“I love you, Jake. But I can’t ask you to move to New York with me. I can’t do that to you.”
His smile ended and his face dulled.
“So I’m going to stay here. I want to be with you.”
In less than a heartbeat, he crushed her to him in the gentlest way. “My sweet, lovable princess. I love you.”
“Hey, you called me princess.” Her lips curled upward until she was certain they would take over her face.
“Yep. Sure did. You said being a princess was important to you. You’ll always be my princess.” Jake’s mouth covered hers. His kiss went directly to her heart and soul, melting it with its passion, its warmth and its love. Long moments later, he raised his head and gazed tenderly at her. “I love you, Leah.”
“I love you, too.”
“So, does this mean you’re gonna marry me?”
“Yep.” Leah used his own word to answer him.
“Let’s get one thing perfectly clear first.”
“What’s that?”
“This won’t be a marriage of convenience, but of love.”
“Good. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” She winked at him.
Jake kissed her again soundly. “Now, let’s go tell your family the good news.”
Leah quickly brushed her clothes and put her hair to rights. “What about Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth?”
“I have a feeling they won’t be there.”
“How come?”
“Because Elizabeth figured out that I’m in love with you.”
“She did?”
“Yep. But if they are there, we’ll share our news later.”
“What about my brothers? I don’t know how they’ll feel about this.”
“I do.”
“You do?”
“Yep. Already talked to them about us and asked their permission to marry you.”
“You did? Ah,” she said. “That’s so sweet. What did they say?” She tilted her head and a curl fell against her cheek.
“They thought it was about time I came to my senses and realized I was in love with you. They wished me luck and said they’d be praying for me. And for you to say yes.” Jake settled the strand of hair behind her ear and ran his finger slowly over her cheek, across her lips and under her chin. He tilted her head up, his soft lips only a breath away.
“Kiss me again, Jake.”
His eyelids drifted shut. His lips touched hers, softly, then playfully, then possessively. Her heart sighed and melted into his. The man sure knew how to kiss. She couldn’t wait to become his wife.
Their lips eventually parted but with great reluctance.
Jake cupped her hand in his and they threaded their way through the wild ferns and trees.
When the noise of the festivities reached them, Leah stopped and strained to see if Fitzwilliam was anywhere around the ranch yard. She really wasn’t looking forward to that confrontation. There was no sign of either him or Elizabeth or the carriage they’d rode in on. “They’re gone,” she told Jake with a huge sigh of relief.
“Good.” Jake stopped her. “Leah, before we get married I want to ask your mother’s permission.”
“I think that would be nice. Thank you.”
“One more thing. What if your mother marries Mr. Barker? Will your living here and witnessing it bother you?”
“I’m not sure. But one thing I am sure of... You’ll be there for me if it does.”
“Yep.” Jake pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it. Love, warm and sweet, went from his lips straight into her heart. “One last thing— You sure you won’t mind living in a small, three-room house?” Worry flitted across his face.
“Nope. I don’t care about that. I care about you.”
“But you said you wanted to go to balls and all that stuff.”
“I thought I did. Truth is, after being around all those people at Phoebe’s wedding, then at Mr. Barker’s the other night, and then Fitzwilliam, I couldn’t care less if I ever see another gown or attend another snooty gathering ever again. I no more belong with those people than a pig belongs in a mansion.”
“A pig in a mansion, huh?” He grinned and so did she.
Her attention jumped from his to across the yard. “Oh, look. There’s Mother. Let’s go talk to her.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him behind her. For someone who was so against the arrangement an hour ago, she sure had come around quickly. “Mother, can Jake and I speak with you for a moment?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll talk to you later, Mother.” Michael glanced at Jake.
Jake nodded once.
Michael smiled and gave a quick nod of his own, then he turned and strolled over to Selina. Her brother leaned down and said something to his wife. Selina looked over at them, smiling from ear to ear.
Leah’s heart warmed knowing they loved Jake and that they approved of her choice of husband. Well, God’s choice, really. After hearing the pastor’s message about putting God first and ourselves second, during that very service, she’d done just that and look what it had gotten her. The man of her dreams.
“Mrs. Bowen.” Jake cleared his throat. “I would like to ask permission to marry your daughter.”
“Oh, well, Abby’s too young to marry. She’s only seventeen.” Twinkles glittered her mother’s eyes.
“No. I meant...” Jake tugged at his shirt collar.
“Mother. Stop. She’s teasing you, Jake.”
“Yes, I am. Of course you have my permission to marry Leah. And God’s, too.”
“What do you mean ‘God’s, too’?”
“Well, ever since you and Jake ran the sack race, I had a feeling about you two and started praying way back then. And every time I did, it was as if I could sense God’s approval.”
