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The rest of the week went by in a blur. After the excitement on Monday, John and James seemed to decide it was time to misbehave as much as possible. Although Miles disciplined them, they still did not want to listen to me. On Friday, I was at my wits end. Neither of them had done any of their chores that week and instead of doing their homework, they were goofing off.
“John Carlton Jenkins!” I yelled above the racket they were making.
John stared at me with wide eyes. I wasn’t sure if it was my use of his middle name or the raised voice that got his attention. Whatever it was, it worked. “John, go get your school books, sit at the table and do your homework right now. You will not get anything to eat or play with until you do and you absolutely will not be coming out to our farm tomorrow.”
I turned my head to James. “James Miles Jenkins, you get yourself into the living room and pick up the entire mess that was made in there. The same threats apply to you. If switchings and scoldings from your father won’t work, we’ll go with other things instead.” They both stared at me as if I were a stranger. “Git!” I said, a stern and determined look etched into my face.
The only problem I had with splitting them up, was that I couldn’t split myself into two pieces to make sure they did what I told them to. All I could do was work on supper in the kitchen and wander into the living room every few minutes. They both dawdled and I knew it was because they thought their father would be lenient.
As five o’clock rolled around, I stepped onto the porch to wait for Miles. When I opened the door, I breathed in the fresh, cool autumn air for the first time that afternoon. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, savoring the scents of the leaves and dirt in the air. I sank into the porch swing and pushed it into slow motion.
I was only there for a few minutes when the sound of whistling came up the road. I kept my eyes closed and smiled as I listened to Miles whistling “And Can it Be?” It hadn’t taken me long to realize that was his favorite hymn. When his footsteps fell lightly on the first step, I opened my eyes.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“We need to talk before you go inside,” I said.
Miles moved over to stand in front of me. He leaned back onto the porch railing and crossed his arms. “Now what?”
“Same as all week. They won’t do their chores or homework. What I need to tell you is that you need to be firm tonight. I told them that they don’t get any food or play time until they are finished. And if they still aren’t finished, they won’t be coming to the farm tomorrow. I hope I’m not over stepping my bounds...”
Miles shook his head, interrupting me. “Not at all. Perhaps missing a meal will help them realize they are wrong. It is a good idea and one I hadn’t thought of.”
I smiled and stood up. “Thank you.”
“Before you leave, can I talk to you for a minute?”
I paused in my movement. “That would be fine,” I said, unsure what he would say.
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking this week and I’d like to talk to you on Sunday night. Could you and I take a walk sometime in the evening? Maybe Caleb could spend some time with the boys at our...my place.”
I blinked my eyes a few times and my throat felt dry. What was he thinking about? Did this have something to do with the fork in the road he talked about on Monday? I swallowed hard. “Sure, we should be able to do that. I know Caleb would be fine with it. What time would you like us to be here?”
“How about right after supper?” Miles’ face was a study of relief and anxious worry.
All I could do was nod. When I got my voice working again, I said, “Could you tell the boys goodbye for me, please?”
Miles nodded. “And I’ll make sure they get their homework and chores done. If they don’t show up by nine tomorrow morning, you’ll know they didn’t get it done and they will spend their time with me tomorrow. I’ll think up some creative chores for them to do.” He winked at me and I smiled back.
“Good! I will see you on Sunday, then.” I stepped off the porch and waved back at him. “Bye!”
“Goodbye, Anna,” Miles said in a soft voice. “God bless you.”
***
After Da went to bed for the night that Sunday, Caleb and I walked to the parsonage. Miles was waiting for us on the porch.
“The boys are inside setting up a game for you three to play,” Miles told Caleb.
Caleb gave a sheepish grin. “I hope I know how to play it.”
Miles chuckled. “It’s not very hard and you probably don’t know it since they made it up.”
Caleb gave a mock groan and slowly opened the door as if expecting something to explode on the other side.
