Instant Prairie Family (Love Inspired Historical) (14 page)

“The boys are asleep. They have nothing to do with this. Why
are you here with
him?
” His voice was pitched low
and shook with anger. He glared at her as if she had just committed some
grievous crime.

He had never reacted like this before and for the life of her,
she couldn’t understand what had happened. If the boys were fine, then why was
he so agitated? Colin bristled at her side. She’d forgotten he was even
there.

“I saw her come to the creek and decided that it would be smart
to keep an eye on her,” Colin answered before she could form a coherent reply.
“She and I were just discussing how the last few weeks have been. As her pastor,
and
your friend,
I wanted to make sure she was
adjusting and all was well.” Colin moved closer yet, as if still wanting to
protect her. “As for her being here with
me,
I think
she needs a friend from time to time.”

As Abby watched, Will stood rigid, his face darkened like the
powerful storm clouds she had seen unleash torrents of water on the open
prairie. She skirted around Colin, unwilling to hear any more of their argument.
Words from their last visit still replayed in her mind.
“If
you like her so much...”
She forced herself to stop the thought and
headed toward the path back to the house. They could work out whatever they
needed to without her. With her growing feelings for Will, she didn’t think she
could stand hearing him declare his apathy toward her or their marriage.

As she tried to pass Will, his hand snaked out and caught her
upper arm. His grasp was firm but not painful. His sudden movement stunned her
and an energy zinged up her arm and left her short of breath.

“I’ll walk you up. You shouldn’t be out here alone at this time
of night.” His voice was gruff but his hand gentle as he released her and then
tucked her arm around his elbow as if they were out for a walk in the city. It
made Abby feel protected. She would have been almost pleased if he hadn’t
glanced over his shoulder and glowered at Colin.

“I’ll see you in the barn.” His voice promised that they still
had unfinished business.

“I’ll be there,” Colin promised without heat in his voice or
his eyes. “Good night, Abby. Get a good night’s sleep so that you can stay awake
tomorrow. I hear the preacher can sometimes get a little long-winded.” His lips
twitched and she tried not to smile at his teasing. Surely Will would take her
laughing with Colin all wrong.

Once they were out of hearing distance, Will glanced at her,
his scowl telling her all she needed to know. He was still upset.

“What were you thinking?” he questioned as if he were sure that
she had gone completely crazy.

“I only wanted to take a walk. I wanted some air,” Abby argued,
hurt that he would treat her like a small child. Tears threatened to spill over,
frustrating her. In the last few months she had cried more than she had in years
back in Ohio.

“You’ve been here long enough to know better. There are animals
that hunt at night, coyotes and wolves, and there is still the possibility of
Indian unrest. I don’t want you out at night. I don’t want...” The anger in his
voice diminished as he talked.

“You never said I couldn’t take a stroll after dinner.” She
dropped her voice and slowed her pace, forcing Will to slow with her. Suddenly
she felt forlorn. Whom was she trying to fool? She had only managed to bother
Will again. Sighing deeply, she trudged on.

“It gets dark fast. You should be in the house, safe and
sound.” His voice carried on the still air of the evening and she wondered if
Jake could hear them from the barn as they came into view of the barnyard. She
had left the boys’ window open and didn’t want them waking at the sound of
grown-ups arguing, either.

“Are you feeling all right?” His voice dropped and he slowed to
a stop, turning her to face him in the shadows near the front of the house.

“I’m fine.” It wasn’t really a lie. She was healthy and
uninjured—well enough to do all of her duties. If her heart was troubled...
Well, he didn’t need to know that, did he?

“No, you just shivered. Did you get a chill down by the creek?”
His voice spoke of his concern and it warmed her somewhere close to her
heart.

“No. I’m fine,” she asserted more convincingly.

She wanted to tell him that she was shivering because he was
upset with her and the fact broke her heart. That she cared about him, and hated
the distance that had sprung up between them. But he didn’t want to hear any of
that, so she mumbled an excuse and fled into the house. Once again, she curled
up into a ball in her bed, hidden under her sheets, and cried her heart out to
God.

