by Ford, Linda;
He wasn’t much of a cook, but they enjoyed pieces of cheese and biscuits, both of which he’d been able to purchase at the store. They remained there all afternoon, the children playing so happily he couldn’t bear to take them away to return to town and check on… things. Mostly he thought of Glory and warned himself to remember his vow. Later, he fried up some salt pork for supper. If he felt comfortable leaving the children, he’d hunt some fresh meat. But he was reluctant to leave them.
The next morning, they had more biscuits and some canned peaches. The children ate heartily without complaint.
“I need to do some things today,” he informed them after they’d eaten and cleaned up. “You’ll have to come with me.”
Emmy stuck out her chin, prepared to argue.
Jack grabbed her hand. “Come on.”
“I don’t want to. I’m having fun.”
Jack faced her and grew very serious. “Emmy, you must not make him regret taking care of us.”
“We was doing fine by ourselves, weren’t we?”
“You were scared.”
“Only at night.”
“And when you saw people coming.”
Her bottom lip quivered. “I was only hoping it was Pa.”
Levi decided it was time to intervene and clear up any fears triggered by the suggestion Jack had made. “I’ll never regret helping you two, but I need to send a message about your pa. You want to come with me?”
That brought an eager response from them both.
Their first stop was the ferry where Levi wrote the message on a piece of paper. The ferry man promised to see it into safe hands.
Chapter 8
For two days Glory watched Levi ride through town with the children. If she thought it would make him change his mind, she would track him down and insist he move into the little room adjoining her shop. It galled her to think of the children camping out, though they no doubt considered it an adventure.
Joanna had learned they had a rough camp up the hill. “That’s no place to have children. Glory, you should persuade Levi to move into your room.”
“You heard him. He doesn’t want to.” She managed to keep the bitterness from her voice. He made it clear he regretted stealing a kiss, saying he cared. Even living in a room she owned was too much. As if he couldn’t abide a hint of her presence.
“Did you two argue about something? Did he say something when he stopped your horses?”
Joanna could be so dense sometimes.
“Of course he said something. Told me I was foolish.”
Joanna chuckled. “You’re certainly foolhardy. Even you can’t deny that.”
“I don’t care what anyone thinks.”
“Exactly. And Levi is a preacher. I expect he does care what people think. He must be circumspect.”
“Or real good at fooling people.”
Joanna jerked about to face her. “Glory, you don’t believe that.” Her eyes narrowed. “I suppose you accused Levi of being false. No wonder he avoids you.”
“Does he? I hadn’t noticed.” She stomped away to take care of her chores. Not for anything would she let Joanna guess how much it stung to realize even her sister was aware of Levi’s attempt to stay as far away from her as possible. “I don’t care.” She said the words time and again but couldn’t force herself to believe them.
Truth was, the dining room table seemed empty without him. The breakfast table lacked something.
She sat beside Toby now to peel potatoes and turnips.
“Levi said he’s trying to find the children’s father,” Toby said. “Sent a message up north. Hopes he’ll hear something soon.”
Glory grunted acknowledgment of his statement.
“He says the children keep asking after their pa. They’re afraid he won’t know where to find them.”
“Any father who cares wouldn’t have left them in the first place.”
“Levi says they had been traveling with some others and parted ways. Then their father realized his friend had left behind a sack of things. He had to ride hard to catch up and told the kids to wait for him. Said he’d only be half an hour or so.”
“Long half hour.”
“Levi says something must have happened.”
Levi said. She didn’t want to hear it again. Why did everyone else champion him while she felt dismissed, invisible? She hated the feeling. Hated that she couldn’t control it.
“I’ve got something to do.” She hurried to her shop, saddled Pal, and headed for the pen where her other horses looked up, anxious for their oats.
She had noticed the No TRESPASSING sign on Widow Kish’s shack. No doubt put there by the same man who threatened to kick her and the horses off his land. Sure he had the right. But she didn’t want to move. This was convenient. Had good grass and a beautiful view. But she didn’t have enough money to purchase it.
