Because of Rebecca - By Leanne Tyler Page 0,65

Does she need to know the truth? Will it make a difference?”

“Yes. She does. I don’t want to deny Lucas anymore. He’s my grandchild, Ancil. He’s my Mariah’s baby.”

The tears formed in her eyes again and her vision blurred. She blinked and the tears spilled forth onto her cheeks. Ancil pulled her into his arms and held her while she cried.

When her tears finally subsided and the last sign of them had been wiped away, he kissed her and pulled her into his arms again. After the kiss ended, he held her tenderly for a moment more.

“Ancil?”

“You are a very important woman to me, Josephine. I don’t want you to worry about the past. I want you to think about the future. Nothing you have said changes the way I feel about you. Is that clear?”

“Feel about me?” Her heart skipped a beat and she swallowed.

“Yes. I feel deeply for you.”

She smiled and her eyes began to water again, but she blinked the unshed tears away. “Oh Ancil.”

“A doctor’s life is lonely and tiresome. I can be called away for days at a time to care for the sick and even during the night. I couldn’t think of asking someone to join this life with me unless I was sure they understood what they were agreeing to share.”

She nodded.

“You’ve made a difference in my life since we met. Because of my profession I never allowed myself to believe I could have a family. But I believe you understand the required dedication because of your work with the church. You say it was a disguise, but I believe you do it with your heart. I’ve watched you. Your dedication is real. It may have started out as a way to redeem yourself¸ but I believe it is more now.”

In spite of her resolve not to cry, the tears came again, but this time they weren’t of pain, but of joy. She dried them away as fast as she could with his already damp handkerchief. “I-I don’t know what to say, Ancil. I never dreamed anyone would want me in their life after what I’ve done.”

He smiled. “I’m not asking for an answer right now. I want you to think about it. I want you to be sure. But if you think you could build a life with a doctor I will be ready to hear your answer.”

“Not just any doctor, but you, Ancil Gordon. That is who I’d be agreeing to build a life with.” She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. Perhaps she did have something to show for her life after all.

Chapter Nineteen

A noise as loud as the cracking of a whip woke Jared. The hot sun streamed through the carriage window, and he moved a hand to shield his face from the sun until his eyes fully adjusted to the light. Beside him, Rebecca stirred.

“Are we in Grenada yet?” she murmured, sitting up.

“I don’t think so. Stay here.” He moved to the door, opened it, and climbed out of the hired carriage, which was parked, by the side of the road. The driver was nowhere in sight. The horses were still hitched, but the reins were tethered around a nearby tree. He walked around the carriage and noticed the right front wheel was cracked.

“Damnation.” He stepped back to the open door. “Don’t be alarmed, but it looks like we’ve been deserted. I’m hoping the driver has only gone for help. There’s a broken wheel.”

“What are we going to do?” Rebecca moved to the door to climb down, and he helped her out of the carriage.

“We wait a little while to see if the driver returns, if not, we take our bags and ride the horses to the nearest town. You can ride can’t you?”

“Yes.” She smiled.

“I’m surprised we slept through the incident, but the ride was bumpy. A jolt of the carriage when the wheel broke wouldn’t have seemed unusual as we slept.”

Rebecca nodded. “Surely he’ll be back. He was so nice and helpful last night when we left Memphis.”

Almost a little too helpful, Jared recalled. Maybe he shouldn’t have accepted the hotel clerk’s offer of a hired carriage to take them to Grenada. With the broken wheel, they wouldn’t be arriving at Oak Hill before Delaney.

“Let’s stand in the shade,” he suggested. “The humidity is already high, and we don’t have any water or food. I don’t want you getting ill. This isn’t the way I’d have imagined us starting our marriage.”

“Nor I.” Her cheeks