Miles stepped off the porch. “Would you rather walk or sit here on the porch swing?” he asked as he joined me.
“Let’s walk,” I said. At least then, I could let off some of my nervous energy. Hopefully. Miles was silent as we approached the woods on the other side of the road. In the silence, my thoughts ran wild.
We’d been courting for almost six months. Was this talk about that? I thought it had been going well. Was I wrong? Or was this a different kind of talk? I tried not to look as nervous as I felt while I waited for Miles to say whatever it was he wanted to say.
After what seemed like an eternity, Miles cleared his throat and let out a shaky breath. “I never knew saying something like this could be so hard.” He looked at his hands. “I think our relationship needs to change. I know we’ve been courting for about six months now. I’d always believed the best way to court was to get to know someone for a couple of years before getting married. Maybe even before courting. Now...I’m not so sure. I’m not getting any younger. I’m 32, going on 33. We have a good, solid friendship based on our mutual belief in God and growing faith in Him.” He paused and took a deep breath.
I looked at the trees, the faint outlines of the birds, was that a squirrel’s nest? It was too dark to tell. I looked everywhere to, toward, or near Miles. After being nervous he would break off the courtship, I was now nervous he was going to propose. Tonight.
I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, trying to keep my breath even and calm as we neared the top of a small hill.
“I’ve prayed so much about this that God is probably tired of me talking to Him,” Miles continued with a nervous laugh. “About two months ago, God impressed on me I was supposed to marry you. I pushed it aside assuming it was because of John’s and James’ insistence about it, coming to me while I prayed. Then it happened again. And again. And again. Day after day it kept coming to me. Finally, I prayed and asked God if that was from Him. Although I didn’t hear it audibly, it seemed like He said, ‘Yes, marry Anna. Now.’ That was a month ago. I kept praying and asking God if I heard him right. I know I shouldn’t do that.” He gave a short, forced laugh. “After all, I’m the pastor, I’m not supposed to doubt God’s Word, right?”
I shook my head. “You may be a pastor, but that doesn’t make you infallible.”
Miles relaxed a little and gave a small smile. “Thank you, Anna.” Even after he relaxed, he still refused to look at me. I wondered if he was as nervous as I was. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him close his eyes and swallow hard.
“Saturday, I prayed all day about us and what we should do. God was very insistent the whole day that I was to marry you. Not later. Not in one or two years. I probably should have warned you a little more than this so you could be praying about it more, but I’m hoping and praying you were already doing so.”
I closed my eyes. Was he really saying what I thought he was saying?
Miles shifted his feet in a pile of dry leaves. I felt his presence leave my side and wondered what he was doing. Then he put his hand over mine. My eyes flew open. Miles knelt in front of me.
“Anna, I first started falling in love with you the day you marched up to me with my two boys. I’d heard about you from them, especially James, and had watched you with them sometimes, but that was the first time I had actually truly seen you in all your righteous anger.” Miles chuckled as his fingers played with mine. “That was the first time I really talked to you. Before, I had only talked at you, but that time I talked to you.”
He took a deep breath. “I’m getting off topic. My point in all this is to say I love you and cannot imagine living the rest of my life without you. Anna, will you marry me?”
I took a shaky breath and swallowed hard. “Yes,” I whispered. I cleared my throat. “As long as you are sure. I still don’t think I will be a good pastor’s wife.”
“And I believe you will be a wonderful pastor’s wife. You are caring, gentle, and kind. You love people, care for them, and can relate to both genuine Christians and those who think they are Christians, but don’t have a genuine relationship with Christ. As someone who came to that knowledge later in life, you can relate to the works-oriented Christians more easily and they can relate to you. Whenever I share my testimony, I have to tell them I became a Christian when I was six and grew up in the church. With you, you can tell them you became a genuine Christian when you were thirty and they will more readily listen to you because you didn’t grow up in the church. There are some advantages and disadvantages to both. But all-in-all, I think you will make the perfect pastor’s wife even if all you do is raise my sons and any children we might have together.”
