into their household,â Jane said quietly.
âThen have mercy and consider your goal met,â Martha quipped.
Janeâs eyes widened, and almost immediately she reached around to rub the small of her back, too.
Martha grinned. Darn if the woman wasnât human after all. And a good honest woman, too.
Ivy chose that particular moment to walk into the room. âI see you two are making progress,â she said as she glanced around. âThis is good, but you need to hurry up and finish so you have enough time to really pretty yourself up for supper, Martha. Weâre having company.â
âCompany? Since when?â Martha blurted.
âSince Thomas arrived just a few minutes ago asking to speak to you. I didnât think youâd want him to see you looking as dirty as a plow horse at the end of a full day of planting, so I invited him to supper to give him a chance to talk to you then. Heâll be here in about an hour.â Then Ivy walked right back out of the room, giving Martha no time to argue with her.
âAm I really as dirty as a plow horse?â Martha asked and looked down at her skirts, which were coated with dust and grime.
She was actually caught by surprise when Jane answered her. âJust a bit more than I am, but I think once you wash offall that dirt on your face, youâll look like yourself again. Now scoot. Iâll finish up here while you get ready for Thomas. I assume heâs someone important to you, isnât he?â
Martha smiled and left the room with Janeâs question hanging in the air. There were many things Martha was willing to share with Jane and talk about. Thomas was just not one of them.
Supper was finally over.
The food had been delicious. The company had been more than enjoyable. Martha had even worn her Sunday dress for the occasion. Even so, her stomach was in knots as she walked with Thomas down the hallway when he was ready to leave.
He opened the back door and walked down the two steps before he turned around to bid her good night, his face level with hers and bathed in light from the hallway.
Her heart skipped a beat as his gaze traveled the contours of her face.
âNow that weâre finally alone,â he said, âI can tell you that you look very fetching tonight, and Iâm overly pleased that you agreed to spend the day with me, day after tomorrow.â
She was tempted to reply in kind but did not dare give him any encouragement, especially when he climbed back up the bottom step. His nearness made it impossible for her to hold any thought but of loving this man and wanting to be his wife.
Her heart skipped a beat and then another when he climbed a second step higher. âAfter I delivered you home last night, I thought about the plan weâve made for our future together and came up with a better one.â
Rooted in place, she swallowed hard. âYou did?â
He nodded. âWhen we spend the day together, I think we should go to see Reverend Welsh to make arrangements for usto get married and go to New York together in a few weeks, just like I suggested. Since youâve already made it clear you donât want to look for a midwife in New York, you can double your efforts here when we get back, continue your work as a midwife, and I promise not to get annoyed every time youâre summoned away. What do you think about making that our new plan?â
She was surprised that he had not yet discovered Reverend Welsh was not in town and would not be for some time, and when Thomas bent down to kiss her, she placed her hand on his chest firmly enough to make him pause. âI thought weâd agreed that youâd go to New York alone in a few weeks and while youâre gone, Iâd concentrate all of my free time on finding someone here who wants to replace me,â she countered. âAnd if I did accept this new idea of yours, I suppose youâd find it wholly acceptable that
Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Martin A. Lee, Bruce Shlain