Abigail’s heart pounded as she held her hand high. Already God had answered her prayer.
Rachel tugged her arm down. “Abigail, you can’t deliver food baskets.”
Abigail lifted her other hand. “Yes, I can.”
“How would you find the houses?”
Abigail ignored Rachel’s shrill whisper.
“And Miss Abigail Stevens.” The minister finished choosing the volunteers. “Thank you all for your generosity. Please, meet with me after the closing prayer for the list of addresses.”
“I don’t have time for this.” Rachel later grumbled all the way to the door. “Someone else could have taken those baskets.”
Abigail stopped and turned toward her sister. “Rachel, I don’t want your help. Don’t you think I’ve sat in the dark long enough? I plan to donate a poinsettia to each basket as a symbol of coming out of darkness into God’s light. I’ll find a way to deliver the baskets. And, dear sister, this is just the beginning. I will not be confined to a dark room any longer.”
Abigail almost laughed at the sputter of unintelligible words coming from her usually articulate sister.
Chapter 10
“Papa, we’ll be late to church if we don’t hurry.” Mary Ella stood by Seth’s chair with her best dress on, her arm held in a sling.
“How did you get dressed? You didn’t hurt your arm, did you?”
She grinned as she turned around, talking over her shoulder. “I slid it over my cast first. That was easy, but I can’t reach the buttons in back.”
Her dress was unbuttoned, the ties on either side hung down from the waist. Seth patted her back. “Go put some play clothes on, Mary Ella.”
“Why?” She swung to face him, her smile gone. “Aren’t we going to church?”
“Not today.” He picked up the View Master from the table and held it to his eyes. Anything to keep from seeing her disappointment.
“Why, Papa? You aren’t sick, are you?”
“No, I’m not sick.” He clicked to a new mountain scene and stared through it as Mary Ella waited. “No more questions, just do as you’re told.” He regretted the sharp tone in his voice as quickly as he heard it. He lowered the View Master and met her gaze.
Mary Ella frowned at him only a moment before she spun away and ran from the room.
She reacted to the harsh tone in his voice, but what else could he do? He couldn’t go to church for fear he’d see Abigail. How could he face her now that he knew she’d handed the engineer job to him on a silver platter? Surely his pride was worth something. He’d spent this last week trying to make sense of the confusion and anger that had taken over his emotions. To complicate things even more, he liked his new job. He was good at it, and he enjoyed working with the people at Kingson Steel.
He cradled his head in his hands as a vision of Abigail filled his mind. Sweet, beautiful Abigail. Had God brought them together, or did he imagine the closeness they shared these past few months? The attraction he felt for her had grown into something strong and abiding. Something very much like love.
But why had she given him the promotion at work? For Mary Ella’s sake? She loved Mary Ella. Anyone could see that. Maybe his daughter was the only one Abigail loved. That thought caused a pang deep inside. He’d never felt so foolish, to have fallen in love with a woman who cared only for his daughter, while he dreamed of marriage and forever after.
He leaned his head against the chair back and closed his eyes. Why did things have to turn out this way? Everything had changed since Monday. Abigail was not just a wonderful lady from across the street. She was his employer. He could no longer entertain the notion of marriage with Abigail Stevens, co-owner of Kingson Steel.
“Papa?” Mary Ella stood inside the room with her poinsettia in her hands. She wore her old blue dress with tiny white flowers on it. “I want you to see my flower. It turned red just like Miss Abigail said it would.”
Seth watched her cross the room to set the flowerpot on the window seat. A ray of sunshine fell across the red plant.
“Isn’t it pretty, Papa?”
“Yes, Mary Ella, it’s very pretty.”
“Miss Abigail says the poinsettia is like a lot of us people. She says sometimes God has to put us in a dark closet for a while, so we can learn how much He loves us. Do you think that’s true, Papa?”
Seth stared at the poinsettia that had been placed in darkness each night and now stood beautiful and ready to face the light. When his wife died, he’d lived in the darkness of guilt, grief, and fear. For so long he hadn’t been able to step out of the closet. Until he met Abigail. Because of Abigail he now walked in the light of God’s love and forgiveness. His soul had bloomed under the rays of God’s mercy. No longer did he carry the load of guilt and fear that had been with him so long.
He’d been given a wonderful job, yet his pride threatened to take it from him. The Bible said pride goes before a fall. Abigail used her influence to get him the position of chemical engineer. He couldn’t begin to understand her thinking. But his work was not as important as knowing how she felt for him. Could she possibly love him? His heart swelled at that moment to accommodate all the love that rushed in for Miss Abigail Stevens.
He smiled at his daughter. “Yes, Mary Ella, I think Miss Abigail is right. Sometimes, we do have to walk in darkness so we can appreciate the light. I think it’s time for us to have some light, don’t you?”
She nodded and he wondered how much she understood.
He hugged her. “I love you, Mary Ella. And, I love Miss Abigail.”
Mary Ella pulled away. “For truly sure? How much do you love her, Papa?”
“Very, very much.”
Her eyes sparkled and a wide smile spread across her face. “Is she going to be my mommy?”
Seth laughed. “Maybe I’ll ask her, and then we’ll find out, okay?”
~*~
Mrs. Marshall came to the door at Seth’s knock. Her eyes widened. “Hello, Mr. Warren.”
“Mrs. Marshall, is Abigail home? I’d like to speak with her, if I may.”
She hesitated, and then nodded her head to the side as if she’d made a quick decision. “You’ll find her next door.”
