A Time for Everything (45 page)

He pulled back slowly, breathing hard.
“Would you… let me stay with you for a while?”

Portia’s eyes widened. She
hadn’t meant to break convention
that
much.

“
No, no, not like that.”
He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled apologetically. “I’m not
good at this. I just wanted to hold you a little while, if that’s
all right.”

He was so sweet about it, she couldn’t
resist. “Why don’t you come in?”

He followed her inside, and she shut
the door behind them.

Keeping the lamp dimly lit, they lay
side by side, fully clothed except for shoes, on top of the quilt.
Portia spooned up against him as close as she could get.

After a few moments, she sighed
contentedly.

“
What’s wrong?” His warm
breath caressed her neck, reminding her of everything she had
missed for all those months she’d slept alone.

“
Nothing at all,” she
answered. “In fact, I’d say it’s perfect.”

He held her tighter, found her hand,
and interlaced his fingers with hers. “I’ll stay until you fall
asleep.”

“
Then I’ll never sleep
again.” But the lull of a good night’s slumber coaxed her into
submission. It didn’t matter, though, because tonight she could
rest easy in the arms of the second man she’d ever
loved.

~~~~

Portia could not
have imagined a sweeter reunion the next evening
when they finally arrived. Bessie, Jonny, and Ezra ran down the
drive, meeting them well before they reached the house. Soon as
Beau helped Portia down, everyone immersed her in hugs, laughter,
and happy tears. Even Isaac left the mule in the field where he was
clearing fencerows and jogged over to welcome her home.

“
Told ya she’d come back,
son,” Ezra said with a belly-wobbling chuckle.

Isaac took care of the horses and
carriage, while the rest of them continued on foot toward the
house. Jonny held Portia’s hand, swinging it back and forth and
talking up a storm about everything they would do together over the
summer. Bessie walked with her arm in arm on the other side. Beau
and Ezra fell behind them, and it all felt so natural. Portia had a
real, live family again, and she planned to enjoy every moment with
them.

“
Oh, honey!” Bessie said
as soon as they stepped through the door. “I knew you two were
meant to be the moment you set foot in this house.”

“
Really?” Portia put a
hand on her hip and grinned. “From what I remember, you couldn’t
stand the sight of me.”

“
Pshaw! I knew you were
his match. I think that’s one reason I didn’t like you at first.
It’s always hard for a mama to let go of her boy.”

Beau hugged her, and she wiped her
eyes with her kitchen towel. “Now, Beauregard Stanford, I’m sure
you’ll be wantin’ to set a date right quick, but you better give me
time to plan a meal and make a cake.”

Beau laughed and took Portia’s hand.
He kissed her knuckles and winked. “We’ll get to that, Bessie,
don’t you worry. Po and I are gonna have a proper courtship
first.”

Ezra huffed through his mustache. “Why
you gotta bother with all that? I can get the preacher out here
tomorrow.”

“
Hush your mouth!” Bessie
snapped him with her kitchen towel. “A wedding needs to be done
right. Don’t matter if it ain’t their first one.”

“
However long this
courtship lasts,” Beau intervened, “is up to Portia. But now I
better let my future wife get some sleep. We’ve got a busy day of
courtin’ ahead of us tomorrow.”

Portia yelped when he scooped her off
her feet and started up the stairs, carrying her in his arms. “I’m
capable of walking, you know.”

“
You’re the most capable
woman I’ve ever met,” he said, pausing the climb long enough to
give her a quick kiss. “But just once, I’d like to feel useful
around you.”

Portia buried her face against his
neck and giggled.

~~~~

At breakfast the
next morning, Portia had just taken her last bite
of bacon when Beau hollered, “Jonny, get the fishing poles, and
Bessie, pack us a picnic lunch.”

“
Yippee!” Jonny leapt from
his chair and streaked out the door.

“
For heaven’s sake, Beau,
let her finish breakfast first,” Bessie fussed.

