Page 51 of Mail-Order Bride Secret
He chuckled. “That’s better.”
She would not ask what he meant.
“I don’t like seeing worry and guilt in your eyes. You are starting over here. A new life. The past is gone.”
The words were a drink of cold water in a drydesert. A warm cup of tea on a cool evening. Fresh air. Food to a hungry soul.
“Now that’s settled, let’s see what Honor brought.” He left her standing, lost in feelings that were so unfamiliar as to be unsettling. He lifted the lid and inhaled the scent. “Chicken soup. Smells great. The children will enjoy this.”
The morning passed quickly as she sponge-bathed Ivy and helped her dress. Maddie and Wally agreed the little girl could sit in the living room once the curtains were drawn to protect her eyes.
“I wanna go too.” Otis sounded croaky but Maddie and Wally grinned at each other. He would not be happy to be left in his room, so Wally carried them both to the other room where they were settled in chairs. Jonathan trotted from one to the other, patting them and doing his best to show sympathy.
Wally read to them from a Bible story book that he said had belonged to the Shannons.
“I remember Mrs. Shannon reading to Andy.”
Maddie guessed that the woman had made sure to read in Wally’s presence so he could enjoy the stories. From what she’d learned, both Mr. and Mrs. Shannon had gone out of their way to provide Wally with family, belonging, and love. Things that had been taken from him.
Wally thought all his troubles were worthwhile if they brought him here.
Maddie might be about ready to say the same thing.
The hours slipped away as Wally entertained the children with finger games he’d learned in the orphanage.
Maddie carried bowls of soup to each of them, and they sat in the living room to eat. Then she insisted all three children needed a nap. She and Wally worked in unison to get them settled then they returned to the kitchen to put away the food and do the dishes.
Wally chose to wash. He handed her a dish, holding it a fraction of a second longer than necessary, waiting until she lifted her eyes to his. Not that he had to wait for more than a heartbeat for she couldn’t keep her eyes off him. With each succeeding dish, the seconds lengthened until they spent more time studying each other than they did tending to the task at hand.
The dishes finished, he took the towel from her and tossed it to the table. He caught her hands with his damp ones and held her facing him.
Her gaze never faltered. To think a man could care for her, be tender and kind and supportive. Share his home. This was a dream come true that she hadn’t even allowed herself to dream.
With gentle slowness, he drew her closer until their hands were crushed between them. He widened his arms, putting their hands out of the way and pulling her to his chest.
Her heart full to bursting, she continued to hold his gaze. Nothing intruded into this moment. Nothing existed apart from the two of them and her growing feelings for him.
Was this love? If so, it was an overwhelming, sweet feeling.
He lowered his head and claimed her mouth, ending every speculation and answering every question.
Jonathan trotted out requiring attention. Ivy called. They again settled the children in the living room and while Wally entertained them, Maddie looked through the pantry, assessing the leftovers. There was enough if she combined things. Soup for the twins and casserole for the rest of them.
Della had brought over a cake and Gwen made them a pie. Maddie had hardly had time to taste them but now they would round out the meal. That settled she went to the living room.
Wally sat on the couch, a twin nestled to either side of him as he paged through a book full of colorful scenes from around the world. Jonathan played with a toy horse at Wally’s feet.
Maddie paused at the beautiful picture before her. Memories of her mother reading to her intermingled with the rejection she’d felt when her parents sent her away. Sweet with bitter. Miz Allie had once saidsomething to Maddie that made sense then and made even more now.
“Child, ya can’t choose what comes into yer life. Ya can choose how yer gonna react. Ya can let things make ya bitter or ya can let them make ya better. Yer choice.”
Bitterness had crept into Maddie’s life from time to time, but she’d fought against it. For Jonathan’s sake as much as for hers but now, she’d found a place where there was no room, no need for anger. She must write Miz Allie and tell her everything.
Her letter to her parents would be nice but restrained. They had made it plain they wouldn’t receive her home with her son.
But now she had a home where she and Jonathan were welcomed.
Wally looked up. Their eyes locked. The way he smiled, she wondered if he’d read her thoughts. Or at least, seen the determination, acceptance, and happiness that seeped into every corner of her heart…her body…her soul.
