Placing things on the stove so that they would not overcook, Maggie glanced at the clock. It was five after six. Joe was only five minutes late. It wasn't unreasonable for someone to be running a few minutes late. However, Maggie found herself wondering if Joe had changed his mind. He had seemed nervous when she spoke to him at lunch time and she had no doubt that given the situation this was probably a milestone day for him. It would be unreasonable to think it wouldn't be given that Joe hadn't even thought of being in another relationship until recently.
Maggie looked around her little home. It was neat and tidy but she had not really done much to make it look special tonight. A dark red table cloth covered the table rather than the normal blue checkered one and she had borrowed some china from Pearl. A vase of artificial flowers had been moved from the stand in the corner to the middle of the table.
Other than that, it was simply home and Maggie hoped that the everyday feeling would help put Joe at ease. She hadn't even put on a fancy dress for that reason, though she had put her hair up.
That was if he showed up of course.
A knock at the door brought Maggie out of her thoughts. Taking a deep breath, Maggie let it out slowly as she headed toward the door. Pulling the door open, she was relieved to see Joe standing there.
"Come in out of the cold, Joe," Maggie said, stepping aside.
"Thank-you," Joe said nervously. "Um, these are for you," he added, holding out a box of chocolates to her as Maggie closed the door behind him.
"Thank-you," Maggie said, graciously as she reached out for the chocolates. She could tell that even giving her the simple gift felt awkward to him. It made it all the more special to her.
Still wearing his coat and gloves, but not having something to hold any longer, Joe stuffed his hands into his pocket. "Maggie, I have got to be honest. I have gone back and forth between do I go, do I not go, all day," Joe told her. He looked down as he nervously down at the floor. He scraped the toe of his right shoe across the wooden boards of the floor. "I kept thinking about Valentine's Days that I spent with Lissett when I probably should have been looking forward to tonight. I thought you might not want to compete with that. You deserve to be the most important person to someone and I am struggling to figure out how to do that, so if you don't want to have dinner with me I get it."
Maggie smiled as she stepped forward, closing the distance between the two of them.
"It is okay to struggle with things," Maggie said. "We all do at times. The fact that you still came tells me you cared enough about me not to just cancel at the last minute."
Hands still in his pockets, Joe looked up from the floor. "Gabe might have warned me not to."
Maggie's smile got bigger. "Always a good idea to listen to friends," she replied.
Maggie reached out and placed her right hand on Joe's left forearm. Letting her hand slide down the fabric of his heavy coat, Maggie found his gloved hand in his pocket. Fitting her hand into Joe's gloved hand, she withdrew his hand from his pocket.
"I can't imagine how hard this is for you, Joe," Maggie told him, meeting his gaze. "What I do know is that I am touched that you are making an effort to move on for me. I know that means you see me as someone special."
"You are special to me, Maggie," Joe said slowly. "Even though she's gone though, Lissett's memory is special to me as well. I don't see how that is fair to you."
Maggie gave his hand a squeeze. "Then let me decide if I find it fair or not," Maggie told him. "I have no more idea where this relationship will go than you do, Joe. I do want to find out though, and if all I ever am to you is someone who is as important to you as Lissett was, I can live with that."
"Really?" Joe asked, the disbelief clear in his voice.
Maggie nodded. "Truly," she confirmed. "Because even with what little I know of Lissett, I know that you loved her. Being loved by someone is all that most people really want."
Joe lifted the hand that held his to his lips and placed a kiss on the back of it. It was hardly the romantic kiss of novels but Maggie found it endearing. There might come a time when the simple kiss might be disappointing but the British nurse knew that their relationship wasn't at that point yet. The relationship was still in its infant stages. She knew that Joe needed to find peace with the emotions within before he could feel comfortable sharing them freely with her. For now, her part was to be patient with him while letting him know that her love was waiting for him when he reached that point.
"So, dinner is ready," Maggie told him as Joe lifted his head to meet her gaze after kissing her hand. "Why don't you take off your hat and gloves and hang them on the rack so I am not wondering the whole night if you still plan on leaving?"
The comment had the desired effect of putting a smile on Joe's face. As his shoulders relaxed, Maggie could see that he felt more at ease as well.
Turning back to her stove, Maggie let Joe remove his outer garments without an audience. "I hope you are not disappointed but I have been craving a good Shepherd's pie, so that is what I made. There are deviled eggs and buttermilk biscuits to go with it."
