His Rainbow After the Rain

by Grace Clemens

  “Don’t you go printing all of this in your newspaper.”

  Philip shook his head, lifting one corner of his lips. “We don’t have a gossip column. Hey, that sounds like a good idea. Maybe I’ll start one. I know the subject of my first article.” He lifted his eyes to the sky to look contemplative and thoughtful, touching one finger to his lips as if he was seriously considering it.

  Mary couldn’t help laughing and slapping him gently on the arm. “Oh, Philip Jenkins. You are a card. Don’t you dare.”

  “What will you do if I do?” he asked, giving her an amused grin.

  “I’ll… I’ll just have to start my own printing company. Then I’ll write my own gossip column and… and I’ll think of something to say about you! What do you think of that?”

  She and Philip both laughed.

  She didn’t notice until that moment that several passersby were looking at them. They probably looked like an odd couple, him being 6’4 and her being just a little under 5’4. But she didn’t mind being seen with such a handsome and prestigious man of Glenwood. She was actually a bit surprised by how comfortable she felt with him.

  He didn’t seem to be at all like she thought he was. He was different than his father. She could relate to him, talk to him on an equal basis. She’d always thought he would be arrogant and unkind. Like his father.

  Maybe she would be able to convince him that the newspaper needed to be updated with articles about women’s rights. It was always on her mind. She was on the verge of saying something about it but stopped herself. She didn’t want that to be the only thing they talked about. So far, it hadn’t come up and she wanted to keep things civil as long as she could.

  “I think we are getting some attention here, Mary,” Philip said. She looked up at him. His eyes were on the people walking around them. He had a small grin on his face. She wondered what he was thinking that made him grin like that.

  “I thought that a few moments ago. It’s probably because you’re so much taller than me?”

  He looked down at her and their eyes met. Mary felt a surge run through her, something she hadn’t felt before in her life. It terrified her. She was certain it was a genuine feeling of attraction. She didn’t want to be attracted to this older man and cause a scandal. He wasn’t married but still… would the age difference cause a problem? Was she putting her own and Philip’s reputations in jeopardy?

  There were some issues to consider. She was the schoolteacher, responsible for the children of the townspeople. She was expected to hold herself to a much higher standard because of that. It was important that she showed good judgment and a high moral standard when she made decisions regarding her personal life. And she was on her own, a virtual orphan in the world.

  Why would he want to be with a woman who had spent much of her adult life, however short that might have been, an orphan and independent from the care of parents or a man? She’d made her own life and had her own career. She didn’t need him. Lots of men couldn’t handle a woman who could do for herself.

  “Miss Ross!” Her attention was drawn from her thoughts by the sound of her name being called from across the street. She focused on the approaching couple and realized with trepidation that it was Matthew’s parents.

  And they didn’t look happy.

  Chapter 12

  “Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs!” Mary smiled widely, although her heart was hammering in her chest. It was never a good thing to hear your name belted out by the parents of a student. Mr. Jacobs looked stern; not quite angry but very unapproachable. Mrs. Jacobs looked like she wanted to find a hole, crawl into it and never come out. She was wearing a hat that drooped down the back of her head and tufts of gray and brown hair were curling up around the edges. Her brown eyes looked sad. She looked much too old for her age.

  Mary felt a pang of sympathy. She hadn’t realized Mr. Jacobs was as dominating as he apparently was. Poor Matthew. What he must have to go through on a daily basis. No wonder he was tardy, falling asleep and simply not showing up.

  She vowed to do whatever she could to help him with his studies in the future. She’d stay after class till dark if he needed her help. She wanted him to succeed.

  “Miss Ross.” Mr. Jacobs’ voice was low when he spoke. He was not a tall man but he had broad shoulders and a big chest, his shirt, vest and blue jacket all looking like they were straining at the buttons. Mary could tell it was not an indication of how fat Mr. Jacobs was but just that his clothes were too small. He and his wife stopped without stepping up onto the walkway so Mary closed the distance with a few steps, Philip at her side, giving the couple a curious look.

  “We need to talk to you,” Mr. Jacobs continued. “Our son is Matthew. You know him. You’ve been telling him to stay in school.”

  “Yes, he is very…”

  “He can’t stay in school, Miss Ross,” the man huffed, his cheeks flushing as if he was embarrassed. “He has to help his family. His siblings rely on him. His mother needs his help. Sometimes I need his help on the farm.”

