“I said we should write them down so we don’t forget them.” Angel came up behind Heaven with a dish towel flapping in the air.
“Anyway, we found some paper, and while Angel told the stories, I started writing them down.” Heaven sighed. “And we forgot about the biscuits.”
“Now our home won’t smell like Ma and Pa anymore.” Angel’s lip trembled.
Travis had no idea why she thought it smelled like them in the first place. He scratched at the wound that was healing on his head. The stitches were probably ready to come out. He’d been looking forward to those biscuits. It was the only thing these two seemed to make with any skill. “Now it will smell like breakfast all the time.” He waited for a backlash of angry retorts.
“Burnt up breakfast,” Angel said.
“Bad for your belly breakfast,” Heaven said.
Angel giggled.
Travis didn’t understand. Why weren’t they angry—if not about the biscuits—then at him? It seemed that when things like this had happened at home, his father had taken the blame. He never remembered his mother laughing about burned food.
Chapter 14
Heaven took advantage of the unusual day of warmth and opened the window and door to air out the cabin. The oil lamps needed refilling, and she collected them one at a time while balancing on her stick. She set them on the table, removed the glass chimneys, and placed them to the side, thankful they weren’t blackened. They would need only a quick swipe of the cloth this morning.
“Angel, the lamps are on the table, so don’t bump it.” “Won’t it be nice to have something to eat besides a mess of green beans and those walnuts we found, Heaven? I hope Dr. Logan brings back a deer. I’ve been dreaming about roast.” Angel swept the kitchen floor. She wiped her brow.
Heaven trimmed off the ragged burned edges of the wicks until they were straight. Then she filled the lamp bases with oil, stopping about a half inch from the top. “We need to be thankful Great-Uncle Neal liked green beans enough to can a mess of them. Without them we’d be living on others’ charity by now.”
“We can thank God for sending us Dr. Logan, too. I’m real glad you didn’t kill him, Heaven. He’s been right handy around here.” Angel stopped sweeping and leaned on the broom. “In fact, I think you should marry him. After all, that’s what Pa wanted, right? That’s what was on that paper.”
“Hush! You promised not to tell anyone about that.”
“I didn’t. You already know about it, and so does Dr. Logan. I didn’t mention it to him, but I could if you don’t want to. I could be your go-between and fix things between you.”
“Angel Claire, you’ll do no such thing.” Heaven replaced the glass chimneys. Being married to Travis wouldn’t be awful. He was a handsome man, and if they had children, they’d be adorable. It wouldn’t happen though. Just because her pa wanted it didn’t mean Travis did. She wished she still had that paper, because she wanted to see how that part was worded. Did Pa say the farm and Heaven now belonged to Travis, or did it leave any room for her to get out of the contract? Maybe if she didn’t marry him, he couldn’t have the farm? Where had he put that paper? Back in his saddlebag? She might have to take a walk to the barn later. Guilt of looking at things not belonging to her niggled at her conscience. But what if there was a way she and Angel could stay here and it was on that paper? If there was a chance, she wanted to know. “If we’re meant to marry, God and Dr. Logan will see to it.”
Angel let go of the broom, and it landed with a dull thud on the wood planked floor. “Sometimes God works a little slow around here. Sometimes I think He’s forgotten all about us, what with takin’ away most of our family. Sometimes, Heaven, I get real mad at Him.”
Angel plunked down in the kitchen chair and lowered her head to the table. “I’m not going to cry. I’m not going to cry. I’m …” She sniffled.
Heaven knelt by her sister and stroked her hair, fighting off her own desire to let loose of tears fighting for an exit.
“Angel baby, it’s okay to be mad at God. Pa always said God was capable of handling our anger. Everyone gets mad sometimes at people they love, don’t they?”
“Uh-huh.”
“You don’t need to worry about us being a family. We’re family, you and me. We’re going to be just fine.” An awful small one, God. How are we going to survive if I don’t marry Travis? And God, why him? Why, if all if this was going to happen to us, didn’t You let Jake live so we could be married?
