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“Would you really, Joy?” the boy asked, his eyes pleading as he stood before her, his hands reaching for the books she held. “Oh, look, Daddy. Just look at the books Joy gave me.” Joseph sat down on the floor and looked over the assortment Joy had gathered together from her own library for him.
“Here’s a whole book about horses and another about dogs. There’s lots of stories in this one, and look at the pictures of all kinds of horses in this one. And here’s Black Beauty, too.” He hugged the book to his chest. “I’ve always wanted to have someone read this story to me. And now Joy says she will. Will we be here long enough for her to read the whole thing, Daddy? Will we?” the boy asked pleadingly.
“Of course you will,” Joy said quickly. “I’m sure you and your father aren’t going anywhere in a hurry, Joseph. You’ll be here for a good while, I’m certain.”
“As long as Joy and her grandfather will let us stay,” Gideon added with a quick smile at Joy. “There’s lots of work I can do here to make life easier for Joy and Grandpa this winter. We’ll stay for a while.”
“You betcha,” Grandpa added. “We’ve been needing someone to lend a hand around here. It’s too much for Joy, and I can’t do much to help her. At least not in the snow.”
“That’s settled, then,” Joy said with a wide grin. “You can stay as long as you like, Gideon.”
“Well, this has been the merriest Christmas we’ve had for several years,” Gideon said, bending to pick Joseph up in his arms. “I just know my son hasn’t been so happy in a long time.” And then Grandpa called out for Joseph to draw near to him.
The boy scooted over to stand by Grandpa while the old man dug in his pocket, finally drawing forth a wooden figure. It was a small horse, and the boy watched wide-eyed as the old man held it in the palm of his hand. “Maybe this could be Black Beauty, sonny,” Grandpa said with a wide smile. “Not the right color horse, but you can pretend he’s black till your pa can paint him for you one day.”
“Oh, I can pretend without black paint, Grandpa,” the lad cried, holding out his palm for the small figure.
Grandpa placed the figure in Joseph’s hand and then had to stop and wipe his eyes and nose, so caught up in the lad’s pleasure he almost shed a few tears. “I’m happy you like it, Joseph,” he said, reaching to hug the boy in a quick embrace.
Joseph ran to his father. “Lookee what Grandpa made for me, Daddy. Ain’t it the prettiest thing you ever saw?”
“Sure enough it is,” Gideon said, casting a thankful look at the old man who watched the boy so closely.
Joy rose from the sofa, bent on making it to the kitchen before tears escaped her control. “I’m going to clean up and get ready to fix our Christmas dinner,” she said, hurrying from the room.
“I reckon I’ll give her a hand.” Gideon put his son on the floor and headed after the young woman he’d barely been able to keep his gaze from all morning. Joseph ran to the sofa.
“Can you and me just sit here and watch the Christmas tree?” he asked Grandpa, who held out an arm to enclose the lad’s shoulders as he sat beside him.
Gideon went to the kitchen where Joy was wiping the last of her tears and had set about with the breakfast dishes. His arms encircled her and she rested against him for a few moments. “It’s been a wonderful morning, but now the dishes await me, Gideon,” she said with a sigh.
“Tell you what, ma’am. I’ll dry if you’ll wash,” he said, picking up the dish towel and waving it with a flourish, as if intent on drying her tears with his foolishness.
And so the day passed, all enjoying the dinner Joy fixed for them, Gideon doing the chores closer to nightfall and Grandpa whittling another figure for Joseph to match the horse he’d given him. “This way you’ll have a team of ’em,” Grandpa said, busily carving the long legs on the figure in his hands.
It was truly the best Christmas Joy could recall as she sat on the sofa after replacing the candles on the tree and lighting them anew. Gideon came in from the barn and stomped his feet as he hung his coat and then joined them in the parlor.
“I’m going to see about putting this boy to bed. He’s had a big day and he’s about ready to shut his eyes and doze off,” Gideon said quietly, picking Joseph up and holding him close.
“Well, get him ready for bed and send him down to me if he’s still wide-awake. I’ll read to him for a while from Black Beauty and see how he likes it. It’s a good story, for sure,” Joy said.
So it was that she curled up on the sofa with a lamp on the table next to her on one side and a small boy gathered to her on the other. The book lay open on her lap and she found herself with an audience as Gideon joined them, sitting on the floor by her feet as she read. Joseph snuggled close as if he hadn’t been cuddled in a long while and his head drooped against her, finally dropping to her lap as he snoozed while she read.
Joy closed the book after inserting a bookmark she’d knitted, a miniature scarf, only an inch or so wide.
