The Midwife's Dilemma by Delia Parr Read Free Book Online Page B

promise to agree, unequivocally, to any and all conditions you might have,” he whispered before he pressed a gentle, soul-stirring kiss to her lips.
    Stunned by his words and too exhausted to protest, she instinctively kissed him back—and carefully noted this moment as one to cherish. Later, after she rested, she would need to discuss all the concerns she had about marrying him, and when she did,she would make very certain to remind him of the promise he had just made to her.
    He broke their kiss with a chuckle and climbed aboard, claimed his seat close to her, and clicked the reins. “Now that we have properly settled that issue, I should warn you that I have several other very important matters I need to disclose and discuss with you. I doubt you’ll find them very problematic, but it’s probably best if we save discussing them until you’ve gotten a solid night’s rest.”
    She fought to catch her breath and moistened her lips. “I’m not certain that kiss was proper at all, but your assumption that I wouldn’t find any of your matters to be problematic borders on arrogance, if not conceit.”
    â€œThen I apologize for my assumption, but I’ll make no apology for kissing you, especially in light of the very pleasant manner in which you kissed me back. We’re betrothed. It’s highly proper for us to share a kiss now and again, especially when there’s no one about to observe us,” he teased, then wrapped his arm around her. “Before you fall asleep and topple out of the buggy, lean on me and rest. I’ll make certain you keep to your seat.”
    Rather than argue with the man, she did exactly what he suggested and was nearly asleep before she even felt the buggy roll forward.

    When Martha woke up, the clouds had lifted and the sun was making a valiant effort to warm the earth before slipping below the horizon. She had to blink her eyes several times and shake her head to rid herself of the last remnants of sleep before she became fully aware of her surroundings.
    She eased away from Thomas and sat up straight, but it tooka moment before she realized they were no longer in the buggy. Instead, they were sitting on the ground atop a blanket, and the buggy was parked several feet away. Resting next to her was a well-worn basket she recognized from the confectionery, and the aromas coming out of the basket were intoxicating.
    When she peeked into the basket and saw the veritable feast packed inside, she groaned so loud they might have heard her miles away in town. “Oh, how I love those two sisters.”
    Thomas laughed. “They’re rather fond of you, too, and they refused to let me fetch you home unless I promised to see that you ate properly first.”
    â€œI always eat when I’m called out to duty, though not always this well,” she quipped, but she neglected to mention that all she had managed to eat since the morning was the food Fern had packed for her, and she had polished that off before she had even arrived at the Crowder farm.
    As she set the goodies out onto the blanket, she remembered the winter picnic she had shared with Thomas in the lakeside cabin, which he had restored in anticipation of her agreeing to marry him and move out into the countryside with him.
    She did not doubt for a heartbeat that he had planned this picnic, too, and it was a true feast. In addition to hunks of ham and cheese and several biscuits, there were half a dozen molasses cookies, a small tin of salty pretzels, a pair of sugar-crusted fritters, and a jug of water.
    She reached back into the basket for a tin plate and a napkin and handed both to Thomas, which he promptly filled with biscuits he then sliced and filled with ham. In turn, she snatched one of the fritters and polished it off in two bites. She licked the sugar from her fingers before setting a couple of molasses cookies onto her plate.
    When Thomas started to laugh, she added