Why did loving Will hurt so much? And now she knew that she did
love Will. She longed to see him smile, wished he would hold her close and kiss
her again, as he had done the day of their wedding. She missed him when he was
out in the fields, away from her and the boys, and she missed him when he sat
across the porch from her, within a stone’s throw and a million miles away. If
only he could love her in return.

Chapter Ten

“S
o, my brothers, God is telling us here in Psalm 90 verse 12 that the true measure of wisdom is to ‘number our days’ so we can live in a way that serves God and his children. Now, you may say to me, ‘But, Colin, how am I supposed to count my days if only God knows how many days or years I have left?’

“And I would answer you that you are correct. It’s the very point Moses is trying to get us to understand. Just a few verses before, Moses writes that the days of man are fleeting and a thousand years for the Lord is like a day. He depicts our life like the grass that spouts in the morning and withers by the afternoon. We may have the next fifty years at our disposal or we may be standing in God’s presence later on this very day. Since we don’t know what the number is, then prudence would dictate we live every day as if it were to be our last—as if what we do with the next ten minutes may be the only legacy we leave behind.”

Colin looked out and caught Will’s eye. The church was crowded and Will wished there were more windows to open. It was stuffy inside and he felt grumpy and fidgety—though those feelings probably had less to do with the airless room and more to do with the way he had mishandled everything last night. Like a snorting bull, he had seen red when he finally found Abby contentedly conversing with Colin by the creek.

Colin’s words about treating each day as your last gave him a guilty shiver. Thank goodness the previous day hadn’t been his last one, because he sure would like to have done better. After dinner, he’d had the urge to stay and talk with his wife, but she had needed to bathe and get ready for the Lord’s Day. Finally settling on the pretext of checking to see if she was ready for the picnic the following morning, he’d gone back to the house. When he didn’t find her in the kitchen or in the boys’ room, he dared go toward her room only to find the door was still standing open. Assuming that she was in the outhouse he headed out the back door. His heart plummeted to his toes and his hands felt like ice when his search gave no clue as to where his wife had gone.

Searching the barn and the yard around the house, he started to suspect she had gone somewhere with Colin. For a minute that reassured him, until he began to wonder if they were even then whispering sweet nothings. Colin had already admitted he admired her cooking and her mothering skills. Now he was talking about settling down. Didn’t he understand that Will wanted to save Abby from the hardships of being a farmer’s wife? If she was going to stay in Nebraska, then it should be by
Will’s
side—he was the one whose sons needed her. He was the one who knew and appreciated all her wonderful abilities. He was the one who cared for her...more deeply every day, for all that he tried to avoid her.

But because he cared for her, Will was the one who was going to do the right thing. He was going to find a job for Abby in some comfortable city far from the prairie. She’d be happy there, which was what mattered most. And he wasn’t going to let Colin convince her otherwise.

As the trail to the creek twisted around and he could see the two of them standing a few paces apart, relief made his heart leap because she was safe! Then his anger returned because she was out for an evening stroll with his best friend.

When Colin came back to the barn, he had not so much as said a word about their exchange by the creek except to chuckle about how quickly Abby had gotten under Will’s skin. It was the final straw as far as Will was concerned. He’d told Colin to keep his nose out of other people’s business and not follow Abby around in the evening without staying within view of the house. Colin had just laughed and offered to pray before they hit the hay. Now he stood calmly preaching to his congregation and Will wondered, with a sinking sense of dread, if Colin’s sermon was personally motivated. Had Colin decided that the best way for him, personally, to live life to the fullest would be to settle down on a claim in Nebraska...with Abby as his wife? He’d have to talk Colin out of it and make his friend see that Abby didn’t belong in Nebraska—and certainly not as any farmer’s wife. Not even Will’s.

“Here in this very community, we have had our share of heartbreaks and funerals.” Colin continued his sermon, his eyes roaming the congregation and once again settling on Will. “None of the brothers and sisters who have gone before us woke on the morning they were to meet their Savior knowing it was their last day. They went about, living their lives as they always did and then, without God asking them leave, He collected them to Himself.

