“Now look who’s being silly. There isn’t another woman in the world who can compete with you, Macie,” he said as he leaned in and planted a lingering kiss on her lips.
Macie pulled back and looked at her husband with wonder as he handed her his handkerchief.
“’He who findeth a wife, findeth a good thing,’” he said cryptically. “Sounds to me like King Solomon knew what he was talking about. And so did Granddad when he told me that marriage was the best adventure of all.”
The pair beamed at each other, dazzled by the wonder of being in love.
***
Six Months Later
The family was gathered in Clora and Troy’s dining room, celebrating Len’s birthday. Clora and Macie had cooked up the idea for the party more than a month ago and had planned the menu, decorated a cake, and helped Troy Junior draw an especially fine picture to give his grandfather.
At least, that had been the plan. Lately, though, Macie found herself unable to bear the smell of cooking food at the oddest moments. She’d even vomited a time or two. Tonight, the smell of the roasting duck had kept her out of the kitchen. Not wanting to ruin the festivities, she’d said little and vowed to get through the evening with sheer willpower if necessary. But then, as soon as she tasted Judy’s fine baking powder biscuits, she’d realized she was starving and devoured nearly half the platter.
Clora cornered her in the pantry after supper.
“You’re sick to your stomach,” she pointed out.
Macie nodded, pulling a face. “I’m sorry. Do you think it put a damper on things?”
“Of course not! Now, I want to ask you some very personal questions.”
Macie was surprised by this and could only nod. But once Clora started her inquiry, Macie blushed and could only nod or shake her head at times. Her sister-in-law was asking about some incredibly private things!
Finally, Clora grinned at her and took her by the hand. “Macie, I think you’re going to have a baby.”
Macie stepped back in surprise. “But, I’m not sick just in the mornings! I thought that was always a sign.”
“No,” her sister-in-law assured her. “I was sick all day with Troy Junior for the first three months but hardly at all with Judith.”
“A baby,” Macie whispered in wonder, eyes staring off dreamily.
“You’ll want to tell Blake right away,” Clora said firmly, bringing her back to reality.
“Oh, yes. I suppose I will. Please don’t breathe a word to anyone,” Macie begged.
“I won’t even tell Troy until you’re ready.” Clora squealed, “You’re going to be a mother, Macie!”
The two women shared an excited hug before sneaking back out of the pantry.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur for Macie. She couldn’t stop thinking about the changes to come. According to Clora, the baby would likely come in early fall. There was so much to do before then! And she almost couldn’t bear not telling Blake instantly.
She looked over at him now, her heart squeezing with love for her husband. Blake leaned against the mantelpiece laughing with Troy. He caught Macie’s eye and winked at her, grinning broadly.
Macie couldn’t believe how wonderful the past six months had been. Things weren’t perfect, of course, but the young couple had worked steadily to correct the misunderstandings from early in their marriage. They talked for hours most evenings, the clock’s chiming taking them by surprise again and again.
After a long discussion, Blake had spoken to his father about purchasing the homestead Macie’s family had first occupied. Luckily, Lucien Durning’s exploration had uncovered that the underground pocket of oil skirted this property, which was why he’d left it alone. Land prices had skyrocketed around Elmswood. Fortunately, the locals had grabbed up the best farm and ranch land before the speculators had come in, Blake and Macie among them.
Now, everything was booming in Elmswood. New businesses seemed to erupt from the ground practically overnight. Ranches and farms were sending in orders for fencing, nails, horseshoes, and building supplies. The train station had expanded so that it now had two platforms; one for passengers and one for freight and cattle. There was a new Baptist church in town, an expansion planned for the school, and the abandoned Silver Dollar Saloon was being converted into a public library.
Nelson’s General Store was flourishing. Belle had married a wealthy land developer who’d swept into town. He was bald, middle-aged, and very rich. The finest house anyone had ever seen was being built on the edge of town to Belle’s specifications. She preened through town, flashing the large diamond on her finger and barking orders at her new husband.
Macie’s gaze took in Harris and Ivy who sat, heads bent, on the settee. Their wedding was planned for the spring and it was hard to tell which of them was looking forward to it more. After Blake had discussed his plans for a new ranch with Len, the whole family had sat down to talk. Troy and Clora were some of the ones who’d scooped up good ranch land when Lucien’s estate had collapsed. Their ranch bordered the Yellow Rose and it wouldn’t take Judy more than ten minutes to walk over to see her grandchildren. They were working on building a house on their land and would vacate Ewell’s place just in time for Harris and Ivy to move in. Harris declared he wanted to keep running the Yellow Rose Ranch, which seemed to suit everyone just fine.
As they strolled home hand in hand to their cabin later that night, Macie couldn’t help but place her free hand over her belly. Was there really a baby there? Would the house on their new ranch be ready in time? They’d talked it over and planned to build a modest place to start with plenty of room for expansion over the years. Since they needed to clean up the old, abandoned buildings first, it would require a lot of effort before they had a livable dwelling.
“You’re quiet,” Blake remarked as they strolled along. “Something on your mind?”
Macie smiled in the dark, glad her husband couldn’t read her gleeful expression just yet.
“I had an interesting conversation with Clora today,” she said.
“Oh?” Blake was only half attending, Macie realized.
Well, she’d soon take care of that.
“Do you think the house on our land will be finished by September?” she asked innocently.
“Hmmm? September? I don’t see why not.” Blake shrugged.
Macie tried to read his expression in the dim starlight. “Well, we’ll be glad for the extra room, I’m sure.”
“Why’s that?” he asked but only to be polite, she could tell.
Relishing the moment, Macie announced, “That’s when the baby will be coming.”
“Are Clora and Troy having another baby?” asked Blake.
“No,” Macie said. Then she waited as the pieces clicked together in her husband’s mind.
Suddenly, he drew to a stop. As their hands were linked, Macie had to do the same, their arms stretched between them.
“Macie, are you saying that we are having a baby?” her husband demanded, tugging her closer.
She laughed merrily and nodded.
In an instant, Macie found herself scooped up and twirled around as Blake hooted with joy. He placed her feet carefully on the ground and then drew her into a much more cautious hug.
“I can hardly believe it,” he gasped. “When will the baby come?”
“September,” Macie repeated.
“September. That’s a long way off.” He sounded disappointed.
She laughed again. “Well, we have some things to do to get ready, you know. We’ll need a cradle and clothes and a house.”
Blake was hardly listening, lost in dreamy excitement. Finally, he looked down at his wife in the dark and said, “I love you, Macie Bradfield.”
“I love you, too,” she said, heart content.
And then the two stood in the starlight, kissing, with the rest of the world forgotten for quite some time.
THE END
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The Scars of a Pure Heart Page 29