Chapter 28
“I was waiting for you to tell me you were with child before giving you this,” Nona said as she brought Lisa a basket full of baby things.
Lisa set aside the coffee as Nona set the basket on the table in her kitchen.
“You have no idea how difficult it was for me to wait.” Nona sat next to her. “I saved these things from when my children were babies. I didn’t have the heart to get rid of them, and since my grandchildren don’t live here, I had no one else to give them to.”
Lisa sorted through the items Nona had preserved. There were a couple of baby gowns, a small blanket, a larger blanket, a bib, a couple of caps, a few pairs of socks, and a wooden rattle. She looked over at her friend. “You’re giving me all of these things?”
“I don’t need them anymore.” With a grin, she added, “I might not look it, but my childbearing days are over.”
Lisa chuckled at the woman’s joke. “You’re young to me, Nona.”
“Being young in here is the most important kind of young a woman can be.” Nona tapped her heart. “It’ll be nice to have a baby nearby. I don’t get to see my grandchildren often enough. If you need help, I’ll be happy to assist.”
“Thank you, Nona. I appreciate that. And I’m sure I’ll take you up on the offer. I don’t have experience raising a child.”
“For the most part, there’s nothing to it. Make sure you feed them, clothe them, and keep them clean. Beyond that, you just love them.”
“I’m looking forward to all of it.” Recalling how she’d needed help giving birth in Omaha, she asked Nona, “Can you deliver a baby?”
“I was called on to do that in my younger days. As long as women are giving birth the same way they used to, I’m up to the challenge.”
Lisa felt a chuckle rise up in her throat. “I didn’t realize there was a new way for women to give birth.”
Nona shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s been a long time since I had to help the midwife.” She winked and placed her hand on Lisa’s. “A baby is good news, Lisa. Very good news. I’m glad you and Ashley came here to give it to us.”
“Well, you and Boone have treated me like a daughter.” Or at least the way she would have liked her parents to have treated her. For all the money her parents had, she would have given it up if they would have been like this elderly couple who had taken her under their wing. “I think of you like family.”
“We think of you and Ashley like family, too.”
Lisa wasn’t one given to expressing herself physically to someone other than Ashley, but she felt the pull to hug Nona. She held the woman for a few seconds then settled back into her chair. “I can’t wait to use the things in this basket.”
“That time will come before you know it,” Nona assured her. “Just you wait. You’ll blink, and before you know it, you’ll be holding that sweet baby in your arms.”
Lisa was so excited she could hardly sit still. This baby was going to be as lucky as Sara was. She was going to be surrounded by loving people. This was a great comfort to Lisa. While she would always miss Sara, she finally felt ready to move on and embrace the future.
* * *
In August, Ashley felt they were making good progress on the addition he and Lisa were building onto the cabin. He could have planned for room to fit one child, but he thought there might be more in the future, and if that was going to happen, they would need more space. So he made a room that could comfortably fit four children, factoring in the fact that those children slept on bunk beds.
Today, he planned to put in a window. The window wouldn’t be that big, but it didn’t take much to allow sufficient daylight into a small room. Daylight meant that kerosene lamps and candles didn’t have to be used up so much.
It was fun to see the room coming together. He was looking forward to being a father. He might not have been the ideal son, but he had the benefit of having a good father, and he vowed he would honor his father’s memory by following his example.
He had just knelt down to place the window on the ground by the exterior of the cabin when Lisa wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek against his. He was glad she’d waited until he put the window down before startling him.
He put his hand over his heart. “You scared me.”
She chuckled and kissed his cheek. “I’m sorry. I thought you heard me.”
“Nope. You were as quiet as a mouse.”
“Well, I didn’t mean to be.” She released him. “I have a surprise for you.”
He got to his feet and turned to her. She had pulled the sides of her hair up with the ribbon he’d given her, and she’d woven a couple of the flowers he’d brought her that morning into her hair. Her hair fell down her back in soft waves. Today, she wore the pink and white dress Nona had helped her make. She was showing a little in her pregnancy, but there was still some time before she would need more dresses. The necklace he’d made her was hanging around her neck, and it complemented the ribbon and the dress she wore very nicely.
She couldn’t know how much he enjoyed looking at her, and his enjoyment was only enhanced by the fact that she wore the gifts he had made for her.
