Buckeye Dreams (58 page)

“You left before answering my question.”

Anne stared at him. “I can’t marry you, Peter. I can’t marry anyone.”

He took her by the arms. “That’s ridiculous. Of course you can. You can marry me.”

“No, my father—”

“I told you I don’t care about his condition.”

“You should.” Anne pulled away and stood by the window, her back to him. “He’s not just lost his senses, Peter. He’s a murderer.” She held her breath, waiting for the sound of the sitting room doors opening and Peter walking out the front door.

“I know.”

She whirled around, certain she hadn’t heard right. “You know? But—but how?”

He walked over to her. Reaching into the breast pocket of his jacket, he pulled out two letters and held them up in front of her. “I found these in Spice’s stall.”

She stared at the letters then took them from his hand. With everything that had happened, she’d never realized they were gone.

“I showed them to Uncle Daniel, and he told me everything. Your father wasn’t in his right mind when he killed your mother and your pa’s neighbor.” He pulled her into his arms. “You’ve been running down the wrong path, Anne. God wants to lead you to green pastures and beside still waters. And if you search your heart, I think you’ll find me right there alongside you.”

Anne thought she couldn’t stand the joy she felt as she finally let into her heart what God had been trying to tell her for so long. But it was quickly tempered by her next thought, and she raised apprehensive eyes to his.

“What if someone finds out about my father?”

His face hardened a little. “No one is going to find out. I’ll bankrupt McCord Steel if I have to.”

The relief she felt was so intense she laid her head on his chest.

“So you’ll marry me?” he whispered into her hair.

Anne raised her head. Unable to resist, she gave him a roguish smile of her own. “Are you sure you know what you’re getting into? I can’t cook, I can’t sew, and I’d rather be in a stable than the kitchen—”

Anne’s words were stopped by a kiss that she returned fully with a restored heart.

Scioto’s care and treatment mentioned in these pages is drawn from
Magner’s Classic Encyclopedia of the Horse
, originally published in 1887. I apologize for any errors made regarding horse care in the nineteenth century. It was purely unintentional.

At the time of this story, what most Ohio State students and alumni now call University Hall was known as the Main Building, and Mirror Lake was simply called “the Lake.” To see the dramatic changes that have taken place on the university campus from 1871 to the present, I encourage you to visit The Ohio State University Interactive Historical Campus Map at
knowlton.osu.edu/historymap
as well as the John H. Herrick Archives at herrick.knowlton.ohio-state.edu.

O-H-I-O!