Edith and the Mysterious Stranger (21 page)

He gazed upon her, his heart filling with
warmth and his pulse racing. As his eyes wandered to her luscious
lips, he drew her close to him once again and placed a gentle kiss
upon them. The message he communicated in that one simple kiss was
one of exquisite love.

Edith’s heart was beating
rapidly, and she was not sure what was happening to her.
His
arms were strong and protective, and his kiss was so familiar.
Feeling dazed from his warm kiss, she tried to come to her senses
and pushed Joseph back.

“Joseph, what has come over you?”

He grinned, not saying a word.

Seeing his expression, she stepped backwards
against the sink to steady her wobbly legs. “Ooh, I’m so
confused.”

“Confused? Why?”

Trying to get her breath back, she answered,
“Oh, Joseph. I should have told you this a long time ago. I have to
tell you something.”

“And what’s that?”

“Joseph, I’m in love with another man.”

“Another man? Who?”

“This may sound very strange, but I don’t know
his name.”

“Oh? Is this common for you to fall for a
nameless person?” Joseph said with a grin.

He stepped forward, smiling, and slipped his
hands around her waist once again. Then he pulled her close, gazing
at her, and watching her become uneasy. Then he placed his hand
upon her cheek and ran his fingertips across the curves of her
face. When she slightly gasped, he noticed that his touch had sent
a tingling sensation right to her heart. This brought a smile to
his lips.

“How can you love a nameless person, Edith?” he
said softly as he pulled her into his arms.

She shook her head and wanted to push Joseph
away, but didn’t. Yes, she cared for him. But only as a friend.
After realizing that she was enjoying all this
cuddling a little too much, Edith felt guilty… unfaithful to the
one man she adored.

She struggled once again to explain, “No,
Joseph. Listen to me. Please.”

She wanted to push away, out of his embrace, but
he had her cornered against the sink. She could not back up any
further.

“Joseph? Listen to me. I’m in love with…”

Edith hesitated. It was difficult to finish her
sentence when she felt Joseph kissing her temple and working his
way down to the soft hollow of her cheek. Edith sighed as he spread
gentle whispering kisses along her face and ended at her earlobe.
Then he said something that she wasn’t expecting.

Edith’s eyes widened as she asked, “What did you
say?”

“Do you want me to repeat it?”

Edith nodded in the affirmative.

Holding her in his arms, once again he
repeated his message in her ear, hoping she was feeling as deeply
for him as he was for her.

Love me, sweet, with all thou art,

Feeling, thinking, seeing, --

Love me in the lightest part,

Love me in full being.

Edith stood frozen in the very spot where
she stood, trying to comprehend what he had just said. She was
stunned.

Joseph leaned back and looked
into her face. He was not sure what her response was going to be,
and he was beginning to feel nervous. Had he moved too quickly?
He
thought they had gotten along quite well lately, but the
conversation at the café had thrown him for a loop, and he was
uneasy about her true feelings for him. All he hoped for was that
her love was as deep as his.

Joseph softly said, “I have fallen in love with
you, Dream Girl. I don’t want to read about your thoughts any
longer. I want you to tell me in person from now on. Do you
understand what I’m saying, my Charming Friend?”

Within moments, every letter Joseph had ever
written came rushing back to Edith’s memory, every tender word,
secrets they had shared…when she fell in the stream, he carefully
wiped her face with his handkerchief…the day he had stayed and
helped her tend to Sam’s wounds…the Halloween night he had appeared
at her doorstep and his gentle kiss…the ice cream he had bought her
when he told her of the perfect mate. He was talking about her.
Everything began to fit into place.

When Edith did not respond, he asked with
concern and uncertainty, “Are you disappointed?”

As the confusion left her eyes, she shook her
head. “No, I’m not disappointed, Joseph.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “In fact, I feel quite the
opposite.”

Joseph’s eyes brightened and happiness
overtook him. His heart pounded furiously with excitement as he
said, “Really, Edith? Is that how you truly feel?”

“Joseph, I’m glad that it’s you. I really
am.”

Thrilled with her answer, he enfolded her in
his arms once again and held her in a tight embrace. The joy he
felt was overwhelming. Then he pulled back and looked into her face
and saw the same inner joy that he was feeling himself. A longing
to kiss her arose deeply within him as he felt a rush of love warm
his soul.

