Sanders Cross

Excerpt

“Good morning, Zell. I have a surprise for you.” The tall, husky Lewis strolled to his wife and hoisted her up against his chest.
“A surprise? Oh Lewis, you know how I love surprises. What is it? Tell me!” she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“If I tell you, it will not be a surprise, now will it?” his hearty laughter echoed the room. “Come, I will show you. The wagon has been loaded with a picnic lunch and the horses harnessed.”
With an added bounce in her step, she hurried to the wagon and waited for him to lift her onto the wooden seat. He climbed in beside her and took the reins. His muscular arm flexed as he released the brake before he urged the horses down the street to a back road leading out of town.
A wide span of green grass and newly budding trees stretched before them. The sun beat down on their backs and songs of the birds whispered in the wind.
“One day I hope to live in the country. It is so peaceful, Lewis. Where are we going? Oh Lew, please tell.”
“I assure you it is peaceful.” Lewis pulled the horses to a stop. “Before we move on I want to blindfold you. No peeking, you hear?”
He gently tied a cloth over her eyes. Izella jolted as the reins slapped the backs of the horses and the wagon lurched forward. “Is this necessary? Are you taking me to a secret hideout I should not know about?”
“Just a few more minutes, Zell. Keep your blindfold on and when we stop you may remove it.” His voice held a mysterious, happy tone. She entwined her arm in his. The taught muscle beneath her fingers sent a delightful tingle through her body.
The wagon creaked to a stop. “You may remove your blindfold.”
She yanked the cloth from her eyes and her jaw fell open at the scene in front of her. Lewis caught her as she jumped from the buckboard. He gently placed her on the ground.
The giant plantation house stood prominent on the outskirts of the tiny Alabama town. Its white columns and wrap-around porch promised the serene life Izella had always imagined for her and her husband. Heavy, green bough oak trees surrounded the grounds, shading the many gardens and paths sprinkled with various shades of flowers. Windows on every side of the mansion glistened in the sunlight.
“It’s beautiful. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to live in a place like this? Whose is it?” Izella drew in a long breath and then threw her arms around Lewis’s neck. He hoisted her to his chest and twirled her in circles.
“It is ours. All for you my love,” he whispered in her ear. His dark blond hair waving in the breeze tickled her cheek. The beat of his heart quickened against her bosom.
Anticipation coursed through her veins as the prospect of owning the place sank in. She sucked in another lung full of the air fragranced by flowers. Her gaze shifted to Lewis. “It is grand! Are you sure we can afford it?”
“We already own it, Zell. Father left it to me in his will. I have been out here doing repairs so we can move in when you are ready.” His sky blue eyes twinkled as he gazed at her.
“How many children do you think it will take to fill this mansion?”
His laughter embraced her with warmth and comfort. Mysterious sparkles danced in his eyes. His low hot tone delighted her. “As many as you want. This is our new home, Zell.”
Her heart skipped, then swelled with enchantment. Every time she gazed upon Lewis a new thrill, a new tingle, rippled down her spine. A new house, so soon after they were married…what more could she asked for other than a passel of children?
“What do you want to call our humble abode?” Lewis’s voice broke her trance.
She twirled around and scanned the area. “We can use both of our last names, Sanders Cross Plantation. Later, we can add a cross next to the entrance way.” She tugged at his arm. “Let’s go inside, Lew. How much help do we need to get it running?”
Fingers entwined, they headed up the walk surrounded by blooming flowers on the left and the peach orchard set off to the right.
“We will need plenty if we manage to have enough children to fill this place. Not to mention the field hands.” He winked, his eyes twinkling. It took little effort for him to lift her into his arms, and carry her over the threshold to the inside where large white columns connected the galleries.
Izella pushed from his embrace and scurried from one area to another. The heavy, mahogany doors closing off each room secreted into the walls as she slid them open. Breathless, she raced up the stairway to peer down at him through the square opening of the second floor landing. Ceilings rose twelve feet in height, and brilliant chandeliers with dangling crystal accents lit the rooms in a warm, amber glow. Intricately carved rosettes graced the mahogany molding of the framed corners of each room.
“This is our little piece of heaven. Thank you, Lew.” Anticipation of her new life coursed through her veins as her mind wandered into their future. Her visions of children laughing in the great room spread below and the thrills they would bring into hers and Lewis’s lives.