Angel Sister (18 page)

“Oh, my poor dear child. I certainly didn’t intend to upset you.” Mrs. Baxter’s smile looked fake to Kate. “I pray for you and your sisters each and every day.”

Evie was practically pinching a plug out of Kate now as she leaned close to whisper in her ear. “Katherine Reece Merritt, don’t you dare do something to embarrass me in front of the new preacher. Remember where you are.”

“Is there a problem here, ladies?” Brother Champion must have finished shaking everybody else’s hands.

“No, no problem at all,” Evie said quickly. She gave Kate a look as if the whole confrontation was all her fault before she smiled back at the preacher. “Miss Ella was just saying how she prayed for us. Because of our grandfather’s unfortunate stroke, I’m sure. They were of the mind that I might have spoken out of turn asking you to dinner.”

Then she was smiling at Ella Baxter and Mrs. Spaulding while Kate made herself unclench her fists. Evie was right. She couldn’t sock Ella Baxter in church. Not because she might embarrass Evie, but because of Lorena. If Kate let her temper get the best of her, that might give them reason to claim she wasn’t good for Lorena.

Kate pulled in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Some of the heat went out with it. The Bible said she was supposed to love her enemies and pray for them. That wasn’t just the Bible. It was straight from the Sermon on the Mount. Her grandfather preached on that all the time. Going the extra mile. Turning the other cheek. But Kate wasn’t ready to turn any cheek or do any praying for Ella Baxter. Even if Kate was standing in church with the new preacher eyeing her as if somebody definitely needed to be praying. For Kate.

Brother Champion settled where he would be eating dinner when he turned to Evie to say, “Not out of turn at all, Miss Merritt. I’m looking forward to eating dinner with your family. I had hoped to visit Reverend Reece this afternoon, and who better to introduce me to him than his own family? Don’t you agree, ladies?” He showered them with one of his bright smiles. The two women looked about as near a swoon as Evie. Neither of them opened her mouth to argue.

Evie looked at Kate with a winning smile. “You go on ahead, Kate. I’ll wait for Brother Champion and ride down to the house with him.”

“What about George?” Kate said just for meanness. She’d already seen George go out of the church in a huff. Even if he was hanging around outside, it was a sure thing Evie wasn’t riding anywhere with him today. “Don’t you usually ride home with him?”

Evie shot another warning look at Kate before she casually flipped her hair back away from her face and said airily, “He said he was busy this afternoon.”

Kate started to tell Evie it was probably as bad to tell a lie in church as it was to want to sock somebody in the mouth, but some things were better left unsaid. Besides, she needed to beat Ella Baxter out of the church. She needed to get Lorena away from her sight, because every time Mrs. Baxter looked at Lorena, it was like her eyes were grabbing hold of the little girl, and one of these days she wasn’t going to turn her loose.

______

Kate’s father looked up from his book with a bit of consternation when Kate, Tori, and Lorena came tearing home and passed him on the porch. Kate let Tori explain they were having company while she rushed on to the kitchen to shove the dirty breakfast dishes out of sight into the oven. Lorena helped her do a whirlwind pickup of books and papers in the sitting room while Tori ran out to hang a clean towel on the hook by the washpans on the back porch. By the time the preacher drove up with Evie, the house, while not up to her mother’s company standards, was at least presentable.

The preacher won over Kate’s father before they came in off the porch by talking about how much he liked H. G. Wells. Then he came right on out to the kitchen and sat down at the table while they were setting out the food, as if he’d known them forever.

He told them to call him Brother Mike. “Or just Mike if that suits you better. I’ve been praying for a chance to serve a church like yours.” He seemed to think about what he’d said and rushed on, sounding a bit flustered. “Not that I think the Lord answered my prayers by causing Reverend Reece to get sick.”

Kate’s father helped him out. “It’s an ill wind that blows no one any good.”

