Molly Noble Bull

by The Winter Pearl

“I’m not about to turn down an offer like that, especially from a pretty lady in a blue dress.”

  Honor turned her back on him and grimaced, recalling Selma’s green dress and the fiasco that had resulted when she’d worn it. The thought of Jeth’s late wife made Honor wonder again who his future wife might be. Her thoughts settled on only one young woman: Lucy Jordan. Honor bit her lower lip. An instant before, she’d been in a good mood. Now all her good humor had turned sour. How quickly thoughts and emotions could change. Jeth had said that only the Lord could turn things around again. But for some reason, she didn’t feel like praying.

  “Speaking of pretty ladies,” Honor said with a trace of sarcasm, “I won’t be able to teach Miss Jordan’s reading lesson this week, with all the work I have to do here and all.”

  “I told Lucy that we would delay the lessons until after Mama gets back,” Jeth said easily, surprising Honor. “You have enough to do without tutoring besides.”

  “But I—”

  “Need to make more money. I know. You mentioned that. But you’ll still have the extra money you get doing alterations, won’t you? And you’ve already paid me back for that coat. Why, you must have a bundle saved by now. What do you plan to do with all that money?”

  “Pay my debts.” She glanced toward the door leading to the hallway. “Now if you will excuse me, I need to check on the mess room.”

  But before she could make her escape, Belinda burst into the kitchen from the dining room. “Have you asked the reverend yet?” she queried.

  “Asked me what?”

  “I wondered if Miss Honor had invited you to escort her to the woods today. We need a suitable Christmas tree for the boardinghouse. Our boarders want one, and so do I.”

  “Then of course Miss McCall and I will go out in search of a tree this very morning.” Jeth turned to Honor. “When can you be ready?”

  “She can be ready as soon as we finish the breakfast dishes,” Belinda replied. “And she need not be back in time to help with the noon meal. We’re just having leftovers.”

  “Then, Miss McCall, I’ll meet you on the back porch, as soon as you’ve finished your chores.”

  Honor closed her lips firmly. Comments were unnecessary. She’d been outranked as well as overruled.

  When the last dish was dried and put away, Honor saw Jeth through the kitchen window. He was standing on the back porch, with a grin on his face that reminded her of the friendly circus clown who had paraded by the general store in Falling Rock once when she was a child. The clown, with blue hair and a red ball for a nose, had been dressed in a red, white and blue striped suit. He’d given Honor a special wave and smiled, just like Jeth was doing now.

  Honor felt silly waving at Jeth for no good reason. She’d just talked to him and served him his breakfast. But when he kept waving and smiling at her, she laughed and waved back.

  “Run along now,” Belinda insisted. “If you don’t, the reverend is liable to come in here to get you and track up my clean kitchen floor in the process. And don’t forget your coat, your hat and your hand-warmer. It’s cold outside.”

  Honor smiled, pulling her garments from the hook by the back door. She’d learned to love Belinda like an older sister. Still, sometimes she wondered if the feisty widow recalled that it was Honor who was in charge of the boardinghouse until Mrs. Peters returned, not Belinda Grant.

  The flooring on the back porch usually creaked when Honor stepped out the kitchen door. That morning, the wooden planks were silent.

  “Better be careful.” Jeth offered her his arm. “The porch is wet and icy.”

  Ignoring his arm, Honor took another step and slid several inches. “Oh, no!”

  Jeth grabbed her. “Easy there.”

  She stopped moving, but she still felt unsteady on her feet. Paralyzed with embarrassment and the fear of falling, she glanced up at Jeth. He grinned, looking amused. Seeing the humor in his blue eyes, Honor giggled. Then they were both laughing.

  “Let’s go over there and sit down,” Jeth suggested.

  “All right.”

  He helped her off the porch and down the steps.

  Mrs. Peters had built a rock bench for her guests, so they could relax and enjoy the outdoors. The bare branches of plants and trees surrounded it. The shrubs, which had been cut practically to the ground, were covered with a sprinkling of snow and ice. Mrs. Peters had assured Honor that in the spring all those dead plants and trees would come back to life. Mrs. Peters called it a kind of rebirth, a gentle reminder that Jesus died and rose again.