Realizing that Gilbert was busy in the other
room and would not invade this private moment, he pressed his lips
to hers and felt her respond with just as much fervor. He had not
realized she was such a passionate woman until now.

He held her lovingly and caressed her back
with tenderness as he gave her one kiss after another. He was right
in the middle of a very passionate kiss when he heard a deep voice
scolding him in a teasing manner.

“Joseph? Edith? What’s going on here? And in
my kitchen, too?”

Quickly, Edith pulled back, her face
flushing a bright red, but Joseph kept his arms around her and
chuckled at her dismay.

Gilbert grinned. “Hmmm, I think Melinda owes
me an apology. I just won the bet, and I didn’t even have to raise
a finger to do so.”

Edith tried to wiggle free, but Joseph kept his
arm possessively around her waist. Gilbert had caught them, and she
was embarrassed, but he was not about to let her go so quickly.

As Edith looked at Gilbert questioningly, she
asked, “Did you say you didn’t raise a finger? You mean to say you
didn’t tell Joseph to write to me?”

Gilbert raised his brow with astonishment. “You
mean he’s the mysterious stranger?”

Joseph’s eyes twinkled. With humor lacing his
voice, he said, “I may be strange, but I’m not a stranger any
longer.” Then he looked into Edith’s face with a tenderness that
took her breath away. “Isn’t that right, Sweetheart? I’ve been
found out.”

“You’re that sweet talker Melinda and Edith have
been cooing over?” Gilbert asked with amazement.

Embarrassed, Edith quickly changed the subject
by asking, “Um… Joseph. Who put you up to this? Who’s the friend
that referred you to me?”

“Well, I’m not sure I can reveal her name
without permission.”

“Her?”

Joseph nodded. “Yup. She’s a woman.”

Edith took Joseph’s shirt in both hands and
pulled tightly, asking in a pleading voice, “Who is she, Joseph? I
just want to thank her. That’s all. Besides, the curiosity is
eating me up.”

Joseph chuckled at her persistence. “You’re one
insistent lady, Edith. But I’m not at liberty to say until she
gives me permission.”

“It was me,” came a soft pleasant voice from the
hallway.

Everyone turned around and stared with
disbelief.

“You?” Gilbert burst out in surprise.

“What?” Edith asked, even more stunned than
Gilbert.

“I couldn’t help it. I just knew the two of
you were meant for one another. But I knew how Aunt Edith hated
being set up.” Jenny smiled innocently. “So I made it easy. This
way Joseph could court her without any interference and get to know
her. And she wouldn’t judge him unnecessarily. She could get to
know his soul first.”

Turning to Joseph, Edith asked, “But how did
you get the letters to Mama? I was home an awful lot.”

Joseph grinned. “By way of the vegetable
basket.”

“The vegetable basket?”

“Yup!” Joseph squeezed Edith close to him
and added, “And I’ve never had more fun, either. Especially on
Halloween night! That was when I knew I had lost my heart to
you.”

A hush came over the room as Joseph took Edith’s
hand and walked outside on the porch. They stood enfolded in each
other’s arms and gazed at the stars above, not saying a word but
feeling content with life and its surprises.

“Um…I’m sorry,” said Joseph. “But I forgot to
order that moon I promised.”

Edith sighed. “I don’t need a moon. I’ve got
you. That’s all I need.”

Gilbert tiptoed into the bedroom. The lamp
was set low so Melinda could see when she fed the baby. All was
silent except for the soft breathing of mother and child. He bent
down and quietly pulled his boots off and set them beside the door.
Then he silently walked toward the bassinet and gazed upon his new
daughter. Gilbert smiled and then bent down and brushed his lips
across her silky plump cheek. She smelled sweet and fresh, and her
breath smelled of sweet mother’s milk.

He could not resist, so he scooped her up
into his arms and gazed upon the beauty of his newborn child. The
incomprehensible joy he felt was overwhelming as he memorized every
feature and curve of her face. Kayla’s plump cheeks were rosy, her
long eyelashes touched her cheeks, her button nose was so small,
and her double chin was adorable.

