by Dawn Kinzer
“Nice to meet you, Miss Oakland,” Annie said with a slight tip of her head. “We appreciate you helping Rebecca catalog the books for the library, especially being so new to our community.”
Good girl, Annie! “Hello, Miss Oakland. And yes, thank you for your help.” Hope extended a smile, praying it looked relaxed and genuine.
“Please call me Laura.” The slight bloom in her cheeks made her unusual blue-violet eyes even more striking. They reminded Hope of the pansies that grew in Annie’s backyard. “It seems friends use less formality here, and if Jake is yours, I’d like to be too.”
“Of course.” Hope glanced at Annie and glimpsed her clenched hands behind her back.
“Jake, I really do need you to check the roof before you leave to milk cows.” Annie’s calm voice lacked its usual warmth.
“All right, I heard you.” Jake sat up from his relaxed position on the bench.
“Thomas has replaced most of the roof, but he couldn’t get to the front part where most of the books are already shelved.” Annie’s voice hitched. “He started on that area this morning, but he was up all night with a sick cow and had to head back to the farm to tend to the animal.”
Jake scratched the back of his neck. “If I’d known, I would have fixed it earlier today.”
“I know. It’s not your fault. Thomas didn’t realize the roof was in such bad shape until he climbed up there this morning. He’ll replace that part of the roof on Monday, but dark clouds are forming in the west, and he’s afraid rain is coming our way.”
“Those clouds over there? That’s nothing, Annie.” Jake leaned against the bench. “We got blue skies and sunshine. Those clouds will blow over. Even if there’s a slight shower, it won’t last long.”
“If you don’t have the time, I can ask someone else.” By the tone of Annie’s voice, she was working hard to keep calm. “Nice to meet you, Laura. You’re welcome at the library any time.” Annie swung around and took several steps.
Hope put her hand on Jake’s arm, tilted her head Annie’s direction, and gave him a weak smile.
“Wait!” Jake jumped up from the bench. “Annie, wait.”
She faced him, the crestfallen look on her face showing her disappointment.
“I’ll climb up there and take a look.”
“You promise?” Doubt saturated her tone.
“I promise.”
***
The second-story bedroom felt hot enough to roast a small chicken. Now that the August sun had turned in for the night and black clouds moved across a darkening sky, a cool breeze teased the curtains to perform a delicate dance.
Hope turned the knob on the bedside kerosene lamp. Annie and her mother hadn’t switched to using carbide lamps like several people in town, but Hope didn’t mind. From what she’d learned, carbide lighting was inexpensive but prone to gas leaks and explosions, and although electric lights were becoming popular in New York, it would most likely be some time before smaller communities like Riverton embraced them.
A mosquito buzzed around her head, and she batted it away. Pesky thing! Hope tucked her knees in close to her chest and wrapped her arms around them to keep her thin nightgown from billowing as the wind cooled her warm body. A storm was brewing. She’d need to lower the window, but not yet.
Her cousin, dressed in a white summer nightgown, leaned against the bedroom door frame. “May I come in?”
“Of course.” Hope waved her in. “I didn’t realize you’d come home. I’m sorry I needed to leave before you finished at the library. It must have been working under that hot sun all afternoon that caused my headache, because I felt much better after I got back here and cooled off.”
“The heat was bothering other people too. It was best for you to come home and rest.” Annie sat on the edge of the bed. “It’s been quite a day.”
“A long and productive day. Quite a few townspeople pitched in—you should be proud.”
“I am. Proud and happy.” Sadness in Annie’s voice relayed something different.
It broke Hope’s heart, especially at a time when Annie would otherwise be spinning around the room with her face lit up like a beacon. “I’m sorry Jake hurt you today by spending time with Miss Oakland.”
“I should know better than to let it bother me. Jake sees me as a little sister—nothing more.”
“I’m not so sure, Annie. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.” Since she’d arrived in Riverton, Hope had caught Jake watching Annie more than once while she was unaware, his eyes filled with affection. He adored her.
