Conner's Contrary Bride by Barbara Goss (accelerated reader books .txt) 📗

Conner laughed. “All right, I’ll tell you.” Bertie was in the house, and they were alone in the clinic. He pulled her close and held her. “I hoped to bring us to the ultimate stage of our relationship.” After he said it, he waited, as he wondered if she was about to laugh or swat him.

Elsie thought she’d let him wait long enough for her answer. She looked up at him and said, “I want that, too.”

Conner held her tighter. “You do? When do you suppose it can happen?”

She could tell he felt elated, and she hated to burst his happiness bubble, but she had to make sure things were right. Elsie pulled away from him and looked him in the eyes. “There has to be love first.”

“Love?”

Elsie nodded. “Do you love me?”

Conner’s face grew thoughtful. “I think about you all the time, and when I see you after not seeing you for a while, my heart skips a beat. Is that love? I’m just not sure.”

“My mother and real father were madly in love. Even at a young age, I could see it. I asked her one day how she knew she was in love with him, and her answer surprised me.”

“What did she say?”

“She said she wondered how she would feel if she never saw him again. If he suddenly walked out of her life. She said she didn’t think she could bear it. That’s when she knew she loved him. She couldn’t imagine a life without him in it.”

Conner looked into her eyes and said, “I want to be honest with you, always. I enjoy your company, and I can’t wait until we become intimate, but I’m not sure if it’s love or a strong case of like. One minute I think I’m in love and the next I’m not sure.”

“I appreciate your honesty. I think the consummation will have to wait until you’re sure.”

“I want it very much. I want you to be my wife in every sense, but you deserve honesty.”

“Conner, how did you know you loved Mary?”

He sighed. “We were so young, and she loved me so much... she was somewhat clingy, if you know what I mean. I married her because she was my best friend, and she expected it, but I wasn’t at all sure that what I felt for her was love until I saw her dying. Then, I knew.”

“That’s so sad,” Elsie said.

“Do you love me?” he asked.

“Yes, I do. I realized it the night you were being held hostage in the mine, and I was willing to do anything to free you.”

He pulled her into a hug. “And I’m afraid that what I feel might be love or it might be gratitude for what you risked for me.”

Elsie kissed his cheek. “You need more time. Maybe your trip to the convention will help you sort out your feelings.”

He kissed her lips lightly. “I do love these kisses.”

Elsie pushed him away. “We’ll talk more about this when you return from your convention.

Chapter Fourteen

The days before Conner left saw a flood of sick patients, as an epidemic of measles was making the rounds in Hays City. They had little time to talk or court as it exhausted them by the end of the day. Sometimes, Conner had to pack his bag and make house calls because some patients were too ill to come into the clinic.

Dr. Wadsworth arrived, and before Conner and Elsie knew it, Elsie was waving goodbye to Conner at the Kansas Pacific Train Depot.

Conner waved back at Elsie and turned to board the train, but when he looked back at her, his heart lurched in his chest. She looked so cute in the bonnet Bertie had insisted she wear to ward off any more freckles, but Conner adored the freckles. Small wisps of red hair had escaped from the bonnet and were blowing in the slight breeze. Not only did Elsie look sweet, she also looked sad.

Conner turned, walked back to her, and kissed her on the lips. “I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

“God be with you,” she said. It was what the pastor told each member of the congregation as they left the church—Elsie must have thought it an appropriate thing to say.

The train pulled away, and Conner strained to keep Elsie in sight for as long as he could. Just before the train went around the bend, he saw her raise her hand in a weak wave. Did he love her? At times like this, he was sure he loved her with all his heart, but after she had saved his life, he had to be sure—he didn’t want to lead her to the marriage bed dishonestly, or it would haunt him for the life of their marriage. It had to be honest, and judging by the way his heart felt when he could no longer see her petite form at the depot, he knew it had to be love. He missed her already. All the way to Kansas City, he planned how he might tell her he loved her before leading her into his bedroom so they could be husband and wife in every way.

Dr. Wadsworth was amusing to work with. He had an infectious sense of humor, and the patients liked him, too. Elsie enjoyed working with the man, but she missed Conner with all of her heart. She worried as she lay in bed at night, and her brain filled with what-ifs: What if the train had a wreck? What if Conner met someone else? What if Conner didn’t love her back?

Then, her common sense would take over. She was almost positive that he loved her, even if he hadn’t realized it yet. It wasn’t