Angel raised her head from the table. “How?”
“I’m going to ask Dr. Logan to teach me how to take care of this place as soon as I can walk without this stick. And if he won’t teach me, we’ll find someone who will.”
“But Heaven, this isn’t our house anymore.” Angel turned and sank into her sister’s arms.
“I’m not giving up, Angel. I’m going to find a way to Bells or Dryersville and talk to one of those lawyers. It’s not right, Pa giving our home away. And I bet since he had a fever, he wasn’t right in the head when he signed that paper.”
Angel sat back in the chair, releasing her grasp on Heaven. “Why do you think Pa did that?”
“If he had been thinking straight, I don’t think he would have. I wonder if he was worried about us being alone and wanted to fix that before he died.” Perhaps that was the answer. It would be like Pa to think about their future. At least he’d cared. What if she’d never heard about his death? What would the awful unknown of being abandoned by her pa have done to her and to Angel? As it was, she’d been limping along thinking they would be leaving any day instead of preparing for the winter. Unless Travis stayed, they’d be eating nothing but green beans and nuts until spring.
“Does that mean he liked Dr. Logan?” “Maybe he did. I can’t see him just being grateful for Dr. Logan’s doctoring and then giving away his land and family.” “Well he did, and now we’re stuck.”
“No we’re not. Somehow I’m going to fix this. I promise you, Angel, I will make a home for us, if not here, then in a better place.”
“Can I have Ma’s lorgnette until that happens? I know I can’t use it to look at stuff, but every time I get worried, I can touch it and know you’re working on making things better.”
Heaven grasped the chain. It brought her a sense of security. When she touched it or noticed its weight around her neck, it was as if Ma were standing with her. Why didn’t she think of giving something like this to Angel? Ma didn’t have a great deal of jewelry, but there was the brooch that had been passed down several generations. Such a sentimentally valuable piece of jewelry wouldn’t be appropriate for a young girl who could lose it, but she had planned on giving it to Angel when she was older.
Angel’s sister went silent. No movement came from her—not even the sound of her fingers in her hair. “Heaven? Are you mad ‘cause I asked for it?”
“No, I’m just thinking about it.”
Quiet surrounded Angel. It was times like this that made her as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rockers. She couldn’t see faces, and that left her without any information about what a person was feeling. Was Heaven angry? Sad? Angel sat still waiting for some indication from her sister.
She heard the lorgnette chain scratch against fabric. Could it be? Then she felt the chain brush her hair as her sister lowered it onto her neck. Angel reached up and touched her chest, but it wasn’t there. Sliding her hand down her stomach, she found the beaded chain close to her waistline. Resting it in the palm of her hand, she traced the small metal flower at the end of the slick glass. She brought it up and brushed her lips. “Thank you, Heaven.” She wiped a lone tear from her chin. “I’m going to go show Dr. Logan.”
Heaven’s stick thumped loudly across the floor. Her hand went to the spot on her chest where the lorgnette had rested since her ma died. She swallowed a milk pail full of tears and sunk into the rocker, letting it surround her with its comforting memories.
Chapter 15
The sun
had forgotten it was winter. Not even a chill hung on the edges of the morning. Heaven didn’t even need a shawl on her shoulders. It was perfect weather to walk off some of the anger she had at her father. Not all of it. She wanted to retain some of it. She’d need it to fight for their home. Her energy fizzled by the time she reached the pond. Slowing, she took in the scenery that graced her home. Friendship wasn’t in the mountains, but right now she could almost pretend it was. The land dipped low beyond the pasture just past the straggly line of cedar and poplar trees. That’s where she wanted to go. It wouldn’t be an easy walk, but it would be an investment in her spirit if she could see beyond her own troubles.
Taking a breath, she hobbled a few steps then a few more. Winded, she stopped and sucked in the fresh air.
