Authors: Sandra Robbins
“Yes?”
His hat brim crumpled in his hands, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down. “About Linda Mae. I had a talk with her after the picnic. It seems William Carter has been calling on her for some time, but they had a misunderstanding a few weeks ago. I think they both used us today to make the other one jealous.”
Anna tried to ignore her relief, but she couldn't. “Are you sure?”
“That's what she indicated to me. The last time I saw them they were talking to each other, and I could see a big smile on William's face. So I doubt if he'll be stopping by to see you now.”
Anna chuckled. “I must say that's a relief. I didn't want to hurt him. But I didn't mean to hurt you either, Simon.”
He inched closer to her. “I know. It's just that ever since you've been here I've felt like we could have something special, but you won't let it happen. I've been in such turmoil that I think I wanted to make you unhappy.”
“I see.”
“But what you said about me being a preacher brought me down to earth. I went back to the church, and I prayed. God's shown me that He'll work everything out for me. So I'm going to put aside my feelings for you, Anna, and replace them with my love for God. I'm going to take care of my congregation, and that includes you. So please, can we start again? With me as your preacher and you as a member of the congregation?”
Tears filled her eyes. “I'd like that, Simon. I want us to be friends.”
He let out a long breath. “Friends. Yes, I guess that's what we'll have to be.”
He held out his hand to her, and she shook it. His fingers tightened on hers for a moment, and a tingle of pleasure raced up her arm.
She smiled at him. “Want to stay for supper, friend?”
His dark eyes softened, and he nodded. “There's nothing I'd like better.”
A
nna bolted upright in bed. She rubbed her hand across her forehead and struggled to shake the sleep from her body. Was it time to get up? A glance toward the window told her that it was still night outside.
She sat there a moment gathering her wits. When she'd gone to bed her heart had felt lighter than it had in weeks, but now something was terribly wrong. She could sense it.
She listened for sounds of Granny stirring in the house, and then she heard itâthe sound that had awakened her. The distant pealing of a bell pierced the nighttime quiet of the Cove.
She jumped out of the bed and stumbled from her bedroom into the kitchen. A lit oil lamp sat on the kitchen table and the back door stood ajar. She tiptoed to the door and peered out into the night. Granny stood in the backyard.
The grass, wet with dew, tickled her bare feet as Anna joined her. “Granny, what's wrong?”
Granny cocked her head to one side. “Listen, you hear that?”
“Yes, the bell woke me. What does it mean?”
“That's a call for help. Somethin's wrong in the Cove.”
A chill rippled down Anna's back. “What do you think it is?”
“Could be anythin'. Somebody could be sick or dead, or⦔ She stopped speaking and pointed to the distant sky. “Or it could be a fire.”
Anna looked in the direction Granny pointed and sucked in her
breath at the orange glow spreading across the night sky. She inched closer to Granny. “Where do you think it is?”
Granny studied the direction for a moment. “'Peers like it might be over to Cecil Davis's farm.”
Anna shivered at the thought of Pearl or Josie being in danger. “Do we need to go?”
Granny shook her head. “The men'll go. If'n they need me, somebody'll come.” She let out a long breath. “I 'spose we better git some sleep. We may have work to do in the morning.”
Anna followed Granny back into the house. In the kitchen Granny picked up the oil lamp and headed to her room. “Say a prayer for those folks, Anna. We don't know what's a-happ'nin' over there, but the good Lord does. All we kin do is put it in His hands.”
“I will, Granny.”
Anna entered her bedroom and crawled back into bed. She lay there a long time thinking about the Davis family and fire at their farm. She prayed none of them would suffer any kind of injury. She drifted off to sleep with the image of Josie's long curls bobbing up and down as she played with the wooden horse in the kitchen.
By sunup Anna was out of bed and dressed. When she entered the kitchen, Granny had breakfast ready. A platter of ham sat on the table. It looked strange sitting there without a big bowl of eggs, but with Jewel gone, there would be no more of Granny's scrambled eggs flavored with ramps from the root cellar
“You cut the last ham in the smokehouse.” Anna hoped her voice didn't reveal the anxiety rippling through her. With all the meat gone from the smokehouse, she wondered what they'd do. It would be months before hog killing, and even then Granny would be at the mercy of the Cove people's generosity.
Granny nodded. “Figured we might as well eat it.”
Anna swallowed. “What will we do when that one's gone?”
Granny took a pan of biscuits from the oven and set them beside the ham. “Jest what I al'ays doâtrust the Lord to provide. If'n I didn't, don't know how I could live.”
Anna felt ashamed of her lapse of faith and gave Granny a quick
hug. “I'm learning a lot more from you than just how to be a nurse. You teach me something about overcoming doubt every day.”
Granny waved her hand in dismissal. “Go on now. You sure got a way with makin' an ole woman feel good.” She wiped her hands on her apron and motioned for Anna to sit. “Now set down and eat. Somebody's bound to come by in a while to tell us 'bout last night.”
Anna slipped into her chair. “I was hoping you would have already heard.”
Granny shook her head. “Not yet.”
They bowed their heads and asked the Lord to bless the food. When they opened their eyes, Granny picked up the platter but paused as a knock sounded at the front door. They both jumped up and hurried toward the sitting room. Anna got to the door first, pulled it open, and gasped.
Simon, his face and clothes streaked with soot, stood on the front porch. His tired eyes stared out from under the brim of his hat.
Anna's eyes grew wide, and she clutched at her throat. “Simon, what happened?”
He took his hat off and backed away. He slapped the hat against his leg and soot flew from his clothes. “I been up all night over at Cecil and Pearl's. Their barn burned.”
Anna, her gaze roving over Simon, stood rooted in the doorway, and Granny stepped around her. “Anybody hurt?”