“
If I’m gonna court this
fine lady, there’s no time like the present,” he said. “Ready,
Po?”

She wiped her mouth. “Ready as I’ll
ever be.”

The rest of the day was
better than a sweet dream, and she dared not pinch herself just in
case she
did
wake
up. She, Beau, and Jonny went fishing. They didn’t catch a thing,
but it was well worth the attempt when Beau slipped on a mossy rock
and fell on his backside with a splash. They gave up and had a
picnic under their favorite tall cedar by the creek. Portia
challenged them both to a rock skipping contest, and she was the
decided winner, much to the boys’ pretend consternation.

Later, they lay sprawled on their
backs in the cool comfort of a cedar glade, watching the clouds
drift by and trying to guess their shapes.

“
It’s a horse,” Beau
said.

Portia sat up and picked a nearby
dandelion that had gone to seed. “That’s what you’ve said the last
five times. Jonny?”

Jonny chewed his bottom lip. “Hmm…
yep, it’s a horse.”

Father and son shared a belly
laugh.

“
Oh, you men!” She blew
the seeds across Beau’s face.

He swatted them away, still laughing.
Then he reached up, grabbed her, and pulled her down on top of him.
She picked a stray dandelion seed out of his hair and basked in the
light of his happy hazel eyes. She’d tied her hair back into a
single, long braid that lay coiled on his chest. Beau ran his
fingers down the length of it, then cupped the back of her head and
brought her lips to his for a gentle kiss.

“
Eww,” Jonny
exclaimed.

Portia blushed and rolled off his
father; she’d been so caught up in the moment, she’d forgotten all
propriety. But Jonny’s face showed more joy than disgust. His
happiness made this day all the sweeter.

“
I’ve missed my riding
instructor,” she said and gently flicked his freckled nose. “How
about another lesson?”

“
Sure!”

They saddled up and set out on the
trail. Jonny rode one of the geldings, and she rode the four-legged
snail that had been designated as hers. After a mile or so of
waiting for her to catch up, Beau offered to let her ride with him
on Scout. She didn’t argue one bit. They left Snail to graze where
he had stalled over a patch of clover.

Beau wrapped one arm around her waist
as they kept a leisurely pace under some of the tallest cedars of
Lebanon. They arrived at the top of a hill at sunset. The view was
amazing. Below them lay the town, surrounded by rolling hills, with
fields laid out in a multi-colored patchwork bordered with trees
and fencerows. The setting sun painted a gorgeous backdrop of red,
orange, and gold. Jonny rode a short distance away, leaving them
with a little privacy.

Beau whispered, “I love
you.”

Turning toward him in the saddle,
Portia circled her arm around his neck. “I love you, too, Mr.
Stanford.” She met his smiling lips and soared into one of the best
kisses of her life.

Resting in the warmth of his arms, she
watched a flock of starlings fly over the town. “You know
what?”

“
What?”

“
I think we’ve courted
long enough.”

He chuckled and kissed the top of her
ear. “Then let’s get married.”

“
I thought you’d never
ask.”

“
I got you something,” he
said. “It’s not a ring, but I think you’ll like it. Hold your hair
out of the way.”

She lifted her braid and pulled it to
one side. He retrieved something from his vest pocket, and placed
it around her neck. She let her hair fall and looked at her gift.
It was the cameo she’d found him admiring that fateful day in the
store and the moment she’d realized she was falling in love with
him.

“
It’s beautiful. Thank
you, Beau.”

