by BJ Hoff
“Dr. Gordon said it was all right to bring him down and show him off,” Kenny said. Giving no warning, he handed the small bundle over to his father, who looked for all the world as if he would pass out on the spot.
“Let me introduce you to your first grandson, Dad,” Ken said. “Jonathan Judson Tallman, meet your grandfather. We decided,” he said with a look at Maggie, “to name him after two very special men in our lives.”
Maggie fought against the tears burning at the back of her eyes. “Thank you, Kenny,” she said quietly. “Jonathan will be so pleased.”
Judson stared down at the wee boy in his arms with wonder. Finally he looked up. “He looks just like you, son. A fine boy!” Now it was Kenny’s father who glowed with pride.
With that Maggie lost the battle. She let the tears flow as they would and her fear no longer held sway.
Chapter Thirty
Family Gathering
He’ll meet the soul which comes in love
And deal it joy on joy—
As once He dealt out star and star
To garrison the sky,
To stand there over rains and snows
And deck the dark of night—
So, God will deal the soul, like stars,
Delight upon delight.
Robert Farren
Jonathan and Maggie were out for an early evening walk when he raised the subject of the farm. Figaro ran well ahead of them, trotting into the woods behind the house while they slowly followed the road. “We’ve waited long enough. Let your mother know we’ll be over Thursday evening.”
“But Jonathan, that’s a workday. You know how tired Da is when he’s been in the mine all day. And he’ll have to be up early the next morning as well. That won’t be a good time to tell them anything.”
“Maggie, I’m not waiting. Something is sure to happen if we do. Besides, we have to give your cousin a definite answer.”
She looked at him, drew a long breath, and said, “All right. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Matthew will be fine once he hears what we have to tell him,” her husband said, taking her hand as they turned onto the path that led to a small pine grove near the pond.
“If we can keep him awake long enough to hear it.”
“The word ‘news’ almost always grabs your father’s attention, I’ve noticed. He’s the only man I know who reads his newspaper twice through.”
“Da’s always been one for knowing what’s going on.”
“He is indeed. Sometimes to a fault.”
She looked at him. “You two are always nettling each other.”
“You mean he’s always nettling me. I simply respond in kind.”
She shook her head, smiling. “You’re both incorrigible, not letting on what good friends you really are. I hope that friendship will be a help when Pastor Ben moves away.”
“I’m not looking to Matthew to take Ben’s place, if that’s what you mean. Your father is my friend in his own right. But, yes, I’m sure it will help.”
“Do you know when the Wallaces are leaving?”
“Well, Ben hasn’t wanted to move on until the church board calls a new pastor.”
“And they still haven’t found anyone?” Maggie stopped to button her sweater all the way up. The sun was going down and the air was turning cool.
They started walking again. Not too far ahead, Figaro stopped, as if to make sure they were following, and then he charged ahead and disappeared.
“I thought perhaps you knew,” Jonathan said, not looking at her.
“Knew what?” Again Maggie stopped, forcing him to stop with her.
When he made no reply, she tugged at his sleeve. “Knew what, I said.”
“Anna hasn’t said anything?”
“I haven’t seen Anna since last weekend. Why? What does Anna have to do with Pastor Ben?”
He turned to face her. “They’ve called Kenny. The church board has called him as our new pastor.” He paused, still smiling. “And he accepted!”
“Oh! Oh, Jonathan! How wonderful. They’ll be staying. And Kenny will have a job.”
He laughed at her, but Maggie couldn’t restrain herself. “I’m so happy for them. And for the church. Kenny will be a wonderful pastor. And Anna the perfect pastor’s wife.”
“Yes. They’re well-suited for the work, there’s no doubt about that.”
She narrowed her eyes. “How long have you known about this?”
“Well, the church board asked me for a reference a couple of weeks ago, but—”
“A couple of weeks ago? And you didn’t tell me?”
“I couldn’t tell you. The board asked that I say nothing until they made their final decision and Kenny his.”
She feigned a pout, but she was too happy to carry it through.
They took up walking again, stopping only when they reached the grove. It was an absolutely beautiful day, and the grove was fragrant with pine and wildflowers. It was one of their favorite places to go and talk.
Maggie leaned against one of the older pine trees, digging her toe at the soft earth packed around the base of the trunk. Figaro bounded up, circled them as if to make certain they were safe in their surroundings and took off again.
“This is simply the best news,” Maggie said, still a bit overwhelmed. “And Kenny and Anna must be overjoyed.” She plucked a pine needle off her sweater. “And whether he shows it or not, I happen to believe Kenny’s father must be just as delighted.”
Then, as if noticing a shift in Maggie’s thoughts—and a wry new smile on her face, Jonathan said, “Tell me.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s something on your mind.”
“Why would you think that?”
He moved closer and lifted her chin with one finger, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Tell me,” he demanded gently.
Maggie smiled a little but fixed her eyes just over his shoulder. “Well, I might have some news of my own if you’re interested.”
“Stop that. You know very well I’m interested.”
“Truly?”
“Maggie!”
Finally she looked at him. “Do you remember when you told me you’d like a large family someday?”
