Page 52 of Mail-Order Bride Secret
Ivy nudged him to turn the pages but before she moved away, his gaze clung to her, and he smiled. Not just with his mouth. Or even with his eyes. She felt his smile come from deep inside him. And end up deep inside her.
He ducked his head and pointed to something on the page.
Jonathan stood and leaned over his knees to look at the picture.
Feeling blessed, yet slightly off balance, Maddie moved into the room and picked up a book she had started to read. She opened it to the bookmark but stared at the pages without seeing a word. A smile teased at her lips as she planned her next move.
After a quiet afternoon, they enjoyed a simple supper. The twins didn’t protest when they were sent to bed a short time later.
Jonathan yawned. Knowing he was tired, she took him to the bedroom where they’d slept since their arrival and prepared him for bed.
“You can sleep in the crib tonight.” She needed him to start sleeping alone.
He arched his back. “No crib. Not sleep in crib.”
“Jonathan, you need to sleep on your own.”
He nodded. “I big boy. I sleep in bed.” He squirmed from her arms and climbed into the bed they’d shared.
She tucked him in and kissed him.
He closed his eyes. “I sleep now.”
Was it really that simple? She left the room and stood outside the door, expecting him to protest but he stayed in bed.
Wally looked up. “He went down?”
“Refused the crib but climbed into the bed. Like a big boy.”
The curtains were pulled back allowing her to seeout. Golden light glowed from a window in Andy’s house. Tree branches bowed regally in the breeze. A black shadow moved along the path. One of the cats, she realized.
She met Wally’s look. His eyes were on her. Darker than normal. As if love pooled in them. She didn’t expect love. Only acceptance. Kindness. But love? No, that was going too far.
A cow mooed in the distance. A lonely sound filling her with unnamed emotions.
The covers rustled as Jonathan moved and she caught her breath, waiting to see if he would cry out. But he didn’t.
Aromas from their supper lingered in the air. A hint of wood smoke drifted from the chimney. Longing and hope pooled on her tongue. Sweet. Making her suck on the taste. She ran her tongue across the roof of her mouth seeking more. Though she couldn’t say what she wanted more of.
“Seems everyone is settled.” His announcement bounced along her nerves.
She managed to nod.
“Do you want to read for a bit or are you ready to go to bed?”
Her mind went blank. What did she want? She had the answer. But how to proceed? She crossed the room, took up her book, and stared at the open pages.
“Maddie, what’s wrong?”
She shook her head. Shrugged. Tried to find words. Failed. Instead, she turned a page as if she’d finished reading it.
How was it possible to want something and fear it so much at the same time?
“I want to read you a verse.” He held a Bible on his lap and read aloud, “‘The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places.’” He lifted his eyes to her. “Maddie, I hope you will eventually be able to say those words. That God has brought you to a pleasant place where your past is forgiven and forgotten.”
She met his gaze and held it. Brown eyes. Not blue. Kind. Not threatening. She’d observed him with the children. He was always gentle. He’d been nothing but gentle and patient with her.
He was not Delroy and that was the most important thing for her to consider. To remember. He was Wally, a good, kind man worthy of her loyalty and affection.
