On the Wings of a Winter Heart (Miracle Express, #5)

by Rebecca Lovell

  “Yes ma’am.” Serenity sat down at the small table just outside the kitchen without taking off her coat or gloves, making her mother sigh.

  “Take off those gloves so you can eat properly.” Joy sat a plate of pancakes in front of Serenity with a glass of goat milk, then went back to the kitchen to fetch the syrup. The sweet molasses syrup was expensive so Joy herself rarely ate any herself, but she loved watching Serenity enjoy it, so she always made sure she had a little in the pantry. When she came back the gloves were on the table and Serenity was drinking her milk. “Thank you.” Joy passed the syrup to her.

  “Thank you, Mommy.” Serenity poured a generous amount of syrup on her breakfast while Joy spread goat butter on her pancakes and cut them into pieces.

  “Speaking of you growing up, your birthday is in two weeks. I can’t believe you’re growing so fast.” Somehow almost six years had passed since Serenity was born and it still didn’t seem real. “What do you want for your birthday?”

  “A puppy!” There was no hesitation on Serenity’s part and Joy forced a smile at her as she took another bite of pancake. The dough was fluffy and thick in her mouth but it had lost all its flavor.

  “A puppy, hm?” It was the same thing her daughter asked for every year since she could talk and every year Joy had to find a way to tell her no. “I can’t persuade you to want something else, can I?” Her heart sank as Serenity shook her head. It was getting harder and harder to put her off and Joy wondered if she was old enough to explain that as much as she would like to have a dog, they just couldn’t afford it. “I’ll think about it, how’s that?”

  “You always say that,” Serenity said glumly.

  “This time I’ll think about it for real.” Joy could see that Serenity didn’t believe her and went back to eating her pancakes a little more quietly than before.

  It hurt Joy that she couldn’t give her daughter everything she wanted but she was struggling just trying to get them the things they needed to live. After George’s death, people from Mayfly had brought food and supplies for the baby while she mourned, but in time that had faded. Now only Clara helped out when she could, but it was getting harder for Joy to accept her help. With no other option, Joy had been forced to start selling off their land piece by piece until the few acres they lived on were all that were left of George’s family legacy.

  She’d had to let most of the farmhands go, leaving only one man to do what he could to help her. With no help and very little experience, their land was slowly but surely dying off. Most of their money came from the milk that came from their goats, along with the butter and cheese she made from it. The rest came from eggs produced by the chickens she had managed to buy and the apples from the very few trees that remained on the property behind the house. It was a depressing situation but she did her best to keep a brave face in front of Serenity.

  The last thing she wanted was for her daughter to grow up with the burden of how tenuous their footing was financially. She was already old enough to see what was happening in Mayfly, she didn’t need to know how close they were to ruin as well. Joy leaned over and smiled.

  “You know, we could probably have the party at Aunt Clara’s house. It’s so much nicer than making everyone come out here. Who do you want to invite?” The smile on her face felt like a mask and she had a feeling that Serenity could tell but the girl grinned.

  “I want everybody to come! And I wanna have it here at home, where my things are at. Can everybody come? Is it okay?” Her enthusiasm was genuine and Joy couldn’t help relaxing a little.

  “Everyone? Even the big kids?” The school in Mayfly was consolidated into one grade, with the teacher doing her best to make the material fit each child. It didn’t always work out but no one could accuse her of not trying her hardest. There were fewer students than there used to be but most of Serenity’s friends were still around.

  “Yes!”

  “That should be fine. There aren’t too many to fit in here. Here’s the biggest question, though,” Joy said, making her face serious again and causing Serenity’s eyes to widen. “What kind of cake do you want me to make you?”

  “A magic cake,” Serenity said immediately.

  “A magic cake, huh?” Laughing, Joy nodded. “That’s definitely something I can do for you. It’s going to be a wonderful birthday for you.” A knock on the door interrupted Serenity’s cheering and Joy frowned in its direction. “I wonder who that is,” she said, standing up. She pointed at her daughter’s plate. “Finish your breakfast. I don’t want you to be late for school.”

