Chapter 18

Their passion spent, Wyatt gathered her in his arms and whispered, “You make me happy, beautiful woman.”

“Oh, Wyatt, you make me feel beautiful and loved whether I deserve it or not.”

“Why wouldn’t you deserve it, Edwina?”

“I’m a sinner and an ungrateful selfish person for all the things I’ve been given. Especially you. I’m grateful I found you and you took Adam and me into your heart just like I always knew you would.”

“Then who in the world would say you’re a sinner?”

“My uncle Hezekiah.”

“Why does he say that about you?”

“He says I have my mother’s bad blood.”

“What did your mother do?”

“Uncle Hezekiah said she was the reason my father decided he wanted to be something other than a preacher. The last thing he was going to do was open a store.”

Wyatt frowned into the dark. “What’s wrong with being a store owner?”

“That’s what I asked Uncle.”

“What did he say?”

“Nothing. He slapped me for talking back to him. Then he told me my daddy would’ve done God’s work, but my mother took him away from God and saddled him with a girl child. He said that was why God decided to punish them and take their life.” She cuddled closer to Wyatt. “Do you think Uncle Hezekiah was right? Did God punish them because my mother was bad and I was a girl?”

“Of course not. God doesn’t punish people that way.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Why do you hope that?”

“Because I defied my uncle when I ran away from Richmond to find you.”

“Oh?”

“I had to, Wyatt. They were going to take Adam away from me and give him to a couple who didn’t have children.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” He decided to push her to get the rest of the story before he confronted her about what Reeson had told him about her.

“I didn’t want you to keep us here because you felt sorry for me or Adam. I wanted you to love us as much as you did the day we were married in Richmond.”

“Tell me now, Edwina.”

“After we were married and you left, he and Aunt Callie started in on me to have our marriage annulled. I refused to do it because I knew you would come back for me someday. Then I learned I was going to have a baby. Uncle Hezekiah was livid and Aunt Callie cried for a week. I was thrilled because even if you weren’t there with me, I had a part of you.”

Wyatt pulled her closer to him and put his chin on the top of her head. “Go on, honey. I want to hear it all.”

“Uncle then brought the Clarks into our lives. They couldn’t have children and wanted one. After praying and reading his Bible for a week, Uncle Hezekiah said God had given him one of his visions. He said since you were gone, I had to divorce you, but I wouldn’t do it. He then told me that God said my child was meant to be the child for the Clarks. I didn’t understand and he went on to tell me that I was the vessel. He said I was like Hagar in the Bible. I was to have a child for the Clarks like Hagar had one for Abraham and Sarah since she couldn’t give him a child.”

Wyatt was becoming angrier and angrier, but he continued to listen without comment.

“For some reason they decided Adam would stay with me until he was about eighteen months old. I think it was because the Clarks wanted him to be out of his diapers and to be able to walk and talk a little. That was the only reason I could come up with.”

She paused and sniffed. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to cry, but when I think I could’ve lost my baby, I get upset.”

“I can understand that.” He slid his hand up and down her arm. “When did you decide you had to come to New Mexico to find me?”

“I had it in the back of my mind for a long time, but I didn’t have enough money. Then Adam began to get older and the Clarks wanted to visit him and get to know him. I didn’t like that, so I saved every penny I could get my hands on. My mother left me a trust fund from which I got a monthly allowance. Of course most of it went to feed and clothe Adam and me and to pay my Aunt and Uncle for our board. Uncle Hezekiah had always refused to pay for anything I needed and he did the same thing for Adam.”

“You mean you had to buy your own food and clothes?”

“Yes. I did plant a garden so I had some things in the summer time. Winter was harder. I’m ashamed to say, I would sometimes slip into the kitchen at night and steal a biscuit or some jelly out of a jar. I don’t think they ever found out.”

“That’s horrible.”

“I know it was stealing, but there were times I was hungry.”

“I didn’t mean it was horrible about you taking food when you needed it. I think it was mean of them not to feed you and Adam.”

“Aunt Callie did slip us a little food occasionally until Uncle Hezekiah caught her.”

“Oh?”

“He beat her until I thought she was going to die. She didn’t bring us anything after that. I didn’t mind going without, but I never let Adam go without anything. I’d even take him to the neighbor’s house because I knew she’d always offer us something to eat.”

“How did you get away from them, honey?”

“Uncle Hezekiah was invited to preach in the mountain area. As soon as I found out he and Aunt Callie were going to be gone for two weeks, I began making plans to leave. I knew you were somewhere in New Mexico, so I left the same evening after they left in the morning.” She took a deep breath. “You know the story from there. I found out where you lived and I came to your door. Thank the Lord, you didn’t turn us away.”

