Read Online The Widow's Touch (A Whimsical Select Romance Novella) by Tamara Ternie - Free Book Online
Authors: Tamara Ternie
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trembled. But when he smiled, it quickly relaxed her.
“It’s going to be all right. You can do this. This is the only chance you have to even the unfair odds against you, Eloda. Don’t allow this town to convict you by their prejudice.”
“And you’ll be staying with me the entire time?”
“Yes, Jonathon and I will stay at your side and Frank will be keeping an eye open for anyone who might use this opportunity to enact pretrial justice.”
“Do you really think that may happen?” she asked , startled.
“There’s been constant chatter about hanging you to save the county the expense of a trial,” Jack admitted.
S he reckoned the fear she felt inside must have stricken across her face when Jack tightened his squeeze on her hands and warmly smiled at her again.
“Both Jonathon and I will be sta nding very close to protect you,” he added. “We won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Why?” she asked a s she turned to Jonathon. “Jack’s the law, so I understand why he’s willing to be my buffer, but why would you risk harm to yourself by staying at my side?”
Jonathon looked down at Eloda and regarded her face thoroughly and quietly. A wounded smile barely lifted his lips. He didn’t say anything for several moments.
“It’s not that I don’t appreciate it,” Eloda added. “I’ m eternally grateful for all you have done for me, and there are not enough words to relay how appreciative I am.”
“After taking your case, I went home and began rummaging through my father’s belongings ,” he finally said. “Until then, they had gone untouched since the day he died.” Jonathon turned and looked at Jack. “Can you give us a couple minutes?”
“I’ll go check the streets outside and make sure all is clear,” Jack said, and he grabbed his wool coat from the hook, checked his gun, and left.
“I found some correspon dence between my father and you,” Jonathon admitted.
“You read our private letters?” she asked, unnerved by the invasion of privacy.
Jonathon lowered his head and nodded.
“And there was something within them that gave you a change of heart?”
“ My father had great hatred for me,” he said, and his eyes welled up with unshed tears. “He discovered early in my life that I had a preference for men, and that’s where his anger stemmed and stayed rooted until his death. Only until recently did I realize that nothing would have changed that.”
“I’m sorry, Jonathon. I know how painful that must be for you, ” she said and reached for his hand and comforted him. After all the love she received from her own father, she couldn’t imagine the heartache felt in having a parent’s love taken away. It certainly had to have been devastating for him.
“You could have taken great advantage by that,” Jonathon continued. “Instead, your letters begged my father to reunite with me. And when he spoke of rewriting his will to make you his beneficiary before marriage, you asked him not to do it, and again, pleaded with him to have me included.”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You were hurting enough, Jonathon. I believe d by my telling you that your father still refused you after I challenged his decision would have only hurt you more.”
“ I wouldn’t have treated you so dastardly after my father’s death had I known.”
“It’s the past, Jonathon. I harbor no ill will toward s you, truly.”
“ Nor I against you,” he said. Jonathon crooked his head to the side and smiled. “Now that we have put this matter aside, we shall let the community see our friendship as well, and pray they, too, see the goodness inside you.”
“It’s time to go,” Jack called through the crack of the door. “The procession is about to begin.”
Exhaling loudly, she lowered her veil and slid her hands into her black lace gloves. “All right, I’m ready.”
Eloda , Jack, and Jonathon
“It’s going to be all right. You can do this. This is the only chance you have to even the unfair odds against you, Eloda. Don’t allow this town to convict you by their prejudice.”
“And you’ll be staying with me the entire time?”
“Yes, Jonathon and I will stay at your side and Frank will be keeping an eye open for anyone who might use this opportunity to enact pretrial justice.”
“Do you really think that may happen?” she asked , startled.
“There’s been constant chatter about hanging you to save the county the expense of a trial,” Jack admitted.
S he reckoned the fear she felt inside must have stricken across her face when Jack tightened his squeeze on her hands and warmly smiled at her again.
“Both Jonathon and I will be sta nding very close to protect you,” he added. “We won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Why?” she asked a s she turned to Jonathon. “Jack’s the law, so I understand why he’s willing to be my buffer, but why would you risk harm to yourself by staying at my side?”
Jonathon looked down at Eloda and regarded her face thoroughly and quietly. A wounded smile barely lifted his lips. He didn’t say anything for several moments.
“It’s not that I don’t appreciate it,” Eloda added. “I’ m eternally grateful for all you have done for me, and there are not enough words to relay how appreciative I am.”
“After taking your case, I went home and began rummaging through my father’s belongings ,” he finally said. “Until then, they had gone untouched since the day he died.” Jonathon turned and looked at Jack. “Can you give us a couple minutes?”
“I’ll go check the streets outside and make sure all is clear,” Jack said, and he grabbed his wool coat from the hook, checked his gun, and left.
“I found some correspon dence between my father and you,” Jonathon admitted.
“You read our private letters?” she asked, unnerved by the invasion of privacy.
Jonathon lowered his head and nodded.
“And there was something within them that gave you a change of heart?”
“ My father had great hatred for me,” he said, and his eyes welled up with unshed tears. “He discovered early in my life that I had a preference for men, and that’s where his anger stemmed and stayed rooted until his death. Only until recently did I realize that nothing would have changed that.”
“I’m sorry, Jonathon. I know how painful that must be for you, ” she said and reached for his hand and comforted him. After all the love she received from her own father, she couldn’t imagine the heartache felt in having a parent’s love taken away. It certainly had to have been devastating for him.
“You could have taken great advantage by that,” Jonathon continued. “Instead, your letters begged my father to reunite with me. And when he spoke of rewriting his will to make you his beneficiary before marriage, you asked him not to do it, and again, pleaded with him to have me included.”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You were hurting enough, Jonathon. I believe d by my telling you that your father still refused you after I challenged his decision would have only hurt you more.”
“ I wouldn’t have treated you so dastardly after my father’s death had I known.”
“It’s the past, Jonathon. I harbor no ill will toward s you, truly.”
“ Nor I against you,” he said. Jonathon crooked his head to the side and smiled. “Now that we have put this matter aside, we shall let the community see our friendship as well, and pray they, too, see the goodness inside you.”
“It’s time to go,” Jack called through the crack of the door. “The procession is about to begin.”
Exhaling loudly, she lowered her veil and slid her hands into her black lace gloves. “All right, I’m ready.”
Eloda , Jack, and Jonathon
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