by Nathan Adams
Will never considered this before and was truly surprised that so many women in the cities were so opposed to the trade. This was a wonderful opportunity for some women who didn't have any other options. Even though he didn't understand it, he was happy to see that her fears were unfounded and the other women liked her.
The only person in town who didn't like Rebekah was a woman by the name of Mary-Anne. Everyone reckoned Mary-Anne didn't care for Rebekah because she fancied Will. She was married to one of the older men in town and was clearly unhappy with God's plan for her. Mary-Anne clearly did not care about her sacred vows to Peter because she was often seen running around town with much younger, self-righteous men. She considered herself above God's law, and for that reason, she was an outcast within the town.
Mary-Anne tried many times to draw Will away from his path and did everything she could to tempt him. Will never fell for it because of the strength that came from prayer. It was a sin to covet his neighbor’s wife, and Will was not a man who sinned freely.
Rebekah now had what Mary-Anne wanted for so long, and that didn't sit well with the tall, dark haired woman. Mary-Anne was a beautiful woman but that beauty just hadn't been enough to convince Will to fall in love with her. Now the man she'd desired so badly was married to a beautiful young woman who he'd surely fall in love with. Rebekah seemed to be perfect—seemed to be, anyway.
Despite the obvious tension between herself and Mary-Anne, Rebekah was still kind to her and even offered her sweets on occasion, which Mary-Anne always refused without fail. As Rebekah kneeled into the soft, damp earth, she sighed, sure that Mary-Anne would refuse the stew she was making for Sunday dinner at the church.
Even though Mary-Anne’s reactions were always a more than a little sour, Rebekah continued to offer her nothing but kindness. She’d always grown up hearing that one should kill their enemy with kindness. Mary-Anna would eventually get tired of being so angry all the time.
Her pale fingers were beginning to darken thanks to the dirt she always seemed to be digging into. She couldn’t help much with the livestock or the more physically demanding chores around the ranch, but she could help in the garden. She’d never really done any manual labor before but took to it rather quickly. She enjoyed gardening, and she loved the feeling of seeing something she cultivated grow and thrive.
She buried her hands into the damp soil like she’d done so many times before and gasped, yanking her hands back as a sharp prick of pain radiated through her fingers. When she pulled her hands out of the dirt, small rivulets of blood were starting to mix with the pitch black soil.
Rebekah stared at her fingers with wide eyes, unaware of her husband who wandered into the garden to check on her. As soon as he saw the fresh blood on her hands, he ran over to her and gripped her bloodied hand. He ripped his canteen from his belt and splashed fresh water on the wounds, washing the dirt and blood away.
“Rebekah, what on earth happened?” he asked, brows furrowed together.
The redhead glanced down at the soft patch of dirt she’d dug into and whimpered at the sight of large shards of glass sticking up out of the freshly dug hole. Will followed her line of sight and a certain amount of anger rose inside his gut. The glass was placed very deliberately in hopes that someone would dig into the garden and cut themselves.
Rebekah’s hand throbbed with pain as blood continued to ooze from her wounds. Will helped her stand and led her into the kitchen through the back door. A cool pail of water sat on the counter near the large sink, and he dipped her hands inside of it.
“That’s for dinner, darling.” she whispered weakly.
“I’ll get us more. This is more important,” Will said, cleaning her hands thoroughly.
He used one of his old shirts to make a makeshift bandage and tore it into small strips, wrapping them around her hands with tender care. Even though they didn’t fall in love in the traditional sense, Will was developing very strong feelings for Rebekah. He hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly, but he wasn’t going to fight it. This was clearly part of some bigger plan.
When her hands were completely wrapped up, Will looked up at her, frowning deeply and cupping her cheek.
“Rebekah, do you know who might have done this?”
She stared at him, her eyes wide and full of fear. She wasn’t just afraid of the glass in the garden. There was something more behind her eyes, though he couldn’t put his finger on it.
“No,” she answered after a long moment of hesitation. It was clearly a lie, but he decided it was best not to push it.
He nodded and wrapped his arms around her. “I’ll ask around town, see if anyone saw anything or heard anything.”
“No,” she said quickly, pulling away and looking at him with wide eyes. “No.”
He frowned deeply and rubbed her shoulder. “Why? We can’t just let people go around hurting others. What if this happened to a child?”
Rebekah swallowed thickly but didn’t answer for a moment. “I just don’t want to cause any problems.”
“It’s not going to cause any problems. We need to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”
“Right, of course.”
Will nodded and pulled her close. “Now let’s lie you down. I’m sure it was a shock,” he said, referring to the cuts to her hand.
She nodded leaning into him and following him up the stairs. Both of them thought they knew who did this—but they were both thinking of different people entirely.
Chapter Four
After the incident in the garden, Rebekah spent most of her time in the house. Will pulled up all of their crops from the small garden and tilled the soil, looking for any remaining shards of glass. A few days after he’d pulled up all the glass, he’d met with Peter to ask about Mary-Anne. Will was convinced that she’d come into the garden and planted the glass, but Peter assured him that she was with him that entire day. Will didn’t seem convinced but let go, especially after Rebekah begged him to.
