Angel of the Cove (21 page)

Anna slipped back into her room and dropped to her knees beside the bed. She clasped her hands and leaned over until her face touched the patchwork quilt. “Dear God, I've come to see how difficult life is for women like Laura and others in the Cove. Be with the people I'm coming to love, and comfort Granny tonight. I thank You for her example of faith, and I pray to be more like her. Amen.”

Anna raised her head and eased onto the bed. She couldn't shake the image of Granny's face from her mind. Tonight a fox had dined on Granny's only laying hen, and because of that their food supply had been affected.

The Cove was a strange world to try to survive in, and she wondered if she would ever understand it. As the words drifted through her mind, another thought welled up. On the table next to her lay the letter she'd written to her mother. The one thing she hadn't confessed
and the thought she was only beginning to recognize was how a love for Cades Cove had begun to take root in her heart. She dreaded the day when she would have to leave.

The next morning Anna wiped the last plate from breakfast dry and set it on the shelf. She hung the dishtowel on a peg and turned to Granny. Still upset over Jewel's death, neither she nor Granny had spoken much during the meal.

Granny crumbled a leftover biscuit into a pan and stared at it. “Jasper'll be wond'rin' where his breakfast is. Guess I better git this to 'im. Seems strange not to give Jewel one.”

“Granny, I…” Anna stopped at the sound of a knock on the front door. Granny glanced up, but Anna touched her arm. “I'll get it.”

Anna dried her hands on her apron and hurried through the house. When she pulled the door open, she gasped in surprise. The man who'd frightened her at the Fergusons' home stood on the porch. Dark hair stuck out from under his sweat-stained hat and dirt streaked the front of his overalls. To Anna he looked like a giant towering over her, and the old fear returned.

He gave no sign of recognition but stared past her into the house. “Granny here?”

Anna backed away from the door. “I'll get her.”

“Tell 'er Cecil Davis be here.” The words rolled from his mouth like a growl.

All Anna wanted was to put some distance between herself and the hulking frame of this man. Granny set the empty pan on the table as Anna reentered the kitchen. “Who's here?”

“Cecil Davis.”

Granny's body tensed. She stood still, her thumb touching one finger after another as if she was counting. When she finished, she frowned. “Land's sakes, I shore hope Pearl ain't started havin' that young'un. It ain't due for two months.”

Granny rushed from the kitchen, her heavy stride thumping against the wood floor. Anna strained to hear the conversation in the next room. Who was Pearl? Could she be Cecil's wife? The thought of going to his house filled her with dread. Maybe she was jumping to conclusions. For all she knew, Pearl could be his neighbor. In an attempt to distract her thoughts, she sat down at the table and began to shell the peas she'd picked earlier.

Granny hurried into the kitchen, pulled her apron off, and hung it on a peg. “We gotta go, Anna. Pearl Davis done started havin' pains. I tol' Cecil to go on home, that we'd come in my buggy.” She pointed to the pan of unshelled peas. “Let's take these here peas to Pearl's. We can cook 'em there. Hurry up, child, and get your thangs. I'll git my yarbs and medicine.”

Anna pushed up from her chair and grabbed the edge of the table. Her knees shook so that she thought she could hear them knocking together. She could barely voice the question that filled her with dread. “Will I be staying at the Davis's, Granny?”

Granny halted and thought for a moment. “Maybe we'll both stay tonight. Pearl lost her last baby. If she loses this one she may need us, but Cecil'll go git his brother's wife. They live on t'other side of the Cove. Won't take him long to git back.”

Relief flooded over her. She'd been ready to tell Granny she wouldn't stay alone at the Davis's cabin. Anna nodded and rushed to her bedroom. She pulled a dress from the peg on the wall and put it in her valise before she hurried from the room.

Thirty minutes later Granny was guiding the horse and buggy into the yard of the Davis cabin. It sat almost hidden in a grove of trees off the main road of the Cove and was much smaller than the other houses Anna had seen. A barn sat several hundred feet back of the cabin, but no cows or horses inhabited the pasture where lush grass grew. A few chickens pecked at the ground around the cabin, and Anna wondered if the foxes had also visited the Davis farm.

Cecil Davis opened the door when Granny knocked. With a nod he stepped aside for Anna and Granny to enter. Anna followed
Granny into a sparsely furnished room. Two chairs sat before a fireplace. A quilt hung over the back of one of the chairs.

Granny headed toward the door beside the fireplace where she stopped and stared into the next room. “Hello, Josie.”

Anna peered over Granny's shoulder into the kitchen and spied a little girl, perhaps two years old, in a chair at the table. Her dark hair hung in tangled curls down her back. Her unkempt appearance told Anna no one had taken time to comb the child's hair all day. Food stains spotted the wrinkled dress she wore. Anna eased forward and smiled at the child.

Josie's mouth curved in a smile, and she squirmed to get down. Her father walked into the room at that moment. His sharp voice sliced through the silent cabin. “Sit.”

The smile on Josie's face faded, and she stilled.

Granny nodded toward a closed door at one side of the kitchen. “Pearl in there?”

Cecil nodded and headed for the back door. He took the hat he'd worn to Granny's from a peg and set it on his head. “I got work to do. Be back in a while.”

Anna, unable to believe he wasn't staying, turned to Granny. “He's not going to take care of Josie?”

Granny smiled. “It 'pears like that. Guess you'll hafta be the one. I'll check on Pearl and call if'n I need you.”

