“He certainly does!” Meg buried her face in his chest as a new wave of laughter overwhelmed her. This felt right, laughing with Meg, enjoying each other as if they were an old married couple.
Her head tilted back, her gaze meeting his, and suddenly, the laughter faded. He couldn’t breath. This beautiful woman had captured his heart, and he had no desire to reclaim it, trusting her to keep it safe all the days of their lives.
Avery had waited long enough. He bent his head, watched her eyelids flutter shut, kissed the tip of her nose. She let out a soft sigh, her lips parting slightly as if waiting for him to claim them.
He wouldn’t disappoint.
He pressed his lips against the sweet softness of hers, tighten his arms around her, pulling her closer, humbled by the love he felt for this woman. Meg cupped his neck, holding him in place, allowing him to deepen the kiss.
“Mama!”
Avery broke off the kiss, his heart threatening to jump out of his chest. He stole a glance at Meg, a sense of male satisfaction overwhelming him at her dazed expression. He’d claimed her first kiss—she’d had as much told him that she’d never entertained suitors—and he was glad he’d be her last.
“Mama!”
Blinking like an owl, Meg stepped out of his arms and pressed a hand to her hair. “I’d better go see what Rosie wants.”
Avery nodded, his hands fisting beside him to keep from pulling her back into his arms. “That would be a good idea.”
She took several steps toward the door, then turned around. “Don’t think I didn’t like that because I did.” Her eyes glowed with a flirtatious glint. “Because if our daughter didn’t need me, I’d still be kissing you.”
The corner of Avery’s mouth lifted up into a crooked smile. He always liked a lady who spoke her mind.
Particularly when that lady happened to be his wife.
* * * * *
He kissed me!
Margaret walked into the living room of wobbly knees, her heart pounding so hard beneath her breast, she feared it would cease. With a mind of their own, her fingers touched her mouth, her lips still tingling as she relived the moment.
And what about her boldness? An upstanding Christian woman wouldn’t have told a man she enjoyed kissing him. It just wasn’t done. So why had she made a point of telling him such a thing?
Because I was hoping he’d kiss me again!
“Mama?”
She startled, then glanced down beside her to where Rose stood, studying her. Plastering a smile on her face, Margaret bend down next to the child. “What is it, darling?”
Rose cocked her head to one side, her tangled array of curls bouncing over her shoulder. “Why are your lips so red?”
Margaret let out a tiny gasp, scrambling for an answer then decided it might be best if she simply found out why Rose had called her. “Breakfast is getting cold. Why don’t you tell me why you called for me?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Rose swayed from side to side. “I want to wear that ribbon you gave me, you know, the dark blue one with the little white dots that look like stars? But I can’t find it, and I know I put it back on the dresser like you told me, and. . .”
“I’m sure we can find the ribbon if we both look.” Margaret stood, thankful for the diversion. The few minutes it would take to find Rose’s ribbon would give her time to regain her composure before facing Avery again.
In less time than she’d hoped, Margaret and Rose joined her papa in the kitchen. Plates, cups and utensils were laid on the table as well as the eggs and bacon she’d been cooking before Avery had sidetracked her this morning.
Avery gave her a knowing smile as he stood, then turned his attentions to their daughter. “My, don’t you look pretty today! And that ribbon! Your mama must have shared some of her lovely things with you.”
Rose bobbed a slight curtsy beside her then sat in her chair. “Did you know Mama has ribbons of every color in the rainbow in her trunk?”
Avery met her gaze as he pulled out a chair for her. “She hasn’t worn one since she’s been here. Maybe we can talk her into wearing one to church today.”
Oh, dear. Meg sat down, grabbing the napkin beside her and placing it in her lap. “I can’t go to church.”
“Excuse me?”
This was going to be more difficult than she’d thought. Meg drew in a steadying breath. “I don’t have anything to wear.”
Avery glanced down the length of her, then sat up in his chair and reached for the eggs. “You look fine to me.”
Of course, he’d say that. He was her husband after all. But others might now be as kind, and the last thing she wanted to do was be a bad reflection on Avery. Papa’s voice stormed through her thoughts. People don’t want to see an abomination like you when they go to worship.
Maybe she should tell Avery. Maybe then he’d understand. Meg leaned toward him and lowered her voice until only he could hear her. “Papa never allowed me to go to church back home.”
His jaw tightened. “What do you mean your father didn’t allow you to go to church?”
She glanced over at Rose enjoying her bacon, then continued. “Papa thought the sight of me might distress those in the congregation. That’s why I don’t have a dress to wear.”
“Well, the way I see it, your papa isn’t here so his opinion doesn’t matter at the moment.” Avery reached across and covered her hand with his, the warmth a comfort to her tender feelings. “So would you like to go to church?”
The thought excited yet terrified her. What if people stared at her birthmark or worst still, asked her to leave? She couldn’t bear to embarrass Avery, not when he’d saved her from that Winslow character, when he’d married her and given her all she’d ever dreamed of, a home and family of her own.
But the idea of worshipping God with other believers was something she’d longed for most of her life. Was it selfish of her to want to experience that just this once?
