Cora didn't see the man sitting on her front porch until she had stepped through the gate."Jedwin!" Her exclamation was a near shout of surprise. "What are you doing waiting on the front porch? Someone will see you."Jedwin rose lazily to his feet. "Maybe I'm hoping that somebody does." He looked handsome and welcoming in his dark coat, sprinkled with snowflakes, the bulk of which had collected in his hat brim. Then as the woman he waited for came closer, his expression changed suddenly.Cora lowered her eyes and tried to step past him, but it was too late. Jedwin pulled her into his arms and raised her chin to look at her."You've been crying," he said. It was not a question, but his tone intimated one.Jerking her chin out of his hands, Cora tried to move away. "It's nothing."Jedwin wouldn't free her, but rather wrapped his arms more protectively around her. "It is something," he insisted quietly. "Any tear you shed is more precious to me than diamonds."Cora chuckled bravely. "You are becoming a poet, Jedwin, after all.""Love can bring the poetry out of a man," he said.She struggled within his grasp and he immediately released her.
