Adam's Bride (18 page)

Lidia yawned as she shoved her half-empty plate to the edge of the blanket, surprised Star hadn’t take off with her uneaten chicken leg. “If Adam doesn’t come back soon, I’m going to end up sleeping through his proposal.”

Sarah laughed. “If Ruby and Anna have their say, he won’t even have time to propose to you today. He’ll be too busy carrying them around the farm on his shoulders.”

Five minutes later, Adam showed up with both girls. One on his shoulders and one holding onto his leg.

He’s going to make such a good father. …

Ruby climbed down from Adam’s shoulders as they approached the picnic blanket and plopped beside Lidia. “Are there any more of those sugary treats you made, Lidia?”

“I think so. Look in the basket.”

When Sarah had convinced her stepmother to fix a picnic for the five of them, Lidia had volunteered to make the dessert. These special treats were one of her grandmother’s favorites. Lidia’s mother had taught her to make them soon after they’d arrived in America.

“There called
chrusciki
,” Adam said, as he handed his sister a handful.

Ruby attempted to pronounce the name of the fried cookie, but ended up scrunching her lips together in frustration.

“My grandmother used to call them ‘angel wings,’ sweetie.” Lidia reached out to smooth the back of Ruby’s dark hair. “That should be a bit easier to say.”

Ruby smiled. “That I can say.”

Lidia nodded to Adam. “I’m impressed. Your Polish pronunciation is coming along quite nicely.”

Adam let out a deep chuckle. “Considering I know about three words of the language.”

Lidia laughed with him. All the doubts she had ever had about Adam accepting her for who she was had vanished in the past few months. So much of the pain she’d experienced over her parents’ and Jarek’s deaths was beginning to heal. She still thought of them every day and made sure Koby remembered them, but the deep ache she’d carried inside her for so long was finally lessening.

Adam leaned close and gazed deep into her eyes. It always caused her stomach to do flips when he did that.

“Don’t you want to eat the rest of your lunch, Lidia? You’ve hardly eaten a thing.”

“I’m fine, really.” She smiled at him. Even if he didn’t ask her to marry him today, the outing still would be perfect. She knew his sisters were important to him, and when they’d asked to spend the afternoon with him, he hadn’t even hesitated. Lidia’s presence, he’d told her, was icing on the cake.

“If you’re finished, then, shall we go for a walk?”

“I’d love to.” Lidia felt her pulse quicken.

“Don’t worry about us,” Sarah said. “We’ll finish packing the picnic basket and load it into the wagon so Star can’t get into it.”

Adam reached down to help Lidia to her feet. His hand enclosed her fingers, sending tiny shivers up her arms. She tried to steady her nerves. Since the night Adam asked if he could court her, she’d known she wanted to marry him. But as ready as she was to get married, she knew they both needed time to get to know each other after all that had transpired between them.

The girls giggled and avoided Lidia’s questioning gaze. Maybe Sarah really knew something and just hadn’t been able to keep quiet. From the scheming looks on the three girls’ faces, something was definitely afoot.

Briefly, Lidia touched the smooth texture of his shirt fabric before pulling her hand away. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” Adam shrugged a shoulder, then winked. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the farm lately and need your opinion on something.”

Lidia frowned. Talking about farm work wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. She took his arm and let him lead her across the path toward the other side of the house. Summer had arrived, and the flowers that dotted the landscape were still in full bloom. The meadows and woodlands spread out before them in varying shades of green. A robin chirped, its cheerful sound mingling with the soft rustle of leaves from the afternoon breeze. With his arm around hers, Lidia smiled, wishing she could capture this perfect moment forever.

Adam pointed toward the south of his land. “I want to take some of the earnings I made from the syrup harvest to increase my herds of both cattle and horses by the end of the year. I know I’ll have to start slow, but I want to make use of as much of the land as possible.”

Lidia nodded. “I think that’s a fine idea.”

“One of my neighbors is moving and has promised me a fair deal on some of his livestock. I’m even thinking about dairy cows to produce my own cheese to sell.”

“Cheese.” Lidia tightened her lips, wishing she could be a bit more interested. It wasn’t at all that she thought Adam’s dreams were too big, or that he couldn’t do it, but thanks to Sarah, she had marriage on her mind.