“Yes, yes, and the Bible does say the Lord can make good come out of the worst circumstances.” Brother Mike looked relieved. “We’ll be praying for Reverend Reece’s recovery, but until he’s able to take over the church again, I’m looking forward to being here to help the church all I can. Of course with going to seminary, I’ll mostly be here on the weekends unless there’s a special need.” He flashed them his smile.

“And your wife? Is she going to be able to come with you?” Kate’s father asked.

Kate froze as she reached in the cabinet to get out the good plates. Beside her, Evie looked as if she had forgotten how to breathe as all the color drained out of her face. Surely he would have mentioned having a wife back in Louisville.

“No, no. No wife yet.” Brother Mike laughed. “Right now I’m focusing all my attention on learning more about the Lord and what he wants me to do. When the right girl comes along to share in that work, I trust the Lord will point her out to me.”

Evie tried to hide her sigh of relief by laughing a little. Kate made a face at her as she shoved the plates toward her. Evie was acting like she thought the good Lord had a big finger pointing at her already.

Their father smiled as he said, “I’m sure he’s busy sorting through applications.”

Brother Mike’s cheeks colored up a bit. “Well, I don’t know about that. But I do think the Lord’s hand is evident in all good marriages. How about you and your wife, sir? Do you think the Lord helped you find each other?”

“We didn’t have to go far to find each other since we both grew up right here in Rosey Corner, but Nadine was definitely an answer to prayer.”

“How long have you been married?” Brother Mike seemed anxious to switch the attention off his love life onto something else. Anything else.

“We got married in 1917 a few months before I shipped out to France.” Kate’s father picked up the glass of tea Kate sat in front of him and took a sip. “But I’d been in love with her since I was a boy.”

“So you were sweethearts all the way through school?” Brother Mike grinned at Kate as she dropped a piece of ice she’d chipped off the block in the icebox into his tea.

“Not at all. I said
I
was in love with
her
. For her part, she barely knew I existed until we were seniors in high school.”

Evie jumped in to tell part of the story. “And then Daddy was reading a poem about a girl named Evangeline at school and Mother fell head over heels in love with him. That’s where I got my name.” Evie put her hands over her heart and sighed. “Isn’t that just so romantic?”

“Ah, romantic love. One of the nicest gifts the Lord bestows on us.” Brother Mike smiled at Evie and then turned back to their father. “And so now you have four beautiful daughters?”

“Three. We’re just keeping the youngest here, Lorena, until her parents get back on their feet.” Kate’s father reached over to pat Lorena’s head. “But I’d be proud to say she was my daughter.”

“Lorena,” the preacher said. “Yes, one of the ladies at church, Mrs. Baxter I think, was telling me about her.” A frown flickered across his face as he looked over at Lorena. “I understood that she was caring for the little girl.”

Kate stepped over behind Lorena and put her arms around her. “No. We are.”

Lorena smiled up at her. “Kate’s my angel. The Lord gave her to me.”

“It’s a long story,” Kate’s father said. “But right now it looks like the girls have our dinner ready, such as it is. If you’ll say grace, Brother Mike, we’ll eat.”

Brother Mike did like bologna or at least pretended to as he ate his sandwich with a smile. After they all had a slice of the brown sugar pie, Kate’s father and Brother Mike carried their tea out to the front porch while Evie and Kate cleared off the table.

“I’m going with them over to see Grandfather,” Evie said. “You can stay home with Lorena and Tori. We can’t all go.”

“You haven’t been to see Grandfather Reece once since he had his stroke.” Kate stacked up the plates and set them beside the dishpan. She’d heat water later to wash them. Along with the breakfast dishes.

“More reason that I should go instead of you.” Evie lifted her chin defiantly as she put the leftover pie back in the pie safe.

“Right, as if seeing Grandfather has anything to do with you wanting to go today. Maybe I want to go with Brother Mike.” Kate looked up from wiping off the table.