Mr. Jackson nudged her hip as if to egg her on. She scratched the white tuft between his large black ears. He wasn’t a pet, but he thought he was. She considered how many more goats they’d need to make cheese and soap to sell. And with the extra goats, she wouldn’t have to worry about the grass getting too tall where it would hide rattlesnakes.
A few more steps and the pain worsened. She’d have to turn back. She’d come farther than she’d thought, but not far enough to reach her destination. Disappointment took over her mood. She had to make a decision—press on or go back.
She took a step toward the cabin. It wasn’t a choice, not when she’d have to cover so much ground to return. “Come on, Mr. Jackson. Let’s go home.”
“Naaa.”
“I’m saying yes, Mr. Jackson. You’d best follow me with that sweet black face of yours. I don’t want you taking off on an adventure. You can get lost. You’re my hope for the future.”
Angel stood in the yard. “Heaven!”
Yelling. She despaired of ever teaching her sister how to act like a lady. “I’m coming.”
Angel met her in the yard and held out her hand. “Let’s go see Mrs. Jackson. Maybe she’ll be nicer to us now that we know she’s going to have a baby.”
Heaven took her sister’s hand, and they walked to the barn. Dr. Logan was inside staring at the hayloft. “What are you looking at?”
“There should be more hay to get these animals through the winter.”
“Pa thought we’d be with him by now, so he didn’t store much.” Heaven defended her father, even though at the time it occurred to her there might not be enough to make it a month if winter came early or the rain quit and the grass dried.
“I wonder who has some extra they would be willing to sell. Any idea?”
“You don’t need to worry yourself about that.”
He spun around and glared at her. “But I do. My animals need to be taken care of through the winter.”
“So do my animals.” She wasn’t going to back down from claiming the animals as hers. And Angel’s. They’d been taking care of them, not her pa, and she would fight to keep them, especially Mr. Jackson. “Why do you want to raise horses? It doesn’t make sense to give up being a doctor. Can’t you do both?”
“I could, but I’m not going to.” He hung the milking pail on a nail outside the cow’s stall.
“Why not?” Angel stroked Pride and Joy’s nose. “It’s not like you’re going to make lots of money with horses or fixing people.”
“Angel!” Heaven racked her brain. What did Ma’s book say about tactless thoughts expressed? “That’s not nice. It’s not proper to talk about money, not even to your husband.”
Travis’s eyebrows slanted down. “Where did you learn that, Heaven?”
“Ma taught me that. It’s the husband’s job to take care of the family and the money. Wives don’t need to be concerned about such things.” She wished she believed it with the conviction her words carried. It seemed to her that Ma was much smarter when it came to taking care of things. Pa seemed to be selling things almost as soon as they got them. One of them had been that sweet little pony he’d bought her for her eighth birthday.
“Guess some families are different than others. My mother was adamant about her daughters learning how to take care of themselves in case they ended up with a good-looking man worth his weight in dirty dishwater.”
He had sisters? Heaven pondered that for a moment. What would it be like to be able to take care of herself and Angel and not be dependent on anyone? She’d have a bigger family. Could she do that? With Pa dead, she didn’t have a choice unless she married Travis. If he would marry her. If he did, would he let her tell him how to spend his money?
“How many sisters you have?” Angel tugged on Travis’s coat sleeve.
Heaven winced. She’d been trying for months to get Angel’s speech correct. “How many sisters do you have?”
“Do you have, sir? Is one of them Mary?”
How had Heaven forgotten about the woman he’d called for when he was feverish? She watched Travis walk to the shelf where they kept the grooming supplies. Why didn’t he say something? Was Mary someone he loved, and then Pa threw Heaven in with the farm? And now that he knew Heaven was a person, he didn’t know what to do about Mary?
Travis picked up the currycomb and brush. “No, Mary—well, she was someone who promised to wait for me until the war was over, but she didn’t. Married my best friend.” He opened Pride and Joy’s stall door and slipped in next to the horse. He scratched the horse’s neck.
Happiness fluttered in Heaven’s stomach. Mary didn’t matter. Or did Travis still love her?
