The Visions of Ransom Lake by McClure Marcia Lynn

Author:McClure, Marcia Lynn [McClure, Marcia Lynn]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Distractions Ink
Published: 2010-10-20T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

Ransom Lake recovered. He had accepted Myra’s invitation for Thanksgiving dinner too. Thanksgiving was moving closer and closer, and Vaden still battled her emotions—her uncertainties—her prospects. Or rather, prospect. Jerome, as always, was overly attentive and charming. In the past three weeks following the incident of Halloween night, he had been more the perfect gentleman and friend than ever. And because he was so, coupled with the fact Ransom Lake had not shown his face in town since that time, Vaden had neglected to tell Jerome she could never settle for him. Inwardly her dreams battled with reality, and reality, for once, was getting the better of her. Jerome was an attractive, attentive, well-mannered man. He would, no doubt, work hard to make her happy, to build a family with her, and make a life for them all. And the truth of it was Jerome was reality.

Jerome came into the store every day, often bearing some small gift for her as a token of his affections. Vaden had taken several evening walks with him as well. She’d even relented to his continuing request and began calling him by his given name. Never, however, did she allow him to kiss her again in any fashion.

It began to seem to Vaden she would need to accept Jerome as her lot in life—that she would have to accept Ransom Lake had been allowed to touch her young existence only so she could learn that along with joy and wonderful things, heartache and sorrow were also part of living. She still struggled with the humiliation, the terror, and the tormenting memory of the devastating Halloween night. She struggled with the horrid residual memories of panic—and then with the blissful memories of Ransom Lake’s kiss savored in the back of a wagon. All of these things created a great and unsettled turmoil within Vaden. She often felt as if her thoughts and her actions would never be wholly her own again.

It was two days before Thanksgiving, a cool, autumn Monday morning, when Ransom Lake did at last enter the mercantile. Yvonne and Vaden were straightening the store, and Myra was at the counter when he entered.

“Well, good mornin’, ladies—Florence Nightingales of the county,” he greeted with a smile and in his low, mumbly manner.

Vaden felt her heart leap into her throat but tried to turn slowly to greet him.

“Good morning, Mr. Lake,” Yvonne welcomed exuberantly.

“Miss Valmont. Miss Vaden,” Ransom greeted, nodding his head at first to one girl and then the other.

“You about ready for my world-famous pumpkin pies, Ransom?” Myra asked.

Ransom Lake smiled, nodding his head. “I sure am, Myra. I just hope I can get here on Thursday is all.”

“What do you mean?” Vaden erupted, for it alarmed her he would even imply he wouldn’t be with them for Thanksgiving when she’d looked forward to it so.

“There’s a storm comin’,” he answered, still looking to Myra. “A heavy one. I think we’ll all be pretty snowed in nice and tight by Thursday morning.

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