by Barbara Goss
During the sermon, Violet thought about how she might escape after church without Miles noticing and trying to stop her. She wasn’t yet ready for the scene she knew would ensue when she broke off their betrothal. She hoped he’d be somewhat prepared for it, since she’d been distant and especially busy since she’d returned from Salina for the summer.
As soon as the service ended, Violet hurried her mother to the buggy that was parked along the side of the church, but they weren’t fast enough, and Miles had was able to catch up to them.
“Violet!” he called.
She stopped. “Hello, Miles.”
Violet saw her mother give Miles a quick wave and head for the buggy. “Mother needs to get home fast today. Can we talk later?”
“Sunday dinner’s at the Armstrongs, Caleb and Julie invited me, so I suppose I’ll see you there,” he said. “Violet, is there something wrong?”
Violet rubbed her forehead. No, she couldn’t tell him in the church parking lot. “I have some concerns that we need to talk about. I’ll see you at dinner. Maybe after we eat, you and I could take a walk.”
“You’re worrying me, Violet. You’ve changed since you’ve come home for the summer, and you’ve been avoiding me.” When she didn’t say anything, he turned and headed toward his buggy. “See you later, then.”
As Miles rode home he felt a lump in his throat and an empty feeling in his gut. He knew something was wrong. Violet had been distant and avoiding him for the past two weeks. He’d been so excited to have her back in town, but she always seemed to be busy or he learned he’d just missed her every time he’d called on her at home.
What would he do if she broke their betrothal? She’d been pushing the wedding date ahead since before her father died. After her mourning period, her mother had given her permission to set a wedding date, yet she kept changing it and pushing it farther away, until he’d simply stopped asking.
Violet, with her strawberry blonde hair, and big blue eyes, was beautiful, soft-spoken, ladylike, and loved by everyone who met her. He’d fallen hopelessly in love with her the first day he’d spotted her, when she’d walked into the bank with her father, walked up to his window, and stood beside her father while they’d finished the transaction.
His friend, Quinn, had confided to him that her father was the minister of Grace Church, so Miles began going to church for the first time in his life, with the hope he might catch a glimpse of her. One day he overheard her telling Quinn’s sister, Peggy that she was going to a barn dance that Friday. He’d never been to one before, but he made sure to attend this one. It was at the dance that they’d really become acquainted. After that, he’d courted her steadily, and fell even more in love with her. He was so smitten—no other woman in the world could interest him. He felt sick to his stomach now, wondering what Violet was going to tell him. He also wondered how he should react if she did, indeed, break the betrothal.
On his way home, Miles saw Caleb and Julia pull down the lane to their house, and he turned and followed them.
As they alighted their buggy, Miles called to them. He jumped down from his buggy and hugged his sister. Then he turned to Caleb. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
Julia gave him a puzzled look.
“It’s a man thing, Julia,” Miles said.
“Well, then, you two can sit on the porch while I go in and put a cooler dress on,” Julia said.
When Caleb and Miles were settled in the chairs on the porch, Caleb asked, “What’s up?”
“It’s Violet. I think she’s going to break off our betrothal today. I don’t know what to do. I can’t lose her, Caleb. I love her so much it hurts.” He patted his chest.
Caleb sat deliberating Miles’s situation. Violet and Caleb had always been close friends. He knew her almost better than her sisters knew her, which was probably why Miles always sought his advice.
“Are you sure?” Caleb asked.
“Well, she’s been avoiding me since she’s been home, and now she says we need to talk. I just know—the look on her face, her body language—I just know it,” he said.
“If she does break it off, take it better than she would imagine, so it throws her off balance. She’s probably expecting you to beg and plead, so don’t,” Caleb said. “My advice is to act cool and not make a big fuss.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Miles said.
“Well, Miles, that’s what I’d do. Women don’t like men who grovel. Take it like a man and she’ll respect you more for being strong.
Miles sighed. “I’ll try.”