“I have three sisters, and all of ‘em older.” He tousled Angel’s hair. “They were always picking on me or making me play house with them.”
“I bet they miss you,” Angel said. “Why don’t you go home and be with them?”
Heaven grinned. She wanted him gone, too.
“They’re all married and have their own kids now. It felt right to start off in a new place.”
“I’m sure they miss you. Where are you from?” Heaven wanted him gone, but if he did go, what would happen to her and Angel?”
“A ways past Knocksville.” He stroked his chin. “They might miss me, but not likely. I haven’t been around much, what with the war and all.”
“Did you go home when it ended?” Heaven leaned against the barn wall. The wind blew between the boards, and she tugged her coat closer.
“Yes ma’am. I went to see my parents and stayed for a bit. I ate a lot of good dinners, and one day my father asked if I would be starting a practice in town. That started me thinking about taking care of people. I didn’t want to do that anymore.”
Chapter 16
Travis led his horse, Pride and Joy, out of the barn. Every day he stayed here he grew uneasier about Caleb’s will. He’d been right about one thing—there was plenty of room to raise horses here. Caleb’s property could be fenced in the back and would be a nice place to train horses. The barn was a bit small, but that could be fixed easily enough. It just didn’t feel right to take it from Caleb’s family and to take Heaven as a bride if he couldn’t love her the way Christ loved him. Then again, she was a cute thing and not dull to be around.
If Heaven was capable of taking care of the place, he might consider leaving. He felt sure Caleb had sent him here for more than the land though. Two women alone were an easy mark. Was that enough reason to marry her? If he did, he could be sure she couldn’t betray him like Mary. You can’t betray someone you don’t love.
He whispered in the horse’s ear. The horse nickered back. “Do you and your horse talk to each other often?” Travis looked up to see Heaven grinning while holding on to the porch railing.
“Thought I’d give him a good grooming since my head is feeling better.”
“I’m glad it’s healing. It’s awfully warm today isn’t it?”
Travis tied the horse to the porch railing. “A bit unusual. Might try and catch a few fish down at the creek today since it feels like fishin’ weather.”
“Fish would taste good for dinner since you didn’t find anything yesterday.” Heaven winced.
&
nbsp; “Ankle hurting you?”
“A bit, though it’s getting better. Could you bring out my rocker? It’s such a nice day, I’d like to enjoy it before it turns cold again.”
He pointed at the ball of yarn in her hand. “Going to do some knitting? That’s a pretty blue. Are you making it for Angel?”
“Shh, I am working on something for her for Christmas. She can hear my needles, but as long as I keep it away from her, she doesn’t know what I’m doing.”
Travis smiled. “I can do that.” He climbed the steps and stopped next to her. “You have some flour on your cheek.”
“It’s from making the biscuits this morning. Sorry there isn’t a cake baking.” She raised her hand to wipe it off.
He stopped her with his.
“Let me. I can see where to wipe.” He used the edge of his hand and gently brushed away the white dust. Her skin was as smooth as his mother’s prized china but as warm as a kitten. He leaned in closer. “I do believe”—he looked into her eyes and almost drowned in the shimmering blue—”you have a speck on your eyebrow.” He moved his thumb from her cheek and slowly slid it across her brow.
Her breath came a little quicker, but she didn’t back away from him. “Dr. Logan? Did you get it all?” Her soft words fell from her lips.
Lips full like ripe peaches ready to be picked and handled with great care so as not to bruise them. He might have lost his mind, but all he could think of was that Caleb might have been right. He may have found a piece of heaven on this side of the curtain. He lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers.
She gasped but did not move, so he kissed her again, brushing the back of her hair with his hand. Her lips melted into his.
“Heaven,” he said, his own breath coming a bit hard. “I do believe your father was right to name you that.”
“What are you all doing out here?” Angel stuck her head out the door. She appeared to be staring right at them.
Bride's Dilemma in Friendship, Tennessee Page 13