With another sigh, Eileen pulled the animal against her chest and headed for the door. Naturally the rain chose that moment to go from a drizzle to a full-blown shower.
*
Simon took off his wet boots on the back porch and shook the water from his hat before entering the kitchen. He was definitely ready for a nice hot bowl of the soup Dovie had been preparing when he’d left this morning.
He stepped inside the kitchen and then halted on the threshold. What in the world—
Joey and Molly sat on the floor, and Joey had a dog on his lap that he was feeding what looked to be biscuits soaked in broth.
But more remarkable than that, Eileen sat on a chair nearby, her dress damp and covered in muddy smears, and she was attempting to dry her hair with a towel.
It was the first time he’d seen her with her hair down and she looked so completely different it left him speechless. Always before, her hair had been pinned up in a perfectly smooth, tidily arranged bun. What he saw now was a gloriously wild full mane, long wavy tresses that danced and twisted with a mind of their own. And oh, my, was that a set of bare toes peeking at him from the hem of her dress?
For a moment he couldn’t even breathe.
“Uncle Simon! Look, I have my puppy!”
Joey’s exuberant exclamations brought Simon’s thoughts back down to earth and allowed him to collect himself before Eileen could catch him staring.
“I named him Buddy,” Joey added proudly.
“That’s a fine name for a dog.” Simon crossed the room and crouched down in front of the dog. “And just where did Buddy come from?”
“Joey founded him in the carriage house,” Molly answered. “And Mrs. Pierce brought him inside so we could feed him and doctor him up.”
Simon cut a quick look Eileen’s way. She’d brought the animal inside? That explained the smears on her damp dress. But what could explain her change of heart?
Her cheeks warmed guiltily under his stare, and he found himself totally enchanted by this more vulnerable and feminine Eileen.
But Molly’s words got through to him and he turned back to the kids. “Doctor him? What’s wrong?”
“Buddy has a boo-boo on his paw,” Molly said.
“We gave him a bath so we could see it better,” Joey added. “But he won’t let us touch it.”
“I figured we’d let the poor thing eat before we give it another try,” Eileen said. “He seemed practically starved to death.”
“Let me have a look.” Simon bent closer to study the animal’s paw without touching it. There seemed to be something stuck inside the sensitive pad of his foot. Knowing what he had to do, Simon stood and looked at Eileen, trying to gauge if she was up for this.
Telling himself she would have to be, he turned to Joey. “Hand Buddy over to Mrs. Pierce, please.”
Apparently recognizing the seriousness in Simon’s tone, Joey stood and gave the animal to Eileen, who’d already set aside her towel.
“What are you going to do?” Joey asked.
“I’m going to remove whatever is jammed in his paw. But I’m afraid he’s not going to like it.”
“Will it hurt him?” Molly asked, hugging Flossie against her chest.
“Yes it will, sweet pea. But it’s the only way to help him heal and get better.”
He looked at the two children, who both seemed ready to cry. “Why don’t you both go in the parlor until we’re done here?”
Dovie stepped forward. “I think that’s a good idea. And I’ll go with you. Buddy probably doesn’t want you to see him cry.”
When they had left the room, Simon turned back to Eileen. “I need you to hold him as still as possible. From what I can see, whatever is stuck in his foot has a barb on the tip and this is not going to be very pleasant for him.”
Her eyes widened. “I don’t know. Perhaps Dovie would be better—”
“You’re perfectly capable of doing this.” Then he gave her a smile. “Besides, not only does it seem you’re the one who brought Buddy into the house, but it seems you’re already dressed for the part.”
She glanced down at the dirt on her dress and grimaced. Then she looked up, apprehension drawing her brows down. “But what if I can’t hold him still?”
“Just do the best you can.” He picked up her discarded towel. “I’m going to wrap him snugly in this to make him easier to contain.” He quickly put his words to action and in no time at all Buddy was securely wrapped with only his injured leg free.
