The moment she realized someone saw her kissing Thomas she’d seen their relationship flash before her eyes. They were supposed to have time. Time to settle in, time for her to gain confidence. From the way Walter gawked at her as if she were a cross between a train wreck and fireworks, she figured they had a day or two before the whole damn town knew.Paul headed into the barn with Walter to finish paperwork, but she didn’t wait for him. The forest trail offered much to explore, but she couldn’t focus. She tried to imagine what her mother would do, or her father. Her mother was a firstwife, the legal spouse. She could kiss and be affectionate in public. The other wives and children could not. Mary always thought it would kill part of her not to be able to hug her dad in public, like her half-sisters. Maybe this was the same. Denying the relationship had been a mistake, and maybe the fact that they’d been found out so quickly, before bitterness grew, was a blessing.She held onto that thought.
