The Widow of Rose Hill (The Women of Rose Hill Book 2)

by Michelle Shocklee

  As soon as Moses returned, Levi decided, he’d have the servant deliver a message to Natalie, asking her to come see him. When she arrived, he’d declare his love and promise to do everything in his power to bring the plantations back to their former glory. As long as he had her by his side, it didn’t matter where they lived.

  Restless while he waited, he glanced around the small room, looking for something to occupy his time. His gaze landed on Moses’ Bible on the table beside the bed. Though the big man couldn’t read many words, he seemed to enjoy simply holding the book in his hands.

  Levi reached for it and winced when the stitches in his shoulder stretched, but he managed to get the book without tumbling off the mattress. He rested it on his lap, flipped open the cover, and turned pages. It had been a while since he’d read the Bible for himself. There hadn’t been much opportunity during the war, although he suspected he should have found time. He thumbed through it until he reached the Psalms. What was Ma’s favorite? The one she quoted to her sons as they headed off to war?

  He soon found what he was looking for. Psalm eighteen. I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.

  A fragment of memory flit across his mind. A woman’s voice reading those words to him. Ma? No, not his mother’s voice. Softer.

  The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer.

  The memory cleared. Natalie. It had been Natalie reading those precious words. When? It must have been after he was brought to Rose Hill. She’d been with him while he was unconscious, reading from God’s word.

  Go to her, the voice in his heart seemed to say.

  He didn’t need to be told twice. He laid the book aside and eased his legs off the bed, pivoting until his feet were flat on the floor. Using the back of the chair for balance, he rose. A wave of dizziness and stars exploded in his head, but he gripped the chair and fought to stay upright. When his vision cleared, he looked down at his half-naked body. He certainly couldn’t go to her like this.

  The fresh uniform Banks had brought for his trip back to Langford tomorrow hung on a hook across the room. Though it took an interminable amount of time, Levi dressed himself, mostly. He managed to put his injured arm through the sleeve, but buttoning the garment with one hand proved impossible, nor could he manage his boots. Though not completely attired, his small accomplishment made him smile. Now, if he could just walk to the door without falling.

  Pushing the chair in front of him as a sort of crutch, he shuffled to the entry, feeling a little stronger with each step. Fresh air and sunshine greeted him when he stepped out the door. With a deep breath, he filled his lungs. It felt good to be upright.

  He glanced toward the kitchen then toward the house. Where would he find Natalie this time of morning? According to Samuel, she had been assisting with nearly every chore there was on the plantation, bringing Levi a smile of pride for her efforts.

  Taking a chance he would find her in the house, he stepped off the narrow porch onto the expanse of lawn. He chuckled when his feet hit the cool, prickly greenery. How long had it been since he’d walked barefoot in the grass? When he reached the porch that surrounded the house, he grasped a post and hoisted himself up. Though his shoulder throbbed, his determination kept him going.

  Inside, all was quiet.

  He glanced up the back stairway and listened. No sound came from upstairs. With a hand on the wall to brace himself, he made his way toward the front foyer. He’d look in the parlor and dining room before checking outside. He moved soundlessly down the hall.

  “Ouch!”

  The exclamation came from the parlor.

  When he reached the doorway of that room, he found Natalie sitting beside the window, her head bent over what looked like a pair of Samuel’s overalls. A needle and thread dangled from her hand. He drank in the sight of her like a man at a deep well after being lost in the desert. Beautiful. If he weren’t mistaken, she was wearing the same blue-and-white striped gown he’d seen her in the first day he and his men had arrived at Rose Hill with the freedom proclamation.

  Her brow knit in frustration. She examined her thumb before popping it into her mouth. She looked up, and her eyes rounded.

  “Levi!” She stood, the overalls falling to the floor.

  He smiled. She’d used his given name. A good sign. “I hope I’m not interrupting.” He indicated the small garment on the floor.