Simon took a deep breath then met Eileen’s gaze. “Ready?”
Her eyes were huge and apprehension fairly thrummed from her, but she tightened her hold on the dog and gave him a nod.
Admiring her strength, he took firm hold of the animal’s paw. Praying he wouldn’t have to resort to his pocketknife to dig the offending item out, Simon went to work.
Buddy’s yelps and howls were painful to hear, and Simon could imagine how the children in the parlor were reacting. At one point he looked up to check on Eileen and saw how white her face had turned, but she gamely held on and uttered not a word.
At last it was done, and Simon leaned back, the ugly-looking thorn in his hand. As he’d suspected, the thing had a barb on the tip and it hadn’t come out without inflicting a great deal of pain on the poor dog.
Simon rubbed the animal’s head, softly. “I’m sorry, Buddy. But I promise it was for your own good.”
“Will his foot get better now?”
Simon looked up, surprised by the raw concern in Eileen’s voice. He unwrapped Buddy and set him on the floor without taking his gaze from Eileen’s. Then he gently brushed a stray tendril of that glorious hair from her cheek. “You did good. Assuming an infection doesn’t set in, Buddy should be much better in a week or so.”
The kitchen door opened and Joey and Molly peeked inside, with Dovie standing behind them. “Is he better now?” Joey asked fearfully.
“The thorn is out, but his paw is still going to be very tender for a while.”
“Poor Buddy,” Molly said as she came closer. “We’re going to take real good care o’ you so you can get all the way better.”
“I’ll get some gauze to bandage it up,” Dovie said. “And I know how to make up a poultice for drawing out infection. If it works on people, I dare say it’ll work on dogs, too.”
Joey squatted down next to Buddy again. The boy looked up at Simon. “I can keep him, can’t I?”
“Assuming he doesn’t already belong to someone else, I’m okay with it. But this is Mrs. Pierce’s place. She’s the one you really need to ask.”
Joey turned his pleading eyes on Eileen, and she gave a big sigh. “I don’t suppose I could say no after we’ve gone to so much trouble to fix him up.”
Joey let out a triumphant whoop.
But Eileen held up a hand. “However, Buddy is an outside dog, not an inside dog. You can make a place for him in the carriage house if you like.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She reached over and scratched the dog behind the ears. “I suppose, though, while his foot is bandaged we really ought to keep a close eye on him. So, just until he’s better, he can sleep here in the kitchen.”
Joey’s face lit up at that. “Yes, ma’am!”
“But just the kitchen, mind you—he’s not to run loose in the rest of the house. And that’s just until his paw is better.”
Joey nodded.
“And you are responsible for cleaning up any messes he makes, without any fussing or foot-dragging,” Simon added.
“I will. I promise,” Joey said.
“Very well then,” Eileen said, “I guess Buddy is part of the family now.”
Simon caught her eye and didn’t try to hide his amusement.
She tilted up her chin, then reached for the soiled shawl and towel. “Now I need to go clean up. You two get your uncle Simon to help you fix up a bed for Buddy over there in the corner. Then get yourselves cleaned up for lunch.”
And with t
hat she marched out of the kitchen without a backward glance.
Simon’s grin widened. Who would have guessed she’d have such a soft spot for animals? It made him curious as to what other vulnerabilities she was hiding. Perhaps, now that he was going to be spending more time here, he’d have the opportunity to find out.
Then he turned to the kids. “You heard Mrs. Pierce. Let’s hop to it.”
*
Eileen twisted her hair back up in a smooth chignon, still unable to believe she’d let herself be won over by the scruffy little dog. But when he’d looked at her so trustingly, and borne his affliction so resignedly, she hadn’t been able to abandon him to his fate.
So now Joey had his longed-for dog, and she had an animal invading her home. Well, she’d just have to see that Joey followed her instructions and kept the animal contained.
