“Another man? Who?”
“This may sound very strange, but I don’t know his name.”
“Oh? Is this common for you to fall for a nameless person?” Joseph said with a grin.
He stepped forward, smiling, and slipped his hands around her waist once again. Then he pulled her close, gazing at her, and watching her become uneasy. Then he placed his hand upon her cheek and ran his fingertips across the curves of her face. When she slightly gasped, he noticed that his touch had sent a tingling sensation right to her heart. This brought a smile to his lips.
“How can you love a nameless person, Edith?” he said softly as he pulled her into his arms.
She shook her head and wanted to push Joseph away, but didn’t. Yes, she cared for him. But only as a friend. After realizing that she was enjoying all this cuddling a little too much, Edith felt guilty… unfaithful to the one man she adored.
She struggled once again to explain, “No, Joseph. Listen to me. Please.”
She wanted to push away, out of his embrace, but he had her cornered against the sink. She could not back up any further.
“Joseph? Listen to me. I’m in love with…”
Edith hesitated. It was difficult to finish her sentence when she felt Joseph kissing her temple and working his way down to the soft hollow of her cheek. Edith sighed as he spread gentle whispering kisses along her face and ended at her earlobe. Then he said something that she wasn’t expecting.
Edith’s eyes widened as she asked, “What did you say?”
“Do you want me to repeat it?”
Edith nodded in the affirmative.
Holding her in his arms, once again he repeated his message in her ear, hoping she was feeling as deeply for him as he was for her.
Love me, sweet, with all thou art,
Feeling, thinking, seeing, —
Love me in the lightest part,
Love me in full being.
Edith stood frozen in the very spot where she stood, trying to comprehend what he had just said. She was stunned.
Joseph leaned back and looked into her face. He was not sure what her response was going to be, and he was beginning to feel nervous. Had he moved too quickly? He thought they had gotten along quite well lately, but the conversation at the café had thrown him for a loop, and he was uneasy about her true feelings for him. All he hoped for was that her love was as deep as his.
Joseph softly said, “I have fallen in love with you, Dream Girl. I don’t want to read about your thoughts any longer. I want you to tell me in person from now on. Do you understand what I’m saying, my Charming Friend?”
Within moments, every letter Joseph had ever written came rushing back to Edith’s memory, every tender word, secrets they had shared…when she fell in the stream, he carefully wiped her face with his handkerchief…the day he had stayed and helped her tend to Sam’s wounds…the Halloween night he had appeared at her doorstep and his gentle kiss…the ice cream he had bought her when he told her of the perfect mate. He was talking about her. Everything began to fit into place.
When Edith did not respond, he asked with concern and uncertainty, “Are you disappointed?”
As the confusion left her eyes, she shook her head. “No, I’m not disappointed, Joseph.”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded. “In fact, I feel quite the opposite.”
Joseph’s eyes brightened and happiness overtook him. His heart pounded furiously with excitement as he said, “Really, Edith? Is that how you truly feel?”
“Joseph, I’m glad that it’s you. I really am.”
Thrilled with her answer, he enfolded her in his arms once again and held her in a tight embrace. The joy he felt was overwhelming. Then he pulled back and looked into her face and saw the same inner joy that he was feeling himself. A longing to kiss her arose deeply within him as he felt a rush of love warm his soul.
Realizing that Gilbert was busy in the other room and would not invade this private moment, he pressed his lips to hers and felt her respond with just as much fervor. He had not realized she was such a passionate woman until now.
He held her lovingly and caressed her back with tenderness as he gave her one kiss after another. He was right in the middle of a very passionate kiss when he heard a deep voice scolding him in a teasing manner.
“Joseph? Edith? What’s going on here? And in my kitchen, too?”
Quickly, Edith pulled back, her face flushing a bright red, but Joseph kept his arms around her and chuckled at her dismay.
Gilbert grinned. “Hmmm, I think Melinda owes me an apology. I just won the bet, and I didn’t even have to raise a finger to do so.”
Edith tried to wiggle free, but Joseph kept his arm possessively around her waist. Gilbert had caught them, and she was embarrassed, but he was not about to let her go so quickly.
As Edith looked at Gilbert questioningly, she asked, “Did you say you didn’t raise a finger? You mean to say you didn’t tell Joseph to write to me?”
Gilbert raised his brow with astonishment. “You mean he’s the mysterious stranger?”
Joseph’s eyes twinkled. With humor lacing his voice, he said, “I may be strange, but I’m not a stranger any longer.” Then he looked into Edith’s face with a tenderness that took her breath away. “Isn’t that right, Sweetheart? I’ve been found out.”