Granny patted the child on the head and walked to the bedroom. When she'd closed the door, Anna looked down at the little girl still sitting at the table. She scooted another chair close to the child and held out her arms. “Hello, Josie. Want to come to me?”

For a moment Josie wavered, her bottom lip quivering. She pointed toward the closed door. “Mama.”

Anna nodded. “Yes, Mama's in the other room.”

Josie stuck her finger in her mouth and chewed on it for a moment while she studied Anna. Anna wiggled her fingers and smiled. “Come on. Let me hold you.”

Josie hesitated before she leaned forward and held out her arms.
Anna pulled her close. “Poor baby. Granny's going to take care of your mama, and I'll fix you something to eat.” She held the child against her body and looked around the kitchen. Only an iron cookstove and the table and chairs occupied the space. There was no food in sight.

No heat came from the stove. The first thing she had to do was light a fire and boil some water. Granny would need it any minute. She glanced around for something to occupy Josie. A wooden horse lay on the floor. She picked it up and handed it to Josie, who smiled and grabbed the toy.

“Horsie!”

Anna eased her back into the chair. “Play with your horse until I can fix you something to eat.”

Granny opened the bedroom door at that moment. “The water boilin' yet, Anna?”

“Not yet. I've got to get the fire started.”

Granny propped her hands on her hips. “You mean Cecil let that fire go out? I'm gonna hafta talk to him about that.”

Anna pulled the stove eye up and stirred at the embers inside. “Shouldn't take long. I see some kindling in the wood box.”

“Good. I 'spect I'm gonna need that water real quick.”

“How's Pearl?”

A shadow crossed Granny's face. “Don't look good. Her pains are a-coming close together, and they ain't gonna slow down at this point. I 'spect she'll be having that baby purty soon.”

Anna stuck the kindling in the stove and blew on the embers. A flame flickered up and ignited the wood. “And she's two months early?”

“Yeah, and she needs that time real bad, but she ain't gonna git it. If Cecil comes in, don't say nothin' to him, though.”

Anna shivered. “Don't worry. I won't be saying anything to him. He scares me.”

Granny gave a little snort. “Reckon he does look kinda fierce, but he's a good man.”

Anna picked up a piece of wood and stuck it in the flame inside the stove. “If you say so.”

“Granny!” Anna and Granny whirled at the scream from the bedroom. Granny ran toward the bedroom, and Anna started to follow.

“Mama.” Anna stopped at Josie's whimper. She had her job to do, and Granny would take care of Pearl.

She caressed the child's tangled, silken curls. She'd have to find a comb somewhere and a clean dress for Josie. She grabbed a poker from the wood box and stoked the fire. Within minutes she had a pot of water sitting on top. With the fire heating up, it wouldn't take long for the water to boil. Now for food for Josie.

A sack of cornmeal sat on a shelf. Mush appeared to be the only choice right now since she could use some of the boiling water to make it. Josie whimpered, and Anna reached for her.

Helping Granny differed at times from what she thought it would be. Today her task was to watch a two-year-old. All she could do at this point for Pearl was say a prayer for her and the baby that was about to be born.

An hour later Anna wiped the last remains of Josie's cornmeal mush from her mouth. Granny had come from the bedroom several times and looked more troubled each time she entered the kitchen.

For the last few minutes, however, it had been extremely quiet behind the closed door. Josie reached up and patted Anna's face. Anna glanced down and laughed at Josie sitting there, her mouth open as she tried to reach the spoonful of mush Annie held in midair.

Anna slipped the spoon into Josie's mouth. “Sorry, little one. I guess my mind wandered.”

Josie swallowed the mouthful and pointed to the door. “Mama.”

Anna hugged the child closer. “Yes, darling, Mama's gonna be all right.”

The back door opened and Cecil stepped into the room. He stopped just inside the door and stared at Anna holding his daughter. His cold gaze made her skin prickle, but she didn't want him to know how much he frightened her.

Anna stood up and hoisted Josie to her hip. “Mr. Davis, would you like something to eat?”

He stared at her for a moment, then glanced down at the child.

Josie smiled and held out her arms. “Poppa.”

He didn't move but turned toward the bedroom door as it opened. The look on Granny's face told them she didn't have good news.

She closed the door behind her and stepped next to Cecil. Her hands fluttered to her side before she clasped them in front of her. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “I done everythin' I could, Cecil, but I couldn't keep the baby from comin'. Pearl's fine, but the baby was jest too little. He never took a breath.”

Cecil's expression didn't change. “A boy, you say?”

Granny nodded. “Tiny little feller. You want to see 'im?”

Cecil shook his head.

“What 'bout Pearl? She'd like you to come in.”

Cecil backed toward the door. “In a bit. I got work at the barn.”

He opened the door and stepped outside, but before he could close the door Josie reached out to him. “Poppa.”

Without acknowledging Josie, he pulled the door shut. His reaction presented a contrast to what Anna had seen from Andrew Long and Pete Ferguson. Both had been so concerned for their wives. Anna couldn't understand a man who would refuse to see his dead son and would ignore his wife when she needed his comfort. And what about Josie? He barely noticed her.

Josie wriggled in her arms and began to cry. Anna stroked the dark curls that tumbled to Josie's shoulders. “She's getting tired.”

Granny reached out and patted Josie on the back. “She's a sweet little thang. I got Pearl all fixed up right now, but I'll go back in and set with 'er. Why don't you see if you can get Josie to sleep?”