preparations. She quickly stirred the mashed potatoes and added a bit more salt.
"If your warm enough, we can eat now," she informed him.
****
"Everything smells really good," Chase told her as he sat down at the kitchen table. He still had the cup of coffee in his hand and Hannah noticed that it was almost gone. Was it to his liking? She remembered the many times she hadn’t prepared the coffee to Jack’s liking, mostly because she hadn’t sweetened it enough, which was hard to do when there was little sugar in the house. He would go into a rage and throw the mug down on the floor and sometimes at her. Then he would start drinking.
"Are you okay?” Hannah faintly heard the question in the back of her mind and shook her head as if to clear it. She noticed Chase looking at her with concern and quickly shoved her memories to the back of her mind.
I need to concentrate on serving this meal , she said to herself. She hurried and placed the roast beef, mashed potatoes, biscuits and vegetables on the table. She had set the table with the new dishes.
Chase bowed his head and said a brief prayer over the food. In his prayer, he also thanked God that she was in his life, just as he had done that morning. After the prayer, when Hannah tried to serve him, he insisted that she fill her plate first, and then his.
They both were quiet for a few minutes while they started to eat, but Hannah started to think about the fact that Chase had said a prayer before each meal since she arrived. Did this mean that he was a God-fearing man? Did he go to church regularly? In her experience, she knew that most men who went to church did not drink, although she knew that there were exceptions. Dr. Wilson had never gone to church with her, but he also never drank like Jack had. Did this mean that Chase didn’t drink whiskey? She had only been married to him for a little over 24 hours, and she knew that she would not be able to tell whether he drank regularly or not in that short amount of time. However, she had spent the afternoon cleaning the small cabin and had not seen one bottle of whiskey. At the time she wondered if he stored his whiskey in the barn, but now she was hoping that this would not be something she would need to worry about with Chase.
"So what did you do this afternoon?” Chase asked her.
"I cleaned the kitchen and living area. I know that Lucy cleaned before I came, but I wanted to make sure everything had been done.” She placed another biscuit on her plate. “I made a promise to you and I intend to keep that promise. I will be such a good wife, you will not regret that you married me."
"I made some promises to you too and I will also keep them," Chase told her as he sat his fork down beside his plate. He looked at her very intently as if trying to communicate something to her without words. He started to lean towards her and his eyes darkened with an emotion that she did not recognize. He was so close she could feel his breath on her cheek. He tilted her chin with one finger and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Hannah jerked back in surprise and he dropped his hand. The tingling that she felt in the store that morning spread throughout her whole body and she wondered at the sensation of it.
"I promise that as long as I’m alive you will have a home with me, as well as your baby and any other children that might come along. And even if something did happen to me, you will still be provided for by my family. You are safe here. I don’t want you to work so hard. You don’t need to prove anything to me.”
Hannah felt very confused. "Why are you being so nice to me? You hardly know me."
"True," Chase nodded his agreement at her words. "But for some reason, I feel like I’ve always known you."
Chase stood up with his mug in his hand to refill it with coffee. Seeing this, Hannah
"If your warm enough, we can eat now," she informed him.
****
"Everything smells really good," Chase told her as he sat down at the kitchen table. He still had the cup of coffee in his hand and Hannah noticed that it was almost gone. Was it to his liking? She remembered the many times she hadn’t prepared the coffee to Jack’s liking, mostly because she hadn’t sweetened it enough, which was hard to do when there was little sugar in the house. He would go into a rage and throw the mug down on the floor and sometimes at her. Then he would start drinking.
"Are you okay?” Hannah faintly heard the question in the back of her mind and shook her head as if to clear it. She noticed Chase looking at her with concern and quickly shoved her memories to the back of her mind.
I need to concentrate on serving this meal , she said to herself. She hurried and placed the roast beef, mashed potatoes, biscuits and vegetables on the table. She had set the table with the new dishes.
Chase bowed his head and said a brief prayer over the food. In his prayer, he also thanked God that she was in his life, just as he had done that morning. After the prayer, when Hannah tried to serve him, he insisted that she fill her plate first, and then his.
They both were quiet for a few minutes while they started to eat, but Hannah started to think about the fact that Chase had said a prayer before each meal since she arrived. Did this mean that he was a God-fearing man? Did he go to church regularly? In her experience, she knew that most men who went to church did not drink, although she knew that there were exceptions. Dr. Wilson had never gone to church with her, but he also never drank like Jack had. Did this mean that Chase didn’t drink whiskey? She had only been married to him for a little over 24 hours, and she knew that she would not be able to tell whether he drank regularly or not in that short amount of time. However, she had spent the afternoon cleaning the small cabin and had not seen one bottle of whiskey. At the time she wondered if he stored his whiskey in the barn, but now she was hoping that this would not be something she would need to worry about with Chase.
"So what did you do this afternoon?” Chase asked her.
"I cleaned the kitchen and living area. I know that Lucy cleaned before I came, but I wanted to make sure everything had been done.” She placed another biscuit on her plate. “I made a promise to you and I intend to keep that promise. I will be such a good wife, you will not regret that you married me."
"I made some promises to you too and I will also keep them," Chase told her as he sat his fork down beside his plate. He looked at her very intently as if trying to communicate something to her without words. He started to lean towards her and his eyes darkened with an emotion that she did not recognize. He was so close she could feel his breath on her cheek. He tilted her chin with one finger and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Hannah jerked back in surprise and he dropped his hand. The tingling that she felt in the store that morning spread throughout her whole body and she wondered at the sensation of it.
"I promise that as long as I’m alive you will have a home with me, as well as your baby and any other children that might come along. And even if something did happen to me, you will still be provided for by my family. You are safe here. I don’t want you to work so hard. You don’t need to prove anything to me.”
Hannah felt very confused. "Why are you being so nice to me? You hardly know me."
"True," Chase nodded his agreement at her words. "But for some reason, I feel like I’ve always known you."
Chase stood up with his mug in his hand to refill it with coffee. Seeing this, Hannah
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