"No, it wasn't your teasing." She tried to keep walking, but Luke pulled her to him.
"Please tell me, Christie."
Christine hesitated and then sighed. "I had finally begun to admit to myself that I was in love with you, and when I saw you and Caroline on the couch together with Elizabeth, I thought it was hopeless." Christine's words came out with heavy reluctance, and she didn't look at Luke. "Caroline is so dainty and fair. I felt as big as Mac and as dark as a thundercloud."
"Christie!" Two fingers beneath Christine's chin tipped her head back until she was looking Luke in the eye. The tenderness she saw there, combined with the loving way he said her nickname, had a way of breaking down all her defenses.
"Caroline Chambers is a sweet, rather spoiled girl, and I do mean girl. I am in love with a woman-a tall, beautiful woman whose green eyes and chestnut-colored hair drive me to distraction."
He pulled her into his arms then and once again kissed her thoroughly.
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Christine couldn't remember the walk back to the house. She was once again on the front porch with Luke, and he was telling her he loved her. He didn't kiss her this time, but held her close before opening the door to the warmth within.
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"I think it's snowing too hard for Grandma Em and Christine to go home."
Silas looked at the miniscule flakes barely falling out of the sky. The men were walking to the stables, and Silas' laughter echoed in the cold air.
"Are you afraid Christine is going to get away from you if you let her out of your sight?"
Luke was disgusted at Silas' lack of sympathy. "You just wait, little brother"-a ridiculous statement, since Silas was only an inch shorter than the twins and a year younger. "When you fall in love, it will be my turn to give you a hard time."
Silas was undaunted. "Oh, so you've finally figured out you're in love?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, I've known for some time."
"Is that a fact?"
"Sure, a blind man could see it. Christine blushed to the roots of her hair every time you got within ten feet of her, and you spent most of your time trying not to look at her."
Luke stopped dead in his tracks, so accurate was the description of his and Christine's relationship a few weeks back. Silas just thumped him on the chest and walked into the barn, still laughing. He was most pleased with himself.
"Do you think it will snow too hard for us to get home?" Christine asked Grandma Em, trying not to sound too excited.
"I take it you'd rather like spending time with Luke?" Grandma Em asked kindly, wanting very much to laugh.
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"Does it bother you that I'm... interested in Luke? Would you rather we didn't care for each other?" Grandma Em did laugh then. Christine was such a delightful combination of confidence and insecurity. Luke would certainly never be bored with this woman.
"Christine, I would love nothing more than to see you and Luke in love, married and filling these bedrooms with babies."
Christine was surprised speechless. Marriage? She had not thought that far. It caused an incredible flood of apprehension and worries to flow through her head. Was Luke thinking of marriage? What about all the unsolved trouble in Spooner? Maybe Luke didn't really know everything, and if he did, would he still want to marry her?
"Christine, your face tells me I just opened a Pandora's box," Grandma Em said as she poured two cups of coffee.
Not until after Christine was seated and sipping her coffee did Grandma Em speak again. "It was not my intention to interfere, Christine. What you and Luke do is between the two of you. I'm sorry if I upset you."
"You haven't upset me-it's just that I hadn't thought as far ahead as marriage. It's not that the idea is unappealing; it's just new to me and takes a bit of getting used to."
Grandma Em reached for and patted Christine's hand. "Believe it or not, Christine, I know what you're feeling. Joseph asked me to marry him four weeks after we met. He scared me to death."
"What did you do?"
"I ran."
"You ran away?" Christine was incredulous. Emily Cameron was not a woman who ran from anything.
Grandma Em nodded slowly. "I told my mother I wanted to go visit my aunt, who lived about 30 miles away. I was there for nearly two weeks before Joseph showed up. He was furious.
