The Soldier's Bride (21 page)

Evelyn smiled. She increased her pace, heart pounding, cheeks flushing from the cold but also from the anticipation of seeing him again.

Danny giggled and waved his arms in the air as the stroller bumped along the uneven sidewalk. She tried to keep it from skidding on the bits of ice covering the walkway.

When Sterling’s red-brick home came into view, Evelyn’s heart lurched and she heard the questioning tone in Marie’s voice. She pressed her teeth against her bottom lip. Sterling should at least be able to see Danny one more time and give him his gift.

She told herself this, all the time knowing it wasn’t the only reason she was reaching out to knock on his door. She knocked three times and then pulled Danny from the stroller with trembling hands. She turned back toward the door just as Sterling opened it, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Stir!” Danny cried and wiggled out of his mother’s arms, bolting for the door.

Sterling caught Danny and laughed. “Hello, birthday boy!” His eyes questioned Evelyn over the top of Danny’s head, she nodded and he motioned for her to come inside.

“I two,” Danny said and hugged Sterling.

“What a big boy! I’m sorry I didn’t get to come to your party.” Sterling set Danny down and patted his head.

“Sterling has a present for you.” Evelyn held the blue package out. “I’m sorry we didn’t come sooner.”

Danny squealed and hugged the present.

Evelyn laughed. “You can open it, sweetie.”

“I had it made special for you.” Sterling crouched beside Danny and helped him with the wrapping. He winked at Evelyn. “A guy in town, Leland, does wonders with wood.”

Sterling smiled when Danny unveiled a wooden train engine painted blue with a matching boxcar.

“Vroom, vroom,” Danny said as he pushed the train.

Sterling laughed. “No, it’s choo-choo. Can you say choo-choo?”

“Choo-choo. Vroom, vroom,” Danny said.

“Thank you, it’s perfect for him.” She admired the details carved into the side of the train, noting the letter D fixed into either side of the boxcar.

“Can he have a cracker?” Sterling asked. “I have some in the kitchen.”

“I’m sure he’d love that.”

“How would you like to haul some crackers in your boxcar?” Sterling tickled Danny and they stepped into the kitchen. She looked away; her emotions were too close to the surface.

When Danny was busy eating and hauling crackers around the table and then down the hall, Sterling stood close to Evelyn and murmured. “How are you? Is Jim coming?”

“No.”

Sterling grasped her hand. “I’ve missed you so much.”

An awkward silence passed as Evelyn recalled Jim saying the exact same words as he held her that morning. She shivered and covered her mouth with her hand to hide her trembling lips, but Sterling noticed how her eyes filled with tears and immediately pulled her to him.

“Evelyn,” he whispered. “Are you okay?”

She let him hold her and tried to blink away the tears, but they fell onto his shirt anyway.

“I’m t-trying,” she stammered. “It’s just so much harder than I thought it would be.”

“Maybe you need to give it more time,” Sterling said. “You made your choice so quickly.”

“I know, but I thought it was the right choice. But now I’m so confused and—”

His mouth found hers and kissed away the ending of her sentence. She immediately warmed to him, fiery emotions coursing through her veins. She kissed him, thinking it was probably her last for Sterling, but wondering at the same time if it would be.

How could she simply turn off the part of her heart that still beat for Sterling? His kiss evoked a feeling of comfort, possibly because it was absent of the raw hunger she felt in Jim’s kisses earlier. Not that Sterling’s desire for her wasn’t evident, but she let him kiss her because of how safe she felt in his arms and because of what they’d been through together.

Sterling held her tenderly as he always had, kissing her mouth, her cheek, the curve of her neck, and covering her mouth again. He sighed when she put her hand against his chest and pulled away. She looked at him and opened her mouth to speak, but he kissed her again, and then mumbled, “I love you. I want you to stay with me. Please don’t leave.”

His arms surrounded her and she felt the strength in his broad shoulders as her hands moved up his back. She didn’t push away again, she kissed him willingly, her fingers twisted in his black curls. She whispered in his ear, “I love you, Sterling.”

He found her top button and moved his hand across the soft fabric of her dress, kissing her collarbone and the top of her shoulder.

“Vroom-choo!” Danny said as he pushed his train into Sterling’s shoe.

