Jed bit his tongue. His life had been dull and quiet before all this.
~*~
Grace cut a small piece of ginger root and slipped it under her tongue to relieve her upset stomach.
“You certainly will go.” Edith walked into the parlor. “I won’t hear of you staying home because of me.”
Grace moved by her side. “I’ve never been much for crowds, Edith.”
“Me neither. Maybe that’s why we get along so well.”
“I relate easier to children than I do adults. At least when there’s more than a few at a time.”
Edith eased into the chair. “Perhaps you will meet a nice, young, eligible man from Sheldon or Carter’s Ridge. There’s plenty of them out there.”
“I’m not interested in meeting a man. Or getting married, for that matter. I’m fine with being a school teacher.”
“And if you don’t continue in Sheldon next year?”
“Then I’ll find some way to provide for myself.”
“But it will be good to meet people.”
“You’re right. I should go. My students and their families may be there.”
“Sometimes God asks us to do what’s uncomfortable so we can become who He made us to be.”
Grace thought of the elocution drills she’d tasked her students to do. How hypocritical of Grace to cower when asked to do the same. Grace placed her hand on Edith’s. “I don’t have to stay long, I suppose.”
~*~
Jed wiped the soap from his cheeks and then ran his fingers along his jawline.
Thomas laid on his stomach on Jed’s bed, his knees bent and his feet off the mattress. His book lay open between his palms. “How much longer till we leave?”
“Griffin needs to finish washing up first so that Josiah can get a bath in too.” Jed combed his hair. “You reading?”
Thomas nodded as he looked down at his book.
Jed fumbled through his clothes and grabbed a blue shirt.
Griffin rested his head back and dangled his arms and legs over the side of the washtub outside.
“Get out and get moving,” Jed hollered.
Griffin kept his nose to the sky above. “Think they’ll be selling cigars where we’re going?”
“You won’t be getting any, but I’m sure they’ll be for sale.”
“Where’s the squirt at? It’s his turn.” Griffin grabbed a towel and wrapped it around him.
“I need to talk with you.”
“Yeah. What about?”
Jed lowered his voice. “I want to make sure you plan to stay out of trouble.”
“When? At the festival?” Griffin walked toward the house.
“You’re doing fine in the shop. But townsfolk don’t know you. Nor the young ones.”
“So don’t go finding trouble. That what you sayin’?”
“Pretty much.” Jed nodded. “And stay close and help me keep track of them two.”
“Hubbards going to be there?”
“Doubt it. They don’t get out too much anymore. But there’s plenty of others just like them that will be.”
“Then why we going?”
To see a lady that’s got my stomach in knots. “Most of the people in Sheldon are all right. It’s just the handful you gotta worry about. So no fightin’. No ruckus. Just eat, dance, and have fun.”
“Sounds good. Your cookin’s getting old.”
“Go find Josiah and bring him here.” Jed ignored the barb.
Moments later, giggles erupted. Griffin, in a pair of trousers and no shirt, carried Josiah outside the house and over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Then he slid him off and dangled him by his feet over the washtub.
“Are you ready for a bath?” Griffin teased.
“No.” Josiah laughed so hard he could barely speak. “Put me down.”
Jed rescued Josiah and had him stand.
Josiah’s lower lip jutted out. “I don’t like baths.”
Griffin sauntered back into the house, shaking the water from his wet hair.
Jed stuck his fingers in the water. “You’ll feel much better once you get the grime off you.”
Josiah reached his arms overhead as Jed pulled off his shirt. Burn scars appeared on his collarbone and chest.
“Well, I like grime,” Josiah attempted to reason with him.
Jed threw his head back and laughed harder than he had in a long time.
“What?” He laughed along with Jed. Finally, he climbed into the tub.
Jed slapped a small piece of soap in Josiah’s hands. “Use this to get the grime off.”
“If I scrub up real good, can I watch you sometime working in the fire?”
“I’ll think about it.”
