The overwhelming tempest that seemed to rage inside of him burst inside of me. I no longer wished to fight him, and I no longer denied the desire flaming between us. As he kissed me, his hands circled my waist, and then he pulled me closer.
His lips moved to my throat, and then his dark head bowed lower over my breast. Stars shone upon me and Heaven opened to angels singing. I gasped and dug my fingers through his hair, trying to stop him. Lust and desire burning inside me held me prisoner, and my flesh blazed as an aching sensation shot to my womb.
Twisting my lips from his, I drew in a ragged breath. His face was over mine, relentless eyes stared back at me, and in them, I saw a wild, hungry beast, and a promise to claim me.
“So, as I said and showed...” Jack walked backward toward the door, raking his hair back with his fingers. “When you’re ready.” Running his hand down his face, he let out a heavy sigh. “Oh, goodness. I must go. You look beautiful in that black dress.”
Then he left my room, leaving me breathless.
I placed my fingertip to my mouth, feeling the ghost of Jack’s lips upon mine again. My heart hammered as I released a quivering breath. It had been my first kiss, and Jack was the only man I ever wanted to kiss me again. I was sure of it. After what we’d been through, I knew he was the one.
Funny how I never thought I would find a mate, and he had been there all along.
I moved away from the wall and coolness brushed against my back. Reaching behind my shoulder, I discovered the dress had been undone. Jack must have unbuttoned it when he’d had his hands behind me.
Sly Jack. But he was mine.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The Proposal
A year had passed since we’d laid Father to rest. My heart was still broken and my soul crushed. Every day I prayed Father rested in Heaven, and every day I thought about our precious time together, those years I’d thought would last much longer.
I also wondered about Longinus. I wished him well as I could, but sometimes I wished he burned in Hell. I spent more time in prayer for those thoughts, but I would never forget he killed my father.
The tortured cries no longer haunted me at nights. I had been freed. Born from Mary Magdalene’s line, my destiny had been fulfilled. Despite Father’s death, I felt thankful for all the goodness in my life, and Mother and I had each other.
Mother and I tended the animals and the farm together. It was a lot of hard work, but it kept us busy, kept us moving forward without Father. At busy times, friends would stop by to help. In turn, Mother would cook them delicious meals.
Sometimes it felt like Father died yesterday, and other times it felt like it happened an eternity before. Some days it hurt so much, it ached to breathe.
On good days, Mother and I would talk about Father, the silly and funny things he’d done, and on bad days we held each other and wept. But the nights when Mother whimpered alone in the dark, behind closed doors, pierced my heart.
I buried my grief, loud and fierce as hers, under the covers. Shivering, I would cry until I shed my last tear, so weakened from a broken heart, I would fall asleep. People said I would forget the pain, but I think I just learned to bear it. Mother and I moved on the best we could.
After many days, I told Mother everything that had happened on Black Mountain. Mother gasped, sighed, and cried as I told her the truth, and I left out no detail. I even told her what Father had disclosed about how they had become my parents.
She apologized many times, like Father had, and I told her the same thing I had told him: it did not matter. They had raised me as their own.
I was most surprised when Mother told me something new about my past. A piece of paper with my name scribbled on it and the small brush with vines had been inside the basket with me. Then I thought about the witch and what she had said to me.
You look like your mother.
Had she known my mother? Had I known then what I had since learned, I would have asked her more questions, but I supposed some things were better left unsaid.
I wondered who my real parents were and why they had felt the need to give me up. Mother and I concluded my birth mother must not have been wed when she was pregnant with me. I would have been born out of wedlock and maybe she hadn’t wanted that for me, or for herself.
I also wondered which of my birth parents were of Mary Magdalene’s bloodline and whether they healed like me. That mystery would never be solved unless we found each other someday. I’d not hold my breath for answers.
Some nights I told Mother stories to entertain her, like before when Father still lived. And when I thought my heart mended, tears would begin to fall, and it would hurt, like Father had just died. At those times I had to crawl into bed and try to think of something happy, like Jack.
Jack had told me he would come for me when I was ready for him, but he showed up often to help around the farm for almost a year. He was polite and a perfect gentleman. He stayed for dinner and left. But, of course he stole a kiss or two, here and there.
When I’d finally told Mother about Jack, she said she already knew from the way he looked at me and from the way we could not stop staring at each other when he came around to help. She’d had an intuition we would be together, because he’d always been fond of me.
“Do you think I’m wearing the right dress?” I yawned as Mother braided my hair.
Wanting to have plenty of time to get ready, I’d woken up earlier to do my chores. Jack had said he would arrive in the morning. I just did not know the time.
“It’s beautiful on you. Pink goes well with your skin.” Mother handed me a mirror.
I returned it to her after I took a look and blew out a breath. “I cannot believe I’m wearing a dress for a man.”
“I knew you would when the right man came along.” Mother giggled, placing my dove gray cape around me. “There. You’re ready to go. Let me look at you.”
I spun around, feeling like a princess. I almost gagged at such thought. Jack’s eyes would flame, and his lips would curl wickedly when he saw me. Maybe he would kiss me more than he should. And ... I stopped such thoughts dwelling in my mind.