It took a good two weeks for Rebekah to recover from the shock of the attack, but when she did, she came back full force. As she worked around the house humming to herself, Will could have sworn she was glowing, and he’d soon find out why.
Just as Will was falling for Rebekah, she found herself enamored with him. He was a good man and a hard worker. He wasn’t anything like the men in the city. Will respected her and saw her as an equal and genuinely seemed to care for her and that made her news all the more exciting.
They were sitting on the porch together, sharing fresh apples from their small orchard and watching the sunset. This time spent together was normally one of silent reflection and prayer, but Rebekah decided to break the silence today. She was sure that Will would forgive her. The moment was too perfect to ignore.
“I think you’re going to get that family you always wanted,” she said softly.
Will turned to her, brow furrowed in confusion for a moment. He wasn’t sure what she meant. It took a moment for him to realize exactly what she was saying, but when it finally clicked his jaw went slack and his eyes widened.
“You’re going to have a baby?” he whispered.
Rebekah nodded and tucked some hair behind her ear. “God has blessed us with a child, William.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, sitting up and reaching out to press his calloused hands against her belly.
“I am sure. I haven’t gone to the doctor, but he won’t be able to tell until much later. I have been sick in the mornings, and every little smell makes my stomach roll. I know I’m pregnant. Call it a woman’s intuition,” she said, putting her own hand over his. “You’re going to be a father, Will.”
Will prayed for this moment to come since their wedding night. He was trying not to get his hopes up because he knew it could take months or even years to be blessed with a child. He hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. They’d been married for a little over three months now, and although he was thrilled about the news, he was in shock as
well.
“We’re going to have a baby,” he whispered, looking up at her with bright eyes.
Will wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tender kiss, cupping her cheek and pressing their foreheads together.
“Thank you, Rebekah. This is the most wonderful gift you could have ever gotten me. I’ve never wanted anything as bad as I wanted to be a father. I couldn’t be luckier that you’ll be there by my side, raising our beautiful children.”
A moment of silence passed between them and Rebekah chewed her lip. “Do you still think of our marriage as a contract? As a business arrangement?” she asked, her eyes wet with unshed tears.
A slow smile came across his face, and he shook his head, running his thumb across her wind kissed cheek.
“I haven’t thought of our marriage as a contract in a very long time. The moment I saw you, I knew I was going to fall in love with you.”
Will could have sworn he saw a look of guilt run across her face, but he decided to ignore it for now. This moment was far too happy to ruin with heavy questioning. Rebekah wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close, all but melting in his embrace. They fit together perfectly, and in that moment they both knew that they were made for each other.
“Thank you, Will. Thank you for everything. This is the life I always wanted. I never thought I could be happy like this. I never thought I’d find love as perfect as this.”
He chuckled softly and rubbed her back adoringly. “You don’t have to thank me, Rebekah. I am just blessed to have you here with me.”
Guilt wrenched at her gut, and Rebekah couldn’t help but wonder how blessed Will would feel if he knew the truth.
Chapter Five
Word spread around town fast that Rebekah was with child. It was a small town, and news traveled like wildfire, especially the news of a new baby. Births were an exciting thing for the entire town, and everyone joined in to help the two young newlyweds prepare for their bundle of joy.
The women in town were happy to offer any advice they could, even if some of it was slightly terrifying for a new mother to hear. When Rebekah started to get nervous about having her baby, the woman just reminded her to be thankful it wouldn’t be a winter birth. Although that did little to alleviate her fears, she was thankful for the advice nonetheless.
The entire town showered them with gifts. Even Pete and Mary-Anne dropped by to offer them a small bassinet. It was stunningly beautiful and hand carved by Pete for the baby he and Mary-Anna were supposed to have. He decided to offer it to Will instead, a silent apology for Mary-Anne’s behavior.
Mary-Anna accompanied her husband to congratulate Will and Rebekah, though she never actually offered any well wishes. She just stared Rebekah down, her eyes burning with a hatefulness and anger that made Rebekah squirm. She’d been nothing but kind to Mary-Anne, but she was starting to suspect that her kindness wasn’t going to get her anywhere with the other woman.
Once they left Rebekah looked up at Will and sighed. “I don’t think that woman is ever going to let you go, Will.”
“Don’t you worry about her. She’s just a confused woman who’s lost her way. She’ll find her path again. We just need to try and forgive her.”
Rebekah nodded, knowing that her husband was right. She knew God would guide Mary-Anne back to the light, but she was slightly terrified of what might happen before Mary-Anne could find her way, and Rebekah had every right to be.
Mary-Anne watched Rebekah like a hawk. No matter where the woman went and no matter what she did, there was a sense of being watched. Mary-Anne was always just around the corner waiting for Rebekah to slip up. No one was that perfect, and Mary-Anne was going to discover the secrets she was hiding.
The only strange thing Mary-Anne noticed about Rebekah’s behaviors was the way she snuck out once a week to send out mail. It was clearly letters she didn’t want her husband seeing or knowing about, and that got Mary-Anne curious. Were they love letters of some sort? Was she pregnant with another man’s child? What sort of sordid secret did those letters hide? Mary-Anne couldn’t be sure but she was going to find out.
