Yes. Yes, you did.”
“Was my father Emmett Landers there? Did he come down inside the well and carry me out?”
“Yes.”
“And were you there, as well, helping us out?”
“Yes. I held the rope and ran it through a pulley.”
“How did it happen?” Holly leaned forward.
“You were always an inquisitive child and one day you wandered off. Your father Emmett had come back with the legal papers. The four of us went to visit with his mother and your mother’s mother. The two women weren’t exactly on speaking terms with one another.... As best we could figure it at the time, you wandered outside to the backyard and fell through an old boarded-up well where the wood had rotted out. Fortunately your father knew how to track and found you rather quickly. It did take some time to rig the pulleys and rope to rescue you. But apart from that, nothing else happened.”
“Actually, something did. I believe when Emmett rescued me, to calm me he said he was my daddy. When we surfaced he told me you were my father. I believe that is why I stopped calling you ‘Daddy.’”
John leaned back in his seat and pondered the new revelation. Slowly his head began to nod. “You are probably right. It was around that time that you stopped.”
Holly leaned back in her chair. Bryce watched the two of them.
“What did he say, exactly?” John asked.
“He said, ‘Holly, pumpkin, it’s Daddy. I’m here to rescue you.’ After we got out of the well and I reached for you he said, ‘I’m your daddy, Holly, but John is your father.’”
“That sounds like Emmett. We had been discussing how much contact he should have with you once he left the area. He and his mother wanted you to visit over the summer months. Your grandmothers argued about it. Your mother cried. She couldn’t picture you being gone from her sight for so long. That’s when Emmett decided he would have no contact with you until you knew the truth. He’s an honorable man. He’s never gone back on his word. I was too afraid of you knowing about him when you were vulnerable. I am the one at fault, not your mother or father. Blame me for the past, Holly.”
Gentle tears slipped from the corners of Holly’s eyes. Bryce swallowed the lump forming in his own throat. Holly looked at her father, her eyes glistening. “I understand, Father, and I forgive you. I forgive you with all of my heart for everything.”
Bryce reached over and grasped her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Holly’s gaze pierced his. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears, but there was something more. They smiled with joy. In that very moment of forgiveness she found the release she longed for. Now he couldn’t wait to kiss her.
Chapter 15
B
ryce had departed several days earlier with the lingering whisper, “I shall return as soon as possible.” She knew he would be busy for the next two days. She hoped she’d see him tonight.
“What are you working on?” Tiffany asked.
“Some Irish lace. Would you like to try to learn again?”
Tiffany plopped down on Holly’s bed. “No, I’ve tried too many times. It’s not for me. What are you going to make?”
“Some Christmas presents for my other sisters. I was thinking in terms of some lace purses.”
“Christmas? That’s a few months away.”
“True, but they live in Tennessee. Who knows how long it will take a package to arrive? I’ll also make a purse for my stepmother.”
Tiffany scrunched up her nose. “Isn’t it odd to call someone stepmother?”
“Yes and no. It’s odd because I’ve never known her until recently. On the other hand, it is how I came to know her, so she is who she is.”
“I suppose.” Tiffany looked down at the floor then up at Holly again. Holly put down her lacework and braced for something serious. “You still haven’t kissed Bryce yet, have you?”
Holly raised her right eyebrow.
“I saw you the other day in the buggy. He held you close but you and he never kissed. How is that possible?”
“It took a great deal of self-control.” More on his part than her own.
“Why wait? I mean, you’re planning on marrying him, aren’t you?”
“We’re talking about the possibility. Nothing formal has been offered or asked yet.”
“I don’t understand why kissing is such a big deal.”
“For personal reasons I cannot explain right now.”
“What reasons? What would keep you from kissing the man you love? And you do love Bryce. You cannot deny it.”
Holly paused. “Yes, I do love Bryce.” Should she explain? She glanced at her sister’s questioning eyes. Perhaps Tiff could learn from her and Bryce. “I’ll tell you, but this will be our secret. Not because it is anything bad—just personal.”
Tiffany leaned in closer.
