Page 12 of Season of Mercy
With chicken covered in chocolate-brown sauce, orange-golden rice, and bright green guacamole, the table looked colorful.
She sat down and waited for everyone else to sit down, too. Ethan reached for the tortilla, but Stevie tugged on his sleeve. “Mr. Ethan, wait. Mommy will say grace.”
Mercy bowed her head. “Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for this food, and please bless it and make it nutritious to us. Please keep our family safe in Your care. Please help my son recover completely after the surgery. And please help those people who need help right now. We love You, Lord. Amen.”
“Amen,” Stevie said.
Ethan’s gaze was thoughtful.
Something changed inside Mercy.
Was there hope for them, after all?
CHAPTER THREE
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AFTER STEVIE HAD BEENTUCKED in bed, Ethan touched Mercy’s hand. "How about watching a movie? I'll make popcorn."
He didn't want the evening to end. Somehow, this small guesthouse had become more attractive to him than the mansion with big-screen TVs and loud speakers. And he sensed by the look in her eyes that she was ready for a step forward in their marriage.
He’d been ready for many steps forward from day one, and it had taken every ounce of his patience to force himself not to do it.
Mercy’s eyes softened. "Really?"
"Well, popcorn is about the only thing I know how to cook."
She smiled. "Not that. I just never knew you for a homebody."
Maybe because he’d never had Mercy at home before. Ethan held his tongue.
He brought a bowl of popcorn into the living room, its buttery scent spreading through the house. After a small, playful fight over the remote control, he surrendered it, and they settled on a sitcom they both liked.
When the sitcom was over, her eyes dimmed. "I forgot to tell you something. Thank you for getting me a credit card, but I can’t use it. Except for groceries."
He shook his head. "You’re my wife now. It’s your direct obligation to spend my money."
