Free The Widower's Wife by Bice Prudence Page B

their gazes locked. The love that passed between them at that moment was so pure, so strong; he could feel the bands that tied their hearts together pulling him even closer to her. A feeling of knowing and belonging washed over him. A feeling of “coming home.” Something whispered then and confirmed what he already knew: this was his heaven on earth.

     
    As Dalton stood looking at Jillian and he heard the soft melody she was humming, the same feeling had overcome him. At once, he put up his defenses to fight against it. In a futile attempt to hold back the new emotions, he reached into his pocket and desperately closed his fingers around Laurellyn’s cameo for the second time that day. Laurellyn is my home , he reassured himself. His heart was hers and hers alone.

     
    “Jenny!”
    Startled, Jillian stopped humming and looked up when she heard Dalton’s voice. He was looking directly at her, seemingly frozen in place, and Jenny was standing a few feet behind him. His voice was tinged with frustration, but the look on his face was painful.
    “Go get in the wagon!” he called over his shoulder at his daughter. Jenny made no move toward the wagon, and this time Dalton turned to look at her when he spoke.
    “Jennifer Laura McCullough.” He hadn’t raised his voice, but Jillian could tell he meant business. “You go get in the wagon this minute.” The little girl was stubborn, for sure. Jillian could see she was trembling, but she wore a look of sheer willpower and determination.
    For a moment, Jillian thought Jenny would remain standing where she was, but then her stubborn look broke and she walked toward the wagon. Jenny climbed in, but not before sending Jillian a venomous glare. Then she sat down hard, with her back to her family.
    Just as Jillian stood up to walk over to the wagon herself, Aunt Betty came back out of the house. Jillian could tell Aunt Betty was assessing the situation with a quick sweep of her eyes. She turned to Jillian and gave her an encouraging smile and then turned and spoke to Dalton.
    “Well, you seem to have found Jenny all right. You best be gettin’ on home now.” To Jillian, she added, “I’ll drop on by in a few days to check on how you’re doin’ and see if I can help you out with anything.”
    Jillian nodded and smiled her thanks before taking Lisa’s hand and heading over to the wagon, still carrying the sleeping Brenn in her arms. As she walked, her eyes were drawn back to Dalton’s pain-stricken face. Seeing that look of pain again made her suddenly apprehensive, and she quickly turned her own gaze back toward the wagon, but not before noticing the stern look and nod Aunt Betty gave Dalton in her direction. He was at her side in an instant, lifting little Lisa in the wagon beside Jenny and taking Brenn from her as he helped her up on to the wagon seat. She noticed, however, that he tried to keep their contact as brief as possible and avoided looking into her eyes.
    After handing the sleeping babe back up to her, Dalton did something she hadn’t expected. He walked back to the porch where Aunt Betty still stood watching and gathered the older woman up into a loving embrace. He held her for a long moment before he began speaking softly. His back was to her, and Jillian could not make out what he was saying, but as he whispered into Aunt Betty’s ear, she could see a pool of emotions ripple across the older woman’s face. The first was love. Jillian already had a deep sense of how much Aunt Betty loved Dalton and his children, so she was not surprised. The next were worry, understanding, and then sorrow. Jillian’s apprehension returned. She wished she could hear what Dalton was saying. The last emotion to float across Aunt Betty’s face was one of peace, and its afterglow was not wasted on Jillian.
     
    Dalton didn’t know why he had such a strong impulse to go back and hug Aunt Betty, but suddenly he felt an overwhelming need for the comfort and reassurance he