“While we may have mourned them for a time, and still miss them, I doubt any of us who truly understands where our departed loved ones are today would ask to have them returned from Paradise to the suffering in this fallen world. I have to confess there are days when I grow weary of the drudgery and suffering here and plead with God to take me to my eternal rest, but most mornings I rise with the desire to see another sunset and another sunrise. I hope to someday settle down and find some nearsighted girl who will take pity on my sorry hide and decide to make a family man out of me. There are mornings when I beg God to hurry that day and others I resign myself to the life God has chosen for me to serve Him, even if it means living the rest of my life like a Gypsy, not having a home to call my own or a family waiting for me around the hearth at the end of the day. But while I can’t know what God has planned for me, I
can
make the choice to embrace His blessings to the fullest of my ability, enjoying every day I’m given and never holding back from all the happiness life offers. No matter how many days the Lord grants every one of us, we need to spend each day full of joy for the wonders of His gifts, and praise for His name.”

Soon Colin brought the service to a close with a prayer of blessing and protection for the families of their church. “Don’t forget, we have a picnic planned for after service. I have been informed by a very reliable source that there’s enough food out there to feed an army. Since we’re all part of the army of the Lord, I hope that’s true. Once the ladies have the food set out, we’ll ask the good Lord to bless the food and our fellowship. This is a special day when we get to welcome Mrs. Hopkins to our community. As you all know she and Mr. Hopkins were married just last month in a ceremony after the service. Today we’ll have the reception.”

In a matter of minutes, the women assembled all manner of tempting dishes on the two long tables made out of sawhorses with flat boards laid across that the men had set up earlier. Once Colin said grace for the food, the serving began. Mothers collected their children and filled their plates before withdrawing to the blankets that had been laid out in the shadow of the church. Then the men surged around the tables like a swarm of bees. Will saw to Willy and Tommy and then stood to the side and watched as Abby graciously greeted everyone and helped serve.

He was just about to get into line when Abby’s eyes found his and she smiled shyly. His pulse tripled and he could hear his heart pounding in his ears. A hurt look crossed her face and her smile slipped away as she busied herself with the plates of two more farmers while he edged closer. Had she expected him to smile back? Of course, he reasoned with himself. She was the stranger here and she deserved to know that he was so proud of how well she was getting along with everyone. What a dunce he was to squash what little joy she was getting from the potluck.

Stepping up in line, he stopped in front of her and found that she had already served a heaping plate of all his favorites. “You look like you’re enjoying yourself,” he stated, hoping to make up for his coolness just seconds before.

“Everyone is so nice and welcoming,” she answered without looking up at him. It bothered him that he had hurt her again.

“Thank you for the food, Abby.”

“You’re welcome.” She started to prepare another plate of food—presumably hers since everyone else had their plates—so he waited until she finished. “Did you need something else?” she asked, clearly surprised to find him still waiting on the other side of the table when she reached for a slice of bread.

“I thought it only proper I escort my lovely wife to our blanket with the boys,” he explained, proud that he had managed to compliment her. Her eyes found his for a second and then she nodded.

“Oh, we need to appear to be together for the Scotts,” she whispered as he led her across the thick grass he and Colin had cut down the day before in preparation for the picnic.

“In part, but I also wanted to say you look lovely and did a wonderful job with the meal. Everything looks delicious.” Her surprise looked turned to pleasure and a slight blush graced her cheeks, but before he could say any more, they arrived at the blanket the boys occupied and the opportunity to talk privately was gone.

He held her plate for her while she twisted and settled all her skirts so she could sit on the blanket and then she held both plates as he flopped down next to her. The boys, their food half gone, crowed around and kept a constant chatter as he and Abby started to eat. Will watched Abby as she patiently answered all of Tommy’s questions and told funny stories to him and Willy. To everyone around them at the picnic they must have appeared to be a real family—especially with both boys calling her Ma.

“Pa!” Tommy plopped down next to Will, his hazel eyes bright and happy. “Did you hear me, Pa?” Tommy’s little hand nudged his arm, pulling his focus back on his little boy.

