When the buildings stopped and the desert plain stretched out in front of them, Philip stopped.
“It’s a warm day, Mary. Let’s go to the shelter. I’d like to show you what I have for you there.”
Mary nodded, gazing up at him with complete admiration and trust.
“Well if we’re going to do that, we need to hurry up and do it now. I love surprises but I don’t like traveling somewhere to get them.”
Philip laughed. “You’re a silly woman. You will enjoy this a lot more if you aren’t walking down the sidewalk through town.”
Mary’s expression didn’t change. He could see the corners of her lips twitching as she attempted not to smile but was too happy not to.
She followed him without speaking until they got to the shelter, which was placed strategically in the middle of a clearing surrounded by trees. On one side a steady stream of water flowed by, making quiet gurgling noises. Other than the water, Mary only heard the sounds of nature, the birds chirping overhead, critters rustling through the grass and the brush, the breeze blowing through the leaves of the trees.
The building was long and wide. It was meant for gatherings after church and for special occasions. It was surrounded by a deck that was half the width of the building itself, lifted off the ground by five feet and could only be reached by the set of steps leading up to it.
The deck had a roof for protection from the sun. It was made of slats with six inches in between each one so the light would shine through. It didn’t make for very effective protection from the rain. But it did cut the sun’s heat in half and no one ever used the shelter deck in the rain anyway.
There were benches set around all the sides and Philip led her to one.
He had her sit down and look up at him. He had the newspaper folded in his back pocket, hidden under his vest.
“I want you to know how much I love you, Mary,” he said, trying not to let his heart pound out of his chest. Instead of dragging it out any longer, he pulled out the newspaper and handed it to her. She raised her eyebrows, gazing up at him.
“You brought me the newspaper? To show me how much you love me?” She giggled, putting one small hand over her mouth. He adored it when she did that.
He chuckled. “Read it, silly woman.”
Mary dropped her eyes to the paper, unfolding it and staring at the words on the front page. Her face drained of color.
Philip took a knee in front of her and looked up at her face. She turned it to him and he saw she had tears in her eyes.
“Please, Mary, make me the happiest man in Glenwood. Be my wife.”
Mary’s tears were released and her shoulders shook with the force of them. “Of course I’ll marry you, Philip!” she cried out, throwing her arms around him. “I have been praying you would ask me that question! Of course I will. I love you!”
“I love you with all my heart,” Philip said, holding her in a tight hug, pressing his face into her blond hair that smelled of honeysuckle. “I will protect you and keep you safe for the rest of your life, Mary. I hope you want a dozen children because I want to have a huge family with you.”
“Whoa there, stallion,” Mary said, pulling away from him with a serious tone but a big smile on her face. “If you’re gonna have those kids, we can talk about it. But as long as God makes women to have babies, you’re gonna have to settle for less than a dozen. I don’t think I can go through that twelve times.”
“What? Have you been in attendance for one?”
Mary grinned. “Yes, I was there when Emma had hers.”
“You were? I didn’t know that!”
All that time had passed and no one had told him. She tilted her head to the side and gave him an awkward smile. “Why in Heaven’s name would anyone tell you I was there to help Emma when she gave birth? That’s not a normal everyday topic, is it? If it had been brought up, I might think that was strange.”
Philip thought about it for a moment before nodding. “You’re right. Don’t know why I would be privy to information like that.” He got up from the ground and sat on the bench next to her, putting his arm around her, stretching it across the back. “So read your newspaper. Check out the articles I put in there.”
Mary giggled. “Well, I can see right here that this one is obviously a poem. You’ve never printed poems in the paper so I’m thinking that must be for me.”
He nodded, his grin so big his cheeks were eventually going to hurt. “You’re right about that, schoolteacher!”
He gave her a moment to read the poem. He could tell when she was done because she pressed the paper to her chest and closed her eyes.
“Oh Philip. You write beautiful words. You didn’t copy that from a famous poet, did you?”
Philip gave her a direct look. “Well. I don’t know whether to be flattered you would think that or offended?”
Mary turned her eyes to him, an affectionate giggle escaping her red lips. “It’s beautiful, Philip. It was a compliment. It should be famous. I’m taking it you didn’t print more than one of these.”
Philip shook his head, wondering where she was going with her line of thinking.
“Then you should start printing poems in the regular paper. You don’t have to start with this one but you should put it in there. The other ladies will love it so much.”