  “Sit here and rest a little.” Jeth gestured toward the bench. “Just looking at you, I figure your heart is probably racing faster than a rabbit with a bobcat on its tail.”

  Honor went right over, sat down, and then immediately jumped up. She should have looked first. The bench was encased in frost. It was like sitting on a block of ice.

  “Sorry, ma’am, I should have known the rock bench would be cold. Are you all right?”

  “Of course.”

  Even with her coat, Honor was cold almost constantly now. However, she was determined not to complain and decided to change the subject.

  “I noticed that you got another letter from your mother. Was she able to locate your uncle?”

  “Not yet, but she’s still trying.” He grinned. “I expect her to find Uncle Lawrence any day now.”

  Honor wanted to question Jeth about John Crammer, to find out what else he knew. Perhaps she should simply blurt out what was on her mind and take her chances.

  “Did you ever hear from John Crammer again?” she finally asked. “The man from Falling Rock who wrote to you?”

  His smile faded. “I know who John Crammer is. But I never heard from him after the first letter I got.”

  Good, she thought.

  Honor looked down at her snow-covered shoes, then back at Jeth. “I’ve been wondering if your cousin had her baby yet.”

  “Yes, Margaret had a little girl. Named her for my mother. And Regina Ann Starling weighed six pounds.”

  “How’s the baby’s mother doing?”

  “Margaret’s doing fine, but she’s exhausted. Three children is a lot to worry about, I guess. She’s trying to talk Mama into staying until after the new year. But Mama said no. Guess she’s had enough of babies and children for a while.”

  Honor forced a laugh, but slowly, her laugh became a real one. Jeth had said that laughter was like a medicine. She was beginning to believe it.

  “Maybe she misses Dr. Harris,” Honor said.

  “That’s possible.”

  “When is your mother coming home?”

  “She’ll be home by Christmas. But I don’t know exactly when she will get here.”

  Honor nodded. At least she’s still coming, she thought.

  “Shall we go on and find the tree now?” she asked.

  “Absolutely.”

  As they strolled down the snowy path, Jeth pulled a sled by a rope. He put his free arm around Honor and gave her a quick squeeze.

  A pleasant tingle shot through her. Honor glanced at his hand on her shoulder. He shouldn’t be holding her, and she shouldn’t enjoy it. But she did, even knowing that the sweet embraces would only make her leaving that much harder.

  “I’m holding on to you so you won’t slip,” he insisted. “You wouldn’t want to take the chance you might fall and hurt yourself, would you?”

  “Of course not.”

  An icy wind whistled around the corner of the big house, blowing Honor’s long hair in front of her eyes. She pushed back a stray curl and held it in place with one hand.

  “What are you thinking, Honor Rose McCall?” he asked.

  Surprised that he remembered her middle name, Honor gazed up at Jeth and grinned. “Why did you call me Rose just now?”

  “I like your name. Honor Rose sounds good, to me, anyway. And by the way, you’re shivering again.”

  “I am not.” Looking down, she realized she was hugging her shoulder
s. “All right, maybe I am.” She hesitated. “You said once that the Rose of Sharon was mentioned in the Bible. But I was never able to find anything about it. Would you mind explaining that to me now?”

  “With pleasure.” He smiled. “Sharon is a place, a beautiful location in the Holy Land where roses were said to grow. In the second chapter of the Song of Solomon, the Scriptures say, ‘I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.’ Jesus has many names in the Bible. Some believe that one of them is the Rose of Sharon. However, others think the passage refers to Israel and the church.”

  “That’s interesting,” she said.

  “Yes, it is.”

  A wooded area just ahead captured Honor’s attention. Jeth followed her gaze.

  “What kind of a tree should we be looking for this Christmas?” he asked.

  “Frankly, I like pines.”

  “Then that’s just what we’ll get.” He looked away for an instant. “My late wife liked pine trees, too. In fact, in many ways you and Selma are much alike.”

