Patchwork Bride Page 22

“Meredith, please forgive me.” He put aside his pride, because she was more important. He opened the door to the places within him he liked to keep under lock and key. “I was wrong. I should have told you the whole truth. My only excuse is that you bamboozle me.”

  “So, it’s my fault?”

  “Absolutely, darlin’.” She had no notion the power she held over him. A man didn’t stand a chance. “The first time I set eyes on you, it was like being kicked in the chest by a Clydesdale.”

  “It was?” Hope, silent but not mute, lit her eyes.

  It touched his soul. Hope. She was hopeful. Maybe all was not lost after all. He swallowed hard, encouraged. “I wasn’t looking for anything serious. I fought my feelings for you nearly the entire way. But something happened to me when I first gazed upon you. I’ve never been the same, Meredith. You’ve changed me, and I can’t go on without you.”

  “But the things I said.” She lifted her face to him, raw pain twisting her voice, out of place on this day of bright sunshine and beauty. She took a shaky breath, as if in the worst kind of pain. “I didn’t realize until you were gone what I had done to you.”

  “You did nothing so bad.” Everything within him ached to caress the furrow from her forehead, to kiss away her every sorrow. His feet pulled him forward, close enough to see the threads of green and gold in her stormy eyes, to see the silken texture of her creamy skin and the most precious gift he had ever been given—her love revealed.

  “I sent you away. I wouldn’t believe in you, the man you are.” She hiked her chin higher, like a drowning woman going under for the last time. “I didn’t forgive you when you asked me, and now it’s too late.”

  “When we got to Great Falls, I told Braden that was as far as I could go. Not one more step. I had to go back.” He reached out to brush an errant curl from her face. The caress of his fingertips against her forehead was the sweetest wish. “I had left my heart behind and I couldn’t go on without it. Without you.”

  “Without me? Then it’s not too late?” This had to be a dream too wonderful to be true. Her senses filled with him and only him—the scent of dust on his shirt, the warmth of his sun-browned hand, his loving kindness too incredible to believe.

  “Too late? No, not as long as you take me back.” He folded the lock of hair behind her ear and he did not move away. There in the middle of the road for any passersby to see, he cradled her face as if to cherish every detail, as if he could not look at her enough. “I owe you the truth. We can’t go on if I don’t.”

  “What truth?” Her mind had gone fuzzy again. Emotions more powerful than any she’d ever known lifted through her, as if to raise her feet from the ground.

  “The things I didn’t tell you.” He had never seemed stronger than he did with his armor off, his defenses down, vulnerable. “I should have let you closer. I should have let you in. Then there would have been no doubt.”

  “Hearing the truth from Narcissa did come as a shock.”

  “I noticed,” he drawled in his easygoing manner, but there was nothing easygoing about the steel in his voice, the certainty, the commitment. “The time I lived with my grandmother was the first I’d known of real love. When my father’s fortunes reversed and we went back to our lives, I went back to loneliness and impossible expectations and family duty. I went back to friends who had rejected me years before and I could never really trust again. My parents’ way of life of manipulation and self-interest left me unable to believe in anyone. Until I met you.”

  Beneath her palm, she felt his heart beating true.

  If it is a dream, Father, please don’t let me awaken. Let me stay right here with this man forever. She curled her fingers into his shirt. He was real beneath her fingertips, soft muslin and iron muscle and sun-hot warmth. She had missed him as if he’d been gone a century. She drank in the things she cherished most about him—his dependability, his integrity, his good character.

  “I love you, Meredith.” He’d said the words before, but this time with a force great enough to bind her to him forever. “I need to know if there is a chance you can ever love me again.”

  He had to ask? Couldn’t he see it? Amazement swirled through her. His hand cradling her face trembled ever so slightly, a betrayal of his fear. She leaned into his touch, savoring the beauty of being held by him.

  “There is a chance.” She smiled, happiness rushing in. “A very good chance.”

  “How good?” A tinge of amusement hinted in the corners of his mouth. His heartbeat beneath her fingers slowed.

  “One hundred percent.” New dreams flashed into her mind, as perfect as could be. She saw a home full of cheer and laughter and calico curtains fluttering at the windows. Rescued horses grazed peacefully in green fields. Their children played happily in the front yard. Dreams only Shane could give her. Shane, towering before her like a gift from heaven, the greatest treasure of all.

