you were right.”
This was new coming from
Laura. “About what?”
“ I was so set against
Isaac because I thought I would care for him and now, I think I
have.”
Bethany stopped, pulling
Laura to a halt beside her. “Isaac as in Isaac Bradley, the new
doctor assistant?”
Laura laughed, “Yes, and
you needn’t act so shocked. I should have thought you would have
seen it coming.”
“ I confess, Laura, I have
been quite preoccupied. But is that what has been keeping you in
town so often?”
“ I suppose so. He asked me
to dinner tomorrow night. Can you believe it? Again! Even after I
so rudely refused the first time.”
“ And you said…”
“ Yes? I told him it would
just be as friends and he said that is what he wanted.”
“ I’m happy for you truly.
Just don’t play the friend card too much or you may come to regret
pushing that level.” Her thoughts suddenly wandered to Jeremy who
had been her friend for years now. Albert had been too, but Jeremy
had always been there.
“ Thank you, Bethany. I am
ever so glad I have you to talk to. What would I do without you
here?” Laura leaned over to kiss Bethany on her cheek.
“ Don’t be silly, where
would I go?” But as soon as the words left her mouth, Bethany knew
her answer. She could have been in DC with Albert. What if he had
come for her right when the war ended? Would she be there in DC?
Would she have missed this time with her sisters? Carolyn and
Laura’s Christmas fight. Adam and Rosie’s first St. Lucia’s
celebration. Laura discovering a beau, well just a
friend.
Suddenly Bethany’s
decision became clear as ever.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Unfortunately, Bethany didn’t make it to town right away.
When she returned home from Carolyn’s, she ran into Poppa and
proceeded to tell him all that had occurred. Being the wise Poppa
that he was, Poppa advised Bethany to wait before rushing
off.
“ It is always best to
consult God first before you rush head long into a decision that
you may come to regret.”
Bethany agreed and as the
days passed, she began to feel even more content with her decision.
But she couldn’t quite act on it yet. Between Carolyn and Laura,
she was kept busy with getting ready for Christmas. The making of
new traditions seemed to pull them all closer together than ever
before. They had a lot to be thankful for and a lot to celebrate.
Why, this was the first Christmas that they were all together since
the Civil War! It was a time to rejoice and Bethany was glad that
they were finally able to do that.
The day before Christmas
Eve, Bethany decided to go in to town. She just had to see Jeremy
before he came to a conclusion on his own and hated her for it.
Besides, in order to make Christmas perfect, she had to settle some
things first.
As she tied her horse in
front of the church in town, she wondered where she would possibly
find Jeremy. Just as she was gathering up her courage to go to his
house, Albert came toward her. Well, she might as well tell him
first.
“ Bethany, what a surprise!
I was hoping to see you soon.” Albert reached down as if to hug
her, but Bethany placed her hands on his arms to stop
him.
“ Albert, there’s something
I must say.” Albert looked into her eyes and Bethany knew that he
saw all that she had to say in her eyes. “I care for you, very
much, as a friend. But I can’t marry you and move to
DC.”
“ What if I came back right
away or if you got my letter? Would your answer be
different?”
The way his eyes pleaded
with her, hurt her, but she knew she was making the right decision.
“It’s hard to know if things would’ve been different. But this
remains the same, I can’t leave all those I love behind.” Including
Jeremy, she now realized.
As if Albert could read
her thoughts, he said, “It’s because of Jeremy, isn’t it? Nettie
told me the two of you were courting.”
The need to defend herself
appeared, “I promise, Albert, we didn’t
Suzanne Young
Bonnie Bryant
Chris D'Lacey
Glenn van Dyke, Renee van Dyke
Jesse Ventura, Dick Russell
Sloane Meyers
L.L Hunter
C. J. Cherryh
Bec Adams
Ari Thatcher