“You’re sweet to try to make me feel better, but I need to accept reality.” Annie’s shoulders heaved a large sigh. “Then there’s his brother. After you left, Ben pulled me aside to tell me that not only is he an artist, but he donated the painting hanging on your wall.” She sounded—stunned. “No wonder he’s felt compelled to offer his opinions on your work.”
“It was probably a lot to take in, but I’m glad Ben finally told you.”
Annie sprawled across the bed, then propped her head on one hand. “It was about time.” Her finger traced a pattern on the quilt covering the top of the bed. “I’m just a little hurt and disappointed that it took this long for Ben to be honest with me. I thought we were better friends.” Her accusing eyes met Hope’s. “He said you’ve known for a while.”
“Remember when I took supper to him on the Fourth of July? I surprised him while he was painting in the shed. I wasn’t exactly invited into that private world—it was more like an invasion into hostile territory until a peace treaty was agreed on.”
“But that was almost two months ago, and you didn’t breathe a word of it to me.” Annie sounded bruised by Hope withholding information.
Opposite of her usual cheery voice, the accusing tone felt like a knife making a slow cut into Hope’s heart. Of course Annie felt betrayed. Wouldn’t Hope have struggled with similar feelings in her cousin’s position?
“I wanted to tell you. I did, Annie, but I couldn’t.” Every part of Hope yearned to reach out to her cousin. “You don’t know how difficult it was to keep that secret from you.”
Annie bolted up and sat across from Hope. “We rode out to the farm, so he could show me himself.”
“Ben wanted to share that part of his life with you, Annie, because he cares about your friendship.” Hope reached over and grasped Annie’s hand. “Even though he may not admit it, I think it’s torn him up inside to keep that part of himself locked up from you.”
“He did seem a bit relieved—but I didn’t know if that was from finally coming clean or the fact that I didn’t punch him.” A twinkle returned to Annie’s eyes. “He’s talented, isn’t he?” she asked, her voice filled with recognition and awe.
Hope nodded. “His work is breathtaking.”
“One day we might be able to say that we know a famous painter,” Annie whispered with enthusiasm.
“In order to become famous, you first have to be willing to let people see your art.” Hope’s focus shifted, and she gestured toward the picture hanging on her wall. “Now you have your answer as to who painted that beautiful piece, but unfortunately Ben doesn’t want anyone else to know about his remarkable ability.”
Annie twirled one of her red curls around her finger. “That is a bit of a problem.” She looked at Hope and raised an eyebrow. “So what are we going to do about it?”
“I’m working on an idea...”
Lightning exploded across the sky, its bright flash obliterating any shadows in the room for a moment. A loud boom of thunder followed, echoing through the night. Raindrops began to fall, first slowly, but only for seconds before the heavens opened, releasing a torrent.
As Hope rushed to close the window, a gust heavy with water sprayed her with cool droplets. Outside, trees bowed to the wind as if worshiping its strength. She slammed the window shut and rearranged the disheveled curtains. “I didn’t expect the storm to come in so—” Hope turned around to face Annie right behind
her. “What’s wrong?”
“He wouldn’t, would he?” Annie’s eyes were as large as the asters she grew in the backyard, and her chest rose as she gasped for air.
“Come on.” Hope wrapped her arm around Annie’s shoulder, led her back to the edge of the bed, and coaxed her to sit. “What’s got you all worked up?”
“I have this terrible feeling in my stomach.” Annie squeezed her eyes shut. “He promised me.”
“Who promised you what? You’re not making any sense.”
“Remember, Thomas was concerned about a section of roof on the library, but he had to get back to his farm before he had a chance to take another look. Jake promised me he would take care of it.”
Hope squeezed Annie’s shoulder. “Then why are you so worried?”
“He could easily say one thing while distracted by another.”
“He wouldn’t do that to you.”
