Donovan's Daughter (The Californians, Book 4) (34 page)

Alex met all of Rigg's family, and that was no small
group. They were a cheerful, warm bunch, and Alex was
grateful for their welcome. He also met many of Marcail's
church family. Marcail had told him that Pastor Keller
was an excellent Bible teacher, and Alex found himself
looking forward to the sermon.

But before it began, Marcail, Kaitlin, and Sean all rose
from their seats and moved to the front. Alex saw in an
instant that they were going to sing. He knew Marcail
had a nice voice, but he also knew how soft it was and
wondered if they would even hear her at the back of the
church.

They started with a Hawaiian hymn. It was beautiful,
and the room was utterly still when Sean soloed. He was
a perfect tenor, and Alex couldn't decide which he liked
more, Sean's solo or the three voices blended together in
perfect harmony. But this was before their second song,
an English hymn, during which Alex heard his wife's
true solo voice for the first time.

She soloed for two of the verses, and he discovered
she had one of the purest, highest soprano voices he'd
ever heard. The pews on which the congregation sat
literally vibrated with her high notes. Alex was still
taking it all in when Marcail returned to sit beside him.

In his confusion, Alex didn't enjoy the sermon nearly
as much as he'd anticipated, or the lunch with the family
at Rigg's parents' farm afterward. In fact, Alex spent the
day under a painful cloud, which he tried to hide by
smiling until his face hurt.

Marcail, who was having the time of her life now that
she was home, didn't notice that the smile didn't reach
Alex's eyes. Not until they returned to the house in the
late afternoon and Alex told everyone he was going to
take a walk did Marcail stop to think about how quiet he
had been all day.

Rigg usually put the kids to bed, but tonight he and
Marcail were alone in the kitchen. Katie felt it was best to
leave them. Sensing the need for privacy as well, Sean
and Charlie put the children to bed with their cousins
and stayed in the living room with Katie.

The talk beyond the kitchen door began very lightly,
but Rigg's heart was so burdened by what he'd seen on
Alex's face during the morning service that he had determined to have a serious talk with his young sister-in-law.

"Was it good to have the school year end?" Rigg asked
some minutes into the conversation.

"Yes and no. I'm ready for a break, but I can't think
what I'll do to keep busy for the rest of the summer."

Rigg's brow lowered on Marcail's words. She noticed
and had the good grace to looked ashamed.

"Tell me something, Marc," Rigg began again, "did
Alex know you were going to sing this morning?"

Marcail gave a small, apologetic shrug. "I guess I
didn't bother to mention it."

Again Rigg frowned. Things were worse than he first
believed.

"Would you be mad at Katie if she hadn't told you?"
Marcail asked, seeing his disapproval.

"Not mad, just hurt."

Marcail was not comfortable with that and tried to
change the subject, but Rigg would not be swayed. Even
though she was growing angry, he kept at her.

"Tell me something, Marcail, did you really get married?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Only that nothing has changed. You still act like the
single woman who left here over a year ago."

These words made Marcail furious, but Rigg believed
someone had to tell her. "Has he ever seen your anger,
Marc? Do you open your heart to him at all?"

"You don't know what you're talking about, Rigg,"
Marcail said to him, but knew it was a lie. Rigg had
guessed perfectly how closed Marcail was to her husband.

"I do know what I'm talking about," Rigg stated
emphatically. "Alex Montgomery is a man, with feelings
and needs, not some toy for you to play with when your
family isn't around."

Marcail jumped to her feet in one angry move.

"Sit down, Marcail!" Rigg commanded. .

"Don't you order me around, Rigg. I'm a grown
woman!"

"Then act like one." Rigg's voice turned so gentle on
those words that it was almost Marcail's undoing. "I
realize a person can't force feelings that aren't there, but
I've been watching Alex. Marcail, he's in love with you."

Marcail slowly sat back in her chair and stared across
the table. "You don't understand, Rigg. I've done something, and I don't know how to undo it."

"Talk to Alex about it," Rigg told her.

"I don't know how."

"Then I'll pray that you'll know, because you're selling
him short, honey. I was impressed when I met him last
year, and then when your father came back from Willits,
he told us he thought Alex was as fine as they came, a
real man of God. Give him a chance, Marc; in fact, give
him your heart. I can see he would treasure it all the
years of your life."

Marcail didn't know what to say, but then she didn't
have to. Alex chose that moment to come in the back
door.

'Am I interrupting anything?" He glanced at Rigg, but
his eyes turned to his wife's strained features.

"Have a seat, Alex," Rigg invited.

It took a few moments for Rigg to bring Alex out, but
they eventually began to talk about where Alex had been
on his walk. This time it was Marcail who was quiet.

Alex, still half asleep, reached to wipe the hair from
his face. It took a moment for it to register that it was not
his own. Marcail's back was to him, but she must have
just been asleep on his shoulder since his arm ached and
her hair was spread across his face and chest like a fan.