  “No, of course not.” She bent and picked it up. Clutching it to her, her wide eyes met his. “Should you be up? The doctor said tomorrow.”

  “I managed fairly well,” he said. Her concern quieted any lingering doubts he’d had about her feelings. “I could use some help with the buttons on my shirt, however. Accomplishing the task with one hand is beyond my talents, I’m afraid.”

  Her eyes traveled to his bare chest, and a pretty flush filled her cheeks. When her gaze met his again, he raised his brow in question.

  She laid the overalls on the chair and crossed the room. He breathed in the rose scent of her hair, savoring her nearness after the prolonged absence. When she reached to push the first button through the hole, the slight trembling of her delicate fingers gave away her nervousness. Once the job was completed, she released the breath she’d been holding.

  “Thank you.” A wave of dizziness hit. “I believe I should sit now.”

  She steadied him and helped him to the sofa. He had to admit, having her see to his needs was rather pleasant.

  “I’ll call Moses and have him help you back to your room,” she said, heading for the door.

  “Please don’t. I’m glad to be away from my bed, even for a little while. Besides,” he said, his eyes imploring her to see his heart, “you and I need to talk.”

  She swallowed. “Oh?”

  “Come.” He patted the space beside him.

  She settled on the edge of the seat. The sheer fabric of her skirt touched his leg, and she tucked it beneath her.

  “Why haven’t you been to see me?”

  Her face lifted to his, her eyes wide. “It … it wouldn’t be proper.”

  Her answer made him smile. He studied her features. Her creamy skin. The thick lashes surrounding her sky-blue eyes. When she looked away, he put his finger beneath her chin to turn her back to him, sorely tempted to kiss her. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

  She shook her head. “I’ve been busy.” She rose and crossed to the fireplace, nervously smoothing the fabric of her dress over her corset. “The work around the plantation never ceases. Harvest is just a few weeks away, followed by the sale of the cotton.” She paused and moistened her lips. “Then there are all the necessary preparations for closing the house.”

  “Closing the house?” Levi frowned. This bit of news caught him off guard. With Lopez on his way to Mexico, taking his phony marriage proposal with him, Levi knew she had no plans for matrimony. What was she up to?

  Indecision flickered in her eyes when she met his. She seemed hesitant to answer, but finally, squaring her shoulders, she said, “I haven’t mentioned this to Moses and Harriet yet, but I’ve decided to leave Rose Hill.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Natalie’s legs trembled, and she grasped the mantel for support. She very much needed to sit down, but not beside Levi. His nearness was too distracting, and she had to keep her thoughts clear. Now that the moment had arrived to confess her love, she wasn’t sure she had the courage to follow through.

  “What do you mean?” His dark eyes narrowed on her.

  “I mean just what I said.” She straightened the items on the polished mahogany of the mantel. “For years, everyone has told me the plantation is too much for a woman to manage by herself. With the slaves, I was able to keep things going, but now that I’ll have to pay workers, it is simply beyond my means.”

  She glanced at him and found his full attention on her. She moved to the window to keep him from seeing her nervousness. “At first I thought about going to Oregon to visit my family. Samuel’s never met his cousins and his half-
sister. I’d love to see Adella Rose again. But”—she gathered the nerve to turn and look at him and found he wore an odd little smile—“what I truly want is—”

  “Oregon, hmm? That’s certainly a far piece from Texas.”

  “It is, but—”

  “You’re a stubborn woman, Natalie Langford Ellis.”

  She looked at him, hurt by the rebuke. “How can you say such a thing when I’m willing to give up everything?”

  “You don’t have to.” He stood, waited a moment to steady himself, then walked to her.

  “Yes, I do,” she whispered, trembling. “It’s the only way to have what I truly want.”

  A slight frown tugged his brow. “Are we talking about the plantations? Or something else?”

  Her heart beat so hard, she was certain he could hear it. Looking up into his dear face, her eyes filled with tears. “I don’t want the plantations if it means losing you. I know I was foolish to trust Alexander. I should have listened to you. I wouldn’t blame you if you left Rose Hill and never looked back. But the truth is … I love you, Levi.” The last words came out in a sob.

