by Lori Wick
Sean headed up first with Marcail behind him. May was given a chance to watch her son, as Kaitlin followed her brother and sister. She had given up believing that she would ever see that special look on Rigg’s face. She wondered if he, as yet, could define what he was so obviously feeling. May’s eyes swung to the spot that Kaitlin had just vacated on the stairs. Rigg was a wonderful man and May, not knowing her, couldn’t help but wonder if Kaitlin Donovan was worthy of him.
Kate sank down into the bathtub with a heartfelt sigh. It didn’t matter that it was Friday afternoon and not Saturday night; the water felt heavenly.
Kaitlin sat up and looked around the room. It was just off the kitchen and below the back stairway. By the size it had obviously been a storeroom, but someone had ingeniously converted it into a bathing chamber. The tub that Kate sat in was against one wall and from where she was facing she could see the stove on which the water had been heated. A huge pot was still in the middle of it, steam rising from the hot water within. There was a commode and even a bench to sit on. Kate relaxed a little deeper into the water and decided it was the most wonderful room she’d been in.
Coming downstairs from her bedroom, an hour later, Kaitlin was very self-conscious of her wet hair. But the only people in the kitchen were Sean, Marcail, May and a young man that Kate didn’t remember seeing before, but thought he had to be Jeff’s brother.
“Feeling better?” May wanted to know.
“Much. Thank you.”
“Sit down here and have some lunch. Nathan, this is Miss Donovan, your new teacher.”
“Hello.”
“Hello, Nathan.” Kaitlin smiled kindly and watched as Nate blushed to the roots of his hair. She took pity on him and turned her attention to the plate that May had set in front of her. Kate made short work of a slice of beef, potatoes, sliced carrots and a large helping of applesauce.
Marcail was sitting near her with a cookie in her hand and the other people in the room were talking about the farm. Kate, not wanting to embarrass her sister, spoke to her in soft Hawaiian.
“How are you doing?”
“I’m okay.”
“If you want, I can fix you a bath. Believe me, it felt wonderful.”
“That sounds nice.” Tears came to the young girl’s eyes. “Katie, I hate it when I get sick to my stomach.”
“I know you do.” Kate reached a hand over and stroked her sister’s hair. “But I think your way might be easier, you know, just to get sick and get it over with. I hold things inside and then they bother me a lot longer.”
Sean had heard part of the conversation and turned without thinking away from May and Nathan to ask his sister a question. The Taylors would have thought nothing of this at most times, but the Donovan children all continued to speak in a foreign tongue, completely forgetting they were not alone.
“Katie, did you have a chance to get writing materials to write to Father?”
“No. I’ve got to take care of that soon. Actually Sean, tomorrow is your first day at the mercantile, maybe you could just take our dollar and see what you could find. Maybe Mr. Riggs can show you what he’s got. We could write tomorrow night and mail it before school Monday.”
“Okay. How are you doing Marc?”
“I’m fine. I’m going to have a bath and change my dress.”
“You don’t smell very good,” Sean teased her with a smile. Marcail had just made a face at him when they became aware of their audience.
“Mrs. Taylor,” Kaitlin was red-faced and ashamed as she quickly changed to English. “You’re going to think that we haven’t any manners at all. Please forgive us.”
“You’ve done nothing that needs forgiving. I only hope if something is wrong you’ll let me help.”
“I was just asking Marcail how she’s doing and if she wanted to clean up.”
“We also need to write letters,” Sean added, sensing a genuine offer of help from this woman.
“No problem. Why don’t you come with me, Marcail, and we’ll see about your bath. And Nate can show you where you can write your letters.”
May certainly had a gift for hospitality. She was so matter-of-fact about everything that no one was given a chance to feel like an intruder.
May disappeared with her littlest house guest and Nate showed Kate and Sean to a desk that sat in the huge living room. Kate took a seat and tried to gather her damp hair to lay it over one shoulder. She certainly hoped the rest of the young men in her class wouldn’t stare at her as Nathan was doing.
But in a few moments she was oblivious to everything but the paper in front of her. She was rather glad she wasn’t going to be there to see her father’s face when he found out why they’d left San Francisco.
twenty-one
May’s heart, which had begun to melt when she met Marcail Donovan, was now a puddle in her soul. She was the sweetest little girl she’d ever known. May guessed that her bone structure was very small by looking at her face, but when Marcail undressed, bone structure was the last thing on May’s mind.
There was a bruise, gigantic and already black, nearly covering the little girl’s upper arm and spreading across her shoulder. May saw that she was safely in the tub and then had to force herself to walk to find Kaitlin. She found her at the desk.
“Kaitlin?” Kate looked up from her letter in expectation.
“Marcail has a huge bruise on her arm. I’ve never seen one so bad. Maybe I should send for the doctor?”
Kate came to her feet. “I’ll look at it, Mrs. Taylor, but I think you should know that Marc bruises easily and that man, well he had quite a hold on her.”
May could only nod her head as she visualized Marcail being hurt. “Would you like me to stay here?” she asked when Kate rose from the desk.
“No, you can come. You could have talked with Marcail about it, she’s had them before.”