  “Me? No.” Honor shook her head.

  Mrs. Peters had said that her daughter-in-law had been a wonderful Christian. Though Honor thought of herself as a Christian now, she could never meet Selma’s standards. Jeth was merely being kind.

  “I remember,” he went on, “one Christmas season especially. Selma and I spent all day looking for a tree and never did find one she liked. At last I said, ‘Wife, I’m tired of looking. I’m going to cut down the next tree I see.’ And there it was. The prettiest pine I’d ever laid eyes on, and when it was decorated…Well, it looked beautiful.” He hesitated. “You know, Miss McCall, you’ve never told me anything about your life before you came here. Did you and your family go looking for the perfect tree at Christmastime, too?”

  Honor stopped. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather not talk about my home life. Our house wasn’t a happy place to be.”

  “But surely you can tell me something. Did you live in town or out in the country?”

  “We lived on a farm. And that’s all I’m going to say.”

  “Then I’ll tell you a little more about my life. I grew up right here on this property. The house and grounds belonged to my grandparents. My father also grew up here.”

  “You never knew your father, did you?”

  He shook his head and kicked a loose rock with the toe of his boot. “My mother said he loved to go fishing. He died in a boating accident soon after I was born.”

  Honor considered her options. He’d shared part of his past with her, and she had heard emotion in his voice, stronger than any she’d heard previously. She had the sudden urge to tell Jeth more about her past. She trusted him. But revealing all her secrets might inadvertently unlock a door that would be better left closed.

  Jeth reached down, scooped up two handfuls of snow and molded them into a ball. Turning toward the horse pens, he drew back his arm and threw the snowball. It sailed threw the air and hit the wooden fence. Plop.

  He turned back to Honor and looked her in the eye. “For a long time, I’ve had the feeling that your uncle was unkind to you. Was he, Honor? Did Lucas Scythe treat you badly?”

  “I told you. We quarreled.”

  Honor wanted to be honest with Jeth, to tell him the truth about Lucas, but she would be leaving in a few days. There was no reason to bring up unhappy topics now. She needed to focus on something else. A beautifully shaped pine tree stood just off to their right. It looked about six feet high, and she imagined how it would look when it was decorated with popcorn, candy and paper flowers.

  “That’s the one,” she exclaimed.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “That pine over there.” She pointed to the tree. “It’s perfect and just the Christmas tree I want for the boarding house this year.”

  “Okay, if that’s the tree you want, that’s the one we’ll get—But sooner or later, you’re going to tell me what really happened between you and your uncle.”

  On Saturday morning, Jeth sat beside Timmy Rivers in the covered wagon. He’d left the boardinghouse right after breakfast and had arrived at the Riverses’ home early.

  Timmy was Jeth’s inspiration. Were it not for the boy, Jeth might never have come up with an idea for getting several young men and boys involved in church activities. Now he would find out whether his plan would work.

  After a short visit with Timmy’s parents, Jeth had invited the little boy to drive out to the Sharp Ranch with him. They were on the way there now.

  Jeth smiled, looking down at Timmy. “You remembered to bring your book on kite-making, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, sir.” Timmy lifted up the book that he’d gotten for his birthday.

  “Good boy. And by the way, you’re going to like Willie Sharp. He’s a little older than you are, but he’s a good boy, too.”

  Willie Sharp and his mother had attended services at the church on several occasions, but Jeth hadn’t been able to talk to them. Each time, they’d arrived late and left before the service had ended.

  Sheriff Green had asked Jeth to keep an eye on that family for him, to report anything unusual. Since Jeth wanted to visit the family again anyway, stopping by the ranch with Timmy seemed like the perfect solution.

  Jeth had a lot to think about, and driving his team of horses always helped him to get things straight in his mind.

  He’d wrapped Honor’s engagement ring in white paper and tied it with a pink bow, but he hadn’t put it under the Christmas tree yet. The gift was tucked in the bottom drawer of the desk in his bedroom. Honor wouldn’t find it there.

