Faith smoothed down her dress. It was a pretty light green, very simple, and yet it set off her eyes. “I have,” she said, looking down at her lap. “But not for a long time.”
Beau was quiet for a moment as they passed through town. “Tell me about him,” he said. “Aaron.”
When Faith didn’t respond, he glanced over at her. “Why do you want to know?” she finally asked.
That was a good question, but it didn’t take Beau long to figure why he’d asked it. “Because he was important to you. Which means he must have been a good person.”
She smiled wistfully as they drove out of town south along the Stage Coach Road, toward bluffs that arose far off in the distance. “He was. He was probably the best person I’ve ever known. He was far kinder and more thoughtful than I am. He wasn’t perfect, of course. No one is. But he was forever thinking of others’ needs above his own. We all came here from Mississippi, Aaron and I, and Ned and Celia. I’d known him my whole life. I’m not sure if I’d told you that.”
He shook his head. She hadn’t mentioned much at all about her late husband in their letters.
“Well, we came here by wagon,” she said, her eyes focused somewhere off in the distance. “We couldn’t afford train fare, and besides, we had items we brought with us, household supplies and other things. One of Ned’s oxen didn’t survive the trip. Aaron gladly left behind a few of his favorite pieces of furniture in order to add some items in Ned and Celia’s wagon to ours. It was the only way they could have continued with only one ox to pull the load. And Ned wasn’t an easy man to be friendly with, but Aaron loved his brother despite his flaws. That’s how he was with everyone.”
The way Faith described him, Beau could see why everyone spoke well of Aaron Thornton. And how difficult it was for Faith to grieve his passing. “I wish I could have met him.”
Faith scrunched up her eyebrows. “But that would have been impossible. I wouldn’t have written to you if Aaron were still alive.”
“I know,” Beau said with a laugh. “It makes no sense at all, does it?”
To his everlasting surprise, Faith smiled—and then she laughed. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you wrote to me,” she said.
“You are?”
“I looked forward to your letters.”
“Oh? Was it my cunning wit? Or—how did you put it—my flirtatious manner?”
“You were a perfect gentleman in your letters.” She brushed a flyaway piece of hair behind her ear, only to have the breeze toss it about again.
“As opposed to in person?” he said lightly.
“That is not what I meant!”
“I know,” he said.
“Then why . . .? You’re teasing me, Beau Landry.”
He grinned at her and took her hand. Once again, she let him, and his heart soared. Perhaps she was coming around to him after all.
They rode for some time in a comfortable silence, the horses trotting merrily ahead and the big blue sky above promising a lovely afternoon. All the while, he held her hand and wondered if a moment could be more perfect than this one. The woman he’d fallen for over the course of several letters was real, and here he was, married to her.
“I feel I should apologize to you,” Faith said out of nowhere. “For being so abrupt when you first arrived.”
“I caught you by surprise,” he replied.
“You did, but that was no excuse for me to be so rude.” She was quiet again, and just as Beau was about to speak, she said, “Celia told me I should give you a chance.”
Beau urged the horses to a stop to give her his full attention. “Oh?”
She pursed her lips together and then looked up at him, her green eyes more clear than he’d ever seen them. “I’m trying.”
“That’s all I can ask for.” He wanted to run a thumb over the back of her hand, or better yet, caress her face as he’d done yesterday. But something in his head warned him not to push her. She was working through grief he could hardly imagine. She would let him know when she was ready.
“Thank you.” She gave him a shy smile. That tendril of hair came loose again, and Beau couldn’t help himself. He brushed it back into place, but he didn’t let his hand linger as he wished he could.
“I do want you to know something,” he said. “I’m not trying to replace Aaron. I never could. I’m only me, and I hope that might be enough one day.”
She squeezed his hand, and even with the lack of words, he knew she understood.
And that was enough for now.