George Armstrong was Jonas and Caleb’s father, and Phoebe was his second wife. Every Sunday since Jonas and Ivy were married, Sunday dinner was at either the Armstrongs’ or the Jeffries’ house. Even with Hiram Jeffries gone, Lavinia had continued the Sunday ritual.
Miles barely tasted the roast chicken at the Armstrongs’ dinner. He watched as Jonas and Ivy fussed over their daughters, and Caleb and his sister were sneaking loving looks. Rose and Quinn hadn’t come this week because they were having dinner with the Iversons’. Violet sat beside her mother and seemed to just push her food around on her plate, making a pretense of eating. This made Miles feel even less confident that the talk would be a pleasant one.
After dinner, when the guests all moved to the sitting room for tea and coffee, Violet approached him and motioned to the back door. He felt his whole insides twist painfully, but he still followed her out to the backyard. She led him to a swing that was a wooden bench attached to ropes and hung from a huge oak tree.
“I’ve always loved sitting in this swing when we came here to visit,” Violet said, as she took a seat on the swing. She smiled at him as he slid in beside her, but it wasn’t the smile he’d fallen in love with, as her eyes didn’t sparkle, and her dimples barely showed.
He thought it best to remain quiet so she could begin the end, and get it over with, so he looked down at his hands in his lap and listened.
“Miles, as you know, my job in Salina keeps me away from Abilene for months at a time, and now there’s so much work to be done: grading, testing, correcting papers, planning lessons—I barely have time for traveling back and forth.” She paused and looked at him, as if expecting him to answer, but he remained silent.
“I thought it might be best if I—that is, we—broke off the betrothal.”
He swung his head around to look at her. She had no tears in her eyes, and showed no remorse on her face, which told him everything he needed to know. “I understand,” he heard himself say, but inside he was crying. Caleb’s advice kept him from letting her see how broken he truly felt.
“I felt it wasn’t fair to you to be left here, unable to have a dinner partner, or someone to snuggle, and me, miles away in the same situation. It just isn’t working, Miles.”
“Miles? Miles?” he heard her say, repeatedly, but all he could do was to just sit there, shaking his head. He couldn't think of anything to say. He tried to heed Caleb’s advice and pretend she hadn’t just stuck a knife into his heart. If she would just stop calling his name long enough for him to think.
“Miles, talk to me!” Violet said. “I need to know how you feel about this.”
Miles cleared his throat. “I agree. It isn’t fair at all. I had asked you to quit the job and be a full-time wife and mother, but you preferred to work. So I accepted your decision. I even offered to quit my job and get another one in Salina, but you didn’t want me to do that, especially after my recent promotion. If your job’s that important to you, then you should keep it, and I hope you and your school will live happily ever after.”
He stood, and prepared to walk away, but she sprang up from the swing and pulled on his arm. “Not this way, Miles. I don’t want to end it with hard feelings. I do love you, but I just love teaching and my independence more. I want to be more than a wife and mother.”
Miles needed to leave before he embarrassed himself by letting the tears that were building up behind his eyelids loose
. “I really have to go. I wish you the best of luck, God bless, and everything.” He walked to his buggy and said, “And sure, we’ll still be friends.” He got into the buggy and drove away. The tears could no longer be held in check, and they streamed freely down his face.
Violet sat back down on the swing after Miles had thundered off down the road. It was over, yet Violet didn’t feel as relieved or happy as she thought she might. Instead, she felt somewhat sad, because she really had enjoyed Miles’s company. They’d had some great times together. Endings, for whatever reason, were never enjoyable.
She wondered what she'd do, now that she’d gotten what she wanted. She had the rest of the summer to do absolutely nothing. She wouldn’t even see Gavin McKenzie until the next semester started. She prayed Miles would get over this quickly and move on.
