Page 65 of Mail-Order Bride Secret
What would Mr. and Mrs. Shannon do? What did God want him to do?
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
He had to forgive Maddie otherwise he was as guilty as her parents for blaming her for something done to her, not by her.
Could he forgive her for not being honest with him?
How often had he been disappointed by others who promised him things then didn’t give them?
She’d promised to love him, and he knew she did.
He’d said he loved her. Did he have the kind of lovethat beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.The kind that endured trials and hard times?
That’s what he wanted to have. From him and from Maddie. Could they start over?
Knowing what he must do, he returned to town.
The church door stood ajar, and he entered soundlessly.
Maddie sat inside talking to Pastor Ingram. She told the preacher that she loved Wally. That her marriage was all she wanted.
He strode forward, his boots thudding on the plank floor.
She jerked around to see him.
“Maddie, you can come home with me and welcome.” He knelt at her side. “You have done nothing wrong although I am disappointed you didn’t tell me.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “At first, I didn’t know how you would react and then I didn’t want to do anything to ruin what we had. I simply wanted to forget it.”
“From this day forward, we will. I’m sorry beyond words that such an awful thing happened to you. But it’s not your fault.” He pulled her to her feet. “Shall we go home?”
Pastor Ingram placed a hand on each of their shoulders. “May I pray before you leave?”
They both nodded.
The pastor prayed for healing, for forgiveness, for love and commitment then sent them on their way.
The return trip was quiet and sober in comparison to the journey to town.
“I feel like I have robbed us of the joy we had.” Her voice was low, mournful.
He pulled the wagon to a halt and drew her into hisarms. “Maddie, it’s in the past where it belongs. I promise you, it will stay there.”
She lay against his chest. “I likewise promise I won’t ever keep another secret from you.” She drew back fractionally. “Unless it’s about a gift or a surprise or a secret ingredient in a recipe or…”
He laughed before she invented a list that would fill a page. He pressed his palms to her cheeks and looked into her eyes, promising her things he didn’t even know the name of. He kissed her slowly and thoroughly before they proceeded.
“Is it really that easy?” Her voice was muffled against her shoulder.
“What’s that easy?”
“To forgive?”
“It’s possible when we love each other.”
That evening, Jonathan begged to be picked up. Wally hugged the boy.
“Mama.” He reached for Maddie, and she allowed her son…their son…to pull her into a hug.
