Chapter Sixteen
Rebekah moved only her eyes this time. If she turned in her pew once more to check if Nate had arrived, she’d strain her neck and have to deal with sore muscles. Where was he? Did he decide not to attend or did something happen after he left them yesterday? Neither option sat well, making her stomach nearly as painful as her neck.
A peek at her friend sitting to her right told her she wouldn’t get to chat with Cora today. Will sat next to her, and the two only had eyes for each other. But, oh, did she want to talk to her friend. Rumors abounded about yet another note—this one received by their very own piano player, Mrs. Phipps.
The widowed woman, perched on the piano bench up front, wore a dreamy expression, far from the hopeless and futile one they were used to seeing. Her apathy was the very reason they allowed her to continue playing the piano. The dear woman had to be tone deaf, so awful and ear-bending were the notes flowing from the instrument. But playing every Sunday morning was all she had left, the only thing that made her happy since her husband died in the mines. No one had the heart to ask her to stop.
Rebekah sighed. She should’ve been a better friend to the woman. She’d dearly love to see that note. The only other person she could talk to about the new missive was Nate, and he had yet to show himself. She fought the urge to turn around—and lost. A scan of the entire room still didn’t reveal the man she sought. Where was he?
At the first chords from the piano, Rebekah grimaced as they clashed in such a way as to make her teeth ache. Then she huffed and faced front. If Nate didn’t want to attend church services, it was his loss, though she prayed for him to show up. It was bad enough Andrew squirmed next to her. Why he didn’t sit with their parents, she didn’t know. Regardless, she needed to be a good example to him and sit still.
The pastor motioned for them to rise for the first hymn. Standing also gave her the chance to glance around without becoming too conspicuous. She spotted the new family Thomas had introduced to her and Nate. Loomis, was it? They looked like they’d taken time to clean up a little. She welcomed them with a nod and smile. But by the time the hymn was finished, Nate still hadn’t arrived. She tried to force herself to think about the words and meaning of the second hymn but to no avail. With a quick prayer for help to focus, Rebekah sat with the rest of the parishioners and found the passage the pastor referenced.
In an effort to concentrate, Rebekah centered her attention on the open Bible in her lap. The words blurred when Andrew’s elbow bumped her side for the third time. She turned to tell him to sit still, but the sight of a frog’s nose and eyes peeking out from the boy’s shirt pocket froze the words in her throat. Memories of her little brother tormenting her with all manner of revolting creatures sent a tremor through her. In one motion, Rebekah clapped one hand over Andrew’s shirt pocket, grabbed him by the arm with the other, and made him stand with her so they could leave.
“Excuse us,” Rebekah mumbled to Cora and Will as she slid past and pulled Andrew with her into the aisle.
Rebekah marched toward the back of the church with Andrew in tow in hopes of making it to the entry door before her trembling legs gave out. She could feel everyone watching, but she kept her eyes focused on the door so she wouldn’t have to meet the gaze of anyone. As the murmurs and laughter reached her ears, she prayed for a quick escape. But Andrew wasn’t making that feat very easy. He tugged to get away while pushing at her hand covering his pocket.
“You’re squishing it, Bekah,” Andrew said in loud protest.
Rebekah slowed her steps and loosened her pressure on the frog. Another mistake. The nasty critter took the opportunity to scoot all the way out of Andrew’s pocket. Just as it hopped away, Rebekah caught it in midair. She regretted the action the moment she felt moisture squirt down her palm.
In disgust, Rebekah held the vile creature long enough to get outside, then flung it away from her, only to see it land on Nate’s chest. Though she was glad to see he’d finally arrived, she hadn’t the time to be concerned about him right now. She had some kind of amphibian discharge dripping off her hand. Rebekah froze in shock, wondering if her skin would ever be the same.
Nate’s snicker drew her attention.
He’s enjoying this!
A second later, her thoughts moved to what he had done with the frog. No doubt it was in the hand he held at her back. She stepped away from him, her own hand still sticking out in midair. Then Nate released the frog under the bushes near the steps. Brushing his hands against his pants, he said, “I think we’ve probably seen the last of that poor little critter for a while.”
