“We’ll take our children to these places, too, Rebecca. We’ll sink our roots right here in Fredonia and raise our children in the loving bosom of our family while we explore the world around us as life permits.”
A vivid memory of Adam rose up in her mind, and Rebecca smiled. “Then maybe I’ll finally get that train ride to Buffalo you promised me. Do you remember that? I was about to turn sixteen, and we both wanted to sneak away and get married. When we finally admitted that eloping was not only impossible, but the wrong thing to do, you promised to take me to Buffalo on the train after we married.”
“What I recall is that you were angry with me for talking sense into that pretty head of yours.” An almost sad expression crossed his face. “You probably don’t remember how ashamed I was that I couldn’t afford to marry and support you then.”
Rebecca cupped his jaw. “There isn’t a moment I’ve spent with you that’s not etched in my mind. I remember everything, Adam.”
“In that case, do you remember where we buried our worry stones?”
“Of course,” she said with a laugh. “From that knob on the willow trunk it is six paces in that direction,” she said, gesturing just left of where they were sitting.
“Well, love, today is the day we dig them up.” Adam pulled a pointed rock out of his coat pocket. “I picked this up on my way here. Shall we unearth our treasures?”
“Yes, and I hope we never have to bury them again,” she said, relief and hope flooding through her.
At thirteen they had found the stones during one of their many trips to the creek. The stones had been polished smooth during their tumbling journey down the creek. Adam, who knew about such things, had told her that rubbing the surface of a smooth stone was calming and would ease worry. So they carried them and used them as they worked out their daily troubles, but each time Adam left for university or his apprenticeship they buried their stones. It was their way of leaving their pain and their worries for the rain to wash away. They would dig up their stones each time he returned home and bury them again when he left. Six long years later they were finally, hopefully, digging up their stones for the last time.
“Mark the spot if you can,” Adam said, challenging Rebecca to find their hidden treasure.
“You doubt me, sir?” Rebecca gladly accepted his challenge and haughtily lifted her nose as she placed her palm on the damp ground. “Here. Dig if you dare.”
Laughing, Adam raked a deep furrow in the damp earth with his pointed stone.
Scout took that as a sign and dug in with both paws, raking and throwing clumps of dirt as if searching for a long lost bone.
“Whoa, fella,” Adam said, wrestling Scout away from the small hole he’d managed to dig. “This is my job.” He picked up a broken piece of a branch and tossed it toward the creek. With a happy yip, Scout shot from beneath the tree and raced to the creek bank where the branch landed.
Grinning, Rebecca nodded at the hole. “A little deeper and you’ll find both stones.”
“If you’re wrong, you’ll owe me a kiss.”
“I’ll kiss you even if I’m right.”
Oh, how she loved that look in his eyes that shut out the rest of the world, that told her all he could see was her.
“Then what shall we wager?” he asked, his voice playful.
“I’d like that train ride you promised me eight years ago. I’ve been waiting a long time, you know.”
“Will you settle for a train ride to Crane Landing instead of Buffalo?”
She kissed him to answer his question and because she couldn’t help herself. She needed this honorable, remarkable man. The girl in her wanted to reunite with her friend and sweetheart. The woman in her needed to connect with the man Adam had become, the man she would marry, the man who would love her and father her children and be her lifelong companion.
He kissed her with tender affection.
Night peepers began their rhythmic chirping as Canadaway Creek burbled in the background. Tucked in their nest beneath the willow tree, Rebecca and Adam allowed themselves one sweet kiss.
The quiet nicker of Rebecca’s mare told her it was time to go.
Slowly, she eased away... and received a wet lick from Scout on her right ear. “Ack!” she said, wiping her ear with the sleeve of her sweater. Laughing, she picked up his stick and threw it back toward the creek.
Exchanging a smile with Adam, she said, “I need to get home.”
He nodded and released a ragged sigh. “I know.”