"It smells wonderful," Joe assured her.
Maggie looked over her shoulder as she dished up two plates of the Shepherd's pie. Though he had hung up his coat, Joe was still lingering by the coat rack.
"Do you need any help?" Joe asked when he noticed Maggie looking back at him.
"You could grab the bowl of biscuits and the platter of deviled eggs," Maggie replied, hoping that being involved would help the store owner relax a little.
The two went about putting the food on the table. Two people working for a common goal, even if that common goal was simply getting dinner on the table. When they were ready to sit down, Joe pulled out a chair for Maggie.
"Thank-you," Maggie replied, appreciative of the small gesture. The fact that they were in her home with no audience made it that much more special.
After making sure Maggie was seated, Joe moved around the table and took his own chair. Maggie offered up a short blessing for their food and then the two silently went about adding deviled eggs and biscuits to their plates.
"I really am glad you chose to come tonight, Joe. It is never any fun spending Valentine's Day alone."
"I can't imagine you having spent many of them alone," Joe commented.
"You would be surprised," Maggie told him. "Of course I would have to say that the worse Valentine's Day I spent was the time I ended up spending the night with the goat."
Joe swallowed the bit of food he had in his mouth before asking, "A goat? Really?"
Maggie nodded. "I was living in Montana at the time. The settlement was even more rural than Brookfield. The town consisted of the post office, a mercantile and a feed store. They had a schoolhouse, but it was not located near the other places. There was no doctor near the area. I had just been traveling through. I had not anticipated how far apart places were, and found the light fading quickly. An older couple put me up for the night. When they found out I was a nurse, they begged me to stay for a bit. They had a daughter and a daughter-in-law expecting babies within a month of one another and the lady who had been the midwife in the area for years had passed away. One woman and child had died the week before in childbirth and the couple was frightened for their family."
"I don't blame them," Joe commented. "So I assume you stayed."
Maggie nodded. "I did. I promised to stay in the area until spring and to use some contacts to find a more permanent solution for their medical needs while there."
"You seem to have great timing," Joe told her. "You sure waltzed into Brookfield just when we needed you most."
Maggie smiled. "It is not my timing. It is God's. I believe he instilled in me a sense of adventure knowing that he wanted me to certain places at certain times. I believe God is the one who nudges me when he needs me to move on."
"And you haven't felt any of those nudges while in Brookfield?" Joe asked.
Maggie shook her head. "No, I haven't. For the first time in my life I feel content to just stay put. Perhaps Brookfield is where God always intended me to settle. I just had things to do on my way here."
"Like Valentine's Day with a goat?" Joe inquired as they had gotten away from the original story.
"Exactly," Maggie told him. "I had been in the area several months by that time. The couple I was living with had two more healthy grandchildren and were thankful that I stayed. One of those babies was even named Margaret after me."
"That is sweet."
"Anyway, one of the neighbors of the couple was a single man who ran a small farm. His companion was a goat who lived in the house with him. Well, the man got word that his mother was ill. He wanted to go to her but he wasn't sure what to do about the goat. He knew the neighbors would work together to see that the livestock and farm were looked after while he was gone. However, finding someone willing to keep a goat in their home was another story and he would not hear of Rocky, that was the goat's name, being in a barn. I volunteered to stay at his house while he was away and look after the goat. My first night there happened to be Valentine's Day and I found out first hand that I would need to guard my meals from Rocky or go hungry while staying there. Rocky was definitely not a considerate table mate."
Joe laughed at the story.
"So, I shared a Valentine's Day memory with you, so how about you return the favor. It can be funny, cute, or embarrassing. I'm not particular," Maggie said.
"Well, I have never dated a goat for Valentine's Day," Joe told.
"I would hope not. I do not recommend it," Maggie conceded. Her expression became sympathetic as she said, "you could tell me one involving Lissett if you want. I would like to know what she was like if you want to share."
"Are you sure?" Joe asked her.
"Yes," Maggie replied without hesitation. She may not know where their relationship was going but she did know that she wanted to get to know the man sitting across the table from her. That involved knowing about Lissett if Joe was willing to share, as the woman was a part of the Joe she had met.
Joe nodded, and then slowly and with a shaky voice, he started telling her about the first Valentine's Day he had shared with Lissett following their wedding.
Gabriel enjoyed the dinner for two with Lillian. The fact that the children had orchestrated it simply made it more special.
