She hobbled down the stairs, ignoring the twinge of pain, stopping where she’d seen the sparkle of glass. She bent down. Her spirit crashed.
“What did you find?” Angel hollered.
“Nothing, just a piece of glass.”
Rain hammered the store windows. Thunder crashed overhead, startling Annabelle with its intensity.
Mrs. Miles grabbed Annabelle’s arm. “Hurry!”
Annabelle slid the pretty dish back on the shelf, giving it an extra push so it wouldn’t sit on the edge. She looked in the direction of where she’d last seen Jake. He wasn’t there. Had he left without them? She turned back as Mrs. Miles again tugged at her arm. “Where’s Jake? Shouldn’t we wait for him?”
Mrs. Miles shook her head and pushed Annabelle toward the front of the store. “He was at the counter conversing with the clerk.”
Jake appeared at her side. “Mother, Annabelle, come on.”
Mrs. Miles pulled at Annabelle’s arm, dragging her forward. “We have to go.”
Annabelle’s mind connected with the warning in Mrs. Miles’s voice. As she rushed for the stairs to the cellar, her coat slipped off her arm. She stopped and turned to go back.
“Leave it!” Jake grabbed her arm and yanked her along with him.
She stumbled forward, looking back at her future disappearing under feet.
After first herding the women into a corner of the store’s cellar, Jake moved closer to the entrance and away from them. Annabelle huddled in the corner next to Mrs. Miles, who clung to her like a wet cloth while her son ignored them both. She couldn’t understand his need to be alone. Except down in this hole in the earth, he couldn’t really distance himself from them. Still, he had managed to remove himself as far as he could.
She must get upstairs as soon as it was safe and get her coat. She hoped everyone thought her breathlessness came from the fear of the storm and nothing else. If they knew or suspected it was more than a coat, it would disappear. The store above them creaked and groaned as the wind pushed and shoved against its wooden sides. Something fell on the floor upstairs. Annabelle jumped.
The coat had to be there. It couldn’t have been caught up in the twisting winds. If it had, she would be forced to go home. Shards of fear hammered against her nerves. Why had she sewn all of her money in the hem? Her desire to get away from her ex-fiancé’s new wife and lead an independent life had led her to act with foolishness.
The tight quarters and smell of fear rode Jake’s bones. He hung his head and studied the dirt floor. He should help calm Annabelle and his mother, but he couldn’t. His only desire was to get out of this town and move on to where no one might find out what had happened on that battlefield. He tapped his foot, eager to get above ground and complete the task he’d come this far to do. With all the prattling from his mother and Annabelle about Heaven on this trip, he’d begun to think he was making a mistake by not marrying her.
He remembered how soft and small her hands were in his and the way she laughed at his silly pranks rather than crying like the other girls. Heaven always looked at him as if he were responsible for all the good in her life. A man could get caught up in feeling like a woman’s hero in moments like that. Those memories had been circulating in his mind for most of the trip.
Then the storm came. He was glad. It reminded him that his reasoning was correct. Heaven shouldn’t be tied to a man like him. He couldn’t even comfort his own mother in a storm. He wasn’t worthy of any woman, much less Heaven. On the inside, he still wore the colors of a coward.
Chapter 19
Heart thumping, Travis slipped and slid as he ran across the wet pasture. He brushed the rain from his forehead as it dripped into his eyes. Trees were snapped and lying on their sides. A tree stuck in the ground, trunk side up, next to a section of splintered logs in the pasture. He moved faster. The tornado had touched down here, but what about the cabin? Were Heaven and Angel safe? He had no idea if they would know to go to the cellar in a storm like this.
He slipped on the wet grass and fell on the ground. Breathing hard, he stood up and bent over with his hands on his knees and sucked in a breath. His head throbbed where he’d been shot. He touched it. The stitches held, and his hand came back clean. With his breath more even, he ran for the cabin. Please, God, let them be all right. I don’t care about the cabin and barn. They can be rebuilt, but Heaven and Angel can’t. He pushed through a stand of cedar trees and saw it. The cabin stood, but the added-on bedroom was missing. The barn stood, and on the front porch, the woman he cared about waited.