The women walked through the kitchen and Kate knocked gently before entering.
“Hi, Marc. How’s it going?”
“Fine.”
“You gave Mrs. Taylor a scare.”
Marcail looked at the older woman in surprise.
“Your bruise,” Katie informed her.
“Oh, it doesn’t hurt unless I press on it.”
May looked instantly relieved and said with a small laugh that she had been ready to get a doctor. The smile left Marcail’s face and she nearly came out of the tub. Kate didn’t miss her panic.
“It’s all right, Marc. She was only kidding.”
“I’m sorry, Honey,” May said quickly. “I wouldn’t do anything without asking Kaitlin first.”
The little girl nodded and looked uncertainly at her sister. Kaitlin smiled. She figured something like this might happen remembering the hard time Marcail had with Dr. Weston in San Francisco.
Kate took her leave a minute later in order to finish her letter. Sean and Nate had been in the living room the entire time she was writing and Kate was pleased at how well they were getting along. Sean needed a friend.
“How’s the letter coming, Katie?” her brother wanted to know as she came back into the room.
“Pretty good. Why don’t you read what I’ve got?”
Brother and sister traded chairs and Kate found herself once again scrutinized. She tried to ignore it.
“How old are you, Nathan?”
“Fifteen.”
“You’re tall for 15. Do you like school?”
“Most of the time.”
Kate grinned. “That was an honest answer.”
Nathan grinned back, turning only a little bit red this time. Sean spoke from the desk. “I added a little to what you have Katie. Are you going to tell Father about what happened today?”
“I don’t know. I don’t want him to worry about us because I really do think Marc’s going to be fine. What do you think?”
“I’d leave it out,” Sean said and then thought, Father is going to be upset enough when he finds out why we left San Francisco.
The rest of the afternoon sailed by in a lazy fashion. Kate had gone to her bedroom for a while to read her Bible and then joined everyone else in the living room where they were poring over the newspapers. She was so intent on the article she was reading, that she nearly tore the page in two when Rigg startled her by sitting down on the sofa very close to her.
twenty-two
“You look better.” Rigg’s voice was soft and deep and his eyes were intent on her face from his close position beside her. Kate didn’t want to know what he meant by better, so she lowered the paper only to find the room empty.
“Where did everyone go?” Once again Kate’s voice was breathless and she wanted to pinch herself.
“They’re all in the kitchen; supper’s almost ready.”
“Oh, my!” Kaitlin exclaimed, “I should be helping.” Kate quickly folded the paper and hurried to rise but Rigg caught her arm and kept her in her seat.
“Do you always do the proper thing?” He sounded amused.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t you?” There was still a smile lurking behind his eyes.
“Mr. Riggs, if you have something to say to me, I’d appreciate you simply coming out with it.”
“I do have a capacity for making you furious, don’t I Katie?” He had changed the subject in midstream and Kate was having a hard time keeping up with him. She decided not to try.
“If you’ll excuse me, Mr. Riggs, I think I’ll go into the kitchen to see if your mother needs help.”
“She doesn’t,” Rigg said as Kate tried to rise and found he’d sat on her skirt. That he was equally aware of his position became clear as soon as Kaitlin turned her head to look at him. His look was almost angelic.
They sat looking at one another for a long moment. Kate could see that Rigg was enjoying himself and even though she was frustrated with him, she had to admit that he was the best looking man she’d ever seen.
Very softly, so Rigg had to lean to hear her, Kaitlin said, “You, Mr. Riggs, are a flirt.”
Kate was very satisfied with the look of shock that registered on his face. In the next instant she had tugged her skirt free and was headed toward the kitchen.
“And heavenly Father, we thank you for the family that has come into our midst. Please bless them and take care of them, and use all of us to Your good pleasure. In Christ’s name I pray, Amen.”
Mr. Taylor’s prayer worked wonders at calming Kaitlin’s nerves. It was a classical farm kitchen, the kind she’d only read about, with a very large table and plenty of chairs. Her place was between Jeff and Sean and unfortunately, across the table was Rigg. He was very solicitous to Marcail who was beside him, holding the bowls of food and anything else she needed to serve herself. But even though his attention was centered on the youngest Donovan, he was more than able to make Kate feel self-conscious with his intense glances and warm smile.
That Rigg was the only one staring at Kate, was thanks to Bill Taylor. He had arrived at the house with Jeff and Gil not too long before Rigg, only to find Nate staring at Kate as though he’d never seen a woman before. That his older boys followed suit the moment they arrived, had been a source of great disturbance to him. Kaitlin, intent upon her reading, did not see the father of these young men signal them out of the room to inform each of them that they knew better and to please not do anything to make their guest uncomfortable.
Sean had been an unwilling observer to the whole episode and every time he looked at Kaitlin he wanted to cry. His heart ached for Hawaii where Katie was just Katie and not the object of every man’s attention, or where Marcail was not shaken and bruised by some man who never saw her steal a thing.
Maybe he was too young to understand all the ways between men and women but he told himself he was not ever going to stare at a woman as though she had two heads, or blush and stutter when spoken to, no matter how pretty she might be. After all, a person’s true beauty was beneath their skin. He might be only 14 but Sean Donovan believed that with all of his heart.