Rebekah stared at him. “Poor little critter? Poor little critter?” She took a deep breath in an effort to calm down. “Look what that nasty frog did to my hand.”
Nate grasped her outstretched arm by the wrist and pulled her closer for a quick examination. He grimaced and narrowed his eyes. “Oh, my.” He shook his head. “The skin’s a mess. In fact, I think you might lose your hand.”
“What?” Rebekah jerked her hand away from him to see for herself. Her fingers looked normal—no blisters or wounds that she could see. She looked up and found Nate shaking with quiet laughter. Then he burst into loud guffaws, bringing on Andrew’s giggles. She stared at the two of them and felt her tension melt away.
Their mirth tugged at the corners of her mouth but she fought it back. “It’s not that funny.”
Nate snickered further. “Oh yeah, it is.” He squatted down and bumped Andrew with his elbow. “Isn’t it?”
Her brother peered up at her, mischief dancing across his face.
Rebekah tried to frown but couldn’t quite pull it off. “Oh, all right, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that those”—she shivered and motioned toward the bush—“those tiny beasts have no place in a church service.”
Nate managed a more serious expression. “Your sister’s right. You need to save those critters for the picnic later.”
Rebekah’s mouth dropped open. Nate was actually conspiring against her. In fact, when he looked up at her, he was downright smug. She gave him a glare that she hoped let him know he was in trouble. In the meantime, church was still in session.
“We need to get back inside.” She made a face. “Not that I want to after the scene we made.”
“You made, you mean.” By the amusement on Nate’s face, he obviously enjoyed her predicament.
She’d have to come up with a way to get him back—later. She held out her hand. In no way did she want that frog scum to remain on her any longer.
“What about my hand? It still has frog stuff on it.”
Nate smirked before he could hide it behind his hand, along with a forced cough. “We’d better take care of the lady first, don’t you think, Andrew?” Nate started past her. “Toad.”
What? “I beg your pardon!” Why would he call her that?
“It was a toad, not a frog.” Nate aimed a wink in her direction before he lifted the canteen from his saddle and pulled out his handkerchief. He poured water onto the cloth, all the while keeping his gaze on her face as he bobbed his eyebrows up and down. It was too much for Rebekah, and she finally burst into laughter.
Nate took her outstretched hand in his. The sensation of his touch crawled up Rebekah’s arm and stifled her laughter, not to mention her breathing, right up until he hesitated washing away the slime to examine the scarring on her hand. When he glanced at her, she saw the regret in his eyes. With a slight twitch of his lips and tender squeeze on her wrist, Nate wiped her fingers with slow, almost intimate movements. She should pull away, clean her own hand, but she was helpless to stop him.
“There,” Nate said with one final swipe. “Is that better?”
Rebekah’s dry mouth refused to let her answer. Drowning in the depths of his pale green eyes, she managed a nod.
Nate turned, stuffed his kerchief into his saddlebag, and cleared his throat. Staring at the church door like he thought it might attack, he pointed with his thumb. “S
hould we get inside?”
He motioned for her to lead the way, and she obeyed. Rebekah sank onto the back pew. No one but the pastor seemed to be aware of their return. She tried to concentrate on the pastor’s words, to no avail. Nate didn’t help matters when he put his arm along the back of the pew, his fingers resting near her shoulder. If she leaned just a fraction, he’d be touching her. Rebekah closed her eyes.
Stop it. Just stop it, Rebekah.
The sound of rustling forced her to open her eyes. Everyone was standing. Rebekah jumped to her feet. Once the song started, she wanted to sneak out the door, but Nate blocked the aisle and continued to do so once the song was over. When he finally stepped aside, she made her way toward the pastor.
