Page 529 of Conveniently Wed
“The smaller bedroom you and Michael have shared can be turned into a nursery.” Evidently, he had thought through all of this.
She was glad she wouldn’t have to work it out.
“I’m even thinking of asking Mrs. Oleson if she’d like larger quarters for herself. There are two nice-sized rooms across the upstairs hallway from where her room is now. We can turn them into a parlor and bedroom for her, for when she wants privacy. She’s not getting any younger, and I want her comfortable for the rest of her life here in our home.”
Our home.The words were a balm to her heart.
“And then she wouldn’t be sleeping in the room above our bedroom.” A slow smile crossed his face.
Now Lorinda understood. Mrs. Oleson wouldn’t be able to hear anything that happened in their bedroom...or anything that didn’t happen.
19
Unable to take his eyes off Lorinda holding their son on the front porch swing, Franklin walked from the barn to the house. “Michael really likes to be outdoors, doesn’t he?”
Her smile was brighter than the evening sunlight filtering through the trees. “Yes, and it’s cooler out here right now than it has been all day.”
The empty space beside her drew him, but if he was going to keep his promise, he couldn’t sit there. He ambled to the rocking chair on the other side of the front door. He pulled it out from near the wall until it was close enough for him to prop his feet on the railing.
Franklin had gone to the barn to work when they finished fixing the rooms they would share to put some distance between them. He made a conscious effort to concentrate on everything else besides this woman he’d married, and he’d been fairly successful. But with her sitting so near, an awareness that she was his wife teased his senses.
He cast a glance at her. “We got a lot done today, didn’t we?”
“It helped that Mrs. Oleson left plenty of food for us in the spring house, so I didn’t have to cook...and of course, thosecream puffs you bought were especially good.” She looked down at her son when he grasped one of her curls in his fist and pulled. “Michael is so much more aware of his surroundings now.”
“Yes, he is.” Franklin wished he was the one holding the silky strand of that golden curl in his hand.How can I be jealous of a baby?He’d dreamed about running his hands through her curls since he’d discovered she was a widow.
Lorinda met his gaze. “I’m glad we finished fixing up the rooms before Mrs. Oleson got back from town.”
“And I’m glad it makes you happy.” He shifted to get more comfortable in the hard wooden chair.Ahhh. He looked out across his property, thanking God for his blessings. “Listen, Lorinda. This is your home. If you want to change things around anywhere else in the house, you can. Maybe do different curtains, change the colors of the rooms, anything at all.” The woman deserved it since he had no intention of giving in to his desires to make theirs a real marriage. Besides, she didn’t want that kind of relationship, even if he was questioning his choice in the matter.
Surprise lifted her eyebrows as she stared at him. “Why, thank you, Franklin. I might do some of that...over time...but nothing right now.”
“And if there’s anything you want added to the house, just let me know.” He watched her as she looked out across the property as he had only a few moments ago. For a while, a comfortable silence reigned between them.
“I was intrigued by the wash room and water closet at the hotel.” She turned her attention back toward him. “Would it even be possible to have something like that in the house...out here so far from town?”
Well, he wanted her to feel a part of the ranch and house, and she took him up on his suggestion. He stared at the mountain peaks surrounding the ranch, making mental notes of just wherethe best springs were located. It would take some doing, but he figured it might be possible.
“I’ll try to find out what all it’ll take to do that.” As he glanced back toward his new wife, he noticed a small cloud of dust on the road leading to the ranch house. “Looks like someone’s coming. Maybe Rusty and Mrs. Oleson. ’Bout time they got here.”
Lorinda stood and held Michael against her shoulder as she peeked around the vines growing on the trellis behind the swing. “I think she may have been giving us more private time.”
“I wholeheartedly agree that we need private time.” Had he really blurted out his feelings? He glanced at Lorinda, taking note of the blush coloring her cheeks at his words and what they indicated. He hadn’t meant to embarrass his wife.
He got up and went down the steps. “It is them. I’ll help Rusty unload the wagon.”
He assisted their housekeeper down, then grabbed a heavy wooden box from the back and hefted it onto his shoulder before following her to the house.
After she climbed the steps up to the porch, Mrs. Oleson reached for Michael. Lorinda relinquished him to her and opened the front door. While the housekeeper cooed and talked to the baby, they started inside.
“Where do you want this box?” Franklin caught the door with the toe of his boot and waited until his wife preceded him. “Something smells really delicious.”
“In here.” Mrs. Oleson led them into the kitchen, and he set his burden on the table.
“The Ladies’ Glee Club prepared our supper.”
Lorinda reached for the baby. “How nice.” She pulled him close and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
