It was too late to do anything about it now. He was seeing his attorney at that very moment. She wondered how long the annulment would take. At least she’d still be near him after he'd built the house for her. Hope didn’t want any more than the twenty acres he’d promised her. In fact, she’d be happy with one acre. All she wanted was enough land to plant a nice garden.
Hope sat in the sitting room with the embroidery Esther had started her on. She hoped that she and Daniel could talk again when he returned. Maybe he’d somehow convince her of his love. She continued to sew while she waited, and she messed it up because she was nervous about his return for some reason. Hope had wanted the annulment. Then again, she didn’t want it. She was so confused. After stabbing her finger several times, she threw the embroidery hoop down and paced the room.
Her feelings fluctuated between thinking she’d overreacted to the situation and being proud she’d stood up for herself. She kept on asking herself: what did she really want?
Esther came in and announced, “Daniel would like for you to join him in the dining room for lunch.”
Hope felt her heart drum in her chest again. “I’ll be right there.” She had been so absorbed in her thoughts she hadn’t even heard Daniel come in.
Chapter Twenty
Daniel was sitting at the table when Hope walked into the dining room. She slid into the chair across from him and waited for him to speak. Esther put a plate of sandwiches on the table, poured their beverages, and left the room.
Hope looked up at Daniel and saw him studying her.
“I have some papers for you to sign,” he said. “Would you prefer to do it now or after lunch?”
She took a deep breath. “May as well get it over with.”
Daniel reached into his vest pocket and withdrew a thick bundle of papers. He unfolded them but didn’t hand them to her. “I want you to be sure to read what you’re signing, and I want you to be certain this is what you truly want.”
Hope nodded, and Daniel handed her the papers. Her hands shook as she skimmed the top paper. She gasped and continued reading on to the next page. “You must be joking.” She quickly checked the stationary and the attorney's signature. “You will really do this?”
“It’s the only way I can think of to prove to you I'm sincere. I love you a thousand times more than this land. If this is what I have to do to prove it, so be it.”
“But Daniel, you’re giving me all one hundred and sixty acres and the house. Are you mad?”
Daniel let out a laugh. “You might say so, yes. I’m madly in love.”
“I don’t want the land,” she exclaimed. “What would I do with it?”
“You still have Sam and Esther and the hired help. You’ll run the farm.”
She bit her lower lip. “What will you do?”
“I’ve already commissioned a builder to start on a little house on a far corner of the land. If you noticed, it’s in the last paragraph on page three that I get two acres of land and a house.”
Hope leafed through the pages to find it. “So, you’re going to live on two acres.”
“Yes.”
“How will you earn a living?”
“I talked to Jess at the livery, and he promised me a job.”
Hope folded the papers and set them on the table. The paperwork was legal. He’d transferred the house and land to her. This was his way of proving his love. Her heart pounded so loud she feared he’d hear it. How could she confess now that she’d been wrong? She fiddled with the napkin in her lap.
Daniel took a sandwich from the platter and placed it on his plate. “You don’t have to say a thing. My timing was all wrong. In your place, I’d have come to the same conclusion. I don’t expect you to apologize. Just be happy. As long as I live near you, I’ll always have hope… without the capital ‘h.’” He smiled at her before biting into his sandwich.
Hope had lost her appetite. He’d given up his home and land to prove he loved her. How was she supposed to react? All she could do was sit and twist her napkin in her lap. She watched Daniel devour his sandwich while she thought of something to say.
“I appreciate your gesture, but I don’t want the house or land. I’ll go back to the attorney and sign it all back to you.”
Daniel held up both of his hands. “Whoa—I don’t want it either. It would always remind me of the high price I paid for it.”
“What do you mean?”
“The price I paid was losing you,” he said softly.
Hope tried to suppress her tears, but they streamed defiantly down her face. “I’m so sorry, Daniel,” she sobbed. “I never stopped loving you, but I was afraid of being in a loveless marriage. I’m sorry that I need love so badly.”
Daniel reached across the table and put his hand over hers. “Do you think I’d enjoy being in a loveless marriage just to keep some old land? I don’t even know if I’m cut out to be a farmer.”
Hope sniffled, brought out her handkerchief, and dabbed at her face and nose. “I know I’m not farmer material but if given the chance, I know I’m cut out to be a good farmer’s wife.”
