Part 27 (2/2)
Annie grew still and silent in his arms, thinking. ”Do you suppose that's what's wrong with my mother? She loved me the way I was, and she can't accept me now?” She inspected his expression. ”Would you still love me if I changed?”
He stroked her shoulder through her s.h.i.+rtwaist. ”You can't always figure everything out,” he told her calmly. ”Don't upset yourself tryin'.”
She knew he was right. She gave too much thought and concern to her mother's rejection. She couldn't go back to being that girl, and if her mother couldn't accept that, Annie would have to build a life without her. But it would hurt.
In the days that followed, she concentrated on thinking about the good things that were happening, loving her husband, planning for their baby.
Annie antic.i.p.ated Christmas like a little child. She finished two linen s.h.i.+rts for Luke, using his one good s.h.i.+rt as a pattern, and bought him a box of writing stationery and an ink pen. She hid those gifts in the bottom of one of her trunks and wondered if he had something hidden for her.
On Christmas Eve she left a pot of savory stew bubbling on the stove and bundled up, wearing a pair of his boots that she practically walked out of with every step in the foot-high snow, and accompanied him to select a tree from the hillside behind their house.
The tree they selected was too big, because they didn't have any ornaments, but they both loved the size and the shape, so he set it up in the corner of the room and Annie popped popcorn and strung it until her fingers were sore from threading the needle.
They ate the stew and thick slices of b.u.t.tered bread on the floor in front of the fire. Annie cleaned up the dishes and rejoined him.
”It smells wonderful.” She inhaled the heavy fragrance of their first tree. ”Next year we'll have ornaments.”
”Next year we'll have a baby,” he replied softly.
The wonder of it still amazed her. She leaned against him with a sigh. ”What shall we name him? What was your father's name?”
”John.”
”John's a good name.”
”What if it's a girl?”
”Mmm. Johanna?”
”People might call her Jo.”
They discussed names until they agreed they didn't know what they wanted to name their baby and laughed, because they had so much time to think about it.
Annie went to her trunk and returned with her gifts for Luke which she'd wrapped in tissue paper and ribbon. Luke retrieved a small package from his coat pocket and handed it to her. ”Mine isn't as pretty,” he said.
Annie accepted the gift wrapped in brown paper and string and thought it was beautiful.
Luke opened his s.h.i.+rts and ran his fingers over the delicate st.i.tches in amazement. He got up, slipped out of his flannel s.h.i.+rt and shrugged into his new one. He stroked the sleeve. ”I've never had s.h.i.+rts so nice. Thank you.”
”You're welcome.”
”I'll wear one to dinner tomorrow.”
She held up his other package. ”Open this one now.”
He unwrapped the stationery, ink and pen. ”Thank you.”
”A businessman should have nice paper on which to write his customers.”
”You want me to write their bills on this nice paper?”
She nodded. ”It's professional. Soon we'll have letterhead printed for you.”
”Sounds pretty fancy,” he said with a smile.
He leaned against her and kissed her lips. Annie closed her eyes, but pulled back. ”Shall I open mine?”
”Unless you don't wanna know what it is.”
”I do!” She pulled the string away and peeled back the brown paper. Inside was a red satin box with gold braid trim and a ta.s.sel. Annie opened it to discover a pair of jade earbobs and a matching bracelet on the ivory lining.
”I picked those because you look so pretty in green,” he said. ”I didn't think you had any.”
”I don't, I mean, I didn't.” Come to think of it she didn't have more than a simple gold locket besides the pearls her father had given her. ”I'll wear my green dress for you tomorrow.”
He kissed her again and this time she laid her gifts aside to enjoy his loving attention. No gift could ever be as wonderful as the gift of his love. His accepting, undemanding love.
They fell asleep in their bed that night with the scent of evergreen rich and heavy in the house, the joy of love full in their hearts, and Luke's hand resting protectively over her stomach.
The following morning Luke showed Annie how to warm bricks on the stove. He wrapped them in a horse blanket and placed them on the floor of the buggy for her feet.
A light snow fell as they rode to Copper Creek, the back seat of the buggy filled with packages and Annie's pies.
”Annie, I'd like to stop by my Uncle Gil's, too,” Luke told her. ”He'll be all alone this year.”
”Of course!” she said quickly, wis.h.i.+ng things were more comfortable between their families, so that Gil could have been invited to the Sweet.w.a.ter home.
”Which one of us is going to tell them?” Luke asked.
She didn't have to wonder what he referred to. ”I have no idea of the proper etiquette on this subject. It's always been Burdell who has told our family. Maybe that's proper. Or maybe that was just because it's his family. Oh, well, it won't matter. Mother will have a conniption fit in any case.” Suddenly, she grabbed his coat sleeve. ”They can't do anything, can they? They can't try to take this baby away!”
”Annie, of course not. This is our baby-yours and mine-don't be ridiculous. No one is going to try such a thing.”
”You don't know them, Luke. They think I'm helpless!”
”Not any longer. You've shown them differently. Change your thinking, woman.”
”You're right. Of course, you're right.” She released his arm and rode the rest of the way more calmly.
Luke delivered her and their packages and desserts into her parents' home and took the horse and buggy to the livery where they'd be protected from the weather, then returned on foot.
He knocked and cleaned his boots on the porch. Diana opened the door with a warm smile. ”Merry Christmas!” She hung his coat and hat on the hall tree. ”Everyone is in here,” she said, leading the way to the parlor where the Renlows had already joined the Sweet.w.a.ters.
An enormous tree had been decorated with gla.s.s ornaments and beads and brightly feathered silk birds. Lit candles balanced on the branches, creating a warm glow in the room. Luke had never seen anything like it, and experienced a twinge of shame over the bare tree in their home.
<script>