  Mary nodded, lifting one hand in an effort to calm the man. “I understand, Mr. Jacobs, I really do. It’s just that Matthew has a very sharp brain and it really would be a shame to let that go to waste. He is very academically advanced. He could be very successful in…”

  “It doesn’t matter!” Mr. Jacobs shouted. “Don’t you see…”

  “Mr. Jacobs,” Philip cut in, resting one hand on the shorter man’s shoulder. Mr. Jacobs’ jaw clamped shut and he stared at Philip with wide eyes. “There’s no need to shout. The schoolteacher is doing her best for all the Glenwood children. Please lower your voice.”

  “I apologize.” Mr. Jacobs looked like he wanted to vomit when he said that. His lips curled up and his face turned an odd shade of green. He turned his eyes back to Mary. “We need him at home. Please understand this.”

  Mary was grateful that Philip was with her to calm the situation. She was consciously trying not to shake. It didn’t feel good to be confronted by a frustrated parent. She clutched her papers to her chest as if they would protect her if something went wrong.

  “Oh, Mr. Jacobs,” she said passionately. “I don’t want to interfere in your family life but Matthew is…”

  “Then don’t!” Mr. Jacobs was blunt in his response, cutting her off again.

  “But if you’ll just let me…”

  “Mary, I think they’ve made their decision.”

  Mary turned wide eyes to Philip. She had not expected him to cut her off too.

  “I’m sorry?” was all she could manage to say.

  Philip shook his head. “They need Matthew to help their family survive. School is not as important. He can learn whatever he needs to learn as he goes along.”

  A fire had been lit under Mary. She could feel her temper beginning to rise inside her. “As he goes along? What does that even mean? The best time for him to learn is now, while he’s still young. He is brilliant. To say that schooling isn’t important is…” She shook her head, unable to believe what she was hearing. “I’m so…”

  She knew she wasn’t going to win. She could tell by the looks on the three faces in front of her. Philip looked somewhat nonchalant, as if he hadn’t just said the most horrible thing in the world to a schoolteacher. Mrs. Jacobs looked like she wanted to run away screaming. Mr. Jacobs still looked a tad green, like his stomach was about to empty itself.

  The thought repulsed Mary. She gave Philip an angry look. “I’ll take my books, please.” As she took the books Philip had been carrying for her, she swiveled frustrated eyes to the Jacobs. “I do hope that you will reconsider this decision, as Matthew has a lot to offer and it would be a shame for him to miss out on the wonderful opportunities he could have to prosper in this world. All I ask is for a little compromise. I hope you will discuss it with him.”

  She spun away from them, not caring that as a schoolteacher she was not giving much respect to the parents. They were acting like she was doing something wrong wantin
g Matthew to succeed in life.

  Mary hurried away from the three, ignoring Philip when he called out her name. He didn’t come after her and it was just as well. She didn’t want to talk to him anyway. She’d almost started liking him. How could he say school wasn’t important?

  She sighed heavily, feeling sadness along with so many other emotions. Why did it have to come to this? Why couldn’t Matthew have the same opportunities other boys got? He was the only one his age still in school. It seemed none of the Glenwood boys would be allowed to succeed academically.

  It made Mary’s heart hurt.

  She got to the schoolhouse and was relieved to see she was the first one there. She started the fire and laid out the books on each of the desks according to what that child would be doing that day. She was just about to sit behind her desk and settle in waiting for the children, when she heard a knock on the wall that blocked her view from the front door. She turned to see Philip standing there.

  He had apologetic eyes.

  “Mary,” he said in a voice that implied he was trying to get it out quickly. “I have an idea. I was hoping you would listen to it and tell me what you think.”

  She didn’t know why he was bringing any ideas to the schoolteacher. School wasn’t important, was it?

  She grunted, restraining her anger and remembering to act properly and respectfully. She folded her hands in front of her and gave him an innocent look. “What is this idea, Mr. Jenkins?”

  Philip took a step in, chuckling, twirling his hat with one hand. “Come now, Mary, you don’t have to go back to being formal just because you’re mad at me right now. I think it would be interesting for you to bring the children to my print shop so they can learn about the printing press and how newspapers come about. Do you think that’s something they’d be interested in?”

  Mary sighed, her anger dissipating. It actually was a good idea. She always loved to show her students something new.

  She stared at the wall across from her, not meeting his eyes while she thought about it. “Well,” she finally replied. “I think that would be a fine idea. If you can find a way to make it fun somehow. Can you do that?”

  Philip smiled, making his handsome face even more attractive. Mary clenched her jaw.

  “I think if we put our heads together, we can come up with something. Don’t let what the Jacobs said ruin your whole day, Mary. Try to be happy. We’ll talk soon.”

