No, no, Ella silently begged, even as she obeyed and stood between the two of them. The barn floor seemed to ripple and slant sideways.
I’m goin’ to fall down!
Miles captured her left hand in his warm palm and lifted it to his chest. His fingers tightened and pressed the back of her hand over his heart. She could feel its wild beats through the material of his shirt.
“Tonight, I have the pleasure of making a declaration, which may shock many of you. Maybe it’ll harden your hearts toward me or make you feel inclined to condemn a wonderful, God-fearing woman who lived and died among you. Through no wish of her own, she was forced to give up her desire to marry the man she truly loved … the man, who asked to marry her. Her father wielded what he thought was his right and said no.” Miles’s voice wavered, and he dropped his head. He wiped at his face with his free hand.
Ella noticed his hand shook—his confidence crumbling. The crowd stood frozen in expectant silence.
Leona moved to her husband’s left side and entwined her fingers with their hands. “Coraggio. Take courage, my husband. Go on.” Tears trickled down her pale cheeks.
Miles faced the hushed men and women. “This woman, I speak of, you knew as … Meara Huskey. Her parents hastily brought her to these mountains a little over seventeen years ago and hid the fact she was with child.”
A rush of sharp whispers wafted through the barn.
“Her father struck a deal with a man you all know as Jacob Huskey—a man Meara didn’t love. She was forced by her father to marry him, while the man who loved her—desperately hunted and searched for her.”
Dismayed murmurs rose and rippled through the crowd. Ella shivered at hearing Jacob’s name spoken so loudly.
“I tell you this … to say what needs to be said, loud and clear, before the people of Beckler’s Cove and before my Heavenly Father, who forgives all.” He swallowed hard, squeezed the hands clutching his, and said, “Ella Dessa is my blood kin.”
Gasps and then stunned disbelief echoed through the barn. Voices rose in puzzled questions.
“Before you stand two of the most important women in my life.” His dark eyes overflowed with heartfelt emotion. He still clasped both of their hands. “Leona, my wonderful wife, and Ella Dessa, my only child … my daughter.”
Something let loose in Ella’s heart, as if chains snapped and rent. A sob tore from her throat, and she found herself enveloped in the protective arms of her father, shielded from stares. Her head came to rest on his wide chest, where she heard his madly beating heart.
He hugged her while Leona patted her back.
The astonished hush broke.
Cheers and shouts erupted. People surged forward.
Filled with gratefulness, Ella turned to face accepting smiles and loving hugs, as she tried to wipe tears from her face. Miles led her and Leona to Konrad’s chair, so he could join in the throng of well-wishers.
Konrad grinned. “Welcome to the family, cousin. You can’t deny us now.”
Grace gave her a kiss and faced others pushing forward. She answered questions. “Yes, we’ve known, and we love Ella Dessa all the more.”
A fiddler struck a lively tune, and a loud shout went up. Couples flocked to the center of the floor and squared off, and Lyle gave a whoop of approval and barked the fast-paced calls.
Velma clasped Ella’s hands in hers. “It were in the Bible all the time,” she blurted out. “You an’ I sat down years ago, when you first cames to live with me. We read a strange name beside yours. It was Kilbride. I forgot!”
“Yes, I suspected the truth when Miles—” She paused over his name. She didn’t know what to call him. “Ahh, when he came to town the first time, and I saw his amazin’ artwork. Remember Mama’s carved box?”
“Yes!” Velma squeezed her tight. Their tears mingled. “I’m happy for you. Isn’t it strange how God works? I’m hitched to Walter, an’ you have a new papa.”
Ella spent the next half hour hugging people and talking. She was too busy to be unhappy over Jim and Sophie—but not quite. She fought to shove Jim out of her mind forever. Love wasn’t for her.
Samuel soon pressed close enough to receive her undivided attention. “I want to tell you your dress is pretty, your new family is wonderful, and I want this dance.” His eyes searched her face. They appeared tender and hopeful. “Say yes.”
“Yes.”
She couldn’t refuse him. Josh hadn’t shown up, so she was free from the man’s intimidation. Taking a deep breath, she released her jealous thoughts of Jim and Sophie. Warm fingers wrapped around her hand. Samuel pulled her toward the other dancers pairing up for the next set. He grinned at her over his shoulder.
