Against Her Will

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Thirty-Nine

"Good morning, everyone," Temperance stated brightly as she stepped into the kitchen the next morning.

Wilma, Sophia, Sarah and Millie looked up from the food they were eating and stared wide-eyed at her with varying degrees of shock.

"Uh..hello, child," Wilma replied, the first to recover and stand to welcome Temperance to the kitchen.

"Is there room for me at the table?" Temperance asked.

"Of course," Wilma quickly walked to the stove to make a plate and Temperance shook her head.

"Sit down, Wilma. I can make my own plate."

Temperance could feel them all watching her closely as she went about preparing her breakfast plate and then sat down at the crowded table between Wilma and Sophia. Both of their bodies bumping against her was the closest physical contact she had had aside from cuddling with her son in a long time and while it filled her with a touch of unease, Temperance forced herself to ignore it.

These were her friends--or at least they had once been. She did not need to fear them. She couldn't blame them for the way they were looking at her or for their confused silence. Temperance hadn't been to the kitchen this early without Jackson in a long time--and she hadn't greeted them, eaten with them or acted interested in conversation in even longer.

"You all should finish your breakfast," Temperance urged.

Slowly everyone but Wilma picked up their forks and went back to their meal, though they were picking at it more than they were eating it. Wilma tilted her head and frowned. "You seem different this morning," she stated.

Temperance was quiet for a moment and then she nodded. "I feel different this morning."

The talk she and Tanner had had the night before combined with what Wilma had said to her that afternoon had opened Temperance's eyes to quite a few things. She had realized that she was keeping walls around herself in order to keep from losing those she cared about but in doing so she had essentially lost those she cared about.

And the unexpected didn't necessarily have to be bad. She certainly hadn't expected Tanner to ask her to be his wife. She hadn't expected the man would vow such an undying devotion and willingness to sacrifice things he could have with other women just so he could have her by his side.

She hadn't expected Tanner to come riding in and give her son a father--a family. Yes, the unexpected could be heartbreaking at times but it could also be heartwarming, earth spinning and wonderful. And Temperance was starting to believe it was worth the risk. Hope and happiness might just be worth risking the pain that came with the bad.

"Did you rest well?" Sophia questioned, her voice meek and quiet just like she was.

"No," Temperance admitted. "I barely slept at all."

In truth, she had been up until very nearly dawn with Tanner. They had talked about many things. Simple things. Favorite foods, activities, books and seasons. Tanner had told her stories about growing up in such a wealthy home. With Trevor and their father around it had been tense and miserable but Tanner spoke fondly of his mother and claimed that she had been a saint and an angel trapped in a marriage to a man who treated her like dirt beneath his boots.

It seemed that Trevor had come upon his abusive ways naturally.

Temperance had told Tanner bits and pieces of her life. Speaking of her family was still something very painful for her but she talked about the things she missed the most. The quiet mornings with her mama and sisters or the evenings spent sitting in front of the fire quilting with her mama after her sisters had gone to bed. She missed her father's laugh, her brother's teasing, her sister's antics and their innocence....