Evelyn felt her face go crimson, but Sterling chuckled and turned toward Danny, keeping his arm around her waist.

“Choo-choo! You’re driving that train great.”

They followed Danny into the front room and settled onto the couch.

“You don’t have to stay with him. I asked a friend. He said if we were engaged . . .”

“No, Sterling.” Evelyn covered his hand with hers. “Jim’s already told me that—that I could choose.”

“Then choose me. I love you and I love Danny.” He glanced at the toddler and smiled. “He knows me.”

“I know. He was so excited to see you.” She looked at their hands intertwined and the sheen of gold on her ring finger brought a surge of guilt. She withdrew her hand and moved to stand. “What am I doing?”

Sterling pulled her back onto the couch and held her. “You’re doing the right thing. You’re listening to your heart and letting it make the choice.”

“But my head knows this isn’t right.” She held up her hand and pointed at the ring. “I shouldn’t even be here.”

“Shh.” Sterling nodded toward Danny who had paused in his play and looked at his mother with a worried expression. “It’s okay big guy.” Sterling slid onto the floor and tousled Danny’s hair. “Your mommy’s just excited to see me.”

She smiled. “You don’t give up, do you?”

He sat back on the couch and hugged her. “Not when it concerns you.” He kissed her again, but Evelyn shook her head.

“No, I can’t kiss you and then go back home to Jim.”

“Then don’t.” He leaned toward her and kissed her again. She recognized his longing and the dangerous heat of desire that burned hotter with each kiss. He caressed her mouth with his and she felt the strength of his arms around her.

She broke free, kissed him once more and then placed a hand on his cheek. “I can’t.”

Sterling’s lips twitched, but he didn’t speak. He held her hand and watched Danny play with his train.

The hushed stillness felt comfortable, and Evelyn leaned against Sterling’s chest as he wrapped his arm around her. She watched Danny, too, and her heart hurt for the choice she had to make. She couldn’t deny Danny his father, and even as that thought lingered she felt the warmth of Sterling’s embrace, the way he caressed her arm as he held her.

There was always tenderness when Sterling looked at Evelyn or Danny. She knew he would be good to them, that he could provide for them, but was it the right thing to do?

“We’d better get going. I told Mother we were only going for a walk.”

“I’ll be here when you decide to come back.” Sterling held onto her hand as she stood. “In the meantime, you only have a week until your performance. Do you think you can make it over to the Silver Lining to practice with me?”

“I think Tuesday or Wednesday might work.” Evelyn bundled up Danny and allowed Sterling to help her with her coat. “I still don’t know if I should have come here.”

“But I’m glad you did.” Sterling put a hand on her cheek and then wove it through the thick hair hanging down her back. He pulled her forward until their lips almost touched and murmured, “I love you, Evelyn. You’ve given me a reason to love life again.”

He covered her mouth with a kiss that lingered as Evelyn walked home through the chill air and her tears washed away his caress.

Jim sat on the porch swing sharpening the snow shovel. He frowned when Evelyn pushed the stroller up the walkway. “You went to see him didn’t you?”

Her heart stuttered and she tried to swallow the panicked feeling that was rising up to warm her face. “I took Danny for a walk. I needed to clear my head.”

“Then where did he get that toy? I haven’t seen it before.” He pointed at the train.

“Stir, vroom-choo,” Danny said.

She sighed. “Sterling gave it to him for his birthday.”

The look of fury that crossed Jim’s face startled her. She had never seen Jim so angry before, but the things they’d been through while apart had changed them.

“So you did go see him?”

Evelyn frowned. She had never been a good liar. “I owed it to him, Jim. You don’t know what he’s done for me and Danny.”

“You don’t
owe
him anything.
I’m
your husband.” He clenched his jaw, threw down the shovel, and walked away.

~*~

Jim marched down the sidewalk, restraining himself from breaking into a run. The day was still cool enough that his breath streamed out in a mist around him. He’d stayed close to home, and Marie had told Harold not to mention to anyone that he was back yet. She wanted to give Evelyn and him a chance at privacy before the whole town invaded, wanting to learn about the war hero returned from the grave.

