Past Forward- A Serial Novel: Episode 15 by Chautona Havig Read Free Book Online Page B

used to doing in order to retrain her palate. Then it was just our life .”
    “ It sounds beautiful. Like Laura Ingalls without the hardships .”
    Willow handed Becca dipping sticks. “ Just dip slowly and raise. Dip in the water to cool, raise. Repeat .” She demonstrated as she explained. “ You ’ re right. We are like Laura Ingalls but without the hardships. I had a wonderful childhood. Honestly, I like to tease Chad he married me for my childhood .”
    “ He ’ s so in love with you .”
    Uncertain eyes glanced at Becca. “ What? ”
    “ Chad. I could see how much he loves you at the wedding. It was a hard day for him, wasn ’ t it? ”
    “ Why do you say that? ”
    “ I don ’ t know. I ’ m crazy I guess but it seemed like he was nervous about something .”
    “He was—I’m a scary prospect,” Willow teased.
    “ How did you meet Chad? ”
    With a rueful smile, Willow answered as simply as she could. “ He was the officer on duty when I reported Mother ’ s death .”
    “Oh I am so sorry.”
    “ No, it ’ s ok. It ’ s a natural question. Who meets their husband over a police counter? ”
    Becca held up her candles. “ How are these? ”
    “ Excellent! I think you have a knack for it .”
    “ So tell me more about you and Chad, ” Becca persisted.
    “ Like what? ”
    With a mental list of dozens of questions, Becca launched into the first ones that came to mind. “ When did you fall in love with him? What is his best quality? Are you planning to have many children? What was your favorite date? ”
    “ Well, you don ’ t ask much, do you? ”
    “ I just got started! ” Becca laughed nervously.
    “ Well, which first? ”
    “ When did you knew you were in love with him? ”
    Willow smiled apologetically. “ I ’ m afraid my answer is going to be less than satisfactory. You see, I ’ m not in love with him. I love him of course, ” she hastened to add. “ But from what I read and what several people have told me, I ’ m not ‘ in love .’ Y et .”
    “ How could you marry —”
    “ He ’ s my best friend. How could I not? ”
    This was logic that Becca couldn ’ t argue. “ I suppose. It would make things easier. ” She hesitated. “It’s like at Adric’s. With what we ’ re do ing…” Becca paused. Maybe taking about her situation wasn ’ t appropriate. After all, what she thought of how her month was going was not just about her.
    Compassion flooded Willow ’ s face. “ I think you ’ re very brave. To move into a man ’ s home, trust him with your safety and your heart — that takes courage that I don ’ t have .”
    “ I —” surprise stopped her. Courage. It wasn ’ t a word Becca would have chosen but described as Willow did, it had taken courage. “ I guess I can see that. But then, Adric turned out to be such a wonderful man .”
    “ From what I could tell, he seems like exactly the kind of man I would have looked for had I gone looking .”
    Willow ’ s words swirled in Becca ’ s mind as she tried to process them. Adric seemed nothing like Chad , and yet Willow was right. Adric was exactly the kind of man she ’ d prayed for since her unfortunate “ marriage ” failed. The thought confused her. “ Isn ’ t it odd that you made a friend and married him without worrying about love , and I ’ m spending a month with a man I don ’ t know trying to find love without a friendship? ”
    “ I think it ’ s two roads to the same destination. I imagine both have smooth spots and both have ruts like my driveway gets sometimes , but it works .” Willow smiled. “ Tell me, what are the chances you would marry Adric if everything continued going as it is going today? ”
    “ Honestly, after talking to you today, if he asked me to marry him tonight, I ’ d probably say yes. He ’ s growing fond of me — I can tell. I know he ’ d be good to me and he is the kind of man I could be happy trying to help. Yesterday I would have said, ‘ I