  It wasn’t what the Jacobs had said as much as what Philip himself had said that threatened to ruin Mary’s day. She nodded at him as children started to stream into the room. Mrs. Edwards was herding them all in. She looked up at Philip with wide eyes when she saw him.

  Philip gave the older woman a grin before turning to look back at Mary. He lifted the hand with the hat and gestured toward her. “I’ll see you later, Miss Ross. You have a good day.”

  He plopped his hat on his head as he turned and disappeared behind the wall, leaving Mary behind to try to sort out her mixed feelings. The thought of learning how the printing machine worked intrigued her. She wasn’t sure about her students, but it was something she wanted to know about. And the more they learned about anything other than farming would broaden their horizons and the opportunities they would seek in life.

  She moved around the room in somewhat of a daze, settling the children in for the day. Matthew was late but he eventually came in, looking a little frazzled. He met her eye and she saw nothing but sadness in his.

  The poor boy. She wished there was something she could do to help him. She’d seen Philip and John setting the letters in the printing machine through the window before. She could picture Matthew doing that. He had long fingers, the kind a piano player longed for, and his mind was sharp as a tack. The task actually seemed like it would be easy for Matthew.

  An idea formed in her mind. It was something she would bring up with Philip later. Maybe he could help Matthew, too.

  “I’m sorry I’m late, Miss Ross,” Matthew mumbled as he shuffled past her. “I have a job at the mill and sometimes they work me really late. Then I don’t get dinner and not enough sleep. I…”

  Mary shook her head, saying sympathetically, “Don’t you worry about it at all, Matthew. Just go on and sit down. I put your books and everything you need right there.”

  “Thanks, Miss Ross.”

  He sounded so defeated.

  Chapter 13

  She’d thought about it all day. As soon as the children cleared out of the schoolhouse, Mary hurried to Jenkins Press to see Philip. He greeted her with delight and she decided to forgive his transgression about saying school wasn’t important. Maybe he really didn’t realize how important it was.

  “I was hoping you’d show me around first,” she said with a smile that wasn’t forced. “You know, show me what you’d be showing them so I can make sure they would be interested in it.”

  “I’d be delighted to give you a tour!” Philip sounded excited by the prospect of showing off his printing equipment. As he showed her around and explained various contraptions and devices to her, she wondered how much it had all cost and how Philip was faring financially.

  It didn’t matter much to her personally. The real reason she was thinking about it was because she wanted to ask him to hire Matthew. She was certain she could convince the Jacobs and Philip, too, that Matthew was worth taking a chance on. He needed to stay in school and absorb as much knowledge as he could. He would go far if he was given the chance.

  “You have a smoothly running company here, don’t you?”

  Philip nodded but she could tell there was something bothering him by the distracted look in his eye.

  “You have something on your mind?” She asked the question in a quiet voice. “You can talk to me if you need to.”

  He raised his eyebrows, gazing intently at her. “What makes you think something is on my mind?”

  “I’ve seen that look in a man’s eye before,” Mary said with a soft chuckle. “I do have a father, you know.”

  Philip grunted in an amused way and shook his head. “I don’t think it’s having seen the look in your father’s eyes before. I think it’s just that you’re very observant.”

  “Well, I’ll take that as a compliment.” Mary smiled at him and was glad to see his smile in return.

  “As you should. I’ll tell you the truth, Mary, I do have something on my mind. I had to let my apprentice go a few days ago and John and I are struggling to keep this going without pulling out all our hair and aging twenty years in a day.”

  “That wouldn’t be good at all.” Mary felt a strange excitement creep through her body. She had come to ask if he could hire Matthew and he’d had to let someone go just a few days ago. It seemed like an act of God, His plan in action. “But I think I might have a solution to your problem.”

  “Please tell me what that would be. I can’t hire schoolteachers. You already have a job.”

  Mary laughed softly, shaking her head. “No. This morning. When you and I met the Jacobs before school. Matthew told me when he got to school… late, of course, that he has been working at the mill until the early hours of the morning. I don’t mind staying after to help him with schoolwork but with the Jacobs trying to take him out of school altogether… I just thought you might be able to hire him on and you could work with us so that he doesn’t have to leave school. The Jacobs obviously respect you and your opinion. If you would do that, I think Matthew might be saved from having to quit school altogether.”

  Philip looked thoughtful. “I’ll give that some thought.” He looked impressed. Nervousness slid through Mary when she saw the way he was looking at her. She’d already decided she was attracted to this tall, handsome man. She was getting the impression he might be attracted to her, too.