“Thank you, Mother.” Leah threw her arms around her. “Your prayers have been answered. And mine, too. Because of that, we have a wedding to plan.”
“The sooner, the better.” Jake winked, and getting his full meaning, Leah blushed.
* * *
The next morning, Leah bolted upright in bed. She pinched her eyes shut and a deep guttural groan leaked out of her. Her newfound love and revelation hadn’t stopped the nightmares. “Why, God?” When no answer came, she hurried through her toiletries and flew toward the barn, hoping Jake was there alone, as was his norm in the morning twilight.
Leah stepped inside the dim interior of the barn. The instant she spotted Jake, she rushed over to him and threw her arms around his waist. Sobs tore from her.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Jake cupped her head snugly into his chest.
“I—I h-had anoth-another nightmare.”
“Oh, honey.” He pressed her head closer to his chest, his arm tightening around her.
She stayed that way for a moment before leaning her head back and gazing into his eyes. “I don’t understand, Jake. Why did this happen? I thought because I’d finally understood why I had them that they would be gone. Or that love would make everything better. What do I do, Jake? I can’t take the pain that each one brings. Do I have to leave you and everyone I love and go back to New York for this to be finally over?”
“Leah, love doesn’t make bad go away. But it helps us to get through it. I don’t know why you had another nightmare. Can’t tell you what nobody can know. I can tell you that moving back to New York won’t likely solve your problem, either.”
“What makes you say that?” She tilted her head sideways.
Jake tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I live hundreds of miles from Atlantic City.”
What did that have to do with her situation?
“Moving states away didn’t solve my problem.”
Leah frowned. “Huh? I don’t understand.”
“Leah, honey. My best memories are on my farm. My worst are in Atlantic City. Changing residences didn’t solve what’s happening on the inside—only God can do that.”
“How? I’ve been praying about this for years.”
<
br /> “Don’t know, princess. Only God knows what it will take. What I do know is ‘Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow, but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, for he hath not another to help him up.’”
“Ecclesiastes four, nine and ten,” she whispered.
“I can’t fix everything, princess. Can’t even stop the nightmares. Wish I could, but I can’t.” The same finger that had replaced her curl now rested under her chin. “I can, however, promise to be here with you no matter what. To lift you up. To comfort you, and to protect you through those times.”
Leah shifted out of his arms and put her back to him, struggling with what to do. She thought about Jake and how even though he lived miles away from where his problems had started—lived where memories of his family were sweet—panic attacks still plagued him. If Jake could survive what he had to endure, well, so could she. Only now neither of them would have to endure it alone.
Leah turned, and Jake was right there. Just where he said he’d be. Her eyes collided with his. She cupped his face. “My sweet Jake. I love you with all my heart. I promise to do the same and be there for you, too.”
Jake drew her into the circle of his strong arms. “I love you, too. Together we can do this.”
Their lips sealed the promise between them.
Epilogue
Twenty-one days had passed since Jake had proposed for the second time. During that time he’d courted Leah properly, bringing her gifts and taking her on picnics and evening strolls.
Those three weeks seemed like forever. Today they were finally getting married. Underneath the hot late-afternoon sun, Leah slowly made her way down the aisle, smiling at her friends and family sitting in the rows of benches lined in the yard of her family’s ranch. Each step she took, her ivory silk taffeta bustle gown with layers of lace and an asymmetrical skirt with pale pink lace and bows brushed the top of her white button-up boots. It had taken her and Abby hours to sew on the delicate row of pink flowers draped diagonally across the boned corset bodice and neckline. Today she felt like a real princess.
Leah gazed at Jake, who looked more handsome than she’d ever seen him look before—something she thought would never be possible as he was already the most handsome man she’d ever seen.
Their eyes connected and held. Jake reached out his hand and she willingly laid hers in his.
“You ready?” Pastor James asked.
“Yep. Sure am,” Jake answered in a rush.
The crowd laughed. When the laughter died, there in front of God and man, Leah said her vows and then Jake said his. He vowed to love, honor, cherish, protect and comfort her. All the things he had spent his life doing already. The very same things that reminded her of her beloved father.
“You may now kiss your bride, Jake.”
“Yep. Think I will.”
Everyone laughed again.
Jake tilted her chin and kissed her softly, lightly and yet not nearly long enough. When he raised his head, she tilted her head and sent him a questioning look.
He tucked her hair behind her ear. “Later, princess. Later.”
She blushed.
After everyone had eaten and the gifts were opened, they said their goodbyes and headed to her buggy—their buggy—decorated with streamers of bowed ribbons and strings of rusty tin cans.
Her mother, brothers, sisters-in-law, sister, nieces and nephews gathered around them. Leah hugged and thanked each one, then Jake helped her into the carriage filled with her belongings.
