An inner door
opened and Joshua stepped into the nursery. He
tiptoed in the exaggerated way of children and
Rachel fought not to laugh. Shifting Eve in her
arms, she patted her leg and the little boy eagerly
curled in her lap, too. Rachel continued rocking and
singing and before long, both children fell fast
asleep.
Samuel softly
pushed open the door. Rachel laid her cheek on each
child’s head and then pressed her lips to their
hair, holding them tighter to her breast with each
movement. Never had their mother shown such
tenderness and love for these children. He wanted to
weep for the beauty of it.
For the first
time, love and warmth filled this room. All because
of Rachel. Light seemed to emanate from her, pulling
him in its glow like a drowning man to a safe
harbor. He stared, transfixed, while she continued
to rock his two sleeping children in her arms—one
bare, beautiful foot pushing off from the floor,
keeping the movement of the chair soft and fluid.
The rocking
stopped and his attention came to rest on her face.
Rachel stared at him— eyes wide and deep and full
of…what? He didn’t dare hope she had feelings for
him—not after how abominable he’d been to her.
A tentative smile
curved her lips.
“Here, let me
help you,” he whispered.
Rachel coaxed
Joshua into his father’s arms while she held onto
Eve. Shifting Eve to both arms, she rose from the
chair.
They walked in
silence to the children’s beds where they laid them
down. Samuel pulled warm quilts around his sleeping
son, covering the boy to his shoulders. The night
threatened frost and he didn’t want Joshua to catch
cold. He bent and kissed his son’s cheek. It had
been a spontaneous gesture, one he didn’t do nearly
enough. “I love you, son.”
Going to his
daughter’s side, he repeated the affectionate acts.
Eve stirred in her sleep, a soft sigh escaping her
china doll mouth. He quietly cupped one round cheek
and she turned her head snuggling into his hand, the
softness of her skin caressing his palm. The gesture
of love from his child shattered him. He wanted to
hurry from the room and run out into the night. He
wanted to howl his hurt and anguish at the moon
until empty from all the pain he held inside.
“Your children
love you so.”
Turning, he found
himself staring into deep brown eyes that spoke of
healing and hope. Samuel reached out a hand and saw
it trembled. Rachel’s hair felt like fine silk as he
sifted it through his fingers. Curls wrapped around
his fingers like living, breathing vines. They drew
him closer.
His other hand
stroked her cheek. “You are so very beautiful.”
Rachel froze, her
heart thundering so hard it threatened to break
loose from her chest. “Mr. Stein, sir–” Her arms
worked enough to get her shawl tighter around her
shoulders. In doing so, her hand brushed the front
of his open shirt, her knuckles grazing his skin. It
felt warm and slightly damp. His labored breathing
and the feral look in his eyes frightened and
enthralled her at the same time.
“Samuel. Call me
Samuel. Not proper, I know, but when has being
proper ever been a part of my life?” One arm went
around her waist while his other hand continued to
caress her face. Her slightly parted lips invited
him nearer. Moving forward, he lifted her chin with
the tip of a finger to see her face. He trailed his
finger over her full lower lip and knew he had to
taste her.