Meg knew her answer when she looked into Avery’s hopeful eyes. “What time do we need to leave?
His heartfelt yell rattled the empty plates on the table.
Chapter Eight
It had been a mistake to come.
Margaret glanced down the rows of the makeshift sanctuary, then lowered her gaze to the wooden floor, the ribbons on her bonnet flowing down the front of her dress. Avery had convinced her the dull gray wool she’d changed into was appropriate for church. But here, amongst the other ladies who’d traveled west with her, she could see her husband had only tried to soothe her frayed nerves.
And she’d wanted to come to church so badly.
“I need to talk to Jake for just a moment before the service starts.” Avery held his hat in his hand, his blondish brown hair mussed from the ride into town. “If you want to find us a seat, it will only take a minute or two.”
Nerves knotted in Margaret’s throat. “Where’s Rose?”
He nodded his head toward a group of children gathered near the back. “Missy Sanders ask her to sit with them today if that’s okay.”
A feeling of being deserted swept over her. “It’s good for Rose to be with other children when she can.”
He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “Always thinking about what’s good for our daughter, aren’t you, Mrs. Waldwin?”
She smiled to herself as she walked down a row near the back. How like Avery to offer her encouragement when she needed it the most? But then, he’d always been that way toward her, thinking of her feelings ever since asking her if she rather marry him than get stuck with Mr. Winslow?
“Margaret?”
She turned her head to find Becky Patterson, the pastor’s daughter and Jake Underwood’s intended standing in the row in front of her. “Good morning.”
“I’m so glad to see you here today,” Becky said, a tentative smile of her face. “I was wondering how you were doing with Mr. Waldwin.”
Margaret felt her cheek grow warm, the memory of Avery’s kiss this morning slipping into he
r thoughts. “We’re doing very well together.”
Becky’s shoulders relaxed. “Thank goodness! I was so worried after Mr. Underwood told me what happened with Mr. Winslow. If I’d known he was anything like that. . .”
Margaret reached out and covered the young woman’s hand. “How could you have known? I wrote to him for months and never had a clue as to his true nature. Thank heavens, Avery was there or I don’t know what I would have done.”
Becky gave her a relieved smile. “The Lord was watching over you.”
Had God been looking out for her? Mr. Winslow may have got her on that train with his promise of marriage, but it was Avery and Rose who had given her the family she’d always longed for. “Yes, I do believe you’re right.”
Becky studied her for a moment. “I do believe I owe you an apology.”
“What for?”
She slipped down into the chair in front of Meg and waited for her to follow suit. “I should have made more of an effort to seek you out back home.” She hesitated. “But your father convinced Papa that you had no use for the Lord or church. But rather than ask you ourselves, we took your father’s word on it.”
Tears knotted in Margaret’s throat. Papa had said those things about her? That she had no use for God or His people? He’d known how much she’d wanted to go to church yet he wouldn’t allow her the privilege.
A warm hand patted hers. Margaret glanced up into Becky’s concerned eyes. “Your father was a sick man, so bitter over the hand that life had dealt him, that he took all his disappointments out on you.”
Margaret sniffed. “And yet, I hurt for him. For what he’s missed, for the relationship we could have had.”
“That says a lot about the woman you’ve become.” Becky leaned toward her. “You do know it’s not that bad, don’t you? Your beauty mark, I mean.”
Seems like Margaret wasn’t the only woman in Melville to speak her mind. She brushed her fingers against the raised skin. “You don’t think so?”
“I know so. Margaret, there are some many other wonderful things about you that people notice like your strength of character and the graciousness you’ve showed your father despite the wrongs he’s done against you.” She picked up a Bible from the chair next to hers and opened it, thumbing through the pages until she reached the verses she was searching for. “When I was a little girl, Mama had me memorize Proverbs 31:10-31.”
“The ones about the virtuous woman?”
She nodded, handing the Bible over to her. “Read verse thirty.”
Margaret skimmed down the page until she finally came upon the verse. “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain. But a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.” She grimaced. “But Papa said. . .”
“Who are you going to believe, Margaret? Your Heavenly Father or a man broken by life?” Becky stood. “Think about it.”
As the younger woman strolled to the end of the aisle to greet another couple, Margaret read over the verse again. The Lord didn’t seem concerned about a person’s physical beauty but instead looked inward for a heart completely committed to Him.
Had her own vanity, her worries about how other people would look at her kept her from helping others, from worshipping, from being the woman God wanted her to be. Had Papa not been the only stumbling block, or had she been one too?
Shame washed over her. God had given her a marriage to a good man, a beautiful child, yet she worried how she looked when she should be concerned about how she lived. Margaret glanced down at the Bible in her lap. Who can find a virtuous woman, for her price if far about rubies?
Margaret closed her eyes. Lord, mold me into a virtuous woman. Let my husband trust his heart with me as I’ve trusted him with my own.
She leaned back in her chair, a peace she hadn’t thought possible flowing through her as she turned to watch her husband as he talked to a group of men. She was a blessed woman to have him in her life, and one day, she hoped to be the wife he deserved.