And little faith God would help her.
She had barely arrived at the pen when it started to rain. She hadn’t given the weather any thought and glanced around. The sky was heavy, threatening a downpour. Meant soggy wet clothes and muddy shoes around the table tonight. The air would be heavy with the smell of wet leather and damp wool.
But it wasn’t the stopping house that was utmost in her mind… Levi and the children were camped out. According to both Toby and Joanna he had only a rough shelter. It would not be waterproof. The three of them would be cold and wet.
They’d be okay. She said the words over and over as if by repetition she could convince herself. But her efforts proved futile.
She pulled her slicker from where she kept it tied to the saddle, slipped it on, and headed back to town. Rain came down in sheets. It dripped from her hat brim, slashed against her face, drizzled down her neck. Spring rains could be awfully cold. Her hands were like winter ice, her legs as cold as yesterday’s coffee.
Her thoughts had gone to a defenseless little girl. A boy who, no matter how miserable he felt, would not complain. And Levi’s concern at knowing both children were suffering from the cold and wet. He wouldn’t take them to the stopping house because of Emmy’s fear of strangers, but there was one place where they could find protection from the elements and privacy from strangers. The room at the back of her shop. It was a perfectly good room. Seemed a shame for it to be empty. No need for them to get in each other’s way.
She stopped at the house and stood in the doorway. “Jo,” she yelled, not wanting to take off her wet things to go inside.
Joanna stuck her head from the kitchen. “What?”
“It’s raining.”
Joanna shook her head. “I know. Is that all you want?”
Glory hesitated. She wanted to let Joanna know where she was going. But she wanted more. Perhaps assurance she wasn’t being a fool. “I expect the children will be wet and miserable.”
“What children?” She leaned against the door and grinned. “Oh. You mean Levi and the children.”
Glory wrinkled her nose at the way Joanna emphasized the word Levi. As if it had special importance. But she decided not to defend herself at the moment. “I’m going to persuade them to use the room at the shop. At least it’s dry.”
“About time you came to your senses.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“If you can’t figure it out yourself, I’m not going to waste my breath explaining. Go on. Get out of here.”
As Glory turned to leave, Joanna called, “I’ll send Mandy to fill the wood box and take up some things you’ll be needing.”
It wasn’t until Glory rode from the yard that she realized Joanna had said “you,” as if taking for granted Glory would help Levi care for the children.
“About time,” she’d said. “Figure it out yourself.”
Glory grinned. She had it figured out already. She intended to make Levi take back his words about not being able to care. She pretended it was only out of spite, because it had hurt to have him take it back, but it was more than that. Sh
e wanted him to care about her.
She needed him to, even though she wanted it to be otherwise. She was more than half certain she would regret cracking open a long-shut door in her heart.
The trail to the ferry had turned into mud. She slogged through it and turned off at a narrow path. It, too, was slippery with mud. She spoke reassuringly to Pal. At least there was still light to pick her way cautiously.
A few minutes later she broke into a clearing. Immediately she saw a shelter made out of branches with a piece of canvas over the open side. The wind battered it, allowing rain to blow in at the ends. A campfire sputtered, sending out nothing but dank smoke. They would be cold and wet.
The damp grass muffled her approach. She reined in before the flapping canvas. “Hello. Anyone home?”
A faint sound came from behind the canvas.
She called out again, louder this time. “It’s raining, in case anyone cares to notice.”
“We noticed.” Levi lifted the corner of the canvas. “You rode out here to tell us that?”
She studied him. His hat was off, his hair darkened by dampness. A poncho draped over his shoulders. “Where are the children?”
“In here.” Jack’s voice seemed to come from under Levi’s arm.
“We’re trying to keep dry.” Emmy’s voice came from under his chin.
“And are you? Keeping dry.”
“No,” Emmy said. “I’m cold, too.”
