A Noble Groom (Michigan Brides #2)(84)
“Do you really think your father would ever approve of a woman like Annalisa? She’s not your kind.”
Maybe at one time, Carl would have thought so too. But now . . . were they really that different? He wasn’t important or wealthy or powerful anymore. He was just a simple man. And she was just a simple woman.
And besides, it didn’t matter what his father thought. He wasn’t living his life for his father. And he certainly didn’t need his father’s money anymore. He’d proven to himself that he could get along just fine without it.
Dirk held out the wadded letter again. “If you care about her, then give her the chance to forget about you. Leave Monday.”
Was Dirk right? Did he need to move on and give Annalisa the chance to forget about him, to start a new life? If he stayed, he’d only be torturing them both with a longing for each other that couldn’t be fulfilled.
Hesitantly Carl touched Matthias’s letter.
Dirk didn’t release his grip. “If you’re not gone by Monday, I’ll make sure everyone knows the truth about who you are.”
With that, Dirk let go and pushed himself up. He struggled to his feet and greeted Annalisa. He took the basket from her, easing her burden.
Carl stuffed the letter into his pocket, next to the note he’d received from Ward. If Dirk didn’t tell everyone who he was, Ward would eventually, especially when Carl refused to cooperate with him.
Maybe it was best to leave on Monday before either of the men said anything.
Gretchen bounded over to him, ignoring Dirk. With a smile she climbed onto his lap and wrapped her arms around him.
He pressed a kiss to her head, taking a deep breath of her silky hair. Could he really leave on Monday—in only two days?
“I’ll rest with you.” The little girl snuggled her head against his chest.
“Ah, that’s good. I need more rest. I’m an old man, and this work is hard on my old bones.” He tried to keep his voice light even though his insides felt like they were ripping in two. “Perhaps I can tell you another story from the Brothers Grimm?”
She nodded and her smile widened. “The story ‘Little Red Cap’?”
“No.” Dirk leveled a stern look at the child. “No stories. It’s time for work again.”
Gretchen’s smile faded, and her eyes sought Carl’s, as if to learn his decision before obeying Dirk.
Carl pushed back the loose strands of her hair that had blown into her eyes. How could he say good-bye to this sweet girl who was like a daughter to him? Yet if he stayed, he would only make it harder for her to adjust to her new papa.
He would have to leave on Monday.
What other choice did he have?
Chapter
18
Carl leaned against the trunk of the maple and patted Sophie’s back. He liked to think she enjoyed being in his arms—at least she always came to him willingly.
After the Sunday morning service, he’d wanted to take Annalisa and the girls home and spend the day with them alone. Since it was his last day, he longed to make the most of every minute with them.
But unfortunately he couldn’t think of an excuse that would allow him to depart from their usual after-church dinner at Peter’s home. On the other hand, given the situation, it was probably wise for him to avoid being alone with Annalisa.
He glanced through the doorway to the dark interior of Peter’s cabin, where Annalisa and her youngest sister, Eleanor, were finishing the meal preparations. If alone with Annalisa, he’d have to face her questions. Even if she didn’t speak them aloud, her eyes would demand to know why he’d proposed marriage but had so easily let her go once Dirk arrived. He’d already seen the question in her eyes on more than one occasion since then.
The trouble was, he didn’t know if he could give her an answer, because he didn’t quite know how to explain it, even to himself. Part of him wanted to stay and fight for her. But the other, more realistic side screamed at him that he was a liar and urged him to move on as he’d planned.
“The fires are too far away to bother us,” Peter said in explanation to one of Uri’s questions. Peter sat on a bench and rested his elbows on the table they’d moved outdoors.
The unending heat made eating in the stifling cabin unbearable. At least outside—even though it was still hot—they had the strong breeze to offer some solace.
Even so, Peter’s Sunday meeting clothes were wet with the splotches of sweat he always wore. He took a gulp of coffee, then glanced to the sky, which had gradually become hazier as the morning had passed into afternoon. The scent of woodsmoke had grown heavier too.
“None of our farmers are such dummboozles that they would set fires under these conditions,” Peter continued.
Dirk sat next to Peter and took a slurp of coffee. Across the table, Uri stared at Dirk with hard, cold eyes. It was apparent Uri didn’t trust the man and was prepared to make him work just as hard for his approval as he’d made Carl work.
Eleanor and Annalisa exited the cabin and approached the shaded table, their hands loaded with steaming platters and bowls. Gretchen trailed after them, holding a bowl of what appeared to be baked apples. She walked slowly and held the bowl steady, watching Annalisa and trying to imitate her.
Carl smiled, but it was bittersweet with the knowledge he wouldn’t get to see Gretchen grow up to be a beautiful woman like her mother. Annalisa, in her dark Sunday meeting dress and with her hair coiled into an elegant knot, was especially fetching. He couldn’t keep his gaze from straying to the creamy stretch of her neck, the delicate shape of her ear, and the tantalizing curve of her chin.