Blowing on Dandelions (13 page)

“You fell. Lucy, Mrs. Roberts, and I are going to get you up and back to bed. Can you help if you have your crutches?”

The man struggled to push up on one elbow. “I’ll make it.”

Zachary gripped his right arm, and Lucy scurried around to his other side and grabbed the left. Mrs. Roberts swooped in, plucked the crutch that had been underneath him off the floor, and held it in front of her like a weapon keeping the enemy at bay.

Frances was not certain what she could do at this juncture but was determined that woman would not usurp her authority in this house or with these children. “Leave this to me, please.” She put out an arm to keep the odious woman from moving forward.

Mrs. Roberts simply grinned, stepped around her, strode to the door, and pointed. “Is this his room, young man?”

Zachary nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” He kept an arm across his father’s back and lifted as the man struggled to his feet.

Mrs. Roberts swept open the door. “Here you go, sir. Careful now. Go slow. You don’t want to fall again.” Shooting a look over her shoulder, she ushered the trio into the room and shut the door sharply in Frances’s face.

Katherine, mouth agape, watched from the hallway as Mrs. Roberts shut the door on her mother. Why, the look of outrage on Mama’s face was almost comical, like someone who’d been bested but couldn’t conceive of how it had happened. After having tangled with Mrs. Roberts herself, Katherine could commiserate with Mama and would have had she not also tussled with her mother more than once. She was thankful she’d made the decision to ask the Roberts women to find a new place to lodge.

“Mama?” She walked forward and touched her mother’s shoulder.

“Mercy me!” Mama jumped as if shot and whirled. “What are you doing, sneaking up on me like that? You liked to have scared me half out of my wits!”

Katherine took a step back. “I’m sorry.” She nodded toward the door. “What’s going on here? Why is Mrs. Roberts in Mr. Jacobs’s room?”

Mama harrumphed. “That old biddy waltzed right in here and took over like she owns the place. I do not know who she thinks she is, but I am going to give her a piece of my mind when she comes out, that’s what.”

“Let’s calm down, shall we?” Katherine took her mother’s hand and drew her several feet away. “Is something the matter with Mr. Jacobs?”

“He apparently fell while trying to get up. Lucy ran upstairs to find Mr. Tucker and beat on his door so loudly I came out to see what had happened. I found Zachary on his knees beside his father and the man was quite insensible. I woke him and was attempting to get him on his feet when that … that …
woman
stormed down the stairs after Lucy and bullied her way in.”

“So she’s taking care of Mr. Jacobs? Where are Lucy and Zachary? Why didn’t someone come to get me?”

Mama glared. “The children are in his room, as well. As I thought, Mrs. Roberts was not capable of helping the man up. Lucy and Zachary did so, while
she
waved that stick in my face and kept me from assisting.”

Katherine didn’t reply but walked to the door, rapped twice, then pushed it open. “Is everything all right, Mr. Jacobs?”

Her eyes grazed over the two children standing on one side of the bed and landed on Mrs. Roberts, who was tugging the blanket up under Micah’s chin. A tender look encompassed the woman’s face, and a gentle smile tipped the corners of her mouth. “There you go, dear boy. You relax now, and we’ll leave you alone.” She waved toward the door. “Everyone needs to leave so he can get some rest.”

Katherine appreciated the sentiment but resented her boarder ordering her out of the room. She allowed Mrs. Roberts and Lucy to walk past her but stopped Zachary as he came abreast of her. “What happened, Zachary?”

The boy raised weary eyes to hers. “I’m not sure. Lucy and I brought the bedding in off the line and were headed to put it away when we heard a crash and Pa cried out. I guess he was trying out his new crutches. He fell on his bad leg, and the pain must have knocked him out, ’cause it took a while to wake him. Then your ma and Mrs. Roberts came to help and, well …” He shot a look at the partly open door and waited until the heavyset woman disappeared from view before dropping his voice. “Your ma and Mrs. Roberts had words and kind of forgot about my pa, so Lucy and I got him up and brought him back here. Mrs. Roberts opened the door for us and helped us get him in bed. Pa drifted to sleep by the time the covers were pulled up. Think we should get the doctor to come back again?”

“Yes, probably, but we’ll let your father sleep for a while first. You and Lucy did well, Zachary. Do you want to stay here and sit by him or come out with us?”

“I’d like to stay, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course. I have business to attend to, but it would be good if you were here.” Katherine stopped by the bed and gazed at the sleeping man. A flutter began in her stomach and traveled all the way up to her throat.

What was she feeling? Pity? Or attraction? The latter wasn’t acceptable. She didn’t need the added complication of a man in her life. But there was nothing wrong with feeling sorry for Micah—he’d lost so much, and now this …

Realizing she had things to tend to, she stepped away from the bed. “I’ll be back later to check on him, Zachary.”

Quietly closing the door behind her, Katherine headed down the hall. She needed to talk to her mother, but right now she’d deal with Mrs. Roberts.

Lucy waylaid her at the foot of the stairs. “Is he going to be okay, Ma? It scared me something awful when we found him and couldn’t get him to wake up. I was afraid he was dead.” Her face was pale, and her chin quivered. “Like Pa.” The words came out in a whisper.

“Oh, honey.” Katherine hugged her daughter. “This was nothing like your pa. Mr. Jacobs fell, but I’m sure he’s going to be fine after he rests. We’ll have the doctor come and check on him to be sure, but I don’t want you to worry.” She drew back and smiled, pride swelling her heart. What a brave, sensible girl she’d raised. “You did a good job taking care of things. I’m proud of you.”