He sealed the promise of
their future together with another deliciously wonderful
kiss.
Who needs an engagement ring
when the man you love kisses you like
this?

~~~~

Though it wasn’t
exactly a surprise, when they shared the news of
their official engagement over supper, Jonny, Ezra, and Bessie were
over the moon. Talk swirled around the table about cake and a
barbeque and when and if they might have a honeymoon. Jonny even
asked when there would be a new baby.

Red-cheeked Portia and an amused Beau
looked at him, and he shrugged. “What? I’ve always wanted a brother
or sister.”

They laughed, and with a discreet move
under the table, Beau patted Portia’s stomach. “We’ll see what we
can do about that.”

The happy couple ended their perfect
day at the door to Portia’s room. They leaned against the wall in
the hallway, hands locked together between them.

“
I was thinking,” Beau
said with a mischievous grin, “there’s no need for a long
engagement.”

“
My thoughts exactly,” she
agreed, bringing their joined hands to her lips so she could kiss
his rugged knuckles. “We’ve both done this before, so why
wait?’

“
Let’s give it a couple
days, so Bessie can make a cake and all that. She’ll have my hide
if we elope tonight.”

“
Then let’s not give her
reason to. I rather like your hide the way it is.” Portia released
one hand and ran her fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes
and sighed as though she’d taken all his cares away in that one
simple touch.

“
Do you want me to stay
tonight?” He captured her hand between his calloused ones. He
lifted his hungry eyes to meet hers, throwing her heart into a
crazy rhythm.

She drew in a shaky breath. “Yes… but
if you do, I’m afraid Ezra will have to fetch the preacher right
now.”

Beau rested his forehead against hers,
breathing hard. “Don’t tempt me. Pa’s already asleep, but I bet he
wouldn’t mind me waking him up for that.”

He kissed her before she could say
anything else. His fingers pressed into her back as though they
longed to explore what lay beneath. Portia’s fingers hooked into
his shirt collar, flirting with the hot skin and course hair on his
chest. Before they lost all control, she gripped his shirt and
gently pushed him away, holding him at arm’s length.

She almost laughed at Beau’s pouting
face. “Just a couple nights, that’s all. The time apart will make
it all the better on our wedding night.”

He growled but stole a quick kiss then
took two steps back. “I’ll hold you to that. Goodnight, Po. Love
you.”

“
I love you,
too.”

She entered her room and closed the
door. The taste of Beau’s lips still lingered on hers, and she
savored it while resting her back against the cool wood. Her things
were back in their proper places, at least until she and Beau could
share a bed. She walked to the dresser and picked up Jake’s
picture. Holding it to her chest, she thanked God for second
chances.

Settling into bed after extinguishing
the lamp, she wiggled into the comfort of her feather mattress with
a contented sigh. For the first time in a long time, she hadn’t
felt the crushing weight of loss. Instead, hope had reignited,
allowing her to clearly see a future full of possibilities, with a
home and husband… maybe even more children.

Smiling, she drifted into dreams of
babies and Jonny graduating from the university and sitting with
Beau on the front porch while they watched their grandchildren
play. Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, she woke to the
sound of her door creaking open.

She sat up and squinted into the
darkness, laughing softly. “Beau, can’t you wait just a couple of
nights?”

Her eyes caught a silvery flash and a
man-shaped shadow. A second later, she was knocked flat to her bed
and pinned down under a crushing weight. She tried to scream, but a
large hand clapped over her mouth, and all she could utter were
muffled shrieks. Something sharp pinched her neck. Her eyes
adjusted enough in the darkness to identify exactly who her killer
would be.

“
Sorry to disappoint you,
darlin’.” Harry Franklin’s breath reeked of whiskey and brought
with it every childhood memory she had tried to suppress. “But I
ain’t Beau, and I ain’t waitin’ for you no more.”

Paralyzed with
fear,
Portia whimpered as Harry lifted his
body off her just enough to loosen his belt. He jerked the covers
from between them. A rush of cool air jolted her into action. She
thrashed her head to one side and let loose the loudest scream she
could. But it was brief. Harry’s hand smashed down on her mouth,
cramming her lips against her teeth. The knife slipped along her
skin, leaving a searing hot pain and rendering her silent once
more. Did Beau hear her? Did anyone? Or was she meant to die like
this — at the hand of the man who killed her brother?