  While Serenity continued to eat, Joy went to the front door cautiously. The farm was far enough from the center of Mayfly that it took effort to come out and there was no one besides her farmhand who would come this early. Even he would knock at the back door, so this visitor was reason to be wary.

  There was a shotgun beside the front door that Joy had gotten from one of her friends in town, and she kept it loaded in case she needed to use it quickly. She’d taught Serenity early not to touch it and it wasn’t often that she touched it herself. Today seemed like as good a time as any and she wouldn’t hesitate to use it if it was an intruder. Joy opened the door with the shotgun in her hand and her eyes narrowed.

  “Yes?”

  “Oh! Pardon me, ma’am!” The man on the front porch was wearing an expensive-looking coat over an immaculate gray suit with a dark red vest and bowler hat, and the black tie tucked into his vest was a dead giveaway that he was from the city. He his hands up in front of his chest but Joy didn’t lower the shotgun. “You must be Mrs. Everly.” His accent marked him as someone who lived up North, but Joy couldn’t pinpoint the location. Whoever he was, he wasn’t from New Mexico.

  “I might be,” Joy said cautiously. “Do you have some kind of business with me?”

  “My name’s Franklin York,” the man said, taking a card from his pocket and holding it out to Joy. She gave it a suspicious look, then took it without fully letting go of her weapon. “I’m here on behalf of the railroad.”

  “The Santa Fe?” The card was of a fine stock, with her caller’s name engraved just above the words Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and an address in the city of the same name. “I still don’t see what business either of you have here.”

  “May I come inside? The wind turned colder on my way from Lamy.” The coat he was wearing over his suit didn’t look nearly thick enough to keep out the winter wind but Joy was unmoved. The last thing she wanted was a stranger in her house, especially with her daughter around.

  “I’d prefer it if you stayed where you are,” Joy said. As a concession to politeness, she set the butt of her gun on the floor but kept her hand on the barrel. “The sooner you tell me what you want, the sooner both of us can get back to our morning.”

  “Very well, then. The AT&SF is looking to extend the railroad further west through New Mexico and we’re looking to put a depot in Mayfly. Apart from Mr. Ames’s ranch, your property is the most significant piece of land in town, size-wise. We’re prepared to make you a sizeable offer for your land and your house.” The smile on his face hadn’t faltered since Joy had relaxed her grip on the shotgun and there was something about it that Joy didn’t trust.

  “You’re wasting your time,” she said, holding the card back out to Franklin York. “For one thing, my land is less than a third of what it was when my husband was alive. And for the other, I’ll never sell my home at any price. You’ll have to find someplace else to build your railroad.”

  “Take a look at our offer before you make up your mind,” Franklin replied, as if he hadn’t heard her. He took a sealed envelope out of his inner pocket and handed it to her, ignoring the card in her hand. “There’s nothing binding in there, so no harm in looking at it. I’ll come back out once you’ve had a chance to read it over, and we can talk more about it.” He looked past Joy into her house, where Serenity was listening to every word they were saying.

  “Don’t bother comin
g back,” Joy said, shaking her head. “I don’t want to see you on my doorstep again, or I’m going to become far less pleasant.”

  “Even so, I’ll come back to talk to you again, if for no other reason than to see your pretty face.” His friendly smile became something that seemed flirtatious and Joy’s cheeks turned bright pink.

  “Now look, Mr. York,” Joy began, only to have him tip his hat to her before she was really sure what she was going to say.

  “I’ll leave you to your breakfast. Good day to you, Mrs. Everly.” Still smiling, Franklin walked down the steps as Joy watched with his offer in her hand. There was a buckboard waiting in her drive and he stepped up onto it. The driver snapped the horse’s reins and they started for the road, the wind blowing hard enough to cause Franklin to hold onto his hat for a moment.