As they enjoyed the food that had been prepared, the chicken just a tad bit overcooked though Gabriel and Lillian both intended to keep that to themselves, the couple found themselves talking about plans for the future. They chatted about the wedding as well as what they wanted in the addition they planned on building. Gabriel shared with Lillian, Rosemary's suggestion of her friend Sophia as an architect and the fact that he had already sent an inquiry as to whether the woman would be interested in taking on the project for the amount the couple could afford.
"I didn't commit us to anything," Gabriel assured Lillian. "I wouldn't do that without discussing it with you but I wanted to at least start the process."
Lillian nodded. "It is fine. Especially as I haven't found anyone that I am even interested in considering working with on the project. Chuck already has rough blueprints for the house he and Grace want to build. Grace said he planned on talking to Lee about the lumber."
"I chatted with Lee while in Hope Valley. He is willing to provide lumber for both projects at a greatly discounted price. Even mentioned that there are men willing to volunteer their time with the building process if we need the help."
"Of course," Lillian said. "The folks of Hope Valley opened their arms to me and Grace and our parcel of children we had while we were trying to make it back to Brookfield with them when they didn't even know us. It doesn't surprise me that they are still willing to help."
A knock on the wall by the doorway to the sitting room drew their attention.
"Yes," Lillian called out, an amused smile on her face.
Vincent stuck his head in through the blanket. "Are you two ready for dessert?" the boy inquired.
Lillian glanced at her and Gabriel's plate. Gabriel's plate was empty and Lillian knew that if she tried eating any more that she would never be able to eat dessert. Looking up from the plates, she met Gabriel's gaze, who gave a slight nod.
"We are," Lillian told the boy.
Vincent's head disappeared. Moments later, Vincent, Christian, Billy and Ellie entered the dining room and crossed it on the way to the kitchen. Sophia and Mary Louise followed them, collecting Lillian and Gabriel's plates before going to the kitchen. Soon, the children were returning. Though all the children had at least a plate in their hand, it was little Ellie who approached Gabriel with two plates. The little girl handed both plates to Gabriel.
"One of those is for, Miss Lillian," Ellie informed him.
"Of course," Gabriel replied with a straight face. "Thank-you, Ellie."
"Yes, thank-you," Lillian told her as Gabriel reached across the table to place one of the plates, which held a small, heart-shaped cake covered in globby pink frosting, in front of Lillian. "To all of you," she added looking at the other children.
"You're welcome," came the chorus of childish voices.
The children waited for Ellie to join them and then they all went into the sitting room. Alone again with Lillian, Gabriel picked up his plate and fork and stood up.
"Where are you going?" Lillian asked.
"I am coming around to sit closer to you," Gabriel informed her.
Plate and fork in one hand, Gabriel used his other hand to move the table at the end of the table around the corner. Placing it next to Lillian, he sat down.
"Eleanor definitely let the children put the frosting on," Lillian said, as she scooped a bit of the cake up with her fork and ate it.
"Which makes it all the more sweeter," Gabriel told her. "Pun intended," he added before taking a bite of his piece of cake.
Lillian laughed, taking another small bite of the cake.
Next to her, Gabriel scraped a bit of the pink frosting off the top of the cake. Deliberately, he put the frosting on Lillian's lips, taking her by surprise.
"You have some frosting on your lips," Gabriel told her with an impish smile.
"I wonder why?" Lillian said, mildly annoyed as she reached for her napkin.
Gabriel reached out and caught her hand. "Let me help you get it," he told her, leaning in toward her.
Gently, Gabriel pressed his lips against Lillian's. He could taste the sweetness of the frosting as their lips met.
Lillian pulled back a little. "The children are in the next room," she reminded him softly.
"They will knock before coming in," Gabriel told her, closing the distance between their lips again. His lips brushed on the frosting this time as Lillian pulled back.
"And if they don't?" Lillian asked.
"Then I guess they get a show along with dinner," Gabriel told her, letting his fork clatter to the plate.
Placing his right hand gently behind Lillian's head, Gabriel pressed his lips against hers again, savoring both the taste of the frosting and of Lillian's lips. Done with her protests, Lillian surrendered to the gesture. A soft clatter told Gabriel she had let go of her own fork. As their lips continued to explore, the frosting became more smeared on both of their lips. Neither of them cared, as the confection made the kiss all the more sweeter.
As Lillian's fingers found their way into his hair at his temples, Gabriel couldn't think of a better ending to a Valentine's dinner.