life if she could always sit like this with Andrew. But instead of allowing herself the pleasure, she pulled away and looked up at him. His handsome face with a strong chin and smiling mouth—not right now but usually—and those blue eyes that caught pieces of a summer sky and shared them with her. What would it be like to smooth the hank of hair that always fell over his forehead when he wasn’t wearing a hat or cap? To run her fingers through his thick blond hair not yet bleached nearly white like it would be by the end of the summer in spite of the hats he wore?
“You didn’t answer me,” she whispered.
“I didn’t know you wanted an answer.”
“Andrew, this wait won’t be the end of the world. As long as we can see each other and talk and laugh . . . Just being together is so much better than not seeing you for months, and while I love your letters, they weren’t enough.”
“I know.”
“So please, don’t be angry at your mor and far.” She watched his eyes. “Or me, for that matter.”
She could see his jaw tighten and reached out and laid her hand along his jawline. When he turned his head and placed a kiss in the palm of her hand, she sucked in a breath. Ooh, what was it that shot up her arm? Her skin burned where his lips had touched it.
“We better go in.” He stood in one smooth motion and pulled her up with him. “I will go along with this, but I can tell you right now it won’t be easy—and I’m not happy about it.”
Ellie cupped her burning hand with the other. She stared at Andrew as if seeing a perfect stranger. Granted they’d not shared more than a few kisses, in fact she could remember every one of them, but never before had she felt like this. How could a kiss in her hand have burned all the way to her middle? Why it even affected her knees. She took in a deep breath, hoping and praying for it to bring calmness, but like an open door fanning flames, the breath seemed to increase her awareness of the man in front of her.
Andrew opened the screen door and turned to see what happened to her when she wasn’t right behind him like he expected. “Are you all right? Ellie, is something wrong?”
“Ah . . . yes . . . um . . . I mean no.”
“Ma says to come for dessert.” Astrid paused at the door Andrew was still holding open. “Is something wrong?” She looked from Andrew to Ellie.
“Only if you call postponing our wedding something wrong.”
Andrew’s curt tone jerked Ellie from the stupor that had attacked her. She forced a smile to lips that quivered. Why did she feel like crying? Lord above, what is wrong with me? And we didn’t pray about this. Is Andrew afraid of praying with me? Isn’t that important in a marriage? If I tell him how afraid I am of having a baby, will he pray with me or just turn away? Oh, Andrew, maybe I don’t know you as well as I thought .
“W HAT’S WRONG WITH ANDREW, Mor? He’s ugly as a bear with a sore paw.”
“Now, Astrid, how would you know what a bear feels like?”
“I heard that somewhere. It seemed to fit. I thought he’d be all excited today, what with graduation and all.” Astrid wiped the last dish and set it in the cupboard, then draped her dish towel on the rack behind the stove. “I’ll go change now, all right?”
“Fine.” Ingeborg untied her apron. While she’d known Andrew would not be happy with Haakan’s request, she’d not expected him to be surly. But come to think on it, he’d been glum but not out of sorts like this until he’d talked with Ellie the night before. That was the key. How would she get this son of hers to talk with her, especially since he blamed her too. I’m sorry, Andrew, but I trust that Haakan would not have said something like this if he’d not had a strong feeling about it . Knowing that God had used her husband this way in the past made her trust He would do so again. Lord, please help our son to be patient, to look to you for help in dealing with this disappointment.
“You didn’t answer me,” she whispered.
“I didn’t know you wanted an answer.”
“Andrew, this wait won’t be the end of the world. As long as we can see each other and talk and laugh . . . Just being together is so much better than not seeing you for months, and while I love your letters, they weren’t enough.”
“I know.”
“So please, don’t be angry at your mor and far.” She watched his eyes. “Or me, for that matter.”
She could see his jaw tighten and reached out and laid her hand along his jawline. When he turned his head and placed a kiss in the palm of her hand, she sucked in a breath. Ooh, what was it that shot up her arm? Her skin burned where his lips had touched it.
“We better go in.” He stood in one smooth motion and pulled her up with him. “I will go along with this, but I can tell you right now it won’t be easy—and I’m not happy about it.”
Ellie cupped her burning hand with the other. She stared at Andrew as if seeing a perfect stranger. Granted they’d not shared more than a few kisses, in fact she could remember every one of them, but never before had she felt like this. How could a kiss in her hand have burned all the way to her middle? Why it even affected her knees. She took in a deep breath, hoping and praying for it to bring calmness, but like an open door fanning flames, the breath seemed to increase her awareness of the man in front of her.
Andrew opened the screen door and turned to see what happened to her when she wasn’t right behind him like he expected. “Are you all right? Ellie, is something wrong?”
“Ah . . . yes . . . um . . . I mean no.”
“Ma says to come for dessert.” Astrid paused at the door Andrew was still holding open. “Is something wrong?” She looked from Andrew to Ellie.
“Only if you call postponing our wedding something wrong.”
Andrew’s curt tone jerked Ellie from the stupor that had attacked her. She forced a smile to lips that quivered. Why did she feel like crying? Lord above, what is wrong with me? And we didn’t pray about this. Is Andrew afraid of praying with me? Isn’t that important in a marriage? If I tell him how afraid I am of having a baby, will he pray with me or just turn away? Oh, Andrew, maybe I don’t know you as well as I thought .
“W HAT’S WRONG WITH ANDREW, Mor? He’s ugly as a bear with a sore paw.”
“Now, Astrid, how would you know what a bear feels like?”
“I heard that somewhere. It seemed to fit. I thought he’d be all excited today, what with graduation and all.” Astrid wiped the last dish and set it in the cupboard, then draped her dish towel on the rack behind the stove. “I’ll go change now, all right?”
“Fine.” Ingeborg untied her apron. While she’d known Andrew would not be happy with Haakan’s request, she’d not expected him to be surly. But come to think on it, he’d been glum but not out of sorts like this until he’d talked with Ellie the night before. That was the key. How would she get this son of hers to talk with her, especially since he blamed her too. I’m sorry, Andrew, but I trust that Haakan would not have said something like this if he’d not had a strong feeling about it . Knowing that God had used her husband this way in the past made her trust He would do so again. Lord, please help our son to be patient, to look to you for help in dealing with this disappointment.
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