Page 379 of Conveniently Wed
Katie nodded, relishing the arms that had always protected her.
“And that will never change. Even if…your answer is no.” Pa leaned back and looked straight into her eyes without wavering. “I couldn’t bear to see you unhappy.” He enfolded her in his arms again and held on for a long moment before pulling back.“I’ll leave you alone to think.” He walked across the room, and without turning around the door clicked shut behind him.
The silence lasted but a moment. The rest of the family crowded back into the cabin. Her ma, her sisters, Aunt May, and young cousins filled the small room. Two sets of expectant eyes stared intently at Katie—Aunt May and Ma. Their expressions held a question for which she had no answer. A flicker of hope lit Ma’s despondent gaze.
The weight of her impending decision loomed heavy. With nothing to say and cooped in like a hen surrounded by a gaggle of chicks, she brushed past them. The swish of her homespun dress swirled around her ankles as she rushed out. The hinges groaned and the door slammed shut, much like the future of her dreams.
3
Katie could think more clearly in the fresh air. The hills beckoned and the trees in the copse welcomed her into their private sanctuary. She walked as fast as her dress would allow. Nervous energy coursed through her veins, and she smoothed a hand over the knot that twisted in her stomach. Normally, she would feel guilty about leaving the chores behind, but not today.
“Mrs. Richardson…Mrs. Josiah Richardson.” The name slipped miserably from her lips. If she followed through with Pa’s plan, she’d be bearing that name within a month.
She screamed into the blue. “Why me?” There was only one plausible reason Mr. Richardson wanted her. The same problem she’d experienced from childhood up—her beauty was her curse. The looks. The stares. The comments about her unusual eye color and natural ringlets. The unwanted touches on her face and hair until she grew older and the boys wanted to touch a whole lot more. Mr. Richardson knew nothing about her, yet he wanted her for his wife. The mere thought sent a shiver up her spine.
The wind moaned a forlorn song through the towering pines in tune with her brokenness. The one boy who had captured herheart and whose genuine friendship had stirred her soul now lay in the cold, dark earth, never to return, just like her brothers.
Life was cruel and bitter. Finally, the war was over, and the valley was beginning to return to some level of normalcy. Why did Mr. Richardson have to come along and snuff out all hope with his arrogant plan?
How could she be happy saying no to her family? Or worse yet, sayingyesto Mr. Richardson? Pa’s words of pleading haunted her. They were like hands upon her heart slowly wringing life out.
Katie found a log to sit on and turned her face to the midday sun. With a shake of her head and the determined jut of her chin, she chose to turn off the world. She unlaced her tattered walking shoes and kicked her feet free. Her toes danced deliciously through the cool meadow grass. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she soaked up the one small pleasure no one could take from her. She peeled the straw bonnet from her head, which allowed a gentle breeze to tug at the bun. The pins went next. She yanked them from her silky strands and shook the long locks free. Where the warmth of the sun and the fresh air normally melted her difficulties, today the depressing thoughts held firm.
The majestic flight of an eagle caught her eye, and she imagined what it would be like to soar high above the complexities of this life—to escape duty and obligation and fly far away from the weight of this decision. Try as she might, the foreboding pressed in.
She had no freedom. Instead, she was faced with an arrangement set to bring everyone benefit except her. True love didn’t factor in. The happy engagement she had always dreamed of would be a one-month ordeal where two men hashed out the details. Her gift would be a loveless marriage. Tears clotted her lashes, and an ache rose in her throat. She fought the urge to cry, too stubborn to give in to the weakness.
She focused on the honeybees that drifted lazily and listened to the birds chirp their happy song. She breathed in the scent of wildflowers and lifted her eyes to the trees stretched heavenward. She gloried in the sun that warmed her face and kissed her skin.
Aunt May’s words echoed in her head. “The reason you feel so close to nature is because God uses creation to speak to people.”
Katie had scoffed then and was scoffing now. Neither nature nor God was helping. She felt not a whit better. And if God loved her, as Aunt May kept spouting, then why would he allow this to happen?
She huffed out an angry breath. There was no time for whimsical thoughts of God. She had a decision to make. She wouldn’t find an answer spelled out in the wispy clouds or hear God speak in the wind. She, Katherine Anne Williams, had to decide her own fate, and she’d do well to keep her mind on the task at hand.
The waning afternoon sun and lengthening shadows made her aware of how long she had sat there. She rose from the log and slipped her shoes on without tying up the laces. With her hair knotted into a sloppy bun she plunked on her bonnet and began the trek home.
The way she saw it, life had thrown her another painful circumstance. Try as she might to process the positives and negatives, the end result would remain the same. She had little choice.
Josiah hated the days he had to run into town for supplies for the same reason that he stayed clear of church and public gatherings—the women drove him plumb crazy. But, with all the tension in town between the white folk and the newfound freedom of the black slaves, he could no longer safely send Abe. It was no secret the men resented how Josiah had refused to own slaves and had paid his help, but, because of his wealth and standing in the community, few took him on. It made his blood boil just thinking how their ugly behavior poured out when he was not around, all because of the color of Abe’s skin.
With the women, he had a whole other problem. They flocked around him like birds to a feeder. It didn’t much matter if they were married or not—they loved being seen talking to him. Each trip was made much longer and infinitely more boring than it had to be.
As he plodded down Main Street on his steed, one particular woman with flashing blue eyes came to mind. It had only been a few days since he talked to Jeb, and he couldn’t wait to hear her response. He chuckled under his breath. Now, if that girl wanted to steal a portion of his day, he’d be happy to oblige. He’d give her the whole day. He couldn’t keep the smile from his face at the thought of her sassy spirit and how interesting life would be living with her.
“Hello, Mr. Richardson.” A high pitched shrill pierced the morning air.
Josiah took a deep breath in as he swung from his saddle. He tried to ignore Widow Anne marching across the dusty street. Her large frame and equally generous skirt stirred up quite the dust cloud.
“What brings you into town?” She adjusted the low-cut neckline of her dress, drawing attention to her voluptuous bosom which was giving him more of an eyeful than he wanted. He turned away.
“Just the usual need for supplies. Don’t mean to be rude, ma’am, but I best be getting at it.” He tipped his hat and hurriedup the steps into the Alston General Mercantile. No sooner had he stepped inside than two other ladies headed his direction. He pinned his eyes on Winnie, the owner’s wife.
“Is Robert in the back?”
Winnie nodded toward the far curtain and winked at him. “Go on in.” From previous conversations, she understood how much he hated getting tied up with boring discussions.
He waltzed right by without making eye contact with the two who called out his name. “Sorry, ladies. I’m in a bit of a hurry today.” He threw a quick look over his shoulder.