He nodded.
“Do you still feel that way?”
Without touching her, he moved in closer, dipping his head to meet her gaze. “Very much so.” His eyes burned into hers as he put his arms around her.
“Well,” she said, melding into his embrace. “It would seem that we’re on our way.”
For an instant his entire face went slack as he tried to take in her words. The last of the sun fell upon them, streaming down through the canopy of trees overhead. His eyes caught the light, and he tightened his embrace.
“Maggie?”
She nodded.
“You’re…quite certain?”
“Oh, yes,” she said softly. “There’s no doubt. Dr. Gordon says that Gracie is indeed going to have a new little brother or sister before another winter.”
“Maggie!” he said again, sounding as if he might strangle.
He pulled her as close as possible, burying his face in her hair. “What a gift you are to me. You’ve given me an entire world with your love—and made me feel like a giant in that world.”
Maggie smiled a little to herself. Jonathan could be so unexpectedly, so endearingly romantic at times. “I’m glad, dear,” she said. “But then you’ve always been a giant in my world.”
By six-thirty on Thursday evening, supper was finished, the table cleared, and the family settled in the front room while Gracie napped in the bedroom. Matthew had no more than sat down when he made it clear he would be patient no longer.
“So then, Jonathan,” he said, leaning back in his chair, “you mentioned wanting to talk. What’s on your mind?”
Maggie, sitting beside her husband on the sofa, shot a nervous glance in his direction.
“Actually,” Jonathan said, “we�
�d hoped to bring this up before now, but things kept happening.”
“Well, now seems a good time,” Matthew prompted. “First, though, Kate and I have an idea we want to pose to you.”
Maggie’s attention snapped from Jonathan to her parents, only to find them smiling rather suspiciously at each other.
Too curious to wait, she asked, “What kind of an idea, Da?”
Her father ignored her, directing his question to Jonathan. “Didn’t you tell me you were going to Lexington when school’s out for Easter vacation?”
“That’s right. We need to sign the papers to initiate Gracie’s adoption.”
“Maggie and Gracie are going with you, are they?”
“Well, yes. Maggie has to sign too.”
“How long will you be gone?”
Maggie and Jonathan exchanged looks. What was Da getting at?
“How long? A couple of days, I suppose. I’d like to spend at least a day with my father and sister while we’re there.”
Matthew gave a nod. “Of course you would. Well, here’s what Kate and I were thinking. We thought perhaps you might want to take most of the week for your trip to Lexington—and leave Gracie here with us.”
Maggie looked at Jonathan. He was as bewildered as she.
Matthew leaned slightly forward, his gaze going from one to the other. “We’ve been talking, you see. You’ve had no time for a real wedding trip—”
“A honeymoon,” Kate interrupted.
“Aye, that,” Matthew continued. “No honeymoon—” He pursed his mouth over the word as if it had a peculiar taste. “And the next thing you knew you’d taken on the responsibility of a babe. Kate and I, we think it only right that you have some time together, just the two of you, for a real honeymoon. And now that you don’t have to be afraid to let wee Gracie out of your sight, you could take some time for yourselves while we look after her.”
Maggie turned to her mother. “You’re serious?”
“Of course we are. We love having Gracie with us. She’d be fine without you for a few days, don’t you think?”
Ray, who had been quiet up until now, finally spoke up. “I won’t be in school, so I’d be around to help.”
They were all smiling, clearly waiting for a reply. More than waiting, Maggie sensed. They were offering a gift and genuinely hoping it would be accepted. Yes, that was it. They wanted to make her and Jonathan happy.
She looked at Jonathan. He smiled, eyebrows raised as if leaving it to her.
Could she do it? Could she really leave Gracie for a week? Without seeing her, without holding her—and do so with any peace of mind?
She saw the answer in Jonathan’s eyes and knew what he wanted her to say.
“I can’t believe you’re offering to do this,” she said, turning back to her family. “I’m going to say yes before you change your mind!”
Looking around the room and seeing their expressions—including Jonathan’s—she knew it was the right thing to say, the right thing to do, despite her reservations.
It took another half hour or more before Jonathan and Maggie finally managed to put their idea to the test. Maggie could scarcely control her anticipation as Jonathan, seated on the sofa, knit his hands together and said without preamble, “I’m most likely going to be buying the Taggart farm. Your cousin has agreed to sell it to me, but there are a few details to iron out first.”
From her place beside him, Maggie looked from her da—who was staring blankly at Jonathan—to Mum who was looking at her. She smiled at her mother, who then snapped her attention back to Jonathan.
“Jeff Taggart’s farm?” Da asked.
Jonathan nodded. “That’s right. But Maggie and I wanted to talk to you and Kate first.”
“You’re going to buy my cousin Jeff’s farm?” Da repeated, still watching Jonathan, trying to comprehend.
Maggie’s mother again turned to look at her. In that instant Maggie saw something pass across her features then quickly disappear. Mum could have no idea what was coming next, but she clearly knew something was coming.
“Wow!” Ray said.
“What do you know about farming, lad?” Matthew said. “A city boy like yourself.”
