Where the Wild Rose Blooms (7 page)

With the seven Fontaines joining them, the families were forced to sit at two different tables. The adults, along with Clayton and Eddie, were at a makeshift table set up in the middle of the living room; Elaine had decorated it with a white cloth and flowers. Milly and the rest of the Fontaine girls were around the kitchen table. There were no flowers, but the pale blue tablecloth was clean and pressed. The food was wonderful, and it wasn't long before Jackie felt herself relaxing. Indeed, Sammy was telling a riotous story about something that had happened in the store, and she had her eating companions in stitches. Jackie nearly forgot all her previous fears.

"This certainly sounds like a lot of fun," Kevin Taggart commented when he came through at one point.

"Oh, Dad!" Milly gasped. "You should hear this story."

Sammy repeated it for her hosts benefit, and during the telling of it, Clayton appeared. He laughed as hard as his father, but for Jackie the tenseness had returned. She watched Clayton's eyes rest on her for a moment and dropped her own. With his warm, brown eyes and sun-blond hair, all set off by a dark tan shirt and brown pants, she had to admit that he was handsome, but she still disliked him.

"I think we'll wait on dessert," Elaine said as she came to the kitchen. "Milly, will you please help me with the dishes?"

"I'll help coo," Danny offered.

"All right," Elaine accepted with a smile. "Clay, why don't you take Sammy to the barn and show her the kittens."

"You should go too, Jackie," Addy said as she came from the living room with her hands full of dishes, "Jackie is our animal lover," she added to her hostess.

"Come on, Sammy," Clayton invited the youngest girl. "Let's head to the barn."

"Aren't we going to take Jackie?"

Claytons eyes showed his amusement as they swung to the older girl. "I'm sure she won't be interested."

Jackie's chin lifted to the challenge. "As a matter of fact, I would love to see the kittens."

A smile split Clayton's face. He never dreamed she would accompany them, but he didn't comment. A moment later he stepped aside so that Sammy could lead the way. She threw a smile his way as she passed, but Jackie, who also walked in front of him,
refused to look in his direction.

"Clays a terrible tease," Elaine commented when they were gone.

"That might not be all bad," Addy told her softly. "Jackie takes herself much too seriously."

"I love the smell of barns," Sammy told Clayton enthusiastically. The blue eyes that were so like her mother's smiled up at him.

"So do I," he agreed. "I think it must be the hay and horses."

The sky was growing dark, so the spacious barn was dim with the fading light. Clayton moved to a post below the
hayloft and took down the lantern. The light flared in the
shadowy barn as he
led
the way to a nearby stall. He need not have bothered. The sound of kittens crying could be heard from several feet away and would have led them with ease.

"Hey," Clayton spoke as he knelt in the straw, "where's Princess?"

"Oh," Sammy breathed, and Jackie, who had remained very quiet, bit her lip, her eyes alight with pleasure.

"Aren't they adorable, Jackie?"

"Oh, they are," the older girl agreed. Clayton thought he'd never heard her voice so sweet.

"Look, Jackie! A gray stripe. Your favorite." Sammy gently lifted the kitten and placed it in her hands. Jackie let out a breathless laugh, unaware of the way Clayton's eyes studied her.

"She's so soft."

"This one is too," Sammy exclaimed as she cuddled a tiny red kitten close to her cheek.

The two remaining kittens found Claytons lap, and he lazily stroked their tiny heads while watching the wonder of his guests. He'd never known so much physical beauty in one family. Morgan was a handsome man, and Addy was downright beautiful. The girls were all lovely as well, but he wasn't completely convinced that all was as it should be. Things seemed to be in place with Mrs. Fontaine, Eddie, Danny, and even Sammy, but the others were a mystery to him. His thoughts were interrupted when a large calico cat sauntered into the stall and meowed loudly to her children.

"Here's Princess," Clayton commented.

The girls' kittens were no longer content in their arms, and the two from Claytons lap were swiftly making their way toward supper. A minute later all four were eagerly lined up along their mothers side, and purrs of contentment rumbled throughout the stall. The three watched for a few minutes, and then Sammy jumped up to explore the rest of the barn. Jackie rose as well, and Clayton followed slowly.

"How many horses, Tag?" Sammy asked.

"Just three."

Sammy skipped on ahead, and Clayton caught up with Jackie. She veered off to look in one of the stalls, and Clayton, acting instinctively, took her arm.

"Watch that pitchfork, Jackie. I must have forgotten to put it away.
^r

Jackie jerked her arm from his touch and stepped away. Clayton was bending to put the fork against the wall when Jackie spoke in the voice he was accustomed to hearing.

