Bride of Second Chances

by Nordin, Ruth Ann

  “Adequate?” Jeremy asked.

  “Oh yes. The whole tree thing and the short man. It was fine. But I wanted to extend the invitation to you and Jane to come over to my place for Thanksgiving dinner. It’s a family tradition, you know. Last year, Will was the host. This year, it’s my turn.”

  Jane bit her tongue so she wouldn’t tell her aunt that Will was the host in name only. She was the one who did all the work!

  Jeremy glanced in Jane’s direction before he answered Fiona. “You are aware of the rift between Jane and Will, are you not?”

  Fiona shrugged. “They’re brother and sister. There’s bound to be a rift here and there, but for Thanksgiving, it behooves everyone to put aside their differences in the spirit of the joyous day.”

  “While it’s a good idea to get along with others as much as we can, there are some people who make the task impossible,” he replied.

  Jane’s eyes widened, impressed by the way he worded that sentiment. If it’d been her, she wouldn’t have used such diplomacy.

  Fiona nodded. “That is true, Preacher, but Will is willing to bear with Jane for the sake of the family.”

  “Bear with Jane?” Jane snapped.

  Jeremy held his hand up to her and turned to Fiona. “I think the better way of stating it is that Jane would have to bear with Will. Actually, I’d have to also bear with him, and to be honest, that’s not something I look forward to.”

  Fiona’s eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t follow you, Preacher.”

  “You are aware that Will wanted to sell Jane into marriage, aren’t you?” Jeremy asked. “Micah’s told enough people that I was coveting another man’s wife, even though that would be impossible since Jane wasn’t married to him, nor did she care to marry him.”

  “Perhaps that is the way you tell it, but she did go to the potluck with Micah.”

  “Because my brother arranged it,” Jane inserted.

  “But you didn’t go with the preacher instead, did you?” Fiona asked.

  “Why would I? He wasn’t courting me,” Jane replied, aware her voice was too loud in the small church.

  “Which is why it came as such a surprise when you two got married.” Fiona motioned to Jeremy. “But that is neither here nor there. What I’m concerned about is the dinner. I have an entire menu planned and made decorations. All that’s missing is the family.”

  “I’m afraid,” Jeremy began, “until Will apologizes for the way he treated Jane, we can’t accept.”

  Fiona sighed. “Maybe it’s your youth, but in my day, we didn’t let something as minor as a family squabble prevent us from getting together to give thanks for our blessings. We put on a happy face and pretended we were happy to see everyone.”

  “I think we’ll have to agree to disagree on this one,” he said. “Jane and I regretfully decline the invitation unless Will admits what he did was wrong.”

  It wasn’t the answer Fiona wanted, Jane knew, for her mouth formed a tight line and she let out a small huff. Even so, she said, “Alright. Thanksgiving won’t be the same without the entire family there, but I suppose without Rebecca, it wouldn’t have been the same anyway.”

  Jeremy stiffened. “I assure you that if Rebecca was alive, she wouldn’t attend the dinner because of the way Will treated Jane. Rebecca wasn’t the type of person who tolerated anyone mistreating her sister.”

  Fiona gave a slight gasp before she shrugged. “I suppose we’ll never know for sure since she isn’t here. Fine. So you won’t be coming to my house. It’s a shame the children will miss out on seeing their aunt and uncle. I hope you’ll consider what you’ll do when your next niece or nephew is born.”

  That was the only part about not seeing her brother Jane missed. Hank and Irene were the only ones who made her time under her brother’s care worth her while.

  “Good day, Preacher. Jane,” Fiona said before she strode out of the church.

  Jane sighed. She couldn’t think of a way that the conversation with Fiona might have gone well unless she caved and agreed to attend the dinner, but she had no such inclination. “Thank you,” she told Jeremy.

  “Try not to give her another thought,” he replied. “Some people don’t take into account that a person has the right to say no.”

  “I can’t go, no matter what she thinks. I’d most likely throw a drumstick at my brother. Then everyone would be talking about how unladylike I am, and that wouldn’t do you any good.”

