“Well, here she is. Dr. Scott grabbed her off the street to help him with Julia Martin’s breech delivery. There wasn’t any chance to send back word. I found Tim and her coming this way and hitched a ride with them.”
“Sorry I caused everyone so much worry. Fred, these are the things Eve wanted me to pick up for her. Could you take them and bring Carrie home?” She handed him a wrapped package.
“It’s suppertime. Eve told me before I headed out to look for you that she wanted us all to eat together this evening. I’m sure she’s gonna want to hear all about what happened. I’ll take these things on over, and you can take some time to change your clothes and let poor Edward know what you went through.”
“That sounds good, Fred. We’ll be over in ten or fifteen minutes, if that’s all right with Edward.” She didn’t wait for him to respond but moved past him and into the shed without so much as a look.
Edward looked at Fred. “Nothing bad happened?”
“No, she’s all right. God was looking out for her.” He gave Edward a smile. “Come on over soon. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
Edward watched him walk across the yard. Fred started whistling about halfway across. It was an old marching song they used to hear all the time during the war. It used to cheer them on, but it did very little for Edward at the moment.
He came into the shed and closed the door. Thankfully, Marybeth was changing behind a curtain she’d strung between where their cots were placed.
“Are you all right?”
“I am. Dr. Scott needed help. I was headed home when he stopped me. The baby was breech, and it was an emergency. I had no way to get word back to you. We thought Mrs. Martin’s husband would be home shortly and I could leave, but he didn’t show up. I’m sorry if it worried you.”
She stepped out from behind the curtain, tucking a clean blouse into a dark navy skirt. Her hair was a mess and her cheeks quite flushed, but she’d never looked more beautiful. Unable to stop himself, Edward pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
All the pent-up desire he’d denied himself surfaced. He deepened the kiss, feeling her response as she put her arms around his neck. How in the world could they go back to just being friends? How could he live with her day after day and not make their marriage as intimate as any other?
But just as that thought rose up, another followed: the image of Janey being laid out in her wedding dress. The boy wrapped in a white blanket and placed in her arms.
Edward pushed Marybeth away and growled as he turned to leave. He couldn’t do this to her—to himself.
“I’m sending you to Indiana to live with Inga and George. You and Carrie will be safe there.”
20
If Edward had slapped her across the face, Marybeth couldn’t have been any more shocked. She looked at him for several seconds, then lost control of her temper.
“You aren’t sending me anywhere. I’m married to you, and we have a child to raise—together! I’m sick and tired of all this fear guiding and directing the choices we’ve made. We married in fear, and we remain celibate in fear. We worry about things that have happened and worry even more about those that haven’t yet come to be.”
She was glad for the look of surprise on his face and shook her index finger at him. “You’re shocked that I’m speaking to you like this? Well, good. You need to recognize that I am capable of standing up for what I believe. I might have married you for the wrong reasons, but I’m going to stay with you for the right ones.”
“Marybeth, calm down. I know this is hard for you to understand, but you must see reason. This place is much too dangerous. I had no idea how it would be, and it was a failure on my part to bring you and Carrie here. I should have come ahead and checked things out. If I had, I never would have—”
“Married me?” she said, still angry. “Is that what you want to say? That’s unfortunate for you. Because we are married, and I do not believe in divorce.”
“I wasn’t talking about a divorce, Marybeth. But maybe ... well, we could live separate or annul the marriage. I think even God would understand.”
“Well, I don’t think much of you doing the thinking for God. The Bible says He hates divorce. We made a pledge to each other, and the justice even said, ‘What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.’ No man. Not you or anyone else. You’re stuck with me, no matter how much you hate the idea.”
“I don’t hate the idea,” Edward admitted. “Not at all. I love you, Marybeth. I do. I love you more than I thought was even possible. I want you ... in every way.”
“Then stop talking about sending me away. If I went back to Indiana with Carrie, I’d probably find Pastor Orton on my doorstep once again. I’d have to fight to keep her, as he will likely convince the entire community of my being cursed.”
“George could settle the matter. He could arrange things so that you wouldn’t have to worry about it.”
“And how would he do that if you annul our marriage or divorce me?” She put her hands on her hips. Why couldn’t he see how ridiculous this entire matter was? “If I’m not under your direct protection, if I’m a single woman, no one is going to allow me to keep my sister. And who could blame them? I won’t have money unless I work a job, and then who will take care of her?”
“Inga could. Besides, you’ll have the money from the sale of the house.”
“And why would I remain with Inga and George if I’d nolonger be married to you?” She arched her brows and looked at him as if to dare him to find a proper answer.
Smartly, he said nothing.
