An hour later, William helped Emily Jane back into the wagon. Mr. and Mrs. Guthrie passed the little girls up to them. “Thank you again,” William said as he sat down.
Emily Jane checked on the fox pups. They stuck their little noses out of the box. The little girls squealed at the sight.
“What have you got there?” Mr. Guthrie asked, coming around to look into the box.
She straightened her spine, afraid the old man would want to kill them. “Two baby foxes.”
He reached in and patted their heads. “What are you going to do with them?” His even tone told Emily Jane that the man was refraining from saying what he really thought. Her father often got that tone when he disapproved of something.
William answered, “We’re going to take them up the road a bit and turn them loose.”
Mrs. Guthrie stood off to the side, wringing her hands in her apron, a worried expression on her face.
“That’s not a good idea.” Mr. Guthrie looked up at Emily Jane.
“Why’s that?” William asked.
Emily Jane knew what his answer would be. He’d say they would just be a nuisance to the farmers in the area. But she was surprised when the old man said, “They won’t make it.”
Emily Jane’s stance of defiance changed to concern. “Why not?” Her voice quivered.
Mr. Guthrie looked at his wife. “The missus adopted a set of baby foxes a few years back, and they were just too friendly with folks. Ended up getting shot by the neighbor.”
William patted Emily Jane’s back. “We’ll take them deep into the woods.”
She knew he was trying to comfort her, but her mind raced at the horrible things that could happen to the babies. Her babies. She didn’t want to desert them in the woods. Emily Jane stooped down and put Rose into the big box and then picked up one of the fox pups. Rose immediately grabbed the other one.
Sadness filled Mrs. Guthrie’s voice. “They’ll just follow you back. We tried that, too.”
Panic filled Emily Jane. “Oh, William. If they follow us back, the men will kill them.” How could she have been so stupid? She’d doomed the poor fox pups to certain death by keeping them.
“I know, but we don’t have any place to keep them,” William reminded her.
“You could leave them with me,” Mrs. Guthrie said, quickly.
“Now, Esther. We are selling this place, remember? And we can’t take them with us.” Mr. Guthrie dropped an arm around his wife’s shoulders.
Emily looked to William. If he bought the farm, would he be able to keep the fox pups? Her eyes searched his. She didn’t want to come right out and ask him to keep the pups, but she didn’t want to leave them in the woods where they would die.
“Mr. Guthrie, would it be too big of an inconvenience for your wife to keep an eye on them for a few days?” William continued to look deeply into Emily Jane’s eyes.
He was going to do this for her. Her papa would never have bowed to such a simple request, and yet this man seemed to care about her and the fox pups. With difficulty, Emily Jane pulled her gaze from his. She feared he could see to her very soul. If he did, then he’d know that, with every kind action he showed her, her heart melted just a little more toward him.
The older woman clapped her hands. “I thought you’d never ask. Of course I’ll take care of these darling babies.”
Emily Jane quickly grabbed up the box she’d brought the fox pups in and handed it to her. “Oh, thank you.” With one last stroke of its reddening fur, she handed the pup she held to Mr. Guthrie to place into the box. Then she proceeded to ease the other one out of Rose’s grasp.
Rose fussed and tried to get the pup back. When Emily Jane passed it down to Mr. Guthrie, Rose let out a scream that caused the birds in a nearby tree to take flight.
Emily Jane picked up the little girl. “Rose, we have to leave the foxes here. Mrs. Guthrie will take good care of them, and in a few days you can come back and see them.”
As if she understood, the little girl rested her head on Emily Jane’s shoulder. She stuck her thumb in her mouth and watched as Mr. Guthrie put the fox pup in the box with her sister. Not for the first time, Emily Jane realized that the fox pups were twin girls, like Rose and Ruby.
“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Guthrie. We appreciate all that you are doing, and I’m looking forward to seeing you, Mr. Guthrie, at the bank on Monday.”
The old man looked up with a smile. “I’ll be there when the doors open.”
William’s handsome face broke into a wide grin. He looked about the farmyard with a satisfied expression. His gaze turned to the farmhouse. Emily Jane thought she knew his thoughts. He was thinking about the large kitchen with the table in it for eating. And the fact that it had three bedrooms would give him and the girls lots of room. He looked down at her and grinned. “I’m glad Mr. Nelson told me about this place. It’s perfect.”
Something in his eyes made her want to stay here with him, make a home for the girls and just be content to spend her days baking and cooking for a family. Emily Jane thought about her parents in that moment. Her mother had probably thought the same way when they’d first married, but look at her now. No, what William’s eyes offered was a fantasy.
Her gaze moved to the Guthries. They stood side by side. His arm was around Esther’s shoulders, and he looked down at his wife. Love radiated from his face. He only had eyes for Esther. Had he even absorbed what William had said? Or was his heart too full of love for his wife to hear anything?