Her quiet moment was shattered with the two ladies behind her began whispering. “Did you hear about Avery Waldwin’s wife? Otis Winslow refused to marry her so Avery up and married her that very afternoon. You’d think after the trouble his first wife caused, the man wouldn’t jump into it without thinking it through.”
Margaret blinked. What in the world were these women talking about? Katie had died a few months after Rose had been born. What kind of trouble were they talking about?
“Well, I understand why Katie did what she did,” the second woman whispered. “She needed a father for her baby. Knowing her, it could have been any number of men.”
Bile rose up in Margaret’s throat. Katie may have committed a multitude of sins but when she died, Rose lost her mother and Avery, his wife. Neither deserved their name to be dragged through the mud by these gossiping old hens.
Margaret turned and leaned against the back of her chair. “Excuse me, ladies. I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation.”
The older woman in a stylish blue dress nodded to her. “I’m don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Claudia Henderson and this is Lucy Joiner. And you might be?”
Margaret gave them a tight smile. “I’m Margaret Waldwin. You know, that woman Avery married after Otis Winslow rejected her in this very store.”
The women exchanged worried glances.
Good, she had their attention. “I’d thank you very much to stop talking about my husband and our daughter.”
“But. . .”
Margaret raised her hand. “I don’t need to know what happened between Avery and his first wife. That’s none of my business nor is it any of yours.”
“But the girl . . .”
“Is my daughter, and I love her as if I’d bore her myself.” Margaret drew in a shaky breath. “So please find something productive to do with your time rather than pass around rumors about a little girl who isn’t even five years old.”
“Meg?”
She jerked her head up, her heart in her throat when she found Avery standing there, his fingers gripping the brim of his hat. How much had he heard of the discussion? Enough if the mixture of anger and sadness in his cloudy gray eyes was anything to go by. The last thing she ever wanted to do was cause him embarrassment, yet that’s exactly what she’d done when she’d confronted the women.
I love him.
The admission stole her breath. Of course, she loved him. She’d been falling for him since the moment he’d come to her rescue and saved her from the embarrassment of Otis Winslow’s rejection that first day she’d arrived.
And now she might lose him.
Avery nodded to the ladies, then took the seat beside her, facing forward.
She couldn’t bear it if he didn’t talk to her. “Avery.”
He refused at her. “The Sanders’ girls ask Rose to come home with them after church. We can talk about it then.”
Margaret nodded, turning her attention to Jake Underwood as he called the service to order. But try as she might, she couldn’t focus on his words of prayer, only on the man sitting next to her. Had she embarrassed him so badly, he was ready to wash his hands of her like Papa and Otis Winslow had?
Was the marriage she’d just begun to cherish over before it had even began?
Chapter Nine
The horses meandered down the dirt road leading home, Avery giving them a rest after the quick pace he’d set out of the churchyard. He needed to be out of town and away from prying eyes before confessing all to Meg. What would she say when he told her the truth? Would she think him a fool like Mrs. Henderson and Miss Joiner? Or would she understand he could no more turn his back on Katie than he could herself?
Expect the worst, pray for the best, and it’s usually ends up somewhere in between.
Meg jerked around in her seat to face him. “I’m so sorry, Avery. I never meant to embarrass you. I don’t know what came over me, but I just couldn’t bear to listen to those old hens talk about you and Rose that way.”
He stole a glance at Meg, her pained expression tearing at his heart. How could she possibly think she was in the wrong? She’d been handled the situation far better than he would have. Kind, yet stern. Patient, but straight forward. This woman he loved was a far better person than he was. He prayed he could win her love someday.
Avery leg the team off the road, across a rise to a massive oak tree he visited wherever he needed time to think or pray. He set the brake, the turned to her, catching her hands in his. “Sweetheart it’s me who needs to apologize.”
Confusion cast a cloud over her clear blue eyes. “But I thought. . .” She mashed her lips together, then continued. “I embarrassed you.”
He gave her a small smile. “Honey, there isn’t anything you can do or say that would ever embarrass me. I should have told you the truth about Katie but I was afraid.”
Sparks of light shimmered in her hair as she shook her head. “You, afraid? That’s not possible.”
“You have more faith in me that I do.” Hopefully, she’d still feel the same way once he told her everything. “The truth is everything you heard today was true and I was afraid if you knew, you’d think I was a fool too.”
For a long moment, Avery held his breath, waiting, praying that she would understand, would give him a chance to explain. But what if she couldn’t? What if she decided to leave?
“Tell me about Katie.”
Not the answer he’d hoped for, but he owed Meg that much. Avery swallowed. “I met Katie in St. Louis. I was a bookkeeper at her father’s newspaper and it was love at first sight, or so I thought.”
Meg’s breath caught. “She was very beautiful?”
He didn’t want to answer, knew his response would cause her more pain. But he refused to keep anything from her either. “Yes, you could say she was pretty, but that’s all she was. A pretty face.”
Meg sniffed. “I don’t understand.”
“I didn’t understand either,” he admitted. “I thought we’d get married and our marriage would be everything I’d ever wanted.” He shook his head. “But Katie didn’t find being the wife of a bookkeeper very exciting. Six months into our marriage, she left.”
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