by Emily Woods
“She should have been more thoughtful, but she ain’t but a young thing! She isn’t even twenty yet, Jed. Don’t you remember how you were at twenty? I reckon she came here with stars in her eyes for the Pinecone Inn, and when a woman’s heart yearns for something, there ain’t nothing a man can do to stop her.”
Jed frowned.
“It just felt like she was real pushy. She was insistent on getting rid of the girls’ mother’s jewels, and it felt like she didn’t think about anyone but herself.”
Jackson thought for a moment.
“Well,” Jackson began, placing a hand on Jed’s shoulder. “In the moment when you walked away from her after the fight, it sounds like you ain’t thought of anyone but yourself. It sounds like y’all both had a selfish streak come out. Everyone has one, it’s the way the Lord made us! But, Jed, it’s your job as a husband to be an example for Anna. You have to lead her as Christ led the church, and it sounds like you just left her there, all riled up. That ain’t right.”
Jed looked at Jackson and tilted his head.
“What do I do? She knows I am real upset, but I don’t know, Jackson. I wish I had all of the money in the world to make her happy, but it hurts my heart to think about getting rid of things that belonged to my first wife. She’s been gone a long time, but she is still in my heart. I ain’t got the desire to part ways with things that were hers, or things that the girls should have someday.”
The sun beat down on the two men as they sat outside of the general store, and Jed raised a hand to shade his eyes from the bright light of the California afternoon.
“Look, Jed,” Jackson said. “You have a choice. Your first wife, the mother of your children? She is real important. She helped make you the man you are today, and God blessed your marriage with two healthy, good, loud little girls.”
Jed let out a weak laugh.
“She’s gone though, Jed. She ain’t here no more. I know it’s hard on you, and I know it’s been hard on you to raise them two little princesses on your own. You have to think about your life now, though. You have to think about your wife. Anna is here, Jed. Anna loves you, and she is good to your girls. Is holding on to trinkets that belonged to your first wife helping you? Is it helping you be a good father, or a good husband to your wife, or a good servant of the Lord?”
Jed grimaced at his friend. Jed knew Jackson was right, and his heart felt heavy as he recounted his fight with Anna.
“Besides, Jed, think about how happy you could make her! Perhaps it is God’s will for you two to run the Pinecone Inn! You could part ways with some of the jewels, buy the inn, and carry on the work of her family. That could be a real good way to live, Jed. Think of your girls! They would be real fun to have around in the inn, and y’all could make it beautiful again!”
Jed nodded, weighing the options.
“And, Jed, I know it could be real hard to say good-bye to a jewel or two, but think of Proverbs! Proverbs 31:10 says that an excellent wife’s worth is, “far above jewels”, and after everything I’ve seen Anna do for you and your family, I am real sure she is an excellent wife. You know it, and I know it.”
Jed sighed.
“How do you always know how to say what I need to hear, Jackson? Who woulda thought my scoundrel of a best friend would grow up to be the wisest man in this here town? You sound like the good minister, Jackson!”
Jackson grinned.
“I read my Bible, and I pray, Jed, nothing more, nothing less. If the good Lord works in me and does good through me, then I done did my duty here as a Christian, and as a friend.”
Jed embraced Jackson.
“Thank you,” Jed said softly.
“My pleasure,” Jackson replied. “Let’s pray, Jed. Let’s pray that Anna will forgive you for walking away from her, let’s pray that you act and speak with God’s guidance, and let’s pray for those loud little girls of yours!”
Anna wiped the hot tears from her cheeks and settled into bed. It had been dark for several hours, and Jed was still not home. Anna had served the girls their supper and put them to bed, pretending to be her usual jolly self, but now, as she settled into the thick, heavy blackness of the cold night, she was free to express her sadness and frustration. She was hurt that her husband had walked away from her, but worse, overwhelmed with shame at her own selfishness.
“How could I be so horrible?” Anna cried.
Her sobs were guttural, and Anna could not bear the thought of burdening the girls with her cries, and she turned over to bury her face in the pillow on her side of the bed.
