Elise was ready and waiting on the front porch Sunday morning when Hays and Emma drove up. Hays hopped down, grinning, and helped her into the surrey. He and his bride chatted all the way to town, including Elise in their conversation. Elise had to force herself to be cheerful, missing her husband, aching that he chose not to come. I don’t want to be a “church widow” for the rest of my life.
And yet, it felt good to be back in church, worshipping with fellow believers. The Hart family took two-and-a-half rows, and Elise found herself sitting beside GW. He had a nice voice, and he sang every hymn with gusto.
Following the service, nobody seemed in a hurry to leave, and Elise found herself surrounded by townsfolk. GW introduced her as the newest member of the Hart clan. It felt strange being with so many people after spending so much time alone, but the parishioners were friendly, welcoming her to the community.
A pair of little boys laughed and chased one another around the pews, dodging between skirts and pant legs, shrieking and twisting. One bosomy older lady grabbed them both on the way by, hauling them up short.
“Christopher and Manuel, how many times do I have to tell you to take your hooliganism outside? This is a house of God, not a playground. I’ve warned you before what happens to naughty little boys. If you don’t straighten up, Bowie Hart himself will sneak into your window some night and eat you right up.” She gave them a shake.
Elise gasped. “How dare you use my husband as some sort of ogre to scare these children into obedience? My husband is not a monster. He’s a good, kind man, loyal to his family, and a brave war veteran. If this is an example of the Christian love and charity practiced by this church, it’s no wonder Bowie chooses to refrain from attending.”
The woman gaped like a landed fish, her grip on the boys loosening. “Well, I never!”
“Then perhaps you should.” Elise picked up her hem and strode out, her anger carrying her until she reached Hays’s surrey. That awful woman. Elise took a few deep breaths, trying to get a hold on her temper and her dismay.
“Elise?”
She turned. Austin stood there, his face grim. Chagrin bowed her head. What a spectacle she’d made of herself on her first Sunday in church. The Harts must be thoroughly ashamed of her.
“Are you all right?”
The lump in her throat prevented her from speaking, so she nodded, blinking fast.
“I wonder if Bowie knows what a champion he has in you.” Austin helped her into the surrey, keeping hold of her hand and pressing it in a reassuring, big-brotherly way. “Don’t let Mrs. Mulligan’s silly notions get to you.”
“How can people be so ignorant and cruel? They don’t even know Bowie if they can think such terrible things. He’s kind and protective and intelligent and strong.” She gripped Austin’s hand. “He always puts the needs of others ahead of himself, and just because he’s quiet when he’s around other people doesn’t mean he’s hateful or scary or plotting how to harm them.”
Chuckling, Austin patted her shoulder. “Bowie’s a blessed man. It’s as plain as day how much you love him. If you would’ve stayed inside, you would’ve seen a lot of church folks coming to your defense and his.”
“I do love him,” she blurted out, giving voice to the feelings that had been building up inside her since the moment she first saw Bowie in the factory doorway … or was it when she first held his hand and mopped his sweaty brow in the hospital? “Why do people have such a hard time believing he is worthy of being loved? I can’t even convince Bowie of that fact.”
“Bowie is proving stubborn? I’m stunned.” He grinned and winked at her. “He changed after the War, and distanced himself from all the people who love him. I think you might be just the thing he needs to bring him all the way back into this family.”
Bowie joined his family for Sunday dinner. Elise greeted him, rising from her place on the settee and holding out her hands to him, raising herself on tiptoe and kissing his scarred cheek above his beard. He blinked, trying to quell his surprise.
“I’m so glad you’re here. I missed you.” She tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and leaned against him. “Did you bring a horse for me?”
He nodded. “I did. Rode over to Coralee’s brother’s place yesterday. Calvin had a nice little dun mare that I thought would be a good mount for you, and he was only too happy to sell her to me. She’s been ridden sidesaddle before, and she’ll be used to a lady’s skirts flapping.” Bowie inhaled the fresh jasmine scent of Elise’s hair, wondering if he would ever tire of it.
His brothers and their wives laughed and chatted, waiting for Perla to announce that dinner was ready. Though Bowie had expected Elise to rejoin Emma and Caro, she stayed by his side. Pa came over, smoothing his mustache and grinning.
“Missed you at church this morning, son.” He said the same thing every week. “Glad to see Elise there, though. She made quite an impression on the congregation.”
Elise’s grip on Bowie’s arm tightened, and he glanced at her. She worried the corner of her lip, a small crease between her brows. She gave a small shake of her head to his pa. Had something happened at church?
Before he could ask, Pa said, “It’s all set in the dining room.”