“Heaven, are you and Angel all right?” He ran like a little child runs to his mother after he’s had a nightmare. He stopped at the bottom step and grabbed the railing. “I came—as—fast—as I could run.”
“We’re okay.” Heaven rushed down the steps and hugged him. “Angel heard the wind coming and made me go to the root cellar.”
“I told her so, and for once she listened to me,” Angel said. “Are the animals okay, Dr. Logan?”
“The barn is intact, so I think they are. I’ll check on them in a minute.”
“But Mr. Jackson wasn’t in the barn.” Angel’s voice wobbled. “Mr. Jackson! Mr. Jackson, where are you?”
Travis’s heart split as he looked around and didn’t see the troublesome goat anywhere.
“Can you see him, Heaven?” She trotted down the steps. “Mr. Jackson!” She turned back toward the cabin. “I don’t even hear him. We have to find him. He might be hurt.”
Heaven went to her sister and hugged her. “We’ll find him.” She turned to Travis. “Won’t we, Travis?”
“If you’re okay, I’ll start searching right away.” He brushed a hand over Angel’s hair. “I’ll do my best to bring him back to you, Little Miss. For now, why don’t you and your sister see if the other animals are okay? Can you do that? Check on Pride and Joy for me and tell him I’ll be back soon with his new pal Mr. Jackson.”
“I’ll pet him on the nose and scratch his ears, too, Dr. Logan. Please find Mr. Jackson. He’s my favorite animal in the whole world.”
Travis’s eyes met Heaven’s troubled eyes. What if he couldn’t find the goat? Would it be too much for Angel? She’d lost so much in one year. Humans couldn’t take that much pain, could they?
“When I get back, I want to ask you something, Heaven. But first I need to find a goat.”
A horse thundered down the lane.
Heaven twirled around as if to run to the house. Travis grabbed her by the arm. “No need for that rifle. I’m here.”
The rider was at the house in mere seconds. He didn’t even dismount. Rather, he rode up next to them. “Doc, you have to come to town. Preacher sent me. There’s people hurt.”
His medical instinct kicked in, but he fought it. He’d given up this emergency way of living. He felt the tension of his decision rumbling through his veins. He could stay and search for a little girl’s lost goat or help save lives. When he looked at it that way, there wasn’t a choice.
“Heaven, Angel …”
“You have to go. Angel and I will look for Mr. Jackson.” Heaven touched his arm. “We’ll find him.”
“Preacher told me to fetch you and Angel, too. He said Mrs. Reynolds was needing help at the church. She’s organizing something so people will have a place to sleep and eat.”
“But Mr. Jackson!” Angel’s lower lip trembled.
“I think he’ll find his way home, Little Miss.” Travis took her hand. “He’ll get hungry for your petting, and he’ll find his way back. As soon as I can, I’ll come home and see if he’s here. If not, I’ll start searching.”
“You promise?”
“Promise.” He hoped the goat would come home, healthy.
He didn’t want the responsibility of a dead goat heaped on top of all his other failures.
Heaven’s mind buzzed like a hive of bees. What did Dr. Logan want to ask her? Had he changed his mind about taking the farm? Maybe he wanted to know if he could
buy it from her. The more she thought about him and the kiss, the lighter her step. At least thinking about it and Travis was taking her mind off the cruel reality that half of her home was possibly in some other county. She wanted to change before going into town. She opened her mother’ trunk. Her perfume sat on top. She pulled out the stopper and dabbed the honeysuckle scent behind her ears and then set it aside. She’d wear one of Ma’s skirts, maybe that pretty gray blouse with the black trim and ruffles on the cuff as well.
“What are you singing about—Travis?” Angel said. “Are you in love with him?”
“Certainly not, and why are you calling him Travis? And I wasn’t singing.”
“If you aren’t in love, why did you put on some of Ma’s honeysuckle perfume?”
“I was missing her, that’s all.”
“Well, I miss her, too. How come I don’t get to wear any?”
“You aren’t old enough.” Angel should change, too. After landing on the dirt floor, the back of her dress was filthy.
“You need to wait here while I run down to the cellar. Don’t move around in here, or you might get hurt.”