“I can see you think he’s cute. Who wouldn’t? He’s every bit dreamy.” Evie sighed a little before she narrowed her eyes on Kate. “But you’re too young, Kate. Way too young.”

“And you’re not?” Kate stood up and stared back at her.

“I’m sixteen already. And mature for my age. Besides, he likes me. I can tell by the way he smiles when he looks at me.” Evie gave Kate a haughty look. “That’s just something a girl can tell after she gets older. You’ll understand someday.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Sometimes Evie drove her crazy. Kate tried to swallow her irritation as she went on. “He smiled at everybody this morning. Even old Mrs. Jacobson. She must be close to a hundred.”

“But not the way he smiled at me.” Evie sighed again.

Kate blew some air out of her mouth. No way was Evie going to let her win this one. She might as well give in gracefully. “Okay, you go. But you’d better be nice to Grandfather Reece and not just keep making eyes at Brother Mike.”

Evie frowned at her. “Whenever did you start worrying about being nice to Grandfather Reece? You’re always fussing about how he keeps wanting to pray over you for this or that.”

“Not since his stroke. Now all he wants me to do is read his Bible to him when I go over there. He’s different. Like maybe he even understands about Lorena and the angels now.”

“You’re not an angel, Kate.” Evie leaned closer to Kate till their noses were almost touching. “Really. You can trust me on this one. You’re not an angel.” She enunciated the last four words very distinctly.

“I know that, so leave me alone.” Kate backed up a step. “But that doesn’t change Lorena being my little sister.
Our
little sister, because that’s what God wants. And I think Grandfather Reece would say the same thing if he could get the words out right.”

“And I think you must be dreaming. You heard what Brother Mike said about Ella Baxter.” Evie made a face. “That nasty woman. I don’t know who’s worse. Her or Miss Carla. But you know and I know that Grandfather Reece has always done whatever Miss Carla wanted. You can ask Mama about that. She’ll say the same thing.”

“It might be different now.”

“Yeah, and the moon might come up and be purple tonight, but I don’t think that’s going to happen, do you?”

Kate didn’t like losing arguments to Evie. She was usually the one demanding Evie open her eyes and stop dreaming up things that weren’t going to happen. But even if she knew Evie was right, Kate couldn’t completely give in on this one. “The Bible says if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can tell a mountain to move from one place to another and it will.”

“Jesus must have been talking to Peter or James and John when he said that. Either that or nobody we’ve ever heard about had a mustard seed’s worth of faith. And we aren’t going to have a purple moon tonight either. We’ll have to find another way if that’s what it takes.”

“Then we’ll find it,” Kate said. “I’ll find it.”

Evie’s face softened. “Maybe you will, Kate. If anybody can, you will.”

“Are you girls about through in there?” their father called back to the kitchen. “We need to get on over to your grandfather’s.”

Evie gave Kate a quick hug, yanked off her apron, and pushed her hair into place as she hurried toward the front door.

An hour later Kate was reading the fifth chapter of
Little Women
to Tori and Lorena on a blanket under the apple tree out back when they came. Grandfather Merritt led the way around the house with Ella and Joseph Baxter following him. His feet were hitting the ground hard and forceful, like he was marching.

Kate’s heart jerked and then began thudding as she looked at her grandfather’s face. She slowly stood up, letting the book fall closed without even checking which page they were on. Lorena looked up at Kate, scrambled to her feet, and edged behind her. Only Tori didn’t seem to notice anything amiss as she called out a friendly greeting to Grandfather Merritt.

“Hello, Victoria. Kate.” Their grandfather nodded curtly at them. He ignored Lorena completely. “Where are your mother and father?”

Kate felt as if somebody was grabbing the breath right out of her chest, and for a second her head spun around. Then she pulled in one slow breath and then another. She had to be ready to do battle. They were going to try to take Lorena. She licked her lips and made herself speak even as the blood began beating through her so hard that it made her voice shake. “They’re at Grandfather Reece’s house. You knew that already.”

