Charlotte’s eyes lit up as she threw question after question at Patience.
Patience looked between the two. “So I don’t need to be asking a lot of personal questions? General questions are okay?”
“Definitely. Especially since Charlie will be there. It’s hard to talk about personal things with a kid around.” Charlotte winked at Patience, reminding her subtly she’d been the child around for Charlotte’s courtship with James.
*****
Hugh wanted to kick himself as he did his evening chores with Charlie right beside him. What had he been thinking asking Patience to the dance? She was a pretty little thing, but he had no business asking her to do anything. He was divorced. He didn’t need her thinking he was going to marry her. If he married again, it would need to be someone who was a little less…well, perfect than little Miss Patience.
He sighed loudly as he kept up the steady movements of his hands as he milked Melvin.
“What’s wrong, Pa?” Charlie patted Melvin’s nose. He’d named the cow when he was too young to understand the difference between men’s and women’s names and the name had stuck.
Hugh shook his head. “Nothing really.”
Charlie put out fresh hay and water for Melvin while Hugh continued milking. Maybe there was a way out of it , he thought. He could go over and talk to her father. If George knew he’d been divorced, surely he wouldn’t let his daughter go to the social with him. That’s what he’d do. He’d go to their house a half hour before dinner and talk to George. He wouldn’t have to come up with any kind of excuse. George would surely kick him right off his property.
*****
Hugh went into the barn to help George with his chores on Saturday evening. He’d arrived early enough to have a good long chat with Patience’s father and he planned to do exactly that. Charlie had run toward the house to play with Frank, so he wouldn’t have those little ears listening to everything he was about to say.
He stood watching as George pitched clean hay into the horses’ stalls for a moment before he started talking. “I think I need to tell you something before I take your daughter to the social tonight.” Just spitting the words out seemed to be the best way. He wouldn’t beat around the bush, and make George wonder what was going on in his head. “I’m not a widower. My wife left me and married another man.”
George nodded. “So I hear.”
Hugh’s jaw dropped. “You know? Did Patience tell you?”
“She told Millie, and Millie told me. Patience wouldn’t keep that kind of information from me. She was raised to come to us with any kind of problem or worry, and she wasn’t sure how I’d feel about your courting her since you’d been divorced.”
“And how do you feel about it?” Hugh waited to be told to never go near Patience again. What else could a father possibly say?
George shrugged. “Sounds to me like you couldn’t help losing your wife any more than I could help losing mine. She wasn’t happy where she was, and she took off. My wife was happy, but died of a fever. Unless you were beating her, you’re no more at fault than I was.”
Hugh blinked a few times, shocked that a strong Christian man like George wouldn’t have a problem with his daughter being courted by a divorced man. “You really don’t have a problem with it?”
“I don’t see a reason why I should. The scriptures are clear about how divorce is wrong unless one partner commits adultery. When your wife remarried, that was adultery. You’re free to remarry any time you want to.” George looked up and met the younger man’s eyes. “That’s in Matthew chapter nineteen.”
“And you have no problem if it’s your daughter I remarry?” Hugh knew he was repeating himself, he just couldn’t quite believe his ears.
“Do you want me to have a problem with it?” George had
Patience looked between the two. “So I don’t need to be asking a lot of personal questions? General questions are okay?”
“Definitely. Especially since Charlie will be there. It’s hard to talk about personal things with a kid around.” Charlotte winked at Patience, reminding her subtly she’d been the child around for Charlotte’s courtship with James.
*****
Hugh wanted to kick himself as he did his evening chores with Charlie right beside him. What had he been thinking asking Patience to the dance? She was a pretty little thing, but he had no business asking her to do anything. He was divorced. He didn’t need her thinking he was going to marry her. If he married again, it would need to be someone who was a little less…well, perfect than little Miss Patience.
He sighed loudly as he kept up the steady movements of his hands as he milked Melvin.
“What’s wrong, Pa?” Charlie patted Melvin’s nose. He’d named the cow when he was too young to understand the difference between men’s and women’s names and the name had stuck.
Hugh shook his head. “Nothing really.”
Charlie put out fresh hay and water for Melvin while Hugh continued milking. Maybe there was a way out of it , he thought. He could go over and talk to her father. If George knew he’d been divorced, surely he wouldn’t let his daughter go to the social with him. That’s what he’d do. He’d go to their house a half hour before dinner and talk to George. He wouldn’t have to come up with any kind of excuse. George would surely kick him right off his property.
*****
Hugh went into the barn to help George with his chores on Saturday evening. He’d arrived early enough to have a good long chat with Patience’s father and he planned to do exactly that. Charlie had run toward the house to play with Frank, so he wouldn’t have those little ears listening to everything he was about to say.
He stood watching as George pitched clean hay into the horses’ stalls for a moment before he started talking. “I think I need to tell you something before I take your daughter to the social tonight.” Just spitting the words out seemed to be the best way. He wouldn’t beat around the bush, and make George wonder what was going on in his head. “I’m not a widower. My wife left me and married another man.”
George nodded. “So I hear.”
Hugh’s jaw dropped. “You know? Did Patience tell you?”
“She told Millie, and Millie told me. Patience wouldn’t keep that kind of information from me. She was raised to come to us with any kind of problem or worry, and she wasn’t sure how I’d feel about your courting her since you’d been divorced.”
“And how do you feel about it?” Hugh waited to be told to never go near Patience again. What else could a father possibly say?
George shrugged. “Sounds to me like you couldn’t help losing your wife any more than I could help losing mine. She wasn’t happy where she was, and she took off. My wife was happy, but died of a fever. Unless you were beating her, you’re no more at fault than I was.”
Hugh blinked a few times, shocked that a strong Christian man like George wouldn’t have a problem with his daughter being courted by a divorced man. “You really don’t have a problem with it?”
“I don’t see a reason why I should. The scriptures are clear about how divorce is wrong unless one partner commits adultery. When your wife remarried, that was adultery. You’re free to remarry any time you want to.” George looked up and met the younger man’s eyes. “That’s in Matthew chapter nineteen.”
“And you have no problem if it’s your daughter I remarry?” Hugh knew he was repeating himself, he just couldn’t quite believe his ears.
“Do you want me to have a problem with it?” George had
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