Hearts Aglow

by Tracie Peterson

  “But God does, Christopher. He is faithful, and He won’t leave you or your family. I’m going to be praying for you – that you will have peace of heart and mind. I’ll pray, too, for your family.” She paused for a moment. “I know it’s not generally acceptable to speak of such things, but I have some money saved . . . ”

  He put his finger to her lips and shook his head. “No. I won’t take your money.”

  She wanted to protest but held her tongue. Christopher got to his feet. “I should head back before it gets too dark.”

  “I thought you were going to follow the Perkinses’ carriage.” She stood. “I can’t imagine they’ll be much longer. Mr. Perkins said he wanted to head back to town early. Why don’t I go and check on their plans.” She started for the front door but came up short when someone called her name.

  “Why, Miss Deborah Vandermark, if you ain’t the purdiest gal in all of Texas.”

  She turned and found a familiar face gazing up at her. “Mr. Wythe. Whatever in the world are you doing here?”

  Arjan was never so glad to see anyone leave as he was Mr. Dwight Longstreet. The man was annoying and definitely inappropriate in his conduct. He had flirted all evening with Euphanel and, even as he left, asked if he might come again to check on Jael’s comfort. Euphanel didn’t even realize his real intention was seeing her again.

  The man had nerve, that was for sure. He would also have the freedom to visit while Arjan would be busy in the forest.

  “What’s eatin’ you?” Rob asked as they checked on the mules before calling it a day.

  “Oh, I didn’t care for the way that Longstreet fella acted with your ma. He wasn’t at all respectful.”

  Rob shrugged. “She didn’t seem to mind the attention.”

  This further irritated Arjan. “She’s a lady. Of course she didn’t act as if she minded. He was a guest in her house, and she didn’t want to make a scene.”

  “I ain’t never known Ma to keep from puttin’ a fella or lady in their place, if needed.” Rob put the last of the mule harnesses on the wall.

  This was the last thing Arjan wanted to hear – mainly because it didn’t alleviate his concerns. Rob was right, and Arjan knew it as well as anyone. He’d seen Euphanel over the years stand up to any number of folks. If she had been annoyed by the attention and flattery given her by Mr. Longstreet, she would have made that clear. She’d have done it with grace and eloquence, but she’d have done it.

  But she hadn’t.

  When he realized Rob was watching him, he grew embarrassed. “It’s gettin’ late.”

  “Wait a minute, Uncle Arjan. I . . . well, something ain’t quite right.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Rob stuffed his hands deep into his pockets. “I don’t know. I just feel like something ain’t right. I know you care about Ma. You’ve proven that over and over. Do you think something is wrong with this Mr. Longstreet fella? Are you worried that he might mean Ma harm?”

  “Could be,” Arjan said, then regretted the words. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m just tuckered out.”

  “Why don’t you stay home tomorrow? We’re well ahead on our quotas, and I can oversee what has to be done. That way, someone will be here for Ma, just in case. I mean, G.W. is here, but he ain’t strong enough to fight off a fella, unless he did it with a gun.”

  Arjan felt torn. He wanted to do just as Rob suggested, but at the same time, he knew it would look odd. Rob, however, was already assuming he would do as suggested.

  “I know I’ll feel a whole lot better if you’re here, and you can finally have time to put in those shutters you promised Ma.”

  “Not another house in all of Angelina County has shutters, but if that’s what your ma wants – then I figure that’s what she should have.”

  Rob grinned. “It’s always best to give Ma what she wants.”

  And without saying another word, the matter was resolved for him. He would stay home and do odd jobs and keep an eye on the person he cared about most of all.

  CHAPTER 18

  The sun wasn’t even up when the Vandermark family sat down to breakfast. Arjan offered a prayer, then opened the morning’s conversation by inquiring after Jacob Wythe.

  “Seems you’re a ways from home, Son. What brought you down here?”

  Jake grinned and his expression grew mischievous. “Well, sir, I knew the purdiest gals in all the world lived here in this area.”

