Adam savored the firmness of her body against his and held her tightly, noting that she was meeting him as he had not dreamed she would. When the kiss ended, he whispered, “I thought I’d have to tie you up and carry you away and make you marry me, but I won’t, will I?”
Maris managed a smile. “No, you will not have to do that. I do not know how we will live or what we will do, but I know that God has put us together. All this time I have thought about you, Adam. I think I loved you from the first time I saw you.”
“Well, I look a little better now than I did then, I hope!” Adam kissed her again, then put his arm around her and drew her down to the bench. “We’ve got a lot to do.” He held her hand, looked at it, and saw that it was calloused. “You’ve been working hard.”
She saw that he was trim and fit and asked, “How is Clint?”
“He and his wife are back together again, and they are expecting their first child. God’s been good to them.” He hesitated then said, “My mother and father financed this trip over here. I might as well tell you I don’t have a job, I don’t have a profession, but I’m going to take you back to America with me. I’ll marry you here or there, but it’ll have to be one or the other.”
“Would you mind if it were here, Adam?”
“No, not at all.” He held her tightly, and the two spoke for some time. Finally, he rose and pulled her to her feet. “We’ve got a long way to go. Let’s go tell Grandmother our plans.”
“I think she already knows them,” Maris smiled. Her self-sufficiency was returning, and he saw again the soft depth in the woman’s spirit and the fire that had first drawn him. She was tall and shapely and a fully mature woman. He said quietly, “The war’s over, but things won’t always be smooth.” Then he added, “As long as I have you, Maris—you and the Lord—nothing can frighten me.”
Maris Richthofen reached up and took his face between her palms. She whispered quietly, “You will never lose me, Adam. I love you now and I always will.”
They kissed again, then turned and stepped out of the garden, leaving it to the large, white cat that had been watching them incuriously from his position on the wall. He rose, arched his back, yawned hugely, then leaped off the wall and ambled toward the door to follow them.
Also by Gilbert Morris
THE AMERICAN CENTURY SERIES
1. A Bright Tomorrow
2. Hope Takes Flight
4. A Season of Dreams
THE HOUSE OF WINSLOW SERIES
1. The Honorable Imposter
2. The Captive Bride
3. The Indentured Heart
4. The Gentle Rebel
5. The Saintly Buccaneer
6. The Holy Warrior
7. The Reluctant Bridegroom
8. The Last Confederate
9. The Dixie Widow
10. The Wounded Yankee
11. The Union Belle
13. The Crossed Sabres
14. The Valiant Gunman
15. The Gallant Outlaw
16. The Jeweled Spur
17. The Yukon Queen
18. The Rough Rider
19. The Iron Lady
20. The Silver Star
21. The Shadow Portrait
22. The White Hunter
23. The Flying Cavalier
24. The Glorious Prodigal
25. The Amazon Quest
27. The Heavenly Fugitive
28. The Fiery Ring
29. The Pilgrim Song
30. The Beloved Enemy
31. The Shining Badge
32. The Royal Handmaid
33. The Silent Harp
34. The Virtuous Woman
35. The Gypsy Moon