Sean Donovan (The Californians, Book 3) (30 page)

Charlie slept for two hours, and Sean sat in the living
room and prayed. He marveled at how swiftly things
had changed from this morning's conversation to Judge
Harrison's announcement.

He wondered how Charlie felt about it. He knew she
desperately wanted to please him, but if they were supposed to go to Hawaii or even Santa Rosa, it had to be
because both of them knew they were to move from their
present home.

The idea of leaving Duncan and Lora was painful, but
the thought of seeing Kate, Marcail, and the family, or
possibly living near them or Father was so exciting it
took his breath away.

Sean prayed for calm. The change in the document did
not make every dream come true. Charlie was his wife,
his most precious possession, and if she wanted to stay
in Visalia, they would stay. Sean decided right then and
there not to mention it to her. He would give her time,
and when she was ready, she would talk to him.

For an instant Sean's mind had completely forgotten
the baby. As he remembered, he suddenly found himself
smiling at absolutely nothing. His darling Charlie was
going to have a baby. He once again bowed his head in prayer, this time in praise to God for the miracle in his
wife's womb.

Lying on her back, Charlie woke slowly and without
moving. She frowned at the ceiling for a moment, trying
to figure out why she was in bed. When she remembered, her hand slid to her still-flat abdomen. She was
going to have Sean's baby.

A smile of pure contentment crossed her face. She had
fallen asleep dreaming of a little boy with his father's
black hair and eyes. Charlie was still praying, thanking
God for the baby and praying for a safe arrival, when
Sean came quietly into the room.

"Hi," he whispered. She grinned at him.

He lowered himself to the edge of the bed and bent to
kiss her. When Sean sat back there were tears in her eyes.

"Anything I can do?" he asked gently, and Charlie bit
her bottom lip as a single tear spilled down her temple.

"There's just been so much, Sean, so much. I never
dreamed there could be so many changes, but in the
months since we've been married, my life has been
completely altered. I mean, they're good changes, but
sometimes I'm a little overwhelmed. Like right now."

Charlie couldn't go on, and Sean leaned over to put his
arms around her. She had summed it all up rather nicely.
They were good changes, but they were a little overwhelming.

They talked about the baby for a long time, and then
had a light supper before joining Duncan and Lora, this
time to watch the fireworks display. All agreed it was a
perfect end to a wonderful day.

Charlie's twenty-fourth birthday was five days away
when Sean went to the general store hoping to find her a
present. The attitudes of the townspeople had changed
toward Sean, and even though he had never felt threatened, he was surprised over how many smiles now came
his way. Sean was not at all offended by the changes. He
only hoped that with the new acceptance he would have
opportunities to share about the One who had changed
him.

Pete, the owner of the general store, sported an attitude which was remarkably different than in his first
encounter with Sean. He greeted the younger man warmly
when he walked through the door.

"Hello, Sean. You must be here about Charlie's birthday."

Sean's mouth dropped open in surprise, and the older
man chuckled. "Sadie was just in," he said by way of
explanation. Sean smiled in return.

"What did she buy?"

"Fabric. I would guess for a skirt or something."

Sean nodded and began to look around. He lingered
over the fabric himself, but he wouldn't have known
what to ask Sadie to make. The tools distracted him for a time, but then he got down to business. He studied the
writing supplies for a long time, and after picking out
what he thought to be perfect, a lone book on the shelf
caught his eye.

He picked it up and checked the spine. He nearly did a
double take when he read the words Holy Bible. Sean
emptied his hands of all else and inspected the fat volume. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. The
top was dusty, but the book itself appeared to be brandnew. He carried it over to Pete.

"Pete, is this Bible for sale?"

"Yeah, although I've had it for years. Some woman
ordered it, but she never came back to collect, so it's just
been sitting here all this time."

"How much do you want for it?"

The price Pete named was more than reasonable, and,
intending to purchase it, Sean set the Bible down on the
counter. His hands had gone to the pocket of his jeans
when he spotted a small case of jewelry with a glass top.
His eyes caressed the 14K gold wedding bands, ranging
in price from $1.19 to $4.79. His look was tormented
when he glanced back at the Bible.

"Why don't you give her both?" Pete spoke softly.

Sean's hand went again to his pants pocket, and he
dug out the money he had brought along.

