would not be acceptable." He mustered up a gentle smile intended to ease her guilt and
went on his way. Marcail stood still until he rounded the
house to retrieve his horse and watched as he started
toward home.
Alex stretched his stocking feet out in front of him and
relaxed back in one of the kitchen chairs. The supper he'd just eaten had been filling enough, but he was
feeling a bit empty inside. His Bible lay on the table. He
reached for it, but didn't open it.
"I thought she might be the one, Lord," he said out
loud in the quiet house. "I can't push in where I'm not
wanted, and not until she apologized did I realize how
badly I wanted her to want me. I don't know why I feel
this way, Father, but I somehow think that she needs
me ... that we need each other."
Alex believed that his was the God of all comfort, but
the truth was he hurt right then in a way that he'd never
hurt before. Losing Linette had given new meaning to
the word loneliness, and his hurt over her loss had been
very real. But this was different. This was rejection.
Alex opened his Bible to the book of Genesis. It always
comforted him to read the account of creation and to
marvel again at the perfect, orderly way God had constructed the world. When Alex read in chapter 2, verse 18,
that man should not be alone, he stopped to pray.
With a heart honestly seeking to be the man God
would have him be, Alex committed his thoughts of
Marcail to the Lord. He lay his own desires at the feet of a
holy God and prayed that God in His timing and will
would provide someone special to share his life. At the
moment the only face Alex could see was Marcail's, but
he trusted that God could change his heart and turn this
fresh pain into glory for Himself.
Marcail brushed through her hair with long even
strokes as she sat on the edge of the bed and thought
about Dr. Montgomery. She knew she was being silly,
since he couldn't be nicer, but fears were never logical,
and the truth was that she was afraid of him.
Marcail lay in bed thinking of the humble way Alex
had accepted her rejection. She wondered for a moment
if her fear wasn't causing her to pass up what could be a
wonderful relationship. How would she know either
way? She fell asleep before she could come to any solid
conclusions.
thirteen
Santa Rosa
December 18, 1881
Marcail beamed across the living room at her sister,
who mirrored her look as though they alone shared a
secret. They were silent for a moment, a relaxed, easy
kind of silence that sisters who are also friends can
share. Kaitlin was the first to break the spell.
"I can't believe how good it is to have you here. It's
been so long."
"That quick hug back in August when the train came
through didn't count."
"You're right, it didn't."
Again they smiled at each other. Marcail had arrived
the day before. Now it was Sunday afternoon, and they'd
already been to church and eaten lunch. Little Donovan
was napping, and the girls were with their dad at their
grandparents' farm. The house was quiet.
"You look good, Marc. You must be happy."
"I am. I mean, the job isn't without its drawbacks, but I
really do love it."
"It's what you've always wanted to do, that's for certain."
"The biggest difficulty," Marcail spoke with a twinkle
in her eye, "is that both you and Mother made it look so
easy."
'And you're finding out different?"
"In a hurry." Marcail spoke-fervent ly this time.
-
"Have there been some problems?"
"Yes, but -I believe I'm handling them."
"Why didn't you write about them?"
"Because I wanted to stand on my own, and if Rigg
had known about the one problem, he'd have rushed to
Willits. I didn't want that."
Kaitlin looked concerned. "Were you in some sort of
danger?"
"In a way I was, but the situation is under control now,
at least I pray it is."
"Want to tell me about it?"
Surprisingly, Marcail did. She told her older sister all
about Mrs. Duckworth, Sydney, and the
went on his way. Marcail stood still until he rounded the
house to retrieve his horse and watched as he started
toward home.
Alex stretched his stocking feet out in front of him and
relaxed back in one of the kitchen chairs. The supper he'd just eaten had been filling enough, but he was
feeling a bit empty inside. His Bible lay on the table. He
reached for it, but didn't open it.
"I thought she might be the one, Lord," he said out
loud in the quiet house. "I can't push in where I'm not
wanted, and not until she apologized did I realize how
badly I wanted her to want me. I don't know why I feel
this way, Father, but I somehow think that she needs
me ... that we need each other."
Alex believed that his was the God of all comfort, but
the truth was he hurt right then in a way that he'd never
hurt before. Losing Linette had given new meaning to
the word loneliness, and his hurt over her loss had been
very real. But this was different. This was rejection.
Alex opened his Bible to the book of Genesis. It always
comforted him to read the account of creation and to
marvel again at the perfect, orderly way God had constructed the world. When Alex read in chapter 2, verse 18,
that man should not be alone, he stopped to pray.
With a heart honestly seeking to be the man God
would have him be, Alex committed his thoughts of
Marcail to the Lord. He lay his own desires at the feet of a
holy God and prayed that God in His timing and will
would provide someone special to share his life. At the
moment the only face Alex could see was Marcail's, but
he trusted that God could change his heart and turn this
fresh pain into glory for Himself.
Marcail brushed through her hair with long even
strokes as she sat on the edge of the bed and thought
about Dr. Montgomery. She knew she was being silly,
since he couldn't be nicer, but fears were never logical,
and the truth was that she was afraid of him.
Marcail lay in bed thinking of the humble way Alex
had accepted her rejection. She wondered for a moment
if her fear wasn't causing her to pass up what could be a
wonderful relationship. How would she know either
way? She fell asleep before she could come to any solid
conclusions.
thirteen
Santa Rosa
December 18, 1881
Marcail beamed across the living room at her sister,
who mirrored her look as though they alone shared a
secret. They were silent for a moment, a relaxed, easy
kind of silence that sisters who are also friends can
share. Kaitlin was the first to break the spell.
"I can't believe how good it is to have you here. It's
been so long."
"That quick hug back in August when the train came
through didn't count."
"You're right, it didn't."
Again they smiled at each other. Marcail had arrived
the day before. Now it was Sunday afternoon, and they'd
already been to church and eaten lunch. Little Donovan
was napping, and the girls were with their dad at their
grandparents' farm. The house was quiet.
"You look good, Marc. You must be happy."
"I am. I mean, the job isn't without its drawbacks, but I
really do love it."
"It's what you've always wanted to do, that's for certain."
"The biggest difficulty," Marcail spoke with a twinkle
in her eye, "is that both you and Mother made it look so
easy."
'And you're finding out different?"
"In a hurry." Marcail spoke-fervent ly this time.
-
"Have there been some problems?"
"Yes, but -I believe I'm handling them."
"Why didn't you write about them?"
"Because I wanted to stand on my own, and if Rigg
had known about the one problem, he'd have rushed to
Willits. I didn't want that."
Kaitlin looked concerned. "Were you in some sort of
danger?"
"In a way I was, but the situation is under control now,
at least I pray it is."
"Want to tell me about it?"
Surprisingly, Marcail did. She told her older sister all
about Mrs. Duckworth, Sydney, and the
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