“Oh, Jaclyn. I wish your father could see you.” Mother’s eyes gleamed and she clasped her hands together.
My heart stung at the thought. “I’m sure Father is not smiling right now, Mother. He’s telling me to take it off. He’s scolding Jack for—” I stopped. I did not want to confess that Jack’s and my lips touched passionately. And oh, how my mind wandered to those moments. “I mean, well, because Father was very protective of me.”
Mother smoothed the crinkles on my dress. “That he was.”
A knock at the door startled me.
“I’ll get it.” Mother left my bedroom door slightly ajar, giving me just enough space to peek. “Jack. You look so handsome. Come in.” She opened the door wider. “Jaclyn will be out soon. Seat yourself.” When she closed the door, she saw me looking. Smiling, she waved for me to come.
I watched Jack in silence, observing him from head to toe. This was Jack—the Jack I’d known since childhood, the Jack who had seen me smeared with dirt and blood, who’d comforted me, stood by me through hard times, and who would have traded his life to save mine.
My heart pattered like heavy raindrops. Mother was right—I would wear a dress for the right man.
Jack’s hair was tied back, showing off his fine features and clean-shaven face. His blue hat and tunic and dark pants shone with the finest quality and brought out his green eyes. With the black cloak around him to finish his outfit, he looked fine, polished, and quite the catch.
Taking in a deep breath, I walked out. “Good day, Jack.”
Jack jumped up and caught my eyes. His smile stretched to the ceiling as he gazed over the length of me, making my cheeks warm.
“Jacky—pardon me, Jaclyn. You look—” He looked at Mother and cleared his throat. “You look very lovely.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Shall we go?”
/> While Mother got up to open the door for us, Jack whispered, “You look beautiful and so delicious.”
I giggled just as Mother walked out and turned to us.
“Jack. You know what I wish. One night and that is all.” Mother held out her index finger for emphasis.
Jack tipped his hat.
Mother made him do the sign of the cross and promise God. I laughed softly behind Jack. But what was Mother’s intention?
“Be safe. Godspeed.” Mother caressed my hair, her loving eyes on mine.
I kissed her cheek and smiled. “I shall be back soon.”
I worried about Mother being alone.
As if Jack could hear my thoughts, he said to Mother, “My father and brothers will come for a visit.”
“I’ll look forward to it.” She curtsied.
My worries disappeared.
Jack wrapped his arms around my waist, helped me up onto my seat, and whistled for the horses to get moving. I waved at Mother and looked over my shoulder to see a large, brown blanket covering the wagon.
“What do you have in the wagon?”
“A dead body.”
I slapped his arm.
He curled his body like an injured man. “Don’t hurt the hand that will feed you and provide for you.”
“I can feed and provide for myself.” I scoffed.
Jack chuckled. “Then do not hurt the hand that will give you pleasure.”
My face flushed. That shut me up for a moment. “Where are we going?”
He gave me a sideways glance with a mischievous grin. “You’ll see.”
After we rode a long while, Jack stopped and reached under the blanket to bring out a basket full of food. We continued on our path as we ate. He’d packed bread, cheese, cooked chicken, fresh carrots, and apricots.
Apricots were expensive, and I hadn’t had them in a while, so I ate them eagerly and gave Jack a kiss for his trouble. He still refused to let me see what other things lurked under the blanket, no matter how much I begged.
“How many children?” Jack asked.
“What?” I almost choked on the apricot. “Who says I’d bear your child?” I giggled. “And why would I?”
“Because we’ll have fun making them?”
Oh, heavens.
Why did he have to make me blush all the time? I drank from the jug, hoping it would cool me off, and then offered him some. After he took a gulp, he set the jug between us.
“How many would you like?” I asked.
“We’re having two boys and two girls.” He chewed on dried meat.
“Really? And I suppose you’ve already named them.”
“I have.” He nodded with a grin. “Our firstborn son shall be named after your father, Richard.”
My eyes pooled with tears, and I placed my hand over Jack’s arm, letting him know how much that meant to me. “’Tis perfect.”
He rewarded me with a smile. “Our second son shall be named after my brother, Jeremiah, who passed away.”
My mouth parted. “You had a brother who died?”
“It happened when my mother gave birth to him, but that was many years ago.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I did not know.”
It did not matter how many years passed, the pain of loss remained. Ten years hence, I would still remember Father and the agony of losing him.
He dipped his head once in understanding. “Our first daughter shall be named after my mother, Elizabeth. And our second daughter shall be named after the most beautiful woman in the whole world, whom I absolutely adore.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Who?” I hadn’t meant to raise my voice at him, so I shoved some cheese into my mouth.
“Why, Jacky, do I detect a tone of jealousy? I think I like it.” He smirked.
“Nay, you did not.” I gazed at the trees, chewing faster.
“We will name her Jaclyn.”
I swallowed and slowly turned to him with a huge smile. “I think you have chosen wisely with all of their names, especially the last one.”
I enjoyed the humor between us, but I knew he meant what he had said. I fell in love with him even more. He said and acted proper like a gentleman. He had proved over and over he was genuine.
