Love Finds You in Daisy, Oklahoma (5 page)

His mother grunted. “The building needs work, to be sure. But I wasn’t referring to that. I just wonder if this poor woman has any idea what sort of children await her.”

Gene made up his mind not to demean the boys and girls, even if others struggled with them. “I feel sure she’ll settle in nicely.”

William and Jacob continued to squabble—William now frustrated with Jacob for having more food on his plate—and before long, they were out of their chairs and turning the corner of the dining room into a boxing ring. Jacob caught William’s shirtsleeve and gave it a tug. A ripping sound followed. That, of course, only served to make William madder. He grabbed his brother’s arm and twisted it behind his back.

In the scuffle, one of them managed to catch the hem of the tablecloth on the buffet and nearly pulled down the silver service.

Gene rose and moved their way, grabbing each by the shirtsleeve and gazing intently into their freckled faces. “Boys, this is not the time or place.” He gave them each a little nudge toward their chairs and they sat, but not before scowling at each other and muttering a few words under their breath. Gene put the silver back in its place.

“You were saying?” Gene’s mother folded her napkin and placed it on her lap. “She will settle in nicely, you think?”

Gene grunted then continued filling his plate. “I’m sure she will grow accustomed to the children with time.”

“Time…and strong drink.” His mother smirked before taking a bite of her mashed potatoes.

“Very funny. And just for the record, she doesn’t drink. She made that plain in her letter. She appears to be temperate in every respect.” He took a bite of the potatoes, grateful for the excuse it gave him to not say anything more on the subject.

“I was teasing, of course.” His mother dabbed her lips with her napkin. “Though these children could drive a person to drink, no doubt about that.”

As if to prove the fact, the boys took to fighting again, and their chairs shimmied across the floor. William knocked Jacob out of his chair with a loud smack to his cheek. Jacob responded with an exaggerated yelp.

“Ow!” Jacob rubbed his arm.

Gene glanced at the boys. “Tell him you’re sorry, William.”

“You’re sorry,” William said, before punching Jacob again.

Gene scooted his chair back. “I’ve had just about enough of this.”

“Just about?” his mother said. “Or enough? There’s a pretty big difference between the two.”

He remained in his chair, frozen in place by her words. How did one go about filling in the gap between “just about” and “enough,” anyway?

The boys dove into round three, and before long they’d landed in a heap on top of each other.

A familiar voice rang out from the front hallway. “Am I late for supper?”

Gene looked up to discover his deputy, Charlie, entering the dining room. With one swoop, Charlie reached down, gathered a boy in each arm, and plopped them into their seats. This move appeared to render the boys speechless. For a moment, anyway.

“For that, you get an extra-large helping of roast beef and two pieces of pie!” Gene’s mother gestured for Charlie to sit, and she began to fill his empty plate.

“I can’t wait.” He rubbed his hands together, a crooked smile lighting his face.

Gene cleared his throat. “Charlie, I’ve got a job for you.”

“Oh?” The young deputy glanced his way. “You need me to protect the town from harm? Or save females in distress?” He squared his shoulders and flexed a bicep, which made the boys laugh.

“No. I need you to make sure the children don’t burn down the orphanage between now and when the new director arrives in a few days.”

“Ah.” Charlie took a bite of the roast beef and leaned back in his chair. “So, you’ve located someone gullible enough for the task, then? Do tell.”

Gene cleared his throat and took a swig of milk to wash down the accusation in those words. “Yes, a new director is on her way,” he managed. “But in the meantime, I need someone who’s reliable to keep an eye on things. They’re just children, after all. I’m not asking you to guard inmates.”

“Hmph.” Charlie rolled his eyes and raked his fingers through his disheveled blond waves. “Looking after the orphanage isn’t exactly child’s play. I think I’d rather wrestle thieves and robbers, if you don’t mind.”

“Look at it this way,” Gene’s mother said with a twinkle in her eye. “If you do agree to watch over the orphans, you’ll be wrestling
potential
thieves and robbers.” She filled his glass with milk. “That’s got to count for something.”

Gene groaned. As if he didn’t have enough trouble with Molly. Now his mother too? Didn’t she realize the boys were listening?

On the other hand, they didn’t appear to be listening at all. Jacob had taken to kicking William under the table, and within seconds they were wrestling it out on the floor below. The whooping and hollering picked up and the table began to wriggle a few inches this way and that way as the boys took out their anger on each other.

Gene sighed, took another bite of his potatoes, and asked Charlie to pass the rolls.

Rena arrived at the crowded Gulfport train station early in the evening, ready to set off on her adventure. Behind her, Reuben droned on, giving her a lengthy list of dos and don’ts. She’d grown weary of it. Now that she had arrived—at the train station, anyway—it was time to get about the business of traveling. From this point on, she would be on her own. Well, not really on her own, exactly. The Lord would lead her every step of the way. And she would follow, no matter how difficult.

With Virginia’s hand firmly linked in hers, they made their way through the noise, the smells, the people, toward the train. Reuben lugged her bags, his cheeks growing redder as they walked. A porter, a tall fellow in a black suit and cap, promised to see them delivered to her private car right away, and Reuben passed them off. Rena had fussed over the idea of a private car, but her brother had insisted. Now that she saw the crowd, she understood. Having a bit of privacy would be worth whatever price her brother had paid.

Her nostrils began to burn as the scent of burning coal filled the air. As she breathed it in, her throat burned too. And what a horrible, bitter taste! She reached for a handkerchief and pressed it to her face as a coughing fit began. Then her eyes started stinging, probably from the smoke. They filled with water, and she dabbed at them with the hankie as she struggled to catch her breath.

