“Is school going well?”
“Yes, the girls are both bright and eager to learn. But it will be good when we have a real school for them to attend.” Lexie glanced over at her aunt to see worry lines on her face. “What’s wrong?”
“Alexandra, you don’t know for sure that the girls will be here that long. What if a family is found for them?”
A chill went through Lexie. “Oh, Aunt Kate, what will I do without them?”
“I know you love the twins, Lexie.” Aunt Kate sighed. “It’s not easy raising children alone.”
“It wouldn’t be hard raising Tuck and Addy.”
“You say that now, but life brings problems, and they’re easier if you have someone to help solve them.”
“Jack loves them, too. I think it will be as hard on him if we lose them.” She felt her aunt’s gaze on her and looked up. “What is it?”
“Why don’t you two get married and adopt the girls?”
Lexie’s mouth fell open. She couldn’t deny the thought had crossed her mind. Or maybe not actually crossed it…perhaps teased her mind was closer. But to have it put into words was rather shocking. “But that would be a marriage of convenience, Aunt Kate.” She shook her head. “I would never marry someone I didn’t love.”
“Are you sure you don’t love him?” How did Aunt Kate know so much about what went on in her heart?
“No, I’m not sure at all. But I would also have to be loved in return.” She rose as she heard the wagon pull into the yard.
Chapter 19
It seemed he’d just gotten home. How did the time go by so quickly? Jack stood in the yard holding Champion’s reins. The girls were pressed to his sides, their arms intertwined around his waist.
“Do you have to go, Mr. Jack?” Addy’s voice whined the words, and she followed them with a woebegone sigh.
“I’m afraid I do.” But maybe for the last time. He’d made up his mind. He would sell the Julia Dawn as soon as possible. He could only hope Thompson meant what he’d said about buying. Otherwise Jack would have to stay with the boat until he could find a buyer. He had calculated to the penny based on his asking price. It would get them through a couple of crop seasons until the farm started producing enough to live on.
He licked his lips. “Addy, Tuck, you need to let go now. I want to talk to Miss Lexie for a few minutes before I leave.”
The girls turned loose, and after giving them a final hug, he sent them to play.
Lexie stood by the steps, her shoulders stiff and her face pale.
Jack walked over, leading Champion, and tied the horse to the porch rail. “Lexie”—he took both her hands in his—“I guess it’s no secret how I feel about the twins. I don’t think I could give them up. And, yes, I’ll admit, I’ve grown fond of you these past few weeks, too.”
She jerked her head up and stared at him.
He cleared his throat. “What I mean to say is would you consider marrying me so we can give Tuck and Addy a home?”
Still, she stared. Then slowly, tears began to well up. She blinked them back and turned her head away. When she looked up at him, finally all traces of the tears were gone. “This is a pretty big step, Jack. I don’t think I can give you an answer right now. I’ll need to think and pray about it.” Her voice was firm, businesslike, and she pulled her hands loose from his.
He looked at her in confusion. He’d thought she was beginning to feel the same about him that he did her. And he’d noticed she wasn’t paying any more attention to the reverend, Allen Hines, than she did to anyone else, so apparently they weren’t courting. Dread lay on his heart like a boulder. He must have missed something.
Had he worn his feelings on his shoulder? He didn’t want to appear a pathetic figure in her eyes. But at least she was willing to consider the marriage for the sake of providing a home for Tuck and Addy. He took a deep breath. He didn’t like the idea of a marriage of convenience, but if that turned out to be her terms, then he could live with the situation. He gave a short nod. “Of course. I don’t have to have an answer this very minute. Think about it, and let me know when you’ve made your decision.”
Anger cut through him as he rode away. Not anger at her but at himself. How could he have misread her so badly? And how must she feel at this moment?
Lexie’s chest tightened, and her breath came in short gasps until dizziness threatened to overwhelm her. She consciously slowed her breathing and concentrated on relaxing until her breaths came normally again. Jack was out of sight now. She couldn’t even hear the galloping of the horse anymore. She turned and made her way to one of the rockers and eased herself into the seat.
