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

by Rebecca Lovell

  “Good morning, Louis,” Joy said. “Not much milk today but I’ve got plenty of cheese.”

  “Cheese’ll do me just fine,” Louis Burton said. “I’ve got plenty of people who come in asking about it, and I only ran out a day or two ago.” He nodded at the bushel basket. “You need some help in with that?”

  “I’ll be fine carrying it on my own,” Joy replied with a smile. She picked up the basket as if to prove it to him and followed him into the store.

  Compared to the weather outside, the store was a comfortable temperature and Joy took off her gloves as soon as she set the basket on the counter. She went to the wood stove in the corner and held her hands up to it, basking in its warmth. Heat was one thing they didn’t need to worry about at home. There was plenty of dead wood to use in the fireplace and stove, and though Henry wouldn’t let her do it, she was certain she would have been able to chop it by herself if she had to.

  “Anything you need before I pay you out for this load?” Louis was back behind the counter counting the packages of cheese, and Joy considered it. She’d saved milk and cheese for them, along with the few eggs the chickens were producing, and they’d have chicken to eat soon enough. There were vegetables to be bought, and a few things like soap and flour that she couldn’t make on her own.

  “It seems like there’s always something,” she muttered to herself, then put on a smile and turned to Louis. “I need some potatoes and carrots, if you have them, and some flour and sugar.” For a moment her smile turned genuine. “Serenity’s wanting a birthday cake pretty soon now.”

  “Already? How old is she this year?” Louis unloaded the cheese and went around the store, picking up the things she needed and setting them in the empty basket.

  “Six,” Joy said, stepping away from the stove. “And growing like a prairie weed. As a matter of fact, I need to see what kind of cloth you have. She needs a new dress for her birthday, so I’d best get started on it now.”

  “I had some nice calico come in from Colorado last week,” Louis said. “It’s a good cornflower blue so it’d look good with her hair.”

  “Sounds fine to me.” Joy waited by the counter while he went into the storeroom, hoping that the cloth wouldn’t eat up all of the money her cheese had earned them.

  While she was waiting, the door of the store opened with a jingle as the bells tied to its top rang. Joy looked to see who was coming in, and her face lit up when she saw Clara Wallace walk in. She resisted the urge to throw her arms around her best friend but met her halfway to the counter. Clara beamed at her brightly.

  “Joy, hello! I didn’t expect to see you here,” she said. “Is it really already time for me to buy more cheese and milk?”

  “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times. I’m happy to just give them to you,” Joy said. She wasn’t surprised when Clara folded her arms over her chest and shook her head.

  “You and Mr. Burton have mouths to feed,” she said. “I’d feel like a monster taking money from either of your pockets.” As if she had summoned him with her words, Louis came out of the back room with a bolt of cloth in his arms. “Are you making a dress?”

  “Yes, for Serenity. If she gets any taller, the girls in her class are going to start making fun of her and I’m not about to have her dress coming up over her knees.” Joy pulled some of the material out so she could see the pattern while Clara handed Louis her shopping list.

  “That color will look beautiful on her,” she said, touching the cloth. “Oh, and it’s so soft too. Is this for her birthday?”

  “Of course. I can’t have her wearing an old dress to her own party, especially if Mr. Ames’s daughter is coming. You’re coming of course,” Joy said. “I fully expect you to attend and to bring her something that will make her love you more than me.”

  “There’s not a thing in the world that would make that happen,” Clara said with a smirk. Joy shook her head, though her heart felt it would burst with joy. She knew one day she and Serenity were sure to be at odds, but for the moment she only wanted her little girl to be hers alone.

  “I’d like to get this,” Joy said. “Enough to make a dress for Serenity, so I’d say I’ll need four yards.” She touched the cloth again, imagining how pretty her daughter would look in her dress.

  “Sounds like the right amount,” Louis said with a smile. “Seeing as how it’s coming up on her birthday and all, consider it a gift from me and my wife.”