“It seems a shame to sit out here and suffer when there’s a dry, warm room back in Bonners Ferry.”
Jack’s face appeared beside Levi’s. “There is?”
“Yup. Back room of my shop is empty. And I’m pretty sure there’s a stove belching out heat right now.”
Jack turned to Levi, his eyes wide with longing. “Emmy’s awfully cold.”
Glory guessed she wasn’t the only one. The three of them looked like they’d been plucked from the river and left to drip in a brisk wind. She didn’t feel much better herself, and the idea of a warm, dry room made her want to ride back to town without pause. But she couldn’t leave the children to suffer any more than she could look at the discouragement in Levi’s expression and not do something about it. “If you hand Emmy up to me, I’ll tuck her under my poncho and take her to that room. You and Jack can follow.”
Levi hesitated about one second then whipped his poncho off and wrapped it around Emmy, handing the child up to Glory.
“You have no protection.” She saw the argument in his eyes. He’d suffer for the sake of the little girl. “Jack should be protected.” She edged Emmy under her slicker and handed Levi’s back. “Now let’s get into some decent shelter.” She didn’t wait for Levi to call Billy Bob. Didn’t linger to see if he and Jack would follow. She knew Levi could manage. Glory’s greater concern was getting Emmy into a warm, dry place. The child was like a block of ice in her arms.
Pal fought for footing on the slippery trail.
“Be careful,” Levi called from behind her.
“Always am.” But it took a great deal of effort to hold Emmy close and guide Pal. She knew it would have been harder if she’d been on a horse with less common sense.
They reached the main trail, now a sea of mud, and sloshed through it to the shop. She’d left the gate open and rode straight in, Levi right behind. She didn’t stop to take care of Pal or even close the gate but slid from the saddle with Emmy in her arms and raced into the room. The heat from the stove welcomed her.
Levi carried Jack inside and stood him on the floor.
A stack of towels and bedding waited on the bed. Joanna must have sent them with Mandy.
“Take Jack through to the shop.” She handed him a towel and indicated the door. “Strip his wet things off and rub him dry.”
“What will I wear?” Jack clutched at his wet shirt, not wanting to be seen naked.
“We’ll have to dry your clothes. In the meantime, wrap up in this.” She tossed Levi a blanket. “Now get so I can take care of Emmy.” Already she had begun to peel off the child’s wet garments.
Emmy’s eyes were big and as full of misery as an old hound dog’s. She shivered and her teeth chattered enough to keep her from talking.
“You’ll soon be warm.” Glory tossed her wet things to one side to hang later and scrubbed Emmy dry, rubbing her hard to get her blood flowing. They stood inches from the stove… close enough that Glory’s own damp clothes steamed.
She expected Emmy to stop shivering, but the child continued to quake. “Let’s wrap you up in this blanket.” She bundled up the child and drew a chair close, holding Emmy as close to the stove as she could stand. Still she shook. Glory held her tight and hummed softly, thinking she only needed to calm down. She should have insisted they use her room before this, but she’d let her pride get in the way.
Jack and Levi returned. Jack’s color was good. He sat cross-legged on the floor, two feet from the stove. He let the blanket drape from his shoulders. Obviously he was warmed.
Levi knelt at Glory’s side. “You still cold, little one?”
Emmy nodded, her eyes wide.
Levi turned his gaze toward Glory. “I shouldn’t have been so stubborn.”
“Me either.”
Emmy continued to shiver.
They silently shared their concern. “Maybe a hot drink would help?”
Glory nodded. “I see Mandy left water and some supplies. Knowing Joanna, there’s likely tea and sugar there.”
Levi hustled about filling the kettle and finding tea and sugar, but his gaze darted to Emmy every few seconds and then connected with Glory’s eyes.
She tried not to watch his every move or admire the efficient way he did everything. Told herself his worry about Emmy was natural and normal. Nothing to make her insides feel empty. And when he looked into her eyes, silently letting her see his concern, there was no reason it felt like a warm, sweet drink. Except it did, and even though she told her brain not to read so much into it, her heart stubbornly followed its own way.