Reuben turned her way and waited until she regained her composure. “Now, Rena, I want you to mind who you speak to while you’re on the train. You never know about people, particularly the men. And when you arrive in Daisy, please see to it that someone telephones us. I will be very concerned if I don’t hear from you.” He gestured to Virginia and added, “We will both be concerned, I mean.”

“Yes, Reuben.”

“And make sure you carry that letter to the sheriff. The one I gave you. It’s filled with pertinent information about funding for the orphanage as well as a few other things he needs to know.”

“Yes, Reuben.”

A sudden shrill whistle filled the air, and she covered her ears for a moment. Pulling her hands back down, she found herself overwhelmed. The sound of voices with the roar of the engine and the constant flow of people kept her focus shifting all around.

Finally the moment arrived. Rena looked at the shimmer of tears in Virginia’s eyes and gave her a tight hug.

“Have the time of your life,” Virginia whispered. “Enjoy every moment. These adventures don’t come along every day.”

Rena nodded, her heart awakening at her sister-in-law’s positive words.

“Be careful, and remember everything I’ve told you.” Reuben’s expression appeared stern, but Rena realized he was just anxious on her behalf. She gave him a hug then turned toward the train, ready to set off on her own.

She boarded it, leaving one world behind and facing another ahead. One final glimpse through the door offered the only temptation to turn around and go back to her former life. She saw the expression on Reuben’s face…noticed the wrinkles between his brows. But instead of deterring her, she took them as a sign of release.

“No more worrying about me, brother,” she whispered. “I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”

Just as quickly, she bit back the words. She might not need her brother’s care, but she would always need the Lord’s. She would listen for the Almighty’s voice and follow it to the best of her ability.

Rena glanced around, trying to figure out which way she needed to go. She held onto her purse as others boarded the train behind her. If only she could get to her private car quickly, then she could rest easy. One of the porters took her ticket and offered an abrupt nod.

“This way, ma’am.” He led the way through the throng of people, weaving in and out. Rena found herself more than a little distracted as she sought to follow him, feeling as if her nerves could barely take much more.

Then a fellow with a cigar hanging from his lips tipped his hat at her and gave her a wink. Rena bit back a retort. Still another man paused to gaze at her, muttering something about how her blue eyes swayed him.
Honestly.
Just getting away from them might prove to be complicated. And why the sudden interest from men? In thirty-eight years, she’d scarcely had an offer to dinner, let alone anything more.

It’s because you’ve been so wrapped up in fear.

Where the words came from, she had no idea. Sure, she’d been fearful—of life, of men, of relationships—but that was years ago. Nowadays she stayed plenty busy and conquered her fears at will. Take this trip, for instance.

This trip. Hmm.
The idea of moving to a strange and unfamiliar place definitely unnerved her, even if she couldn’t admit it to anyone but herself. Thank goodness she didn’t have time to think about it. The porter stopped and opened the door to her private room, gesturing for her to enter. She stepped inside and was surprised at how lovely it looked. Ruffled blue-satin curtains hung in the open windows, and the ceiling was painted in a delicate scroll design.

Still, she couldn’t seem to locate the bed. Before she could ask, the porter extended his hand to the wall. “When you’re ready to sleep, just pull down on that latch, and it will release the bed.”

“It’s in the wall?” She could hardly believe such a thing.

The porter chuckled. “Yes. Let me show you.” He proceeded to demonstrate, and seconds later a bed emerged from the wall, just as he’d said. He then lifted it back into place and it disappeared from view. “Will you require my assistance in unpacking your bags?”

She quickly declined his offer, convinced she needed no such help, especially from a perfect stranger. The very idea of someone seeing her garments—especially the underclothes—made her uneasy.

He took a few steps toward the door. “Well, then, is there anything I can bring you, miss? Something from the dining car, perhaps?”

When she shook her head, he paused in the doorway. Rena quickly came to her senses, fumbled through her purse, and came up with a coin to tip the fellow. He nodded and then left, closing the door behind him.

The next few minutes were spent familiarizing herself with her car and peering through the window. She couldn’t get over the beautiful red, velvet-covered cushioned benches and other fineries. Yes, this would be just fine. Perhaps the journey wouldn’t be as nerve-racking as she’d secretly feared.

Feared. There was that word again.

For whatever reason, she thought of Reuben. From this side of the train, she could no longer see him. Perhaps he and Virginia had already returned home.

No, knowing her brother, they would stay until the train was out of sight. He would be praying all the while—and probably hoping she would change her mind and return home where she belonged.

Home. Strange, that Gulfport would no longer be her home. From the age of fourteen, it had been the only home she’d known.

Through the open window, ash and cinders swirled about in the air, creating a dizzying haze. Rena closed the window and the dust soon settled. She sat in one of the cushioned chairs and looked down at her once-white gloves. They were smudged with soot. By the time she arrived in Daisy, they would be absolutely ruined.

Oh well. No bother. She could always buy another pair. Surely Daisy had an adequately stocked department store. And a dressmaker.

Rena turned her attention to the menu on the side table. Her stomach grumbled as she read over it. “Mmm. Steak…grilled lamb chops…and asparagus with hollandaise sauce?” She hadn’t expected such a fine menu.

Rena’s mouth began to water—until she thought about those people in the regular cars with their bag lunches. All those mothers and their children she had passed by on her way to her private car wouldn’t be eating steak or lamb chops, would they? Suddenly Rena didn’t feel so hungry.

Moments later, another shrill whistle rang out and the train jolted. Rena watched as thick black smoke and white steam filled the air on the other side of the window. The train lurched forward, and she very nearly toppled off the bench. She managed to hold on tight, but the high collar on her gray dress very nearly choked the life out of her in the process.