The short ride to her home was filled with talk of the music, good food, and the pleasant atmosphere.
At her door, Charity thanked Jason for a delightful evening just before he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. She leaned in a bit, and Jason restrained himself from pulling her close.
Jason stepped back a bit and asked, “Would you and the children like to have lunch with me after church on Sunday?”
“We’d like that very much.”
“Then I will see you Sunday.”
“Yes, thank you,” Charity said as she closed the door. Jason waited on the porch until he heard the lock click into place and saw a light turn on in the parlor. He walked back to his carriage whistling.
Chapter 5
After Sunday services, Jason asked Charity, “Would you and the children care to walk with me to my office? I have something I need to take care of before we eat.”
“Of course, the children always need to move around a bit after sitting through Sunday services.”
They strolled the short distance to Jason’s office building. Jason invited them in, and they climbed the stairs to the second floor and walked down to the end of the long hall.
“We passed your office,” Charity remarked.
“What I need is in the meeting room,” Jason said with a smile.
Charity smiled back as Jason held open the door to a small office. A table had been pushed against the wall, and a quilt spread out across the floor. A large wicker basket sat on the edge of the quilt.
“What is this?” Charity asked.
“A picnic. You told me Annie and Ben love picnics and that you do, too. What better way to spend a cold, snowy afternoon than having a picnic? There’s fried chicken, potato salad, a jar of vegetables, lemonade, and a cherry pie, I believe.” Jason smiled and added. “There are a few sugar cookies for the children, too.”
“This is wonderful, but if I’d known, I would have brought a book to keep the children occupied. I hope they don’t bother you if they whine when they get bored,” Charity said.
“I thought of that, and I bought each of them a surprise.”
“You didn’t have to do that, Jason. This picnic is more than enough.”
“Nonsense,” Jason replied. “Give me a chance to spoil all of you a bit.”
“All right,” Charity relented. “This is a lovely surprise, but you can’t spoil us all the time.”
Jason took her hand and looked into her vibrant blue eyes and asked, “Why not? Let’s sit down and enjoy the afternoon.”
Jason held Charity’s hand as she settled onto the quilt, and he sat down next to her.
Ben stood in the middle of the room and looked around. “What are we supposed to do here? This isn’t like a real picnic. There isn’t anything fun to do. No creek to play in or trees to climb.”
“Benjamin Rossman,” Charity scolded. “You apologize for being rude this instant. It was nice of Mister Shepherd to go to all this trouble for us.”
Ben kicked at the floor and mumbled, “I’m sorry I was rude.”
“You’re forgiven, Ben,” Jason smiled. “I was a five-year-old once and know what boredom can do, so I brought something to help.”
Jason picked up the cloth bag sitting next to the picnic basket and pulled out a toy wooden train engine and two cars. He handed them to Ben. “This should keep you busy. I think under the table would make a fine place for a rail line.”
Ben took the train cars, said, “Thank you,” loudly, and raced across the room and crawled under the table.
Charity whispered. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Of course, I did. How else can I get a few quiet minutes with their mother if I don’t find a way to amuse them?” Jason winked at Charity and pulled a doll from the canvas bag.
Annie’s eyes opened wide as she stared at the doll in Jason’s hand.
“This is for you, Annie,” Jason said, holding the doll out to the small girl.
“Thank you,” Annie said as she reached for the doll and clutched it to her chest. “She’s pretty.”
“Your welcome,” Jason told her as she turned and walked toward the table showing her brother her new baby.
Charity smiled. “You planned this well. Gifts for the children always make the mother happy.”
Jason looked into Charity’s eyes and said, “I hope I can do more than that. I had an ulterior motive for this picnic. It’s private, and your children are here.”
Confusion crossed Charity’s face as she looked at Jason. Her confusion turned to a question as she watched him pull a ring from his vest pocket.
“This was my mother’s. She gave it to me to give to the woman I love and want to marry. Will you marry me, Charity Rossman? That is if we have the children’s permission.”
Jason held the gold ring with the small blue stone in his hand and looked at Charity. She sat there, stunned, and gently bit her bottom lip. She thought Jason might bring up marriage, but this surprised her. It was a perfect proposal.
Charity nodded and answered, “Yes, I’ll marry you if the children agree.” Mischief danced in her eyes as she explained the condition of her acceptance.
Jason nodded, “Fair enough. Annie and Ben, could you come here for a minute. I have a question for both of you.”
Annie and Ben hurried over to see what Jason wanted and stood quietly in front of him.
“I need to ask your permission to marry your mama. I love her, and I want us to be a family.”
“Do I get to keep the doll if you marry mama?” Annie asked.
“You may keep the doll even if I don’t marry your mama,” Jason explained.
