arms relax back at her sides.
Dave reached out and touched her face. “We’ll fail at something, no matter whether we’re together or alone. We’ll even fail each other, but I’m figuring our successes will outnumber those times. Our love will see us through, and together, we’ll find a dream to call our own.”
“But I just know I won’t be any good at this,” she said, looking hopelessly at him.
Dave chuckled and let his hand trail behind her neck to pull her closer. “Would you care to place a bet on that? I think you’ll be very good at being my wife.”
“Gambling is a sin,” she whispered, stepping into his arms. She put her arms around him and sighed.
“So is lying.”
She looked at him with a puzzled expression. “Lying? What have I lied about?”
“You’re trying to lie to yourself. You’re trying to convince your heart that you don’t want this—that you don’t want me.”
Her cheeks reddened, and Dave knew he’d very nearly read her mind. “Ah, Lacy,” he sighed against her ear. “I promise you, you won’t regret marrying me.”
CHAPTER SIX
“She’s the most beautiful baby in the world,” Lacy declared, taking Julianne in her arms. “And so very tiny.”
Gwen beamed with pride. “I think her quite perfect, myself.”
“As do I,” Beth said, “but I’ll probably think my own even better.” They all laughed at this.
Lacy sat down on the bed beside Gwen and marveled at the infant. “She looks like you, Gwen.”
“I can also see something of her father,” Gwen said. “Especially around the eyes.”
Beth nodded. “I agree.”
Lacy gently touched the baby’s cheek and laughed when Julianne turned her face as if to feed. “Is she hungry?”
“I doubt it, but anytime there’s the hope of sucking,” Gwen replied, “Julianne seems more than happy to comply.”
“I wish I could have been here for you. Was it awful . . . having her, I mean?”
“It was quite painful, but as Patience told me, the memory of that is fading in the wake of the child given me.” Gwen smiled. “I would definitely do it again—just not too soon.”
Lacy couldn’t begin to imagine what it was like to be a mother. She thought of Dave and his proposal, and all that it would mean. Would she be like Beth and get pregnant right away? What if she couldn’t have children?
“So are you ready to talk to us?” Gwen asked.
Lacy looked up. “What do you mean?”
Beth placed a blue-and-white quilt over the rocking chair and took a seat. “Are you ready to tell us why you ran away?”
“And what happened while you were gone?”
Lacy frowned. “Why do you suppose something had to happen while I was gone?”
“Because there is something in your expression that makes us believe it did,” Gwen replied before Beth could. “You were out there an awful long time with Dave.”
“Some would say more than long enough to ruin your reputation,” Beth added with a grin.
Lacy shook her head. “We couldn’t help it that a blizzard came up. People can just think bad of me—they do anyway. They judge me on what I wear or do all of the time. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Gwen’s expression softened. “No one thinks you did. But something obviously happened. You and Dave look at each other differently.”
“It’s true,” Beth said. “So you might as well tell us everything.”
Lacy focused on Julianne, knowing it would be easier to confess to her niece than to her sisters. “Dave asked me to marry him.”
Beth laughed and clapped her hands. “I knew it!”
“It does explain an awful lot,” Gwen said. “It’s about time he proposed.”
Lacy looked up at the joyous faces. “What do you mean?”
“Well, it was clear that he was completely gone over you. Beth and I talked about it just the other day with Patience. She felt the same way.”
Lacy handed Julianne back to Gwen and got up. “I don’t know why any of you would even think such things. I don’t mean to sound
Dave reached out and touched her face. “We’ll fail at something, no matter whether we’re together or alone. We’ll even fail each other, but I’m figuring our successes will outnumber those times. Our love will see us through, and together, we’ll find a dream to call our own.”
“But I just know I won’t be any good at this,” she said, looking hopelessly at him.
Dave chuckled and let his hand trail behind her neck to pull her closer. “Would you care to place a bet on that? I think you’ll be very good at being my wife.”
“Gambling is a sin,” she whispered, stepping into his arms. She put her arms around him and sighed.
“So is lying.”
She looked at him with a puzzled expression. “Lying? What have I lied about?”
“You’re trying to lie to yourself. You’re trying to convince your heart that you don’t want this—that you don’t want me.”
Her cheeks reddened, and Dave knew he’d very nearly read her mind. “Ah, Lacy,” he sighed against her ear. “I promise you, you won’t regret marrying me.”
CHAPTER SIX
“She’s the most beautiful baby in the world,” Lacy declared, taking Julianne in her arms. “And so very tiny.”
Gwen beamed with pride. “I think her quite perfect, myself.”
“As do I,” Beth said, “but I’ll probably think my own even better.” They all laughed at this.
Lacy sat down on the bed beside Gwen and marveled at the infant. “She looks like you, Gwen.”
“I can also see something of her father,” Gwen said. “Especially around the eyes.”
Beth nodded. “I agree.”
Lacy gently touched the baby’s cheek and laughed when Julianne turned her face as if to feed. “Is she hungry?”
“I doubt it, but anytime there’s the hope of sucking,” Gwen replied, “Julianne seems more than happy to comply.”
“I wish I could have been here for you. Was it awful . . . having her, I mean?”
“It was quite painful, but as Patience told me, the memory of that is fading in the wake of the child given me.” Gwen smiled. “I would definitely do it again—just not too soon.”
Lacy couldn’t begin to imagine what it was like to be a mother. She thought of Dave and his proposal, and all that it would mean. Would she be like Beth and get pregnant right away? What if she couldn’t have children?
“So are you ready to talk to us?” Gwen asked.
Lacy looked up. “What do you mean?”
Beth placed a blue-and-white quilt over the rocking chair and took a seat. “Are you ready to tell us why you ran away?”
“And what happened while you were gone?”
Lacy frowned. “Why do you suppose something had to happen while I was gone?”
“Because there is something in your expression that makes us believe it did,” Gwen replied before Beth could. “You were out there an awful long time with Dave.”
“Some would say more than long enough to ruin your reputation,” Beth added with a grin.
Lacy shook her head. “We couldn’t help it that a blizzard came up. People can just think bad of me—they do anyway. They judge me on what I wear or do all of the time. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Gwen’s expression softened. “No one thinks you did. But something obviously happened. You and Dave look at each other differently.”
“It’s true,” Beth said. “So you might as well tell us everything.”
Lacy focused on Julianne, knowing it would be easier to confess to her niece than to her sisters. “Dave asked me to marry him.”
Beth laughed and clapped her hands. “I knew it!”
“It does explain an awful lot,” Gwen said. “It’s about time he proposed.”
Lacy looked up at the joyous faces. “What do you mean?”
“Well, it was clear that he was completely gone over you. Beth and I talked about it just the other day with Patience. She felt the same way.”
Lacy handed Julianne back to Gwen and got up. “I don’t know why any of you would even think such things. I don’t mean to sound
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