  Joy didn’t wait for the buckboard to disappear before she slammed the door hard enough to make herself wince. Serenity looked at her in alarm and Joy sighed as she locked the door and tucked her shotgun back into place beside the door. She went to the table and tossed the envelope down, then sat across from her daughter.

  “What’s that?”

  “Nothing for you to worry yourself over,” Joy said. She’d lost her own appetite but didn’t want Serenity to have an excuse not to finish her breakfast. The girl already ate like a bird. “You just keep your mind on your schoolwork and your magic cake.”

  “Are we going to have to leave?” Ever the sharp one, Serenity stared at her mother until Joy shook her head with a smile.

  “Of course not. Don’t be silly.” She reached over and grabbed her daughter’s chin playfully. “As long as I’m your mother, we’re not going anywhere.” Her words made Serenity laugh and Joy got up so she could tickle her until she was nearly crying with laughter. “And since you’re stuck with me forever, we’re never leaving this land.” Instead of a response, Serenity threw her arms around Joy and hugged her tightly. “Go get your things and get off to school before your friends think you aren’t coming.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Serenity said, wiping the tears off her red cheeks. She abandoned her plate much as Joy thought she would, running into her bedroom to get her coat and books.

  As soon as her daughter was out of sight, Joy let her eyes wander over to the envelope Franklin York had left for her. She drummed her fingers on the table as she considered it, then pulled it toward her. The envelope was every bit as nice as his card, perhaps even linen, and she couldn’t help but be a little curious about what offer he thought was fair enough to interrupt her breakfast. Before she could open it, she heard Serenity’s feet in the hall and quickly pushed the envelope back to the middle of the table, then stood up to make sure her daughter was properly dressed.

  It didn’t matter what his offer was, she would never take it. It would be the same as betraying George, and she would stop breathing before she ever did that. She would refuse his offer again if he ever came back out to the farm, and that would be the last of it for a good long while, she hoped.

  Chapter Two

  “Good morning, Mrs. Joy.”

  “Good morning, Henry.” Joy carefully folded a piece of wax paper around a piece of goat cheese and tied it closed with a piece of string. She set the small package aside and nodded toward the kitchen. “It’s cold out this morning. Can I interest you in some coffee before you go back out?”

  “That’d be mighty kind of you.” Even though he’d worked for the Everly family since before George had died, Henry Chalmers always stood just inside the door as if he was a guest. Joy went into the kitchen and poured him a mug of coffee, then returned with it and handed it to him.

  “You can come in and sit down if you want,” Joy said. “I’m not about to bite you.”

  “There’s too much work to be done for me to be sitting around,” Henry said, taking a sip of the black coffee. He’d never taken to the goat’s milk Joy used in their kitchen, but she had been drinking it long enough that she didn’t even notice the difference. “I do appreciate your warming me up before I go outside though.”

  “Anytime.” Smiling, Joy went back to the table and took another round of cheese from the pan. Unlike the cows she’d had to sell off, her goats made plenty of milk year-round and produced enough cheese that she was not only able to sell it, but to also trade with shopkeepers for the things she and Serenity needed. It was something of a relief to be able to turn something on their dying land into money, but it always set Joy’s mind to work trying to figure out another way to earn a living for herself and her daughter.

  “You gonna need the buckboard today? Seems you got a load to take into town heavier than you can carry on your own.” He nodded to the pile of wrapped cheese and Joy sighed.

  “I guess I will. Especially seeing as how I have milk to take, and a load of bottles to collect on the way home.” She tied a string around the cheese and set it aside, then put her hands on her hips and sighed. “What are we going to do about those chickens?” It was spoken more to herself than Henry but he shook his head.

  “Can’t say as I know,” he said. “Daylight’s getting shorter, they’re naturally gonna be laying less. You got some that aren’t even producing when the sun’s out, though. Guess you could eat those and get another rooster to make more chicks.”

  “It’ll be spring before we can even think about chicks. This winter would kill them as quick as they hatch, and it’s only going to get colder. You’re right about eating the ones that have quit laying. Serenity would like a fried chicken dinner, I think.” Joy scooped up the wrapped cheeses and put them in the bushel basket she had sitting on a chair. “You and Mary Beth are welcome to join us.”

