The Widower's Wife (25 page)

“I’ll go so that you can eat,” he said quickly and started to go.

“No, wait!” This time Jillian grabbed his hand desperately and looked into his eyes, pleading. “Please Dalton, don’t leave. Sit back down for a moment.” Dalton obeyed and sat down again on the edge of the bed. This time she looked down before saying, “I think you’re right. We do need to talk.” Gathering her courage and looking back up at him she added, “Really talk.” Dalton slowly let out his breath like he’d been holding it.

“Okay. Good. When you’re feeling better, we’ll take the children over to Aunt Betty’s and then we’ll take a ride, spend the day together.”

Jillian wanted to shout, “I’m ready now!” but her body didn’t agree, so instead she just said calmly, “That sounds perfect, Dalton.”

He released her hand, stood up, and walked to the open door. Before going through, he turned and said, “You need to take the day to rest. I’ll manage the children just fine. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thank you,” Jillian replied gratefully. He smiled at her once more and closed the door behind him.

Nathan Shaw stepped off the train and looked up at the sign above the platform that read “Welcome to Darlington, Wisconsin.” He grinned to himself.
It won’t be long now
, he thought,
but first I need a drink.
His hand went to his face.
And perhaps a shave. I want to look my best for Jillian.

It didn’t take him long to find a saloon and quench his thirst. He would have rather stayed for a game of cards, but he needed to find the barber and ask around about Jillian. He patted his breast pocket and felt the thick billfold there. By now his father had probably discovered that he was missing a rather large sum from the safe. Maybe Nathan would have the chance to double some of his money later on tonight.

After tipping the barber handsomely, Nathan walked out onto the boardwalk. He noticed a group of woman trying to catch his eye, and he sauntered over to them, removed his hat, and gave them a graceful bow.

“Good morning! And how are you beautiful ladies doing on this fine day?” There was a round of giggles, and one of the women stepped forward slightly and offered him her hand. He took it gallantly and placed a firm kiss upon it.

Sarah Bingham couldn’t believe her luck. They had ridden into Darlington only a short time before to attend a concert given by a traveling opera group that would be performing later that afternoon. Already, the most handsome man in town had noticed her and had come over to speak to them.

“How do you do, sir? I do agree with you, the day is fine indeed.” She gave him an inviting smile.

“And with whom, may I inquire, do I have the pleasure of becoming acquainted today?” He had not released her hand as of yet. He was flirting unabashedly with her.

“Miss Sarah Bingham. And you are . . . .”

“Mr. Nathan Shaw,” he bowed again, “at your service.”

Nathan saw that Miss Bingham was immediately taken with him, and he was hoping she had some information that would aid him in his quest.

“I was hoping one of you ladies might be able to help me.” He paused as the group looked at him expectantly. “I am looking for a friend of mine, a Miss Jillian Grey?”

The enamored look on Miss Bingham’s face immediately fell.

“Miss Grey?” she answered. “Do you perchance mean Mrs. Jillian McCullough?

“McCullough?” Nathan felt the anger well up inside him instantly, but he forced himself to remain calm and keep up his pretenses. “Yes, I’m sorry, I did mean Mrs. McCullough.” He forced himself to laugh. “We’ve been friends since we were children and she is so recently married, I sometimes forget to call her by her new name.” His anger was causing him to tremble. He needed to end this conversation quickly. “Do any of you by chance know how I might find her place of residence?”

Miss Bingham’s face had turned to stone, and Nathan knew she wouldn’t help him any longer. She spoke for the group when she answered him firmly.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Shaw, but I don’t think we can help you. Come, ladies. If we don’t hurry, we’ll be late for the performance.” As they started to walk away, one of the girls in the group stopped and walked back over to him, even as Miss Bingham gave her a fierce scowl. She was a little plainer than the others, but he still gave her a winning smile, hoping to gain some information from her.

“How do you do, Mr. Shaw?’ She held her hand out to him and he politely kissed it. She smiled, and her cheeks colored. “I am Miss Olivia Jenkins. My father is the reverend over in Willow Springs, a couple hours from here. I apologize for the rudeness of my friend.” She paused as she looked quickly over her shoulder to make sure she was not being overheard. “How do you know Mrs. McCullough?” she asked. He assumed she was just being cautious.

“Like I said, we’re childhood friends from Providence. I was away on business when she was married and was unable to attend the wedding,” he lied. “I had a break in my schedule and decided it would be a good time to visit and offer my congratulations.” She seemed convinced by his feigned sincerity.

“Mr. and Mrs. McCullough live on a farm on the other side of Willow Springs. If you can find your way to town, anyone there can direct you the rest of the way.”

“Thank you kindly, Miss Jenkins. I am much relieved to know I will soon be reunited with my dear friend. You have done me a great service today, my good lady.” She looked embarrassed at his praise.

“I am glad I was able to help you, sir,” she gushed.

“Indeed, you were,” he smiled gratefully. “Indeed, you were.” He bowed again, and she hurried back to her group of friends. Nathan headed toward the saloon, smiling a very satisfied smile.

Two days later, Jillian was feeling well enough to go on her planned outing with Dalton. She was worried about Dalton missing another day of work, but he assured her that since the cornfields were now half their original size, he had more free time on his hands.

Jillian put on the same peach dress that she had worn to the picnic and stood in front of her mirror. She was glad that some color had come back into her cheeks. Instead of pulling her hair up, she decided to wear it in a loose braid down her back.

The children were excited to be going to Uncle Ned and Aunt Betty’s. Today was the day they were going to be able to bring their kitten home. It was finally old enough to leave its mother, and Dalton had agreed to let it live in the barn.

