He spun her around, and before she knew it his arms were wrapped around her. She collapsed in giggles against him.
Simon gripped her arms tighter, and she fell against his chest. “Aren’t you a tricky one? Thought you could pull one over on me while I was taking my shoes off.”
She laughed and twisted in his arms. Suddenly he was very still, and she looked up into his face. The laughter died in her throat at his intense expression. She shivered, but she couldn’t pull away from him. His arms tightened, and he groaned. “Oh, Anna, you’re so beautiful.”
Her heart pounded in her chest as his lips pressed against hers. Even though her mind cried out a warning, she brought her arms up, circled his neck, and reveled in the thrill of the moment. Never had anything felt so right as it did to be in Simon’s arms. Suddenly the thought of her brother flashed into her mind and she pulled away. She wiggled from his embrace and took a step to distance herself from him.
“Anna, what’s wrong?” His husky voice was barely more than a whisper.
“We can’t do this, Simon.”
He swallowed, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. Anguish lined his features, and he hesitated as if debating whether or not to speak. He let out a long breath. “Why not? I feel drawn to you, Anna. I can’t help it. I find myself thinking about you all the time. When I’m with you, I can’t make myself quit looking at you. I wanted to kiss you, and I know you wanted it too.”
She couldn’t meet his gaze. “It doesn’t matter if I wanted it or not. I feel guilty because it happened.”
He frowned at her. “Why?”
“Because I got caught up in the moment and forgot about why I’m here.”
Simon’s shoulders slumped. “And you’re going to leave.”
“Yes. I was honest with you about that from the first day I arrived.”
Anna turned away and walked toward the big tree at the other end of the field where she and Simon had first peeled apples together. Simon followed. When she reached the chairs still sitting under the tree, she sank down on one. Simon dropped down in the other and put his shoes back on.
She struggled to keep the tears from flooding her eyes. “I want to be fair to you. I’ve told you ever since I came here that I’m going to New York.”
“I know that’s what you thought. But things change. What if there’s something better for you here, Anna? Have you thought about that?”
She wanted to make him understand. “I can’t change what was set in motion before I came. My brother is the reason I’m here. He’ll only give me the money for school if I get a good report from Granny.” She doubled her fists. “I’m not going to let him win.”
He stood and stared at the clover for a few moments before he faced her. “I see. Then the way I feel is of no importance to you?”
She jumped up and grabbed his arm. “Of course you’re important to me, and of course I have feelings for you like I’ve never had for anyone before. But falling in love is something I want to do in the future… after I’ve finished school.”
A muscle in his jaw twitched, and his lips trembled. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “It seems like you have your life planned out. Thank you for speaking so frankly with me, Anna. I hope everything works out, and you get to New York.”
The hurt in his eyes pricked her heart, and a tear trickled down her cheek. She took a deep breath. “And what about you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Granny told me you came back when your parents were sick and that you didn’t get to return to school. Don’t you ever wish you hadn’t stayed here? You’re such a good preacher I’m sure you could have pastored a big church in a city.”
His face drained of color, and his lips trembled. “How did you know?”
She frowned. “Know what?”
“That I wanted to do just that, but God didn’t give it to me. I thought He wanted me to preach to large congregations and win lots of souls for Him, but He kept me here in the Cove.”
“And you’ve regretted that?”
He tilted his head to the side. “Maybe not regretted. I don’t understand why God left me here. My teachers at Milligan said I was the best student of the Bible they’d seen. They thought I would do great things. Instead I’m still here in the Cove where most of the people are Christians. Now I doubt I’ll ever leave.”
She grasped his hand. “Then why not come to New York with me? I’m sure your former teachers could help you find a church there. We could see each other all the time, and it would give us time to figure out this…whatever it is we feel for each other.”
He didn’t speak for a moment, but then shook his head. “Somehow I don’t think God wants me in New York. If He wants me to leave the Cove, He’ll work it out for me. Until then I’ll stay right here.”