“I wouldn’t have ever done that.” He remembered how he’d thought of ways to get rid of her. Though he now felt guilty about it, there was no way he’d ever tell her she wasn’t wanted.

“I never told you, but I was afraid you’d divorced me and married somebody else. I’m so thankful you didn’t.”

“I’ll never divorce you, Edwina. You and Adam are where you belong forever.”

“I love you, Wyatt. I’ve loved you the day we said I do, but I think I’ve grown up a lot since then. Now I love you more than ever.”

Wyatt took her chin in his hand and pulled her face up so he could kiss her passionately. He whispered, “In case I haven’t told you, I love you, Edwina Singleton. You are my wife, my friend, the mother of my son and one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever met. I feel like the luckiest man in the world.”

“Oh, Wyatt.” She put her arms around his neck.

In minutes they were lost in their love for each other, but somewhere in the back of his mind Wyatt was thinking of how he’d make sure Thourgood Reeson would pay for the lies he was spreading about Edwina.

* * * *

“Calm down and eat your breakfast, Cora Sue,” Thourgood said to his daughter. “I wouldn’t have opened your letter, but I knew it had something to do with that little tramp who’s trying to pass herself off as Singleton’s wife.”

“It could’ve been about something else. Maybe a gentleman asking for my hand or something.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, child. You’ve never been to Richmond so I knew no man there would be writing to ask for your hand.”

“Thourgood, Cora Sue does have a right to have her privacy when it comes to her mail.”

“Shut up, Mildred. I’m her daddy. I’ll open any of her damn mail I want to.”

“You know I seldom say anything, but this time I have to. You have no right to talk to me that way, Thourgood Reeson. I’m your wife, not one of those rough cowboys you deal with on the range.”

He looked sheepish. “I didn’t mean to sound so rough, Mildred. You know how Cora Sue can make my dander rise.”

“You’re going to have to learn how to control yourself.” Mildred snapped her napkin and spread it on her lap. “Now I want both of you to stop this arguing and eat your breakfast.”

Cora Sue dropped her head and picked up her napkin. She didn’t meet her mother’s eyes. Like everyone else in the household, she knew her mother seldom said anything or argued with any of them, but when Mildred Reeson did speak up, everyone listened. If they didn’t, they always regretted it.

“Now, Thourgood, tell Cora Sue what was in that letter she got from Virginia.”

He nodded. “It was from a Reverend Hezekiah Thorn. He said the bank you wrote contacted him. He was pleased you had written and he said he would tell you all about Edwina Thorn.”

Cora Sue’s face changed from an angry one to an interested one as her father talked.

Thourgood went on. “He said Edwina was born to his brother and the evil woman he married. He said the pair was killed when they went off to start a very inappropriate business. At the time Edwina was a little girl and he felt it his Christian duty to take the child and raise her in the Christian way. Unfortunately she had too much of her mother’s blood in her. She grew up willful and headstrong. Though he said he and Mrs. Thorn tried, there was no way they could break her evil will.”

“What has that got to do with anything? I know the woman is—”

“Let me finish, Cora Sue. The Reverend said when she was seventeen, he caught her and Wyatt Singleton doing things they shouldn’t in a park in Richmond. He insisted they marry. After the wedding, Wyatt took off and left her. She was silly enough to believe he was coming back, but Reverend Thorn knew better. He said after a year, he had the marriage declared illegal.”

“So she and Wyatt aren’t married?” Cora Sue’s eyes got big.

“No, they’re not.” Thourgood took a drink of coffee. “As for the baby, it doesn’t belong to her. She was taking care of it for another couple, but when she thought they were coming to claim it, she took off. Now she’s trying to pass the child off as Wyatt’s son.”

“That bitch!”

Mildred shot her daughter a hard look. “Cora Sue, I’ll not have that kind of language come out of your mouth.”

“Sorry, Mother, but I’m shocked a woman would do such a thing.”

“Before you believe things like this, I think you should check it out. Maybe the Reverend isn’t telling the whole truth.”

“Of course he is, Mildred. Why would he lie? He’s a preacher, after all.” Thourgood picked up a forkful of egg. “Now, there’s nothing to prevent our daughter from marrying Wyatt Singleton. After that, things will be fine around here.”

Cora Sue looked a little skeptical. “What if he won’t marry me, Daddy?”

“Don’t worry, honey. Ain’t a man alive who can resist your beauty.”

Cora Sue giggled and Mildred simply shook her head and began eating her breakfast.