She asked herself how she really felt about Gavin. He wasn’t as handsome as Miles, but he did have dark, mysterious eyes, and a mustache and goatee. He was a quiet, serious man. She felt drawn to him, mainly because he reminded her of her father. How she missed her father! The way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, or rubbed his temples when he was in deep thought, or the way he spoke with thoughtfulness—all of these were things she noticed in Gavin, as well. Gavin never wasted words or spoke unless he had something to say, and there was little small talk where he was concerned. They also had something in common, as they were both teachers.
Jonas, Caleb and George all took Zoe to the manmade pond behind George’s house. They’d hand dug it years ago where they’d discovered a spring that ran under the ground, and they’d enjoyed many hours of fishing and swimming through the years.
Jonas stood, waist deep in the pond trying to teach Zoe how to swim. Caleb and George had taken a dip earlier and were now sitting on the small dock George had built for fishing, giving Jonas pointers on how to teach Zoe how to swim.
Zoe was a fast learner in everything he’d ever tried to teach her, except for swimming. She just couldn’t seem to get her hands and feet to move differently at the same time, no matter how hard she tried. If she paddled her hands, her feet didn’t, and if she paddled her feet, her hands didn’t.
Ivy came down, and sat on the dock and dangled her feet in the water.
No one saw the intruder watching through the bushes.
Chapter 3
Violet needed a distraction for the summer, so she took over caring for the vegetable garden that so desperately needed attention. Her mother had planted the seeds and plants were popping up, but so were the weeds. Violet sat with a small spade and tried to eliminate as many weeds as she could, when she heard a buggy drive up.
She shielded her eyes to see who it was, and smudged dirt on her face, but still couldn’t see who’d arrived. She hoped, owing to her appearance, that the visitor was for her mother. She knelt back to continue pulling weeds and let her mother deal with the guest.
“Violet!” her mother called in a voice that was softer than usual. She turned, and there stood none other than Gavin McKenzie. How did he even know where she lived in Abilene?
Surprised, she stood and walked toward her mother and Gavin.
“Violet, this gentleman is here to see you, but I don’t believe I’m acquainted with him.” Lavinia smiled up at the man, which served to soften her words.
“Gavin McKenzie, this is my mother, Lavinia Jeffries,” Violet said.
“Nice to meet you,” they both said in unison.
“Well, I’ll leave you two to chat. I’ll put a kettle on, in case you want tea.” Lavinia gave Violet a curious look before going back into the house.
“How did you know where to find me?” Violet said as she smoothed her hair and brushed off her soiled dress.
“You mentioned you attended Grace Church, so I stopped by there and the minister gave me directions.” He smiled. “I wish I could say that visiting you was the purpose of my visit to Abilene, but I had a meeting with the minister of Holy Cross Church over on Rock Road. We are planning a summer program for children and it’s going to be a joint effort.”
“Oh?” Violet said.
“Yes. There’s a perfect camping area half-way between Abilene and Salina, and we’re going to arrange a Bible camp for the youth from the area churches,” he explained. “The children will sleep in tents, explore nature, and play games during the day. And of course, we’ll plan Bible studies.”
“What a wonderful opportunity! I’m sure some children from Grace Church would be interested, too. I have an eight-year-old niece who would love it,” Violet said. “Would you like to come in for tea?” She looked down at her dress. “You’ll have to excuse my appearance—I was gardening.”
“You look fine, Miss Jeffries, as usual,” he said, giving her a thorough look and a smile.
Violet led him into the house, where Lavinia was preparing cups and saucers for tea. “I’ll bring the tea to the sitting room,” she said.
Violet sat on the sofa, and he chose the armchair.
“How would you like to teach at the camp?” Gavin asked.
“I’d love to,” she said. “When will it take place?”
“Not until the first week in July, but we have a lot of work to do before then. Are you willing to become a team member?” he asked, taking a cup from the tray Lavinia held out.
“Team?” Lavinia asked, before leaving with her tea tray.
Violet filled her mother in on the proposed camp for children.
