Chapter 3
1466 Words
Chapter 3
Friday came much sooner then either of them would have liked, but they knew they couldn’t put it off much. Ash had even gone so far as to tell Charity to make dinner for her sisters special, to make it about her and her sisters instead of about him.
It was at that moment that Charity realized that, even though she had know Ash for less than a week, that she was falling in love with him. And she was fine with it.
She made a simple meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and a green bean casserole. If the meal just happened to be Ash's favorite as well as her sisters, well so be it.
As she set the casserole on the table, Ash finished setting the table. She turned to him and kissed his cheek.
“I'm glad that I was fated for you, Ash,” she said.
He laughed softly before saying, “You keep talking of fate and our future, but won't tell about your power. Do you want me to guess?”
“Only if you think you know what it is,” she said as he drew her into his arms.
“Let me see,” he said. “Is it making people fall in love?” She shook her head no. “I didn't think so. Hmm. Is it making me fall in love with you?”
“Are you?” she asked. “In love with me?”
“I might be getting there,” he said. “But that's you, not magic. So, let me see. Last guess.” She saw he was pretending to think hard. “I know! You can tell the future!”
“How long have you know?” she asked.
“Since the day after we married,” he said. “So, Tuesday.”
She smiled and laid her head on his chest.
“I'm falling in love with you as well,” she whispered.
He laid his head on top of hers and then kissed the top of her head before releasing her.
“Your sisters will be here any minute,” he told her. “Did you want to go change?”
“Yes, I would like to,” she said.
“Go and change,” he said. “If your sisters come before you are ready, I'll greet them.”
“Thank you,” she said. “Remember that you're mine.”
He smiled as she hurried from the kitchen and to their room.
And then there was a knock at the door.
He hurried from the kitchen to the living room. He reached the door just as there was another knock. He opened the door to find two pretty women on the front porch. He realized they were Charity's sisters at once, but neither was as beautiful as her.
“You must be the partner,” one said.
“I am,” he said. “And you are?”
“Hope,” the one who had spoken said. “And this is our sister, Harmony.”
“Well, come on in,” he said. “Charity is changing.”
“Changing?” Harmony asked. “Why?”
“She cooked dinner and got flour on herself,” he said. “I thought she looked nice the way she was, but she said she couldn't greet her sisters like that.” He shrugged.
Both sisters looked at each other and then at him. He was saved from hearing what they had to say because Charity came into the room then. She moved to stand beside him and he slipped his arm around her waist.
“It's good to see both of you again,” she said. “Ash, these are my sisters, Hope and Harmony. Hope, Harmony, this is my new partner, Ashley Silvermist.”
“We have just exchanged names,” Hope said.
“Oh,” she said. “Well, dinner is all set, so let's eat. Ash can bring in your bags once we all eat.”
“You ladies go into the dinning room,” he said. “I'll get the door.”
“Sure,” she said.
He released his hold on her and watched as she walked with her sisters into the dinning room. He closed the door and hurried after them.
“Ash sits there,” he heard Charity say.
“But why?” Hope asked. “That should be your place.”
“Well, it isn't,” Charity said. “So just leave it.”
“Fine,” Hope said. “But I want answers.”
“And you'll have them,” he said, coming into the room. “But let's eat first. I'm starving from all the work I've done today.”
“Work?” Harmony asked, speaking for the first time.
“Yes,” he said, taking his seat at the head of the table. “I've been out measuring the land for the fences.”
“What fences?” Harmony asked.
“We're going to be getting more cows in the Spring and I need to make sure they have enough room to roam,” he said. “Tomorrow I'm going to decide where the milking building will be and where the cheese house will be.”
“Cheese?” Harmony asked.
“We're going into the dairy business,” Charity said. She sat down on his right side.
“Why dairy?” Hope asked, sitting next to Charity. Harmony sat next to Ash.
“Because I love cows?” he said.
No one said anything for several minutes as dishes were past and they began to eat.
Then, out of nowhere, Ash said, “It's so nice to meet my wife’s sisters.”
“What?” both Hope and Harmony asked at the same time.
“I thought we were going to wait to tell them,” Charity said.
“No need to beat around the bush,” he said as he continued to eat. “They need to know. Were you going to wait until after the baby comes to tell them?”
“No,” she said. “Just until after dinner.”
“Baby?” Harmony asked as Hope asked, “What baby?”
“We are trying to have a baby,” she said.
“When did this happen, Charity?” Hope asked. “The last time we spoke you told me you had a new partner, not a husband.”
“Well, I wanted it to be a surprise,” she said. “It all happened so fast. Ash came out to see if he wanted to invest in the farm and the next thing I knew we were getting married.”
“When did you met?” Harmony asked.
“Last Saturday,” he said.
“Last....” Harmony looked confused.
“I can't believe you just jumped into this, Charity,” Hope said. “What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking about what I want for once,” she said. “I need someone to love, someone who loves me.”
“And you think a stranger, someone you just met, could give you that?” Hope asked.
“I do,” she said. “Ash was meant for me, as I am for him. He is the only one I will ever want.”
“How do you know that?” Hope asked.
“I saw it,” she said.
“You what?” Hope asked.
“We aren't supposed to use our gifts on ourselves,” Harmony said.
“I didn't use it on myself,” she said. “I used it on Fern.”
“When?” Hope asked. She was almost yelling.
“The day she died,” she said.
“The day she... died?” Harmony asked.
“Yes,” she said. “Fern had me meet her at a park near her work. We talked for awhile and then she asked me to see what the future held for her. As hard as I tried to see her future, the only thing I could see was my own. It wasn't until a week later that I realized that she had tricked me into seeing my own future.”
“She had no future,” Harmony whispered.
“Yes,” she said. “I also realized why she tricked me.”
“Why?” Hope asked.
“So that I would want to keep going on after she died,” she said. “She somehow knew that once she was gone I wouldn't want to live either.”
“You thought about... taking your own life?” Harmony asked.
“I did,” she admitted. “And then, I remembered the future that I had seen and knew I couldn't let that go to waste.” She looked at Ash. “I couldn't let you have the fate I saw for you without me.”
He stopped eating, which he had continued to do, and looked at her. He asked, “What fate?”
“I can't tell you,” she said. “Not yet. There are many things that need to be done first.”
“Alright,” he said. He set his fork down on his empty plate and stood. “I'll get the bags out of the car.”
“Okay,” she said. She watched him walk out of the room.
As soon as he was out of the room, Hope said, “I can not believe you got married and didn't tell us!”
“You weren't needed here, Hope,” she said. “Not yet.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Hope asked.
“It means that there will come a time when I need you,” she said. “Now is not the time, Hope.”
“Fine,” Hope said.
“Are you really going to have a child with him?” Harmony asked.
“Yes,” she said. “Now, let's finish eating so you two can get settled in your room and then spend time with me and Ash.”
“Fine,” Hope said. “But don't think we're finished talking about this.”
- Writer