Rigg watched the emotions scoot across Sean’s face and wondered what was tormenting his housemate. Surprised at how paternal he felt toward this young man, he hoped they’d have a chance to talk on the way home.
Rigg would have been really surprised to know that he was the only person Sean didn’t mind looking at his sister.
After supper Kaitlin volunteered to do the dishes and Jeff helped her. They worked quietly for a time and then began to talk like old friends.
“Is it normal to have your purse snatched here in Santa Rosa? I mean, it was right in front of all those people and well, I realize this is a big city, but I’m surprised.”
“We certainly have our fair share of crime but please don’t let today paint a black picture for you. Santa Rosa is really very nice. It’s growing fast so there is a lot of opportunity here. There’s also a good deal of community involvement if you’re so inclined.
“Nearly everyone in my parents’ generation is very concerned for the education of our generation and it shows in the schools they build and the teachers they hire.”
“Was I just complimented, Jeff?” Kate smiled at him.
“No, I’m just trying to butter you up so you’ll help me dry some of these dishes when you’re done washing.”
“Not a chance. If you remember, I gave you a choice.”
“So much for chivalry. Next time I’ll rope Rigg into doing this.
“Why did you do that?” Jeff said after a second.
“Do what?” Kate asked cautiously.
“Stiffen up at the sound of Rigg’s name.”
Kaitlin didn’t answer and when she held out a dish to Jeff he just stood looking at her without reaching for it. Kate sighed and looked him in the eye.
“Jeff, I know you love your brother but the truth is, he’s very high-handed and a flirt to boot.”
“Rigg!” Jeff was astounded.
“I shouldn’t have said that Jeffrey. Please forgive me. He’s your brother, I had no right to speak ill of him.”
“Kaitlin,” Jeff’s voice was serious now. “I don’t know how to say this, but Rigg isn’t what you think.” He stopped when her look told him she was more than a little skeptical.
“I mean it, Kaitlin. Rigg is the nicest guy on earth and very much a man of God.”
“I can see why you think that way, Jeff, but you did ask me and I thought I could be honest with you.”
“You can be. I’m sorry I jumped on you.” He dried a few more plates and then asked carefully, “Why do you think he’s high-handed?”
“You were standing there, Jeff, when he ordered me to get my things and come here. Please don’t get me wrong. I really appreciate your family, but your brother could have been a little more diplomatic.
“He also thinks I’m a rag doll. Telling me he’ll put me in the wagon and nearly sitting on me when he thinks I’ll move from the sofa.
“Whether or not you want to hear this Jeff, the fact of the matter is, your brother is very accustomed to getting his own way.”
Jeff could think of nothing to say. All that Kate had mentioned was true. Also true, was the fact that Rigg wasn’t normally like this. In fact Jeff had never seen him so forceful or intent on a person. Kaitlin would never believe it, but Rigg was a little shy around the women at church.
When Jeff said nothing Kate was overridden with guilt. “I don’t know what came over me just now, Jeff. But I’m so sorry to talk to you that way. Rigg has been very kind to Sean and I know he wants to help us. I hope you won’t hold this against me.”
“It’s all right, Kate, really.” He gave her his most engaging grin and they finished the dishes over a discussion about the church the Taylors attended.
twenty-three
Kaitlin and Jeff had been seated in the living room with Bill and May for just a few minutes when Rigg, right on down to Marcail, came in from outside where they’d been seeing the barn.
Marcail sat next to
her sister on the sofa and Rigg took a place on Marcail’s open side.
“You should see the barn Katie!” her sister told her with enthusiasm. “They have four horses but one is old and tired; they use him for burning hay.”
Kaitlin laughed along with everyone else at Marcail’s description. “I think what they meant was that he’s too old to work so all he does is eat. That’s a hay burner.”
“I think Loni’s brother must be a hay burner, but he’s not that old.”
The Taylors watched as Sean and Kaitlin exploded with laughter. The brother Marcail spoke of was 19 and very lazy. They had never heard it put that way before but it was very fitting.
When the laughter subsided, Gilbert asked a question of Marcail.
“Who is Loni?”
“She’s my best friend in Hawaii.”
“And how old is her brother?”
Marcail looked at Kate.
“Nineteen I think,” Kate supplied the expected answer.
“May tells me you sometimes talk to each other in—”
“Hawaiian.” Sean supplied for Bill, who was speaking to Katie.
“Right, Hawaiian. Maybe you could give us a sample.” His voice was coaxing and Kate could see he was fascinated, but before she could answer him, Sean spoke up.
“There’s a sure way to get Katie to speak Hawaiian—just get her mad or upset.” Kaitlin threw her brother a warning look but kept silent.
“I know some songs in Hawaiian,” Marcail said.
“Please sing one for us, Marcail,” May entreated from her chair near the fireplace.
In the next instant the room was filled with the sweet, high sound of Marcail’s singing voice. Kaitlin and Sean joined her after a moment and the family with whom they were staying was transfixed at the beautiful words of the song and the perfect blend of the Donovan voices.
No one spoke after the song ended and when the silence continued, Kate told them in a soft voice what the words meant.