Of course, she was honest enough with herself to admit that the real source of her discomfort was the look Simon had given her when he first walked in. She really should have left the room to dry her hair before Simon arrived, but she hadn’t wanted to leave Joey and Molly alone with the animal.
What had he thought of her disarray—hair down and messy, clothing damp and smeared with mud, and feet bare? She’d looked a complete hoyden, she was sure.
Yet disapproval was not what she’d read in his glances. There was a warm appreciation there that had set a little pinwheel spinning crazily in her chest.
Perhaps it was best she not try to interpret just what it had been.
Chapter Twenty-One
Unlike the day before, Tuesday promised a day of sunshine and mild temperatures. Eileen could hear Joey and Buddy playing on the back porch and smiled at the way the boy talked to the dog as if the animal could understand him.
The other kids in the household had accepted Buddy as part of the family immediately. It hadn’t mattered to any of them that he was a scruffy mutt or that he had an injury; they were all ready to make a fuss over him and claim him as their own.
And she hadn’t been unaware that several scraps had been slipped to the animal as the kitchen was being cleaned up after supper. Buddy had definitely found himself a loving home.
Just as Eileen was putting the last of the breakfast dishes away, she heard the door chimes. Reflecting that she’d had more visitors in the short time since she’d taken in her houseguests than she’d had in the past two years, she hurried to see who it might be.
When she opened the door, a middle-aged man with a receding hairline stood there with his hat crushed in his beefy hands. “Good morning, ma’am. I’m Eldon Dempsey.”
“Good morning, Mr. Dempsey. If you’re looking for Mr. Tucker, I’m afraid he’s not here. You can catch him down at the lumber mill.”
“I have his chickens.”
The chickens—she’d forgotten all about that. “As I said, Mr. Tucker is not in right now. Perhaps you should come back—”
“Oh, that’s okay. He told me if he wasn’t around, I should just put the cages in the carriage house. I only wanted to let you know I brung ’em.” And with a friendly wave, he turned and moved back before she could think of something else to say.
Feeling at a loss as to what she was expected to do, Eileen tracked down Dovie in the parlor.
“Mr. Dempsey has brought the chickens.”
Dovie looked up with a smile. “That’s nice. It’ll be good to have fresh-laid eggs again.”
“What should I do?”
“I don’t reckon you need to do anything until Simon comes home.”
Molly popped up from the sofa where she’d been playing with Flossie. “Can I go see the chickens?”
Eileen hesitated. “Perhaps we should wait until your uncle Simon comes home.”
“But—”
Dovie spoke up. “While those birds are still in their cages is a good time for you to get acquainted with them. Come along. Let’s go have a look.” She turned to Eileen. “You, too. You need to get used to being around them.”
Eileen started to object that she had no intention of getting acquainted with farm animals. But the protest died in her throat when she saw the determined look in Dovie’s eye. Instead she meekly nodded. Perhaps she should at least look in on the fowl.
By the time they headed out the back door, they found Joey already on Mr. Dempsey’s heels, asking him questions about the birds in the cages, and Mr. Dempsey was patiently answering each one.
The man dropped off four cages containing two chickens each. When he was done he tipped his hat Eileen’s way. “Just tell Mr. Tucker to drop off those cages back at my place when he’s done with them.”
Eileen assured him she would and then he was gone.
She looked at the squawking birds and decided she didn’t care to get any closer than she was now, regardless of the security of the cages. The other three, however, had no such compunction.
“Are we really going to get our very own eggs from these birds?” Joey asked.
“Sure will,” Dovie answered. “Probably get the first few bright an’ early tomorrow.”
“Can I come get ’em?”
“I tell you what. Until you get the hang of it, why don’t we come collect them together.”
“Okay.” Joey turned to Molly and puffed out his chest. “I’m gonna be a chicken farmer.”
“I want to be a chicken farmer, too,” Molly said quickly. “And so does Flossie.”
“Well, now, there’s a lot more to taking care of chickens than collecting their eggs.”