Alex stretched, in no hurry to leave the warmth of the
bed. It had taken only a few days for Alex to learn that
Santa Rosa nights and mornings were cool. The heavy
quilts on the bed made it a hard place to leave. That, and
knowing that little Donovan was going to join them any
minute.

Alex reached for his Bible. He was reading through the
New Testament and just finishing the book of Mark. Not
many minutes after he'd begun reading he heard the
now-familiar thumping on the stairs outside the room.
He knew what would come next as the bedroom door
crashed back against the wall.

Donovan appeared beside the bed and grinned as
soon as he saw Alex's face. Alex reached for him and put
him on his chest. His big, dark eyes went to his Aunt
Marcail's sleeping form and then back to Alex.

"Shhh," he said, one pudgy finger held carefully to his lips. Alex nodded in approval. Donovan had felt it
was his job to wake Marcail the first two mornings they
were there, but Alex had taught him that they must be
quiet.

Katie came down the stairs and peeked around the
corner to check on her small charge. When she left,
Alex knew she would head to the kitchen and start
breakfast.

Alex let Donovan sit on his chest and chatter softly to
him until the smell of fresh coffee floated through the air.
Alex rose, pulled on enough clothes to be decent, and
went to the kitchen with his nephew.

No one was around, so Alex helped himself to the
coffee. He kept an eye on Donovan to see that he didn't
get hurt, but at 18 months old, the boy was bent on
destruction. He had emptied two cupboards and was
started on a third while Alex sipped his coffee.

Alex had just put everything back in the first two
when Katie came out of the bedroom right off the kitchen.
An experienced mother, she tapped two of the blocks
together that sat on the floor near the table. Donovan
took the bait. After he'd plopped down on his wellpadded seat, Katie helped Alex right the kitchen.

"I used to sleep as well as Marcail, but that was before
children," Katie began conversationally.

"She scared me before I knew how hard she slept,"
Alex replied. "I checked her repeatedly, thinking she'd
stopped breathing."

Katie laughed. 'Before Rigg and I were married, he
carried me from his parents' living room all the way
upstairs. I didn't know about it for some time, but being
such a sound sleeper can be very embarrassing."

"Marcail tells me that Sean held her upside down one
time and she never woke."

Katie laughed again. "You know, I'd forgotten about
that. Older siblings can be pretty awful."

"I never was," Rigg said as he came from the bedroom.

"Of course you weren't." Katie's voice was patronizing. "Tell us Rigg," she continued sweetly, "was it Jeff or
Gilbert whom you lowered from the hayloft by the ankles
and threatened to drop?"

"Oh that." Rigg was as calm as if it were an everyday
occurrence. "It was Jeff, and he asked for it. If you don't
believe me," Rigg said to Alex, "ask Bobbie-she has to
live with him."

Alex grinned at the light banter. They were really a
delightful couple. Alex had never had a marriage like
they shared. Linette had been so serious and unhappy,
and Marcail kept a carefully erected wall between them
at all times. Alex had watched Rigg kiss his wife, hug
her, tickle her, and even give her backside a playful
smack when she walked by. None of this was offensive to
him; it just caused him to yearn for the type of love they
shared in his own marriage.

As he sat contemplating the mistakes he'd made in the
past weeks, along with the indeterminable future before
him, he was forced to ask himself whether Marcail was
worth his efforts. Before the question could fully form in
his mind, he knew the answer. As the Riggs' kitchen
began to fill with people, Alex only half listened to what
was going on around him: His heart was silently deciding to court his wife once again.

Marcail noticed the change in Alex even before breakfast was over. She was a little unsure of how to take this
new Alex, with his attentive manner and gentle touch. He was acting as he had when they'd first wed, but
Marcail, still a little bruised from the weeks of silence,
was not sure how to respond.

She was sure of one thing, though. She did want to
respond. Rigg had been correct about the way she hid
her emotions, and Marcail knew that if she kept it up, it
was going to be at her own expense. Right now she was
looking forward to a time of new beginnings with her
spouse.

Alex was spending the day at the mercantile with
Rigg, and Marcail took advantage of the time to pray and
ask God to help her love her husband unreservedly. Why
she'd never prayed for this in the past was a mystery, but
Marcail knew the time for waiting was over. She knew
her feelings were not going to change overnight, but at
least she was on the road and headed in the right direction.

The morning flew by, but a little before lunch, while
Donovan was still taking a morning nap, Katie told Marcail that now was as good a time as any to cut her hair.
Katie was wearing her hair a little differently these days,
and Marcail wanted the same style.

"I meant to ask you to cut my hair when I was home for
Christmas, but now I'm glad I forgot. I want you to take
about ten inches off the back, Katie, and I want my bangs
just like yours."