Just Above a Whisper (49 page)

Conner kept a gentle hold of the collar, and Reese still looked up at him.

“I wasn’t able to say this before, but being gone for more than two weeks let me do a lot of thinking.”

Reese nodded.

“I want you to know that I’ll never play games with your heart, and that our walks and talks on the green are the highlight of my day.”

Reese smiled and looked down, suddenly shy.

“I’ve missed them,” she said quietly. “Every day, I’ve missed them.”

The urge to slip his arms around her almost got the best of him. He was rescued by the sound of the front door.

“That’ll be Troy.”

“Speaking of Troy,” Reese suddenly mentioned, “I think they’ve all plotted against us.”

“If you mean Troy and Dalton both, you couldn’t be more right.”

Reese could not stop looking at him.

“I didn’t know you would be here,” Conner confessed in the silence that followed. “I came to Tucker Mills to help a woman whose papers were controlled by the bank. No one said anything about her brown eyes or her beautiful red hair. And no one mentioned that she could run a household without a backward glance or that her nose was round like a child’s and so adorable that I’ve had to fight kissing it almost from the first moment we met.”

Reese bit her lip, but the smile peeked through. Troy chose that moment to come to the study door.

“What’s this?” he asked with satisfaction. “A new coat?”

“Helena couldn’t wear it anymore and sent it for Reese.”

“Very stylish,” Troy approved. “You’ll be the envy of the green.”

“Always my goal,” Reese teased back.

“Did I interrupt something?” Troy asked next, his attempt at innocence not working.

“It would give you way too much pleasure if I said yes,” Conner replied.

“Come now, Conner, you know Dalton expects me to report.”

Conner had to laugh at this, and Reese took that opportunity to slip away. She went out into the hall where a large mirror hung. She stood in front of it and stared at her reflection without really seeing it. Had it actually just been a few hours ago that she was discouraged, her emotions running away concerning Conner? Seeing him had changed all of that.

Reese finally looked at herself in the glass, noticing that the brown of the coat made her eyes seem darker and more vivid. Reese then remembered what Conner had said about her nose. A smile lit her face as she turned away, unaware that Conner had come to the door to watch her and that his contented smile matched her own.

“All right.” Troy had waited only for Reese to leave for the day to find Conner and have a few words. “No teasing, no reporting to Dalton—just talk.”

“All right,” Conner agreed. “Talk about what?”

“You and Reese,” Troy stated plainly. “I can see what’s happening between the two of you, and I know you’re not talking to anyone, so that begs the question: Is Reese talking to anyone? Much as I think the two of you are perfectly suited for each other, you both need to seek counsel on this.”

“You’re right, Troy,” Conner agreed humbly. “You may ask me anything, and when I see Reese again, I’ll make sure she’s talking to someone as well.”

“I think she would do well with several different people in town, but that’s the father in me wanting to take care of her.”

“I’ll tell her you’re available too,” Conner said, and Troy could only nod. He wanted so much for these two young people. He wanted their lives to be built in Christ, and around each other and the church family. Suddenly he missed his wife so much that longing filled him.

“Are you all right?” Conner asked.

“Just missing Ivy.”

“It would be impossible not to miss her. I wish Reese could have known her.”

“She would be pleased to hear you say that, and I know she would have loved Reese.”

The men saw that the conversation had taken a turn, a serious one, but they both knew that sometimes such sessions were needed. They never did get back to the topic of Conner and Reese that night, but spent time talking about Troy’s late wife and both of their families. Come bedtime, the men were weary.

The long walks, Reese warm in her new coat, continued. Unless it was raining, the townsfolk once again saw their favorite couple walking, sometimes hand in hand, down the green, conversing all the while. At times people would stop them and visit, but for the most part they were left on their own.

One lady, however, came with a purpose. She had something to say to Reese Thackery and wasn’t going to leave town until she did.

“Reese,” Lillie Jenness called to stop her one day in early November.

“Hello, Mrs. Jenness,” Reese greeted, coming to face the other woman.

“You might have heard, but I’m leaving Tucker Mills. My house is sold, and Gerald and I are leaving.”

“I did hear,” Reese was careful to say, seeing that the lady before her didn’t look overly happy.

“I didn’t want to leave before I told you that I could have treated you better.”

Reese blinked with surprise.

“It wasn’t your fault you were sent to my house, and you worked without a word of complaint. You never encouraged my Gerald, who we both know is too young for you.”

Reese nodded, not sure what to say.

“I’m sorry, Reese.” Lillie’s voice dropped a bit. “Victor should never have kept those papers, and since he’ll not say the words, I’m saying them for him.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Jenness. I appreciate that. Is Mr. Jenness settled in right now?”

“Yes. The doctors at the Massachusetts Mental Health Institute have agreed to accept him. He’ll be there for at least a year. Gerald and I will be in Boston, and we can visit.”

“Thank you for telling me, Mrs. Jenness. I hope all of you, but especially you and Gerald, will be well.”

Mrs. Jenness nodded, looking pleased for the first time, before turning and going on her way.

Reese turned back to Conner, who held an arm out to her. She took it, and he spoke as he started them back down the green.

“That was a pleasant surprise.”

“Wasn’t it?” Reese still sounded shocked.

“Glad to have it behind you?”

“More than I can say,” Reese said quietly, finding it to be very true.

“I want to be able to pray for Maddie’s baby,” Cathy suddenly confessed to Doyle one morning before he could leave to open the store.

“I can understand that, but there are other things to cover first.”

“Like my belief,” Cathy said, knowing what he meant.

“Is it getting any clearer?” Doyle asked kindly.

“Some days.”

Doyle came back from the door and put his hands on her shoulders.

“I won’t ever give up on you. You’re too smart not to see what God has done for you, and I’ll still be beside you when you realize you have to have His gift.”

Cathy put her arms around him and hugged him close. Doyle went out the door a few minutes later than he planned, still praying for his wife’s heart.

“Has he asked you to marry him?” Doc MacKay asked Reese when she stopped by his house in mid-December, having taken Troy’s advice about meeting with someone. He was like a father to her, and for that reason she had come to him each week.

“No, and I don’t want him to until you think I’ll be all right.”

“What do you think might be missing?”

“He’s from a wealthy family and a big city. Right now he might be blinded by his feelings. Down the road, I don’t ever want to be an embarrassment to him.”

“Dalton didn’t seem to think that would be an issue, and neither does Troy, but that’s not what I want you to find comfort in. Your worth is in Christ, and you’ve let that slip from your mind. You are the delight of this town. It’s a rare soul that doesn’t think the world of you, so none of us are surprised that Conner has fallen, but that’s still not to be your security.

“You are died for, your sins paid for by the very blood of Christ. And you have chosen to take that seriously by listening to others who know more, being a student of the Scripture, and changing because of your fear and humility before God.

“Don’t accept peace from any other source, Reese. You know how to keep a house and cook and bake. The new part in your life will be that of being a godly wife, and you’re already off to a fine start. Conner’s faith is just as real as your own, and between the two of you, you’ll help each other to be all God wants you to be.”

The weight Reese had been carrying around on this issue lifted. She didn’t know where the fear had come from but knew Doc MacKay would have wise words on this topic. And because he’d taken her right back to her salvation and truth based in Scripture, he didn’t have to convince her that his opinion was right.

The conversation turned to other topics about marriage during the next hour, before Reese had to get back to work. As always, Doc MacKay gave her a warm hug when she left. Remembering the things he said, and wanting still more changes in her heart and life, Reese was confident that God would bring it to pass.