“Like what?” Joey asked.
“Well, for the first few days I reckon your uncle Simon is going to want to keep them penned up in here so they get used to this being their new home. That means they’ll have to have feed and clean water. It’ll also mean everyone will have to be real careful when going into and out of the carriage house so one of the birds doesn’t escape.”
“I can do that,” Joey said.
“Me, too,” Molly echoed.
“Then, once he’s ready to set them loose, someone will need to make certain they get shut up tight in the carriage house at night so owls and other critters won’t get them.” She gave Joey a stern look. “And that includes your dog. Buddy’s going to have to be trained to protect them, not chase after them.”
“Don’t you worry. Buddy is going to be the best chicken watchdog there ever was.”
Eileen let them continue their discussion about the chickens while she quietly slipped back inside the house.
She had given in on the matter of the dog simply because Buddy’s plight had touched her heart.
The chickens, on the other hand, were not nearly so endearing. She was perfectly happy to stay away from them as long as she was able.
*
Wednesday morning dawned cold and overcast, and Eileen guessed they wouldn’t have many more days to wait until the first frost arrived. School was out until the following Monday and the lumber mill was shut down for the same period, so everyone was home. The children were nearly vibrating with anticipation for the festival the next day and Eileen sincerely hoped it lived up to their expectations.
Simon slipped out right after breakfast to run a mysterious errand of some sort.
Eileen, Dovie and some of the girls were still working on cleaning the kitchen when he returned.
“Here you go,” he said, setting a very large ham on the table with a proud expression on his face. “I told you I’d provide the main course for our contribution to the town’s Thanksgiving meal.”
Dovie bustled over to examine his purchase. “Now, this is a very fine ham indeed. I’ll spread some molasses on it and let it bake nice and slow today. It’ll be juicy and tender for tomorrow.”
“You should let me do that,” Eileen said. “It hardly seems fair for you to do all this work since you won’t get to come with us.”
“Oh, I forgot.” Tessa looked suddenly stricken. “You can’t leave the yard or your heart will hurt.”
Eileen had noticed the seve
n-year-old seemed to have formed a special attachment to Dovie.
The child walked over and took Dovie’s hand. “Do you want me to stay with you so you don’t have to spend Thanksgiving alone?”
Dovie looked down at the little girl with an aching tenderness. “Thank you, Tessa. I think that’s just about the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me. But you need to go on to the festival with the others so you can come back and tell me all about it. Okay?”
Tessa nodded tentatively, obviously still worried about Dovie.
“Besides,” Dovie added, “I won’t be alone the whole time. Ivy promised to fill up a plate of all that good eatin’ and bring it over so she and Mitch can take their meal with me.” She winked at Tessa. “You make sure she puts a big old slice of peach cobbler on there for me.”
Tessa nodded more enthusiastically this time.
“Good. I know I can count on you.” Dovie straightened. “Now, you girls finish with the dishes while I find a pan big enough to bake this ham in. And you two—” she turned to Eileen and Simon “—you get to work shelling pecans for me. I plan to bake an apple pecan pie to go with this ham.”
By midmorning a soft rain had started falling. That, combined with the dropping temperatures, drove everyone indoors except Joey, Audrey and Albert, who were in the carriage house playing with Buddy. Simon made certain there was a roaring fire in the parlor fireplace and most of the other children drifted in there to enjoy its warmth.
Eileen sought out Simon and found him on the front porch, carving on a flat piece of board. “What are you working on?”
He held it out to her. “What does it look like?”
It was square and had lines carved into it going both vertically and horizontally. “A chessboard?”
He smiled. “Close. A checkerboard. I thought it would be good for the kids to have something to do. I actually plan to make two of these so they won’t have to wait so long for a turn.”
“Perhaps you can try chess pieces for the second one?”
“I can make playing pieces to go with a checkerboard without much trouble. Chess pieces would be more difficult.”
Love Inspired Historical November 2014 Page 18