They sat for a moment, Rebecca leaning against him, safe in his arms, as they listened to the familiar sounds of evening settling in. The creek was deeply shadowed; the sound of tumbling water from early day was now a quiet babble as it flowed by them.
“I’ll bring you and Daddy lunch tomorrow,” she said, easing herself away from Adam’s warmth. “I can’t go all day without seeing you.”
“I’d like that,” he said, returning to the excavation of their stones.
She was off by six inches, but they found their special stones and wiped them clean with Adam’s blue handkerchief. The small misshapen rocks nested in their palms, their weight comforting and familiar. They would keep them in their pockets, a secret that only the two of them shared. For Rebecca, holding the stone in her hand was like having a part of Adam with her, a token of their love that was as solid and unyielding as their worry stones.
Shifting her gaze from the stone in her palm to Adam’s handsome face, she said, “I believe you owe me a kiss, sir.”
To her surprise, Adam pulled her down beside him, rolled her to her back and ended with a playful nip on her neck. “If I recall correctly, missy, you still owe me a pair of boots.”
Rebecca burst out laughing and immediately clapped a hand over her mouth to keep the sound from traveling the creek.
“Tossing them in the creek was unforgivably cruel, Rebecca Jean.”
When she caught her breath, she said, “I was fifteen and frustrated, Adam. I was in a fit that day and not in control of my actions.”
“I’ll say.” His lopsided grin made her laugh again.
“I’ll add a piece of apple pie to your lunch tomorrow,” she said, loving the playful sparkle in his eyes. “Will that pay my debt?”
His eyes sparkled with love. “Marry me tomorrow and I’ll consider your debt paid.”
She laughed and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Get off me. I can’t be late.”
He rolled off and lunged to his feet, pulling her up with him. “Seriously, Rebecca. Maybe we should move up our wedding. We could spend our first month at Crane Landing in a pretty little house by the river. When we return to Fredonia, the furniture we ordered for our home will be here.”
She searched his eyes. “Could we really do that?”
A slow, sure smile lifted his lips and made her stomach light with anticipation. “I’ll have to work things out at the mill, but I don’t want to wait another single day to be with you,” he said. “Please, marry me tomorrow.”
“Oh, Adam...” She gave him an enthusiastic hug. “I don’t want to wait either.” She looked into his handsome face and knew she would do anything—anything at all—to be with him. “Come by tomorrow evening after you finish at the mill, and we’ll tell Mama and Daddy what we’ve decided.” She swung herself onto Star’s strong back and looked down into his handsome upturned face. “Bring Pastor Ainsley with you.”
Chapter Four
Adam woke before dawn and put a pot of coffee on the cook-stove to brew. Duke and Faith were already stirring upstairs and would be down shortly.
He was used to fending for himself and was glad to pour them a cup of the aromatic steaming brew when they entered the kitchen. It gave them all a few extra minutes to enjoy a hot breakfast and enjoyable conversation over coffee before they began their day.
As the first rays of the sun slanted across the village, Adam walked out Liberty Street with his father, eagerly anticipating a day of heckling and hard work at the mi
ll—and spending his wedding night at the White Inn with his wife.
“I can hardly keep pace with you, Adam.” With an unexpected chuckle, his father pulled Adam into one of his side-armed hugs that always made Adam feel special. “You seem awfully eager to get to the mill this morning.”
“There’s no place I’d rather be,” he said honestly. He loved the mill and working with his father and uncles and their boisterous crew. He couldn’t wait to settle into his new home with Rebecca, and spend his days at the mill and his evenings with Rebecca and their family.
“Well, I’m glad to hear that, son, but let’s see if you’re singing the same tune after breaking your back all day. You may want to head straight back to Crane Landing.”
Adam’s gut tightened. He knew he needed to share his decision with his father. “I’d planned to tell you and Faith tonight, but... Rebecca and I decided not to wait until next month to marry. We’ll exchange our vows this evening and will head to Crane Landing on the morning train. We’ll return as soon as our furniture arrives.”