“You’re that sweet talker Melinda and Edith have been cooing over?” Gilbert asked with amazement.
Embarrassed, Edith quickly changed the subject by asking, “Um… Joseph. Who put you up to this? Who’s the friend that referred you to me?”
“Well, I’m not sure I can reveal her name without permission.”
“Her?”
Joseph nodded. “Yup. She’s a woman.”
Edith took Joseph’s shirt in both hands and pulled tightly, asking in a pleading voice, “Who is she, Joseph? I just want to thank her. That’s all. Besides, the curiosity is eating me up.”
Joseph chuckled at her persistence. “You’re one insistent lady, Edith. But I’m not at liberty to say until she gives me permission.”
“It was me,” came a soft pleasant voice from the hallway.
Everyone turned around and stared with disbelief.
“You?” Gilbert burst out in surprise.
“What?” Edith asked, even more stunned than Gilbert.
“I couldn’t help it. I just knew the two of you were meant for one another. But I knew how Aunt Edith hated being set up.” Jenny smiled innocently. “So I made it easy. This way Joseph could court her without any interference and get to know her. And she wouldn’t judge him unnecessarily. She could get to know his soul first.”
Turning to Joseph, Edith asked, “But how did you get the letters to Mama? I was home an awful lot.”
Joseph grinned. “By way of the vegetable basket.”
“The vegetable basket?”
“Yup!” Joseph squeezed Edith close to him and added, “And I’ve never had more fun, either. Especially on Halloween night! That was when I knew I had lost my heart to you.”
A hush came over the room as Joseph took Edith’s hand and walked outside on the porch. They stood enfolded in each other’s arms and gazed at the stars above, not saying a word but feeling content with life and its surprises.
“Um…I’m sorry,” said Joseph. “But I forgot to order that moon I promised.”
Edith sighed. “I don’t need a moon. I’ve got you. That’s all I need.”
Chapter 31
Shhh, You’ll Wake the Baby
Gilbert tiptoed into the bedroom. The lamp was set low so Melinda could see when she fed the baby. All was silent except for the soft breathing of mother and child. He bent down and quietly pulled his boots off and set them beside the door. Then he silently walked toward the bassinet and gazed upon his new daughter. Gilbert smiled and then bent down and brushed his lips across her silky plump cheek. She smelled sweet and fresh, and her breath smelled of sweet mother’s milk.
He could not resi
st, so he scooped her up into his arms and gazed upon the beauty of his newborn child. The incomprehensible joy he felt was overwhelming as he memorized every feature and curve of her face. Kayla’s plump cheeks were rosy, her long eyelashes touched her cheeks, her button nose was so small, and her double chin was adorable.
Gilbert pulled the cover from her hands and noticed how slender and long her fingers were. Her hand was so small that it could wrap around his finger. Gilbert brushed his finger delicately along the velvety texture of her arm and down to her hand. Then he slid his finger under her palm, and instinctively she curled her delicate fingers around his finger.
Gilbert’s heart instantly swelled with undeniable love and tenderness. He pulled his finger free and pressed his lips upon her forehead. As he cradled her in his arms, the overwhelming love he had for this infant brought tears to this rugged and tough man, and he quickly blinked back the tears. His heart was softened and his emotions were on the surface.
The incredible joy that overtook him was indescribable. He knew it was not considered “weakness” to weep, but as a man, he felt the need to be strong and hide this sort of emotion. He had once considered himself tough, but Melinda had softened him quite a bit.
Gilbert gently put her in the bassinet and covered her up. Then he unbuttoned his shirt and placed it on a chair along with his pants and socks. After undressing for bed, ever so quietly, he slid under the covers and snuggled up to his wife. She was lying on her side with her back to Gilbert.
As he wrapped his arm around her waist, he noticed the firm roundness of her belly was gone. In a way, he missed it. For six months he had laid his hand on her belly and waited for movement. Now it was gone.
The sweet memory of it was one of happiness, but now little Kayla lay asleep in her bassinet. Life was good and all was well. The relief he felt that Melinda was all right swept over him. Now he would not have to worry about her any longer.
Then it dawned on him that his worry would transfer to raising a little daughter. His worry would be a different one. When this little beauty was old enough to notice boys, he would have to get out his rifle and lay it across his lap. When the boys would come calling, he would have to lay down the ground rules: No courting until sixteen and be home by eleven.