  “I couldn’t accept something like that,” Joy said, startled. “Just take it from the money you would have given me for the cheese and milk.”

  “Of course you can,” Clara said, putting her hand on the cloth. “If you won’t take it from him, I’m going to buy it for you and buy Serenity the fanciest gift I can think of.” Her blue-gray eyes were serious as she glared at her best friend.

  “All right, all right,” Joy sighed. “I can’t fight both of you.”

  “I’ll wrap it up for you,” Louis said with a smile. “I’ll get your things in just a moment, Miss Delaware.”

  “Take your time,” Clara said. As soon as Louis was busy assembling Joy’s groceries, the dark-haired woman turned to Joy. “I’m so glad I met you here. I wanted to ask if you’d like to come to my house for dinner tonight, you and Serenity.”

  “What’s the occasion?”

  “My brother is in town,” Clara replied. “I want you to meet him.”

  “Brother? I didn’t know you had one,” Joy said. “Not unless you told me about him and I completely forgot.” She tried to remember if Clara had ever said anything about her family before and realized she’d never so much as mentioned them.

  “I haven’t seen him in years, and this will be his first time coming to visit me.” Clara huffed. “We didn’t exactly part on the best terms, but I’m hoping we can make it work for a little while. He’s my little brother, so I used to love to tease him. Now that he’s taller than me, I’m hesitant to be too mean to him, even for old times’ sake.”

  “We’d love to come meet him,” Joy said. “Should I bring anything? It’s a little late for me to bring a pie or crumble.”

  “No need. He claims he’s actually a pretty good baker. In fact he’s at my house right now cutting up apples for a pie. If he’s going to be staying with me, he’s going to earn his keep.” Clara’s words made Joy smile, and Louis returned with a wrapped package and set it in the bushel basket with the rest of her shopping. “As soon as Serenity gets home from school, you two get yourselves cleaned up and come over to my house.”

  “That sounds fine to me,” Joy said, thinking with relief that she could put off her decision on slaughtering a chicken for another night. “I know Serenity will be excited to see you and to have fresh apple pie.”

  “Good. I’ll see you this evening, then.” This time Clara did reach out and hug Joy, her arms tight around her friend’s shoulders. “Don’t you dare even think about bringing anything.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Joy picked up her bushel and took it out to the buckboard. Her hands were instantly stiff with the cold, and she tugged on her gloves as soon as possible. Once she was back on the seat, she headed back toward her farm with a smile on her face.

  For the moment she was able to forget about her problems. Seeing Clara always put her in a good mood and meeting her brother could only do the same. Serenity would be excited to meet someone new, and it would be nice to get out of their house for a change. It was already afternoon, so by the time she got back home it would be time for school to let out for Serenity and she could give her daughter the surprise news.

  Her mood persisted until she got home and unloaded the buckboard, and when Henry told her that the roof could be patched with the materials they had available it only made her happier. For once it seemed like they would be able to enjoy a nice dinner without worrying about too much. She even found herself humming as she went into her bedroom to put away the fabric she’d bought for Serenity’s dress. When they got home from Clara�
��s she would measure her daughter to make sure it was perfect, and remind her to write a thank you note to Louis.

  “Mama!” The back door crashed open and startled Joy, who pressed a hand to her chest as she went out to greet her daughter.

  “What on earth is so important that you have to stop my heart for it?” In spite of the tone of her voice, Joy hugged Serenity while the little girl tried to squirm out of her grasp.

  “Guess what? Eleanor’s dog had puppies! And I got to hold one of the puppies!” Serenity’s face was bright red from a combination of the cold and her excitement, and Joy forced herself to smile even though she knew what was about to come out of Serenity’s mouth. “Mama, can I please have one of the puppies? Please?”

  “Serenity,” Joy began, taking a deep breath. She hated disappointing her little girl, especially when she knew Serenity was old enough to begin to understand the real reason for her refusal. It had been easier when she was just a mean mother somehow; this time there was no excuse other than her being unable to support her family, and adding a dog would only make things harder for them. Joy was tired of making things harder, but whether she said yes or no it was almost certain that she would.