Duke’s eyebrows lifted, but his long, sure stride never faltered. “Sounds like you did more than just take Scout for a walk last night.”
Adam nodded, unwilling to lie. “We just talked for a few minutes, sir. I know this upsets our plans at the mill, and I’m truly sorry for the delay this will cause, but Rebecca and I want to marry—tonight.”
His father’s slow whistle told Adam he was considering the ramifications of their decision. “I assume you haven’t had this conversation with Radford or Evelyn yet?”
“No, sir. Rebecca and I will talk with them this evening. I’d appreciate it if you’d keep this to yourself today.”
Lifting his hands as if he wasn’t about to touch the subject, his father shook his head. “This is your business, Adam. I’ll be disappointed to have you leave again so soon, but I understand. Just know that Radford may not be as understanding. He’s not going to like having his daughter married so hastily, especially when the whole family has been planning a big celebration for the two of you. He’s going to feel that his daughter deserves better.”
For the first time, Adam questioned his decision. Rebecca had waited a long time for him and she did deserve more than a two-minute ceremony with only her parents and siblings present. The Grayson men had planned their workload at the mill around Adam’s return. For him to work one day and leave again for several weeks was inconsiderate, and not the kind of decision a partner would make. Of course Radford would be upset, and rightfully so. Still, the thought of not marrying Rebecca tonight made Adam sick to his stomach.
“Before you commit to anything, why don’t you give this some thought today,” his father suggested as they approached the mill. “Maybe you and Rebecca should talk this over again before committing.”
It’s all Adam would be able to think about, but he gave his father a nod to acknowledge that he’d heard his words and would heed his wise council. He would talk with Rebecca first.
The site of the sprawling sawmill had always filled Adam with a sense of awe, and that hadn’t changed in all the years he’d been coming back to this place. Stacks of timber and cut lumber, high piles of sawdust, and the powerful Percherons moving drags of timber across the yard drew his thoughts to the work at hand. Men were already feeding slab wood into the massive boiler that powered the saw inside the mill building. In minutes he would hear the scream of the whirring saw blade and the rhythmic sound of the carriage table gigging back and forth as it shuttled the timber through the cutting process. He was part of this place, of this family, and both were as interwoven with his future as Rebecca was.
“It’s about time you got here,” Boyd said, slinging an arm around Adam’s neck and mock wrestling him. “We need some young blood to liven things up.”
Adam laughed and straightened his work shirt, twisting away from Boyd’s roughhousing. He could always count on his uncle Boyd to shake him out of his worries. “You keep things lively enough on your own, Uncle Boyd. You just want to make use of my strong back to do the heavy lifting.”
Duke nudged Boyd’s shoulder with a closed fist. “Told you he was smarter than you.”
“That wouldn’t take much,” Radford said, joining their small gathering. Radford clasped Adam’s hand in a firm handshake. “Welcome home, son. I’m sure glad to have you back at the mill.”
For Adam the moment was dreamlike. At thirteen, he could have never imagined his life like this, being surrounded by men of deep integrity and honor—and a wonderful sense of humor—who had become his family, and his friends, and now his partners.
His uncle Kyle was working their other mill today, once owned by his wife’s father, Tom Drake. Although Kyle split his time between the two mills, he had spent many hours teaching Adam the sawmill business, and Adam was looking forward to working with him again.
“Come on, fellas, we’re falling behind, and we have a big order of quartersawn oak to fill this week,” Radford said. He gestured to a pile of timber a good distance across the mill yard. “I’ll be feeding the saw with that pile today, so if any of you work in that area of the yard, keep your head up and your eyes open.”
“Yes, sir,” Adam said, acknowledging Radford’s warning.
Duke gave a half-nod as he walked away, his attention already focused on two men stacking lumber across the yard.
“Wait a few minutes and I’ll give you a hand,” Boyd said.