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"The three of us-Joseph, my aunt, and I-sat in the parlor and talked for a bit. Aunt Eleanor was thrilled that a young man had come to see me. She was sure that at 20 years of age I was destined to be an old maid. So when Joseph asked if we could go for a stroll she was delighted, and I had no time to protest as he nearly dragged me out of the house. I remember we walked and walked. He was so angry that he didn't even speak. When we finally did stop, he turned to me with such pain-filled eyes that it nearly broke my heart.
"We talked for hours. I told him of my fears and he listened patiently. I was afraid of leaving home and going to live with a man I barely knew. Joseph's practice was still unsettled. I was used to having anything my heart desired. What a materialistic young woman I was!"
Christine refilled the coffee cups and Grandma Em went on. "After I told Joseph of my fears, he just stood and looked at me for some minutes. When he spoke, Christine, his voice was quiet and deep, his heart in his eyes. 'I don't know what tomorrow holds, Emily, or if I'll be able to give you all the things your parents have. But I promise you, there won't be a day that goes by that you won't know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I love you with all my heart."
With this Grandma Em had both her and Christine in tears. "Don't, Christine, don't be afraid to talk with Luke. He is very understanding, and if you ever want to share your doubts, I promise he will listen."
Christine thanked Grandma Em for her words and the women continued to talk. By the time Silas and Luke returned, Christine was at ease again.
Within the hour Luke drove the women back to Grandma Em's. He stayed for a spell to get warmed up before heading back home.
Christine and Luke had a few minutes alone before he left.
"Thank you, Luke. It was a wonderful day."
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"It was, wasn't it? The only thing missing was a good snowstorm that would have stranded you at the ranch a bit longer."
"Will I see you tomorrow?"
"I doubt it. Knowing that makes Sunday feel a week away." They stood in silence for a few minutes.
"I love you, Luke," Christine said, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
"Christie, why are you crying?"
Christine didn't know and could only give a small shrug. Luke was understanding and didn't push for an explanation. He simply drew her against him and held her, his cheek resting atop her head.
Much too soon he stepped back. "I have to go."
Christine tried to smile. "I'll see you Sunday."
"You'd think the way we're acting, it was going to be a year."
This did bring a smile to Christine's face, and in an instant Luke's lips were on her own. With his lips still touching hers he said, "Good night, Christie," and was gone.
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"Good morning, Mrs. Hall. I hope I'm not calling too early."
"No, Sheriff, please come in."
"Is there someplace where we can talk?"
Mrs. Hall led the way into Joshua Bennett's study. She offered the sheriff some refreshment, but he declined.
"We found Carl Maxwell's body. He drowned."
Mrs. Hall's hand flew to her mouth and she gasped in horror.
"From the condition of the body, my guess is it was some time ago. There's no way for us to tell if it was an accident or deliberate."
"You mean suicide?" Mrs. Hall asked unbelievingly.
"No. I mean murder." Mrs. Hall sat heavily into a chair. The sheriff stood over her. He hated to upset her, but she was his link to the Bennett family and he needed her.
"Are you all right?"
Mrs. Hall fanned herse
lf with her handkerchief. "Yes, Sheriff, I'm okay. I just wasn't expecting any news of this sort."
"I can assure you, Mrs. Hall, if there were any other way to handle this, I would."
"Of course, Sheriff." Mrs. Hall breathed deeply to compose herself. "What can I do to help?"
"Have you found anything in your search here in the study?"
"No, I've been through hundreds of papers but nothing that appears to be of utmost importance. I wish Christine were here." Mrs. Hall shot up out of the chair. "Christine! If Carl Maxwell was possibly murdered, they might be after Christine!"
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"That's the next thing I needed to discuss with you." The sheriff summarized what the sheriff from Baxter had written. By the time he got to the burned man at the hotel, he was sure Mrs. Hall was going to faint.
But to his surprise she was made of tougher stuff than that. She composed herself after some minutes.
"I must admit to you, Sheriff, I have been most ignorant of how serious all this has become."
"And I'm sorry to upset you, but you can see why I need your help. I've been to see Vince Jeffers twice, and he nearly slams the door in my face over a few simple questions."
