ISBN 978-1-60260-287-8
A LOVE FOR KEEPS
Copyright © 2009 by Janet Lee Barton. All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the permission of Truly Yours, an imprint of Barbour Publishing, Inc., PO Box 721, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683.
All scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
All of the characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental.
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one
Eureka Springs, Arkansas February 1886
Meagan Snow walked out of the bank, trying not to let her mother know how discouraged she felt. All she had to do was look at the older woman to see she felt the very same way, if not more so.
“Meagan, I don’t know why I let you talk me into doing this,” Elsie Snow said as they walked down Main Street to the third bank they would try that morning. “We’ve already been turned down by two different banks. We should probably just go on home.”
“Mama, I am not giving up until we have no choice.” She couldn’t. It had been one thing for her mother to take in wash to help ends meet since Papa died. Meagan and her sisters, Becca and Sarah, could help her with that. However, the fact that Mama felt she had to take a part-time job helping to get the newly built Crescent Hotel ready to open was more than Meagan could take. It was time, as the oldest daughter, to help more than she had been. The mending she took in wasn’t enough. God had blessed her with a talent, and she intended to put it to use to help provide for her family. She could do no less. If they were successful in getting a loan, her mother would be able to quit the hotel position before long.
They entered the Connors Bank and walked up to the receptionist. “Good morning. I’m Meagan Snow and this is my mother, Elsie. We’d like to see a loan officer, if possible,” she said.
The receptionist gave Meagan and then her mother an appraising look before answering, “I’ll see if Mr. Brooks has time to see you. Please take a seat right over there.” She pointed to several settees in what Meagan assumed was a waiting area.
“Thank you,” Meagan’s mother said. One settee had a cuspidor sitting to the side of it. Meagan and her mother chose the other one. The way Mama twisted her lace-trimmed hankie between her fingers told Meagan how nervous she was.
Meagan covered those fingers with her hand and squeezed. “It’s going to be all right, Mama. This bank is much bigger than the others are. It surely has more money to loan.” She tried to sound positive, but the truth was she didn’t know what they were going to do if they couldn’t get a loan from this bank.
“I don’t think it’s that the other bankers didn’t have the money, dear. I’m sure they think we are a bad risk. Moreover, I’m afraid this one isn’t likely to be any different. The look on the impertinent young woman’s face tells me that.”
“Yes, I know. However, we know that we are not bad risks! And I will do my best to convince the bank manager of just that.”
It seemed they waited for a long time, but it was really only a few minutes. A nice-looking man followed the receptionist out of a nearby office, and as she pointed in their direction, he nodded and headed their way. He didn’t seem at all like the other two men they’d met with that day. Those men had been much older and … stuffy was the word that came to mind. The younger man who was striding over to them was of medium height, broad shouldered, and had deep brown hair. When he reached them, Meagan observed that his brown eyes had flecks of gold in them, and he was quite handsome when he smiled and held out his hand to her mother.
“Good morning, ladies. Mrs. Snow, Miss Snow, I’m Nate Brooks. What can I do for you today?”
“We need to apply for a business loan,” Meagan stated, bringing his attention to her.
“I see.” He paused and looked from Meagan to her mother and back again. “And what kind of loan are you looking to procure?”
“My daughter is a wonderful seamstress. She would like to start a dressmaking business in our home.”
“Oh, I see.” He nodded and motioned for them to follow him. “Please, come into my office and we’ll see what we can do.”
Meagan was afraid to get her hopes up, but this was the first time they had been invited inside an office and the first time anyone had seemed willing to listen to them. She prayed silently. Dear Lord, please let this man see that we can make this business work. Please let him sense that we honor our word and will pay back every penny we borrow. Please let him lend us what we need, Father.
Her opinion of the banker raised another notch when he held out a chair for her mother. She started to pull out her own chair, but his hand brushed hers as he did it for her. Meagan wasn’t prepared for the way her pulse began to race at the slight touch. She took the seat and tried to compose herself. This was a business meeting, after all.
Nate had held his office door open for the women, and once they were inside, he pulled out chairs, first for Mrs. Snow and then for her daughter, who’d started to pull out her own. He wasn’t sure if he could help them at all, but he hadn’t been able to turn them away. The expression on the older woman’s face was one of gracious resignation, and his heart had gone out to her. The daughter had more of a look of determination, and he was curious to hear what she had to say. She was lovely with black hair worn up in the style of the day. He wasn’t sure what they called it, but nearly every young woman he knew wore theirs dressed similarly. The style was very flattering to Miss Meagan Snow. She was quite striking with her big blue eyes and long dark lashes, and she’d smelled good when he pulled out the chair for her … of lavender water or some such thing. Nate brought his thoughts up short. He needed to keep his mind on business. “Please, tell me a little about yourself,” he said to the older woman.