Simon shook his head. “Thank the Lord, no. Cecil got his cow and mule out, but he lost the hay and feed he had in there.”
Granny pursed her lips. “That's bad, but we kin be thankful they's all right.” She turned back to Anna and smiled. “Well, I reckon you gonna git to see a big party.”
Anna glanced between her and Simon. “Party?”
Granny chuckled. “We's gonna have us a barn raisin'. When somethin' happens to one of our folks, we all pitch in and help. That's the onliest way we kin all make it.”
A tingle of excitement bubbled up in Anna. “When will it be?”
“Probably next week sometime,” Simon said. “Some of the men
are going to start clearing away the remains when everything cools off. Then some of the others will come over to cut the trees and make the logs. They'll work real fast so we can get the barn up in time for Cecil to have a place to store his corn and wheat when the harvest comes.”
“Anna,” Granny said, “you ain't never seen nothin' like it. That barn'll be built in a day, and we'll be right there a-feeding 'em so they work faster.”
Simon laughed. “It is a sight to see.” He glanced down at his dirty clothes. “Well, I'd better get on home and get cleaned up.”
Granny took him by the arm. “You ain't a-goin' nowhere 'til you eat some breakfast.”
Simon tried to back away. “I'm too dirty, Granny. I don't want to get this soot all over your house.”
Granny shook her finger at him. “Preacher boy, when'd you ever know me to worry 'bout a little dirt? Now you go on round to the back and wash up at the well, then come on in. You've been up all night, and I intend to feed you 'fore you leave here.”
Anna laughed. “You'd better do as she says, Simon. She wants you to stay.” She hesitated. “And I do too.”
His soot-streaked face broke into a big grin, and he nodded. “Well, in that case, I sure have been missing Granny's cooking. I'll just go wash up, then come inside.”
Anna watched Simon disappear around the corner of the house before she reentered. Granny was already in the kitchen setting an extra plate at the table. “It shore is good to have Simon back, ain't it?”
Anna smiled. “It sure is.”
It was near noon when Granny pulled back on the horse's reins and brought the buggy to a stop in the same spot they'd occupied when they came to the Davis farm for the baby's birth. Today the scene across the property bore a difference to what it had been that day.
Now only a mangled pile of debris lay in the spot where the barn once stood. Men wielded shovels and other tools as they sifted through the ashes and loaded the debris onto the waiting wagons.
She remembered how the barn looked the day Simon had lashed
out at her. He'd accused her of judging those she didn't understand. Now as she gazed at the men united in their group effort, she saw only commitment to help a neighbor who had suffered a disaster.
“You gonna set there all day?” Granny's voice caught her attention.
Startled, Anna realized Granny had climbed from the buggy and was waiting for her to join her. Anna jumped down and brushed at the dirt on her dress. “If it doesn't rain soon, this dust is going to choke us to death.”
Granny chuckled and headed for the house. “This ain't nothin' like I seen in years past. In fact, we's had a right mild summer so far.”
Anna glanced at the men once more before stepping to the front door. “I guess Cecil and Pearl wish it had been raining last night. They might have saved something.”
“I reckon so, but they didn't. And we jest gotta deal with what's left.”
The door opened as soon as Granny rapped on it. Cecil's sister-in-law stood in the doorway. The corners of her eyes crinkled as she smiled. “Granny and Anna, come in, come in. I was a-wond'ring if'n you two was gonna come by.”
Granny chuckled. “Wild horses couldn't've kept me away, Lavinia.”
“Me neither,” Anna said. “I had to see how my little friend Josie is doing.”
They stepped into the small sitting room where Anna and Josie had napped the day of the baby's birth. Lavinia motioned for them to follow her into the kitchen. “Pearl's takin' a nap, pore thang. Don't think she slept a wink last night. I been a-feedin' Josie, and she's settin' at the table.”
Anna chuckled to herself at her first impression of Lavinia Davis the day Cecil arrived after bringing her to care for Pearl. When the tall, slender woman walked into the house, her take-charge attitude disturbed Anna. Within minutes of arriving she made it clear she needed no help with Pearl, Josie, or the household chores. She had, she announced, come to stay two weeks for Pearl's confinement, and Granny and Anna were free to go.
After checking Pearl one last time, she and Granny had headed home. With the two weeks not up yet, Lavinia was still in charge.
“Josie,” Lavinia called out as they walked into the kitchen, “look who's come to see you. Granny and Anna.”
When Josie saw Anna, she dropped the biscuit she was eating onto the table and held out her arms.
Lavinia laughed and picked her up. “That's Anna. Kin you say Anna?”
A big smile creased Josie's face and her brown curls, neatly combed today, bobbed up and down. “An-na.”
Lavinia hugged the child. “I been a-tellin' her 'bout Granny and Anna, and she's been larnin' yore names. She's a sweet little thang, and smart too.”
Anna regarded the pinafore Josie wore. “What a beautiful dress. Is it new?”
Lavinia nodded. “I sewed it t'other night outta some scraps I found in Pearl's sewin' box.”
Anna's eyes grew wide as she ran her fingers over the ruffles at Josie's shoulder. “Oh, Lavinia, you are a wonderful seamstress. My mother tried to teach me, but I never could learn. Maybe you can show me how you do it.”
Lavinia beamed. “Ain't nothin' to it. I've larnt a bunch of Cove girls how to sew, and I reckon I could larn you too. Maybe while you're here you and Granny kin come stay a few days at my house, and we'll sew.”
“Thank you. I'd like that.” Anna stepped closer and held out her arms to Josie. “Want to come to me?”
The child giggled and Lavinia passed her to Anna. Lavinia pointed to a chair. “Set yourselves down and I'll fix us somethin' to eat.”