Thomas hollered toward them. “What’re you guys laughing about?”
“Just playin’ around.” Jed couldn’t think of a time he’d ever used that response before.
~*~
Grace glanced at the apple pie in the cast iron Dutch oven that hung from a chain on the fire stand. She had never entered a pie contest before, but everyone at church in Grover raved about her flaky crust and fruity filling. Perhaps she could compete with the Texas women at the town festival.
Dipping her fingers into a cup of water, she flicked liquid onto the crust. Then she stirred a small bowl filled with warm cream, a dash of cinnamon and a heaping teaspoon of sugar. Carefully, she spooned the mixture over the crust. Grace placed the covered pot on the hot coals and heaped more ashes onto the lid.
A figure was on the porch talking with Edith. The man turned in her direction.
Grace moved to look busy and turned so her bonnet hid her face.
“Well, hello.” Hail Talbert‘s fingers gripped his vest.
If he read her thoughts, he hid it with perfection. Grace walked toward the house.
Edith smiled as Grace stepped onto the porch. “You have a visitor.”
Hail removed his hat and bowed. His smile revealed two rows of crooked teeth. His hair had been slicked back. His knuckles were smooth and unblemished. “I brought you a small offering of my appreciation for the fine things you’ve done for our school.” He stood next to a large box propped against the railing.
Grace gave him a quelling glance. “I cannot accept it. It would not be proper for me to accept a gift from a gentleman.”
“It’s just a token, Miss Cantrell.” He cleared his throat. “May I call you Grace?”
“No, you may not.” She pulled her bonnet down to the back of her neck. “By doing so you would put me in an uncomfortable position. Some may misconstrue that as improper.”
His face fell. “Forgive me, as that was not my intention. What I have for you cannot be returned.” He put his hat back on. “You may do with it what you wish.” He turned toward Edith. “Good afternoon.” He looked again at Grace. “I hope to at least speak a kind word to you at the festival.”
Grace looked the other way as he passed by her. She was hesitant to meet Edith’s gaze. The box had her name on it in hand-written, large letters.
“Are you going to open it?” Edith asked softly.
Yes. “No.”
“My, you are a stubborn one. I think he’s more than a little sweet on you,” Edith whispered.
“Well, he shouldn’t be.” She untied her bonnet and removed it. “Besides, word might spread to your beloved sister by noon tomorrow that I’ve either encouraged it or participated. I don’t want to make it too easy for her to get rid of me.”
“What’re you going to do with it?” Edith nudged the box with her cane. “Just let it set there?”
“I honestly don’t know.” She inhaled deeply. “What do you think I should do?”
“That’s not for me to decide. But I don’t know if I’d brush off Mr. Talbert so briskly. You have no other suitors, and Mr. Hennessy plans to return before the time the crops are all in next fall.”
“That box will just stay there until the rain melts it away, for all I care.”
~*~
The tendons in Jed’s neck locked tight.
“You all right, Mr. Green?” Thomas stood in the threshold to the bedroom.
Jed gave a final look in the mirror and put his hat on. “You all about ready?”
All three boys were dressed and clean as a Sunday morning. Griffin sat on the front steps, a long piece of grass between his lips.
Josiah crept behind him and wrapped his arms around his neck. “Carry me,” Josiah’s sweet voice whispered.
Griffin turned his head. “Carry you? Again?”
Josiah pumped his knees. “Please.”
Griffin exaggerated a groan as he stood, with Josiah on his back. He staggered. “You’re too heavy. I can’t hold you.”
“No, I’m not.” Josiah giggled.
“Is there going to be lots of people there?” Thomas asked.
“Yep.” Jed’s gut rumbled.
“Are you going to leave us there?”
“Leave you?” Jed was taken aback. “No, why would I do that?” For a moment, Jed thought the boy might get sick. He unfolded a wrinkle in Thomas’s collar. “There’ll be a crowd, but stick close.”
Thomas walked as if he faced his own sentencing.
