Tracie Peterson - [Land of Shining Water 02] (28 page)

The chill of October meant frost on the ground and color in the trees. Because of Fenella’s death, Emmalyne and Tavin had decided to delay their wedding, but now everyone was eager for the event to move forward. Even Morna, though deeply grieving the tragic loss of her daughter, wanted only for the couple to finally be joined.

“’Tis been a long time in coming,” she told Tavin and Emmalyne. “Fenella wouldnae want you to put it off.” She pressed her lips tight. “My poor lassie. If only I had locked the door . . .”

Emmalyne looped her arm through Morna’s. “Now, hear me once more, my second mother to be: You cannot carry this burden any longer. You did what any of us might have done, considering the medicine she’d had.” Morna looked over at her with a trembling smile and a nod.

Emmalyne had told Morna of Fenella’s last words and of her singing. “We shall miss her,” Emmalyne murmured. “But we know Fenella loved Jesus. Do you remember that she and I were baptized on the same Sunday?”

“I do remember. I was so proud of you both and so happy,” Morna said, patting Emmalyne’s hand. “And she did love the
Lord. I know I’ll see her again.” She paused and noticed her grandsons at play with their puppy. “She used to pray with Gunnar and tell him Bible stories.”

At the sound of his name, Gunnar looked over and threw them a wide smile. “Watch, Grandma. I’m teaching Scotty to shake hands.” He wrangled the dog away from his brother and pushed the animal into a seated position. Next he reached for the puppy’s paw. “Shake, Scotty. Shake.” The pup allowed the awkward interference, then did his best to get back to chewing on a stick that Lethan held.

“That’s very good, Gunnar. You’ll have him completely trained in no time.” Morna turned back to Emmalyne. “I’m so grateful for all the time you’ve spent with the boys, Emmalyne,” she said with another pat on her hand. “It’s helped to have you here . . . just to talk.”

“I’m glad,” Emmalyne said. She looked over Morna’s head to where Tavin stood. “It’s been a blessing to me, as well. I’ve gotten to spend time getting to know your son again.” They all chuckled and sat down on two wooden benches, Morna facing the couple.

Morna looked weary, but she smiled nevertheless. “Now we must talk about this wedding.” She began listing things that needed to be done. “I must give your father’s suit a good airing and brushing, and his boots will have to be polished. I still have to finish sewing the skirt I plan to wear.” She smiled. “We want to look our best.”

“You’ll look fine, Mother, no matter what you wear.” Tavin put his arm around Emmalyne’s shoulder. “Besides, it’s going to be a very short ceremony.”

“But there’s the reception, too,” his mother reminded him. “That could go on all day and into the night.”

“Well, it will have to go on without us.” Tavin grinned and gave Emmalyne a squeeze. “I don’t plan for the new Mrs. MacLachlan to spend her wedding day
and
night preoccupied with well-wishers. I want all her attention on me.”

Emmalyne elbowed him lightly in the ribs. “My mother has been busy planning the reception festivities. Father has been very generous with his purse. He said it was only right that he make this wedding special since I had to wait so long for it.”

“Will yer sisters be attendin’?” Morna asked.

Emmalyne shook her head. “No, the distance and expense are too great. I haven’t seen them in such a long time, but I know they are happy for me. They were none too pleased when Father ended our betrothal.”

“But now your father has let go of that tradition.”

“Aye,” Emmalyne replied.

“And I say good riddance,” Tavin muttered. “Miserable, senseless tradition, if you ask me.”

“Now, Tavin, I understand the fears of getting older and not knowing how you will manage,” his mother said. She waggled a finger at him. “One day you will be old, and you’ll wonder, too.”

Tavin shook his head. “No, we’ll have such a houseful of children that there will always be someone to care for us, married or not. And you needn’t worry about your future, either. Emmalyne and I have decided we will simply build a very large house and have you and Father on one end and Em’s parents on the other.”

“That sounds quite interesting,” Morna said, looking thoughtful. “And in between will be you and Emmalyne and your houseful of bairns.”

“Exactly so,” Tavin replied. “And all four of you grandparents will be begging for your turns to watch them while Em and I take long trips to Minneapolis and St. Paul. Now,
there’s
a tradition!”

Morna laughed heartily at that, and Tavin and Emmalyne joined in.

“Tavin says you’re to have a wee wedding trip.” Morna looked at Emmalyne with a smile.

“Yes. We plan to take the train to Chicago. I’ve never been there, and Tavin says it’s a sight to behold.” Emmalyne lifted her shoulders in a little shrug and leaned back against her fiancé. “But like I told him, anywhere we can be together will suit me just fine.”

“I hope she’s always this easy to please,” Tavin interjected.

Morna laughed at her son. “Just remember to love her, treat her kindly, and make time for conversation and laughter, and she’ll be easy enough to please.”

Tavin was glad when it was finally time for his mother to take the boys inside to take a nap. “Walk with me?” he asked Emmalyne.

Her face brightened. “Anywhere. Any time.” She took his hand as he helped her up. She beheld him with such adoration that Tavin thought his heart might burst then and there.

“Keep looking at me like that, and we may yet elope.”