“The night of Mother’s funeral Bryce and I were in the barn. He was helping me sort out what I’d just learned about my parentage. I found myself very attracted to Bryce and leaned in to kiss him. He pulled away, not because he didn’t want to kiss me but because he felt I was vulnerable. He was right. That kiss, while I imagine it would have been pleasant enough, would have been an emotional response. I would have kissed him because I’d needed compassion, not because of my great love for him. Does this make sense?”
“Kinda. But why aren’t you kissing him now?”
Holly sighed. “Because Bryce, being a man of his word, promised he would not kiss me until all the pain, hurt, confused emotions and doubt were gone from my heart.”
“You’re still hurting?”
“Yes, but not in the same way. The other day, the one in which you saw us embracing in the buggy, I was freed from the final pain in my heart. Unfortunately, Bryce hasn’t been able to come by since that day so we still haven’t kissed.” Holly groaned.
Tiffany laughed. “Ya’ll are in love then?”
“Yes.” Holly chuckled along with her sister.
“Holly?” The running footfalls of her brother Riley came toward them. “Papa says you need to come quick.”
Holly and Tiffany jumped up and met Riley at the doorway. “What’s the matter?”
“Don’t know, just have to come quick.”
Holly pushed past her brother and ran down the stairs. “Where’s Father?”
“In the back garden.” Holly ran to the back of the house and out the doors leading to the veranda. Her gaze darted side to side searching for her father. “Father, where are you? What’s the matter?”
He eased up from his crouched position, brushing off his knees. “What’s the matter, Holly?”
“Riley said you wanted me to come quickly... I didn’t see you... I panicked.”
He stood to his full height. “I did ask Riley to fetch you, but I asked him to be quick about it because he was lollygagging.”
“Oh, sorry.” Riley ran off toward the barn.
Tiffany waved off the commotion and went back inside. “What did you need to see me about, Father?”
“Bryce sent a message that he’ll be coming around five to pick you up for dinner and the theater tonight. He’d like you to dress in evening attire.” John grinned. Gone was any misguided resentment toward Bryce.
Holly smiled. She had the perfect outfit. Her emerald-green dress with no sleeves. Mindful of propriety, she would wear a shawl made of Irish lace to cover her arms and shoulders. “Thank you, Father. I need to get ready.”
He smiled. “Have fun tonight, Holly.”
“Thanks, Daddy.” She winked.
John’s smile brightened.
* * *
Bryce straightened his tie and polished the top of each boot with a swipe across the back of his trouser legs. His tie adjusted, he knocked on the front door.
Calvin opened the door and smiled. “Evening, Bryce.”
“Good evening, Calvin.”
“She’s all fancied up. Where ya takin’ her?”
“To a restaurant and a theater show.”
“Treat her right. I know how to shoot, ya know.”
Bryce held back his laughter. A seven-year-old protecting his sister’s honor was not something to mess with. Riley was next in line with his arms crossed, scanning him from head to toe and back again. “Good evening, Riley.”
“Evenin’, Bryce. You be careful taking her home tonight.”
“Yes, sir. You do know we caught the bandits?”
“Yes, but there might be others trying their hand at easy money.”
“I will be careful.” Daniel and Tiffany smiled. Tiffany seemed downright giddy.
Holly appeared at the top of the stairway and paused. His breath caught. His mouth slackened as he took in the vision of regal beauty. She wore a long dress of emerald green that hung delicately off the edge of her soft, creamy white shoulders. White Irish lace bordered the squared neckline. A thin gold chain held an excellently cut emerald, matched by a set of earrings, highlighting the green of her eyes. Her lovely red hair was pulled tightly back and up, with a few wavy strands breaking free around her face. “You take my breath away, Holly. You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
Holly glided down the stairs as if walking on air. This side of Holly was new to him. “You are stunning.”
“You are rather dapper yourself,” she said with a wink.
He held out his arm. “Shall we?” The ring in his pocket seemed to be on fire. He couldn’t wait to put it on her finger.
Lord, help me wait until the right moment.
“With pleasure, Mr. Jarvis.” She placed her hand in the crook of his elbow and he captured her hand with his own.