“Hey, you ought to see your cheeks. They’re as red as the raspberries we picked this summer.”
She fanned her face. “It’s been heart-stoppin’—what Miles said. He didn’t warn me. I’m shaky.”
Samuel hesitated as the fiddling started. He bent close and placed his lips near her ear. “Do you want to sit this one out?”
“Could we?” She clasped his hand in both of hers. “Please?”
“Anything you wish.” He drew her over to an empty wall where no one else had congregated and continued to hold her hand. “When did you—Miles find out?”
“Samuel, it was the day we took Deer blueberry pickin’—the week ’fore your papa died. I suspected Miles might be my father ‘cause of somethin’ inscribed in Mama’s Bible. Miles didn’t know, but when he walked me to Mama’s grave he saw her name, an’ I explained.”
“Ella Dessa, I need to hear the whole story.” He had an accepting smile and laid an affectionate hand on her shoulder. “Hey, now you might become the teacher’s pet. Can I get test answers from you?”
She slapped his arm. “Don’t bug me no more. I’ll have my teacher cousin beat you up and give you a bad grade to end your school years.”
He tipped his head back and laughed. “You wouldn’t. Besides, I’m near done. School’s over for me this spring. I’ve got other things on my mind.” His right hand slid down the length of her arm and clasped her hand.
“Such as where you’ll study next? Will you leave the cove? Konrad mentioned you might.” She stood close and fixed her gaze on her best friend. Why cain’t I fall in love with him?
Samuel sighed. “I don’t know what to do. My heart’s torn. There’s something—”
He kept talking, but the sound of the three fiddles and Lyle’s deep voice drowned out the rest of his words. He rolled his eyes and made her laugh.
#
Jim longed to talk to Ella, but he didn’t want Sophie with him. He had been dazed, like all the others, at Miles’s announcement. He also experienced joy for the pretty girl in the rust-colored dress. With a troubled ache of jealousy in his chest, he watched Samuel talk with her. They stood so close! He wanted to run and jerk them apart.
At his side, Sophie adhered herself to his arm. Her touch became possessive and annoying. She chatted with two other girls and ignored him, except to cling tighter. He could hear snatches of their conversation over the fiddles, but it didn’t interest him. The knowledge Sophie was content to be at his side scarcely patched the hollow spot in his chest.
I don’t want to be here, he thought, as he saw Samuel lead Ella to an open door at the end of the barn. His brother’s hand lingered on the girl’s back. They slipped out into the night. The autumn color of her new dress faded into the darkness.
Minutes ticked by. Jim’s feeling of torment grew as his imagination led him to believe he knew what went on outside the barn walls. He wanted to strangle his brother.
He impulsively disengaged his arm and muttered an excuse, despite Sophie’s startled, wide-eyed look. He skirted the makeshift dance floor, strewn with straw, and crossed the barn to the food tables. Without much thought as to what he was doing, he snatched up a cut piece of ham. As he turned from the table—the slice of meat posed in front of his mouth—Jim came face to face with his mo
ther.
“Breathtaking announcement tonight.” Her attentive hazel eyes scanned his face.
“Yes.”
“I’m happy for our Ella Dessa, even though there will be those who must have their say about the past.”
“I know.”
“You haven’t spoken to her. Why?”
He caught sight of Ella entering the barn. He ignored his mother’s statement and bit into the salty meat. Samuel followed the girl. Hand in hand, they walked to Konrad.
“Did you hear me?”
“Yes,” he muttered, still chewing the meat.
“You’re looking elsewhere—not at Sophie.”
Jim wiped his hands on the front of his shirt. “So?” He turned to watch the next set of dancers square off and face their partners. “How about if I look this way?”
“Sarcasm will get you nowhere. I’d say you prefer fall colors to blue.” A faint, sad smile touched her pale lips. She tucked her cool hand in the bend of his elbow.
“Depends if you’re talking about eyes or dresses.” He patted her hand and noticed how paper thin her skin had grown. Gray threads interlaced her dark hair, turning it whiter. His chest tightened around his heart. Life couldn’t be slowed. He had gotten older, and his mother appeared more delicate and vulnerable.