He’d asked her to do the very thing she’d promised herself she’d never do. She’d told herself she would rather be single than to marry without love. She shouldn’t be surprised, and for that matter she couldn’t really fault him. Obviously he loved the twins very much to make such a sacrifice to provide them with a home. But what about Julia Dawn? Maybe she’d died and that was why he’d named the boat after her. Well, hadn’t she herself pleaded with God for a solution, any solution to the problem? If this was His answer, then she’d do it, willingly. Only, she’d never expected a loveless marriage to be part of the deal.
Oh yes, Jack had added the part about being fond of her, and maybe he had become fond of her in a friendly sort of way, but of course his real objective was the girls. She’d been foolish to believe he was falling in love with her as she was with him.
She sighed and leaned back in the rocker. Laughter drifted up from the backyard. Tuck and Addy at play. She had to pull herself together before they came back to the house. She mustn’t let them see anything was amiss. And Aunt Kate would be here in the morning. She would know something was wrong unless Lexie could manage to calm herself.
She jumped as both girls landed on the step and thundered up onto the porch, giggling and laughing.
“Oh, what have you girls been doing? You’re filthy.” Their faces were smeared with mud, and their clothing was dirty.
“The hog got out. We had to put him back in the pen. Guess we slipped in the mud, a couple of times.” Tuck glanced down at her overalls and at the mud that caked her hands.
Weariness washed over Lexie. She pulled herself up from the chair. “Come on. Let’s bring water in to heat. You girls will have to wait in the mudroom until it’s hot. I don’t want that mess tracked into the house.”
When the girls were finally in side-by-side tubs, Lexie sat on a low stool to make sure they scrubbed every inch of the mud off. The humor of the situation was beginning to sink in and had chased some of the tiredness away.
“Miss Lexie, I think Mr. Jack wants to marry you.” Addy wiped soapsuds off her face.
Lexie felt the sinking in her heart again. “What makes you say that?”
“ ‘Cause,” said Tuck, “we told him what you said about needing to get married before we could all live together. He listened real good and thought about it for a long time.”
Oh no. Lexie’s heart sank even more. Humiliation wrapped itself around her like a cocoon, and she fought back tears of shame. So the marriage wasn’t even Jack’s idea. He thought she had said she wanted to marry him. Somehow that made things even worse.
She managed to get through supper and the girls’ story and prayer time without their noticing anything wrong. Afterward, she lay awake long into the night.
Will brought Aunt Kate over right after breakfast. The girls rushed over and grabbed her as soon as she was out of the wagon.
“Woowee, you two are about to squeeze all the air out of me.” Aunt Kate squeezed back.
They all waved at Will and piled into the house, the girls carrying Aunt Kate’s old brown suitcase. They led her to the extra room and helped her put her things away in a drawer they’d cleaned out for her.
“Aunt Kate, will you make ginger cookies? Miss Lexie’s are always too hard.” Tuck was honest to a fault. That was if honesty could be a fault. Still, Lexie
planned to teach the child that a little subtlety was sometimes called for.
It was afternoon, while the children were bent over their lessons, before Lexie had a chance to talk to Aunt Kate. She’d made a decision after a long night of agonizing prayer. The two of them had gone out to the porch to have their tea. The day had warmed up some and the sun shone brightly on the chairs where they sat balancing their cups and saucers.
“So how are the bride and groom today?” Lexie smiled, determined to find joy in her brother’s happiness.
“Oh, they’re like a couple of lovebirds.” Aunt Kate laughed. “Their happiness is making the old house sing.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m so very happy for them.” She paused a moment then continued. “There may be another happy couple soon.”
Aunt Kate perked up. “Oh. Who?”
“Hold onto your teacup.” Lexie laughed. “Jack has asked me to marry him.”
Aunt Kate’s mouth flew open. “I knew you two were in love. You just had to find out for yourselves.”