  “That’s because people assume preachers and their families aren’t human.” He glanced around the church and smiled. “Are you ready to go home?”

  Feeling better, she nodded and joined him on the walk to the parsonage.

  Chapter Nine

  Jeremy placed the small basket of autumn leaves by Rebecca’s grave and pulled out the weeds around it. The afternoon sunlight filtered through the trees and lit up her name. With a faint smile, he brushed a leaf off her marker and stood up.

  “I don’t know how much longer I can keep bringing leaves. Snow will fall soon, and I doubt you’d appreciate a basket of snow.”

  He placed his hands in his coat pockets and glanced around the quiet cemetery. Sometimes, it was almost peaceful out here.

  “Tomorrow, Jane and I will go over to Jonathan and Marcy’s. It won’t be the same without you. Besides going to the potluck, I haven’t been over to their house to eat, and even at the potluck, I spent most of my time hiding. I expect it to be awkward since we spent so much time with them. I know you were closer to Marcy than anyone else. Maybe I shouldn’t have closed myself off from them after you died, but I couldn’t look at Marcy without thinking of the way you two could talk for hours and never seem to run out of topics. I don’t know how you did it. It seems that sooner or later, you’d be unable to think of anything else to say.”

  The wind blew and knocked over the basket, so he picked it back up and found a rock to slip into it to anchor it down. There. That was better. He straightened again and sighed.

  “I don’t know how tomorrow evening will go, to be honest, but it is long overdue for me to visit them. At least Jane will be there. I don’t think I could go alone.”

  He chuckled.

  “You know your aunt Fiona? She was at the church last Sunday and wanted Jane and me to go to her Thanksgiving dinner. We refused, of course, because of what happened with Will, but Jane made a comment that you’d enjoy. She said the reason she couldn’t go to Fiona’s was because she’d throw a drumstick at Will. I was tempted to suggest we could open the window to the dining room and she could do it from outside the house instead. Then he’d never know who did it, and she’d still get to throw it at him.”

  Laughing, he shrugged.

  “You have to admit the image is hilarious. The only reason I didn’t tell her what I was thinking is because she assumes I wouldn’t entertain such thoughts. Not that I’d take her to Fiona’s to actually do that, but it’s still funny when you imagine it.”

  Once his laughter died down, he promised Rebecca he’d be back later in the week with more leaves to put in the basket and headed home. When he walked through the front door, he noticed that Jane was counting the money she had left over from her latest trip to the general store.

  She glanced up at him and showed him her change. “I had to pick up a pound of coffee, a quart of milk, a package of butter, and a pint of vinegar. Here’s what I have left.”

  Placing his coat in the closet, he said, “I keep telling you that I don’t need a list of things you buy, and I know you’re frugal with the money.”

  With a look at the change in her hand, she nodded and turned to the jar which she pulled down from the shelf. “I’m sorry. I forget.”

  “That’s fine. I know that your brother required you to give an account for every penny you spent.” How she managed as long as she did under her brother’s roof, he had no idea. He probably would have lost patience with Will within the first week. Once he placed his hat on the shelf of the closet, he closed the door a
nd went over to the table to inspect the items on the shelves. “It doesn’t look like there’s anything to make a cake with.”

  “I rearranged the items up there,” she said. “That way I can grab what I need from one area instead of jumping around.”

  “You hop up and down while you cook?” he teased.

  Though she rolled her eyes, her eyes twinkled. “No, silly. It was a figure of speech. I just got tired of reaching for something from one shelf and having to grab something else from another. Granted, it’s not a major change, but I think it’ll be more efficient.”

  “I’m sure it will be. So, is there enough for a cake?”

  “Of course, there is. You don’t think I’d let you go for a week without your favorite food, do you?”

  “I wouldn’t say cake is my favorite food.”

  “No?”

  “No.” He grinned. “It’s my favorite dessert.”

  “Hmm… Something tells me if I served it for the main course, you’d be just fine with it.”

  His smile widened. “You’ll do that?”

  She laughed and shook her head. “No.”

  His smile fell. “Why not?”

  “Because you need real food. You know, meat, vegetables, fruits…”

  “I’ll have those for dessert instead.”