Lucy ducked her head. “Zachary helped too. It wasn’t only me.”

Katherine nodded. “I understand that, but you—not Zachary—were in charge since Grandma had a headache and wasn’t feeling well.”

“Why don’t you like him, Ma? You never say anything nice about him, and he’s my friend.” Lucy’s voice broke; then she fled down the hall.

Katherine stared after her daughter. What had just happened? She hadn’t said a thing about disliking that boy; she’d only tried to emphasize that Lucy had done a good job taking responsibility for the events of the morning. Why was it so hard to get along with her daughter from one minute to the next? Ever since Lucy was born, Katherine had looked forward to the time when they could be friends. She laughed to herself. She should have known that was foolish. Parents couldn’t be friends with children while raising them; they had to maintain structure, discipline, and accountability. Moving into the realm of friends would muddy the waters too much, and with a young girl in her teens, there was also the matter of emotions bouncing around like a rubber ball on a hardwood floor. Lucy would probably forget all about this and be totally fine by supper.

Katherine exhaled, knowing she still had an unpleasant task to tend to. Mrs. Roberts. The woman had apparently been rude to Mama—although that had to be taken with a grain of salt, knowing her mother. Mrs. Roberts might have overstepped her bounds, although from all appearances she’d only helped Lucy and Zachary care for Micah. What a pickle. Mama obviously didn’t like their new boarder, and though Katherine could ill afford to lose the income, it appeared she’d made the right choice about the pair finding new lodging soon.

Trooping up the steps, she paused in front of the room she’d given to Mrs. Roberts. She hesitated, working to form the words she’d use, then discarded the effort. Much would depend on the woman’s attitude when she opened the door. She raised her hand and knocked, then waited several beats before trying again.

Heavy footsteps sounded on the far side, and the door swung open. Katherine’s gaze was met by red-rimmed eyes above puffy cheeks.

Katherine started. Mrs. Roberts was either coming down with a cold, or she’d been crying—but that didn’t seem to fit the image she had of the matron. “Mrs. Roberts? I wondered if you might have time to talk. We could sit downstairs, or in the small parlor down the hall if you’d like.”

The older woman took a handkerchief from the pocket of her dress and blew her nose. “No need. Come in. I have been expecting you, and I’d appreciate the privacy my room offers.”

Katherine was nonplussed, but she stepped across the threshold anyway and waited.

“Before we go any farther, how is that young man faring? Do you think he’ll recover?”

Katherine experienced a tinge of surprise at the question. She’d come expecting a confrontation and instead found a woman who appeared to have been crying and who asked about someone else before discussing her own complaints. “He’s sleeping, and I’ve sent for the doctor to make sure he didn’t do any further damage to his leg, but I believe he’ll recover. Thank you for asking.”

The older woman nodded and moved across the room to an overstuffed chair. She motioned to it and waited for Katherine to sit, then perched on the end of the bed nearby. “I am afraid I had words with your mother. She took an instant dislike to me for some reason.” Mrs. Roberts sniffed, and Katherine’s heart started to soften … until the haughty expression Mrs. Roberts had worn the previous evening reappeared. “And, I have to admit, I have no fondness for her. But in spite of her rude behavior, Beth and I will stay here for the time being. That is, if you can assure me that Mrs. Cooper will mind her own business and won’t interfere with mine.”

Katherine stiffened, and any sympathy she’d formed quickly dissolved. “I’m afraid I can’t give you any such assurance, madame. My mother is her own person and won’t be controlled by anyone, least of all me. But, regardless, I can’t agree with your decision to stay. I have given it much thought and feel it’s best for all involved if you find a new place to lodge as soon as possible.”

“I beg your pardon?” Mrs. Roberts shook her head sharply as though trying to clear the unpleasant words from her ears. “I can’t have heard you properly.
I
am the injured party here, not you, or your mother.
She
is the one who accosted me, not the other way around. If anyone is in the wrong, it is Mrs. Cooper. Why should my niece and I be asked to leave?”

Katherine sent up a swift prayer for wisdom and tact, something that eluded her in the presence of this woman. Why did some people have to make life difficult for everyone around them? She could well imagine that her mother hadn’t been kind or considerate to Mrs. Roberts, but that didn’t condone the other woman’s behavior. “I simply feel it best. Let’s leave it at that, shall we?”

Mrs. Roberts snorted. “No, we shall not.”

“If you insist.” Katherine extended her hand. “I must consider the welfare of my entire household over any one individual, or in your case, any two. It would seem that you won’t be happy here unless we adapt to your needs, and that’s not something I’m willing to do—not if it means making an uncomfortable atmosphere for my family and other boarders. Is that clear enough?”

Mrs. Roberts’s hands fell to her sides. “Quite. We will pack and be off within the hour.” Desolation colored her tone.

Guilt stabbed Katherine but this had to be done, and it behooved her to be strong and follow through. “There is no need to rush. Take as much time as you need, and if you’d like, I can send Lucy to one of the hotels to see if they might have a wagon available to transport you and your belongings.”

“No, thank you. I do not care to be beholden to you or anyone else in this place. Beth and I will make do on our own.” Mrs. Roberts strode to the door and opened it. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have work to do.”

Micah woke slowly, trying to orient himself to his surroundings. Shooting pain traveled from his ankle to his thigh and back down again. Ah yes, he had attempted to get out of this bed. How stupid could he be, trying to walk with crutches? Maybe if he had waited till he were stronger, it would’ve been easier, but now he’d probably be in bed even longer.