“Well, carry on, you two. I’ll see you later,” Witt said backing out of the room.
“Okay, no distractions,” Heidi insisted sternly. “Let’s see what you’re made of.”
Hours later Meadlimped into the living room and collapsed onto a chair with a groan. Witt poured him a stiff drink and walking across the room pressed it into Mead’s grateful grasp.
“Sorry about earlier,” Witt said taking the chair across from him and resting his forearms on his thighs. “I don’t know what I was thinking. Those kinds of mistakes could lead to an unholy mess.”
“I’m not really worried about it,” Mead replied before taking a drink of the bourbon and sighing in relief. “I’ll be gone before anyone can come close to figuring out that I’m not from around here.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Witt replied shaking his head. “True amnesia is rare and often inspires intense curiosity. None of us need that right now, least of all Cara as she uses her beautiful brain to try and adjust the transfer schedule.”
“Is she making any progress?” Mead inquired worriedly.
“She is, but it’s time consuming and she wants to be as sure as possible that she hasn’t miscalculated. None of us want you to end up when the rest of your family had aged or worse, passed on. It’s very important that she get this right, for all of our sakes.”
“I understand. I wouldn’t want to go back and find that Marilee is a middle-aged woman who has married another and has a passel of children.”
“You sound like your heart is set on Marilee,” Witt pointed out. “What about Lilly?”
“I’ve given it a lot of thought and I’m going to have to tell her as gently as possible that I can no longer keep my promise to wed her. I can’t, not when I care deeply for another woman. Oh Witt, if you could see Marilee, hear her voice you would understand,” he sighed. “I always thought Lillian would make a fine wife, but now even her tone of voice is grating as she complains incessantly about everyone and everything. It’s exhausting to be in her company.”
“She sounds difficult.”
“She is, nothing is good enough. No one is high enough up the social ladder to satisfy her. I swear, I can’t imagine what I ever saw in her, other than the fact that she was engaged to Morgan. When he didn’t return home, I assumed he was dead and felt sympathy for Lilly. Now I have to wonder if she’s the reason he didn’t come home,” he snorted. “I can’t imagine being tied to her for life!”
“Do you worry that he might still be alive? I suppose there’s always the chance he could return and find another man living his life.”
“I do worry,” Mead admitted before taking another sip of his bourbon. “Of course, he’s my brother and I care about him. I’d like to know what really happened to him. Did he die with Sherman’s troops? Was he killed instantly, or did he lie somewhere and suffer from a horrible wound. It torments me at times, but I’ve come to love and respect the new Morgan in ways I never did my real brother. Does that sound horrible?” he asked with a sigh.
“Not at all. They are two very different men even though they share a remarkable resemblance. Cara tells me that when Morgan came back from serving our country, he was a shadow of his former self. It sounds like he’s found himself again and I imagine Callie Mae had a lot to do with that.”
Mead laughed.
“Oh, she did. Callie Mae is a spitfire and she’s not one to let a man tell her what to do. I guess she’s ahead of her time in many ways. Most women bow to their husbands wishes, wanting to be provided for and have children. Callie Mae is perfectly willing and able to take care of herself and believes she and only she should decide her future. I have to tell you, she gave Morgan a run for his money. Personally, I was surprised when she agreed to marry him. It’s a little out of character for her, but she loves him. Anyone with eyes can see that.”
“Will they have a happy marriage?” Witt asked thoughtfully.
“I think they will have an exciting marriage, a passionate marriage, but with a tumultuous start. I imagine Callie will settle down once she has a child or two,” Mead offered.
“Does she want children?”
“I assume so,” Mead replied, a bit surprised. “Most women do.”
“Cara doesn’t,” Witt informed him. “She never has. Her career is more important,” he said with a touch of bitterness.
“And you resent that?” Mead asked calmly.
“Not really, no. She was honest about it right from the beginning,” he admitted. “It wasn’t a deal breaker for me, but I will admit I do have times when I think about being a father.”
“Well, it looks as though you’ve been lucky,” Mead acknowledged. “You’ve been married for more than four years, and she hasn’t conceived.”
Witt laughed.
“There are things available to prevent that.”
“Such as?” Mead asked in surprise.
“We have birth control pills, medication that stop a woman from producing the microscopic egg required for an embryo to present itself for fertilization. There are also shots and implants that go under a woman skin to stop her from having her monthly flow altogether,” he explained. “There are devices that can be implanted in a woman’s uterus as well. Honestly, there are any number of ways to prevent a pregnancy. Some women even go so far as having a simple surgery that is nearly always successful, and men can do the same.”