“Well, Auntie, you always seem to know.” Lexie smiled.
“So when is the happy day?”
“I haven’t actually given him my answer,” Lexie said, pushing back the sob that wanted to explode from her throat. “So you mustn’t tell anyone yet. I wasn’t sure until this morning. But when I woke up today, the answer was clear. And it’s yes.”
Aunt Kate’s smile froze on her face as she looked at Lexie. “What are you not telling me?”
Lexie laughed. “Why, Aunt Kate, why would you think that? I’ve told you all I know at the moment. I’m sure we’ll talk about the wedding date when Jack returns from his trip.” Aunt Kate opened her mouth, but Lexie rushed on. “He’s planning to sell his riverboat and start farming. At the wedding dinner, he told me all about how his father was a farmer and taught Jack all about it when he was a child. Jack says it’s in his blood. Won’t it be wonderful to see these fields flourishing again?”
Aunt Kate took a sip of her tea then nodded. “Why, yes, it’s always nice to see the land brought back. I’m sure Jack will make a very good farmer.”
“Miss Lexie?” Addy stood at the door. “Could you please help me with this arithmetic problem?”
“Of course, Addy. Bring it here.” Good, she needed a respite. She didn’t know how much longer she could keep up the pretense.
If she was having this much trouble with Aunt Kate, how would she convince anyone else?
Could she play the part of the blushing bride? And if she could, wouldn’t it be dishonest? She sighed. Surely it would get easier in time.
Jack stood at the Julia Dawn’s bow and watched the churning of the water as they headed downriver toward Arkansas. Things sure hadn’t gone the way he planned yesterday. When the girls had told him what Lexie said about getting married, his heart had soared. He realized now they must have gotten her words or the meaning of them mixed up. He should have waited a little longer before asking her to marry him. Shouldn’t have told her he cared for her. It was too soon.
Well, at least good news had met him when he’d boarded the boat. Thompson was eager to take over as owner and captain of the Julia Dawn. Jack would tell the crew after they headed back to Forsyth. He was pretty sure most of them, if not all, would stay signed on with the new captain.
He sighed. There was no denying he’d miss the old girl. The feel of the deck under his feet, the little, almost imperceptible movements she made through different sections of the river. The smell of wet ropes and smoke from the smokestack. She’d been a good companion.
Bull would probably change her name anyway. A pang shot through him at the thought, but he pushed it away. He’d take the nameplate with his mother’s name on it. He could display the sign somewhere, maybe over the mantel. Or if Lexie didn’t want the memento over the mantel, he’d find another spot.
He shook his head and laughed at himself. Even after her reaction to his proposal he was still assuming her answer would be yes. Something squeezed at his insides. Who was he to think he deserved a woman like Alexandra Rayton and two great kids like Tuck and Addy?
What would he do if the answer was no? In that case, he figured the twins would be better off with her than staying with him. They hadn’t had a ma in a long, long time.
Chapter 20
Not much to show for fifteen years on the river. Except for what was in his wallet. Jack grinned. He’d made a tidy profit off his investment. His needs had been slight on the river, and the belongings he’d collected, with a few articles of clothing, fit in one double saddlebag.
He’d thought he might have regrets once the deed was done and the Julia Dawn was gone from him forever, but instead he rode with a lightheartedness he couldn’t explain. The only hitch to his good mood was the uncertainty about Lexie’s answer to his proposal. But he’d be okay even if her answer was no. He knew that now.
Last night he’d been in the pit of despair over it all. Then to his own surprise, he found himself calling on God and surrendering it all to Him. The immediate peace he’d experienced had brought a joy he hadn’t known since he was a small boy. Come to think of it, that must be the source of his lightheartedness. He’d always heard knowing God brought joy, but now he knew it was true.
He laughed out loud and the sound echoed across the predawn land. He pulled up beneath a flaming sugar maple for a moment to enjoy the sun rising over a tree-studded hill. Too bad he hadn’t recognized the beauty of this place when he was a boy. He’d been so embittered with God and the world after his parents’ deaths, he couldn’t see beauty in anything.