His gaze went back to her face. She was smiling, and her cheeks were flushed with excitement. “This must be a great surprise,” he said.
“It is. I’m glad you didn’t see Henry on your way back from town.” She took his hand and led him toward the firepit. “Otherwise, he would have told you about the large catch he made.”
Large catch? His ears perked up. “Henry caught a fish?”
She nodded. “He went out early this morning and caught two of them, and he gave us one.” They stopped at the firepit. She grabbed a potholder then took the cast iron pot off the cook stand. She set the skillet on the rock. With her free hand, she lifted the lid, and he saw the fish and vegetables she’d been cooking. “And I made peach pie for dessert.” She inspected the contents in the pot, put the lid back on it, and returned it to the firepit. “It should be ready in a half hour.”
“If I didn’t love you before, I’d love you now. This is a meal fit for a king.”
“I thought you’d like it. I couldn’t wait for you to return so I could show it to you. What do you think about eating out here?” She gestured to a spot nearby. “The day is such a nice one with the sun out. We can sit on the blanket we only use in the winter.”
“I think it sounds perfect.”
“Wonderful!” She gave him a kiss then hurried for the cabin. “I’ll get everything set up.”
It was nice to see her this way. Full of joy. Full of hope. Full of life.
She was like this so often these days that he had trouble remembering how she was when he first brought her here. But then, he had been different, too. He was no longer haunted by the memories of the life he had in Rhode Island, nor the ones that occurred in Ohio. They had both changed, and they had changed for the better. He doubted they would have ended up at this point if they hadn’t found each other. His smile widened before he went to the cabin to help her set things up for the picnic.
* * *
The end of October arrived, and with it, Lisa woke up to labor pains. Ashley went to get Nona to help with the delivery, and while Boone came along to help, he remained outside. Lisa thought Ashley might want to avoid being with her for the birth since it wasn’t the most pleasant part of having a child, but she was glad he chose to remain with her. It was so like him to be there for her in all circumstances.
He wiped the sweat from her forehead and tightened his hold on her hand. “The baby is almost here. What did you make? A girl or a boy?”
The question was so ridiculous that it helped to distract her from the pain. Her gaze went to him. “The baby is going to be what it’s going to be,” she said. “I can’t will it to be one or the other.”
“You don’t know that. Who’s to say that a woman can’t decide what the baby will be until it’s born?”
Nona shook her head but smiled. “I need you to push again, Lisa. I can see the head.”
Lisa directed her attention back to pushing. Soon the pressure gave way to relief, and the pain ceased. She collapsed on the mattress and focused on catching her breath.
There was a weak cry, soon followed by a stronger one.
“Help me up,” Lisa told Ashley. “I want to see the baby.”
Ashley turned his attention from the baby and hurried to get behind her so he could prop her up. “It’s a boy,” he whispered in her ear and hugged her. “We have a son.”
Lisa smiled, even as tears filled her eyes. Nona finished cleaning him then swaddled him in a blanket. Lisa couldn’t take her gaze off of him. After all this time, he was finally here. She squeezed Ashley’s hand, grateful he had given her the child she’d spent so much time praying for.
Nona brought the child over to her and placed him in her arms. “He’s a beautiful, healthy boy.” She patted Lisa’s arm. “I’ll leave you two alone for a few minutes then come back in here to clean you up.”
“Thank you, Nona,” Lisa told her. “For everything.”
As Nona left to tell Boone the good news, Lisa turned her attention back to the quiet child in her arms. Her mind flashed back to the moment she’d first held her daughter. Back then, there had been so much sorrow she couldn’t hold back her tears. She’d wanted so much to keep her daughter. The moment she held her, she never wanted to let the girl go. But she hadn’t had a choice.
This time was so different. She would never have to give her son to someone else. He was going to stay here with her and Ashley, and they would give him a good home. She stroked the boy’s cheek and chuckled when he sneezed.
“He’s perfect,” Ashley whispered in awe. “I didn’t think he’d be so perfectly formed right after birth. I thought he was going to need more time to develop.”
She had expected that, too, when she had her first child. “He is perfect,” she agreed. “He’s a miracle.”
He kissed her cheek. “Yes, he is. You did an excellent job making him.”
“We did an excellent job of making him.”
He studied the boy and smiled. “You’re right. We did an excellent job making him.” He kissed her cheek and rested his chin on her shoulder.