John Graham cleared his throat. Bryce turned to see him leaning against the door casing to his office. “Yes, sir?”
“Best wishes on your evening together.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Good night, Daddy.”
John smiled. Bryce squeezed her hand and thanked the Lord for the healing that had come into Holly’s life. Outside, Ryan sat perched above the front wheel, on the landau’s driver’s bench. The carriage’s leather top was up. “Ryan has agreed to be our driver tonight so you can have my undivided attention.”
“I’m honored.”
“Honey, I must admit, I would rather forgo dinner and the show and spend the evening together alone. However, having the most enchanting woman in all of Savannah, possibly all of Georgia, on my arm at dinner and the theater will make me the envy of every man in town.”
Holly gave a bashful look toward the ground. “I’m glad you like the dress.”
“You never cease to amaze me, Holly.” He helped her step up into the carriage.
Once they were inside, Ryan drove the carriage toward the city.
“Let me look at you. You’re magnificent, simply stunning. You took my breath away when I saw you on top of the stairs. I love you, Holly.”
“I love you, too, Bryce. And there is nothing stopping me from loving you completely. The hard place in my heart is gone.”
“I’m so happy. And I’m so happy I waited to do this in the way that such a precious woman deserves.” Bryce slid off the seat and knelt in front of her. “Holly Elizabeth Landers, you are the most intriguing woman I know. I love you with all my heart and I would love the honor of becoming your husband, if you will have me. Will you marry me?”
“Only if you kiss me.”
Bryce moaned but regained his seat next to Holly and wrapped her in his arms. With all the tenderness he could muster he captured her lips with his. His pulse quickened. The world faded away. The kiss deepened. He was hers forever and always.
* * *
Holly’s eyes remained closed for a moment after Bryce pulled away. Slowly she blinked her eyes open. She looked into his honey-brown depths and caressed his cheek with her thumb. “Yes, I will marry you, Bryce. You are my closest friend, the one person I could share all my deepest secrets with. You are my love and my passion is for you and only you.”
Bryce’s smile deepened. He reached into his pocket. “I hope this ring will fit. I had Tiffany sneak me one of your rings so I could have the jeweler size it.”
“Tiffany knew before I did?”
Bryce chuckled. “It only seemed fitting since she knew two years ago my intentions to court you.”
Holly slapped him on the shoulder.
“Ow! What was that for?”
“From now on you come to me first.”
He rubbed his arm. “Of course.”
“Bryce, I love you. Thank you for being patient with me, for helping me through the past several months. I don’t think I could have made it without you.”
“You could have because you are a strong woman. However, I am glad to have been there to help you through, to pray you through, to be the man you needed during this difficult time. I love you, Holly.”
“I love you, too.” She leaned in and he leaned toward her. Their lips touched again, this time with gentle passion. When they separated, she asked, “So, when did you want to get married?”
“It depends on you. I am planning a two-month honeymoon—a sea voyage to Italy, nearly two weeks there, first stop Venice, of course. Then a cruise home. Does that sound acceptable to you?”
“Did you say Venice?” Holly’s heart couldn’t beat any faster.
“Yes.”
“How soon can we go? Wait, we haven’t even courted yet.”
Bryce chuckled. “No, I suppose that is true. Unofficially, wouldn’t you agree that we have been courting all our lives, getting to know one another? We could marry quickly but we wouldn’t be home for Christmas. Would that suit you?”
“For Venice, with you? Yes! I’m comfortable leaving the family behind. Just how much profit did you make on the sale of the house?”
“Enough.” He smiled.
“Can I kiss you again? I cannot believe we waited so long.”
“We were not waiting, you were healing, Holly. There is a difference.”
“I know and I appreciate your patience with me. Still, I’d like another kiss, if you don’t mind?”
“Kissing you, love, will never be a problem.”
Holly eased into Bryce’s arms. Her heart was at peace. Her mother’s and fathers’ decisions seemed a distant hurt from the past. Today she was beginning her life as the future Mrs. Bryce Jarvis and, oddly enough, the name change seemed a perfect fit.
* * * * *