Griffin broke into a trot and moved farther ahead.
“Make sure to help me watch your brother, Thomas. Can’t have him wandering off.”
“He’s not my brother.”
That explained the differences in their hair and complexion.
“You two are very attached.”
“The other kids at the orphanage thought we were brothers, and I didn’t tell them differently. His sister got picked on a train ride though.” His eyes became glassy, and if Jed wasn’t careful his would do the same. “And I thought at least that way we could stick together. We was the ones no one wanted anyway.”
Jed’s heart melted.
Thomas stepped around a puddle. “But I guess he’s my brother now.”
Heavy emotions flowed through Jed, but no words went with it.
Music from the festival drifted toward them, and horse-drawn carriages and loud chatter wafted their direction.
A small hand slipped inside Jed’s. Thomas looked up and smiled. Jed squeezed the boy’s hand.
God, please help me do right by these children.
~*~
Two banjo players finished a rousing song, and the audience applauded. A fiddler stepped forward, opened his arms, and the applause quieted.
The tension in Grace’s shoulders melted.
Folks huddled around the music area that had been lined with haystacks, crates, and make-shift benches for people to sit on.
Grace scanned the crowd in hopes he’d be there. She stifled a sigh to hide her disappointment.
A man with iron shoulders and a strong jaw searched the crowd. He stood a head taller than most, but his gentle, dark eyes drew her.
Finally, he looked her direction. He paused, and their eyes locked. Heat rose in her cheeks. Was he looking for her as well? A tug on her skirt pulled Grace out of the moment. “Hello, Miss Cantrell.” A smile the size of the sun stretched across Minnie’s face. “Minnie, what a nice surprise.” The girl circled her arms around Grace’s waist. “Are your parents here?”
“I’m here with Uncle.”
A portly figure stood behind Minnie. He looked a few years older than Grace, with a round, full face just like Minnie. Thick, wiry eyebrows overtook his small green eyes. He held his hat in stubby fingers, nails caked with dirt, gaze darting back and forth.
“Pa was too tired to come.” Minnie looked up at her uncle. “My uncle and Pa own a farm.”
“Name’s Erastus Littleberry. We own just under two hundred acres between here and the Jameson ranch. Grow corn and beans. Make a decent livin’.”
Adrenaline coursed through Grace. “The Jameson ranch?”
“Yes, Miss. You’ve heard of it then? You must know the land there couldn’t be any prettier in all of central Texas. And fertile soil. We grow us a good crop ever’ year.”
“The Jameson ranch?”
“Yes, Miss Cantrell. They own a slew of cattle and some horses. Bart Jameson has been pesterin’ me to sell out, but we won’t do it. Got no other means to make a livin’, and beans and corn is all we know. But don’t get me wrong. Those crops is good.”
“My sister is promised to marry a Brice Jameson. Is that the same family?”
Erastus chuckled nervously. “Brice? Didn’t know that about him.” He stumbled for words. “Well, it’s good he’s finally settled himself down.”
Grace searched the crowd.
“You lookin’ for somebody?”
“No, not really. I thought I saw someone I knew.”
Erastus smile broadened to show his tobacco-stained teeth. “Jedidiah Green, how you been?”
Grace’s heart quickened, and she whirled around.
Jedidiah stood inches from her. With a soft gaze, he tugged on the brim of his hat. Then he extended his hand to Erastus. “Doing well. And you?”
“Couldn’t be better. Been tellin’ the schoolmistress here what a good season we had. Just enough rain and sunshine. Alfred’s been meaning to have you repair one of our spades. Have to bring it in the next time we’re in town.”
“I’m always in the shop.”
“Heard you got yourself an apprentice.”
Jed nodded. “I did.”
“And you took in two orphans?” Erastus narrowed his eyes. “Surely that ain’t right?”
“Yep, did that too.”
“What’s the matter with you?” Erastus looked at Grace and lowered his voice. “Jed’s twenty-six years old and never been married. Doesn’t look like he’s getting any closer either.”