“That’s a wonderful idea,” Lavinia said. “If you make up some ads, I can pass them out at Grace, too.”
“Perfect,” Gavin said. “We’re inviting all the churches in the area.”
“Mother,” Violet said, “Gavin teaches at the same school where I teach in Salina.”
Lavinia smiled. “Teachers are to be blessed. Education is so important.”
“Yes,” Gavin said as he sipped his tea gingerly. “Which why I love doing it.”
Lavinia nodded. “I’ll leave you to plan your camp,” she said as she left the room.
“So,” Violet said, “are you planning on staying here, in Abilene, while you plan the camp?”
“No, but I’ll be here on and off. I have a summer job as a house painter.”
“I didn’t know that. So you really keep busy.”
Gavin nodded. “Let me treat you to dinner. I hate to eat alone.”
“I’d love to,” Violet said.
Once they’d been seated at Pete’s, they ordered the house special, and as usual, Violet did most of the talking. She mainly asked questions about the camp. She wanted to know as much about it as she could so she be able to relate the details to Ivy and Jonas. She knew that Zoe would love the camp.
Violet nearly choked on her dinner roll when Miles walked in. She should have remembered that he always ate there. Since his sister Julia had married, he ate almost all of his meals at Pete’s.
Their table was situated in the corner, so maybe he wouldn’t notice them. She watched him take a seat at a table on the opposite side of the room, but he was facing in their direction. Gavin’s back was to Miles, so Violet tried to sit in a way that would block Miles’s view of her. It seemed to work, at least until Gavin stood to pay his check.
Miles read the newspaper as he ate, but when a tall man stood, he glanced up at him. Another stranger, he noted, and was about to return to reading his newspaper when he noticed the stranger’s eating partner was—Violet! His Violet!
Violet and Miles sat, staring at each other in shock while the stranger paid the bill. Miles bet anything the stranger was from Salina, and that he was the reason she’d broken off their betrothal. He frowned, but no matter how he tried, he just couldn’t break the eye contact with her.
He thought about not reacting at all, but then something urged him to act, in order to show her that he wasn’t grieving over the breakup. He stood and walked over to their table, just as the stranger returned to his seat.
“Hello, Violet,” Miles said. He noticed the stranger swing aroun
d and glare at him.
Miles’s action forced Violet to introduce her dinner partner. His first opinion of the man was that he was much too old for Violet. He had to be at least thirty if he was a day! And, hadn’t Violet once told him she’d preferred clean-shaven men?
Miles shook the man’s hand and mumbled a polite response.
Violet quickly added, “Miles goes to my church.”
Miles frowned and raised an eyebrow at Violet. That’s all he was to her? A fellow church member? Miles said nothing, but turned to look at this McKenzie fellow, so Violet would have to reveal her connection to him.
“Mr. McKenzie’s a teacher in Salina. He teaches the older students,” she explained.
“Ah, a teacher. Will you be staying in Abilene long?” Miles asked. He noted Violet’s slight frown when he asked.
“Since we’re planning a big event, I’ll be here on and off all summer,” McKenzie said.
Miles’s heart leapt. Event? Like in a wedding? He dared not intrude further. He’d accomplished what he’d set out to.
Miles nodded to them both. “Nice seeing you, Violet, Mr. McKenzie,” Miles said, and he walked back to his table, and his newspaper. He pretended to be engrossed in the newspaper while Violet and Gavin prepared to leave.
After they’d gone he held his head in his hands. Now he knew she was gone forever. He hadn’t felt this empty and hurt since his mother had died. How would he ever cope with seeing Violet and that man married?
Both Gavin and Violet were quiet on the way home. Violet was thinking about Miles and his reaction. It certainly wasn’t what she’d expected. She was so sure his reaction would have been different, but he seemed to be taking the breakup quite well. She didn’t know if she should be happy about it, or hurt, because he cared less than she’d thought. Maybe the months they’d been apart had helped to ease the pain of the breakup somewhat for him.