He would let every young man know that his daughter would not be trifled with and would be treated with respect or else. Then he would tap the long barrel of his rifle with his fingers and grin at the young man.
Gilbert chuckled at the thought of it.
Looking at his wife lying beside him, he tucked his hand around her waist and softly asked, “Are you awake?”
No answer.
“Are you awake, Sweetheart?”
Still no answer.
Gilbert squeezed her close to him and then asked again, “Hey, Melinda! Are you awake?”
She replied in a sleepy tone, “Would you believe me if I said I wasn’t?”
“No.”
She laughed.
“I just wanted to say thank you,” said Gilbert.
“You’re welcome. For what?”
“For sweet Kayla, for John, for being my wife, for loving me.”
Melinda yawned and stretched, then turned over to face him. “To be your wife and to love you is easy. For Kayla and John, now that’s another matter. That was lots of hard work and very exhausting, to say the least.”
“I know it’s not easy. I can relate. Just watching the discomfort, the morning sickness, and the mood swings isn’t easy on a man, either.”
Gilbert chuckled as Melinda slugged him and poked him in the ribs a couple times.
When she heard him laugh, she chided him. “Shhh. You’ll wake the baby.”
“Sorry,” he whispered with a wide grin.
Gilbert looked lovingly into her face and then he gently pulled her into his arms as he whispered, “I would not be the man I am today without you, Melinda. You’re my life. I would be nothing without you.”
Then he spread a string of sweet kisses across her face. As he nibbled at the softness of her neck, Melinda giggled,
“Stop it, Gilbert. That tickles.”
He suppressed a chuckle and whispered ever so softly, “Shhh, you’ll wake the baby.”
***
This novel is one of five, A Family Saga in Bear Lake, Idaho: Melinda and the Wild West – a semi-finalist for the Reviewers Choice Award, Edith and the Mysterious Stranger, Jenny’s Dream, Sarah’s Special Gift, and Elena, Woman of Courage. Each story in this family saga has adventure, romance, and courage. Intertwining fact and fiction, these novels have a blend of intriguing characters and true experiences.
Authors Notes
The inspiration for this story came from my own mother’s experience. Her girlfriend told my mother that she was being way too picky and her expectations were too high. My mother, Milred Gough Weaver, was an accomplished pianist. She was a spiritual person with certain standards for a husband and first impressions were important to her. Her girlfriend said that she knew a good-looking twenty nine year old farmer, Marcus Gilbert Weaver. My mother told me that through letters she was able to get to know my father’s soul and his innermost feelings. They wrote for several months and gradually fell in love. After realizing their feelings for one another, they decided it was time to meet. The second time they met, he proposed. The third time they met was on their wedding day.
To help create this story, I actually used a few of my father’s letters. They were so romantic and I couldn’t help it. I love his letters and treasure them.
My grandmother, Olive Weaver, took a Nurses Training Course at the hospital and also attended the University of Utah around the time this story takes place. She helped her sister’s son recover from diphtheria when other doctors had given up. She also had a beautiful alto voice and sang with great feeling. We lived next door to her and my mother often told me how she could hear my grandmother sing as she picked her raspberries and how her voice rang with beauty. Between 1904 and 1910, she sang in the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir. In 1910, at the age of thirty, she finally found the man of her “dreams.”
My great grandmother, Frances Davies, saved a man’s life who had been gored by a bull. Every detail was recorded in her biography and I used it for my story. The man lived for many years afterwards.
Mrs. O’Grady and the overalls in the soup was taken from the old traditional Irish song, “Who Threw the Overalls in Mistress Murphy’s Chowder?”
ABOUT AUTHOR
Linda Weaver Clarke travels throughout the United States, teaching a “Family Legacy Workshop,” encouraging others to write their family history and autobiography. She is the mother of six daughters and has several grandchildren.
Clarke is the author of the historical sweet romance series, “A Family Saga in Bear Lake, Idaho,” which includes the following novels: Melinda and the Wild West (2006) - an awarding winning novel, Edith and the Mysterious Stranger (2008), Jenny’s Dream (2009), Sarah’s Special Gift (2009), and Elena, Woman of Courage (2009). The Adventures of John and Julia Evans includes Anasazi Intrigue (2010), Mayan Intrigue (2010), Montezuma Intrigue (2011), and Desert Intrigue (2012). She has also written two non-fiction e-books: Writing Your Family Legacy (2011) and Reflections of the Heart (2011).
To learn more, visit www.lindaweaverclarke.com.
Edith and the Mysterious Stranger Page 16