Falling in Love With Her Husband by Ruth Ann Nordin Read Free Book Online Page B

air was getting and what Agnes was up to that night
    since she wasn"t allowed to go to dances until next year. At
    the end of the second song, I thought I was going to pass
    out.

    I waved my fan furiously back and forth, but the
    building was so hot that it did little to cool me off. “I need to
    sit down.”

    “Would you like to go outside?”

    His concern surprised me. It wasn"t something I was
    used to.

    “Yes,” I admitted.

    “Can I get you something to drink?”

    “That would be nice. Thank you.” I walked outside,
    walking numbly past Kent and Rebecca who were dancing.
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    Falling In Love With Her Husband
    Don’t look at them. Just keep going. Once I was outside, I
    exhaled as much as I could, considering the tight dress, and
    sat down. The cool evening breeze felt good against my
    flushed face.

    When Todd handed me a cup of punch, I glanced
    around us. No one was near us on the veranda, so it would
    be easy to have a private conversation.

    “Wil you please sit?”

    He sat by me and looked at me. “What is it? Are
    you feeling il ?”

    “I feel fine.” Wel , that was partly true. I was about to
    take a giant leap that would change my life forever. How
    could a person remain calm during that? I cleared my
    throat. “I have a request.”

    “I would do anything for you,” he softly replied,
    looking down at the ground.

    I hesitated. He meant those words. I almost
    decided against my plan, but another round of laughter from
    Rebecca strengthened my resolve. “Wil you marry me and
    take me with you to North Dakota?” I blurted the words out
    so fast my head was spinning. I anxiously waved the fan as
    I waited for his response. I couldn"t bring myself to drink the
    punch, so I just held it, hoping I wouldn"t spil it since my
    hand was beginning to shake.

    His head shot up and he looked at me, shocked. “I
    must be dreaming,” he whispered.

    I sat still, not daring to speak another word. I figured
    since he loved me, he would agree to my request.
    However, his response surprised me.

    “I don"t think it"s a good idea. As much as I would
    love to take you with me, you would be doing it for the wrong
    reason.”

    “You love me. You will treat me well.”

    “But you will be doing this to get away from Kent and
    Rebecca. It wouldn"t be right.”
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    Falling In Love With Her Husband

    Panic flashed through me. “Why couldn"t I learn to
    love you? Just because you"ve loved me first, it doesn"t
    mean I won"t come around to loving you.”

    “You love Kent.”

    “Now. But that can change.” Couldn"t it? Was I
    destined to love Kent for the rest of my life?

    He shook his head. “I"m sorry, Ann. It wouldn"t be
    appropriate.”

    I set the cup down before I smashed it on the ground
    in frustration. “It wouldn"t be appropriate. It wouldn"t be
    proper. God forbid I should do anything that defies the
    standards we are to live by. I"m sick and tired of doing what
    everyone else wants me to do. No one bothers to ask me
    what my opinion is, except for you.” I waved the fan faster.
    My face was heating up as my anger surfaced. I managed
    to keep my voice down, but my agitation was apparent.
    Hopefully, people would assume it was because of Kent and
    Rebecca. “I hate being stuck. I hate having to watch those
    two.” I nodded to the lovebirds. Again, Rebecca laughed.
    Ugg! “And if I hear her laugh one more time, I"m going to
    pour this cup of punch on her head.”

    “Ann, calm down. It wil get easier.”

    I grunted. “You have no idea what it"s like for me,
    Todd. There are things I want to do, things I want to pursue.
    But I can"t because I"m a lady. I have to attend every social
    function and learn to be a proper hostess. I have to learn to
    walk, talk and act delicate. I can"t go outside unless I have a
    parasol or hat. I have to go to dinners I don"t want to go to.
    I have to spend hours shopping for new clothes.” I paused.
    “Wel , that part isn"t so bad.”

    He chuckled.

    I