She took a deep breath. “When I’m an old woman, I don’t want to question God about why He didn’t let me become a nurse. I intend to go to New York in the fall. If that means putting my personal feelings aside, I’ll do it. Do you understand?”
Simon blinked and backed away from her. “Yes. I didn’t mean to upset you. Forgive me, Anna. It won’t happen again.”
She struggled to speak. “There’s nothing to forgive.”
He straightened his shoulders. “I think I’d better be gettin’ on home. I hope to see you soon.”
Anna watched him leave, her heart aching at the slump of his shoulders. In a few minutes she heard the clip-clop of his horse’s hooves on the road in front of the house. She wanted to run around the house and watch him leave, but she steeled herself to walk back inside.
When she entered the kitchen, Granny, an astonished look on her face, put out her hand to stop Anna, but she rushed past into her bedroom. She threw herself across the bed and began to sob.
A gentle hand touched her back and she sat up. Granny sat down beside her, concern on her face. “Child, what happened? Simon come in and left in a hurry, then you run in here a-cryin’. What is it?”
Anna threw herself into Granny’s arms. “Oh, Granny. I don’t understand what it is about Simon that makes me forget everything I’ve dreamed about for years. Is my brother right? Am I so spoiled that I want everything I see?”
Granny caressed her head. “Hush, now,” she crooned. “You ain’t spoiled. Jest maybe mixed up ’bout your feelin’s. That ain’t uncommon for a young woman.”
She pulled back and stared into Granny’s eyes. “Why do I feel like I’ve always known Simon? When he looks at me, I forget all about New York.”
“What does Simon say?”
Anna wiped away the tears. “He said he feels drawn to me—that he thinks about me all the time.”
Granny smiled. “Sounds like there’s somethin’ a-brewin’ ’twixt the two of you. Don’t worry, child. Jest pray about it, and God will lead you in the right way.”
Anna nodded. “I’ll pray, Granny, but I’m going to pray that God will take these feelings away.”
As much as he wanted to, Simon didn’t look back as he rode away from Granny’s. He was afraid he would see Anna standing in the yard. But then, why would she? She’d made it very plain that she was committed to attending school in New York, and there was nothing he could do to change her mind.
There was no reason for him to even think about her anymore, and yet he felt their hearts had bonded the moment she stepped out of that buggy on her first day in the Cove. How else could she have realized the depth of his despair over having to stay here instead of preaching in the city? Only a woman who could see into his heart would know how his lost dream haunted him.
He shook his head in resignation. He had to forget her. But how could he after the kiss they’d shared this afternoon? When she’d responded, his heart had jumped for joy. But it had taken only a moment for his hopes to crash down around them.
He doubled his fist and gritted his teeth. Anna was only in the Cove for a short time, and he needed to stay away from her until she left. It was just for the summer. Th
ere were other young women who’d grown up in the mountains and intended to stay. Maybe he hadn’t looked at them in the right way. He’d seen them as his congregation members, not as potential candidates for marriage. Marriage—the thought made his heart sink even lower. He’d always known what his wife would be like. No one had even come close to fulfilling his dreams until Anna arrived.
One of his friends at seminary had told him about falling in love, and how he’d known the first time he laid eyes on the girl he would marry. Simon wanted that same experience and thought it happened when he first saw Anna. But she’d dashed all those hopes today.
He looked up toward the sky. “God, give me the strength to stay away from her.”
At that moment Horace Simmons’s buggy approached from the other direction. Simon pulled his horse to a halt. The family was probably out for an afternoon ride enjoying the warm sunshine.
Horace pulled the buggy to a stop beside him. “Afternoon, Simon. Beautiful day, ain’t it?”
“It is indeed.” He raised himself up in the stirrups and tipped his hat to Horace’s wife. “Afternoon, Mrs. Simmons.”
The woman, who Simon had always thought seemed shy, ducked her head and smiled. “Hello.”