“We don’t have time to wait. The saw is hungry and we’re two days behind on this order. I’ll be working fast over there, so give me plenty of warning when you head my way.”
“You should wait, Radford. If that pile shifts in your direction, you’re going to need some warning to get the team and your stubborn self out of the way.”
“I’ll be fine,” he said, then grinned and patted Boyd’s shoulder. “But I’m glad you’re worried about me.”
Boyd’s lips pursed and his eye-roll made Adam laugh. “It wasn’t you I was worried about. Belle and Buck are my favorite horses.” Without so much as a by-your-leave, Boyd walked away.
It was just another day at the mill, another opportunity to heckle each other, and Adam loved being smack in the middle of it all.
“Why don’t you join us for supper this evening,” Radford said. “I’m sure Rebecca would like that. And I’m eager to hear more about your apprenticeship at Crane and Grayson.”
“Thank you, sir. I have a lot to share with you.”
“All right then. See you tonight. Now get to work,” Radford ordered, and then he headed off to the pile of timber, wearing a grin on his face.
Adam smiled, enjoying the playful taunt from a man he deeply admired. He had never looked at Radford as an uncle because he’d always thought of him as Rebecca’s father—a man who would someday become his father-in-law. That day would be soon, perhaps today. To even consider having a man like Radford Grayson as his father-in-law was an honor Adam couldn’t have imagined a few years ago.
How could he compromise all of this by being hasty? He had made a commitment to these men. He owed Rebecca more than hurried nuptials that they would remember the rest of their lives.
But the thought of being without her another day tortured him.
He gazed around, lost in thought, as the mill came to life. Horses snorted and harnesses jangled, wagons rattled and the boiler in the mill building gasped and spit. Shouts from the crew filled the yard as they welcomed Adam home and barked orders to each other. After years away, standing in the middle of the organized chaos with his Grayson family was one of the best moments of Adam’s life.
Now that he was here, he didn’t want to leave.
But he couldn’t ask his bride to spend the first month of their marriage sitting on flour barrels at a plank table or sleeping on a pallet on the floor. She deserved a comfortable home and a holiday away from her work—and they deserved a few weeks together after years of infrequent and too-short visits. He would explain this to Rebecca this eveni
ng, and they could decide together what to do.
For now, he would immerse himself elbow-deep in his work and enjoy being at the mill, however brief it might be.
Sunlight flooded the mill, raising the temperature to a sweaty seventy-six degrees before mid-day. Adam had taken off his long-sleeved shirt and was debarking a thick hickory timber when he noticed a commotion from the corner of his eye.
Managing a team of Percherons, Radford used chains and grappling hooks to extract a hewn oak log from a pile of timber. As it often did, the pile shifted, causing logs to pivot and roll free, which was one of the biggest dangers at the mill—and the reason Radford had warned them to use caution when in that area. Just one rolling timber could crush a man or cause serious destruction to anything in its path. Every man present knew to keep one eye on the timber piles.
But it wasn’t a man standing in harm’s way—it was Rebecca. She was riding her sleek black mare past the shifting log pile, one hand shielding her eyes from the sun, her pace leisurely as she searched the mill.
Adam had planned to meet her at the mill entrance where it wasn’t so dangerous. It was where they met all of their visitors and customers.
But Rebecca was here in the middle of their lumber yard on a busy day, while every mill hand was engaged with saws, hand axes, horses and wagons, grappling hooks and any number of tools and jobs that were dangerous—and she was riding in completely distracted because she was looking for him.
He knew when she spotted him because her face lit up.
The pile behind her shifted like an uncoiling viper.
Adam’s breath locked in his throat. He raised his arm, flagged her wildly, gesturing for her to move away, to go back to the entrance gate and wait for him.
In her vibrant, naturally reckless way, she stood up in the stirrups and gave him a wide smile and a jaunty wave.
A Christmas Promise Page 13