  When a tear slid down her face, he wiped it away. “My beautiful Natalie.”

  Hope surged through her. “Can you forgive me?”

  “For what?” He smoothed her cheek with his thumb. “You leased your land to a man who fooled many people with his lies and fancy clothes. You fought to keep the plantations going against all odds. You love your son to distraction and want nothing but the best for his future.” He lifted her hand and kissed a dried blister on her palm. “You haven’t shied away from hard work, and you’ve earned the respect and friendship of your former slaves by treating them like the human beings they are.”

  His eyes caressed her face for a long moment. “You, Natalie, are the woman I love. I want to be your husband and Samuel’s father. I’m not going back to Pennsylvania. You and Samuel are most important.”

  The words were everything she’d longed to hear. “I love you, Levi.” She touched his bearded cheek. “But Texas isn’t your home. You belong in Pennsylvania with your family. And so do Samuel and I.”

  He captured her hand and held it against his chest, his heartbeat beneath her fingers. “You’d give up everything? What about Samuel’s inheritance? His future?”

  She nodded, her eyes filling with joyful tears. “Our future is with you.”

  The words were no more out of her mouth than his lips descended upon hers, his beard tickling her in the most delicious way. He placed his hand on the back of her head and pulled her close to his body. She wrapped her arms around his waist, lost in the warm sensations flooding every inch of her. Oh, how she loved this man.

  She never wanted to let him go.

  “Tell me about Penns’a’vaina again, Papa Co’nel.”

  Seated on the porch swing with the two most important men in her life, Natalie met Levi’s gaze, a look so full of love in his eyes, her heart nearly burst with happiness. Together, they’d told Samuel their news before supper. He’d asked dozens of questions about Pennsylvania, about Levi’s family, and about whether or not Ebenezer would be allowed to come with them to their new home. One question had brought tears to her eyes—when Samuel had shyly asked Levi if he could call him Papa. Levi, she suspected, had held back a few tears of his own when he’d nodded and said he’d be proud to be Samuel’s papa.

  Now Samuel sat between them on the swing, bouncing from her lap to Levi’s, chattering about his new cousins and his new grandparents and anything else his four-year-old mind could drum up.

  “Pennsylvania isn’t as big as Texas, but there are lots of trees and streams and lakes. I have a secret fishing hole I’ll take you to not far from my brother’s place.”

  The two exchanged a smile that warmed Natalie’s heart.

  Samuel bounded off the swing and hurried down the steps to where Moses was teaching Isaac how to whittle a whistle. The boys were soon tussling in the grass with Ebenezer.

  “It shore is gonna be quiet around here without that chile,” Harriet said from her place on a wicker chair. Carolina and Corporal Banks sat on the sofa while Lottie stood near the rail with Jude Liberty in her arms, swaying the wee one to sleep.

  Natalie nodded, realizing how dear each of them had become to her. “He will certainly miss Isaac.”

  “Guess Samuel gonna need him a brother,” Carolina said, grinning.

  Levi’s smile broadened as Natalie’s face grew warm at the bold suggestion. “That sounds like a good plan.” He grew serious. “It’s still hard to imagine I’ll be out of the army soon.”

  Corporal Banks had delivered a message a short time ago from General Granger informing Levi the end of his service had been hastened due to his injury. He and Banks both would go home in a matter of weeks.

  “Are you terribly disappointed?” Natalie asked.

  “No.” He reached across the empty space Samuel had occupied to take her hand. “My time as a colonel has come to an end. Now I’ll be a husband and a father and a carpenter. I like the sound of those titles.”

  She squeezed his hand.