Their daughter, Linda Mae, sat in the back seat of the buggy. A smile lit her face, and her eyelashes flickered. “Where you goin’ this afternoon, Simon?”
Her sultry voice reminded him of John’s words about Linda Mae’s interest in him. He propped his arm on the horn of the saddle and returned her smile. “On my way home from visiting, Linda Mae.”
She scooted to the side of the buggy and leaned out toward him. “Me and Mama been sayin’ we sure wish you’d come by for supper one night. Haven’t we, Mama?”
Mrs. Simmons nodded. “You’s welcome anytime, Preacher.”
“That sounds good. I’ll try to make it by there real soon.”
Horace flicked the reins over the horses. “We’s always glad to have you, Simon.”
Simon tipped his hat to Linda Mae as the buggy rolled past him. She turned around and waved to him. He raised his hand to return the wave, and then lowered it. Guilt raced through him. Had his exchange with Anna made him overly friendly with Linda Mae? He had to be careful. He’d never given any encouragement to a young woman in his congregation before, and he didn’t need to start now.
With a heavy heart he headed toward home, but his head was filled with thoughts of a beautiful girl running through a field of clover. He didn’t think he’d ever forget that sight.
Chapter 10
Later that afternoon Anna wandered out the back door and stood in the yard, gazing at the field beyond. She closed her eyes and relived her race through the clover with Simon.
She wrapped her arms around her waist in an effort to calm the quiver she felt each time she remembered the afternoon. For an instant they’d laughed and shrieked in delight, and then they had shared the moment she couldn’t forget. Her fingertips brushed her lips, and she closed her eyes at the memory of Simon’s lips touching hers. It had been so wonderful until the shadow of New York and nursing school rose between them.
Anna gazed into the distance at the towering trees clustered together at the far edge of the field and wondered what lay beyond. She shaded her eyes with her hand and squinted at the forest.
The scene reminded her of home and how as a child she had waited patiently at the end of the rows while her father and brother hoed the weeds that threatened their crops. She always had a dirt cake or pie waiting for them when they worked their way toward her, and they would make a big pretense of eating what she’d cooked.
Suddenly a homesick feeling welled up inside her. She wanted to see her mother and even Robert. She wanted to lie down on her bed and pull the familiar patchwork quilt around her. She wanted to chase Lucifer the rooster across the backyard and sit on the porch with her dog Fluff at her feet.
Although the people at church appeared to welcome her, only Martha had seemed truly hospitable. But after this afternoon she probably wouldn’t be seeing Simon much…which meant she wouldn’t get to know John and Martha either. A tear squeezed from the corner of her eye and trickled down her face.
A gentle breeze blew down from the surrounding mountains. The branches on the trees in the distance waved as if beckoning to her. Granny had mentioned there were blackberry bushes at the edge of the woods. Her mouth watered at the thought of plopping a juicy berry into her mouth. Picking a few would, at least, take her mind off her own problems for a few minutes. With a determined stride, she set off through the clover field for the tree line in the distance.
The clover brushed her legs as she trudged through its thick carpet at her feet, but her gaze didn’t stray from the line of trees. As she approached, she slowed and peered at the low-hanging branches. Thick vegetation blocked the sunlight beyond, and an eerie gloom covered the area beneath the trees until it dissolved into blackness.
To her right she spied a tall clump of blackberry brambles, heavy with fruit. She plucked a berry and popped it into her mouth. She smiled as the sweet juice trickled down her throat. Berry picking with Mama had always been one of her favorite times of the year.
As she reached for another, her hand froze in midair at a rustling from the other side of the bush. Her eyes grew wide. The brambles moved again, this time to the accompaniment of a low animal sound. Fear rose in her throat. She willed her trembling legs to move, but they seemed anchored to the earth. A loud snort ripped through the silent forest, and the bush shook again.
Only one thing could make a sound like that and be tall enough to reach the top of a blackberry bramble—a bear. She hesitated, uncertain whether to run or try to scare the animal away.
