Page 546 of Conveniently Wed
Mrs. Oleson told her Franklin should arrive back from the cattle drive today. When some of the ranch hands rode in earlier, her heart leapt within her. Disappointment gripped her when she realized her husband wasn’t with them. She didn’t want to ask them where he was, because as his wife, she should know. Surely, one of them would tell her and Mrs. Oleson if anything bad had happened to him.
She hated knowing they hadn’t parted on good terms. She needed to apologize for the way she treated him. The hurt in his eyes when she accused him of endangering Michael still lingered in her mind. Hurt that was almost as strong as the hurts she’d experienced growing up. She had never wanted to cause that kind of pain for anyone. Especially her husband.
The sun said goodbye to their valley, and it left a golden rim on each mountaintop. As her gaze followed the thin line of light, her ears detected the hoof beats of a lone rider approaching. In the familiar semidarkness of the gloaming, she strained to see if it was her husband. From the way the shadowy figure rode in the saddle and leaning slightly forward, his Stetson tilted just so, she knew. Franklin would be here in a few minutes. Tears of joy trailed down her cheeks.
She rushed inside the house and into her bedroom, swiping the moisture away. After lighting the lamp, she stared at her reflection in the looking glass. She brushed a few stray hairs back and quickly slid in a hairpin to hold them into place. Giving her cheeks a few soft pinches, she brought color to her face. After rolling her lips together several times, they glowed with life. So did her eyes.
Lorinda arrived back on the front porch right before Franklin leapt from his saddle beside the gate. He dropped the reins to the ground, then looked toward the porch. Even in the low light, she saw his smile and his eyes light up as he continued to stare at her a moment before he opened the gate. Her heartbeat felt like a woodpecker pounding a rhythm on the trunk of a tree. Fireflies danced in her stomach.
Was Lorinda waiting just for him? He hoped so.That would be a good sign.
He turned back to take one of the packages from his saddlebag. He’d slip the other into the house later when she was busy. He loped up the walkway to the porch, drinking in the sight of her. Blonde curls piled on the top of her head, and her blue eyes matched the sky that had darkened before he could reach home.
He had to be especially blessed married to a woman like her. And he had done her wrong. Promising what he had no plans to fulfill. How long would it take him to undo the damage? Or could he ever?
“I was wondering if you would get home today.” Her voice brought music to his heart.
“Were you worried about me?”
He went up all but the last step to the porch, ending with them face to face. He wondered if she would move back, since they were so close. But she didn’t. The soft flowery scent of her surrounded him, and he breathed deeply of the fragrance.
Lorinda turned her gaze out across the ranch land. “Maybe a little...when the ranch hands came home and you weren’t with them.”
He took another step, so close his breath mingled with hers. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about you being worried.”
Franklin wished he could close the short distance and taste her lips again, but he didn’t dare. He would do nothing to scare her away. He tightened his stomach muscles and stepped up on the porch, but not crowding her.
She glanced up at him. “I need to apologize to you, too.”
“What for?”
Clasping her hands close to her chest, she looked nervous. “I didn’t understand what you were doing with Michael.” She started wringing her hands. “Mrs. Oleson explained that fathers often played with their babies that way. I didn’t know.” Her last words were just a whisper.
A smile crept over his face. Maybe it wouldn’t be as hard as he thought to woo her into becoming his wife in every way. “I promise you, Lorinda. I would never do anything that would put Michael, or you, in danger. Never.”
Her hands slid down the front of her skirt, straightening imaginary wrinkles. “I believe you, Franklin.”
Her words made him feel about ten feet tall. He glanced down at the package he held. “Let’s go in where there’s more light. I brought you a present.”
“Why?” Her brow creased as if she was confused.
“No special reason.” He opened the door then took her hand and pulled her along with him as they entered the house.
A warm glow came from the parlor. He hadn’t noticed light coming from the windows when he rode up. Mrs. Oleson must have heard them and lit the three kerosene lamps that filled the room with a welcome radiance.
Lorinda stopped after he led her into the parlor. “I’ve never had a present for no reason.”
His heart ached for what she must have gone through while she was growing up. Maybe someday she’d share it all with him,so he could help her make new memories and erase those bad ones. He didn’t want to try to imagine what had happened to her. His free hand clenched into a fist. Not wanting to scare her, he flexed the fingers open.
“Sit down, Lorinda, so you can see what I brought you.”
She looked like a child at a birthday party. Her wide smile brought a twinkle to her eyes. She started carefully untying the twine, but when she had a hard time, she slipped it around the corners and threw it on the floor. As she peeled back the white wrapping paper, a happy sound sighed between her lips.
Cradling the piano in her hands held close to her chest, she gazed up at him with a wonderful expression he’d never before seen on her face. “What is it, Franklin?”
How could she not know?“It’s a music box shaped like a grand piano.”
He reached for it and turned the key on the bottom before resting it back in her hands.
