Hearts Awakening by Delia Parr

without his permission or his blessing.
    Jackson’s voice cracked when he voiced his “amen,” but he held on to her hand and did not let go.
    Mrs. Shore dabbed at her eyes with her lace-trimmed handkerchief. “Kiss your bride, Mr. Jackson,” she prompted as Mr. Clemmons made a quick retreat back to the dinner table.
    Jackson finally let go of Ellie’s hand and pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead. “Thank you,” he whispered so only she could hear him.
    She heard more than his gratitude. She heard relief, a sore replacement for the expression of love she dreamed she might hear one day from the man she had just married.
    “What about you, boys? Daniel? Ethan? Wouldn’t you like to kiss your new mother, too?” Mrs. Shore prompted.
    “Ethan’s hungry, and we wanna go home,” Daniel insisted, stopping short of refusing the woman’s request while keeping a tight hold on his younger brother’s hand.
    Jackson let go of Ellie’s hand to place his hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “We really should go.”
    “We have another stop to make, and there’s a basket of food in the wagon. We were planning to eat on the way back to the island.” Ellie tried to keep her voice from reflecting her disappointment, even though she understood the boys’ reluctance to show her affection of any kind.
    Mrs. Shore smiled gently. “They’ll come around. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to give them a little snack. I do believe Reverend Shore would like to finish his dinner.” She looked down at the boys. “Why don’t you two come with me? While I warm up the rest of the reverend’s dinner, I have a bit of sugar to sprinkle on a good hunk of buttered bread for you,” she offered and turned to her husband. “While I take the boys with me, you can sign the marriage certificate for the newlyweds. Mr. Clemmons and I signed it earlier, as always,” she said, escorting both boys to the kitchen with no complaint from either one of them.
    Without comment, the minister disappeared into his study.
    Left alone with her husband for the first time, Ellie self-consciously twisted the ring on her finger. “What made you choose this ring? Not that it matters. They were all very lovely.”
    He shrugged. “It was the only one carved from apple wood. I thought that might do best, at least until I can get a more proper ring for you.”
    She closed her hand tight. “I don’t need another ring. I like this one,” she replied.
    And she truly meant it.

    With the shadow of the parsonage of the First United Church of Harrisburg behind her, Ellie sat on the far side of the front seat of the buckboard, anxious about making this one last stop before heading back to the island. Jackson sat in the driver’s seat, with Daniel and Ethan sitting safely between them, preoccupied with the sweet treat Mrs. Shore had given them.
    The day had warmed up considerably, and bright sunshine warmed the top of her head and bounced off the glass windows on the covered bridge that spanned the river. Below, she could see the rush of the Susquehanna River and marveled at the number of shoppers hustling along the street that hugged the river’s path.
    Her heart was racing as she anticipated returning to her cousin’s home to tell him the news of her marriage—news that would elicit a host of reactions, not the least of which was bound to be unadulterated shock.
    Wagon traffic, as well as horse traffic, was heavy, which was not unusual for midday, and she was relieved when Jackson finally turned down Mulberry Lane and parked the wagon around the corner from the Emporium and the shops her cousin and his wife operated.
    After Jackson helped her down from her seat, the two boys quickly followed. Using a handkerchief she kept stored in her cape pocket, she wiped the sugary crumbs from their faces and hands. “There. That’s better,” she said, smiling.
    Daniel shrugged and looked up at his father. “Pappy, do we hafta go inside? Ethan’s still hungry and wants to go