  Arjan laughed. “That they do, but ain’t it gettin’ kind of late in the summer for you to be gone from the ranch?”

  The young man’s expression quickly sobered, causing Deborah to take note. She’d never thought that something might be wrong. She’d just presumed that Jake had traveled south to secure cattle or do some other piece of business for his family.

  “Fact is, my pa sold out. The drought killed off half the herd. There just wasn’t water to go around. Grass ain’t growin’ and the cost of feed was gettin’ so high, Pa said he’d had enough.”

  Deborah felt horrible for him. His mother and father had been born in Texas, and the ranch had been in the family since 1840.

  “I’m surely sorry to hear that. What’re your folks gonna do?” Arjan asked.

  “They sold the land and the last of the cattle for what little they could get and headed to California. I didn’t want to leave Texas, and so I’m trying to find a job. I remembered that you folks were running a logging operation and wondered if you might need an extra hand.”

  “It’s mighty dangerous work,” G.W. put in.

  Wythe smiled. “So’s ranchin’.”

  “He’s got a point,” Arjan replied. “Still, it will be different from anything you were doing on the ranch.”

  Deborah felt sorry for Jake and looked to her mother. “I’m sure he’s a fast learner. And if you don’t need him in the logging camp, then maybe we could put a good word in for him at the sawmill.”

  “That’s a good idea,” her mother answered. She turned to Jake. “We are good friends with the owner of the Perkinsville Sawmill. You might want to consider that before taking on logging.”

  “Pardon my sayin’ so, ma’am, but I’d rather work outside. I’ve spent all my life either in the saddle or on the ground. I don’t reckon I’d do so well inside a building.”

  “Well, I can definitely understand that,” Mother replied. “What of it, Arjan? Surely we have need of another worker.”

  Arjan looked to Rob and G.W., who both nodded. “Seein’s as how he’s saved Deborah from harm more than once, I figure we owe him at least that much. Rob can show you around the camp today and discuss the various jobs. You may change your mind once you see how much work is really involved.”

  Mother passed a bowl of grits, and Jake smiled as he took them. “Thank ya, ma’am, and thanks to all y’all for givin’ me a chance.” He spooned grits onto his plate and passed them to G.W.

  Sissy appeared with a huge platter of fried ham steaks and eggs. “Reckon these will fill you boys up.” She put the food on the table, then took her seat near Lizzie.

  Jake looked rather surprised at this move. He glanced at Deborah with his brows raised.

  “This is Sissy. She’s a part of our family. Sissy, this is Jacob Wythe.”

  “Most folks call me Jake or Slim.” His words were stilted – almost awkward.

  “Any friend of Miss Deborah’s is surely my friend,” Sissy said, taking the grits from Lizzie.

  Mother started the platter around and followed this with a plate of biscuits. Deborah quickly picked up the bowl of gravy and offered it to Jake. “Mother’s biscuits and gravy are quite delicious.” He nodded and helped himself to a healthy portion.

  “Mr. Wythe,” Jael began, “Deborah tells me you attended university.”

  “That’s true. But it wasn’t for me. Like I said, I don’t care to be fenced in. Sitting in classes day after day isn’t very satisfying.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Deborah interjected. “It may not hav
e been satisfying to you, but many of us quite enjoyed it.”

  He swallowed the big mouthful of grits he’d just spooned in and nodded. “I apologize if I made that sound as if nobody enjoys school. I forgot that you were quite fond of book learnin’.”

  “Deborah’s definitely supportive of education,” her mother said, “although many of our neighbors see no need for such things. We have a good school in town, but there are times when the older children are removed from class to work. Mr. Huebner is a dear friend and the schoolmaster in Perkinsville. He’s often left with just a handful of the young girls to teach. We all think it’s sad that the boys aren’t encouraged to stay in school, but it’s the way things are around here.”

  Mother smiled at Deborah. “However, Deborah has helped her brothers improve their reading skills. They are doing quite well at it, as I hear tell.”