I nodded.
“I have never been more sure of anything in my life. God was practically taking a tree limb to my head and hitting me with it, trying to get me to finally propose to you.”
I grinned. “I would have liked to see that.”
Miles grimaced. “I’m sure you would have.”
We walked along in silence until we reached the clearing James had led me to so many months ago. It was hard to believe it had been over a year since I had first met John and James.
“When should we tell the boys?” I asked as I stepped around a stump.
I looked back at Miles and saw a mischievous look light up his face. “I think we should make them guess it. Although, once they see the ri...” his eyes grew wide. “I forgot to give you the ring!” He dug quickly in his right pants pocket. “There it is. Your left hand please, Miss Stuart.”
I chuckled and gave him my left hand. He slipped the simple gold band on my fourth finger. “There,” he said with triumph. “Now we can make them figure it out on their own.”
He kept hold of my hand and gently guided our path back the way we had come.
***
When we arrived at Miles’ house, there was a note on the kitchen table for us. “The boys are in bed and I have gone home. Miles, can you please make sure Anna arrives home safely? Caleb”
“Perhaps we should wait until Tuesday night when we are all together?” Miles asked.
“Did you ask their permission first?”
Miles nodded.
“Caleb will notice the ring tomorrow morning. Da probably will, too, though he won’t say anything.”
“What are you saying?”
I took a deep breath. “I don’t know. I guess I’m saying I can tell my family. We can both tell John and James tomorrow morning.”
“Tell us what?” a young male voice asked from the stairs.
Miles clenched his jaw. “You boys are supposed to be in bed.” His voice held a note of carefully controlled anger. Without turning around, I knew I would see both boys sitting on the stairs, watching and listening to us. “Upstairs, both of you,” Miles commanded. “Now!”
“You wouldn’t have to wait until morning...” John started.
“You’re right, we wouldn’t,” Miles said. “I think we will wait at least until Tuesday.” Miles looked at me with a question on his face and I nodded in agreement. “I will also be thinking of another way to punish you two for all your disobedience this week. Get upstairs and go to bed. If you aren’t asleep by the time I get back from Anna’s, I will get more creative.”
I turned around to see their reaction, keeping my left hand out of sight.
Both boys had their heads hanging. “Yes, Pa,” John said.
They trudged up the stairs and Miles and I left.
As we walked down the road, Miles gave a deep sigh. “I don’t know what to do about those two.”
I chewed my bottom lip. “I know telling them that we are engaged will help them behave, but I think it would almost be a reward if we told them. And I think we both want them to learn from this week of rebellion and disobedience and to start obeying without something like an engagement helping them.”
“Yes, but in the meantime, how do we get them to learn this?”
“The chicken coop needs cleaning before winter,” I said with a mischievous grin on my face.
Miles threw his head back and laughed. “That would work. Tuesday or tomorrow? I know they’re usually at your place on Tuesday.”
“Tuesday would work fine. But, we’ll tell them what they will be doing tomorrow.” I thought for a long minute. “How about cleaning the windows and airing out the beds and bedding? Could we keep them out of school tomorrow and Tuesday?”
Miles’ head turned sharply toward me. “Do you think that would be a punishment?”
“Yes, I do. They enjoy school, if not for the schooling, then for their friends.”
“Hm,” Miles grunted. “As long as you’re up to it.”
I grinned. “Don’t worry, I’ve got plans racing through my mind already.”
We turned into my yard. My yard. It wouldn’t be my yard for long. I swallowed hard and tried to settle the butterflies that suddenly fluttered in my stomach. As we reached the porch, Miles took my hand and gave it a lingering kiss.
“Good night, Anna. I will see you tomorrow.”
“Good night, Miles.”
I stood on the porch and watched his retreating back until it was lost in the shadows and then I headed inside.