She giggled. “Now, Mr. MacLachlan, you’ve waited eleven years to marry me, and you’ll not be denying me a proper wedding.”

Without warning he swung her into his arms and lifted her off the ground. “And if I insist?”

Emmalyne wrapped her arms around his neck. “Then I suppose I would yield.” She sighed and looked quite content.

“Good. Yielding to me is likely a good idea. Don’t forget.” He captured her lips with his own and felt her fingers gently rubbing the hard muscles of his neck.

After a few minutes, Tavin reluctantly pulled away and put Emmalyne back on the ground. His mood turned serious. “I have eleven years of kisses to make up for.”

She touched his cheek with her hand. “And I’m looking forward to each and every one.”

Tavin momentarily closed his eyes. How he loved this woman! He silently prayed to be worthy of her love. He wanted to be a good and faithful husband—a man who would not allow joy to escape their household. Emmalyne had already endured enough years of sorrow, he thought. She deserved to be happy.

He opened his eyes to find her watching him still. “You said you had something to ask me,” she reminded him.

“Aye. I do. I’m wondering about something. I’ve been thinking on this for . . . well, for some time now. What would you say to us adopting Fenella’s boys?”

She stopped stock-still and turned to face him. “Tavin MacLachlan, I declare, you can read my mind. I was trying to think of a way to ask you the same thing. Do you think your mother would allow for it? She’s awfully partial to them.”

“That she is. However, she was just saying the other day that they needed to be around other children. To know the love of a mother and father. I think it might have been her way of putting the idea into my head.”

“Well, it’s a wonderful idea, Tavin. I love those little boys dearly.” She drew her brows together. “I suppose, however,
it would be best to ask them how they feel. At least Gunnar. Lethan will only babble at us for cookies and milk.”

“And the ‘goggie,’” Tavin added with a grin.

“Oh, to be sure.” Emmalyne linked her arm with his and pulled him toward the house. “Why don’t we talk to your mother first, and then we can speak with Gunnar when he wakes up.”

Later Tavin and Emmalyne sat in the quiet of the front room with Gunnar. Morna and Robert had taken Lethan for a little walk so that they could speak, uninterrupted, with the boy. Emmalyne smiled, remembering Morna’s delight and comment that she and Tavin were an answer to her prayers—only so long as they didn’t take her grandbabies too far away.

“Gunnar, Emmy and I have been talking about something,” Tavin began. “We were hoping you might let us share our idea with you.”

“Is it something fun?” he asked.

“I think it is,” Emmalyne replied. “I hope you will, too.”

Tavin motioned him to come sit on his lap, and Gunnar quickly complied. Snuggling into his uncle’s arms, he looked quite content. Tavin could only hope that the boy would be as happy once he heard their idea.

“I loved your mama, my sister, very much,” Tavin began. “I’m sure I would have loved your father, too. But I never knew him.”

“I don’t ’member him much,” Gunnar said, shaking his head.

“Well, that’s all right. I’m sure your folks will always remember you from up in heaven.” Tavin gripped his hands
together in front of the boy. “Emmalyne and I were talking about how sometimes when something or someone is taken away from you, God brings something else in its place. Now, with people you can’t really take another person’s place. Every person is special. Your mama was precious to me, and I know you loved her very much. Of course, she was very sick after your father died.”

“Grandma said she hurt bad, in her head.”

Emmalyne nodded and reached over to pat the boy’s knee. “She did, Gunnar, and that pain made her do things she really didn’t want to do.”

“Like fall off the rock and die?” he asked innocently.

“Like that, yes, and the times she hurt you or Lethan,” Tavin interjected. “She didn’t know what she was doing because the pain and sickness made her not think right. Understand?” Gunnar nodded, and Tavin continued. “Like I was saying, nobody can take your mama’s place. No one even wants to. We want you to remember her and always love her, but sometimes God sends other people to us . . . like a gift, a present to help ease our sadness. Emmalyne and I . . . well . . . we’d like to be a present to you from God.”

The boy’s eyes got big. “God is giving me a present?”

Emmalyne reached out to take hold of the boy’s hand. “Yes. He is. You know Tavin and I will soon be married. And after that, we would love very much for you to live with us. You and Lethan.”

“We want, in fact, to adopt you,” Tavin explained. “That means we would become your new mama and papa. Would you like that?”

Gunnar frowned, his little brows knit together. “Will you go away like my other mama and papa?”

Tavin hadn’t anticipated this question. He grew uneasy, wondering exactly how to help the boy understand. But before he could speak, Emmalyne was explaining.

“Gunnar, we don’t know when or where, but every person on this earth will die one day. It’s not something to worry about or be afraid of, because we love Jesus, and He’s promised us that because we belong to Him, we will live forever with Him. Your mama and papa loved Jesus, and they will live forever. You will see them again someday.”

“Will they be mad at me?”

Emmalyne looked at Tavin in confusion.

“Why would you think that?” Tavin asked. “Why would they be mad at you?”

“For havin’ a new mama and papa.”

Tavin shook his head. “No, Gunnar. They wouldn’t be mad. They will be so happy that you have someone to love you—to love Lethan. They want you to be happy, Gunnar. They want you to have a new mama and papa.”