  “It’s just a little puppy,” Serenity added, and the hope in her eyes made it impossible for Joy to say no at that moment.

  “You can’t just run in here and expect me to give you an answer about something like that. Let me think about it some,” she said, trying to keep her voice as neutral as she could. “Speaking of dogs, you’ll be happy to hear that you get to visit with Lady tonight.”

  “Really? We’re going to Aunt Clara’s?” It was the one thing that could get Serenity’s mind off a puppy, and the fact that Clara had a dog of her own made it all the sweeter. “My birthday isn’t for two weeks, though!”

  “This is a special occasion,” Joy said, helping Serenity take off her coat. “Aunt Clara’s brother is coming into town, and guess what? He’s making us an apple pie for dessert.” She laughed a little. “I wonder how a pie is going to fare in a man’s hands.”

  “I don’t care, I’ll eat all of it myself.” The grin on Serenity’s face made it seem that she had forgotten all about puppies for the time being, but Joy knew it would be back on her mind as soon as they left Clara’s house and her dog Lady.

  “I’m sure you would, you little monster. Go put on a nice dress and brush out your hair. You look like you walked straight into the wind the whole way home.” Without another word, Serenity raced past her and down the hall to her room while Joy leaned on the table and sighed. A birthday and a puppy were a dangerous combination. Anytime she asked what Serenity wanted, she was sure to be treated to two weeks of reasons why they absolutely, positively needed a dog and it was the only thing she would ever ask for.

  The corner of the envelope caught Joy’s eye once more, and this time she pulled it toward her instead of ignoring it. She wanted to be able to hand it back to Franklin York unopened if he came back but her curiosity was getting the better of her. She wondered just how much or how little her home meant to the people at the railroad, and if nothing else, it was something that she and Clara could laugh about at dinner.

  She tore the end off the envelope instead of opening the flap and dropped it onto the table with childish petulance, not wanting to do anything as civilized as hand back an intact envelope, then unfolded the letter, ready to laugh off whatever was inside. Instead, her breath caught in her throat when she read the offer. Suddenly lightheaded, Joy pulled out one of her chairs and dropped into it, still staring at the piece of paper in her hand.

  “Mama?” Serenity’s voice pulled her out of her daze and Joy hurriedly refolded the paper and put it under the butter dish. “Are you going to put on a dress too?”

  “Yes, of course,” Joy managed. She stood up and smiled as if nothing was wrong. “Shall we go in matching colors?”

  “Yeah!” Serenity clapped her hands and Joy sighed, her mind back on parenting for the time being. She only had to raise an eyebrow for Serenity to put her hands over her mouth and giggle. “Yes, ma’am,” she corrected herself.

  “That’s better. Would you like to wear green, with Christmas coming so soon?” Joy wasn’t surprised to see her daughter nod before she darted back down the hall, and went to her own room with a shake of her head to see which green dress she could find that was the nicest.

  It wasn’t often that they were invited to meet someone new, so she wanted to look her best. Most of the people in Mayfly were both born and laid to rest there, without so much as seeing the world outside of their small town. As much as Joy wanted the opposite for her daughter, she didn’t know how she would be able to make that happen. Now that she knew how much money she could get for the land, there was the possibility that it could, but it meant giving up the house where she had lived with George and where her daughter had been born. No amount of money could compare to that, but Joy didn’t know what would be worse; letting her home bleed away from her slowly or putting paid to it in one fell swoop.

  Trying to take her mind off the envelope, the roof, and the chickens whose fate she would no doubt have to decide before too much longer, she put on a green dress that she had last worn on a trip to Santa Fe with George and was pleasantly surprised to see that it still fit if she gave her corset a little bit of an extra tug. She hated to wear the thing, but if she was going to make herself look pretty she might as well go all out. Joy wasn’t even sure why she wanted to look pretty, other than the fact that she hadn’t seen a single man who wasn’t from Mayfly in years. To that end, she put on just enough makeup to make her look like she hadn’t been awake all night worrying about what was left of her farm and a hat that had been in its box long enough that she had to check it for moths.

