Margaret didn’t know how Ben managed it, but he drank half the cup without taking his eyes off of her. She gave him an uneasy smile. Just what did he find so fascinating about her? Wasn’t she just like any other woman? Or maybe it was because he didn’t remember his real mother, so he wasn’t used to having a woman around. But if that was true, then why didn’t he bother staring at Jenny or Jessica?
“Looks like Ben was thirstier than he let on,” Jessica commented with a chuckle.
Margaret wondered how it was possible that Jessica could meet these boys one time at a train station and remember their names.
“Margaret?” Jessica asked, lifting the remaining full cup off the tray.
“No thanks,” Margaret didn’t trust her trembling hands. All she needed was to slip and get lemonade all over her clothes or all over someone else. “I’m fine.”
Joseph finished the rest of his cup and gave it to Jessica. “I must admit it’s peaceful out here. In some ways, it reminds me of my brother’s place, except his house wasn’t nearly as nice.”
Jenny sighed. “Don’t think my brothers don’t try to make it a bachelor’s home.”
Jessica grinned. “That’s why men need women.” Turning to Joseph and Margaret, she said, “We’ll be back soon to see if you six need anything else.”
After Jessica and Jenny left, Margaret glanced at Ben who was still watching her. She couldn’t remember the last time she held a child. Her sister, after all, was already thirteen. But Ben looked like a good boy to start with. “May I hold him?”
“Sure.” Joseph lifted the boy from his lap and handed him to her.
She wondered if Ben would protest but he didn’t. To her surprise, he snuggled into her arms and rested his head against her shoulder. The simple action startled her. She didn’t think it’d feel so nice to hold a child. And the fact that Ben trusted her enough to close his eyes touched her heart. It was, perhaps, one of the loveliest things that ever happened to her.
She glanced at the three boys playing quietly in the corner of the room. Doug and Bob seemed to be making up a game with the blocks, and Charles sat by them but was content to stick to his own group of toys. The poor boys probably missed their mother. She didn’t know if Charles was old enough to remember her when she passed away, but the oldest two would have been.
“It must be hard to raise them by yourself,” she told Joseph.
“That’s not the only reason I want to get married,” he softly said.
She turned her attention to him.
“Your friend is right, you know. About men needing women. True, we are messy creatures when left to our own devises, but even with children, it can get lonely. There’s an emptiness that only a woman can fill.”
She didn’t know why his words should make her body tingle as if he’d touched her. Despite the heat rising in her cheeks, she confessed, “A woman needs a man too, Joseph. And...”—her gaze went back to the four boys—“I used to dream about being a wife and mother when I was a little girl. I think just about every girl imagines that one time or another. Do boys ever imagine being a husband and father when they grow up?”
He chuckled. “I’d like to say yes, but the truth is when I was a boy, I was too busy playing cowboys and Indians to think of the future.”
“I thought you always knew you were going to marry your first wife?”
“Well, to a point. But I never thought about it. I just took it for granted.”
“Oh. I had all the details planned out for my wedding and the names and genders of my children picked out.”
“My first wife did too, though she did later tell me that she wasn’t sure if I was the one or not.”
“Is that the way it is then for men and women? Men go along life and one day decide on who they’ll marry while women figure out the wedding and children and just hope the man comes along with it?”
“I don’t know if that’s how it is for everyone, but it’s been my experience.” He inched closer to her so he could put his arm around her shoulders. “I like you, Margaret. I’ve liked you ever since I read those letters. I hope you never think that I settled for you because I couldn’t find someone else. Even if a man needs a woman, he needs the right one.”
Tears filled her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. “I like you too, Joseph.”
He leaned forward and kissed her.
A round of ‘ewe’s came from two very disgusted boys who stopped playing to watch them.
He looked at his sons and said, “Someday, this will be one of your favorite things to do.”