He flicked the reins and coaxed Champion into a canter. Leaves of red, brown, orange, and gold scattered under the palomino’s hooves. Soon the house came into sight.
With a start, he noticed a grizzled black mule tied to a hydrangea bush. A man was hunched over by the front porch with one foot raised to step up.
Anger in his throat, Jack jumped off Champion and landed running.
The prowler swung around at the sound of his footsteps and cringed against the porch railing. It was the young man at the picnic who’d been staring at Lexie.
Jack dove and grabbed him around the waist, dragging him to the ground.
“Girls, stop squabbling and finish your breakfast. We have a full day of studies today.”
“Sorry, Miss Lexie.” Addy ducked her head and took a bite from the cinnamon-topped oatmeal.
“Okay, but she started it.” Tuck frowned in her sister’s direction but crammed a full spoon of oatmeal into her mouth.
A crash on the porch startled Lexie, and she dropped the pan she was washing. Tuck and Addy’s eyes grew wide, and Lexie clutched at her throat.
The noise continued, interspersed with yells and grunts.
Dear God, protect us. Lexie grabbed the iron skillet off the nail behind the stove and ran for the front door. She flung it open, the skillet in the air. She gasped. “Jack!”
He had someone pinned down. Lexie could only see a pair of swinging legs.
“I ain’t done nothin’. Let me up. I promise. I wasn’t doing anything wrong.”
“Jack! It’s one of the Maxwell boys. Let him up.” Forgetting she’d been suspicious of the man recently, she lowered the skillet. His pleas had sounded frightened.
Jack swiveled his head and stared at her. “But he was sneaking around the porch.”
“Let’s at least hear what he has to say. Let him up, please.”
With a snort of exasperation, Jack scrambled to his feet, then grabbed Billy Joe’s arm loosely and helped him up. “Okay, let’s hear it. Why were you skulking around here?”
Billy Joe darted a glance around as though looking for someone to rescue him. Finally, he met Lexie’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Miss Rayton. Didn’t mean to skulk. I was gonna listen before I knocked because I didn’t want to wake you’uns up.”
“All right, Billy Joe. I believe you.” Lexie ran a hand nervously across her cheek. “Why don’t we all go inside,
and we’ll listen to Billy Joe’s story. I can use a cup of coffee about now.”
They went inside, Jack’s hand holding firmly to Billy Joe’s arm, while the man kept his eyes to the floor.
Lexie sent the girls into the parlor with instructions to write the alphabet in cursive. Then she poured cups of coffee and put them on the table.
Jack stood grimly while Billy Joe sat at one end of the table.
Lexie sat at the other end. “All right, Billy Joe, tell us why you’re here.”
He swallowed, gulped, and cleared his throat. “Miss Rayton, I heered you was teaching school to these here girls.”
“What does that have to do with you?” Jack lashed out before Lexie frowned him to silence.
“Wal—you see—” He took a deep breath then continued with a rush. “I figgered maybe if I ast you, you might learn me to read and write.”
Lexie almost laughed in relief until she saw Billy Joe’s face. Hope, shame, and challenge, all rolled into one pleading look.
She glanced at Jack, who gave her a startled look and sat down, shamefaced.
Lexie bit her lip. Was she up to it? It was one thing to jump into something in a moment of pity or charity. But on a day-to-day basis? She sighed. It would be a challenge. “Billy Joe, you do know a school will be starting in the spring?” That seemed like the best solution for him.
“Yes, ma’am. But most of the kids my age can at least read and write. I’m afraid they’ll make fun of me.”
Lord? Lexie looked at the boy. “All right, Billy Joe, but the girls and I will be taking a break for Christmas soon. Let’s wait and start your lessons after the first of the year.”
“Now wait a minute.” The frown on Jack’s face told more than words what he thought of the idea.
Lexie pushed her chair back and rose. “Come on, Billy Joe. I’ll walk you to the door.”
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