"I'm surprised you didn't look forward to seeing my foot stabbed."

Claytons head whipped around, but his face was in the shadows so Jackie couldn't see his shocked expression. He felt as though someone had thrown cold water over him; indeed, he nearly gasped. It was startlingly clear to him at that moment that his teasing had gone too far. He never dreamed she was taking him seriously. At last, his voice came softly, soberly, from the shadows.

"Contrary to what you obviously believe, Jackie, I'm not a monster." With that, Clayton turned to join Sammy. They talked about the horses and then visited the kittens again before Clayton hung the lantern back in place and blew it out. He did so without thought until he heard a small gasp and a voice of panic.

"Sammy? Where are you, Sammy?"

"I'm right here. The door's this way."

"What's the matter?" Clayton asked but was ignored.

"I can't see!" Jackie finally cried, and Clayton, hearing that she was on the verge of panic, moved back to the lantern. It flared into life a moment later, and Clayton found Jackie gripping Sammy's small arm frantically.

"It's okay now, Jackie. The light's on." Sammy's soft voice floated through the barn, but it took a moment for Jackie to relax her hold. When the older girl found Clayton's
eyes
on her, her chin went into the air. Her look dared him to laugh, but she need not have worried. Clayton was not cold or aloof to Jackie, nor did he dare show any pity, but where she was concerned, all teasing was gone.

Early the next morning Kevin and Clayton said goodbye to Elaine and Milly and rode out together. Though they were not going to the same mine, they were headed in the same direction for several miles. They left town in silence, but it wasn't long before they started to share. Clayton spoke of the way Jackie had responded in the barn, and his father was sympathetic.

"She really thought I would enjoy seeing her hurt, Dad. I can't tell you how much that bothered me."

"She seems rather sensitive," Kevin commented. "She hides behind a lovely face and a nonchalant manner, but I sense that she could be hurt quite easily."

"I wouldn't have agreed with you before last night, but I think you must be right. Do you suppose people have used her?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, gotten to know her just because she's pretty and then hurt her in some way?"

"It's hard to say."

"It's strange," Clayton went on. "She acts so spoiled, but I don't think Morgan spoils any of his girls."

Kevin had to think on this for a moment. Finally he replied, "I know what you're saying, Clay, but Morgan does something worse—he's led Jackie to believe that she should look out for herself and no one else. I know Morgan is a good family man, and I can see that he cares, but his main concern seems to be himself."

Clayton nodded. His father had put his finger on the very thing that had eluded him. Morgan gave the appearance of being a righteous man, but Clayton could see that something was missing. He prayed for Morgan Fontaine right then, asking God to show him the way of true righteousness found in Christ alone.

"How long will you be out?" Kevin suddenly asked.

"I really should be gone for about a month, but I'll be coming back next weekend to meet a friend of Eddies."

"A man friend?"

Clayton smiled. "Yes. Someone she's quite taken with."

Kevin frowned.

"What did I say?"

"Nothing, except watching the two of you over dinner last night, I thought maybe..."

Clayton was already shaking his head. "Eddie is just a friend, and besides, she was in love with Robert Langley before we even met."

"Well, he's a blessed man. She's a very special young lady."

"That she is."

"Of course, maybe you were thinking she would make a nice sister-in-law."

The younger man didn't feign ignorance. "Jackie is still very young. '

"But young ladies grow up."

"Be that as it may, I've got a teaching career to pursue."

"Oh, speaking of which," Kevin now reached into his breast pocket, "I've a letter here from your grandmother."

"How is she doing?"

"Well."

"Does she speak of Denver?"

"Yes. She says its hot, but she still managed to gather the information I needed about a certain training college."

Clayton brought his horse to a standstill and stared at his father, who had stopped as well. The older man shifted lazily in his saddle, pushed his hat back on his head, and grinned at his son.

"Do you mean it?" Clayton finally managed.

"Certainly. Its too late for this fall, but a year from now.... Are you willing to wait?"

"I'll wait," Clayton told him without a moments thought, his voice almost breathless. "The time doesn't matter; just knowing its really going to happen is all I need."

Kevin heeled his mount forward, a smile still splitting his beard. Clayton moved with him, a hundred questions swarming in his head. When had his father written about his desire to teach? When had the letter arrived from Denver? And why had he waited until now to tell him? How much did it cost? Was his grandmother helping? Maybe he could live with her.

It was all such a blur in his mind that Clayton couldn't voice a single word. A glance at his father told him he was still feeling very pleased with himself. Clayton let his eyes slide shut for just an instant.

I'm going to school, Lord. I'm going to teach. I prayed, and I waited on You. Thank You, Lord. Thank You with all my heart.