Hearts and Harvest

by Amber Stockton

  “We’re well aware of what can come of wanting to force certain outcomes,” Mother replied. “As you know, your father and I endured that very thing not long ago. We agreed that we didn’t want to do the same to you.”

  “I appreciate that, Mother. But I suppose it’s time for me to take the matter of my relationships a bit more seriously.” She looked at them both before continuing. “You’ve both given me so much. How could I not honor your wishes?”

  Maybe with this shift in her priorities, she could continue to explore possibilities with William as well.

  “However,” Father stated, “where Mr. Berringer is concerned, we must caution you.”

  What? Just when she thought her parents were providing the perfect opportunity for her to answer all the questions floating in her mind regarding William, Father throws this into the mix?

  “But, Father, it isn’t like that at all.” She unclasped her hands and extended them in a placating gesture. “I already said he is only a friend.” At the moment that much was true in reality. Her thoughts, however, were another matter. “Are you saying that I can no longer spend any time with him or his family?”

  Father pressed his lips into a thin line. “What I’m saying is that prolonged interactions with him on a social level might prevent you from seeing certain possibilities with the other gentlemen you meet. I’ve done what I can in regard to possible job opportunities for both him and his father. Anything further is up to them.”

  He hadn’t set William apart from the class of a gentleman. That had to be something.

  “But how will I avoid spending time with him when his family works at the very area where I volunteer all my time?”

  Annabelle knew very well what the answer might be. She prayed the actual one would be different.

  Father hesitated, and she could tell what he was about to say wasn’t easy for him. “Then I suppose we have no choice but to limit the time you spend volunteering.” Father inhaled and released his breath in a loud sigh. “For the time being, let’s say only once a week.”

  Mother nodded and pursed her lips. “I do not see any cause to end your charity work completely, Annabelle, dear. But I agree with your father. William might be respectful and possess exceptional manners, and we know he’s simply fallen on difficult times, but until he can reestablish himself, anything beyond friendship is not wise. At least not at the moment. There are more than enough young men right here who I’m sure will provide a suitable distraction.”

  She didn’t come right out and say it, but Annabelle could read between the lines. It wasn’t that William might distract her from the other men. It was his current status as a farm worker, not a member of their elite society. After what her parents endured in their own lives, she’d have thought they’d be more lenient. At least they didn’t forbid any association at all with him. They were only limiting her. That left her with no choice but to abide by their wishes—no matter how much it pained her.

  “Thank you, Mother. Father.” She regarded them each in turn and dipped her head in acknowledgment, maintaining a polite exterior. “I admit I will miss the time I am giving up, but I promise to devote appropriate attention to the potential suitors I might meet as well.”

  Her parents both stood, seeming pleased with the outcome and Annabelle’s promise.

  “That is all we ask, dear,” Mother said.

  “Now let’s adjourn to the dining room where I’m sure Katie has an appetizing meal ready.”

  Annabelle allowed her parents to precede her from the sitting room. That conversation hadn’t gone as she’d have liked. It could have been much worse, though. At least she was still permitted to continue her volunteer work. Of course, once a week didn’t leave opportunity for much. If anything more was to happen with William, God would have to work a miracle. She had to trust Him and leave it at that.

  THIRTEEN

  William brushed his hands over the tops of the tomato plants as he moved from those rows into the potatoes. He might not be the best farmer, but any man would be proud to walk among the results of their months of hard work.

  Movement to his right caught his attention, and he looked up to see Annabelle crossing the field toward him. He started to smile and call out to her. Then he noticed her demeanor. She didn’t look anything like the same vibrant young woman he’d seen only a week ago. With slumped shoulders and head down, this Annabelle was like a completely different person.

  “Good afternoon, Miss Lawson,” he greeted in an attempt to ease whatever might be bothering her.

  The way she dragged her feet and the fact that she had yet to make eye contact with him said a lot. What could have possibly happened to cause such a drastic change? She hadn’t responded, so he tried again.

  “Is something the matter?”

  This got her attention. Slowly she raised her eyes to look at him. A frown marred her pretty face, and her eyes had lost all their shine.

  “Mr. Berringer,” she began in a hesitant voice, “I’ve come today to let you know that you’ll only be seeing me once a week from now on.”

  “Once a week? Is everything all right?” He’d gotten rather used to seeing her several times a week. Knowing that would no longer be the case interrupted the sense of calm he’d begun to have where she was concerned.

  “Well, to be honest, no. At least not to me.”

  “What happened?”

  The sigh she released was full of regret. “Remember when Father came last week?”

  “Yes.”

  How could he forget? When his own father had told him about the meeting and shared they might have found an open door or two, he’d been thrilled. That Mr. Lawson would go to all that trouble on their behalf meant a lot to him. His father had seemed impressed as well. How could anything following that meeting cause Annabelle to be so unhappy?

  “Later that afternoon, just before dinner, my parents invited me into our sitting room to speak with me. And the result of that conversation was to tell me two things.”

  She lowered her eyes again. He had a hard time believing the ground held much fascination, so he waited and gave her time to say what she’d come to say.