“Thank you.” He stepped off the porch and around to the outside door of Abigail’s greenhouse. With a prayer for God’s blessing, he opened the door and went in. Abigail looked up and turned toward him.
A smile brightened her face before she sobered. “Seth, is that you?”
He laughed as joy bubbled up from deep inside. “Yes, it’s me. How did you know?”
“Is anything wrong? Is Mary Ella all right?”
“Mary Ella is fine, and I’m much better, too. I owe you an apology, but first I want to know how you recognized me just now.”
“Your aftershave.”
“Oh, really?” He walked closer to her. “Is that the only thing that gives me away?”
A blush spread across her cheeks, making her the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He laughed. She couldn’t have told him what he wanted to know in a more satisfying way. “Maybe someday you’ll be willing to tell me how you sense my presence. How something deep inside your heart tells you it’s me.”
The color on her cheeks deepened, and her smile had never looked more beautiful. She nodded. “Yes, maybe someday.”
She took a step back from him and picked up a potted plant. “But now we have work to do. Bring your buggy around so we can load it.” She stood facing him with a potted poinsettia in her hands and a smile on her lips.
Seth longed to drop a kiss on those very kissable lips, but he held off. Time for that later. “Shall I obey without question, or do you want to tell me what’s going on?”
Her laughter sounded like music. “If you’d been at church, you’d know. I’m delivering Christmas baskets, and I want to include a poinsettia with each of mine.”
“I’ll be right back.” Seth was pleased she’d taken for granted his willingness to help. Her feelings
for him went far beyond friendship. Her actions and her pink cheeks tattled.
A few minutes later Seth had the buggy loaded, and Abigail sat by his side. She handed him the list of addresses with a smile. “I told Rachel I didn’t need her help, but the truth be told, I’m having a little trouble reading this list.”
Seth took the list and stared at her. When she giggled, he couldn’t help but chuckle. She seemed happier than he’d ever seen her. Almost as if she had been set free from some binding force. He felt the same way and thanked God for her and for the love that filled his heart.
At each house Abigail went with Seth to the door. She carried the flowerpot while he carried the heavier basket. She greeted each recipient with a smile and a word of encouragement. As she gave the poinsettias, she said, “The poinsettia is a Christmas flower, but it’s also a reminder to us that even the dark times in our lives serve a purpose. If we let them, they can teach us to reach toward God’s light, God’s love, and God’s forgiveness. We will be better people for having come through the darkness.”
Seth’s love for her nearly overwhelmed him as they pulled away from the last house. When they came to a city park, he pulled in and guided his horse to a stop.
“Is something wrong?” Abigail turned toward him, confusion on her lovely face.
“No, nothing’s wrong. This just couldn’t wait until we got back to your house.”
“To my house?” Abigail’s eyebrows drew together in a frown. “To do what, Seth?”
He lifted her hands in both of his, and she turned toward him, her expression questioning. He smiled. Oh, how he loved this woman.
“Abigail, I couldn’t wait to tell you, I love you.”
A gasp caught in her throat. “Oh, Seth, are you sure? You do realize I’m blind, don’t you?”
Seth laughed. “A lot of people have bad eyesight, Abigail, but you see clearer than most people with good vision. Except, you were supposed to say, ‘I love you, too, Seth.’”
“But, I do love you. Very much.”
“Does that mean you would consider being my wife?”
Abigail nodded, a puzzled expression still on her face. “I don’t understand. Why would you ask such a thing? I mean, are you sure you really want me?”
Happiness bubbled within Seth, bringing laughter. “Of course I want you, Abigail. You are exactly what I want. The question is if you want me. You do realize I’m beneath you in social standing, don’t you?”
Abigail giggled. “You are not beneath me. If my partnership in the plant bothers you, I could give my half to Rachel.”
Seth’s laughter caused his horse to let out an answering whinny. “Listen to my horse. He thinks you’re joking. I’m not so sure. You really would do that, wouldn’t you?”
She turned toward him, completely serious now. “Yes, I would, Seth. If it really matters to you, I will.”
“Then you will marry me?” Seth waited breathless for her answer.
Her eyes glistened with tears while her lips tilted in the beginning of a smile. “Yes, Seth. I want to be your wife. I’ll love you forever. You and Mary Ella.”
“I don’t deserve your love, sweet Abigail, but I sure am thankful for it. I guarantee you have mine from now and forever after. Even if you become sole owner of Kingson Steel and lose your hearing, too, I’ll still want you for my wife. I love you.”
He slipped his arm around her and drew her close. She tilted her head up, and he lowered his for the sweetest kiss of his life. No man could be more blessed. Because of his Abigail and her poinsettias, his struggle through darkness had ended. Together they’d walk in the light of God’s grace until He called them home for all eternity.
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About the Author
Mildred Colvin is an award-winning author of fourteen romance novels in both historical and contemporary themes, two compilations, and one audio book. Mildred received the following Annual Heartsong Presents Awards:
3rd Favorite New Author (Cora)
4th Favorite New Author writing as M. J. Conner (Circle of Vengeance)
3rd Place in Favorite Contemporary Romance (This Child is Mine)
7th Place in Favorite Historical Romance as M. J. Conner (Escape to Sanctuary)
Mildred is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Christian Authors Network, and is active in two critique groups. Please visit her blog at http://mildredcolvin.blogspot.com and Infinite Characters http://infinitecharacters.com
Mildred’s other e-books include:
Learning to Lean
A New Life
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Lesson of the Poinsettia Page 8