By the time they reached the farm, it was dark. The lanterns on the outside of the house were lit, and the flames brightened the steps so they could see as they went up. Adam tied the reins to a hitch and followed the women up to the door.
It opened, and Cody stood there, staring at the three of them.
The women stopped and stared back at him.
His curious eyes settled on Adam. “Adam?” he asked and didn’t finish the question.
Adam nodded. “Ladies, this is Cody. Cody, this is Angela and Lilly.” He gestured to each of them when he said their names. They nodded at Cody.
“Hello,” Cody said, his voice and face still filled with confusion.
“Let’s go inside, shall we?” Adam said in a gruff tone. Cody stepped aside hurriedly and let them in. “Follow me.” Adam led them into the sitting room, directing them to set their bags down in the hallway to take to their rooms later. “Please sit. We will need to talk.”
The ladies both sat next to each other on the couch, and the men took seats nearby. Adam sat forward, his face stern. “I feel I have been deceived. I don’t want to scold you ladies, as you are not children. But this is not a good way to start a relationship. I had set values I wanted in the woman I brought here, and I am unsure that those values can be found in you seeing as how this was done.”
“Please don’t hold it against us, sir…” Lilly began.
He cut her off, lifting his hand and shaking his head. “Please call me Adam. I am not your master, and you are not my servant. Go ahead, you were saying?”
Lilly swallowed her anxiety. “As I said at the station, I have been traveling with Angel and her father for some time. Her father passed away about a month ago, and she was left with no one to care for her. I did not want to see her left behind if I should go. And I knew that I could pay my own way if I bought my own ticket and she was able to come.”
“But you lied in your letter.”
“I didn’t lie,” Lilly said in a pleading tone. “She is who I said she is. She’s beautiful and smart and all the things you asked for.”
“What about believing in the Lord?” Adam asked. “That is very important to me.”
“I know my deception may not make it seem like it, and I do hope that you forgive me for it. But we are both firm believers in God, and that is not a lie.”
Adam looked at Angelica. “You are also a believer?” He thought she was brave to stand up to him when she first arrived. He couldn’t tell if she was truly all the things he was looking for or if her beauty was only skin deep. It was true that she had a stunningly beautiful countenance. If he were simply looking for a trophy to ride on his arm and make him look good, Angelica would be it. But he was looking for more than that. His experience with them so far had not shown him that those qualities were there.
“I am.” Angelica nodded emphatically.
Adam pressed his lips together and looked at Cody. “I value your opinion, Cody. You have heard what has happened. What are your thoughts?”
“I’m sure not gonna make a decision for you, boss,” Cody answered, turning his eyes to the women. “But I don’t see why you can’t give them a chance to show you they are good women.”
“I didn’t ask for two,” Adam grumbled.
Cody’s response was laughter. “You’d be the first man not to want two beautiful women in your house.”
Adam kept himself from smiling though he was amused by Cody’s statement. He glanced back at the women and noticed that Lilly was watching Cody, an interesting look in her green eyes. Cody caught the look and smiled at Lilly, who blushed furiously and dropped her eyes.
It was as if a light turned on in the darkness of Adam’s mind. He hadn’t even thought about it. Cody was also a God-fearing man.
Perhaps He sent the two women, one for him and one for Cody.
A double answered prayer? The thought amused Adam.
They would have to see.
Over the next week, Lilly and Angelica proved they were, at least, able to keep a house clean. There was often dusting to be done, and the women spent much time going through the garden, cooking and cleaning for both men. Adam spoke to John about the arrangement, asking if the Lord was frowning on their cohabitation, even though he had set up the women in separate bedrooms on the other side of the house while he decided if he would go through with the marriage.
“I don’t think you should back out now,” John said firmly. “It sounds like you do have good women there and you are correct, you are not obligated to the second one, but you are showing acts of kindness and compassion by taking her in. You need to remember that God judges the heart. He knows your intentions.”
“He works in strange ways.”
“He does. I think it’s a good plan to see if Cody is interested in this other young lady. It sounds like they get along well.”
“She does spend a good deal of time with him.”
“Tell me something. Have you had the opportunity to speak to Angela alone?”
“I have.”
“What is your impression of her?”
“She is intelligent and friendly. Very soft-spoken.”