  Jake looked at Deborah. “Well, if my teachers had been that purdy, I probably would have stayed in school.”

  Deborah felt her cheeks grow hot and focused on her plate. Much to her further embarrassment, however, Rob had to offer his thoughts.

  “She may look decent, but she’s a hard taskmaster. In fact, she can be downright mean if she thinks she won’t get her own way.”

  Chuckling, Jake looked at Deborah. “I’ve seen her riled up a bit, so I don’t doubt your words.”

  “I will not allow you to malign my dear friend,” Jael declared. “Deborah is the most giving and compassionate person I know. She’s training to be a doctor.”

  Lizzie leaned forward to look down the table at Jake. “That’s right, and while we are quite grateful for the help you extended us in Houston last year, we certainly aren’t going to allow you to hurt her.”

  He leaned toward Deborah and winked. “I had no intention of hurting you.”

  Deborah didn’t want his attention and quickly dismissed him. “Apology accepted. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to change the subject.” She looked past Jake to her mother. “How is the sacred-harp singing coming along?”

  Her mother dabbed the napkin to her mouth. “Well, so far it’s going quite well. We have quite a few singers who have done this before, so that helps.”

  “I’ve even come to enjoy it myself,” Arjan announced, looking at Mother.

  She returned his gaze for a moment. “And he’s been very quick to pick up the particulars.”

  Deborah wondered if she were the only one who saw the exchange. She glanced around the table, but no one else seemed to have noticed. Or, if they did, they didn’t seem to think anything of it.

  “I used to sing in the choir at church,” Jake threw in.

  Mother offered Jake another round of biscuits, but he declined. “Though we do sing hymns for the most part, this is mainly a social event. We get together and sing for the pleasure of it all. In the old days, we would sometimes sing for hours on end, with occasional pauses for food or fellowship. It’s a wonderful way to draw a community together.”

  “We had quite a few square dances up around our place. Folks seemed to prefer dancin’ for their entertainment,” Jake replied.

  “Well, if we know what’s good for us,” Arjan interrupted, getting to his feet, “we’d best get a move on.”

  “I thought you were going to stick around here today,” Mother said, sounding slightly upset.

  “I am,” he said with a smile, “but I need to get to work. I know you want those shutters put in place before the next storm threatens to bust up the windows.”

  Deborah thought she heard a sigh of relief from her mother. The matchmaker within her begged to be given a chance to encourage the feelings brewing between the two.

  “Mother,” Deborah said, pushing back from the table. “Why don’t you assist Uncle with the shutters? Jael and I can help Sissy with the kitchen and Lizzie with the babies. The sooner we get those shutters in place, the better you’ll feel.”

  Arjan spoke up before Mother could respond. “I could use a hand, Euphanel.”

  G.W. looked at Deborah. She could tell by the look on his face that he was about to volunteer himself. She shook her head and jumped up. “G.W., I wonder if I might speak to you in the office before I get to work here.”

  His expression showed confusion, but he nodded as Mother agreed to help Uncle Arjan. Rob tossed down the last of his coffee and went to grab his hat. “Come on, Jake. We need to get up to the camp – the mules will be gettin’ mean.”

  Deborah lost no time in heading out of the room. G.W. followed her into the office and closed the door. “What was that all about?”

  She wasn’t sure what to say. “Ah, I hoped to see Christopher this morning and wondered how your leg is feeling. I’ll let him know so that he can evaluate the situation and decide if the exercises are working or if you’re overdoing.”

  G.W. narrowed his gaze. “Deborah?”

  “What?” She could see that her innocent tone didn’t fool him. He fixed her with a look and crossed his arms, much as their father used to do when waiting for an answer.

  Crossing to where he stood, Deborah lowered her voice until it was barely audible. “Mother and Uncle Arjan are in love.”

  “What?” His voice boomed across the sparsely decorated room.

  “Shh.” She put her hand to his mouth. “You heard me. Don’t shout about it.”