“Well, I am a widow. My husband passed away a couple of years ago. He worked for the railroad. Then he came down with rheumatism, and for a while, it looked as if he was going to get better. But even the springs couldn’t help him. He came down with the influenza and never recovered.”
“I’m so sorry.” That explained why these two women needed a source of income.
“Thank you. He did provide a house for us, free and clear, but we need income and we’re willing to put our home up as collateral.”
He glanced at the younger woman and saw that she was watching her mother closely. It was obvious that she felt protective of her. He focused his gaze on Mrs. Snow, also. “You say you want to start a dressmaking business in your home?”
“Yes, we do. Well, it will be my daughter’s business. She’s the dressmaker. And a better one I’ve never seen. She’s even designed a few of her own.”
“Is that right, Miss Snow?”
“Yes. My mother has taken a temporary position at the Crescent. But I feel it is my duty, as the oldest child, to help bring in an income, and I believe I can make this work.” Her blue gaze met his from across the desk. “I don’t want Mama working outside the home any longer than necessary, and I’d never agree to us putting our home up to secure the loan if I didn’t believe I could make the shop a success.”
“Have you had any formal training?”
“No, Mr. Brooks, I have not. But I learned the basics from my mother—”
“She’s gone well past the basics,” Meagan’s mother in
terrupted. “She’s being much too modest. She’s expanded her knowledge well past mine by keeping up with the styles and making clothes for the whole family—I have two other daughters. And she’s even been paid to make frocks for some of our neighbors and friends.”
“I see.” He looked at Miss Snow. “So this will be your business?”
“Yes, sir. It will be.”
“And what is it you need to set this dressmaking shop up?”
“Well, we would need to turn one of our parlors into the actual shop or add on to our home.” Miss Snow took a folded sheet of paper out of her reticule and handed it to him as she continued, “I’d need a new sewing machine and enough fabrics and trims to be able to offer my clients good choices.”
He glanced at the paper. That she’d looked into what it would take to open her own shop was very apparent as he asked more questions.
“What kind of frocks do you specialize in?”
“I can make anything from everyday frocks to ball gowns.”
She seemed quite confident of her capabilities, and Nate wanted to give them a chance. “I think that your idea may be a good one. Still, before I could commit to lending you the money you need, I would want to visit your home and see what would be involved in turning part of it into a shop. And”—he looked at Miss Snow—” I’d need to see some samples of your work.”
He wasn’t sure if she would raise any objections but didn’t see how she could.
“That would be fine,” she said. “When would you like to come to our home?”
He looked at his schedule. “Would tomorrow at three o’clock be all right?”
“Will that be all right with you, Mama?” the daughter asked.
“I’ll be home from the Crescent by then. Three will be just fine,” the mother replied.
“Good.” Nate stood, signaling the end of the meeting. The two ladies did the same. “I’ll see you tomorrow at three, then.”
He showed them out of the office, and as they thanked him and walked away, they looked so very happy that he hoped he didn’t have to disappoint them.
Meagan felt almost giddy when they walked out of the bank and started for home. “Oh, Mama, I think he’s going to loan us the money!”
Her mother’s smile told her she was every bit as hopeful as Meagan was. “I hope so, dear. He has kind eyes, and he certainly listened to us. He could have told us no today, so he must seriously be contemplating making us a loan.”
“I’m sure he is.” Meagan silently prayed that Nate Brooks was as good a man as he appeared to be and that he would approve the loan. Otherwise, she wasn’t sure what they were going to do. But she knew that God would provide a way for them to get by. He always had.
It was amazing how much brighter the mid-February day seemed as they branched off Main at Spring, continuing past some of the homes that were built on the rocks above. Most of the houses had wide porches overlooking the road below. Meagan loved the way Eureka Springs was built on winding roads up and down the mountainsides. They continued on Spring, up the hill to Mountain, and then to the corner of Mountain and Montgomery, where they lived. The air seemed a touch warmer and the sky bluer than when they’d first started out. The pine trees even seemed greener. It wouldn’t be long until winter gave way to spring, and Meagan could feel the change beginning. She’d been so concerned with the business of the day and worries about her family that she hadn’t taken time to enjoy the beautiful day.
Her sisters must have been watching for them because as soon as Meagan and her mother rounded the corner, the girls ran out of the house to meet them.
“Well,” ten-year-old Becca said, “did you get a loan?”
“And is Mama going to get to quit working so hard?” fifteen-year-old Sarah asked.
“We’re hoping so,” Meagan said. “Mr. Brooks will be coming tomorrow to look at the house and see how we mean to turn part of it into a shop. And he wants to see samples of my work.”