While she enjoyed listening to his dreams for the future, she didn’t want to just hear about it, she wanted to be a part of it. They skirted the edge of the sugar bush, and Lidia couldn’t help but feel the swell of pride within her. She had been a part of this year’s harvest, working beside Adam once he’d recovered to ensure that the sap was collected and properly processed. It was what she wanted. To spend the rest of her life at his side.

Adam reached out and plucked a green leaf from one of the maples. “Next year I plan to harvest at least twice as much. …”

Adam’s voice faded into the background as Lidia stared at a bird’s-eye marking on the bark of one of the trees. Maybe she should say something to him, or at least attempt to draw him into a conversation regarding their future. She knew Silvia and her ugly words weren’t true, but if Adam really loved her wouldn’t he be thinking about
their
future instead of the future of his farm?

“… I also want to—” Adam stopped and turned to face her. “Have you heard anything I said the past five minutes?”

“No—Yes.” What could she say? That she was ready for him to ask for her hand in marriage?

“What is it?” A slight grin framed his expression as if he’d caught her with her hand in a penny jar.

“You’ve spoken about your plans for the house before. …” Lidia swallowed hard. “I was wondering about the house?”

“The house?”

“Yes.” Lidia felt her confidence rise. She’d find a way to discover his intentions if it was the last thing she did. “I remember you saying at one time that you had plans for the house.”

He turned to look at the wooden structure. “The flooring needs to be replaced in at least one area, and I’d like to fix the front door. It creaks when you open it.”

“Oh.” She tried to hide the disappointment that flooded over her. He obviously didn’t see the need of a new stove, or kitchen, or any other things a woman found essential.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

Adam wrinkled his brow as if deep in thought. “There is one thing, though, that I could use your opinion on inside the house. Come.”

The girls were nowhere to be seen as they made their way toward the house. Even Star’s usual barks as he snapped at birds and butterflies had quieted.

“Where are the girls?” Lidia asked, trying to keep up with him as they took the stairs to the porch.

“Maybe they’re in the house.”

Adam opened the door, letting Lidia enter first. She stepped inside the living area then stopped abruptly. The room was full of people.

“Good afternoon, everyone. I didn’t know …” Confused, Lidia turned to Adam.

There surrounding her was all of Adam’s family. Mrs. Johnson with little Daria. Mr. Johnson with his arm around Koby. Mark and the three girls … even Star sat quietly on the hearth. Mrs. Gorski from church, who’d always been good enough to lend Lidia copies of her books, stood smiling beside her husband and two small children, as well as several other acquaintances from church.

Adam drew his arm around her. “Lidia, I wanted our engagement period … our
zareczyny …
to be what you’ve always dreamed it would be. I know it can’t be the same without your parents and brother here, but I still wanted you to have a traditional Polish engagement.”

Lidia’s eyes filled with tears. “Our
engagement period
?”

Mrs. Gorski joined Adam’s stepmother with a loaf of bread in her hands. “Your Adam here has been coming to see me to learn more about our Polish traditions and language. Today, if you say yes, Lidia”—laughter filled the room—“we want to ask God’s blessing upon you. That you will always have bread beneath your hands and that your home will be filled with children and love.”

Koby took a cautious step toward the center of the room with a white cloth in his hands. “This is so that the two of you will always be bound together.”

Lidia’s eyes filled with tears. She couldn’t believe Adam would do this for her. But he had, and this gift to her was one she’d never forget as long as she lived.

Adam turned toward her and took her hands. “Lidia Kowalski, there’s nothing I want more than to spend the rest of my life with you. With these friends and family brought together as a witness of my love to you, I pledge to love and honor you always. Will you be my wife?”

She couldn’t speak. She glanced around the room, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her gaze rested on each person, each smile filling her heart with emotion and an abundance of thankfulness.

Sarah caught her gaze and gave her a wry grin. “I promise this was a surprise to me, Lidia. Adam found out I’d been trying to discover when he was going to ask you to marry him, so he never told me.”

Everyone laughed as Lidia turned back toward Adam.