“Uncle Erastus, can we go bob for apples now?” Minnie asked.
He looked down at her as she tugged on his arm. “I better get her where she wants to be. But it was good to finally meet up with you, Miss Cantrell.” He extended his hand one more time to Jed.
Grace’s knees felt light. Her fingers brushed her new crocheted collar.
Jed removed his hat. His hair had been parted and freshly combed. A few strands around his ears and near the base of his neck curled naturally. His strong jawline was smooth, free from the few whiskers he had last time. “The day hasn’t turned out too bad. Thought it might be too hot.”
“The breeze has helped.”
He looked back at her and heat filled her cheeks.
“So, you’re from Kansas.”
“I am.”
“Boys sure do think a lot of you.”
“And I do as well.” She hoped her next words would come out right. “I worry about Thomas though.”
“Really?” Jed angled his head. “More than Josiah?”
“In some ways, yes. At times he seems lost, as if his thoughts are in another place. I often wonder what’s going on when he looks so incredibly sad.”
“I imagine he’s experienced a lot of hurt and rejection. His eyes hold a lot of pain.”
“I’ve thought the same thing.” She grew excited that Jed understood. “Don’t know what to do except to keep encouraging him.”
“He’s a tough one to figure out. It’s odd how resilient children can be.”
“Where are the boys now?”
“With my apprentice. Playing ring toss and eating apple fritters.” Jed shifted as if he’d grown uncomfortable. He fiddled with his hat before he placed it back on his head.
Grace could get used to a strong man with a gentle touch and warm eyes. And wispy curls around his ear. A harmonica’s lonesome sound mimicked the emotions that fluttered within her. She sat motionless, afraid that movement might take her away from the moment.
“You like that?” Jed asked.
“I love it.” Her gaze fixed on the musician. “Pa had a harmonica. We never found it when he died and always wondered what happened it to it. I’d be all right listening to that every day.”
Jed smiled.
Maybe si
mple shyness was the reason for his apparent lack of warmth.
Jed’s lips parted and he took a step closer.
The smashing of glass sounded. A ruckus broke out in front of the town hall.
A man pushed through the crowd, his face red and his jaw locked tight. He spotted Jed. “Come quick, Mr. Green. It’s those blasted orphans of yours.”
10
“Quite some doin’s last night, huh? Not surprised ya came for some ice,” said the ice-house owner as he chiseled a small hunk.
If Old Man Crump had heard about Griffin’s brawl last night, the entire town must know.
The toothless neighbor handed Jed a chunk, then pulled on his suspenders. “Hope you haven’t gotten yourself into a fix you can’t get out of.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I’m talking about, Jed. You don’t seem the fatherly type. And here you are bringing in three kids you know little about. If they weren’t a problem, I suspect someone from New York woulda taken ’em in.”
Jed wrapped the ice in a cloth he’d brought from home. “Thank you for this.”
“Ice house comes in handy, Jed. You use it anytime.”
Thomas stood outside by the front door in his night clothes. His shoulders relaxed when he saw Jed, and he ran forward to greet him. “You didn’t tell me you were going somewhere.”
“It’s Sunday. Thought I’d let you sleep until I got back. We were up half the night. Aren’t you tired?”
Thomas nodded, weariness in the dark circles around his eyes.
Griffin was seated in a chair with the side of his head on the kitchen table.
Jed dropped the hunk of ice on the table. “Put this on your face.”
Griffin’s cheek had swollen considerably since last night. He opened the cloth. “Where’d you get that?”
Jed lit the fire and placed leftover corn cakes on the table. “Icehouse.”
Thomas poured water from a pitcher into four tin cups and placed the plates on the table.
Griffin pushed the cloth away. “I don’t need no ice.”
Jed shut a cabinet door harder than necessary. “Well, you won’t be able to see come Monday morning because your eyes will be swollen shut if you don’t.”
Grace like a Whisper Page 8