“Dresses, my son.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Samuel loves her.”
“Mother, I know it.” Don’t my feelings matter?
“I wonder what’s in Ella Dessa’s heart?” Her fingers almost pinched his arm. “I watch her eyes. They twinkle and light up when Samuel’s teasing her or talking to her. They understand each other. They fight and make up, equally fast. But—”
“But what?” Jim got hold of her hand and drew her aside, away from others. “Mother, give me some hope.”
“And break your brother’s heart?” Her eyes darkened with a touch of overwhelming misery. “This must play out with one or two hearts broken. Sophie seems like a nice girl. I can tell she cares for you. Lately, you’ve given her hope by calling on her. People in the cove are whispering about a spring wedding. I hear them. They expect an announcement of sorts from her family.”
Jim ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve no intentions of asking her to marry me—not now, maybe never. Mother, she’s pretty. Her family treats me like a king. But even the sound of Ella’s voice draws my eyes away from Sophie. So, it’s not love I feel for Sophie. If it weren’t for Samuel—”
His mother nudged him in the ribs and pointed at the barn door. “Step outside.”
“Mother, you’ll freeze.” He wrapped an arm about her shoulders and noted her thinness.
“I won’t freeze,” she said, leaning against his side, accepting his warmth. “I noticed Ella Dessa didn’t freeze when she and Samuel stepped out.”
“Thanks, Mother.” He gritted his teeth, imagining Ella wrapped in his brother’s arms, her full lips pressed against Samuel’s. “They returned holding hands.”
His mother nodded. “I bet Samuel and Ella Dessa hold hands when they’re walking and talking, but that doesn’t mean much in the design of things. They’re still like two childhood friends—at least on Ella Dessa’s part. Though, I do believe my younger son has other intentions and other reasons to grasp her hand and take her outside.”
“You make my heart hurt,” Jim whispered.
They stood a short distance from the outdoor fire. The light from the jumping flames lit his mother’s narrow face and added a faint blush to her skin. A smile trembled on her lips.
“I loved your father so much, I would’ve died for him.” She lifted her shawl to cover her hair and ears. “But we were as different as night and day. Ella Dessa is strong but gentle. You are sometimes hotheaded but kind. Ella Dessa has God planted firmly in her heart. You drift, Jim. You resist God’s call for your whole awareness.”
“I’m working on it, Mother. I’ve talked with Ella about my willfulness. She helped me. I know I’ve run from God’s desire to control all of me—mainly my temper. I’ve tried so hard to do it on my own. She pointed it out to me. So, I’ve talked to God the last few weeks and worked on my anger at Duncan and Samuel. I’m not saying it isn’t an uphill battle, but I’m gaining ground.”
“Yes, you are. Son, I’ve noticed.”
“Thank you, Mother. I needed to know that.”
“God loves you, Jim. You’ve struggled with a temper all your life. I guess He made you that way. I’ve seen a change. You now respond to Samuel and others with love. Duncan’s the remaining burr in your saddle.”
He could hear the smile in her voice, and he chuckled. “Mother, I could say the same of you.”
She laughed. “How true. Duncan, my poor wandering son, makes my heart twist and my hair grow white. I wonder where he is, where he sleeps, and if he’s still alive. I hear awful things about the Seminole Indians and the bloody battles down there.”
Someone stuck his head out the door. “Anyone wantin’ to bid on baskets best come in.”
Jim hugged his mother. “I’m going to try bidding,” he muttered. “I can pretend I thought it was Sophie’s. Then Ella’s basket will be mine. It means eating together and talking.”
“Oh, dear. Poor Sophie. And my sons will bid against each other?”
“Afraid so.” He walked her back inside. “Wish me luck?” He bent and kissed her cool cheek.
“No.”
Jim grinned. “Then sit and watch, but don’t help Samuel cheat.” He wove his way through the men and tried to slip close to the stage, where Walter held up the first basket. It had a quilted cover hiding the food inside.
“What’s the bid for this heavy basket?” Walter weighed it in his hands and sniffed at it. “Why, I do believe I smell a blueberry cobbler and … sure ‘nough … roasted turkey!”