“Oh, God!” Anna cried. “Please let my husband forgive me! Please let him forgive me and forget my moment of selfishness. I don’t need the Pinecone Inn to be happy. I have a loving, wonderful husband, and a house filled with the laughter and joy of my two new daughters. I have everything I never knew I needed, and I cannot believe how easily I took it for granted to demand more from my husband!”
Anna fell into a fitful sleep. She tossed and turned all night, unable to get comfortable in the bed as she slept alone. She had never been alone in the bed before, and she ached for the warmth and comfort of her husband’s presence.
In the morning, Anna rose from the bed slowly. She stretched her arms above her head. They were sore and tender from her restless sleep, and she reached toward the sky with her fingertips as she yawned in the light of the morning sun. Anna could hear the girls upstairs in their small bedroom, and she knew they would be expecting their breakfast soon. She slipped out of her wool nightgown and hastily put on a simple green dress.
Anna walked into the kitchen and gasped. Jed was waiting for her at the kitchen table. He was seated, and he looked serious; his posture was perfect, and his hands were folded neatly in front of him.
“Jed?” Anna said timidly as she entered the kitchen.
Jed’s face lit up when he saw his wife. He leapt up from his seat, knocking over his chair.
“Anna!”
Jed ran to his wife and took Anna into his arms.
“I am real sorry, Anna,” Jed said tenderly as he embraced his wife. “Please, forgive me for walking away from our fight.”
Anna leaned into her husband’s arms.
“No, I am sorry, Jed,” Anna said, tears streaming from her blue eyes. “I was selfish and rude and spoiled! I hope you can forgive me!”
The couple hugged and cried for several minutes until the girls clambered into the kitchen.
“Pa! Why is Anna crying?”
“Pa? Why are you crying?”
“This ain’t anything we seen before. Anna? Pa?”
Anna laughed and stepped out of Jed’s arms.
“We’re fine, girls,” she explained to Evana and Gracie. “We were just having a moment that husbands and wives do. It is all fine, I promise!”
Jed nodded earnestly.
“It is all fine! It is real good, and even better than fine! Girls, sit down!”
Jed gestured to the kitchen table. Evana and Gracie took their usual seats, and Anna sat down in her spot across from the head of the table.
“Girls, Anna, I have some special news. I spent the night out with Jackson. We rode to another town and tracked down a fella I needed to speak with. It was a real long night, but it was worth it. I needed to sell some things in order to buy something special! Do you know what that something special is?”
The girls looked confused.
“Are you buying a pony?”
“What about a dollhouse? I want a dollhouse!”
Jed shook his head. He looked at Anna, whose eyes were wide.
“Girls, Anna, I have great news. I will not be working on the ranch anymore!”
Anna clasped a hand to her mouth, doing her best to stifle a gasp.
“What? Pa! What does this mean?”
“You won’t go back to the ranch? Pa?”
Jed grinned at his family.
“I will be taking the money I make from the sale I am doing to buy the Pinecone Inn! Girl
s, Anna’s grandparents owned the inn years ago, and now, we will fix the inn up real nice and run it again! We will own the place, and we will make it real pretty! We will have guests, and host parties for the town, and we will be real happy there! What do you think?”
The girls rose from the table and began jumping up and down.
“Pa! The Pinecone Inn will be so much fun!”
“We can’t wait, Pa!”
Jed turned to Anna. She was still sitting at the table, her hand still clasped to her mouth.
“And what do you think, Anna? Would this make you real happy?”
Anna nodded. Tears welled in her pale blue eyes, and her face was turning red. Jed pulled Anna to her feet.
“This is what I should have done in the first place, when I knew the inn was up for sale and that you wanted it,” Jed whispered to his wife as he held her close. “You were sent here by God, Anna, I just know it. Our paths crossed because it was His plan for us, and I know now that it is His plan that I honor you, my wife.”