Content, they watched their son welcome the new world around him.
* * *
The brisk January wind set a chill in the cabin, so Lisa added another log to the fireplace. She was glad Ashley had set Silas’ cradle near the fireplace. It wasn’t so close that the boy would get hot, but it was close enough to make him comfortable. She checked outside. Flurries blew around outside. Only a light dusting of snow covered the ground.
It was still early in the afternoon. She should be taking a nap. Ashley had taken Silas with him to the workshop so she could have time to rest, but without Ashley in the bed to warm her up, she had difficulty sleeping.
She took the coffee off the cookstove and poured it into two cups. Once she bundled up in her cloak, gloves, and boots, she gathered the cups and went to the workshop.
Ashley stopped working on the crib and hurried over to her. “I thought you were sleeping.”
“I tried, but I’m wide awake.” She let him take the cups and shut the door, glad to be out of the wind. “It’s colder out there than it looks. I’m glad it’s warm in here.”
“Don’t worry about a thing. Silas is comfortable.” He gestured to the two-month-old baby.
Silas was lying on his back on a fur-skinned rug that was a few feet from the box stove. He was babbling and shaking the rattle in a way that let her know he was happy.
She went over to him. When he noticed her, he waved his arms and legs in excitement. She smiled, scooped him up into her arms, and kissed the top of his head.
“I remember the days when you used to kiss me as soon as you saw me,” Ashley mused.
She followed him to the table where he set the cups down and kissed him. “I was going to kiss you.”
He arched an eyebrow at her. “But I had to wait. Silas got the first kiss.” He grinned to show her he was teasing. “At least you kiss me on the lips instead of the head.”
Holding Silas with one arm, she wrapped the other arm around Ashley’s waist and gave him a deeper kiss. She would have kissed him longer except Silas dropped the rattle then reached up and grabbed her hair. She let out a startled cry and gently pried Silas’ grip from her hair.
“No fair,” Ashley told Silas. “I don’t care if you get jealous. She was my wife before she was your mother.” He tapped the boy on the nose. “You will have to learn to share her.”
She giggled. “You’re silly, Ashley. I love how you make me laugh.”
He patted the small of her back. “That’s good because I love making you laugh.” He gestured to the crib. “What do you think? I don’t mean to brag, but I made good progress in only a week.”
She approached the crib and saw that he had already made the wood frame and the boards that would support the mattress. She ran her hand along the wood and noted how smooth it was. “You always do good work, Ashley.”
“I’m glad you like it. I’ll have it ready before he’ll need it.” He picked up the coffee and took a sip. “Did you want to stay out here and keep us company while I keep working on it?”
She nodded. He took Silas from her so she could take off her cloak and hang it up. Then she brought Silas back into her arms and settled into a chair by the table.
Ashley returned to the crib. “Would you like me to bore you with the details of how I’m making this thing?”
“I enjoy hearing how you make things,” she replied, surprised he would think she found it boring. “Why do you think I come in here so much?”
“I thought you were so attracted to me that you couldn’t stay away.”
She laughed again. “I am very much attracted to you, but I don’t just appreciate you for your looks. I also appreciate you for who you are. This is part of who you are.” She motioned to the crib. “It’s fun to watch you take wood and make something out of it.”
He seemed pleased by her words but hesitated before turning to the crib. “The attraction you have for me is more carnal than intellectual, right?”
She stopped Silas before he grabbed the clamshell hanging around her neck and gave Ashley a bewildered look. “Would you prefer it if I saw you as someone to lust after rather than befriend?”
“Sure. Why not? I happen to think being in bed is more fun than being in this workshop.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She would think companionship would be more important, but apparently men valued the bed more. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you, Ashley.”
“You can do anything you want with me.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.
She shook her head but chuckled. “I can tell this is going to be a very interesting marriage.”
“You’re just now figuring that out?” He smiled, putting all of his charm into it, and gave her a wink. Then he picked up the chisel and continued his work on the crib.
* * *
Thank you for reading The Wilderness Bride . Someone is bound to ask why I didn’t add anything about Corrine in the final part of this story.
The reason I held off on doing that is because I am going to make Corrine and Forrest’s story Book 2 of this series, and I’m calling it The Preacher’s Wife. Those two have a lot to go through before they have their happy ending.