Page 42 of The Gift of Seeds
The compassion in his blue eyes emboldened Hester to admit the shameful truth. “I don’t know if he did die.” She looked down and twisted the handkerchief. “Mama no longer smiled. I asked her once when Papa would be home, and she started to cry. I never asked again.” She met his gaze.
He frowned, his brow crinkling in thought. “And you always wondered.”
She couldn’t hold his gaze, lowering her eyes. Her stomach clenched.Can I really reveal my secret?The outrageous thought went against every nerve in her body.
Go on. Tell him the truth.“The—the news got out that they’d never married. Mama was his mistress, and Jimmy and I were illegitimate. The neighbors scorned and shunned us. The children threw rocks at me and called me us bastards.” Her throat tightened.
Hester darted another glance at him, expecting to see the familiar look of condemnation. But. Instead, she saw only compassion in his eyes.
“Mama must have been terribly ashamed, as well as broken-hearted. Then she took sick. I suspect grief laid her low, and she didn’t have the will to… to….”
He reached over, took her hand, and squeezed.
His touch brought enormous comfort, far more than the simple gesture deserved. “So, to answer your original question, I was always shy. But after… I retreated into myself.”
“Without parents to protect you, a retreat makes sense. I’m so sorry you experienced?—”
“Webothwere children who suffered.”
After hearing his story, sharing her shameful secret, and feeling his empathy instead of his condemnation, Hester felt light, liberated, and full of an odd sort of anticipation.
Dale glanced out the window and then back at her. “Too late to go to church. Since we’re missing the service, perhaps you’d like to share supper with me.”
“I froze chicken soup that I can heat. The potatoes and egg noodles make it quite hearty.”
“Sounds wonderful. Before we eat, what do you say I help you finish your baking?”
She flashed a smile. “I was actually making you anapfelstrudelin thanks for keeping my woodpile stocked.”
“I’m caught out.” He gave her a roguish grin.
“I can’t believe I didn’t notice! I’m not used to using wood, you see. Only coal.”
“I enjoyed helping… thinking about surprising you.” He stood. “I don’t know whatapfelstrudelis, but I’m looking forward to dessert.” He held out his hand to help her up.
She hesitated.
“I’m supposed to be the recipient of yourapfelstrudel,” he said in a teasing tone. “After tempting me with the idea of such a delicious dessert, you wouldn’t deny me. That would hardly be in the Christmas spirit.”
Smiling at his playfulness, Hester put her hand in his, feeling his strength and the squeeze he gave before letting go.I like this man. Too, too much.Feeling her cheeks flush, she set his gift on the chair and hurried over to the washstand. “You’ll need to roll up your sleeves and wash your hands and arms,” she said, demonstrating. “The water is probably cold by now. I’ll heat some.”
“Don’t worry about me. Cold is fine.”
Realizing her arms still had traces of flour and dough, she quickly scrubbed up, before drying her hands. She turned to find Dale staring down at the table. He touched one of the cross-stitched mended tears on the sheet. “I have one that looks as pitiful as this.”
“Humph.” She made the sound more teasing than critical. “Men!”
“Yep. Probably would be good to give boys sewing lessons, so we bachelors would be better at fending for ourselves. Cooking lessons, too, for that matter. Although, I did learn a few things from my great-grandmother Ada that have stood me in good stead.”
“Like what?”
He moved to wash and dry his hands. “Growing up, she hadn’t been wealthy and when she visited us, she’d go into the kitchen, push aside our cook, and prepare her favorite meals. I was her valiant companion and cooking assistant.”
“Well, your stew was excellent. I had a taste before giving the meal to Lucy.”
His cheeks reddened. “Thank my great-grandmother.”
Dale’s bashful reaction only made him more endearing. Hester hesitated, taking a step back and even more mental strides away from the man.No sense becoming romantically attached, only to get hurt.