“I’ve seen it before. If something piques Jake’s interest, he can change direction as fast as a hummingbird can switch course in flight. I didn’t get a chance to talk to him again before he left the library today, and I didn’t see him at the farm either. I’ll give you one guess as to what—or who—grabbed his attention.” Annie rubbed her temples. “One thing is for sure...I won’t get any sleep tonight.”
Hope took Annie’s hand in her own. “There are other certainties. We can pray, and God will hear. Another is that I’m going with you first thing in the morning to see if there’s any damage.”
There wouldn’t be any rest for either of them until they knew the building was safe from devastation. Annie had worked hard to make the library a reality, and she didn’t deserve to have her dreams dashed now.
chapteR SIXTEEN
Hope couldn’t bear to look at Annie. Not yet.
A portion of the library’s roof had caved in over the front room where books had already been shelved. Wind strong enough to topple several trees and break large branches from others nearby had ripped through the space, scattering papers and catalog files from the desk top in all directions, donating them to the muddy mix.
Not saying a word, Annie stepped to one shelf and trailed her fingers down the spine of one book after another, as though saying good-bye. Then she moved to the table standing beneath the gaping hole in the ceiling that exposed a gray, drizzling sky. She opened the cover to Little Women, her shaking fingers attempting to separate the soaked pages. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
It was painful to watch, and Hope covered her mouth to stifle a sob.
“David Copperfield.” Annie began to whisper book titles as if honoring soldiers fallen to their death. “Heidi.” She held the book to her chest before laying it down again. “So much ruin. How could we ever ask townspeople to donate their hard-earned money again?”
A floorboard creaked, and Annie and Hope turned in unison toward the door.
“Annie...” Jake, gripping his hat in his hands, stayed close to the door. Ben stood not far behind him.
“Go away, Jake!” Annie’s eyes filled with tears as she half-cried at him. “I don’t want you here!”
“I’m so sorry, Annie.” Desperation rang in his voice. “I’m here to help—both me and Ben. We’ll do whatever you say.”
“I don’t need your help, Jacob,” Annie sputtered. “I was stupid to ask for it yesterday. I should have known I couldn’t count on you.”
“I know I let you down.” Jake took several steps closer.
“Me and everyone else in Riverton.” Annie wiped tears from her eyes, then her cheeks, as though defying any attempt to soften her heart toward him. “What happened anyway, Jake? Laura Oakland?”
Color flushed Jake’s face, and he turned to Ben.
“Tell her the truth.” Ben nodded toward Annie. “She deserves at least that much.”
“Rebecca Hoyt invited Laura—Miss Oakland—and me to supper at her home. They insisted, and I thought it might be a good opportunity to get to know Dr. Hoyt better.” Jake glanced back at his brother. “Ben said he’d take care of the milking, so I accepted the invite.”
“Don’t bring me into this mess.” Ben sounded frustrated. “If I’d known you’d made a promise to Annie, I never would have agreed.”
Jake squirmed. “I should have just told them I had things to take care of, but I forgot about the roof. I’m so sorry!”
Hope caught Ben’s eyes, and from what she could read in them, he was almost as angry with the situation as Annie.
“Jake, I don’t believe you accepted an invitation so you could talk to a vet. There was more to it.” Annie’s chin quivered. “I don’t want your help—and I don’t want to be your friend anymore.”
“Awww, come on, Annie.” Jake reached for her.
Annie drew back as though his touch would scorch her. “You just don’t get it. I’ve loved you since the day you sat at our table and downed two pieces of my blackberry pie, even though it might have been the worst tasting concoction made this side of the Mississippi.”
Jake’s eyes filled with pain. “Annie, we’ve been good friends, but I never believed you could love me, well, not in the way...”
“I did—love you.” Annie’s face flamed as red as her hair. “I’m not so sure anymore. But even if I still did, it doesn’t matter because it’s obvious you don’t feel the same way. If you cared at all about me, even as a friend, you wouldn’t have betrayed me.”
“Betrayed you?”