  Honor wasn’t the Christian woman Selma had been, but she appeared to be growing in her knowledge of God and the Bible.

  Jeth and Selma had grown up together. They’d been childhood sweethearts. He’d known everything there was to know about Selma before they married. But Honor’s life before he’d met her was still a mystery.

  The few things he did know about Honor were not encouraging. Some might say she could never be a proper minister’s wife. And yet…

  Timmy shifted restlessly. Jeth glanced down at the child, who had leaned his head on Jeth’s arm and appeared to be falling asleep. Jeth grinned and looked back at the road.

  The child’s enthusiasm for kites would serve as Jeth’s secret weapon. He hoped Timmy would convince Willie Sharp and the others that kite-making was fun and so was learning about the Lord. And if kites didn’t appeal to Willie, there was always the hard candy that Jeth had put in his pocket as a treat.

  Jeth stopped the wagon in front of the Sharp home. As he tied up the reins, he looked around. Three horses were penned nearby. None of them was red.

  The carpenters were gone now. Apparently, the house repairs had been completed. Would he finally meet Mr. Sharp and his older sons? If not, he hoped Willie and his mother would be home.

  He gave Timmy a gentle nudge. “Wake up, boy. It’s time to go inside.”

  Timmy yawned. “Now, where did you say we were going?”

  “To the Sharp Ranch. We’re here now. The Sharps have a son, Willie. Remember, I told you about him.”

  “Is Willie the one who wants to build a kite?”

  “Willie might not know anything about kites. You’ve got to be his teacher and invite him to church and to boys’ fun night.”

  “Oh, yes. That’s where boys my age get together at the church and make things. When did you say fun night was going to start?”

  “After the first of the year.”

  “And can we ring the church bell sometimes on fun nights? I sure think that would be fun.”

  Grinning, Jeth jumped from the wagon. “We’ll have to see about that.” He swung Timmy down. “Come on now. Let’s go inside and talk about kites.”

  Mrs. Sharp’s outlook on life seemed to have changed since Jeth’s first visit. Her house looked clean and neat and so did her clothes. Her hair had a shine to it, and he saw a sparkle in her eyes. Jeth had thought Mrs. Sharp was an old woman t
he first time he came. She looked much younger now. Best of all, she and Willie were in church every Sunday.

  “Where’s Willie?” Jeth asked when they had settled in chairs in the parlor. “Timmy here wants to meet him.”

  “He’s playing. I’ll go get him.” Mrs. Sharp got to her feet. “Now, you sit there. I’ll be right back.”

  A minute later Willie raced into the parlor, smiling from ear to ear. “Did ya brung me any can—? Did ya brung me anything, Preacher?”

  “Willie!” his mother scolded. “That ain’t nice. Now sit down and behave.”

  “That’s all right, ma’am,” Jeth said. “I brought candy for the boys to eat later.”

  Willie’s eyes glowed. “You did?”

  Jeth nodded. Now all Jeth had to do was get Willie interested in church and the Bible.

  “Have you ever made a kite, Willie?” Jeth asked.

  “No, sir, I ain’t never. Least, not one what will fly.”

  “Well, Timmy Rivers here knows all about kite-making, and he’s got a book that tells just how to do it. Would you like for Timmy to show you his book?”

  “Yes, sir, I’d be obliged.”

  “Then why don’t you take Timmy to your room or someplace and talk, while your mother and I sit here and visit?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Jeth didn’t find out much about the Sharp gang during the time he spent with Mrs. Sharp. But she promised to stay after church on Sunday long enough to meet some of the folks in the congregation. She also promised to drive Willie to the church on fun night so that he could learn how to build kites.

  Jeth smiled as he lifted Timmy into the wagon. It looked like his plans for bringing the young people in his congregation to the Lord just might work.

  On the morning of December twenty-third, Honor stood in the middle of the kitchen floor, sweeping. Her belongings were packed in a potato sack and ready to go, and she’d returned the six-shooter to Mrs. Peters’s room. Her gifts for Jeth, his mother and Belinda were in the parlor under the Christmas tree.