Gideon smiled as he saw it. “You’re just full of talents, Joy,” he said. “You not only cook and clean, but you know how to tend to a family in every way possible. I’m in awe at your abilities.”
Joy flushed, nodding her thanks for the compliment, placing the book she’d been reading on the table beside her. “This boy is about out for the night,” she whispered to Gideon as he approached.
“I’ll take him up now. And I think I’ll crawl in beside him. We’re both nearly tuckered out. Will you being going up, too, Grandpa?” he asked the older man.
Grandpa nodded and headed for the stairs, dropping a quick kiss on Joy’s cheek as he passed her chair. “Good night, Grandpa. And you, too, Gideon. I’ll lock the doors and be on my way, too,” Joy said, stifling a yawn as she spoke.
“It was the most beautiful Christmas I’ve ever had,” Gideon said as he paused by her chair. “And you made it possible, Joy. You and your grandfather. I can’t thank you enough, both from me and my son. I’ll bank the fire in the kitchen and be right back to tote my boy upstairs.”
Joy looked up into his eyes and felt warmed from within. Gideon’s smile was one she’d never seen before, filled with more than affection, for he bestowed upon her a smile that spoke to her heart.
“I’ll be turning in, too, once I make sure all the candles are out,” she said.
“I’ll see you in the morning, Joy. God bless you, for you’ve been a real blessing to me. And to Joseph.” He bent, leaving the touch of his lips against her cheek, then went into the kitchen where she heard him lifting a burner on the stove, preparatory to banking the fire for the night. By the time she’d gone to her own room he was back in the parlor, picking up his son and carrying him to the stairs, where she heard his footsteps touch each step. She watched from her bedroom doorway as he climbed, looking down at the lad he carried, lifting him close to his heart as he reached the top of the stairs and headed to the first room on the right.
The house was quiet as Joy found her bed. Before she snuggled beneath her quilts, she lifted herself up a bit to blow out the candle she’d brought to light her way. Her fingers touched the spot on her cheek where Gideon had left his warmth. The man seemed to have crept into her life and her heart in a way she’d never have dreamed possible. He was the very image of what she had long harbored in her heart as the perfect man for her future. Not only tall and strong and handsome but a wonderful father to his son. Perhaps it would be her Christmas gift from the powers that be, that Gideon would find her pleasing. For though he’d told her she was to be admired, she could only wish for more.
Her head swam with images from the whole day as she sank into slumber. And all of them included the tall man who had swept into her life and somehow...into her heart.
Chapter Six
The days following Christmas passed swiftly, Joy caught up in the pleasure of watching from the window as Gideon went about the chores inherent in running the farm. For he had told her she must not leave the house, but rather stay inside and keep Grandpa and Joseph company while he braved the cold and snow outdoors.
She could not find it in her heart to dispute his edict and so cooked and cleaned the house, then washed the ever-present laundry, hanging it on the rack behind the stove to dry. Gideon brought in bacon and sausage from the smokehouse and even half a ham for their supper one night.
“There’s still a lot of meat out there,” he told Joy as he presented the ham to her that afternoon. He ducked back to the porch and brought a pail of eggs into the house, carrying them to the pantry for her. “I’d say we’re in pretty good shape,” he said as he hung his coat and cap on the hook. “If we seem to be running low, I can always take the gun and find a deer for us. I’d think we could eat for a good long time on a nice buck. And we could always have one of the hogs butchered if need be.”
“I’m so glad you’re here, Gideon,” Joy said with spontaneous happiness. “I’ve never felt so well cared for before. It seemed I had to be the one to do chores and look after my grandfather and keep everything up to snuff. It’s a real pleasure to have you here, and especially with the way you’ve taken over the chores for me.”
“I’ve been blessed by you and your grandpa, Joy,” he said in a low tone as he sat at the kitchen table to watch her as she put together their supper. “Joseph and I would have been goners if you hadn’t welcomed us into your home.”
“I think there is a power that watches over us,” Joy said, turning to face him. “Things work together for good, the good book says, and I believe it.” She lifted the coffeepot and filled a cup for Gideon, placing it before him. “I made a fresh pot while you were out taking care of things. I thought you’d be cold and ready for some hot coffee to warm your innards,” she said with a chuckle.
“I can’t imagine why a woman such as you hasn’t been snatched up by some young fellow,” Gideon said softly, his words carrying only to her ears. “You are the epitome of womanhood, Joy. A real treasure for the right man.” And then she watched as a flush rose to cover his cheeks.
“I can’t believe you’re blushing,” Joy said, seating herself next to him at the table, her own coffee steaming before her.
