Just Above a Whisper (50 page)

Conner was at Shephard Store. He’d gone in for some personal effects but ended up glancing around. That’s when he spotted the fabric. It was paisley with a background of dark green, and a brown and gold print. It was elegant fabric, and he was certain it would be beautiful on Reese.

“May I help you, Mr. Kingsley?” Doyle came over to ask.

“Hello, Mr. Shephard. I was noticing this fabric.” Conner reached up and touched it, and Doyle brought the bolt down. It was even more beautiful up close.

“How much would you recommend for a woman’s dress?”

“A tall woman?” Doyle asked with a smile, wringing one from Conner.

“As a matter of fact, yes—not overly big around, but quite tall.”

Doyle did the measuring and cutting, even wrapping it in brown paper because Conner Kingsley was not a man who shopped with a basket. The rest of his needs were also put into brown paper, and Conner settled his bill before he left.

He walked home, trying to figure out how he could best present the fabric to Reese. Anyone who happened to notice his slow progress down the green guessed him to be a man with something on his mind.

“I have a little dilemma,” Conner confessed to Reese a few days after Christmas.

“Just a little one?” she teased. “That’s good news.”

“I don’t know about that,” he teased back. “You see, I’m in love with you, and I’d like to ask you to marry me, but I have a rule. I can’t ask any woman to marry me when I don’t know her middle name.”

Reese smiled into his eyes but said, “You’ll change your mind about asking.”

“Try me.”

With a roll of those dark brown eyes, Reese admitted, “Valentina.”

Conner smiled. “Charisse Valentina. It’s a beautiful name. Unusual, but beautiful.”

“Now I know you’re in love.”

“Why is that?”

“You’ve been robbed of your good sense.”

Conner didn’t keep his distance any longer. He’d been leaning in the doorway of the small parlor and now came to where Reese stood by the small table she’d been dusting. He took her face in his hands, looked down into her eyes, asked her to marry him, and bent to kiss her.

After a moment, he asked, “Did you answer my question?”

“I don’t think I did out loud, but in my heart I said yes.”

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Conner suddenly said, releasing Reese and going into another room. He returned with a package.

“I found something for you.”

Reese’s response when she tore back the paper and saw the fabric was priceless to Conner.

“Oh, Conner,” she whispered, which was nothing new in Conner’s presence, but this time it was out of delight. “I’ve seen this at the store. It’s so pretty.”

Conner didn’t say anything but continued to watch her.

“I could wear this when we get married,” Reese suddenly realized. “I could have a new dress for that day.”

Conner was almost too pleased to speak.

“When are we getting married?” she suddenly asked, hoping it wasn’t too good to be true.

“How long will it take you to make the dress?”

Laughing in unabashed pleasure, Reese threw her arms around him. Conner hugged her right back, his heart dreaming of the day he could make this woman his wife. They could have stood and hugged all day, but they were too excited for that. They had to find Troy and Doc. This news had to be shared.

“You would think
we
were getting married,” Alison confided in her husband as they all made their way to the big house on Sunday afternoon, January 26, 1840. “I’m that excited.”

Douglas smiled at her, excited himself. He had talked with both Conner and Reese at length two weeks ago and was extremely pleased by the things they had shared and talked about.

He warned them that marriage was serious but also a one-of-a-kind experience for those who are anchored in Christ. Without a qualm, Douglas had agreed to marry them. Today was the day.

“Thank you for everything,” Reese said to Mrs. Greenlowe, hugging her again.

“I didn’t do anything,” that woman protested, and Reese only smiled at her.

She was the last to leave. Troy was making himself scarce for a few days, and the couple planned to go to Linden Heights the following weekend, but for the first time that day they were alone in the house.

Conner shut the door and turned to find Reese watching him. He walked slowly toward her.

“It was a wonderful wedding,” he said.

“Yes, it was. And the ladies cleaned everything up.”

“You look amazing in that dress, by the way.”

“Do you think so?” Reese teased. “A very handsome, distinguished gentleman picked it out for me.”

“Shall I tell you a secret?” he asked as he finished covering the distance between them and slipped his arms around her.

“Yes.”

“I love beautifully wrapped presents.”

A small laugh escaped Reese just before they kissed. And Conner, living out an image he’d had in his mind since asking Reese to marry him, lifted his wife in his arms and carried her up the stairs to their room.

Epilogue

Reese Kingsley stopped the sleigh in the yard at the Randall farmhouse in mid-February, smiling when Jace came to meet her.

“Congratulations!” Reese cried as she gave Jace a hug.

“Oh, Reese, you should see her. She’s so tiny and perfect.”

Reese smiled, reached for the gift in the back of the sleigh, and took Jace’s arm to make it through the snow and to the kitchen door. She slipped inside, knowing the way upstairs, and went quietly that direction.

“Maddie,” she whispered at the bedroom door she found open, but Maddie seemed to be asleep. Reese went quietly into the lovely room, spotting the cradle in the corner, the very one Mr. Zantow had made. It was hung with a beautiful quilt and soft-looking sheeting.

“Oh, Reese.” Maddie had woken and spotted her. “Come over and meet our daughter,” she invited, holding the baby in the curve of her arm.

“Oh, my,” was all Reese could say for the first few minutes. Before her was a rosy-cheeked infant, just three days old. She had a head full of dark hair and hands so tiny and perfect that Reese was afraid to touch her.

“What’s her name?”

“Valerie.”

Reese laughed with pleasure. “Hello, Valerie. I’m so glad to meet you.”

“Do you want to hold her?”

“Yes. She’ll be a change after Jeffrey, who’s already so big.”

While the exchange was being made, Jace had time to join them. The pride and pleasure on his face was contagious. He and Maddie kept smiling at each other and then at their daughter.

“I’m so happy for you,” Reese said, staring down into that enchanting, tiny face.

“She’s a good eater,” Maddie confirmed, “and her cry is so tiny.”

“But we hear her,” Jace put in dryly. “She makes sure of that.”

Reese looked up at them. “It’s amazing, isn’t it? I mean, such a miracle.”

Both Jace and Maddie were still in shock.

“What do Doyle and Cathy think?”

“They can’t stop crying,” Maddie said. “Both of them are so emotional over her.”

“And I wrote my sister,” Jace put in. “I’m sure she’ll be on the weekend train.”

“She’s in for a treat,” Reese said, her eyes still on the baby in her arms. She was filled with the most unexplainable emotion at that moment, and much as she wanted to stay and hold the baby all day, she was glad it was time to leave after they’d visited for nearly an hour.

The sleigh took her back toward town, and Reese was glad the day was running away fast. She wanted to be with Conner, and she wanted to be near him right now. She let herself back into the house, glad the bank would be closing soon.

“What did they name her?” Troy asked over tea that evening.

“Valerie.”

“That’s a pretty name. It’s nice with Randall.”

“And Maddie?” Conner asked. “Is she doing well?”

“She looks wonderful. I think she’ll be up and around in no time.”

“I don’t even have to guess about Jace. He must be pretty excited.”

“You should see his face,” Reese told them, smiling at the thought.

In fact she was still thinking about it in bed that night. With the Argand lamp burning on the bedside table, Conner looked over to find that his wife had a thoughtful look in her eyes.