  “The first was to inform me they had several young men they’d like me to meet.”

  Oh no. Parents arranging meetings for their daughters with eligible men usually meant one thing. They were intent on finding a good match and would likely encourage a short engagement period once one was found.

  “The second was to say that my volunteer time here would be limited to once a week.”

  At least they hadn’t forbidden her entirely. They would just have to make the most of the time they did have. It didn’t seem as hopeless as she made it seem. He opened his mouth to respond, but she held up a hand and raised her gaze to his. The sheen of tears took him by surprise.

  She sniffed. “That means the time we spend together will likely be during the noon meal I’ll be serving and nothing more.”

  By her reaction, he could tell she didn’t like what her parents had to say. Yet, as a dutiful daughter, she could do nothingless than obey. A sense of honor like that wasn’t easy to find these days.

  “Did they give a reason for this abrupt change?” William had his own ideas, but he wanted to hear Annabelle say it.

  “Only that spending more time with you might hinder me from seeing the merits in the other gentlemen they wish me to meet.”

  Well, those weren’t exactly the words he assumed Mr. Lawson had used, but the meaning was the same. He might have gone the extra mile to speak with his associates and done so out of the goodness of his heart, but that didn’t change how the man obviously viewed him and his father.

  “I tried to reassure them they had no reason to worry about our friendship. But they were convinced that restricting my time here would benefit everyone involved.”

  Sure it would. William stared beyond her to the expansive fields. If they prevented her from spending time with him and limited even the time they were tog
ether to supervised areas, it would be quite difficult for them to share any private moments. By enforcing this edict, everything would go according to her parents’ well-thought-out plan. Eliminate the possible competition—him. He had to admit, they seemed to have thought of everything. And they appeared to have noticed the attraction even before he had a chance to speak of it with Annabelle or hear her respond in kind.

  “Do you not have anything to say, William?”

  The sound of his first name coming from her lips shook him from his thoughts. Had she even realized what she’d said? He returned his gaze to her face, only to find a silent pleading in her eyes combined with a lone tear that slipped down her cheek. If he had any doubts about her feelings before, he didn’t have any now.

  “I’m afraid I don’t know what to say, Miss Lawson.”

  He almost used her first name as well. Only if he did that, he might forget himself. Or worse, he might fool his mind into believing that something more between them already existed. He wished it did, but neither of them had spoken of it yet. No, maintaining his distance was the best option at this point.

  “It’s clear how your father feels about me.” He sighed. If only things were different. “And to prove that I’m unsuitable, he’s not only forbidden you from spending unsupervised time with me, but he’s also cut back the frequency of your visits.”

  “He hasn’t completely ruled out all my visits, though,” she retorted with hope in her voice. “I’m still able to come here once a week.”

  “Yes.” He looked down and kicked at the dirt beneath his feet. “Once a week. That seems more like a charitable allowance on their part so they can say they didn’t put an end to your work entirely.”

  William hadn’t intended to take out his frustration on Annabelle. She didn’t deserve to be the recipient of the misplaced irritation directed at her father, especially when he was more upset with himself for not doing something sooner. And she didn’t deserve to have what little hope she still held dashed by his doomsday frame of mind. He couldn’t seem to stop himself, though.

  “Miss Lawson, I believe it’s best if we see the current turn of events for what it is.” He risked a glance at her and forced his expression to remain unaffected—at least where her tears and pleading were concerned. “A sign from God that our friendship will have to remain just that. A friendship. Nothing more. Your parents have made sure of that.”

  She flinched with his final words. Her lower lip trembled, and it tore at his heart. He refused to put her in a position, though, that might require her to defy her parents. There was only one way to ensure that.

  “Miss Lawson, we should both accept things the way they are and make do.” Letting her down like this wasn’t what he wanted to do, but it was for the best. If he didn’t put an end to this now, he might rethink his decision and confess his feelings. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work I must do.”

  “But—”

  William didn’t give her a chance to respond. Instead, he kicked the dirt again then removed his cap and slapped it against his thigh. A part of him wanted to turn around to see if she would follow him or leave. But if he did that, he’d lose all resolve. He did have things to do, and he couldn’t allow her sentiments or emotions to interfere. Otherwise he might not succeed.

  ❧

  One week later, Annabelle made her dutiful appearance at the potato patches to serve the noonday meal. She did her best to offer a smile to each worker. Kind words or conversation of any kind beyond a simple “You’re welcome” or “Have a nice day” were out of the question. Her heart simply wasn’t in it.

  Last week when William had stormed off and left her standing there alone, she thought she’d crumple in a heap right then and there. She had hoped he might protest with more force or, better yet, tell her he wanted more than friendship and ask her how she felt. What he said and did, though, had caught her off guard, leaving her with no response. Instead, she’d returned home dejected and asked her mother to move forward with the introductions to her first gentleman of choice.

  She might not be able to be with William, but at least she could conceal her hurt and pain behind the guise of social engagements and the pretense of getting to know the men her parents insisted on parading in front of her. If she played her role well, no one would be the wiser.

