The Darkest Winter by William W. Johnstone

Author:William W. Johnstone
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2017-06-21T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

Although Breckinridge didn’t care much for farming, it was different now that he and Dulcy were just visiting. He was more than willing to pitch in and help with the plowing and the other chores around the place. It actually felt good to be working with his father and brothers again, even though he had avoided that as much as possible when he was younger.

Dulcy spent her days with Samantha, and as she told Breckinridge when she got a chance to be alone with him, “It’s wonderful to be around another woman again who’s not . . . well, one who’s interested in home and family, I mean. But it kind of makes me sad, too, because it makes me remember my husband and my little girl . . .”

Breckinridge put his arms around her and said, “You don’t want to forget about them, not ever. I know that was a mighty good part of your life, and I hate that you got it taken away from you. That just weren’t fair. Dang it, if there was any way I could, I’d go back and put that right, even if it meant you and me never would’ve met.”

“I wouldn’t want that,” she whispered as she rested her head against his chest. “Everything we go through . . . good and bad . . . it makes us who we are. I guess, in the end . . . we just have to hope that the good more than balances out the bad.”

“I reckon the scales are still pretty much even when it comes to the things I done in my life.”

“I wouldn’t say that, Breck,” she told him softly. “I wouldn’t say that at all.”

One morning at breakfast a few days later, Samantha put a piece of paper on the table in front of Breckinridge. He frowned at it and asked, “What’s this?”

“I know you can read well enough to make out what’s written there,” she said. “Those are the supplies I need for you to pick up at the store for me when you and Dulcy go into town this morning.”

“I didn’t know we was goin’ into town.” Breckinridge looked over at Dulcy. “You know anything about this?”

“Listen to me,” Samantha said, drawing his attention back to her. “You said that the two of you are going to get married while you’re visiting here.”

“That’s the plan,” Breckinridge said with an emphatic nod.

“Well, then, hadn’t you better get started working on it? You need to go talk to Gavin Balfour, the minister at the kirk. You’ll be having the ceremony there, I expect?”

Breckinridge saw the look of worry that sprang up in Dulcy’s eyes. They hadn’t really discussed the details of their impending marriage. Breck had assumed that the justice of the peace in Knoxville would perform the ceremony. He realized now, though, that his mother, a devout Presbyterian, would expect them to get married in the church.

“I, uh, reckon we could do that,” he said, mostly to placate Samantha until he had a chance to talk to Dulcy about it.

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