Year of Jubilee by Peggy Trotter Page B

harder than she’d
thought. Her mind rolled around as the rest of them conversed. They
left the busy city behind as farmland surrounded them on both sides
of the wagon. When they finally pulled into a long driveway,
Jubilee noted a modest white house with a large porch, shutters at
the windows and a nice-sized barn to the left, painted red.
    They unloaded and everyone went their
separate ways while Jennie chatted. She led them upstairs to a
doorway on the right side of the hall.
    “Now this was Rafe’s old room…well, the
boys’ old room,” she amended. “You two can freshen up. We’ve got a
big meal planned under the maples in the side yard. I guess I
better get down there and help. We’ll give you both a couple of
minutes.” She started for the door and suddenly stopped. “Oh. And a
few people from the church may be stopping by toward evening. They
all know you’re coming, so I thought I’d let you know.” She turned
to them, gave a big smile, and dabbed her eyes. “I’m so pleased
you’re here.”
    She stepped from the room and snapped the
door shut. Jubilee turned startled eyes on her business partner.
Rafe seemed much larger in the confines of a small room. His face
puckered in thoughtfulness.
    “Well,” he brushed a big hand down his
slightly bristled jaw. “I guess I didn’t think all this
through.”
    She glanced around the room. The bed to the
left was large, with a trunk at the foot. Straight in front of them
stood a dresser under the open window. A bedside table and a new
chaise lounge to the right completed the furniture in the room.
Jubilee froze. Good gracious, what now?
    * * *
    Rafe was all too aware Jubilee had become
like a statue. His face grew warm. What must Jubilee be thinking?
She couldn’t possibly think he’d planned this.
    “I’m sorry, Jubilee. I honestly never gave
much thought on the accommodations. I’d really rather not reveal
the true state of our marriage if possible. That leaves us with
sharing this room. I…” He picked up the satchels and set them on
the settee and slid his hands into his pockets.
    Glory, what to do now? What to say? “I’ll
a…let you get ready and I’ll…” he cleared his throat, “do something
else. Uh, I’m sorry.”
    He strode to the door, stepped into the
hallway and closed it with a click. Oh, lands, what a mess . Here he’d been congratulating himself for escaping Rosemary this
morning. He’d gone from the pan to plop into the fire. Well, he
supposed the chaise would be his bed for the duration. Short of
telling his family about the arrangement, there was no other
option.
    He rubbed the back of his neck and took the
stairs two at a time to join everyone, hoping Jubilee didn’t decide
to rat him out. Not only would that stir up major complications and
a flurry of pointed questions, but it’d get back to Rosemary and
his former best friend, Dale. He’d already been made a fool once.
He’d like to escape another round of that.
    * * *
    Jubilee inhaled a shaky breath and lowered
herself to the chaise. The odd piece of furniture had only a back
on one end and a long armrest along the backside. But Jubilee’s
mind wasn’t on that so much as it was the sleeping situation. How
was this going to work? Would she survive two weeks sharing this
room with Rafe?
    Telling his parents wouldn’t be an option.
She had no desire to divulge the details of their marriage and its
actual state. She gave a shuddering sigh and placed her hand on her
throat. They’d have to share the room. Perhaps he could…. She
glanced at the chaise. It was very small. Rafe was very large. She
swallowed. Oh, dear.

CHAPTER TWELVE
    Jubilee rose, pulled her brush from her
satchel, and walked to the dresser where an oval looking-glass hung
on the wall. Pulling her thick hair out of the braid, she brushed
it through and studied herself in the glass.
    A mirror was a luxury Jubilee wasn’t used
to. She stared long and hard at her face. Jennie had said she