Suddenly a black paw snaked through the thorny plant and pulled at a clump of berries in front of her nose. The branches parted, revealing the form of a large black bear, separated from her by the thorny growth that dipped with the weight of the berries. Fear like she’d never known coursed through her. The bear, intent on feeding, stilled for a moment. Anna held her breath, expecting him to crash through the brambles at any minute, claws raised and teeth bared.
Careful not to step on a twig in the process, she slowly inched backward until she felt the clover lapping at her ankles again. With one last glance toward the berries, she spun around and ran for the safety of the house. If she’d run that fast earlier Simon never would have caught her.
She dashed through the field, checking with every other step to confirm the bear wasn’t following. Relief washed over her as she reached the edge of Granny’s yard. Winded, she fell on her knees and leaned forward, gasping for breath.
The back door burst open. Granny, wiping her hands on her long apron, charged out of the house. She dropped to her knees beside Anna and grasped her shoulders. “What happened?”
Anna struggled to respond, but she could only pant in short spurts. Pointing a shaking finger in the direction of the trees, she gulped air and tried to form the word. “B-b-bear.”
Granny’s face paled and her eyes grew wide. She shot a startled glance across the field. “Where?”
“Over there.” Anna pointed to the tree line again.
Granny increased her grip on Anna and pulled her to her feet. “Let me git you inside, then you tell me what in the tarnation you talkin’ ’bout.”
Leaning against Granny, Anna allowed herself to be led into the kitchen. Once inside Granny deposited her into a chair and reached for the hollowed-out gourd hanging on the wall. When she’d dipped it into the water bucket, she slipped it into Anna’s hands. “Drink this.”
The cool water soothed the burning in Anna’s throat. When she finished, she handed the dipper back to Granny. “Thank you.”
Granny returned the gourd to its place and sat down next to Anna. “Now, darlin’, tell me ’bout this here bear. Where’d you see it?”
Granny’s eyes narrowed as Anna told her of the decision to walk to the far side of the field. By the time Anna finished
, Granny’s mouth had formed a grim line across her face. She leaned back in her chair and raised her eyebrows. “Seems like I recollect havin’ a talk with you ’bout the wild critters round here. What’d I say?”
Anna, unable to look into Granny’s eye, clasped her hands in her lap and stared at them. “You said there are wild animals everywhere in the Cove, and I wasn’t to go off by myself. No telling what I might run into.” Her soft words quavered with remorse.
Granny bit her lip and nodded. “You jest gotta be careful. They’s all kinds of varmints out there that don’t mean no harm. They jest livin’ the way the good Lord made ’em, but they’ll attack if’n they think there’s danger.”
Anna still couldn’t look Granny in the eye. She picked a blade of grass from her skirt and rolled it between her fingers. “I know. It’s my fault. I should never have gone over there.”
“This be the time of year when our bears are feedin’, and blackberries be some of their favorites. In the Cove, we don’t go berry pickin’ alone.” She put her finger under Anna’s chin and tilted her face up. “And you don’t go off on your own no more, you hear?”
The concern in Granny’s eyes fueled the guilt Anna felt over the mishap. “Yes, Granny.”
Granny smiled and wrapped her in a big hug. “Don’t know what I’d tell Doc if somethin’ happened to you. And Simon—land’s sakes, he’d never speak to me again.”
Tears flooded Anna’s eyes again at the mention of Simon, but she managed to shake her head. “I don’t think Simon would care so much, but thank you for being concerned.”
Granny stood up and stared down at her. “You only been here a few weeks, Anna, but I declare you already seem like a daughter to me. Now don’t you go scarin’ me agin.”
Anna jumped up and kissed Granny on the cheek like she’d seen Simon do before. “I won’t. From now on I’m not leaving your side.”
Granny put her arm around Anna’s shoulders. “In that case, why don’t we git in a little studyin’ on my yarbs ’fore bedtime?”
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