Jonathan smiled at Maggie before replying. “I know absolutely nothing about farming, Matthew. But I’ve always thought I’d love living in the country. And that’s part of the reason we’re here.”
Matthew quirked an eyebrow, still studying his son-in-law as if he might be a little daft.
“Matthew, I believe you do know something about farming from some of the things we’ve talked about now and then. So I—we—were hoping you might be interested in a partnership.”
“A partnership?”
“That’s right,” Jonathan confirmed. “It would mean a move. You’d have to live at the farm, to be on the premises. I thought perhaps you and Kate—and Ray—could live in the farmhouse that’s already there. It’s a big house so there’s plenty of room. I plan to build a home for us on the property as well. We’ve been looking at the hill on the south end. Maggie and I would like to get out of town a ways. We don’t want to raise a family in this coal dust. It can’t be good for anyone.”
Matthew was leaning so far forward in his chair he looked about to fall out. But it was her mother Maggie was watching. Kate had brought her hand—trembling as it was—to her mouth. She stared wide-eyed at her husband.
Matthew shook his head. “Why, I can’t do what you’re asking, son. I don’t have enough money to go partners on anything, much less a farm. Not that I wouldn’t be interested if I had the means.”
“Ah, that’s what I wanted to know,” Jonathan said, getting to his feet. “So you would be interested if it were financially feasible?”
Da swallowed so hard Maggie could see his throat working. “Oh, I’d be interested all right.”
“Well, good,” Jonathan said. “Because you don’t need to buy a partnership, Matthew. What I have in mind is for you and Ray to work your part.”
Da shot him a sharp look. “I don’t take your meaning, lad.”
Jonathan moved to the front window, hesitating for a moment before turning to face them all. “The thing is, Matthew, I don’t want to farm. I like to garden, and I’ve been wanting some land so I could have a much larger garden. And we’d like some animals. I’m actually quite fond of animals. I’d help out with the work on weekends and evenings as I could, of course, but I’m a teacher at heart. I plan to go right on teaching. I want the farm for the land and the clean air. I want to get my family away from the coal dust.”
He stopped, fixing his gaze directly on Maggie’s father. “You’re my family too, Matthew. You and Kate and Ray. Jeff Taggart told me that Ray is a natural at farming, and I suspect after you get settled the same will be true for you. I need someone to look after the place full-time and manage it. Someone who can be there all the time. Someone I can trust. I would very much like that someone to be you.”
Matthew’s frown seemed locked in place. “But how would we live? I don’t have the stamina to work the mine and farm at the same time. And if I were to leave the mine, I’d have no wages.” He glanced down at his hands with a look of defeat.
Excitement glinted in Jonathan’s eyes. “Yes, you would.”
Matthew’s head came up with a snap.
“Jeff Taggart showed me his books for the farm. The dairy income and the money he makes from his corn and soybeans won’t make you a rich man, but it will provide you with a decent living. You, Kate, and Ray will take half of the income the farm brings in. And,” he added, “until things level out a bit, I can manage a small salary for you and a part-time wage for Ray. At least enough to supplement your farm income for a time…until we expand.”
“Expand?”
Jonathan nodded. “Horses,” he said. “I’ve always thought I’d like to raise horses. Good ones. I don’t know anything about farming, but over the years I’ve done some reading about horses.” He stopped. “Is it true what
I’ve heard? That an Irishman has an instinct for the horse?”
“Wow!” Ray said again.
Matthew wiped a hand over his eyes as if his vision were failing. Maggie’s mother was also wiping her eyes, but Maggie suspected it was for an entirely different reason. Ray simply sat staring at Jonathan.
Unable to sit still any longer, Maggie went to stand beside her husband. “Please, Da, don’t say no. Jonathan has planned this for a long time, and it’s something we really want to do. We want it for all of us.”
“You can do this?” Matthew asked, his voice a pitch higher. “You can afford such a venture?”
“Oh, he can, Da!” Maggie burst out before Jonathan could answer.
Beside her Jonathan cleared his throat and looked at her as if he would like to speak for himself.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured. But she knew her father, and she knew that his decision hung on his understanding exactly what Jonathan was offering and why.
“If your daughter will let me get a word in—” Jonathan said dryly. “Let me assure you, Matthew, that I’m not offering to give you anything. I’m offering you part of a business, a position that should prove a great deal more beneficial to you and your family than your job at the mine. This isn’t a gift, if that’s what you’re thinking. It’s a business proposition. I have my heart set on buying that farm. As much as I love Skingle Creek, we don’t want to raise our babies in the coal dust. I’d really like you, Kate, and Ray with me in this.”
“Babies?” The soft utterance came from Kate, whose sharp-eyed gaze locked on her daughter.
Maggie looked at Jonathan, who cracked a ridiculously proud smile. “Babies,” he asserted as Maggie nodded her confirmation.
Her mother began to cry in earnest.
“Matthew?” Jonathan said, waiting.
Maggie could almost plant herself in the middle of the struggle taking place inside her father, a fierce battle between pride and an old, once-believed-hopeless desire. She watched as he finally hauled himself to his feet and faced Jonathan square-on.