One morning she watched Rebekah sneak out of the house and hand off the letters to the post man. Once she went back into the house, Mary-Anne followed the postman on horse, staying just a little behind him. When he stopped a nearby saloon, it gave her enough time to dig through the bag he’d left on his horse and retrieve the small stack of letters Rebekah sent out that morning.
She knew she couldn’t risk reading them so close to the saloon, so she turned and got back on her horse, taking her treasure back into town. Her heat was racing, and she wanted desperately to read the letters but managed to wait until she got home.
The second she peeled back the wax seal on the official-looking document, she knew that she held information that would not only scandalize the town but also tear Rebekah and Will apart for good and allow Mary-Anne to finally have the man of her dreams.
Chapter Six
It was a quiet Sunday morning like any other, and Rebekah and Will were getting ready for church. Rebekah always dressed modestly but still managed to look beautiful. Her floral dress accented her rosy cheeks, and it made Will fall for her all over again. He watched her get ready, smiling as she pinned a few strands of wispy red hair back away from her face.
“You look like an angel.”
She smiled and gently rested a hand on her still flat belly. She wasn’t showing any signs of being with child, but she knew she would start soon. All of the other women seemed impressed that she still managed to look so petite and shapely with a baby on the way.
The small church was only a short walk from their home, so they decided to make the trip on foot. Riding a horse while pregnant made Rebekah nervous, and she avoided it whenever possible, even though Will was convinced that it would be far less strenuous. Rebekah promised that she’d start riding the horse more when she was further along, and Will seemed pleased with that answer.
As the stepped into the church yard, Rebekah’s stomach gave a strange lurch. She stopped dead on her tracks on the cobblestone walk way, her eyes wide. She wasn’t sure why, but she was overcome by the strangest feeling. She needed to run. She needed to get far, far away from this church. It wasn’t safe today.
Will noticed her hesitation and gently reached out to touch her arm, frowning deeply. “Rebekah, are you all right? Are you feeling sick, hon?”
She considered lying for a moment and saying yes, but she didn’t want to miss church. The Sunday morning sermons moved her deeply, and it was something she looked forward to all week. Rebekah took a breath and shook her head, deciding that it was just her nerves. Pregnancy did all sorts of strange things to the body, and it was easy to blame the overwhelming feeling of dread on the same thing that made her sick every morning or cry at the slightest thing.
A weak smile came to her lips, and she shook her head. “I just got a strange feeling. That’s all,” she said, offering her hand to him.
He took her delicate hand and followed her into the church where they found their usual seats. There was no assigned seating in the church, but there was a silent understanding that everyone had their own spot and that they would sit in the same spot every Sunday.
The preacher came before the congregation and motioned for them to stand. As they sang hymns, the feeling of anxiety left Rebekah and was replaced with a feeling of unconditional love. This was why she loved church. There was a bubbling feeling of joy in her chest that she didn’t get anywhere but right here in this church.
When the hymns were done, they took their seats and the preacher gave a moving sermon about forgiveness and love. It move Rebekah to tears, and she caught herself dabbing her eyes with the kerchief she always kept in her pocket during sermons. When the preacher finished, he glanced down at the front row of pews and then up at his congregation.
“We have a special treat today. Mrs. Turner would like to give a small sermon of her own and I hope you all wil
l be as kind to her as you are to me. Come up here, child.”
Rebekah’s blood ran cold as Mary-Anne took the stage, holding a handful of letters. She couldn’t see exactly what they were from where she was sitting, but Rebekah was sure that it was going to be an attack on her. This was what the feeling was warning her about that morning before the service. Mary-Anne never came to church, and if she was here today, then she was here to do some damage.
The tall woman cleared her throat, her blue eyes sweeping the crowd in front of her. “The story of Adam and Eve warns us of a serpent and a woman who would eventually bring man to his knees. This serpent and this woman would conspire together to ruin man and pull him from God’s grace. I ask you now, what if the serpent and the woman were one creature? And what if that creature’s name was Rebekah.” Her cold eyes immediately met Rebekah’s and a slow smirk came to her face.
Will shot up out of his seat, staring at Mary-Anne with a look of pure anger. He opened his mouth to object, but before he could, Mary-Anne grabbed a document from the pile of letters and held it up for the crowd to see.
“Before you go defending her, Will, I think you should know about this.” She shook the document. “This is a contract requesting a divorce from Rebekah’s first husband back in New York. She was already married when she came here—and she still is!”
All the color drained from Rebekah’s face, and tears filled her eyes. Mary-Anna grinned maliciously and threw the paper down.
“If she’s lying about this, what else is she lying about? Is that even your child, or is she trying to cover something up?”
Will turned to look at Rebekah, his eyes filled with pain and betrayal. The idea that the child Rebekah was carrying wasn’t his was far too much for him to take in.
“Rebekah, is it true?” he whispered, reaching out to touch her hand.
Mary-Anne was still grinning, shaking the document as the entire congregation turned to Rebekah and stared, waiting for her answer. Stunned silence filled the church until the only sound anyone could hear was the soft panting sobs as Rebekah covered her face.