  When she came out of her room, Joy felt for a moment as if she had rewound time. She was young again, and ready to see George for the first time. The shyness she had felt, the excitement, and most importantly the hope for the future that she remembered were becoming harder and harder to touch. A moment later, Serenity ran into the living room in a green dress with a velvet sash and a different set of colors blossomed into life.

  “I’m ready!” She twirled in place so that her skirt puffed out and Joy clapped. Serenity grinned at her mother, then her eyes widened. “Mama, you look so pretty!”

  “Why thank you,” Joy said, holding out her own skirt. “It’s a shame to hide such beautiful dresses under our winter clothes, but if we’re going to be walking to Clara’s it’s going to be cold. Go get your coat and mittens, and a scarf as well.”

  Taking her own direction, Joy took her good coat from the closet and put it over her dress. It wasn’t quite as nice as the dress, so she felt more than a little frumpy in it, and she didn’t have any gloves beside her well-worn leather ones. She supposed it would have to do. No one in Mayfly would confuse her with a wealthy woman anyway. Once both she and her daughter were properly attired for the cold, they set out for Clara’s house.

  Joy had been right; by the time they were on her doorstep both she and Serenity’s teeth chattered with the cold. The glow from Clara’s windows alone already made her feel warmer and she eagerly waited for her best friend to open the door. When it swung open, though, Joy found herself face to face with none other than Franklin York.

  “Mrs. Everly?” He looked as surprised as Joy felt and it took her a minute to recover and find her voice again.

  “You,” she managed. “What are you doing here?”

  Chapter Three

  To say dinner had been uncomfortable was an understatement. Franklin knew from the moment he saw Joy shivering in front of him in a coat that didn’t match the dress it revealed that there wasn’t going to be much pleasant conversation between them. He had underestimated her ability to keep the conversation going without speaking more than two words to him, and once she had left with her daughter he didn’t know any more about her than he had when she arrived.

  “That was unpleasant,”
Franklin said as he stood in Clara’s kitchen watching her wash the dishes from dinner. The pie plate was in his hand as he did, and he scooped up another bite of the last of the pie. Joy’s opinion of him notwithstanding, her daughter had been more than happy to eat his pie and chatter away at him the entire time.

  “Hurry up and finish that so you can wash the plate,” Clara said with a sigh. “What did you think was going to happen? You went out to her house without so much as a letter ahead of time and offered to buy the land out from underneath a widow. You should have told me you went out there before I invited her to dinner. I might have been able to ease her into it.”

  “Don’t blame me for this,” Franklin snapped at her. “You didn’t so much as say her name, you only told me that you were having your best friend come to the house for dinner.” He stabbed at the pie. “You’re acting like I tricked you into it.”

  “You tricked me into having you here at all.” Clara set the plate she had been washing into the drying rack. “When you told me you were coming to visit and asked if you could stay here, you didn’t tell me it was because you were buying up land for the Santa Fe.”

  “If I had, you wouldn’t have let me come.”

  “You know that’s not true,” Clara said, throwing the scrub brush she was holding into the basin of the sink. “Clean your own plate, I’m done.” She untied the apron from her front and tossed it over the door of the pantry. “I haven’t seen you in almost eight years. Of course I would have let you stay here. I just would have given you some advice on how not to speak to my friends.”

  “If it would have made Mrs. Everly more receptive to my offer, I would have welcomed it. Besides, I didn’t come out here because I wanted to. If Ames hadn’t sold AT&SF on the idea of putting a rail depot in Mayfly I could have been sitting behind my desk writing up contracts for the next three years and not shed a tear.” Franklin finished the pie and set the plate into the soapy water.