  Not even the excitement of hearing the state fair would once again take place in Detroit could penetrate her self-inflicted despondency. Whenever anyone spoke of it, she remained silent, nodding where appropriate and displaying a smile she didn’t feel.

  She hadn’t counted on facing Mrs. Berringer or Jacob again, though. It made sense. They did have to eat, after all. She just figured they might skip this week. Well, hoped anyway. It looked as if that wouldn’t be the case today. Only this time, Mr. Berringer and William were notably absent. She glanced farther down the line to see if they just might have arrived late. No, they weren’t there, either. Was William avoiding her? If so, why was his father gone as well?

  “Afternoon, Miss Annabelle.” The little boy greeted her with a smile as wide as could be.

  One look at his face, complete with the customary dirt marks and unkempt hair falling in his eyes, and she nearly lost all control.

  “Hello, Jacob,” she managed through the thickness in her throat.

  “I’m extra hungry today, so give me lots and lots.”

  In spite of herself, she smiled. Even so, she didn’t feel it. “Very well, Jacob. You’d better eat it all, though. I don’t want to see you throwing any of it away.”

  “Oh, you won’t,” he said, licking his lips. “I promise.”

  “I have a feeling he means what he says, Miss Lawson,” Mrs. Berringer added. “So you had better take him at his word.”

  Annabelle did as he asked then turned to his mother. “The normal amount for you, I assume?”

  Mrs. Berringer tilted her head and regarded her for a few moments. “Yes,” she finally answered, sounding distracted. “Tell me, dear, is everything all right?”

  “Everything is fine, Mrs. Berringer,” she lied, averting her eyes. Perhaps Jacob and his mother would take their meals and leave her be.

  “Somehow I have a feeling that’s not entirely true, Miss Lawson.” Mrs. Berringer reached across the table and placed a hand on Annabelle’s arm. “Come find me when you’re through here.” She started to usher her son farther down the line then paused and pinned Annabelle with a meaningful look. “Please,” she added.

  Annabelle wanted to make her excuses and say she had to clean up afterward and might not have the time. However, the words wouldn’t come. Instead, she nodded, touched by the tenderness she saw in the woman’s eyes. Perhaps Mrs. Berringer would have some answers to her dilemma.

  ❧

  About an hour later, Annabelle swiped her cloth across the table and stacked the last pot in the wagon headed back to the collection center. Her heart pounded as she made her way around the tent where most of the other remaining workers were. If she took care, she could slip away without her mother noticing. She just wasn’t ready to answer any questions about her destination.

  Besides, her parents hadn’t said she couldn’t talk to the Berringers at all. They simply cautioned her regarding William. And he wasn’t even here today.

  Placing two fists at the small of her back to work out a few kinks from all the bending and scrubbing, Annabelle made her way across the field to the Berringers’ land. Mrs. Berringer hadn’t said she’d be there, but it was the most logical place to look first. As she approached, she caught sight of a lone figure walking slowly up and down the rows and inspecting the various plants. For a moment Annabelle had thoughts of those little worms she’d seen William and Jacob plucking from the leaves. At least Jacob wasn’t here to provide a repeat performance.

  As she observed Mrs. Berringer further, she noticed the woman appeared to be saying something. Or perhaps she was singing to herself. No—there was no sound coming out of her mouth. Then Annabelle real
ized what it was. Mrs. Berringer was praying. Annabelle almost didn’t want to intrude, so she stopped.

  Mrs. Berringer looked up when she was still fifteen feet away. It was almost as if she’d been expecting her right at that moment. A welcoming smile broke out on the woman’s lips.

  “Miss Lawson, I’m glad you decided to come. I was beginning to wonder if I needed to come find you.”

  Now that certainly would have caused a scene. Mother would have been sure to see Mrs. Berringer and ask a lot of questions. She intended to speak with her mother very soon but not today. All things considered, Annabelle was glad she came here.

  “Why don’t you join me on the blanket I have set out there, and let’s have ourselves a little chat.”

  Annabelle peered over Mrs. Berringer’s shoulder to see the coarse horse blanket laid out on the ground. The woman obviously had this all planned out. A dented and worn teakettle in desperate need of a polish sat on one corner of the blanket with two tin cups next to it. She’d thought of everything it seemed.

  Again words failed her, so she nodded and followed Mrs. Berringer’s lead. Zipping a quick prayer heavenward, she petitioned God to give her the strength to get through this conversation without completely breaking down.

  Lucille dipped her hands in a small bucket of water set off to the side then dried them on her apron. “Feel free to do the same if you wish. Although I’m sure you had ample opportunity to do that back at the food tent.”

  “Yes,” Annabelle replied. “But thank you just the same.”

  Mrs. Berringer tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips. “You have a lot of weight on your mind. I can tell. Something troubles you, does it not?”

  William’s mother was nothing if not direct. Now she knew where Jacob got it. For a moment Annabelle thought about making up something different to tell Lucille. But one look at the kindness and wisdom she saw in the woman’s eyes disarmed her. Perhaps if she shared her heart with Mrs. Berringer first, she’d be better prepared when she spoke with her own mother. Maybe it would help her sort out a few things in her mind.