She looked up to see Allen and Calley watching her. “Listen up.” Natalie put on her best mom voice. “You two aren’t going to say anything to Tracie, or anyone else, about this. She meant her gift to be anonymous and that’s how it will stay. Understand?”
They both nodded.
“Good.” She shooed them out the door.
Later that day, she pulled off strips of two-sided tape and plastered every card they’d received to the front of the refrigerator. When she was done, images of the Savior, Easter bunnies, an empty tomb, and spring flowers covered the scratches and dents, much like the words inside had brought something beautiful into Natalie’s life at a time she’d doubted herself and her marriage. Stepping back, she nodded once before going to take a shower.
Chapter 16
Natalie decided she knew exactly how an empty well felt. She’d cried so many tears over the last week that her head ached from lack of liquids in her body. Tracie never said a word about the Bucks for Bunnies campaign that she’d ran on behalf of Natalie’s family, and Natalie stopped asking if the blue dress had sold. Instead, they sat down during their breaks and planned out Natalie’s next three guest blogs.
The funeral couldn’t have been timed more perfectly. Since Aunt Sophie passed right before spring break giving her kids—Natalie’s cousins—time to stay in town and sort through things in the house, dividing the valuables and keepsakes from the everyday items.
Life in Snow Valley trudged on around her, but Natalie hardly noticed. Her kids went to the picnic and annual football game. They came back from the barn dance with flushed cheeks and smiles, and Dove’s continued to sell egg-dyeing kits and chocolate eggs.
Natalie celebrated Easter differently this year. She asked the Lord to bless each one of the givers for their donations of the heart. Even though they had entered a contest for a dress, they’d taken the extra time to personalize their cards, and Natalie clung to that human connection with both hands.
Easter morning, Natalie came down the hallway in an old dress and a new pair of nylons and found Eli standing in front of the refrigerator, his hand holding one of the cards open as he read the words inside. After a moment, he dropped it shut and opened the next. Natalie held still, not wanting to interrupt. There was something going on in the room, something beyond her and bigger than lost jobs and strained marriages. She could feel the difference in the air as a sense of love and awe circled Eli. She didn’t know if it was Aunt Sophie hovering near, or if those cards were so full of love that it spilled out. What she did know was that this moment was not about her, and she wisely tiptoed back down the hall to give Eli the space and time to fully experience that love without interruption. Some things, a man—or woman—needed to learn on their own.
***
Aunt Sophie’s six children owned her house equally and would put the home on the market as soon as they finished preparations. Since they all lived at least an hour away, they’d offered to pay Eli and Natalie to finish sorting through the items in the home. Eli had taken on the task, his fervor admirable. He’d sold the three bedroom sets and sent the money on to the family, and was currently in the garage sorting through things that hadn’t been touched since Uncle Liam passed away.
Natalie was grateful the trunk of old clothes was still there. No one had bothered with it, and Julie, Aunt Sophie’s oldest daughter, had told Natalie to keep it. Spending time with Aunt Sophie’s things and making them over would give her a way to feel close to her aunt.
After boxing up the dishes in the kitchen, she went outside to see if Eli was ready for a lunch break.
“Look at this!” he exclaimed when he saw her.
Natalie cocked her head, unsure of the tone in his voice. He sounded excited. That couldn’t be right—Eli hadn’t been excited about anything in months. She took a tentative step forward, sure that the brightness in his eyes would dim and she’d have to retreat inside.
Instead, he pulled out an old blue box with several dials and a long hose attached. “It’s old, but I think I can get it working.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a welder.” Eli smiled triumphantly.
“I don’t understand.” Natalie shook her head.
Eli held the box a little higher. “I’m tired of looking for a job. I’m tired of rejections and résumés and guys who have never held a torch telling me I don’t have enough experience. So, I’m opening my own business.”
“You’re what?” They’d looked into this before, and short of putting their house up for collateral, there was no way to make it happen.
“I’ve been thinking about it for some time and I haven’t had the guts to lay it on the line and go for it. With this little beauty, I think I can make it work. I won’t have a steady paycheck—at least, not for a while—and you’ll probably still need to work, but at least I’ll be bringing in an income again. And—” He wiggled his eyebrows. “I heard Tray Dalton is moving to Idaho.”
Natalie stared. “You’re serious?” Tray Dalton was Snow Valley’s long-established welder. Everyone called him first. If he was moving …
Eli set the welder down and put both hands on Natalie’s shoulders, quickly bringing her thoughts away from Tray Dalton and focusing them wholly on the man before her. He looked deep into her eyes, and Natalie could see the man she once knew, the man who got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. He had that same hopeful trepidation in his look now, and she stared in wonder.
“Nat, I know I’ve made you sad and I will regret that for eternity. I haven’t been the man you married; I haven’t even recognized myself for the last few months. I was scared and beaten down and I had a hard time picking myself up.
“I’m looking at you and I don’t see the woman I married. She was doe-eyed and innocent and all she wanted to do was raise a couple kids and bake cookies, and I loved her.” He squeezed her shoulders to accent his words.
Natalie pressed her hand to her mouth. The tears she thought were dried up stung her eyes and dripped down her cheeks.
Eli continued, “And I love the woman before me, too. You’re branching out and you’ve become this whole other person, and getting used to her took some time. Now that I know her, I love her even more. Please take some time to get to know me again. I think we’re still a match.”
Natalie nodded, unable to form the emotions swirling through her into words. She wrapped her hands around Eli’s neck and pressed her lips to his. Her heart lifted, pulled out from the dark and dank by the offer of love, the freely given apology, and the hope in Eli’s words. Their kisses became tender and slow, exploratory even as they crossed into new territory—together.
Life wasn’t all better. Aunt Sophie was still gone. Natalie still worked at Dove’s and had a few gray hairs. The kids still didn’t have cell phones or a car. They couldn’t buy a new house, new furniture, or overstock the pantry. Somehow, as Eli kissed his way across her cheek, none of that mattered. Natalie couldn’t help but think back to Aunt Sophie’s story of the three husbands. She had a feeling that for her and Eli, the best was yet to come.
Additional Works
By Lucy McConnell
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About the Author
Lucy McConnell
Lucy McConnell has always been a reader and a writer. Once caught up in a story, she disappears into a cave until the first draft is done. She writes sweet romances, historical fiction, and cookbooks (published under the name Christina Dymock.) Her cookbook, The Hungry Family Slow Cooker Cook Book received the Best of State 2015 award.
When she is not working, you can find her volunteering at the elementary school or church; shuttling kids to baseball, basketball, for football; skiing with her family; wakeboarding; cycling; baking; running; or curled up with a good book.
You can sign up for her newsletter and receive news about her latest release and wonderful recipes by clicking here.
Snow Valley Anthologies
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—The Snow Valley Girls
Cindy Roland Anderson
Jeanette Lewis
Cami Checketts
Taylor Hart
Kimberley Montpetit
Lucy McConnell
Spring in Snow Valley: A Snow Valley Anthology Page 57