Page 43 of A Cowboy's Convenient Marriage

“Are you considering it?” she asked, and from the expression on her face, it didn’t seem like it mattered to her one way or the other. That she had total confidence that he would decide what was best for both of them.

“Not really. I felt like God closed that door, and I have no intention of looking back. But John asked me to come back, to visit. Mostly so the church could apologize to me, make a formal apology. He felt he owed it to me, and... I guess I don’t disagree.”

“I definitely think they owe it to you!” Ada said, completely and totally on his side.

Maybe Abby would be on his side now as well, now that the truth was out, but it was a refreshing change to have someone who believed in him completely. He liked that. It felt good.

“I can’t argue with that. I do think you’re right. But, I don’t know if I want to travel the whole way to Virginia just so someone can apologize.”

“It’s the entire church that needs to apologize. Or at least the board members. And publicly. Because they made a public example of you, and they did that for their own personal gain, not because of any sense of justice or right.”

He loved how she pointed that out. And said it. Like they really hadn’t been biblical in how they had treated him.

“I don’t know. How do you feel about taking a trip to Virginia?” He realized he should have asked her that to begin with. After all, she was his wife. He supposed he could be given a little grace, since he only had a few hours to get used to the idea. And a day or two at most to even think that he was getting married to her.

“I’d love to. I’d love to see where you’re from, see your parents, see the church that God built and gave you. I think it will be a fun trip.”

“Maybe we could take a wedding trip. It would be a honeymoon.”

“A honeymoon to the church you used to pastor. That’s perfect.” She smiled, and he thought she might have meant it. Most women would have said they wanted to go to Hawaii or some kind of tropical, beautiful, exotic destination. But his wife... She was definitely one-of-a-kind, and far better than what he deserved.

He said a short prayer thanking God for giving her to him, and asking the Lord to help him appreciate all of her strengths, including ones that seem to outshine his. He didn’t want to be bitter and angry against his wife because she was good at things that he felt he should be better at. That was petty and wrong.

“All right then. I will check with Aunt Karen, because she’s going to need to handle the car dealership while I’m not there, but I don’t think that’ll be a problem. Shall we plan on it?”

“Definitely,” she said, smiling at him, as they nodded at each other, and then slid out of the booth, ready to go home and start married life together.

He realized there was something that he hadn’t talked to her about though, and he really needed to. After all, they didn’t know each other very well, and he knew he was a little nervous about that idea.

As he put a hand on her back and guided her out of the restaurant, he thought about how to phrase it.

Taking her hand as they walked down the street, he said, as casually as he could, “I asked Aunt Karen if it would be okay for you to sleep in the spare bedroom for a while. Just until we get used to each other.”

Chapter 17

Ada blinked. Her husbandjust told her he wanted her to sleep in the spare bedroom. After that measly peck on the cheek, and now this? Was this really what she waited thirty-five years for?

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