“What now?”
Keturah smiled. “Now, ye toss it out there an’ wait.”
“How do you know if you catch one?”
She chuckled and gave him a nod. “Ye’ll know.” Keturah stretched her legs out and crossed one ankle over the other. “Did ye really never go fishin’ growin’ up?”
Daniel shook his head, and his dark hair flopped handsomely over his forehead, long since fallen from the perfectly combed state of that morning. “We lived near the city, and the household staff purchased and prepared the food.” He shrugged a shoulder. “There was simply never a need.”
“Hmm.” Keturah tilted her face as she considered that sort of life. Before her family came west, they lived on the outskirts of town with land enough to grow a garden while her father worked as a fisherman on the Potomac River. Never had she lived in a home with more than a single room. Meanwhile, her husband had grown up in one with hired help.
But what did that home look like? Besides being devoid of a loving family? Keturah frowned. Since their marriage, Daniel had worked tirelessly by her side without complaint. Each night, they were bone weary with little energy left for conversation. Over two weeks had passed, and she still knew so little of her husband. Maybe it was time to remedy that.
Keturah hummed as she settled their plates on the table, the tantalizing smell of breaded catfish filling her senses. Both of the plates overflowed with fish and potatoes, and a third plate sat to the side, heaped with more fish. Not only had their fishing expedition been exceptionally prosperous, but Daniel had proven adept at cleaning and fileting the fish. The man surprised her at every turn.
His deep, comforting voice drifted to her from where he sat in the rocking chair by the hearth reading from his Bible, and a smile tugged at her lips. “‘Herein is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected within us.’”
As Daniel’s words washed over Keturah, she stopped in her tracks and turned toward him. Did hechoose that verse intentionally? Nay, he had begun at the beginning of 1 John and continued to rock and read even now, Scamper stretched out on the floor beside him.
But still, the verse tugged at Keturah’s spirit. How guilty she was of not living out those words. When God had showed such love in the offering of His own Son, she had failed to extend more than an ounce of affection to her husband. To the man who she had vowed before God to cherish. Keturah swallowed as she considered how critical she had been of her husband over the last couple of weeks. Even when her words showed grace, how often had her thoughts been critical and judgmental? Guilt squeezed at her heart.
Going forward, she must strive to do better. Just because Daniel was not what Keturah had imagined in a husband did not mean that he did not deserve her love. Not only had she made her marriage vows before God, but she had given Daniel her word. It was time she lived up to that. To make every effort to show him love and compassion.
As Keturah approached the rocker, Daniel closed the Bible, ceased his rocking, and began to hum a melody she had never heard. The sound was rich and wonderful, washing over her like a warm blanket on a cold winter day. Stopping a couple of steps away, she closed her eyes and relished its comforting touch, allowing it to envelop her and work its way into her soul.
Eventually, the humming turned to words, and a smile stretched Keturah’s lips as she crept up behind the rocker. Her husband had a mesmerizing singing voice. Careful not to disturb him, she leaned ever so lightly against the chair-back and placed her cheek on her hand as she listened to the conclusion of the song. The dying embers of the fire they had used to fry the fish flickered in the hearth, making the moment all the more enchanting.
All too soon, the tune ended, and Daniel turned to peer up at her with a broad, affectionate smile that let her know he had known she was there all along.
Heat crept up her neck. “What was that?”
“A song Nanny used to sing me as a child.” His gaze grew wistful.
Keturah’s heart ached as she recalled the little he had shared regarding his upbringing while they were at Skaggs’s Station. She reached down to his shoulder, her hand resting on the smooth silk of the waistcoat he still insisted upon wearing each night once he washed up for supper. A sudden longing to know her husband better opened deep within her. “Will ye share more about yer childhood with me while we eat?”
Daniel took her hand into his, his thumb drawing circles on the smooth skin on the back, as he smiled up at her. “I would be glad to. As long as you share more about yourself as well.”
Keturah groaned but returned his grin. “I suppose.”
“Good.” Daniel gave a hearty chuckle as he stoodand led her over to the table where their plates waited, Scamper right on their heels. The pup had taken to hiding beneath the table during meals in hopes that he would come into some scraps. Keturah and Daniel settled into their places beside one another and held a hand as they bowed their heads for grace. “Thank You, Lord, for the bounty before us and the family around us. May You bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies and fill our home with love. We look to You, Lord, in everything and pray that You lead us on our journey. Amen.”
Keturah could not help the blush that crept into her cheeks as she withdrew her hand and took up her fork. She cleared her throat. “Tell me more about yer nanny,” she requested before she stuffed her mouth with catfish.
A melancholy smile passed over Daniel’s face. “She never had children, so she treated me as her own, caring for me in a way that no one else ever did. She saw to my schooling, read stories to me. She is where I gained my love of learning and reading.” Daniel motioned to where the leather case full of books sat beside the wardrobe, waiting for the shelf to be built to house them.
Though Father had never thought much of reading, Keturah looked forward to diving into some of the volumes come winter when there would be more time for such luxuries. “She sounds like a wonderful woman. What was her name?”
“Clarice. Of course, she was alwaysNannyto me. But I always thought she had a beautiful name.”
Keturah nodded. “’Tis a bonny name.”
Daniel shot her a wide grin that made her insides swirl. “As is yours. From the Bible, correct?”
This drew a smile from Keturah. “Aye. Me mither chose it.” Her lips dipped downward then. “Father would never call me Keturah, though. He called me Ceit. What he considered a good Scottish name.”
“I am sorry to hear that. Your name is as gorgeous and unique as you are.” Daniel’s warm gaze swept over her before he pushed a curl behind her ear. Those golden-brown eyes of his seemed to pierce right into her soul.
She shook her head. “Me father never thought much of me. Of women, in general. When I was young, I thought I could earn his love. I worked hard, became as good a shot as him an’ me brother.” Keturah leaned toward Daniel. “Maybe even better, though neither would ever admit it. I thought if I were good enough, he would finally take me on a hunt as he did with me brother. He never did ask, so one mornin’, I hid in bed, all dressed an’ prepared while they readied for their hunt. As soon as they stepped outside, I went after them. But the moment I opened the door, me father turned on me. I was not welcome an’ never would be. I was a girl, an’ all I would ever be good for was tendin’ house an’ raisin’ bairns. Of course, that dinnae stop him from usin’ me to do a woman’san’a man’s work whenwe made it here to Kentucky an’ ’twas only the two of us.”