  “You should save your dinner for yourself and Serenity,” Henry said with a shake of his head. “Mary Beth and me have our own chickens.”

  “Fried chicken won’t keep long in the icebox,” Joy said. “At least it won’t be any good.” She couldn’t help feeling a little frustrated. She wasn’t trying to be nice, she was trying to keep food from being wasted. It would be hard for her to slaughter a chicken when she knew half of it wouldn’t be good in a couple of days.

  “Roast chicken will,” Henry said, finishing his coffee and handing the mug back to Joy. “Not everything has to be fancy.” He smiled. “I’ll get the buckboard ready for you.”

  “Thanks.” While he went back out into the cold, Joy took his empty mug to the kitchen. She watched through the window until Henry was in the barn, then went back to wrap the last few rounds of cheese.

  Once she was finished, Joy went to her room to put on her coat. Her closet had once been full of dresses that she would wear into town, but they’d been slowly sold along with anything else that might have had any value. Anything Serenity wouldn’t miss, that was. Her coat was at the front and she bundled herself in it, then added a hat. It was more to keep her head warm than for propriety’s sake, and she dug in the pockets of the coat for her leather gloves. They were worn almost slick but they were the only ones she had, and without them her hands would be chapped before she even made it to town.

  Henry had the buckboard ready in the drive when she brought the basket of cheese out to it, and she set it in the back. She was pleasantly surprised to find that the crate of milk bottles was already in the bed, and a touch told her that they’d stayed plenty cold overnight in the barn. Joy climbed up onto the buckboard and Henry handed her the horse’s reins.

  “You be careful, now,” he said. “Looks like there’s a leak in the roof of the barn, by the way. I’ll take a look at patching it with what we’ve got but if it’s bad enough we’ll have to get some supplies to fix it.”

  “Do you think we can make it to spring?”

  “Depends on what kind of shape it’s in. I’ll climb up there and take a look while you’re gone, and keep my fingers crossed it’s not too bad.” He patted the horse’s neck gently. It was the last one Joy had left, and she was lucky it was a good one. It had killed her to sell Alabama, but there was no reason to
keep a fast horse when what she needed was a reliable one.

  “Thanks, Henry. I’ll be back as quick as I can.” She snapped the reins and the horse started moving down the drive. Joy raised a hand to Henry with a smile and he nodded, then went toward the barn.

  On her way down the drive, she let her mind wander for a moment. There was so little she had left to sell if they needed a new roof. Trading eggs and dairy wouldn’t get them very far, and even if she and Henry were able to coax the land into growing something else they wouldn’t see a crop until summer. With Serenity outgrowing her clothes and prices increasing all the time, Joy didn’t see how they would be able to afford a roof, but she couldn’t let the barn fall into disrepair. Her goats needed a place to live, and they were the only thing bringing in any money.

  She supposed she could try taking out a loan, but anyone who lived in Mayfly knew she had nothing to loan it against, and no way of paying it back even if she did. Her thoughts touched briefly on the offer from Franklin York and the railroad that she hadn’t even opened, but she shook her head hard enough to put her hat in danger of flying off.

  No, there’s no way, she thought firmly. No matter what, I’m not selling our house.

  Joy knew full well that no one would blame her if she did sell to the railroad. It wasn’t a secret that she was struggling. Nearly everyone in Mayfly was struggling to some degree, but things had been particularly hard for her since George’s death. Joy wasn’t too proud to accept help from her neighbors but there seemed to be something about her that made people think she was, because it was rare for anyone to offer. George might have been reluctant to accept help in her situation, but Joy’s only thought was for her daughter’s well-being.

  The heart of Mayfly was upon her before she realized it, and there were a good number of people walking around in spite of the weather. She drove the buckboard to the general store and climbed down with a wave to the owner of the store through the window. While she tied up the horse, he joined her outside and picked up the milk crate.