peculiar word to call what Jeremiah and I were. Betrothed strangers sounded much less crass. If I weren’t looking directly at Jeremiah, I would’ve missed the slight shake of his head.
“Married is what I meant to say,” Mrs. Dawson backpedaled. “You’ll have to forgive an old lady. The right words slip me more and more these days.”
From the way her intelligent, moss green eyes seemed to miss nothing, I rather doubted she said anything she didn’t mean. The older gentleman who ducked under the frame of the sitting area couldn’t be mistaken for anyone other than Jeremiah’s father. He was tall and stood straight, as if the strength in his back hadn’t weakened at all with age. His dark hair was streaked with an attractive, regal silver, and his dark eyes skipped with humor from Kristina to me.
Jeremiah took his hat off and motioned to me. “This here’s my fiancé, Lorelei McGregor.”
“McGregor?” Mrs. Dawson said with a tilt of her head. The startled look on her face said she’d heard a whisper or two of me already and my heart sank with despair. For some reason, this woman’s acceptance of me suddenly seemed very important.
“Ma, I’d like to introduce you to my woman, Kristina. Dawson,” Luke finished with a devilish grin.
Mrs. Dawson’s shock over my celebrity faded into oblivion. Her brilliant eyes, so much like Luke’s, grew round and the smile that took over her face showed the woman’s beauty. “Lucas Dawson, you’re married? Well, I never!” she exclaimed, hugging him and shaking his shoulders slowly. “Out of all three of my boys, I’d never in a hundred years pegged you for the one to give me grandsons first!”
The transformation in Luke’s face was almost startling. He dropped a concerned look to Kristina, who’d gone still and silent. The moment lasted too long, and silence filled every nook of the small home right down to the crevices between my fingers.
“No grandson’s from us, ma’am,” Kristina said. “Afraid you’ll have to be okay with just a daughter-in-law.”
The wrinkles beside Mrs. Dawson’s eyes deepened. “Ladies, help me set the table for dinner.”
She led us in through a small parlor decorated in fine forest green wallpaper while the men disappeared down a hallway. At a loss as to how to help, I stood awkwardly behind a dining chair as Kristina jumped into action, setting plates and pouring waters like she’d been raised a servant. Maybe she had. I suddenly wished I had some knowledge of such things so I could be of use to the kind family who’d offered to share their food.
“Have you been trying long, Dear?” Mrs. Dawson asked Kristina in a whisper-quiet voice. “Sometimes these things take time.”
I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but the tinkling of dinnerware didn’t quite cover up the conversation. I busied myself with folding and refolding the cloth napkins to make myself look busy.
“Oh no, ma’am. We’ve only been married a couple of months.” She slid a blue-eyed glance my way and lowered her voice as she grabbed the matriarch’s hands. “I know.” She arched her eyebrows. “It ain’t my choice to keep on with my bleedings, but I respect Luke’s decisions and I understand why he don’t want to.”
“Oh. I see.” She turned to me. “What about you and Jeremiah? Will you be breeding soon?”
“U-uuh,” I stammered, wishing for anything short of a shooting star to come crashing through the living area to interrupt this conversation. “I actually just met Jeremiah today. We haven’t had a chance to discuss such things.”
“Hmm. Are the rumors about you true?” she asked.
My stomach turned.
“Ma!” Jeremiah warned from the doorway.
“I’m your mother, Jeremiah, and I have a right to make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.”
Luke and Mr. Dawson filed in slowly and I swallowed the bile that threatened to escape me.
Five sets of curious eyes held me and my whispered answer sounded
“Married is what I meant to say,” Mrs. Dawson backpedaled. “You’ll have to forgive an old lady. The right words slip me more and more these days.”
From the way her intelligent, moss green eyes seemed to miss nothing, I rather doubted she said anything she didn’t mean. The older gentleman who ducked under the frame of the sitting area couldn’t be mistaken for anyone other than Jeremiah’s father. He was tall and stood straight, as if the strength in his back hadn’t weakened at all with age. His dark hair was streaked with an attractive, regal silver, and his dark eyes skipped with humor from Kristina to me.
Jeremiah took his hat off and motioned to me. “This here’s my fiancé, Lorelei McGregor.”
“McGregor?” Mrs. Dawson said with a tilt of her head. The startled look on her face said she’d heard a whisper or two of me already and my heart sank with despair. For some reason, this woman’s acceptance of me suddenly seemed very important.
“Ma, I’d like to introduce you to my woman, Kristina. Dawson,” Luke finished with a devilish grin.
Mrs. Dawson’s shock over my celebrity faded into oblivion. Her brilliant eyes, so much like Luke’s, grew round and the smile that took over her face showed the woman’s beauty. “Lucas Dawson, you’re married? Well, I never!” she exclaimed, hugging him and shaking his shoulders slowly. “Out of all three of my boys, I’d never in a hundred years pegged you for the one to give me grandsons first!”
The transformation in Luke’s face was almost startling. He dropped a concerned look to Kristina, who’d gone still and silent. The moment lasted too long, and silence filled every nook of the small home right down to the crevices between my fingers.
“No grandson’s from us, ma’am,” Kristina said. “Afraid you’ll have to be okay with just a daughter-in-law.”
The wrinkles beside Mrs. Dawson’s eyes deepened. “Ladies, help me set the table for dinner.”
She led us in through a small parlor decorated in fine forest green wallpaper while the men disappeared down a hallway. At a loss as to how to help, I stood awkwardly behind a dining chair as Kristina jumped into action, setting plates and pouring waters like she’d been raised a servant. Maybe she had. I suddenly wished I had some knowledge of such things so I could be of use to the kind family who’d offered to share their food.
“Have you been trying long, Dear?” Mrs. Dawson asked Kristina in a whisper-quiet voice. “Sometimes these things take time.”
I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but the tinkling of dinnerware didn’t quite cover up the conversation. I busied myself with folding and refolding the cloth napkins to make myself look busy.
“Oh no, ma’am. We’ve only been married a couple of months.” She slid a blue-eyed glance my way and lowered her voice as she grabbed the matriarch’s hands. “I know.” She arched her eyebrows. “It ain’t my choice to keep on with my bleedings, but I respect Luke’s decisions and I understand why he don’t want to.”
“Oh. I see.” She turned to me. “What about you and Jeremiah? Will you be breeding soon?”
“U-uuh,” I stammered, wishing for anything short of a shooting star to come crashing through the living area to interrupt this conversation. “I actually just met Jeremiah today. We haven’t had a chance to discuss such things.”
“Hmm. Are the rumors about you true?” she asked.
My stomach turned.
“Ma!” Jeremiah warned from the doorway.
“I’m your mother, Jeremiah, and I have a right to make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.”
Luke and Mr. Dawson filed in slowly and I swallowed the bile that threatened to escape me.
Five sets of curious eyes held me and my whispered answer sounded
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