“You know how much this library means to me. Yet, having supper with the new girl in town was more important than your promise to take a little time to check the roof.” Annie picked up the damp copy of Little Women and cradled it against her chest. “That’s just the way you are, Jake. You’re charming and fun-loving, but you’re incapable of making any commitments—even to me.”
“You got it wrong, Annie.”
“I don’t think so.” Annie turned away from him. “Please go, Jake. I don’t want you here.”
Jake looked at Ben, who kept a stern face and shook his head, then he glanced at Hope.
“You’d better go, Jake,” Hope said softly. Annie had every right to be upset about the mess, and now she was probably also embarrassed about blurting out her feelings. She never would have confessed to loving Jake under normal circumstances, but this wasn’t an everyday situation, and her emotions had to be struggling to stay beneath the surface.
“No.” Jake stiffened his back, hitched his thumbs on his belt, and faced Annie. “I’m not leaving—not yet.”
Hope felt Ben’s warm and gentle grasp on her shoulders. He attempted to direct her toward the door, but she shrugged him off. “What are you doing?”
Instead of answering, he grabbed her elbow and led her outside. There he released her.
“Benjamin, what on earth?”
“We have no business in there right now.”
“Are you crazy? Can’t you see that she’s devastated?” Hope felt confident her cousin was desperate for someone to rescue her from being in the same room as Jake.
“I’m not blind, Hope. Of course she’s upset. She has plenty of reasons to be angry and hurt.” He stared at the building as the inhabitants’ escalating voices spilled from the open door, tripping over each. Then silence blasted through the opening. “Think she killed him?”
“That isn’t funny.” Hope took several steps toward the library. “Annie needs me.”
Ben jumped in front of her. “What they need is to be alone.” His warm eyes peered into hers. “You want to fix everyone’s problems, but this time you have to let things take their course.”
“First jokes, then insults.” Hope blinked to soothe the prickles assaulting her eyes. What was wrong with trying to be helpful? It wasn’t like she was planning on galloping into the building on a white horse, brandishing a sword. But he was right. Fixing problems made her feel good, like when she took it upon herself to make a wedding dress for Rachel.
The corners of his lips curved into a small smile. “Look—I th
ink Annie is perfect for Jake, and he’ll figure that out, but without our interference.”
“But the mess...I don’t want Annie to think I’ve abandoned her.” Based on the look on her face earlier, Annie felt overwhelmed by the work it would take to put everything back in order.
“There’ll be time to clean up later.” He tilted his head toward town. “We still have time to get to the church service if we hurry. The best thing we can do now is pray for Annie and Jake, and we can rustle up some help while we’re there.”
“I suppose you’re right.” Now they had less than a week to make repairs and still open the library by the first Saturday in September, but Hope had already seen the way townspeople had pitched in with enthusiasm to get the building ready. “At least Annie and Jake have stopped yelling, so that’s a good sign things might be on the mend. I don’t want this mistake to come between them.”
“Just because people fight or have their differences doesn’t mean they don’t care about each other.” Ben winked at her. “Sometimes it’s proof that they do.”
Was he talking about Jake and Annie, or the two of them?
chapteR SEVENTEEN
Ten minutes after leaving Jake and Annie alone at the library, Ben trailed Hope down the aisle as the congregation stood and began singing the first verse of “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty.” He slipped in next to her where she found an opening in a pew three rows from the front. He didn’t need to witness the stares—he felt them. Hope seemed oblivious to the tilting heads from the row directly across and those in front of them, worshipers trying to get a glimpse of the couple. Were they a couple? Warmth flowed through his veins at the possibility.
This was nice—sharing a hymnal with her—singing and praising God’s mercy and might. Although Hope’s beautiful lips barely whispered the lyrics, her countenance glowed. He’d pray that she’d someday be liberated from worrying about what people thought of her voice and feel free to sing from the heart just for God.
The song ended and heads bowed in prayer. As they did, Ben’s arm brushed against Hope’s. He reached for her hand, and his fingertips grazed hers before she clasped her hands in front of her. Did she notice his move was intentional? Or did she think it was only coincidence?