After they dropped the children off, Jillian and Dalton headed over to Willow Lake. Jillian wanted to go again, despite her unpleasant experience there. She was determined they would have a good time making happy memories to replace the bad ones. She had packed a picnic lunch of fried chicken, potato salad, and a peach pie for them to share for dessert. Her body was still trying to overcompensate for her food depravation while she was sick, and she was looking forward to the feast.

As Riley leisurely pulled the wagon along, Dalton was being both charming and entertaining. When they finally arrived, they walked about the lake and played in the water for a while, splashing and laughing. They both felt relaxed and comfortable in each other’s company. When Dalton walked back to the wagon and came back carrying a set of fishing poles, Jillian laughed.

“I’ve seen those things, but I’ve never actually used one.”

Dalton raised an eyebrow at her. “You’re joking. You lived so close to the ocean and you never went fishing before?” He sounded genuinely surprised.

“Well, Marcus did try to get me to go once on one of our vacations to the beach, but—” Jillian paused.

“But what?” he encouraged.

“Well, I always thought it was sort of inhumane, putting a live creature on a hook only to be eaten by a fish that was going to be eaten by you.” Dalton laughed out loud. “Well, I was a bit younger then.”

“How young?” he asked when he had stopped laughing.

“About ten.” Dalton chuckled again and she laughed too.

“Well, ten is a very tender age, especially for a girl.” He looked her over teasingly. “I think you’ve grown up a bit since then. Have you changed your mind?”

“Maybe,” she teased back, grabbing one of the poles and heading down toward the lake.

Jillian actually had fun learning to fish, although she made Dalton bait her hook each time. She didn’t catch anything, but Dalton caught three healthy looking trout. He seemed pleased with himself.

Lunch was delicious. Afterward, they relaxed on a blanket under a large tree for a while. Dalton stretched himself out, put his hands behind his head, and closed his eyes. Jillian, leaning her back up against the tree and knowing he couldn’t see her, watched him intently. Every once in a while, a muscle in his cheek would twitch, as though he was thinking of something that made him want to smile. Suddenly a swan glided down from out of nowhere, landing gracefully on the lake and catching Jillian’s attention. It was beautiful here.

“Did you and Laurellyn come here often?” Jillian surprised herself by asking her question aloud. She wasn’t even sure Dalton was awake to hear it.

Dalton opened his eyes, sat up, and looked at her. His gaze followed hers to the lake, and he saw the swan resting peacefully on the water. He seemed to understand the reason for her question.

“Yes, but mostly before we were married. She did love this lake, though,” he answered quietly.

They both sat in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts.

Then the swan suddenly took flight over the island and startled Jillian.

“What’s it like over there?” she asked curiously.

“On the island?”

“Yes. I saw quite a few people boating back and forth from there at the Independence Day picnic.”

“Would you like to go over and see?” he asked. “There’s usually a boat tied up somewhere along the shoreline.”

“Yes, I would like that very much,” she replied.

Dalton stood up and offered her his hand. She took it willingly, and after he helped her up, he didn’t let go. Instead, he laced his fingers in hers, and they walked toward the lake’s shore. They followed the shoreline for some distance before finding the small boat tied up. Dalton helped Jillian in first, untied the boat, pushed off from the shore, and deftly hopped in.

It didn’t take very long for Dalton to row to the island’s shore. When they reached it, he got out first, tied the boat up, and helped Jillian out. He took her hand again as they walked up the shore.

Jillian’s breath caught in her throat when they reached the top of the incline and looked around. There were only a few trees here, but the whole island was a carpet of flowers. Most of them were wildflowers, like black-eyed Susans with their bright yellow blooms, and butterfly weed with its frilly orange petals. There were purple lavender and delicate white aster blooms. Every color of the rainbow was represented in its entire splendor.

“How beautiful!” she whispered reverently.

“Yes, beautiful,” she heard Dalton say, but when she looked over at him, he was looking at her instead of the flowers. She felt her cheeks grow hot. Suddenly shy, she turned away and tried to concentrate on the scene before her.

Dalton let go of her hand, and they walked in the direction of a fallen tree some distance away. Every now and then, Dalton bent down and picked a flower until he had a nice bouquet in his hand.

When they reached the log, Dalton motioned for her to sit down. She did, and he sat down beside her, resting his arms on his knees and leaning forward slightly, holding the bouquet out in front of him. Jillian watched as he fingered their delicate blooms one at a time. He pulled a single stem out of the middle and brought it to his nose, inhaling its sweet fragrance. Afterward, he brought it back down in front of him, but instead of adding it back to the bunch, he held it slightly away from the others. It was a delicate white flower with a yellow center.

“You know, these were Laurellyn’s favorites.” He was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. “It’s unique and delicate and different from the rest, with a fragrance all its own.” He inhaled its scent once again before going on. “When I fell in love with her, I knew there would never be anyone else in the whole world like her.” Jillian could tell he was fighting to keep his emotions under control.

“When she died, I thought my whole world had died with her. I didn’t want to live in a world without her. If it hadn’t been for the children, I would have holed myself up somewhere and shut everyone out.” He paused briefly. “But as I held my sweet boy in my arms that night, I knew I still had a part of her with me, and I vowed I would try to live for them. It hasn’t been easy, what with all the constant reminders of her around.” She wasn’t sure, but Jillian thought she saw a single tear escape his eye and start down his cheek.

“She made me promise before she died that I would remarry and find someone to love again, someone to love our children. She was sure there was someone out there for me.” His voice broke slightly. “I didn’t think I could ever love another woman, but I couldn’t withhold the promise from her that last night.” He paused for a moment before he began again. “As time passed, I knew I had to try to find a mother for our children. They deserved that much. That part of the promise I knew I could keep. That’s why I chose to do things the way I did. That’s how I found you.” He looked up at her for a moment and then looked back down again.