Jed pulled Anna close to him. He wrapped his left hand around her slender waist and used his right hand to cup her chin. Jed guided Anna’s mouth to his, and in the middle of the kitchen, with their daughters screaming excitedly in the background, Anna and Jed shared a hard, deep kiss that they both would never forget.
Epilogue
Anna rubbed her swollen belly, a smile on her lips as she felt the baby inside of her squirming. This was her second pregnancy, and she was still amazed by the miracle of life that God had given her to steward. She stood alone on the porch of the Pinecone Inn, admiring the sunset and reveling in the fresh air of the June evening.
“Anna? Come inside! You will catch a chill out there!”
Anna rolled her eyes at her mother. It had been years since Anna had lived under her mother’s roof, and now, in California, Inge bossed Anna about as if Anna were a little girl.
“Coming, Mama,” Anna replied obediently.
Anna walked into the front hallway of the Pinecone Inn. The walls had been painted a deep red, and there was a framed black and white photograph in the center of the room of Anna’s grandparents and mother. Anna smiled at the photograph; she believed the Gerta, her grandmother, was beaming down on the Pinecone Inn from Heaven, and Anna was very proud of the work that had been done to restore the inn to its former glory. A red front door had been hung to greet guests, the iconic white picket fence had been rebuilt, and every room had been painted, cleaned, and refurbished.
Anna entered the parlor and found her family waiting for her. Inge, her mother, had arrived in Pinecone several months ago to help care for Anna’s youngest child, Ryanna, who was currently wrapped in Inge’s arms. Anna’s father was not present, but he was scheduled to arrive in Pinecone in the next few weeks in preparation for the birth of his second grandchild. The girls, now fourteen, sat quietly upon a lavender couch, each working diligently on a piece of stitching. Jed was on his knees in front of the large fireplace, patiently feeding large logs into the flames.
“We have been waiting for you, Anna! You will catch a cold out there, dear,” Inge said to her daughter as Anna waddled to the lavender couch.
“Yes, Mama,” Anna replied.
The girls moved to one side to make room for pregnant Anna. She was due any day now, and they had taken excellent care of her. Both girls had been present at the birth of their sister, and they were eager to assist Anna with the birth of the second baby.
Anna leaned back onto the lavender couch and sighed happily. Jed dropped the logs he had been feeding to the fire and ran to his wife’s side.
“Are you comfortable, dear?” Jed asked his wife.
Anna shrugged her narrow shoulders.
“I don’t think anyone is comfortable when they are with child, dear!” Anna said playfully as Jed began to gently massage his wife’s shoulders.
Inge chuckled at her daughter.
“I was certainly not comfortable when I had you, dearest! You were nearly ten pounds! I hope for your sake that your next baby is smaller. Ryanna was eight pounds, but with your little figure, I did not think you would survive!”
Anna nodded at her mother.
“The Lord is watching and protecting us. He will keep the baby and me safe, and He will surely bring us this babe without complications! I am glad you are here though, Mama! It will be nice to have you by my side as I bring another precious little life into the Pinecone Inn!”
Inge came to her daughter’s side and kissed Anna’s forehead. The two had long reconciled since their days quarreling over Anna’s immature antics. Anna had grown up well as a wife and as a mother, and Inge’s eyes shone with pride as she watched her only child manage her family, along with the Pinecone Inn! Inge was filled with joy to be back in Pinecone after so many years away. She visited her favorite places, and most importantly, she was able to pay her respects to her deceased parents at their graves in the little graveyard next to the church where Anna had been married.
Anna’s heart nearly burst with joy as she sat with her family in the parlor. She looked around at the happy, smiling faces of her loved ones and was overwhelmed with gratitude for her life. The Lord had given her so much. He had led Anna to Pinecone, He had given her Jed, He had given her two delightful daughters, and He had given her the chance to restore the Pinecone Inn. He had brought her closer with her mother, and He had made all of the dreams she had never known she had come true.
“Anna? What’s that real pretty smile on your face for?” Jed asked, leaning over to see his wife’s face as he kept rubbing.