"If you don't have it now, you can bring it to me later. I
won't even put it on the bill."

Sean hesitated for only a moment. "Thanks, Pete," he
said gratefully, and in a few minutes was back on the
street, the Bible wrapped in plain brown paper and the
simple gold band tucked safely in his pocket.

Charlie's birthday was on a Sunday, and her first surprise of the day was breakfast in bed. As Sean set the tray down, he looked so satisfied with himself that Charlie
couldn't help but laugh.

"You're looking very pleased with yourself." She
spoke as she shook out her napkin, and then started as
something fell from it and hit the tray. Charlie stared at
the small gold band that had landed near her coffee cup
and then at her husband.

His smile was shy, and Charlie's heart melted. She
didn't talk but picked up the ring, gave it to her husband,
and presented her left hand. Sean gladly did the honors,
and Charlie's eyes shone as the smooth gold band slid
onto the third finger of her left hand.

"Happy Birthday, my darling," Sean whispered when
the band was firmly in place, and Charlie leaned close to
kiss him.

The breakfast was more than Charlie alone could
handle, so she and Sean sat together on the bed and
shared from the tray. As was the norm these last days,
they talked of the baby, which Charlie had figured was
due in early February. But as was also the norm these
days, Sean sensed that something was bothering his
dear wife.

Knowing she was genuinely excited about the baby,
he couldn't help but wonder what was troubling her.
Though she never mentioned it, he speculated often as
to whether or not she was thinking about what Judge
Harrison had said on the Fourth of July. Sean prayed
every day about God's purpose in such a pardon. He
believed with all his heart that God would lead them in
His time, so he felt it best not to press her.

Sadie had asked them to a special dinner that afternoon, so they headed in the direction of the boardinghouse as soon as church was dismissed. To Charlie's
delight, Sadie had also asked Duncan and Lora.

The meal was a great success, and Charlie was surprised again when both Lora and Sean handed her
packages. She had already opened a package from Sadie
containing a skirt and blouse, and of course her ring
from Sean.

The five of them were crowded into Sadie's private
parlor. Lora and Duncan exchanged a glance as Charlie
peeled back the wrapping paper on the hard, flat gift.

"Oh, my," Charlie said in disbelief as she held up a
beautiful daguerreotype of the livery. "Where did you
get this?"

Duncan smiled at how pleased she looked. "One of
the photographers who wandered around town the
week of the Fourth was in and tried to sell me a picture of
my office. When I spotted the one he'd done of the livery,
he told me he was headed to see you. I couldn't resist
buying it myself."

Charlie passed the picture to Sean, and his face split
with a grin. He knew in an instant that it had been taken
the day before the Fourth because he remembered seeing the photographer setting up and wondering what he
wanted. Sean was smack in the middle of the picture,
framed by the double doors and reaching toward his
back pocket for his handkerchief.

Framed in beautifully etched wood, the photo was
examined by each and every one. Charlie thanked both
Duncan and Lora, and Sean asked her to open the last
gift. Charlie threw him a suspicious look before giving
her attention to the gift he had placed in her lap. The
whole room erupted with laughter at the way she babbled after the gift was unwrapped.

"Oh, Sean; oh, my! My very own Bible! I can't believe
it! Do you know how badly I've wanted one? Where did
you find this? Oh, look at the pages! Isn't it beautiful? I
can't believe it-my very own Bible!"

Charlie moved to her husband's chair and threw her
arms around his neck. He laughed as she tried to squeeze
the life from him. She thanked him repeatedly and had
to stop herself from sitting down to read it right on the
spot.

Sadie went to ready the cake and coffee after the presents were put aside. Charlie joined her in the kitchen,
giving the younger woman a chance to mention her
Bible.

"You must wonder how I could be so excited about
receiving a Bible," Charlie began tentatively.

"It has crossed my mind that there's been a change in
you," Sadie said matter-of-factly.

"I'd like to tell you about it sometime, Sadie."

The older woman turned her full attention to her
niece. She studied the fervent young face for a moment
and tried to put her finger on the change. At first she had
attributed it to having a happy marriage with a handsome husband and a baby on the way, but Sadie could
see there was more.

"This means a lot to you, doesn't it?" Sadie asked
quietly.

"Yes, it does."

Sadie suddenly smiled. "Well, honey, if it means that
much to you, I'll listen to all you have to say."