She tucked herself under her husband’s arm and snuggled into his chest on the way to his home. Their home. She sighed.
“What’s that for?”
“I can’t believe that you’re mine. And that your beautiful home is mine now, too.” She gazed up at her husband.
Jake pressed his shoulders back and pride marched across his face. “Can’t believe it, either. That you’re mine, too.”
“Yep.” Leah laughed, then captured his lips in a long, breath-robbing kiss.
When the kiss ended, Jake breathlessly said, “Giddyup” and clicked the lines.
At her new home, they unloaded her belongings and while Jake went and put the horse and buggy up, Leah went to their bedroom, where her trunk rested at the end of the bed. She opened it and grabbed her diary.
Dear Mr. Darcy,
You won’t be hearing from me anymore. Sorry to disappoint you by saying this, but I found someone even better than you—my very own prince who is everything I always wanted and more. A prince who is my beloved father’s equal. So, Mr. Darcy, this is goodbye. Thank you for listening to me all this time.
Love,
Leah
Leah closed the book and clutched it against her chest.
“What you got there?” Jake came up behind her and slipped his arms around her.
Leah turned in his arms with one arm behind her back. She felt behind her and placed the book in her trunk and covered it with an item of clothing. “Nothing of consequence. Not anymore, anyway.” With those words, she slipped her arms around her husband’s neck and kissed him until her knees threatened to no longer hold her.
The next morning Leah woke up, wrapped in her husband’s embrace. During the night, instead of a nightmare, she had dreamed about her prince of a husband. Hopefully it was the first of many good dreams. But even if it wasn’t, she knew Jake’s love would see her through the bad times, and that she had finally found the groom she had always wanted.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt of A Baby Between Them by Winnie Griggs!
Dear Reader,
My wonderful church, Red Rocks Church in Golden, Colorado, did a series on I AM SECOND. That teaching, putting God first and me second, changed my life. In the past, I would get so busy with writing, deadlines and life itself that I would forget to read my Bible or spend time with the Lord. Since putting Him first, Groom Wanted was the quickest and easiest book I’ve ever written. Now I live by the motto HE IS FIRST, I AM SECOND. Some of you may already do that, but for those of us who don’t, who let the busyness of life get in the way, this I AM SECOND motto is ginormous. Jake and Leah learned that lesson, too. They were so caught up in their own plans, placing ads and so on, that they hadn’t put God first in their decisions. When they did, God worked on their behalf, as He has for so many others. In fact, if you’d like to hear some amazing testimonies about putting God first, visit www.iamsecond.com. It’s my hope that this revelation helps you all as much as it has helped me.
God bless you and yours,
Debra Ullrick
Questions for Discussion
In your life, what is one time that you wanted something only to find that God had something better in mind?
Friendship is very important in the story. What friendship do you have that is most like Leah and Jake’s—where you know the other person so well, you can tell when something’s happened even from across the room?
When have you felt like a fish out of water? What happened? How did that make you feel?
The idea of prejudice—judging others by their social standing—is prevalent throughout the book. Where do you find prejudice in society today? Have you ever experienced prejudice? What happened?
Leah is tormented by nightmares she doesn’t understand. What types of dreams have you had that you knew were about more than just the dream?
Leah had a close bond with her father and associated New York with the good memories of him. Whom did you bond with as a child? What memories do you have of closeness like Leah’s memories of the stars?
Leah wanted to marry a man like her father. What kind of man do or did you hope to marry? Why?
When Jake realizes he loves Leah, he is still willing to let her go for her to be happy. If you’ve ever experienced loving someone that much, what happened?
Have you ever had a time in your life when someone close to you was going to marry someone you c
onsidered to be the wrong person? What did you do? How did it turn out?
Leah writes in her journal throughout the book. Why do you think it can be easier to write about what’s
really going on than living it?
Why is it so difficult to be yourself when you’re surrounded by people who don’t like you as you are? What do you do to help others know it is all right to be themselves?
Leah’s mother wants to marry again. Leah is the only sibling struggling with this. Knowing the reason why Leah struggles, what advice would you give her to help her cope with her mother’s remarrying?
Leah was willing to marry a complete stranger. Lots of women back then married for convenience and not love. How do you think you’d feel marrying a complete stranger you did not love?
Most weddings back then were a lot simpler than they are today. If you’d married in the late nineteenth century, how would you describe your wedding? Where would it be?
Life is a lot easier when you put God first. What areas do you need to start putting God first in?
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Historical story.
You find illumination in days gone by. Love Inspired Historical stories lift the spirit as heroines tackle the challenges of life in another era with hope, faith and a focus on family.
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