On our way, we passed through the market town. One year had made quite a difference. Some shops were restored and open for business, while others had some work to be done, wood frames of the unfinished structures scattered through the town. The stores appeared bigger and better.
It was good to see people walking along the road with their families, smiling as if monsters had never come. Peace and harmony filled the town, filling my heart with joy. I gazed at the spot where I’d seen the old woman with beans. She wasn’t there, of course, but there was a bean vendor there, by an odd twist of fate.
I’d told Jack about the old woman, but we could not figure out who she was, only that she was a miracle. Jack declared some miracles were unexplainable, like me.
“Mother, look. It’s that man and woman who saved us.”
I recognized the girl twin from that night. She wore a blue dress and two long braids rested down her front.
“He’s the one that gave us money.” She pointed at Jack.
The father was bargaining over chickens when the little girl noticed us. My heart leaped with joy to see them alive and well. I thought Jack would stop, but he kept moving. He waved, and I got a chance to see them, but I wondered why he was in such a hurry. And why had the little girl said he’d given them money?
Curiosity burned in my mind, but I decided not to ask. He would tell me when he was ready.
After we passed the town, I’d thought we’d stop soon, but we did not. I trusted Jack, so I did not question him until the road split and he pointed the wagon toward Black Mountain. I waited for him to rest, but as we neared the forest with no sign of returning, anxiety wavered through me and I had to know.
“Where are we going? Why are we going this way? You know it’s toward Black Mountain. I don’t want to go that way.” The panic in my voice grew with each question.
“Jacky.” He reached for my hand. “I want to show you something, and I promise it won’t be scary. There are no monsters. It’s different. I’ve been wanting to show you, but I wanted to wait until I thought you might be ready.”
“Show me what? Please, I need to know before you take me there.”
“I don’t need to tell you anymore. Look.” He tilted his head.
What materialized was impossible, spellbinding me to the heart and soul of the forest. Vast, rolling hills and lush green pastures painted the land. Almond-brown trees reached to the sky, and their roots twisted in knots spurting out from the dirt from their massive size.
Lavender weeping willows swayed to the soft warm breeze like a dance of glory. Birds sang a symphony of love songs, beckoning me farther in as they fluttered from branch to branch, while squirrels scuttled along the trunks.
Patches of flowers I’d never seen before, no doubt magical, spread a yellow, red, blue, and purple carpet beneath me, and soft moss cushioned the wheels of the wagon. Beyond high in the sky, a rainbow shone. God’s smile, Father had told me before. A promise from God that good would always conquer evil, and no matter the hardship, no matter how unfair and unjust it seemed, there would always be hope.
Life spread throughout the area where darkness and death had once ruled. The once grim forest became enchanting, reborn, and I did not wish to look away.
“Incredible. How did this happen? How did you know?”
“My father, my brothers, and I came here to visit. We wanted to know what the land would look like after the mountain collapsed. You can imagine how shocked we were. I’m not sure what happened, but I think when you threw the last bean, it somehow—well, let me show you the rest.”
I wasn’t sure what I would see next, but I dared not blink, afraid the beauty in front of me would disappear. Never had I imagined I would witness such exquisiteness. I wondered what had happened
to those treasures. Perhaps they had been buried deep within the mountain when it collapsed.
I expected to see the end of the glorious pastures and hills at any time, but they extended for miles. When Jack stopped, he helped me off the wagon. I glanced around and soaked in the miracle.
A pleasant, sweet scent filled my nose as I stood in the middle of an oversized arch of leaves and limbs. The giant trees not only bore huge leaves for a perfect shelter from the sun, but the trunks sprouted the same green leaves all the way down to the soil. Walking farther in, a honeyed sheen poked through the canopy of trees, and then more poured like Heaven’s light.
Some of these trees were covered in flowers I didn’t recognize. Beyond these trees were tall beanstalks, though much smaller than the one I’d climbed. To the left sat grand mountains, and my ears perked up to the tinkling sound of a waterfall cascading into a stream and snaking around the trail flanked by brambles and berry bushes.
“It’s beautiful,” I said. “You truly believe the bean did this?” I looked to my left and right when I did not get an answer. “Jack?”
“Turn around, Jacky.”
When I did, my eyes grew wider. Jack held out a beautiful uncut sapphire, my favorite color of gem. Jack cleared his throat and took a step toward me. The sunlight kissed the tips of his hair and lightened his eyes to greenish blue. After licking his lips, he began to speak.
“I’ve dreamt about you being my mate since the first time I set my eyes upon your beautiful smile. I must have seemed like a pest to you, but I did not know how to act in front of girls. You made me feel like I could fly in younger days, and you still do. We’ve been through so much together in a short amount of time. We’ve even stared down death together. I don’t want to waste any more time, because as you already know, time is precious. I want forever with you. I’m in love with you.
“You don’t have to love me back. Just give me a chance, and I promise I’ll do everything to make you fall in love with me. Your mother has already given her permission for me to propose marriage to you.” Jack cleared his throat, his voice a little shaky. And for the first time, perhaps he was a bit nervous. “Will you give me the honor and allow me to be your husband? Will you be my mine forever?”