“I might gain some admirers,” Philip said in a teasing voice, his grin back in place. “You might get jealous.”
Mary straightened her shoulders, unfolded the flap in the paper and snapped it to straighten it so she could read. “Well, I don’t know whether I will be or not. I’ve never had a beau before. Surely you have. You are older than me.”
Philip laughed. “Now I’m old! This is turning out to be a very awkward conversation for me.”
Mary joined him in laughter. “I don’t mean to ever sound rude or anything. I just… I’m just asking questions and assuring you that there is a distinct possibility I might be a very jealous young woman and not even know it.”
Philip tapped her on the nose with one finger before kissing it and then her forehead. “I’m not going to give you a reason to be jealous. I’ll write a poem that’s more appropriate for the general public. How does that sound?”
“That sounds good,” Mary sounded determined. “And I also want you to keep writing them. Maybe some townspeople would like to do some creative writing, too.”
“You haven’t read any of the other articles.”
Mary stared at him, her smile gradually spreading across her face. “I knew there was more.” She held up the straightened paper and looked below the flap. He waited, watching her expression change as she realized everything she saw was preceded by a date. It was like a love journal.
There were mentions of things they’d done together over the last four months, some of them starting with “I just left you at home” or “I just left you at the schoolhouse” and nearly every one ending with “I adore you, my sweet Mary” or something similar.
“Oh, Philip,” she breathed. When she turned to look up at him, she had fresh tears in her eyes. “You are the most creative and thoughtful man I’ve ever met. I love you, Philip Jenkins. I can’t wait to be your wife.”
“I love you, too.”
He pulled her to him and kissed her deeply, crushing the newspaper between them. He never wanted to let her go. The newspaper had done exactly what he wanted it to. After all the years of hard work he’d put into his business, the dedication and love he’d poured into it had paid off, leading him to the woman he would spend the rest of his life with.
He held her close and kissed her ear. “My love, I will be by your side for the rest of your life.”
She relaxed into him and he knew that was exactly what she wanted, as well.
Epilogue
Sarah had come back just to see her get married.
Mary looked at her friend in the mirror as Sarah pinned barrettes and flowers in her hair.
“You’re going to be the most beau
tiful bride in Glenwood, Mary. I think you’ll be the most beautiful in all of Texas!”
Mary laughed, keeping her head still so Sarah wouldn’t lose her grip. Mary’s blond hair was somewhat fine and soft. It was often difficult to keep barrettes in her hair, which was why bobby pins had to be used in abundance.
“No, that would have been you,” she replied, her eyes on her friend’s excited reflection.
Sarah laughed, placed one hand on Mary’s shoulder and looked back at her in the mirror. “Now that sounds like a typical best friend response. But I guess we actually make equally beautiful brides because well, we do look like sisters, don’t we?”
Mary’s grin widened. “Yes, we do.”
“Then, accept your role as co-most-beautiful with grace and dignity. We’ll share the honor.”
Both women laughed.
“Are you almost ready, dear?”
They both looked at Mrs. Marrow when she put her head in the door.
“Yes, Ma, we’re ready.”
Mrs. Marrow nodded and disappeared again.
Sarah giggled, looking at Mary under hooded eyelids. “Oh, Mary. My ma was so right when she told me to give Luke a chance. I’m so happy I did. I wouldn’t be as… well, as happy as I am now. I just know we will soon have a baby. Well, soon we will conceive. I want to give him a son.”
“Either a boy or girl will suit me,” Mary said, staring at herself in the mirror. “As long as my child is healthy, I won’t care which it is. I don’t think Philip will either.”
Sarah nodded. “You’re right, he wouldn’t care. And Luke doesn’t say he does but I really think he does. Want a boy, I mean. He won’t be disappointed if we have a girl, though. We’ll just keep trying for a boy.”
Mary was reminded of Philip’s teasing remark that they would have a dozen children. She giggled to herself.
“I’m ready,” she said, turning to Sarah, clutching the sides of the long dress in her hands nervously. “Let’s go. I want to be Mrs. Jenkins.”
“Soon, my dear. Soon.”
The two women hurried out of the room and down the short hallway of the church. They went out the door into the bright sun. The sky overhead was completely, blue with only a few puffs of clouds breaking up the color.