  The setting sun cast shadows across the yard as they talked about the future, their plans, and God’s goodness to each of them. Moses and Harriet had agreed to stay on at Rose Hill as caretakers and sharecrop the land. Harriet had decided Lottie and little Jude Liberty were part of their family, so she’d also stay. Natalie invited them to move into the big house, but they said the room above the kitchen had plenty of space for their needs. Lottie would settle into a quarter house once the harvest was complete. When Isaac got older, they planned to set him up in the bachelor’s quarters.

  Natalie and Levi came to the decision that once the army vacated Langford Manor, she would sell it to help pay the expenses at Rose Hill. Though she’d worried all these changes would bring about a sense of sadness, she felt nothing but peace when she looked at Levi, knowing her future was with this man, no matter where God took them.

  As the evening wore on, Samuel and Isaac settled on their papas’ laps, their eyelids drooping, while the adults shared stories. It was just before dark when Ebenezer’s ears perked, and he rose from his place at Levi’s feet. Natalie watched the dog, who stared toward the road. She glanced in that direction, wondering if he’d spotted a coyote or raccoon. She hoped it wasn’t the skunk that had tried to get into the chicken coop a few nights past.

  In a flash, Ebenezer bounded off the porch and ran out of the yard.

  “What got into him?” Levi asked.

  Moses, still sitting on the bottom step with his back against the rail posts, craned his neck. “Look like someone be comin’ on foot.” He set sleepy Isaac on the step and stood.

  Natalie strained to see in the dimming light. Indeed, two figures emerged from the shadows of the trees, making their way toward the house. Ebenezer happily trotted beside them.

  “My Lord Jesus,” Moses breathed, taking two steps forward.

  Harriet stood.

  With tears streaming down his face, Moses turned to her. “The Lord Jesus done answered your prayers, wife.” Harriet rushed down the steps and stared at the two figures approaching.

  Natalie stood and moved to the edge of the porch. After laying Samuel on the swing, Levi joined her. He put his arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into him.

  She could see the strangers now. Two young Negro men trudged through the dust as though they’d walked many miles to get there. A small pack was slung over each weary back.

  Moses took off at a run, and Harriet was right behind. Seeing them, the young men broke into a sprint, closing the gap. When Moses reached them, his wide arms captured both men in a fierce embrace, his cries echoing in the still night. Harriet drew up close, and one of the men broke free from Moses and practically fell into her outstretched arms. Her wails reached the heavens. Little Isaac watched the reunion with wide eyes before running to join his family.

  “Oh, Levi,” Natalie whispered, tears streaming down her c
heeks.

  His arm tightened around her, and she buried her face in his chest. How many prayers had Moses and Harriet said, asking for this very thing? How many families were yet praying for the sweetness of being together once again?

  When she looked up at Levi’s emotion-filled eyes, she touched his face. “You did this. You and Corporal Banks and all the others who fought to end slavery. You gave them freedom. You gave them a new life.”

  He cupped her chin, smoothing her cheek. “God did this, my love. For them, and for you, and for me, and for Samuel. Freedom isn’t just for the slaves.” He kissed her forehead and drew her close. “A new beginning awaits us all.”

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Thirty years ago when I married my best friend, I could have never imagined all the adventures life would take us on. Thank you, Brian, for loving me and supporting all my wild and crazy ideas. You are the hero of my heart. Forever and ever, amen.

  To my sons, Taylor and Austin, as the dedication of this book says, you are my joy, my pride, my heart. Though you have become tall, handsome, and brilliant young men, you will always be my little boys. While writing the final scene of the book, tears rolled down my face, imagining how I would have felt being reunited with you after believing you were lost to me forever. My heartfelt prayer is that we will live out eternity in side-by-side mansions in glory.

  Much thanks to my agent, Les Stobbe, for your trusted advice and faithful encouragement. I’m so grateful to have you on my team.

  Long before I send a manuscript to my editors, my amazing critique and prayer partner, Paula Scott Bicknell, reads it. Thank you, sweet Paula, for your friendship, your prayers, and your expertise in all things writing. I’m ever so thankful we met at the ACFW conference in Denver many moons ago.