“I’ll just stand here and make up songs about Travis for you.” Angel leaned against the doorway where the door used to be hinged.
“I wasn’t singing about him,” Heaven said under her breath. She picked up the small vial of perfume and walked over to her sister. “Angel, you’re right. Hold still, and I’ll put a little bit of Ma’s scent on your neck.”
Angel took a deep breath. “It smells just like her.”
“Yes it does.” Heaven replaced the bottle’s stopper. “Now stay here while I run and get the green beans.”
Down in the earthen cellar, Heaven gathered several jars of green beans in a basket to take to the church, glad the exchange with Angel had stopped for now.
“It’s time to go. Travis will have Charlie at the door in a minute.” She nudged Angel out the door and then set the basket on the porch. The temperature had plummeted. It was hard to remember the brilliant sunshine and warmth of the morning. She slipped her coat over her shoulders.
“I don’t understand why I can’t stay here,” Angel whined. “Please let me stay on the porch and call Mr. Jackson. He might hear me and find his way home.”
Heaven tried to focus on the fact that Angel was younger and had lost so much, but then so had she, and her sister was wearing her thin. “I’m not leaving you here alone. Button your coat. It’s getting colder.”
“Is it because I’m blind? Is that why you won’t let me stay here? ‘Cause I can see, you know.”
Heaven spun around, wincing at the pain in her still tender ankle. She grabbed her sister by the shoulders and pulled her close.
“What do you see, Angel? Can you tell me what color Dr. Logan’s eyes are? Or show me where the stain is on my skirt? Can you see if someone with a gun is standing in front of you threatening to take our home? No you can’t. You’re coming with me, and not because you’re blind but because you’re eleven and you’re all I have left.”
“Mr. Jackson is all I have.” Angel shoved Heaven’s hands away from her and stomped to the porch railing. She hung over it and bellowed. “Mr. Jackson! Mr. Jackson, please come home!”
That stung. The goat was the only thing her sister had? She took a breath, ready to respond with her own hurtful words, when Charlie’s nose edged out of the barn door followed by the wagon. Travis stopped the horse at the porch steps and hopped to the ground. “You ladies ready?”
Angel stormed down the porch steps. “If I have to be. It’s not like anyone is going to let me help. I’d be more useful here calling for Mr. Jackson.”
Heaven snatched up the basket of canned green beans from the porch floor. “Thank you, for taking us to town with you. I’m sure you wanted to ride off immediately to see to the people in town.”
“I couldn’t leave you here. You’re my first responsibility. How would you get on Charlie to ride to town when your ankle isn’t quite healed?” He bent down and scooped her off the porch and carried her to the wagon.
Yes, indeed, how could she? She’d have managed, but she doubted anyone from town would have ridden out to tell her they needed help if she didn’t have a doctor sleeping in her barn. She settled on the bench next to Angel, who hugged the outer edge. That meant Heaven would have to ride shoulder to shoulder with Travis. She smiled.
Travis climbed into the wagon and signaled Charlie to get moving with a jiggle of the reins.
Angel leaned into her sister and pulled Heaven’s head close to her ear and whispered, “His eyes are brown. You don’t have a stain on your skirt, because you changed into one of Ma’s skirts right after the tornado. And if the sun hits a man’s gun just right, I can see a light. So I can do all those things you think I can’t.” Angel turned her body away from her sister, scooting as far away as she could.
Shock waves ricocheted through Heaven. Was it possible? She wrapped her arm around her sister and pulled her tight and leaned close to her ear. “How do you know his eyes are brown, Angel? Can you really see them?” Heaven hoped it was true. Could her sister’s sight be returning? Please, God.
“I know, because I heard you singing to yourself about his lovely puppy-brown eyes.”
Travis couldn’t help the grin on his face. She’d been making up songs about his eyes? Sure, it had only been a week, but he could see why her father thought she was Heaven. Except when she didn’t get what she wanted. Then she was like an old rooster that ought to be put in a pot and boiled. If she had her way, he’d have taught her everything he knew about guns, horses, and doctoring in one day so she could send him packing. He hoped that kiss changed some of her mind about that. It changed his.