Everyone laughed and the bidding began. Jim circled the men collected in front of Walter. Ella had retreated to stand beside Grace and Konrad. She smiled at something his sister said and raised her blue eyes in time to meet his. Surprise registered on her lovely face, but she smiled sweetly at him.
He couldn’t resist being in her presence. He hastily strode to her side and reached to shake Konrad’s hand. “I wanted to congratulate you on your choice of relatives.”
“Isn’t it wonderful?” Konrad beamed. “I recognized something special about her, right from the first.”
“We all know she’s special.” Jim turned to Ella. “Need to ask you something.” He imprisoned her warm hand and pulled her away from the rest. “Quick, give me a hint about your basket.”
A rosy glow graced her cheeks, but a gleam of delight lit her blue eyes. “Jim, it surely wouldn’t be fair. Would it?” Her voice held a teasing note. Her fingers squeezed his and didn’t pull away. “Let’s just say, I love the color of my dress.”
“There you are!” Sophie approached and jealously tucked her hand in the bend of Jim’s elbow. Her grip tightened and pulled.
“Sophie, I—” He felt Ella jerk her hand away.
“Come with me.” There was a cute pout on Sophie’s full lips. “Jim, they’re bidding. Come on.” She smiled at the others standing nearby and then faced Ella. She placed her free hand on the curve of her hip. “We were all dazed to hear the news, but life does go on, in spite of sin, doesn’t it? When do you move in with your new father and his … wife?”
Ella’s whole body stiffened. Her face went dead white. Jim heard her quick intake of breath. Instantly his jaw clenched. With disdain, he peeled Sophie’s possessive fingers from his arm and shirtsleeve. He faced her.
“You should go make sure someone wants to bid on your basket.”
“Why—Jim, what do you mean?”
Her deep-brown eyes flashed with hidden fury, but he said, “You don’t want to eat alone. Do you?”
“I won’t! Mine’s not a basket. It’s a box, a store-bought one.” Sophie stepped to one side and faced Ella with an undisguised look of dislike. “How nice—the color of y
our dress matches your freckles!” With a flounce of her skirt, she whirled and stomped away.
Ella’s blue eyes glistened with unshed tears. “Oh, Jim, she—she’s upset. You should—”
“I shouldn’t do anything except go see if I can pick out your basket.”
He hurried away, fuming at what Sophie had said. It boiled in his veins, but he found a spot among the other men. He clenched his jaw in determination.
Samuel appeared and nudged his elbow. “I saw the box Sophie’s brother brought in. Ethan didn’t try to hide it. Want to know where it is?”
“No.”
“No? Well, it’s the one with the huge blue bow. Who could miss it?” Samuel grinned good-naturedly. “I hear her mother’s a great cook. Sophie hates to cook. You should be able to enjoy the meal with her. I bet her mother cooked—”
“Will you be quiet and pay attention to the bidding?”
Walter grasped a grapevine basket in his large hands. A riot of flaming color, formed by dried autumn leaves, decorated the handle. “Now, this one.” The older man paused to peek under the unbleached muslin cover. “Oh, my! This one has fried chicken, buttermilk pie, baked squash, and—I won’t tell you!” He lifted it high above his head. “What’s the startin’ bid?”
Just as Walter swung the basket to his right, Jim caught a glimpse of a thin rust-colored ribbon woven among the leaves. Ella’s new dress. He started to call out a bid, but a movement and a shouted bid to his left caused heads to jerk in that direction.
“Twenty pennyweight!” a deep, familiar voice yelled.
“Josh.” Samuel groaned in disbelief.
The lanky, longhaired man stepped toward Walter and lifted a dirty leather pouch. “Twenty pennyweight an’ this here pebble.” In his hand lay a rounded piece of gold—slightly smaller than a peppercorn.
Samuel punched Jim’s shoulder. “Where’d he come from? He wasn’t here earlier. Jim, I know that’s Ella Dessa’s! Look at the piece of material. I can’t beat that bid.”
Walter faltered and lowered the basket to his side. “That’s quite an offer. I believe you bought it, unless there’s another gentleman willin’ to bid against you.”
Within the Candle's Glow Page 18