“And then we’ll get the loan?” Sarah asked.
Mama put an arm around her as they walked up the steps to the front porch and inside the house. “We hope so. But we want to make sure the house is as clean as it can be and that there aren’t any stains on the dresses Meagan has made us.”
“Mama, our home is always clean,” Sarah said.
“I know. But we want it spotless for tomorrow.” Of one accord, they headed to the kitchen, where they always discussed important things.
“We’ll help, Mama,” Becca said.
“I know you will, dear,” their mother said, putting on the teakettle. “Let’s have a bite to eat, and then we will get busy.”
“What are we going to do if he says no?” Becca asked. “Before long, I’ll be able to work at the Crescent, too.”
“Maybe I can help clean Mrs. Elliot’s house,” Sarah added. “She’s gettin’ old and—”
“Girls, you aren’t going to have to go to work. If Mr. Brooks says no, I’ll keep working at the Crescent Hotel. It’s not bad, really.”
“And I can still sew for people. I just won’t be able to charge as much.”
“Everything is going to be all right, girls. I’m sure Mr. Brooks is going to loan us some money. We just have to make the best impression we can.” Mama let out a big sigh and smiled. “But let us pray about it.” She bowed her head, and her daughters did the same. “Dear Father, You know what we want and need. You’ve given Meagan a wonderful talent, and she wishes to use it to help this family. We pray that, if it’s in Your will, we will get the loan we need to get Meagan started in her dressmaking business. But we only want it if it be Your will. It is in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”
“Amen,” Meagan and her sisters said in unison.
“It’s time to get to it,” Mama said. “I’m so thankful I don’t have to go into work today. We have much to do.”
Meagan put on an apron and began cutting thick slices of bread to go with the soup her mother had put on before they left the house that morning. They enjoyed their meal but didn’t dawdle over it. They had a lot to get done in a short amount of time.
Sarah was right. Their home was always clean. Still, so much counted on Nate Brooks’s impression of it and them, that they did a thorough cleaning much like what they’d done just a few weeks ago. The good thing was that they had cleaned so well then. While Meagan took the rugs outside and beat them until there was no dust left to fly, Mama went over to Mrs. Morrison’s to ask if Meagan might be able to borrow the dresses she’d made her so that she could show them to Mr. Brooks the next day. Becca mopped floors, while Sarah dusted every inch of the house.
By the time their mother returned from Mrs. Morrison’s, they were ready for a break. Meagan brewed a pot of tea while her mother told her about the visit. “Nelda said she would run the dresses over in the morning. She wants to make sure they are pressed. She is so excited for you, dear.”
“Mama, we don’t even know if we’ll get the loan. It’s a little premature for her to be excited.”
“She’s sure we will get the loan and even offered to come tell Mr. Brooks how much she loves your creations, if we need her to.”
“That’s very sweet of her. I hope he’ll be able to tell the quality of my work by looking at it himself. But it’s nice to know that Mrs. Morrison will give me a good recommendation, if we need it.” Meagan smiled and took a sip of tea.
“If we had more time, we could go all over town collecting what you’d made. You’d have more frocks to show him.”
“It will be fine, Mama. We have a lot to show him. And I have some of my designs I can bring out, too.”
“He’s going to love them all,” Sarah assured her. “Why, we look as good as anyone else at school or at church.”
“Thank you, Sarah.” Meagan gave her younger sister a hug. “I’m very hopeful all will go well.”
They finished their tea and then pitched in to shine the windows. By early evening, they were all ready to stop for the day as they heated up the so
up left over from their noon meal.
“The house fairly shines, it’s so clean,” Becca said.
“Yes, it does. Mr. Brooks will find no dust in this house tomorrow,” Meagan said. “Now all that is left to do is to look over the clothing and make sure it looks fresh and clean. I’ll do any mending needed tonight before I go to bed.”
“I don’t think there will be much mending—you always keep up with that so well,” Mama stated. “But we’ll check, just to make sure, and I’ll brush whatever needs only that. Tomorrow we can take turns pressing.”
“Thank you, Mama.” Meagan sent up a silent prayer. Dear Father, thank You for Mama. Please help us to get this loan so that she doesn’t have to work so hard. You know what we need, Lord. I trust that You will provide.
Meagan sighed as she headed upstairs to see what needed mending. So much depended on the outcome of Mr. Brooks’s visit. It had been so hard to lose Papa. And then to see her mother so willingly give up the household help they’d had ever since Meagan could remember … well, that was hard to watch. Meagan didn’t mind helping her mother at all. What she did hate was the way some of her mother’s friends had just quit calling on her or had stopped sending her invitations. To make things worse, her mother felt it necessary to get a job at the hotel.
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