"Mr. Jeffers is not an easy man. There is something about him I can't quite place." Mrs. Hall shrugged.
"Will you write Miss Bennett about Carl Maxwell?"
"I hate to, but I really must. She needs to be on her guard. Her letters are very cheerful and I hate to put a damper on her happiness, but she must know."
"Please tell her to be careful and that I'm continuing my investigation here."
Mrs. Hall went then to prepare a light tea and handed the sheriff a few papers she had put aside. There was nothing pertinent, and as he left he encouraged her to keep searching.
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"Oh no!"
"Bad news?"
"Yes, it's from Paul. He's not coming home for Christmas."
"Does he say why?"
"Oh, let me see." Grandma Em looked back at the letter in her hand. "It says here he'll be helping in a small church whose pastor was suddenly taken ill. He says As much as I want to be with you right now, these people need a pastor at Christmastime.' " Grandma Em stopped and blew her nose. "It just won't be the same without him."
Christine didn't know what to say. She knew the entire family would be sorely disappointed, since it was already December 12 and Christmas was less than two weeks away. It was too late to send Paul's gifts along to him.
"On Christmas morning we'll set aside all of Paul's gifts to box up and send to the school. They'll be waiting for him when he returns."
"That's a good idea! Thank you, Christine." Grandma Em was beginning to look happier.
Christine sensed that Grandma Em wanted to be alone, so she bundled up for a trip back downtown.
"But you just went," Grandma Em said in surprise.
"Yes, but there are a few things I forgot." Christine smiled and went out the door.
Baxter's general store was small but packed to the hilt with barrels of molasses, kerosene lamps, sacks of flour, a shiny new plow, and bolts of fabric. Christine could have looked all day.
She picked out the buttons she needed to finish Luke's Christmas present and then found two beautiful ribbons for Emily. She picked up extra yarn to finish the mittens for Calvin and Charles.
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Christine took a few minutes after paying for her purchases to count out her money, and decided to pay some more on her medical bill.
The walk to Mark's place was cold, and Christine kept her head down against the wind. Had she been looking up, she would have seen a familiar horse out front.
"Well, Christine! What are you doing out on such a cold day?" Mark spoke and stepped to take her coat.
"Oh, I'm not staying. I just came to pay on my bill. Please, Mark, please let me pay without a lecture this time."
Mark agreed, but Christine could see he was not happy about it. He was still standing by the front door after Christine left when he heard Luke's footsteps on the hardwood steps.
Luke looked at the money in Mark's hand before turning questioning eyes to his brother.
"Don't say it, Luke. I've tried to talk with her, but you've got one independent woman on your hands.
Luke certainly couldn't argue with that. His hand went to his back pocket. He handed some bills to Mark. "If this doesn't cover it, let me know. If it's too much, put the balance in Christine's bank account." Luke reached for his coat and hat.
"Are you going to tell her?"
"Right now. If the next time you see me I have a few battle scars, you'll know why."
Christine had just taken off her things when Luke came in the front door.
"Hello!" he called out, and Christine came from the kitchen.
"Luke, I didn't know you were in town!"
"Actually, I was just at Mark's, but you left in such a hurry that you didn't see me."
"Oh, well, I just needed to pay on my bill and get home. It's too cold to be out."
Luke took Christine's hand and led her over to the couch.
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"I talked to Mark after you left. I paid off your bill." Luke watched as a frown covered Christine's face.
"Why?" she asked flatly.
"Why what?"
"Don't mince words with me, Luke. I don't like to be a burden to anyone. You did not need to pay my bill."
"I realize I didn't need to pay your bill, but I wanted to. It was no burden. I had the money and it was my pleasure."
Christine couldn't come up with an argument after the simple, practical way he stated his case.
Luke watched as she stood and paced a bit before coming to stand before him.
"It just doesn't seem right."
"I love you, Christine, and I want to take care of you. What could be wrong with that?" Again she had no argument.