Anna giggled.
“It’s just one of those moments in which I know that the Lord has given me His blessings,” Anna explained to her husband.
Jed bent down to kiss his wife on the forehead.
“You are my blessing, and you are my blessing, and you are my blessing!” Anna said joyfully, pointing at each member of her family as they sat together. “The Lord has brought us home to Pinecone, and He has been faithful!” Anna gushed.
Jed came around to the front of the couch, taking his wife’s face in his hands and kissing her passionately.
“Amen,” Jed whispered, reaching down to gently stroke Anna’s swollen belly. “Amen.”
Fostering Love
A Family to Love, Book 4
1
“Don’t you dare wear those dreadful clothes of yours to pick her up from the station, Jackson Creek! Not after I have spent all morning tailoring your suit! If I find out you changed into your terrible work clothes after I have been up here with you for hours, I will scream!”
Jackson blushed and looked down at his black leather boots. He had spent two hours polishing them this morning, and now, Anna, his best friend’s wife, was chastising him for his fashion sense.
“Anna,” Jackson began, slowly curling his lips into a smile. “Anna, she and I ain’t gonna build a marriage on the way I dress! It’s all about what’s in here!” Jackson pounded his chest to emphasize his point.
Anna shook her head. “Don’t you flash that famous smile at me, Jackson! I am trying to help you properly prepare to meet your bride-to-be! You need my help! First impressions matter!”
Jackson threw back his head and laughed.
“Just because I ain’t as good lookin’ as your handsome fellow doesn’t mean I don’t know how to greet a lady, Anna!”
Compared to his best friend Jed, Jackson Creek has not a handsome man. Jackson was not tall, nor was he muscled. Jackson did not possess the broad shoulders of his best friend, nor did his hair flow down his neck in thick, auburn waves. Jackson was short and stout; his body was soft, and he often had to loosen his belt a few notches after eating a meal. Jackson’s brown hair already had bold streaks of grey, and his beard was patchy and unimpressive.
Despite his round stomach and unremarkable stature, Jackson was not a lost cause. He had bright green eyes that were effervescent as they caught the light of the morning sun in his hometown of Pinecone, Califor
nia. Jackson had deep dimples that cut into his cheeks, and he had a perpetually content look upon his face that warmed the hearts of everyone in town.
Jackson’s most prominent feature, however, was his smile. Framed by deep dimples, his smile brought joy into the hearts of all who earned it, and even envy into the minds of some of the girls in town. Jackson had thick lips, and perfectly-formed white teeth. It was rare to see such a dazzling smile in the rural communities of California, and Jackson’s beautiful grin was an anomaly amidst the grizzled, snaggle-toothed grimaces of the cowboys and ranchers.
Jackson’s brilliant smile won him many hearts. While Jed had always been the shy, handsome one, Jackson’s beaming face and kind spirit made him one of the most eligible men in the county. Jackson was a hard-working rancher and an unfailing church-goer, filled with jokes and had a wicked sense of humor, but ultimately, his hope and decision-making were intricately tied to his strong faith.
“Anna, we don’t have time to argue about this!” Jackson declared, throwing his hands up to feign defeat. “She will be arriving on the afternoon train today, and if you don’t let me out of here, I will be late to fetch my own future wife from the train station!”
Anna stepped back and admired her handiwork. She had spent all morning adjusting Jackson’s formerly ill-fitting church suit, and now, as she studied her husband’s best friend, she nodded with approval.
“It’s better. It is not my best work, mind you, but it will do.”
Jackson took a dramatic step down from the wooden crate where Anna had forced him to stand as she hemmed his trousers. Anna had dragged the heavy crate into her sewing room after realizing Jackson was shorter than any other fellow whose clothes she had tailored, and now, as she gazed down at the bottom of his pants, she knew she had made a good decision.
“If I had had more time, I could have worked more on your sleeves, but with only a few hours of notice, this is the best I could do,” Anna said, sighing as she eyed the rolled sleeves of Jackson’s jacket.