  Sighing, she started placing the items she just purchased in their new spots on the shelves. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “I warned you that making cake as soon as we got married was going to get you in trouble.”

  “So you did. I suppose I only have myself to blame.”

  With a wicked smile, he asked, “Can I have it as the main course then?”

  She finished putting the items away and placed a hand on her hip. “No. Now don’t ask me again because I won’t change my mind.”

  “You can be unusually stubborn.”

  She shrugged and set the box under the work table. “I never said I wasn’t.”

  “True,” he conceded.

  Standing up, she gave him a good look and groaned. “I’ll make you cake for supper.”

  “Really?”

  “But it’s for dessert.”

  “Fair enough.”

  She shook her head but smiled. “You’re the one who’s stubborn.”

  “Me? You’re the one making me wait for dessert to eat it.”

  “I’ll get started right away.”

  Smiling, he thanked her and headed for the informal parlor to get started on Sunday’s sermon.

  ***

  The next evening, Jane inspected her reflection in the mirror. She didn’t know why she was so nervous about seeing Marcy and Jonathan. Well, she wasn’t nervous about seeing Jonathan. He and Jeremy would likely run off to the parlor to talk as her brother would do when he had male guests at the house. So, most likely, her conversation with Jonathan would be limited to the dinner. But that left her with Marcy. She didn’t know Marcy very well. The only times she’d gone to her house had been when Rebecca wanted to get something or give her a quick message. Jane had spent most of her time sipping coffee and glancing out the window while the two good friends chatted.

  Jane fiddled with the hair pins in her hand. This supper wasn’t a good idea. It seemed harmless enough at the time she agreed, but now she had no idea what she and Marcy might discuss. Maybe the baby would help break the tension. Finding hope in that, she put the rest of the pins in her hair to hold it up. She took a deep breath and stood up.

  After she slipped on her boots, she went to the parlor to check the clock. She wondered how short a supper might be. There would be the prelude where they would have to talk for a bit. Maybe that would take twenty to thirty minutes. Then there would be the meal, which would probably run about thirty minutes to an hour, depending on how much the men wanted to talk with the women. Afterwards, the men would slip off into the parlor so she would help Marcy with the dishes. Perhaps the baby would fuss and send Marcy out to care for her. If all went well, she might slip by with an hour at the most where she’d have to come up with something to say. As long as she talked about Marcy’s daughter, then things might be alright.

  She ran through a list of questions to ask Marcy about her baby while she went to the closet and got her coat and hat. As she put her hat on, Jeremy opened the front door, snow covering his hat and coat.

  Hopeful, she asked, “Is it snowing too much?”

  “Oh, it’s fine. Some snow fell on me when I walked under a tree. We’re just having flurries now.”

  Trying to hide her disappointment, she nodded and buttoned her coat.

  “You’re wearing your new dress tonight?”

  “I thought it’d be a good occasion for it.” Her fingers paused on the last button. “Should I save it for church instead?”

  He laughed. “No. I just haven’t seen you in it, that’s all. You look nice.”

  “Thank you,” she replied, her face growing warm from the compliment. Avoiding further eye contact, she finished buttoning her coat and turned the collar up.

  “There are enough trees lining most of the path so I didn’t have to shovel as much as I thought.”

  “Are you mad at me for telling Marcy we’d be there tonight?”

  “Why would I be mad?”

  Shrugging, she joined him at the door. “I didn’t ask you about it first.” She walked by him and stepped outside. “I should have.”

  After he shut the door, they started down the path. “You knew I was friends with them. I figured it was like Edith asking us to supper. I said yes and you weren’t there. Were you upset with me?”

  “Of course not. I loved going to her house.”

  “It’s the same thing.” When he glanced in her direction, he chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. It’s about time I went over there.”

  “In that case, I’m glad I accepted the invite.” And it was true. Even if she was a mass of nerves, she could take comfort in knowing he’d enjoy the evening. In any case, it was much better than when she had to endure Micah’s company at the potluck. She took comfort in that.

  “Nervous?”

  “Does it show?”

  “A little.”