“I’m so sorry for all the disruptions. If I had known—”
The pastor enveloped her hand in both of his. “Don’t apologize, Rebekah. How could you have known?” He grinned and winked at Andrew. “He livened up the morning a little, though I don’t know that I’d want that done on a regular basis.” He reached to shake Andrew’s hand. “What do ya say we let God’s critters have their own service outside?”
One side of Andrew’s mouth lifted. “Yes, sir.”
Daddy approached and placed his hand on the back of Andrew’s neck. “I can assure you it won’t happen again. Isn’t that right, son?”
Andrew peered up at him, a hint of fear in his eyes, and nodded. Daddy shook the pastor’s hand and then propelled Andrew out the door and down the steps. Then he crouched down to eye level.
“I won’t discipline you this time, Andrew, but if you do anything like that again, you and I will be doing more than talk. Understand?”
Biting on his lips, Andrew nodded once again. Daddy ruffled his hair before he stood and shook Nate’s hand.
“Good to see you made it. I started to wonder.” Without waiting for an explanation, he turned to Rebekah. “You three can either ride with us to get the food, or you can walk to our spot near the river and wait for your mama and me.”
Rebekah glanced up at Nate, willing to do whatever made him comfortable.
He gave a quick shrug. “I think I’d like to walk. How about you?”
At the moment, she couldn’t think of anything better she’d like to do. Some time alone with Nate would be—
“That sounds great!”
Andrew’s voice rose high with excitement, bringing Rebekah’s dream crashing down. How could she have forgotten Andrew?
Daddy held out his hand. “I’ll take your Bible home.” Once he had it in his possession, he waved, then helped Mama board the buggy and pointed the horses toward home. “See you in a little bit.”
Rebekah stared after them. Would the day ever come when she’d be held by her husband in just the same way?
“Which direction?”
Nate’s voice so close to her ear made shivers go down her back and arms. She couldn’t decide if she wanted her reaction to him to stop or happen more often. Unable to speak at the moment, she pointed southeast. Andrew took over leading the way, his nonstop chatter about everything that moved in their path keeping Nate from speaking and Rebekah from thinking. He managed to catch a butterfly and brought it to them for inspection. Nate made all the expected exclamations before suggesting it be turned loose so it would still be able to fly. Andrew flung it into the air and raced off for his next adventure.
Several minutes later, Nate slowed his pace, so Rebekah did the same. Andrew continued at his same rate, darting after grasshoppers and other loathsome creatures, putting him farther away from them. Even his discourse on the benefit of bugs became nothing more than a quiet buzz carried away on the warm breeze.
Nate gave a soft chuckle. “Do you think he’ll notice we’re no longer listening?”
Smiling, Rebekah shrugged. “He will at some point. It’ll depend on when he runs out of critters to chase. Then we’ll get a sound scolding for not keeping up. He may even start all over with whatever he said, not wanting us to miss out on his wisdom. It’s times like this I miss Michael. He was better at keeping up with and entertaining Andrew.”
As her words tapered off in the midst of Nate’s laughter, she suddenly felt tongue-tied. She’d been waiting for the chance to get to know more about him, but now, with the opportunity right in front of her, she couldn’t figure out how to get the conversation going. Just blurting out the questions didn’t seem right.
“Speaking of listening…” Nate glanced at her, then looked away. “Doesn’t anyone else in your church know how to play a piano?”
Knowing exactly where his question was leading, she tried to smother her smile with her hand, hoping to come across as thoughtful. “Yes. Why?” As he struggled with his next sentence, she decided to help him out, but only a little. “You didn’t like the way Mrs. Phipps played this morning?”
He stopped and looked her in the eyes. “You knew what I was going to say?” At her nod, he shook his head and motioned for them to continue walking. “Why does the pastor allow her to keep playing when she’s so bad at it?”
She tilted her head. “Her, ah, technique does leave a little to be desired.”
“To put it mildly.”
She chuckled, then became serious. “It’s all she has left—the only thing that seems to make her happy. No one wants to take that away from her.”
“What do you mean, all she has left?”