But he had no plan to marry the woman if there wasn’t love between them. He’d watched his parents’ marriage, and that’s the kind he wanted. A partnership so full of love that he and his sisters were always complaining about the quick kisses by the stove if they happened to walk in while his parents were so engaged. Kissing Heaven by the stove sounded good to him. He snuck a glance at her. She did have on a nice skirt, still black but a softer material. He knew from picking her up that it wasn’t a work-on-the-farm skirt, more like what his sister would wear to church. Even her blouse had lace on it—black, but it was lace.
Angel hadn’t changed though. He’d heard the arguing all the way in the barn. From what he’d learned about Heaven this week, she’d be upset about Angel choosing to keep on her old clothes. He’d keep that to himself, but it was nice to know she wasn’t all prim, proper, and perfect.
“How long do you think we’ll need to stay in town?” Heaven caught him staring at her, and her cheeks turned a pretty pink.
Charlie splashed through a puddle, sending dirty water up his leg. He’d need a good brushing tonight. The wagon creaked though the same hole in the lane, tilting enough that Heaven leaned against him.
She put distance between them fast.
He bit his lip to keep from smiling. He’d kissed her, but leaning against him in a tipping wagon must be against some rule.
“Not sure. It depends on what kind of injuries. If no one is seriously hurt, it won’t take long; otherwise I might need to stay overnight.”
“Overnight?” Her eyes widened. “I planned to be back before dark. I have animals to take care of, including your horse.”
“Don’t fret. I can always take you home, or someone else can drive you and then ride Pride and Joy back to town for me if I can’t take you.”
“That’s good. I don’t want to stay in town. Like I said, I have a farm and …”
“And we have to find Mr. Jackson. Don’t forget. You said, Heaven, that we would leave as soon as we helped get the dinner served.” Angel’s voice rose on each word. “You promised!”
“I did, but I didn’t think about Travis not being able to return right away.” She sighed. “We’re going to find Mr. Jackson perched on the porch when we get home. He’s making you worry f
or nothing.”
“You know how to drive the wagon. You can take us home.”
Travis scratched the side of his head. They sounded like his sisters getting ready to go into battle. “Angel, your sister is capable of driving the wagon home. She cannot jump out of it though, because her ankle could be reinjured. Unless you’d like to continue doing her chores?”
“I could, you know. I’m capable, too.” Angel slapped her arms around her middle and tucked her hands under her arms. “But you probably don’t want to keep eating my cooking. Heaven says I have a lot to learn.”
She was right about that, but he had learned from his experience with his sisters about speaking the real truth. “I think you scramble eggs better than anyone.” He just didn’t have a desire to eat them again for every meal next week.
Heaven rotated the basket of green beans on her lap. She tapped her fingers on the lid of one of them. “I hope they weren’t expecting something baked.”
“I’m sure the beans will be appreciated. Mrs. Reynolds has probably mentioned your ankle being sprained to a few people, so they wouldn’t expect you to be baking pies and bread this week.”
He couldn’t read the expression on her face, but he thought it might be relief. Maybe she couldn’t bake any better than Angel scrambled eggs.
“I’m sure you’re right, since they knew to ride out to my farm and ask you for help.”
Chapter 20
Heaven concentrated on the bobbing jar lids riding in the basket on her lap. They were screwed on tight, holding in those green beans, just like she was trying to keep her fears from getting loose and making a mess. When she went back into the cellar, the first few jars she’d picked up where heavy, and she worried that their one never-ending supply of food was going bad. What would Travis do once he figured out there wasn’t much else to eat?
She should have stayed home with Angel. They could have searched for more of their belongings, maybe found a way to block off the open doorway and the windows. In town she would be subjected to questions about her father and the man that brought the news. Questions she didn’t have answers to give that she liked. If they knew Pa had given Travis the farm, she wouldn’t stand a chance at getting it back. They thought women shouldn’t be in charge of their own lives, even though they’d proved themselves as a whole for generations and through this last mess when their men took off to fight. She’d watched as some of them returned and shooed their wives back into the parlors, as if they didn’t have an ounce of wisdom about what to do without their husbands telling them what to do.
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