“I’m trying to smooth the way for a question I want to ask you, Joy. I’ve wanted to go to town and speak with your minister there, but the weather hasn’t allowed for travel yet. And I need to deposit my cash into the bank, too. I’d thought the minister or even your sheriff might check up on me for you, kinda relieve your mind about me if you’ve any questions He could write or wire to the folks who wrote my letters of referral and see for himself that I’m exactly what I’ve said I am.”
“I don’t have any questions about you, Gideon. I read the letters you showed me the first day you were here and I have no doubt that they are genuine. If you want to speak with my pastor or the man at the bank or even the lawman in town, I’d say go right ahead. But I trust you thus far. And unless you give me reason not to do so, I’ll let things ride.”
He bowed his head in a courtly gesture. “Thank you, Joy. As to what I began saying earlier, I really hesitate to be too bold, for we’ve only known each other for a short while. And yet I feel that I’ve known you forever. Does that make sense?”
She lifted her cup to sip at the hot brew within, then smiled at him as she lowered it to the table once more. “I know what you’re saying and I understand what you mean, Gideon. I didn’t know I could come to love a child in such a short while, but I feel that Joseph is almost my own. That sounds a bit...presumptuous, I suppose, but it’s how I feel.”
“Joseph asked me last night when we went to bed and after he’d said his prayers if he could call you his mama. He’d already prayed for a mother of his own, as he has several other times, but for some reason, he has latched onto the idea of calling you mama and I didn’t know how to answer him. I told him I’d ask you today if you wouldn’t mind.”
Joy folded her hands on the table before her and bit her lower lip, trying her best not to shed the tears that had formed at his words. “I’d be honored, Gideon. I love your boy.”
He reached out and took her hands in his own, sending his warmth to her very depths. “Joseph will be pleased to hear that, Joy. I’ll be sure to tell him when he wakes up in the morning that you’re agreeable to his plotting.”
“Let me loose, Gideon,” she said as a sound of bubbling from the stove caught her attention.
The potatoes had begun to boil and she slid the kettle to the rear of the stove to simmer for a bit. The pork roast she was baking would soon be ready to take up and she’d make gravy by the time the potatoes were finished cooking.
“I think I’d better check on Grandpa while I have a few minutes free,” she told Gideon, wiping her hands on her apron and heading for the parlor. “He wasn’t feeling just right this morning and he’s been resting on the sofa, enjoying Joseph from a distance. Said he didn’t want to spread around any germs if he had something going on.”
She went into the parlor, hearing Joseph’s clear tones as he “read” from the picture book he held. It was one from her own childhood and Joseph had felt he’d struck gold when she’d allowed him the use of her outgrown library. Grandpa sat on the sofa, an afghan tucked around him as he listened to the boy make up a story to go with the pictures in the book before him.
Joy touched the old man on the shoulder and bent to whisper in his ear. “Are you feeling any better, Grandpa?”
Grandpa shook his head. “I’m not sure what it is, Joy, but my chest is hurting some, and my breathing seems to be not quite right. I’m thinking it would be a good idea for Gideon to ride to town on your mare and see if the doctor would come out here.”
Joy felt dread strike her soul at his words. She’d feared early this morning that there was something amiss with her grandfather, for he’d not eaten breakfast and had only had hot milk to drink, saying he felt a bit under the weather. Now to hear that his chest was paining him gave her real cause for alarm. She bent to his ear and whispered words of comfort, and then made a decision. “I’d feel better if you’d lie down on my bed, Grandpa. My room is warm, for the stove is just on the other side of the wall and the heat radiates into there. Maybe you’d do better to lie down.”
“I don’t think so, Joy, for I can breathe better when I’m sitting up. If you’ll bring your quilt out here, I’ll put my feet up on the sofa and lean into the corner and let Joseph read his picture book to me.”
Joy squeezed his shoulder in reply and went to her bedroom to get the extra quilt from her bed. She lifted Grandpa’s feet to the sofa and tucked the quilt around him, then put the afghan around his shoulders to keep his back warm. “I’ll go and talk to Gideon now, Grandpa,” she said. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to check on you.”
Her heart beat in a rapid cadence as she walked to the kitchen, unwilling that Joseph be frightened by anything going on, then caught sight of Gideon. He stood when she came into the kitchen and grasped her shoulders.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart? Is Joseph all right?”
“It’s Grandpa, Gideon.” She felt the tears sliding down her cheeks and Gideon’s warm arms enclosed her tightly, muffling the tears she couldn’t help but shed against his chest.
He whispered soft words into her ear. “Whatever it is, we’ll take care of it, Joy. Is he not feeling any better? Shall I go for the doctor in town?”
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