He poured hot water over the tea leaves and stood waiting for the tea to steep.
“Doesn’t have to be too strong for her,” Glory said after a moment.
He jolted like his thoughts were elsewhere. “Of course.” He poured tea into a cup and ladled in a heaping spoonful of sugar. Tested the temperature of the liquid and grimaced. “Too hot.” He added a bit of cold water, tested it again, and then, satisfied, he brought it over. He again squatted at Glory’s side and held the cup to Emmy’s mouth. “Drink some, sweetie. It will make you feel better.”
He bent close to Emmy, giving Glory plenty of opportunity to study his profile. Strong jawed as she already knew. Little contrasting lines fanning from the corners of his eyes from squinting into the harsh sunlight. An outdoor man. A tiny doubt niggled. Wasn’t a preacher an inside sort of man? The thought barely had time to surface before she continued her study. Long, dark eyelashes. His hair was almost dry, thick and untamed. Like Levi himself. He didn’t let Bull stop him from going into the saloon. He stood up to Glory even in her most angry defiance. Even said he cared. Though he’d taken it back.
Levi glanced up, caught her studying him, and sat back on his heels to match her look for look. Neither of them spoke. The only sounds were the crackle of wood in the stove, Jack’s low murmur as he played with a bit of leather he’d found in the shop, and the chatter of Emmy’s teeth.
It was the latter sound that made Glory blink and turn her attention to the child. “Aren’t you getting warm yet?”
“My stomach is cold.”
Levi looked startled. “That doesn’t sound very good.”
Glory wished she could say it was okay, but she didn’t know. “All I know is to give her warm drinks and keep her wrapped warmly. Sooner or later she’ll start to get warm.” Don’t you think? she silently asked Levi. Too bad there wasn’t a doctor nearby.
He lifted one shoulder to indicate he didn’t know. “Seems you’re doing all that can be done.” He urg
ed Emmy to swallow the rest of the tea. He straigthened, walked to the door, and stared at it then strode back to her side. “I should have found better shelter for them before this happened.”
“How were you supposed to know it would rain?”
“Children deserve to be in the care of adults who know how to provide for them.”
She held his gaze, seeing his frustration, understanding his feelings of inadequacy. Her own thought echoed his words. “Children need people to care for them.” She’d let her feelings toward Levi make her neglectful of these children.
His eyes narrowed as if he thought she accused him of not caring. “I care about them. And even though I might have given you cause to think otherwise, I care about you.”
Despite the shivering child in her arms, Levi’s words warmed her. She ducked her head lest he see how pleased she was and delivered a firm warning to her heart. Likely by tomorrow he would be taking the words back again.
She continued to hold the child. Levi hovered at her side, touching Emmy’s head every few minutes as if to check to see if she still shivered though one only had to look to see it.
His hand brushed Glory’s shoulder as he reached for Emmy yet again. The nerves in her skin lit like a streak of lightning. She half expected Emmy to jump from her lap, complaining she was too hot. But Emmy continued to shiver, and Glory knew the heat came from her own reaction. Levi was so close, his presence so overwhelming.
He crossed the room again, spun around, and hurried back. As if afraid to take his gaze from Emmy, as if unable to stand by and helplessly do nothing as she continued to shiver.
Glory wanted to ease his mind. “I’m sure she’ll warm up soon. Won’t you, Emmy?”
Emmy nodded without speaking, her eyes even wider than before if such a thing was possible.
“In fact, I think she’s shivering less now.”
Levi rushed to her side and dropped to a squat. He cupped the child’s head in his hands and looked at her face, taking in each feature.
Glory wanted to close her eyes at the tenderness in Levi’s gaze, but she couldn’t deny herself one bit of it. Maybe Mandy was right. Maybe Glory was a tiny bit jealous of the attention he gave these children. Attention she’d never had from her father.