Covered Bridge Charm (46 page)

“Jah, but you can do so again.” He bent and captured her lips. Breathless, she matched his fervor. When he drew back, he whispered, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Then let’s seal it.” He took her hand and led her across the footbridge toward the large old tree that grew on Crabtree Creek. “I wanted to make this day special for you so I brought you to our kissing tree.”

“This is special,” she breathed, feeling her heart race in anticipation.

But he didn’t embrace her. Rather, he dropped her hand and stood askance with crossed arms, staring behind her. “It’s a nice old tree, don’t you think?”

What a funny thing to say. If he’d bothered to bring her all this way, why was he talking instead of kissing?

Her heart still racing, she replied, “Jah, it’s big.”

“I love the twisted mossy trunk, don’t you?”

She laughed. “Thinking of becoming an arborist?”

“If that’s what it takes to get you to turn around and examine the tree.”

Shrugging, she turned. And stared. At eye level was a beautiful carving of a large heart with—“That’s our initials!”

“Uh-huh. Because I’m making a lifetime commitment to you.”

Delighted, she ran her fingers over the carving. “When did you do this?”

“About a week ago, and I’ve been trying to get you out here ever since.”

She recalled how on the way home from Dot’s funeral, he’d told her he wanted to do something special on Sunday, but she’d told him about meeting with the editor. Then making it worse, Jason had been waiting for them. Turning back to him, she said, “I’m sorry. You must have been so disappointed.”

“You’re worth the wait.”

Though he hadn’t asked about Jason, she wanted to clear the air. “Jason and I are only friends. He even has a girlfriend.”

“I’m sorry. It seemed like you were falling under his spell.”

“I never did. I was already under yours. And I’m afraid I always will be. But I saw you with Cynthia. Is she staying at your house?”

“Not anymore. They’re at Simon’s now. And I won’t be going to Indiana with them. When I convinced them I was crazy about you, Jenny said she’d get one of her brothers to help Dale out instead.”

Thinking of her recent conversation with Dale, she replied, “So they’ve really given up?”

“Jah. Because I told them I was going to marry you—if you’d have me. Will you?” His dark, pleading eyes penetrated to her very soul.

She cupped her hands over her mouth and shook her head.

“No?” Worry instantly clouded his dark features.

She’d never thought such a day would happen. Wetting her lips, she murmured, “I just can’t believe my dreams are coming true.”

“Does that mean—”

“Jah, I’ll marry you. You’re my godsend. How could I not?”

He swept her into his arms. They confessed their love again, and Adam whispered, “I told the family I was bringing you home for Christmas.”

“I thought you were coming to my place on Christmas Eve.”

“We can do both. I just want to be with you. Let’s invite Jimmy and Fannie, too. Think they’ll go for it?”

“It seemed like they were in on this little plot of yours.”

He shrugged contritely.

“I’m sure they will.”

“Good.” He smiled at her, his eyes filled with love. “Well if this is our kissing tree, we’d better do some kissing.”

A
ch!”

Adam looked up from his paperwork. Dad tugged a hanky from his pocket and dabbed at the coffee he’d sloshed onto his shirt. Adam bit back a smile, thinking it wasn’t always his fault. Though sometimes he did hit ruts on purpose. “Maybe you should just give up the habit.”

“Maybe you should mind your own business.” Pulling a chair over to Adam’s paper-littered desk, he spilled more on his boots. Swiping the toes of his boots onto his pants’ legs, he looked at the stacks of paperwork. “With such a good year, I suppose we’re going to owe a lot of taxes.”

Adam leaned back and folded his hands. “I’m just getting started here.”

“You could say that. Dale’s way ahead of you.”

“Jah, I know.”

“Something you probably don’t know: when a couple gets engaged, they set a date.”

“Thought you didn’t like the idea of me marrying Carly.” He thought of Carly’s latest motto: Rome wasn’t built in a day. She called Dad her Roman project. He didn’t know who he was up against, didn’t stand a chance against her charm.

“I don’t. But I like the idea of grandkids. Especially those who will carry on the name and the business.” As if a new thought suddenly struck him, he set his coffee on the desk and leaned forward. “Since you wouldn’t take my advice, there’s only one thing I ask of this whole Blosser-woman thing. One little favor.”

Now he was calling his stipulations favors. Possible softening? “Oh, jah? What’s that?”

“You’re going to have to produce a son.”

While he loved everything about that idea and would do everything possible to make it happen, he replied, “You know that God’s in control.”

“Better start praying, unless you want a whole passel of kids.”

“That’s probably not going to happen at our age.”

“So quit wasting time. Someday I’d like to see my grandson sitting at this desk.”

Shaking his head, Adam humored him and listened to his ramblings until his phone rang.

“Hello.”

On the other end, “Hi, good looking. Thought you’d like to know about a little problem. We’ve got rats in the attic.”

“What?”

“Not really. The workers are putting on the new roof, but the residents think we have rats in the attic.”

“That’s why you’re calling?”

“No, there’s another problem.”

“Concerning Carly?”

“Yep.”

Dread traipsed up Adam’s spine.

“What’s she gotten herself into this time?” Dad demanded. “Is that Simon?”

Shaking his head, Adam whispered, “Miranda.”

“Who’s Miranda?” he shouted.

“Shush!” Growing impatient, Adam said, “No not you. What’s happening? Is she all right?”

“She’s stuck in that old elevator again.”

Adam glanced at his dad’s angry expression and the stacks of tax preparations. “Anybody with her?”

“Mm-hm. The General, Nines, and Repeater.”

“I’ll be right there.” He hung up the phone and looked his dad straight in the eyes. “She’s stuck in an elevator. This kind of stuff happens all the time with Carly, so if you want that grandson, you’d better get used to it.” Then grinning, he left to rescue her.

Other books by Dianne Christner

T
HE
P
LAIN
C
ITY
B
RIDESMAIDS
S
ERIES

Something Old

Something New

Something Blue

Dianne Christner
’s first book was published in 1994, and she now writes full time. She has written more than a dozen novels including several historical fiction titles and writes contemporary fiction from her experience of being raised in the Mennonite church. Dianne lives in Phoenix, Arizona, where she enjoys the beauty of her desert surroundings and life sizzles in the summer when temperatures soar above 100 degrees. Dianne and her husband have two married children and five grandchildren. Readers are invited to connect with Dianne at
www.diannechristner.net
.