  He lowered ;

  “It’s quite clear. Just the way they look at each other. Not only that, but haven’t you ever wondered why Uncle Arjan never married? He is in love with Mother.”

  G.W. shook his head. “I can’t believe we’re having this conversation.”

  “Then let’s not,” Deborah replied. “But don’t interfere. I think with just a little help, we might see a wedding before summer’s end.”

  Rolling his eyes, G.W. shook his head again. “You need to stay out of it. If they are . . . ” He paused and looked over his shoulder at the closed door. “If they are in love,” he whispered, “they will figure it out.”

  “So you don’t mind?” she asked, smiling. “Personally, I think it would be marvelous.”

  He laughed. “I do, too – if it’s their idea and not yours.”

  With Jake close on his heels carrying a double-bitted ax, Rob led the way to the trees they would consider for cutting. The introductions had gone all around to the boys, except for the ones clearing brush near the cutting.

  “It’s the bull, look sharp!” one man called out to the others.

  Jake looked at Rob. “The bull?”

  Rob looked back and nodded. “The ‘bull of the woods.’ That’s what they sometimes call the woods boss. I’m the boss today, since Arjan stayed home. ’Course, I’m often the boss for the likes of these fellas, even when he’s here.”

  Jake nodded and Rob pointed the way with his measuring stick. “I like the looks of that big one over there. Let’s get to it, boys.”

  Heading to a tall longleaf pine, Rob gave a look skyward and Jake did likewise. “I’m checkin’ to see what the crown is like and what kind of toppin’ we might have to be doin’. See, it’s my job to figure out exactly where to make the undercut and such so that we can drop that tree down within inches of mark.”

  “Sounds hard.”

  “It takes practice,” Rob admitted.

  “Yeah, but he’s the best there is . . . ’ceptin’ for G.W.,” another man announced.

  “Jake, this is Warren Crandel. He’s a sawyer. Practically can operate a two-man crosscut by himself.”

  Warren extended his hand. “You must be the new man.”

  “Name’s Jake,” he replied.

  “Good to have you,” Warren replied. “Days are long, usually ten to twelve hours. Iffen you git home afore dark, it’s just ’cause you cheated the bull out of hours.”

  Jake grinned. “Since I’m temporarily living with ‘the bull,’ I won’t have much of a chance to cheat him out of anything.”

  Rob shook his head. “We’re gonna drop this one, Warren. Get Wolcott to top it off
for me while I figure out the wedge cut.”

  “Will do, Bull.”

  Rob waited until the men were helping Ashton Wolcott with his gear before squatting down at the base of the tree to evaluate. Jake got down beside him, only to pop back up when Rob moved to the side of the tree and repeated the action. He gazed upward again, trying to tell the list of the trunk. This particular tree was just about as straight as a chopper could want.

  Next he stood and walked several paces out from the tree. He glanced around gauging the other trees in the area and the lay of the land.

  “We try to spare the seedlings and young trees,” he explained. “Unlike some, we want to keep growin’ this forest, so we are mighty particular about which trees we cut.”

  “But most aren’t?”

  Rob shook his head. “Most have what we call the ‘cut-out-andget-out’ way of thinkin’. They are only tryin’ to harvest the most wood in the fastest way possible; then they move on to another location, leaving a field of stumps behind. We clear the stumps – that’s the reason I brought out the kerosene from the house. Once a tree is felled, we drill a hole as deep as possible and pour kerosene down it to kill the roots. After a while the thing just rots and we can pull out the stumps, easy-like.”

  He walked around the tree several times, then marked the trunk and walked out through several tall pines to pound a stake in the ground.

  “What are you doing now?” Jake asked.

  Rob grinned up at him. “I’m markin’ where I want the tree to fall. The boys sometimes wager as to whether they can drive that stake into the ground. Mostly they do it, but sometimes they miss.”

  “Looks like an awful narrow place to put it down. You got trees all around it.”