“Sorry, what did you say, son?”

“I said Ma taught me to count all the way to thirty. Wanna hear? She showed me a cal...can...calendar—it has boxes and numbers. Just like Pastor Colin said today. Ma taught me to be wise ’cuz she taught me to number the days.”

Will cast a questioning look at Abby. The knowing grin she sent him told him that not only had she followed Tommy’s strange logic but she also knew Will didn’t have a clue. She had come to understand his boys better in a few months than he had done in all the years he raised them. If only she could stay.

“Tommy, Pastor Colin was talking about something a little different today, sweetheart. I taught you how to number a calendar to tell us what day of the week it is or what month of the year. But what Pastor Colin was talking about was that if we really want to be wise, we will learn to live every day for God as if there might not be any more days here for us. I hope you grow up to be very old and have children and grandchildren….”

“Yeah, and you’ll get all wrinkly and your hair’ll fall out like ol’ Mr. Patterson,” Willy added.

Abby took control back of the conversation. Grinning at Willy, she fingered his hair out of his face as she continued. “Sometimes God wants us in heaven before we get to be all old and wrinkly. The Bible says no man knows when he will be called to stand before God and give an account for his life. We can’t wait till we’re old like Mr. Patterson to start living the life God wants us to live.”

“What’s that mean?” Tommy asked.

Will took a deep breath, praying for wisdom and answers, but Abby already started to explain. Nodding his encouragement, he started praying that God would give her the right words to share the message of salvation with Tommy.

“God’s got plans for all of us,” she began.

“Like when you make plans for our lessons?” Tommy asked.

Abby laughed. “Well, a little like that, I guess. God’s plans tell us where we’re supposed to go, and what we’re supposed to do to be good people, and find happiness.”

“Did God tell you to come out here to us?” Willy questioned, leaning against Abby’s side. She wrapped an arm around him in a hug.

“He certainly did.” The words hit Will like a pleasant shock. She still believed that—that God had brought her out here, that their humble home in Nebraska was where she was supposed to be? He pushed down the sense of hope that that gave him, reminding himself that she still didn’t understand just how grim prairie life would be. She’d come to hate it, just as Caroline had. And she’d come to resent him if he tried to keep her there. He needed to remember that.

Will listened as Abby explained God’s ultimate plan—to save mankind with the gift of His son. As she talked about sins and the forgiveness God offered through Jesus’s sacrifice, Will was reminded of his own shortcomings. If he’d been more careful, if he’d paid more attention, then he wouldn’t have led Caroline on, leading to their disastrous marriage. If he’d been more considerate, more aware of her needs, maybe she wouldn’t have wasted away. If he’d been more diligent getting information from Abby before hiring her as his housekeeper, maybe they could have avoided the misunderstandings and complications that led to—

That led to this: sitting on a picnic blanket, surrounded by a happy, healthy, well-fed and well-dressed family while a kind, beautiful woman gently spoke of God’s message to his youngest son. How could he regret this? How could he repent his actions when they led to the gifts Abby had brought to his family?

Was there any chance that his marriage to Abby was truly part of God’s plan? Was this really the life that God wanted him to lead?

“Someday,” Abby concluded, “each one of us will reach the end of God’s plan for us, and it’ll be time to go home to Him in Heaven. If you want to be able to go to Heaven, you have to tell Jesus that you know you are a sinner and you accept the gift of His forgiveness. He promises in the Bible that He will forgive anyone who asks Him to. Would you like to ask Jesus to forgive your sins today?”

Tommy nodded his little head and Abby took him into her arms, snuggling him close. She told him to close his eyes and she led him in a prayer to open his heart to the forgiveness Jesus promises to all who ask.

“I bet Pastor Colin would very much like to hear that you just asked Jesus to be your Savior, Tommy,” Abby suggested. “Would you like me to go with you so you can tell him or do you want to take your pa?”

“I want you both to go with me,” Tommy answered.

“Sure thing, son,” Will managed to choke out. “I’m so glad you let Jesus be your Savior.”

“Did you ask Him to forgive you, too?” Tommy asked innocently.