She stared at the tree line along the river. “Her husband died in one of the mine explosions about ten months ago. I think a part of her died with him.” She recalled the soft look on Mrs. Phipps’s face earlier. “Until today, anyway.”
Nate groaned. “You keep talking in riddles.” He grinned and bumped her lightly with his elbow. “Why was today different?”
She wondered if he would give her a bad time about the second note, but she’d been waiting for the chance to tell him. “Remember the note Cora received?”
“How could I forget? My association with her was nearly the death of me. She should be arrested for trying to poison people with her cooking.”
Rebekah laughed and swatted at him. “Stop.”
He waggled his eyebrows up and down. “What about the note?”
“Mrs. Phipps got one this morning.”
He opened his mouth, closed it, then shook his head. “What did this one say?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure anyone has seen it. All I’ve heard is that she found one tacked to her front door, and whatever it said made her very happy.”
Swiping his hand from the top of his head down to his neck, he snorted. “First a woman who can’t cook gets help finding an admirer. Now a tone-deaf woman is receiving the same help. Do I dare ask who’s next?”
Rebekah hadn’t thought about it that way, but he was right. She knew he hadn’t meant to point out their flaws in a mean way, but she couldn’t help but think of the scars on her face and side. Would she be the next pitied woman?
Nate’s hand flashed in front of her face. “What is that?”
She frowned up at him. “What?”
He motioned again, pointing at her throat. “That little ornament you have attached to your chain. I’ve noticed several times that you like to hold it. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Rebekah released it, not even aware she’d reached for it. “Daddy made it for me. He gave it to me a couple months after I was burned.”
Heart thundering in the silence that followed, she waited for him to change the subject. Everyone else grew uncomfortable talking about the accident. Only now she knew it wasn’t an accident.
His steps slowed even more. “Do you trust me enough to tell me what happened?”
The question so surprised her, she had to make a conscious effort to keep her mouth closed and not stare. Very few people had asked her about that day. But was she ready to tell Nate? She had no reason not to trust him.
“I guess I don’t mind telling you.”
He shoved his hands inside his pockets. “I’m glad. I ho
ped you’d come to know you could rely on me.”
She tilted her head to peer up at him. She decided to let his comment go for now and answer his question.
“Not long after we moved to Silver City, Daddy met Reuben Buckley. I’m not sure how it all came about, but they became partners in a mine on Florida Mountain west of town.”
His brows puckered. “They hadn’t met before you moved here?”
“No, but it was as if they’d known each other forever. They became instant friends.” She waited for him to comment, but he only nodded. “Anyway, while they were first trying to get the mine to produce, Daddy would go up into the mountain first thing every morning and spend a couple hours helping Reuben dig tunnels and build the braces.”
She had yet to get up there and see the mine. Daddy kept putting her off, saying there wasn’t anything to see yet.
“To help out, I’d go to the livery and stoke up the fire in the forge, just so nothing would slow him down with his work. He always came home so tired, I wanted to do what I could for him.”
“I’m sure he appreciated it.”
The familiar ache returned to her chest in remembering the anguish of what was to come. “He did, right up until that day.” She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. “I went into the livery as usual to get the fire going; only this time, the fire was completely out. I thought that odd because Daddy always kept hot coals inside the forge. But because he’d been so weary, I figured he’d forgotten to add wood. I tossed in a couple logs just to get the fire going before adding the charcoal. When I struck the match…”
The memory of the blast from the forge was so vivid, she could almost see the flames and feel the heat all over again.
Nate touched her elbow, drawing her to a stop. “It exploded?”
His voice was soft, tender. She couldn’t look at him but responded with a nod. Tears inched toward her eyes, and she fought them as her chin quivered. It had been a year ago. Why did she relive it like it was yesterday?
The next thing she knew, Nate had pulled her into his arms. He held her so light and gentle, she wanted to lean against him. She wasn’t sure if the tremble that raced through her was because of her emotions from the fire or from being held. Before she could decide, Nate pulled away, though he kept his hands on her shoulders.
Love Finds You in Silver City, Idaho Page 11