Page 70 of Mail-Order Bride Substitute
They both turned to Olivia. Gwen spoke. “We wanted you to have the deciding vote.”
“Me? What do I know? Pickles or soup. Both sound good to me.”
The other two stared at the vegetables.
Honor rearranged them.
Olivia studied the array. So many rich colors—green beans, yellow squash, orange carrots, and purplish turnips. As she’d told Riley. Bounty from the ranch. A truth slowly formed in her mind. The ranch was full of good things. Was it possible for her to convince Riley of that truth? Oh, he knew it well enough for himself. But he needed to realize life here held everything that mattered to her.
Honor stepped back to stare at how she’d arranged the vegetables. “Really, if we share them with all the households, it’s not enough to do anything with.”
“Agreed.” Gwen seemed pleased with the idea.
A few minutes later, Olivia thanked Gwen and Honor and left with her hands full. She put the vegetables in the pantry and then sat down to read her uncle’s letter.
My dear Olivia,
It distresses me to know that you are not married. I understood you would be so before you went to the ranch. I am left to believe things have not gone according to your plan. My fear is that your reputation will be as besmirched out there as it has become here. I find the situation you are in to be intolerable which is why I have enclosed enough money for you to return to Kellom. From here, I will make arrangements for you to go to Philadelphia and the position that is waiting for you there.
Yours with deepest affection,
Your Uncle Harris.
Olivia withdrew the paper money from the envelope and stared at it. She didn’t want to distress her uncle or her aunt, but she wasn’t going to go back to Illinois or on to Philadelphia.
She needed to think and plan and pray and left the house to wander down the path along the top of the Shannon Valley. The same trail she and Riley had gone twice. Both times had been so sweet. They’d kissed.
If she could convince him to return there, wouldn’t it be the perfect spot to tell him she loved him? And maybe, mellowed by his memories, he’d ask her to marry him.
But she dismissed that idea as impossible because she couldn’t think how she’d persuade him to return. No, she’d have to devise a plan that didn’t depend on his cooperation.
The words of this morning’s sermon and the Bible verse the preacher quoted came to her.Let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
She realized the verse applied to her situation. She could tell Riley she loved him, but would he believe her or think she was only trying to convince him to marry her? However, he couldn’t doubt her actions. Serving him and meeting his needs were the best way to show her love.
Even if he continued to refuse to marry her?
The situation could not continue as it was. Uncle Harris was right in saying her reputation would be ruined. Riley might say he wouldn’t allow people to say malicious things about her. Uncle Harris had tried to stop gossip back in Kellom but it was like an infection that couldn’t be stopped.
She sat on the ground and studied the scene. The mountains were giants in the west. Guardians, as she’d once said. But despite their size and magnificence, they were only a fraction of God’s creation. God was more powerful than all the mountains combined. A verse that she and Sylvia had memorized flooded her mind.God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song.
Yes, Lord. I will trust You to guide me. To show me how to convince Riley that I love him.
She wanted to marry Riley. Not only to have a home but because her heart belonged to him. Whether or not he returned her feelings. A knot twisted her insides. Yet was it so wrong to want to be loved and cherished?
Words the preacher had said spoke to her heart. He asked what hindered one’s love for others. Was it pride or unwillingness to be vulnerable? Or perhaps it was only the fear of being hurt. Rejected.The Lord Jehovah is my strength. Yes, Lord, I’ll trust You to make me bold.Her lungs filled with the warm, sun-laden air. She would not let fear, pride, or any other feeling stand in the way of confessing her love.
Her mind made up, a sense of purpose in her heart, she returned home.
Silence greeted her as she stepped into the kitchen. She held her breath. Had he left? If so, when would he return and give her a chance to tell him what was in her heart?
A sound came from the other room. She tiptoed to the doorway and stopped.
Riley lay on the sofa, too long to fit so his feet were on the floor. He didn’t look comfortable, but he snored softly. She studied his features. In repose, he looked at peace. White lines fanned out from the corner of his eyes. The rest of his face was bronzed from exposure to the sun. A dark shadow revealed how black his whiskers were. His hair was mussed as if he’d dragged his fingers through it a number of times.
Grinning, she turned back to the kitchen and quietly pulled out a pot to prepare supper. Alfred opened the door and stepped in. She held her finger to her lips to signal silence.
He nodded. “Do you mind if I eat with you? Iris sent this for the meal.” He held out a pot.