Christine stood for a moment in thought before bending and kissing Luke's cheek. "Thank you," she stated humbly, and Luke knew it had cost her. He was sure that in her own mind she was accepting a handout.
Before Luke could yield to the temptation of pulling her down into his lap he said, "Where's Gram?"
Christine sat beside him before she spoke. "I think she's upstairs. Your brother Paul wrote and he's not coming home for Christmas. I'm sorry, Luke."
Luke's face fell. "Our first Christmas without Paul! It won't be easy. I'll go up and see her."
Christine went into the kitchen to work on lunch. She prayed for Grandma Em and the family, asking God to give them a special peace about Paul's absence. She ended her prayer with a thankful heart that God had led her to a man as kind and sensitive as Luke Cameron.
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"Hey, you're all bundled up! Don't tell me you're going somewhere. I just arrived."
"Luke, I got a letter from Spooner today. I need to go see Mark. Will you take me and then stay while we talk?"
Luke looked at Christine's face. She was pale and he could tell she had been crying. Wordlessly he led her to the cutter. Some of the snow had melted off and Christine wondered absently whether Christmas, only a few days away, would be a white one.
When Luke and Christine arrived, with Christine obviously upset, Maggie discreetly took the children and withdrew upstairs with them.
After the four adults were alone, Mark astutely guessed the problem. "You've heard from Spooner."
Christine nodded. "Mrs. Hall's letter came today. Carl Maxwell is dead. Mark, how could God let this happen? Carl was the only one who could answer my questions." Christine began to cry and Luke's arms went around her from his place next to her on the divan.
Sue's eyes also filled with tears and Mark reached for her hand.
"Christine," Mark said after she had composed herself, "what else did the letter say?"
Christine sniffed and pulled the letter from her skirt pocket. She handed it to Mark, who read it and then gave it to Luke.
"Listen, Christine, Mrs. Hall has not finished going t
hrough your grandfather's things yet. The sheriff is still on the job. And I think you've known deep in your heart for some time now that Carl Maxwell was probably dead. Am I right?"
Christine nodded.
Luke spoke up, correctly reading her mind. "Christine, none of this is your fault. I'm sure you feel helpless, but
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right now all that any of us can do is trust God to straighten this out."
Mark and Sue added their words of encouragement and Christine began to feel somewhat better. When Christine seemed in control again, Sue went to the kitchen to fix coffee. Mark went with her.
Once Luke and Christine were alone, Christine stood up and moved away from him. She didn't look at him when she spoke. "Everyone I get close to dies. If you don't want to see me anymore, Luke, I'll understand."
Luke was across the room in an instant and taking Christine's arms in his hands. Turning her around to face him, his words of rebuke at her foolish talk died in his throat at the misery he saw in her eyes. How could he explain to her that he was in over his head? If he told her about the burned man now, it would scare her witless. And the idea of no longer seeing her was like asking Luke Cameron to stop breathing.
"Christine, you haven't been listening to me. I love you. When a person loves someone, he doesn't run when he's needed the most. I'm going to be here beside you, taking care of you, loving you, and praying for you until you're sick of me."
"I will never be sick of you."
Susanne had started through the door back into the living room when she stopped so abruptly that Mark nearly ran into the back of her with the tray he was carrying.
Shifting to one side, Mark saw what had stopped his wife. In the front room stood Luke, holding in his arms the woman he loved. Knowing the way Christine was hurting, Mark and Sue wouldn't have interrupted them for anything, save another fire.
Mark put the tray back in the kitchen and leaned against the counter. "I think my brother had the right idea," Mark said as he pulled Sue against him. Sue looked up as she leaned against Mark's chest, her head not even up to her husband's chin.
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"It's almost like watching you out there holding Christine."
Mark's eyebrows rose in surprise. "I can see, Mrs. Cameron, that if you've had time for such wild ideas, I've been neglecting you. I will remedy that instantly."