But Jim wondered if it was really because Marie was afraid Evelyn wouldn’t choose him and it’d be easier for Evelyn to make that choice without the pressure of the entire town knowing. Maybe she wanted to spare him the pain of rejection. He clenched his fists and glared at the clear blue sky, the sun hanging lazily overhead seeming not to care about its duty to warm the earth.

He knew where the shop and house were located because Harold had told him Sterling bought the old Gentry residence. His anger reached its boiling point when he approached the house and saw Evelyn’s footsteps in the snow crisscrossing the stroller’s indentation.

Bounding up the steps, he banged on the door with his fist. He heard a noise to his left and saw a man with black hair walk around the corner of the garage. Jim jumped off the porch, heading for the broad-shouldered, thickset man who had stolen his wife’s heart.

“If you’re going to take a swing at me, then you can just turn back around and go home.” Sterling swung a heavy wrench from side to side and glared at Jim.

Jim skidded to a stop and eyed the wrench. He raised his fist. “You leave
my
wife and
my
son alone!”

“I have as much right to her heart as you do. You don’t know what she’s been through.” Sterling said.

“She’s not going to leave me for you. She’s married to me,” Jim spat.

“I wouldn’t be too sure of that.”

Sterling raised the wrench as Jim took another step toward him. “Why don’t you take it easy, Jim. She came to me. I haven’t called her, seen her—nothin’ since you got home.”

“Well, you sure as hell didn’t turn her away today. What did you two do for over an hour?”

With a grunt, Sterling dropped the wrench and stuffed his hands in his pocket. “She hasn’t told you yet, has she?”

“Told me what?”

“It means she’s not comfortable with you.” Sterling closed his eyes and his face was lined with pain. “Like I said. You have no idea what she’s been through.”

“I know something bad happened to her, and I think it may have had something to do with a man and that makes me more than angry. It makes my head hurt and my fingers itch for my Colt revolver.” Jim kicked at a clump of snow.

“Maybe that’s part of the reason she’s afraid to tell you. She’s worried about what you’ll do.”

Jim’s head snapped up, he pushed out a breath and studied Sterling “Can you tell me? Will she be okay? Was she hurt?”

The tendons in Sterling’s neck stood out and he pursed his lips. With a shake of his head, he murmured. “It’s not my place. She needs to tell you, but I hope she does it soon. That’s why she came over here. She feels safe with me.”

“She’s my wife.” Jim rubbed a hand over the stubble on his chin. “It’s my job to make her feel safe.”

“I don’t care if she’s your wife—you were gone. I love her. I love Danny.” He lowered his voice. “And apparently she’s not comfortable with you.”

Jim screamed and leaped at Sterling, fists flying. His right hook connected with the side of Sterling’s face and they both cried out in pain. The frozen air added to the searing pain Jim felt in his hand, but he swung again with his left.

With a quick movement, Sterling blocked his punch and angled his hand straight toward Jim’s neck. He reared back, but Sterling still connected with his Adam’s apple. Jim gasped and fell to the ground, but whipped Sterling’s legs out from underneath him with his feet as he went down.

They both struggled for air and Sterling rolled over and grabbed his wrench. He sat up, but Jim held up his hands.

“You think if I’d had a choice I wouldn’t have stayed home and never left her side?” He pushed his throbbing hand into the snow and grimaced. “I know you fought in the war, too. What if things were the other way around and Evelyn was your wife?”

Sterling looked at the ground and rubbed the side of his face where Jim had punched him.

“You have to let her go. I’m begging you, please. I’m her husband. Evelyn is my wife, the mother of our son.” Jim paused and rubbed his neck, finding it hard to swallow.

He scooped up some snow and held it on his knuckles. “We’ve been given another shot at having a family. It’s more than I ever could’ve hoped for when I was flying those bombers riddled with bullet holes. You know what I mean, you were there. Don’t take this from me. In the end, you’ll destroy her.”

“I would never hurt her,” Sterling said.

“Then let her go. She won’t leave me—her husband. If you really love her, you’ll let her go. Give her permission to release you—unburden her heart.”

Sterling pushed his hands through his hair. “You gave her the choice, now let her make it.”

“Don’t you want her to be happy?” Jim cried.

“Don’t you? Why is it so hard to imagine that she could be happy with me?” Sterling said.