Gilbert pulled the cover from her hands and noticed
how slender and long her fingers were. Her hand was so small that
it could wrap around his finger. Gilbert brushed his finger
delicately along the velvety texture of her arm and down to her
hand. Then he slid his finger under her palm, and instinctively she
curled her delicate fingers around his finger.

Gilbert’s heart instantly swelled with undeniable
love and tenderness. He pulled his finger free and pressed his lips
upon her forehead. As he cradled her in his arms, the overwhelming
love he had for this infant brought tears to this rugged and tough
man, and he quickly blinked back the tears. His heart was softened
and his emotions were on the surface.

The incredible joy that overtook him was
indescribable. He knew it was not considered “weakness” to weep,
but as a man, he felt the need to be strong and hide this sort of
emotion. He had once considered himself tough, but Melinda had
softened him quite a bit.

Gilbert gently put her in the bassinet and covered
her up. Then he unbuttoned his shirt and placed it on a chair along
with his pants and socks. After undressing for bed, ever so
quietly, he slid under the covers and snuggled up to his wife. She
was lying on her side with her back to Gilbert.

As he wrapped his arm around her waist, he noticed
the firm roundness of her belly was gone. In a way, he missed it.
For six months he had laid his hand on her belly and waited for
movement. Now it was gone.

The sweet memory of it was one of happiness, but now
little Kayla lay asleep in her bassinet. Life was good and all was
well. The relief he felt that Melinda was all right swept over him.
Now he would not have to worry about her any longer.

Then it dawned on him that his
worry would transfer to raising a little daughter. His worry would
be a different one. When this little beauty was old enough to
notice boys, he would have to get out his rifle and lay it across
his lap. When
the boys would come calling, he would have to
lay down the ground rules: No courting until sixteen and be home by
eleven.

He would let every young man know that his
daughter would not be trifled with and would be treated with
respect or else. Then he would tap the long barrel of his rifle
with his fingers and grin at the young man.

Gilbert chuckled at the thought of it.

Looking at his wife lying beside him, he tucked
his hand around her waist and softly asked, “Are you awake?”

No answer.

“Are you awake, Sweetheart?”

Still no answer.

Gilbert squeezed her close to him and then asked
again, “Hey, Melinda! Are you awake?”

She replied in a sleepy tone, “Would you believe
me if I said I wasn’t?”

“No.”

She laughed.

“I just wanted to say thank you,” said
Gilbert.

“You’re welcome. For what?”

“For sweet Kayla, for John, for being my wife,
for loving me.”

Melinda yawned and stretched, then turned over
to face him. “To be your wife and to love you is easy. For Kayla
and John, now that’s another matter. That was lots of hard work and
very exhausting, to say the least.”

“I know it’s not easy. I can relate. Just
watching the discomfort, the morning sickness, and the mood swings
isn’t easy on a man, either.”

Gilbert chuckled as Melinda slugged him and
poked him in the ribs a couple times.

When she heard him laugh, she chided him.
“Shhh. You’ll wake the baby.”

“Sorry,” he whispered with a wide grin.

Gilbert looked lovingly into her face and
then he gently pulled her into his arms as he whispered, “I would
not be the man I am today without you, Melinda. You’re my life. I
would be nothing without you.”

Then he spread a string of sweet kisses
across her face. As he nibbled at the softness of her neck, Melinda
giggled,

“Stop it, Gilbert. That tickles.”

He suppressed a chuckle and whispered ever so
softly, “Shhh, you’ll wake the baby.”

***

This novel is one of five, A Family Saga in
Bear Lake, Idaho:
M
elin
d
a
a
n
d
t
h
e
W
i
l
d
W
e
s
t
–
a semi-finalist for the Reviewers Choice Award,
E
d
i
t
h
a
n
d
t
h
e
M
y
s
te
r
i
o
us
Str
a
n
g
e
r
,
J
en
n
y’s
D
r
ea
m
,
Sarah’s Special Gift,
and
E
l
en
a
,
W
o
ma
n
o
f
C
o
ur
a
g
e
. Each story in
this family saga has adventure, romance, and courage. Intertwining
fact and fiction, these novels have a blend of intriguing
characters and true experiences.