  There wasn’t anything she could say to that, so she opted to keep silent on the matter. The stroll to Jonathan and Marcy’s house was pleasant. Even if it was chilly, Jane enjoyed glancing up at the sky and seeing the twinkling stars. “Do you ever wonder if Rebecca is watching us from up there?”

  “From time to time I do, but then I imagine she’s happier than she’s ever been and I’m content.”

  “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t miss her.”

  “The same is true for me. We were lucky to have known her.”

  She nodded.

  Soon enough, they arrived at the house and Jane took a deep breath as Jeremy knocked on the door. Jonathan was the one who opened the door, and he had a wide smile on his face as he shook Jeremy’s hand.

  “It’s good to see you outside of the church,” Jonathan said.

  “Now come on. I’ve been known to get out from time to time,” Jeremy replied.

  “Maybe, but you’ve made yourself scarce more often than not.” He turned to Jane. “It’s nice to see you, too.”

  Jane returned the greeting and stepped into the house at his beckoning. Once they hung up their coats and hats, she went to the parlor where Marcy was rocking her daughter in her arms.

  Marcy smiled at them. “Have a seat. We’ll eat shortly.”

  Since Marcy sat in a chair and Jonathan sat in the other chair, Jane and Jeremy sat on the couch. When Jane came here with Rebecca, they’d sit on the couch, but she hadn’t notice how small it was. No matter which way she shifted, Jeremy’s leg or arm would brush hers. Finally, she settled for it being his arm since it seemed less personal.

  Jonathan led most of the discussion, but Jane didn’t pay much attention. Her gaze kept going to Marcy and the baby who cooed and laughed in her arms. For a moment, she wondered what
it might be like to hold her own child but forced the image aside. She didn’t have that kind of marriage. She reminded herself that it was better than marrying Micah. No matter how many children she had in that marriage, it wouldn’t have been worth it. She shuddered.

  “Are you alright?” Jeremy asked.

  Blinking, she looked at him and the others who watched her. “Oh, yes. I’m fine.” When they didn’t speak, she added, “Continue on.”

  “Actually, Jonathan asked you a question,” Jeremy said.

  Her face grew warm and she clenched her hands together, hoping they didn’t notice her anxiety. “I’m sorry, Jonathan. I was distracted by your darling child. Could you repeat the question?”

  Jonathan smiled. “I asked what you think of being a preacher’s wife.”

  She glanced at everyone and tried to gauge what type of reply they expected. What would Rebecca say? She didn’t think it would be appropriate to come out and say she rarely knew what to say to people and she surely didn’t feel like she was good enough to be held in such high esteem. When people looked at Jeremy, they saw a man who was perfect, and from her time with him, she couldn’t fault them for thinking that. But because they saw him that way, they had a tendency to think she was that way, too, and came to her for advice on how to handle their problems. Most of the time, she managed to wiggle her way out of the conversation, but sometimes, she gave inadequate advice.

  Noting that Jeremy, Jonathan, and Marcy were still watching her, she offered a weak smile and said, “It’s fine.”

  Jonathan waited for a moment as if thinking she might continue and when she didn’t, he nodded. “Good.”

  When he turned the conversation in another direction, Jane breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced at the clock above their fireplace mantle and saw she and Jeremy had already been here for a good twenty minutes. Twenty very slow and agonizing minutes. Time hadn’t gone so slowly when she was with Rebecca, but it was easy to talk around Rebecca. Rebecca had a way of making everyone comfortable.

  Ten minutes later, it was time to eat, and Jane was more than happy to keep food in her mouth so she didn’t have to add anything to the conversation. Not that she could think of anything to add, so it was just as well that she remained out of it. She could see why Rebecca and Jeremy often came here and had Marcy and Jonathan at their place. Jeremy, Jonathan, and Marcy never ran out of things to discuss. It was hard not to envy Rebecca for her ability to join in as a part of the group. She didn’t envy Rebecca often, but sometimes when she thought of all Rebecca could do with little effort, a bit of jealousy would rise to the surface. And, to avoid the envious side of her from emerging, she quickly thought over her chores for the next day.