Mary’s heart pounded as she walked to the gazebo where Philip and John were waiting. Emma would stand next to Sarah. Philip had chosen John to represent him and carry the wedding rings.
Emma had chosen Sarah but asked Emma to also be up on the “stage” with them, so that Matthew could be there, as well, standing with his boss and coworker.
She had gladly agreed although Mary still made clear that she was wanted on the stage anyway, not just as an “arm-piece” for the teenager. They all thought that was highly amusing, even Matthew’s parents, who were present for the asking.
Mary didn’t fumble on any of her words. She said them with gusto and appreciated that Philip was just as enthusiastic with his vows.
By the time it was all over she felt completely transformed, as if she’d gone through a physical change. She felt energized, charged up, ready to take on whatever life had to throw at her. She knew no matter what it was, Philip would be by her side to support, encourage and help her at every turn.
Philip had the buggy ready and waiting for them. But they wouldn’t be going anywhere right after the ceremony. They were all riding out to the shelter where he’d asked her to marry him for a dance and reception.
Philip had invited everyone in town. Judging by the size of the audience at the wedding, Mary expected the guests at the reception to be overflowing. There would be people outside on the deck and the inside would probably still be packed.
She was astounded by everything Sarah and Emma had prepared for her. There was a spread of food on a long table – or a bunch of tables pushed together covered by a huge yellow sheet – with drinks on one end and even a dessert table with cookies, small cakes and pastries.
There were streamers and decorations, balloons and flowers everywhere. She had never seen the shelter dressed up so prettily in her life.
“This is amazing,” Philip said, his eyes widening. Mary glanced up at his handsome profile. As soon as she did, she remembered that he was now her husband and tingles shot through her body.
“You didn’t know about it either?”
Philip returned her gaze, shaking his head. “I had no clue. John told me to show up here and we’d have a reception but I haven’t seen the place since they did this to it.”
“It’s so beautiful,” Mary breathed. She put her arm around his and held her body close to his. He covered her hand with his.
“It really, really is. Kind of like you, I guess. But not quite as beautiful.”
Mary smiled. She lifted up on her tiptoes and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.
“Oh that’s just a tease, wife,” Philip said. He pulled her to him and kissed her deeply until they had to pull apart to breathe.
Mary felt a little dizzy, taken aback by the amount of passion between them.
“I have been waiting a long, long time to really kiss you, Mary,” Philip murmured. “And now you’re all mine. I suggest you get used to being kissed like that on a regular basis.”
“I welcome it,” Mary said, keeping her face close to his as she responded, feeling the heavy pounding of his heart against her hands, which were pressed against his chest. This was her husband. This was her man.
If it wasn’t for her stubbornness and insistence in getting her articles in the paper, they would never have been at that point.
But they were. And she was happier than she had ever been in her entire life.
THE END
Can't get enough of Mary and Philip? Then make sure to check out the Extended Epilogue to find out…
What are the promising plans that Philip will share with Paul and John?
How will John feel about the new mayor?
How will Philip's newspaper's content change as time passes by?
Click the link or enter it into your browser
http://graceclemens.com/mary
(After reading the Extended Epilogue, turn the page to read the first chapters from “The Scars of a Pure Heart”, my Amazon Best-Selling novel!)
The Scars of a Pure Heart
Introduction
Macie Sheldon tries to come to terms with her family’s death from smallpox, still confronting her face’s scars from the disease every day. Visiting their old homestead one more time seems to be the only way to deal with her loss and move forward. Her last hopes of finding peace before building a home for herself will be answered sooner than she expected when Blake Bradifield’s mail order bride advertisement will be her passageway back to Texas! But this seemingly simple plan will end up being a dangerous challenge. What are the secrets that will soon be revealed, mingling her in an unprecedented situation? Will she find closure and deal with her deep grief and insecurities?
For Blake Bradfield, losing his grandfather feels like the whole world is falling apart, as he has been his hero since he was a boy. His family has never approved of his grandfather’s adventurous life and his choice to abandon their home to treasure hunt. However, Blake seems to be cut from the same cloth. When he discovers that his grandfather has left behind hints for one last treasure hunt his life turns upside down. What he doesn’t expect though is that his late hero has some hidden surprises for him that will change everything. Will he manage to comply with the will’s unexpected stipulations? Will Macie be eager to help him heal his own wounds? Will love ever be an option for them?
His Rainbow After the Rain Page 28