ON THE MOUNTAIN


took a break from his painting and , followed by Toby, went out to make a cup of tea. Glancing through the kitchen window, he saw Molly puttering about in the garden, and while he waited for the water to come to a boil, he watched her working. It was hard to think of life without her and this little house, that had become as dear to him as it was to her. After much discussion, they had decided not to sell it, but to build an addition out into the garden that would serve both of them as a studio and work center. He had gladly sold off the town house,and that had more than paid for the renovations. The new addition had turned out to be more of a four season conservatory than anything and they were thrilled that they would be able to have a view of the garden all year round. There was still plenty of garden left, since the addition had gone along the street side of the space.
     He leaned against the counter and thought back over the last few months. He would never have believed that he could love again, but Molly was his life and breath and without her there was nothing. She was caring and loving, but sure enough of herself to let him go off to the cabin when he needed a bit of solitude. That place had benefited by her touch as well and though they spent many weekends there together, she understood his need to be alone and never begrudged him the time. He was pleased at the friendship that had grown between Molly and Elisabeth. They had much in common and the two women spent hours talking about their crafts.
     The only small cloud in the relationship was that Molly seemed to avoid any talk of marriage. Dave had given her a beautiful amythest ring when he moved in with her and tried several times to pin her to a date for the ceremony, with no results. It wasn't that she was against the idea, but just didn't seem to be in any hurry. It was a bit of a surprise to him since he had assumed that women were always in a hurry for that sort of thing. He had gone as far as to talk about it with Maire and Patrick only to have them smile and tell him not to worry about it. They assured him that Molly would know when the time was right for her, and that they had no problem with the two of them living together. It had set his mind at ease to a point, but he still wanted the permanency of a marriage.
     The water having boiled and the tea made, he assembled a tray with crackers, cheese and the tea things and took it to the garden bench.
     "Take a little break with me , Love. You've been slaving away long enough without a rest."



looked up as Dave went by her with the tea tray. He always seemed to know just when she was ready for a break. She darted into the greenhouse to wash her hands and joined him on the bench in the shade.
     "This is nice ,Dave. You must have been reading my mind." She grinned at him. "I've been thinking of changing a few things out here. Now that we have the addition, it changes the light along that side of the garden. I don't much like the idea of ground cover in the shade, and was wondering what you think of planting in large tubs, that can be moved about a bit, or taken away as the things go out of season."
     "That sounds like an interesting idea. I don't know much about that sort of thing though."
     "Well, I have to admit that I don't know all that much, but there are all kinds of books on the subject. I was thinking of making a bit of a flagstone patio in front of the windows. It would give us a nice shady place to sit out and a bit of interest to look out on. Perhaps a little table and chairs. This little arbor bench is lovely for the two of us, but we really need someplace to entertain ouside when Joey and Jess come over." Molly looked around the yard trying to see in her mind the fnished effect of her idea.
     "It sounds lovely, Molly. Do we need to get in help of some sort?"
     "Not really. It will just take us a bit of time. We'll have to have the flagstones delivered of course, but the rest is just a case of working away at it. This year is just about done as far as the garden is concerned, so it's a project for next spring anyway."
     Molly leaned back against the bench. She was still amazed at the way things had worked out with Dave. These last months had been lovely even though it had taken some time for her to get used to the idea of having a man in the house. Ange had been so aginst it at the beginning, especially since she and Dave did not seem to be in any hurry to get married. Molly had explained to her friend that it was her idea to wait and not Dave's, but she had said nothing about the reason. She had explained to her parents that she had a good reason to wait and they supported her decision. It all had to do with Elisabeth, and she had promised her that she would say nothing to anyone about what was happening.
     She had caught Elisabeth one day as she was practicing her walking. No one knew that she was trying all by herself. The docters had given her no hope that she would ever walk again, but Elisabeth was stubborn and refused to give in, so when she was sure there was no one about she had taught herself to stand and with Max's help to take a few steps. Molly knew that Elisabeth wanted it kept a secret, so she had promised her friend to help whenever she was there and not to say a word even to Jack. The two were fast friends and when Elisabeth had told Molly that she wanted to renew her bridal vows with Jack and to surprise him by walking down the aisle, Molly asked her if she would consider making the day a double ceremony. The two had been planning ever since and they thought that Elisabeth would be ready by the spring. If she could manage to hold off until then, the little town that had welcomed Molly with such open arms would see a double wedding in the church there. There were great plans in the works, and Molly had to smile as she thought of them.