“I knew your mother was there,” Grandfather Merritt said. “It’s anybody’s guess where your father might be.”

“Daddy doesn’t drink on Sundays.” It was the very worst thing Kate could have said, but the words were out. There wasn’t any way she could take them back.

“Then that’s without a doubt the only day,” Ella Baxter muttered.

Grandfather Merritt frowned at Mrs. Baxter and said, “I’ll do the talking.”

“You need to go away.” Kate stared straight at her grandfather. Lorena wrapped her arms around one of Kate’s legs and held on so tightly she almost pulled Kate off balance.

He glared at her. “Young lady, you are not permitted to talk to me that way.”

Kate’s eyes didn’t waver on his as she pushed all the force she could into her voice and repeated, “Go away!” She wanted to pick Lorena up and run, but she couldn’t outrun them. She had to try to face him down. She had to believe the Lord would help her face him down.

This time he pretended she hadn’t spoken. “We’re here to get the child.” His eyes touched on Lorena, who buried her face in Kate’s skirt. “Mr. and Mrs. Baxter will provide her a good home.”

“Yes, little child, come see what I’ve brought you. A brand-new doll.” Ella Baxter held a doll out toward Lorena. It had black curls painted on its china head and was dressed in a pink satin dress. Kate had never owned a doll half as pretty. Mrs. Baxter kept talking in a sweet voice that didn’t sound a bit like her usual voice. “We’ll make new clothes for it. And we’ve fixed up a nice room for you. With pink walls and ruffled curtains.”

Lorena didn’t even look toward the doll. “No. Don’t like pink,” she said against Kate’s leg. “I have to stay with my angel. With Kate.” She raised her head a little to peek up toward Kate. “Mommy told me.” Her eyes begged Kate to say it was so.

Tori was on her feet now too as she stared first at Kate, then Grandfather Merritt. She looked scared, but Kate couldn’t worry about Tori. It was Lorena who needed her. The Lord was going to give Kate the power to win this battle. She knew he was. She had way more than a mustard seed’s worth of faith about that. He wanted her to take care of Lorena. She was sure of that.

“She doesn’t want to go with you,” Kate said.

Grandfather Merritt mashed his mouth together and snorted as he glared at Kate for a moment before he spoke. “This is a matter for adults to decide, Katherine. It’s not something you as a child can understand. Now these good people have decided to give this gypsy child a home, and she will learn to be grateful for it. And that’s that. I don’t want to hear one more word out of you.” He glowered at her. “Not one.”

Kate didn’t say anything, but she tightened her hold on Lorena. The Lord would help her. He had to. Even if he had to strike Grandfather Merritt down the same as Grandfather Reece.

“This is ridiculous,” her grandfather muttered as he covered the distance between them in two steps. He grabbed Lorena and yanked her away from Kate.

Lorena screamed and Kate reached for her. They clasped hands. Tori started bawling.

“Let go of the child this instant, Katherine,” Grandfather Merritt ordered.

But Kate wouldn’t let go. She would never let go. She felt as if her grandfather was trying to peel her very skin away. “No!” she yelled.

“You will do as I say.” He raised his hand and struck Kate across the face.

It was a hard blow that stunned Kate and knocked her off balance. She fell and hit her head on the apple tree. For a second she was dazed. She sat up slowly as something warm began running down beside her eye. She put a hand up to it and was surprised when her fingers came away red with blood.

Lorena jerked free from Grandfather Merritt and stepped between him and Kate. “Don’t hurt my angel sister. Please, don’t hurt Kate. I’ll go with you.” Tears rolled down Lorena’s cheeks as she held her hand up toward Grandfather Merritt.

Kate was weeping too. She wasn’t going to win this fight. The Lord wasn’t going to help her, and she couldn’t do it by herself. She swallowed her tears enough to say, “Let me tell her goodbye.”