What would it be like to have a man so devoted to you that he only had eyes for you? Seeing the older couple together made her question her earlier thoughts about her parents. Were they still in love like that? Was her father simply burdened with raising such a large family?
If so, Emily Jane didn’t want a large family. She glanced back at William, who had taken his seat at the reins and had reached for the wagon brake. He was a handsome man who seemed to have a big heart.
Lord, I don’t want to fight Your will for my life. My heart is set on owning and running my own bakery. Not on marriage and having children. Please, help me to be able to put distance between William and the girls. I know I can’t have both, and right now I’m not ready for love and a family.
William glanced over at Emily Jane. They’d been riding for about ten minutes from the Guthrie farm, and she’d already gotten the girls to lie down and take a nap. She faced forward as the wagon rambled on, but she remained silent. What was she thinking?
“I can hear the river from here. Would you like to stop there and have our lunch?” he asked to break the silence.
Emily Jane nodded. “The Guthries turned out to be really nice people, didn’t they?”
“They sure did. I’m glad we came out here today.” He’d seen the way she’d studied them right before they left and hoped she’d voice some of those thoughts now.
“Me, too.” Emily Jane glanced back at the sleeping girls and smiled. “I think Rose and Ruby liked them, too.”
He turned the wagon onto a rutted path. The little mare picked up the pace at the smell of water. “Those little girls like everyone.”
Emily Jane chuckled. “True.” She glanced his way, and his heart skipped a beat. The hat on her head seemed out of place, and yet it gave her a more grown-up look. He loved it when they felt the same about things. He wasn’t very experienced in matters of the heart, but when they agreed, it bonded them a little bit more each time. He had to admit that something in her manner soothed him.
A grove of trees came into view. William turned the little mare toward it. They would be close enough to the river to enjoy the sound and sweetness of its waters but far enough away that the little ones wouldn’t fall in when they woke up and started exploring.
“Should we wake the girls?” Emily Jane asked when he set the brake.
William looked back at their sweet faces. “No, let’s let them nap.”
She nodded and leaned over the seat to grab the picnic basket. William jumped out of the wagon and turned to help her down.
Emily Jane handed him the basket. She glanced once more at the little girls, then placed her small hand in his. William felt a small jolt of electricity pass between them. They both pulled back and then laughed. “That was some shock,” she said, replacing her hand in his so that he could help her down.
Once on the ground, William released her and walked to the tree he thought would offer them plenty of shade for their meal. “How does this look?”
Emily Jane joined him. “Perfect.” She looked up into the tree branches and grinned.
“This big oak would make a great tree for a swing,” William said, his gaze following hers.
“In Kansas we lived on the plains. I have to admit I like these trees much better than no trees.” Emily Jane turned her pure green gaze upon him. “We never had trees like this when I was a kid. And definitely no swing.”
He opened the basket and found a lightweight blanket on top of the food. As he spread it out, he said, “I miss the aspen trees in Colorado, but these oaks are really nice, too.”
She waited until he was finished spreading out the blanket and then sat down. “Even if we had had trees, I wouldn’t have had time to swing in a tree.”
William studied her serious face. “Too many brothers and sisters to watch?” he guessed.
Emily Jane nodded. “And too many chores to do.” Sadness filled her voice and face.
Wanting to cheer her up, William nodded. “I’ll be right back. There’s something in the wagon I’ve been meaning to give you.” He felt Emily Jane’s curiosity peak as her gaze followed him back to the wagon.
Careful to keep it concealed, he carried his surprise back to her under a small towel. William hoped it would bring a smile to her face. He held the towel-wrapped gift out to her.
“You shouldn’t be buying me gifts,” she said, warily eyeing the package as if it might bite her.
He smiled. “I didn’t buy it.” William pushed it toward her again.
Emily Jane tentatively took it. “A book?” She looked up at him in confusion.
He laughed. “Unwrap it and find out.” William held his breath as she slowly began to remove the towel.
A squeal tore from her throat as the last layer of fabric came off. “My recipe book! However did you find it?” She hugged it to her chest in delight, then lovingly caressed the front cover.
William sank down onto the blanket beside her. “I think it was a God thing. I was going through the rubble of your house and saw a bucket that didn’t look damaged. Thinking I could salvage it, I picked it up and your book was resting underneath.”
She opened it up and saw the water marks around the edges of the pages. “I never thought I’d see it again.”
“I’m sorry about the water damage, but I think most of the recipes are still good.” He lay back and then turned on his side, propping his head up and watching her as she examined each page.
“Oh, William, you have no idea how much this means to me.” Her green eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“I’m glad you like it.”
“I love it.”
“Enough to marry me?”