  “I love you,” she confessed. “I love you with all I have.”

  “As I love you.” He leaned closer, impossibly closer, until their breaths mingled. His gaze arrowed to her mouth and her lips tingled sweetly. He did not lean in for a kiss. “I was on my way to ask about a job.”

  “A job?”

  “I hear someone by the name of Worthington is looking for a horse trainer. Figured he might give me a chance. I’d like to be gainfully employed when I ask for your hand in marriage.”

  “You’re proposing to me?”

  “Not yet, but I will when the time is right.” His chuckle became a kiss, a tender brush of his lips to hers. His kiss was gentle and reverent and fairy-tale perfect.

  Overwhelmed, she stepped back, but she could not let go of his shirt, let go of him. She was grateful to God for bringing them together. Love was an entirely new territory, but she had faith that God would see them through.

  “C’mon.” Shane took her hand. “Let’s get you home.”

  “You know what this means, don’t you?” She hardly needed his help into the buggy. Bliss filled her, made her lighter than air. “We have a chance to live happily-ever-after.”

  “A chance? No, darlin’. There’s no chance. It’s a certainty. I promise you that.”

  The sun chose that moment to brighten, as if they were not alone. Birdsong crescendoed, and their melodies carried on a loving wind. The green growing grasses, daisies blooming in the fields, the sky as blue as dreams. Never had the world been so beautiful. Never had she felt so whole. The pieces of her life were coming together, the pattern so beautiful that it hurt the eye to see. She remembered to take a moment to thank God for His gifts before she scooted over on the buggy seat to let Shane take the reins.

  Dear Reader,

  Welcome back to Angel Falls. PATCHWORK BRIDE is the second book in my Buttons & Bobbins series. When you open these pages, you will revisit old friends from earlier books like the Worthington family from HOMESPUN BRIDE and Finn McKaslin from HIGH COUNTRY BRIDE. The Buttons & Bobbins girls are growing up, graduating from high school and adding a new member to their beloved sewing circle. I hope you enjoy revisiting old friends and meeting new ones as much as I have.

  PATCHWORK BRIDE is a story I hated to end. Perhaps because I loved the bonds of family Meredith was blessed with and the circle of friends that reminded me of my high-school days. Most of all I loved the tender story of how true love comes to Meredith and Shane in God’s time, a great blessing that is a complete surprise. It changes both of them into better people and transforms their lives forever in the most beautiful of ways. I hope you are touched by Meredith’s journey, Shane’s love for her and their discovery of their dreams for the future. Lila’s story is next!

  Thank you for choosing PATCHWORK BRIDE.

  Wishing you the best of blessings,

  QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  Describe Meredith’s first impression of Shane. How does she react? What are the reasons why she doesn’t tell him her last name?

  How would you describe Shane’s first impression of Meredit
h? Why is he drawn to her? What role does his past play in regard to her?

  What do you think of Henrietta Worthington? Is she a bad character? Is she good?

  Meredith overhears Shane talking about her and reacts with anger. Why? What is behind her emotions? Has this ever happened to you? How did you handle it?

  How would you describe Shane’s character? The things he does in the book—for instance, the way he treats Minnie—what does this say about him? What are the deeper layers to his character?

  What is the story’s predominant imagery? How does it contribute to the meaning of the story? Of the romance?

  Meredith looks to God to help her at her turning points and crossroads. When do you see Him in the story? How does He guide her? How does He guide Shane?

  What role does Meredith’s friendships play in the story and the romance?

  What values do you find in this book? What are the most important ones to you?

  How does Meredith resolve her conflicts with her mother? What meaning did you find in their conversation? How does it contribute to the larger story?

  What do you think Meredith and Shane have each learned about love and about themselves? How has love changed them?

  What role does the patchwork quilt play? What is its greater message?

  There are many different kinds of love in this story. What are they? What role do they play in the meaning of the book? In Meredith and Shane’s romance?

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-6506-0

  PATCHWORK BRIDE

  Copyright © 2010 by Jill Strickler

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This edition published by arrangement with Steeple Hill Books.

  ® and TM are trademarks of Steeple Hill Books, used under license. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

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  *The McKaslin Clan

  †The Granger Family Ranch

  **Buttons & Bobbins