“I’m sorry about the lecture on farming,” he confessed. “It gave everyone a chance to sneak into the house—”

“And me a chance to squirm a bit?”

“I never said that, but you did deserve it, trying to find out.” Adam smiled and squeezed her hands. “Will you marry me, Lidia?”

“Oh yes, Adam. Without a doubt, yes.”

epilogue

Ten months later

The day had finally arrived. Her wedding day.

Lidia fingered the ends of her braid and tried to calm the flutter of butterflies in her stomach. The night before, her customary single braid had been redone into two, symbolizing the step she was about to take in leaving behind her life alone to be joined with Adam in marriage.

She stood before the beveled mirror in Sarah’s bedroom, making sure everything was perfect before going downstairs to meet Adam. The dark burgundy dress was by no means fancy, but in making it she’d added a few extra touches so it would be special for today. Three pearl buttons at the collar and lace around the edge of the sleeves and skirt for trim.

“Are you ready?” Rebecca held little Peter, she and Luke’s nine-month-old boy, in one arm while adjusting the edge of Lidia’s veil with the other. “You look beautiful.”

Lidia offered her a weak smile. “And you’re sure Adam will love the dress?”

She worked to steady her breathing at the wave of panic that hit her. Surely this was nothing more than a dream. The thought that Adam was right now waiting downstairs to take her as his bride was too wonderful to be true.

“The dress is perfect.” Michaela stepped forward and drew her arm around Lidia’s shoulder. “Besides, I have no doubt that he’ll be looking at you and not your dress.”

Lidia couldn’t help but laugh out loud. She was surrounded by people who loved her, and she was about to become Mrs. Lidia Johnson.

See, I have turned your mourning into laughter. Your sorrow into joy
.

Her heart swelled with praise at the reminder. While she desperately wished that her mother and father could be here to celebrate this day with her, God had taken away her sorrow and brought happiness back into her life.

“Come now.” Rebecca opened the door to the room. “Everyone’s waiting outside for the procession to the church. And your bridegroom is waiting downstairs.”

Thanking God for His blessings, Lidia glanced up and nodded at Rebecca, who had become like a sister to her already. She was ready.

“I hope I’m next.” Sarah’s voice was full of longing as she followed Lidia into the narrow hallway.

“You’re only fourteen.” Rebecca nudged her sister gently. “It will happen one day. Then I’m sure you’ll have an amazing and romantic story to recount to your grandchildren.”

Sarah blushed as they hurried toward the stairs of the Johnson family home to where everyone was waiting for them.

Lidia saw Adam the moment she began her descent of the staircase.

She drew in her breath as her gaze swept his face. His eyes refected the smile on his lips. There was no doubt of his love for her. And no doubt in her own heart of her love for him.

Adam tugged on the bottom of his black suit jacket then stepped forward and took her hands as she reached the bottom. “You look … absolutely beautiful.”

“Thank you. And you …” Lidia felt her cheeks flush.

She’d always thought him handsome, but today his touch left her breathless. He led her toward the front door of the house and out into the bright spring morning. “My father has prepared the traditional Polish blessing for us before we go to the church.”

They moved to the front porch for the blessings, a part that was almost as important as the actual wedding ceremony. Everyone was dressed in their Sunday best. Many of the ladies had flowers pinned to their hats.

Mr. Johnson took their hands and pressed them together. “You look beautiful today, Lidia.”

He turned to the group of people who stood waiting, and everyone hushed as he began his prayer. “O Lord, we come before You today to ask Your blessing on this couple. May their home enjoy an abundance of love, good health, and happiness. We know that life may be difficult at times, but may they learn to cope. To rely on each other, and most importantly, may they always remember to rely on You. Amen.”

Lidia’s eyes rimmed with tears.

Mr. Johnson turned and addressed the crowd with a wide grin on his face. “To the church, everyone. We’ve got a wedding to celebrate!”

Boisterous shouts burst from the crowd, and music began to play from the fiddler and double bass players, who stood in the back.

As everyone got into the wagons, Adam helped Lidia onto his buckboard. Sitting down, she breathed in the fresh spring air that was laced with the scent of fresh flowers. This ride to the church would be the last time she sat beside him as Lidia Kowalski.