Love in Independence (Holiday Mail Order Brides) (7 page)

She nodded, not knowing what else to do. She could feel the loss of her mother deepen, and didn’t want to start weeping in front
of the others. He stood without relinquishing his hold on her hand, and pulled her up as well. Just as he let go, Mrs. Brock’s head snapped up, her eyes intent on them. Pastor Adams leaned down and said in the same low voice, “Take all the time you need. I’ll keep working out here.”

Winnie swallowed hard. “Thank you,” she whispered back.

“No problem; I’m glad I can be of help to you. I don’t know how you’ve kept this locked up for so long.”

She looked up at him. “How do you know that?”

“Aside from you telling me,?” he asked with a smile. “Let’s just say I have a lot of experience with this sort of thing.”

She nodded. “You would, wouldn’t you?”

“Comes with the job.” He patted her back, and gave her a light shove in the direction of his office. “We’ll be fine out here. And who knows, maybe I’ll come up with something brilliant.”

She smiled, her tears almost breaking free, and headed to the small hallway. Once inside his office, she closed the door, and wept.

* * *

Luke
had fought the urge to wrap his arms around the grieving girl and comfort her.  He recognized raw pain when he saw it, and Miss Longfellow was riddled with it. But it wasn’t just the pain of her mother’s death he sensed; there was something more. She was distracted, and he had the feeling she was upset about something besides not having dealt with her grief. What, he had no idea, but hoped he could be of some help to her. Of course, since they were working on the upcoming celebration, he was certain he’d get the chance. 

He
sat and glanced toward the other group just as Mrs. Brock’s booming voice rang out over the others. “What? You can’t possibly want purple on the stage! This is for Independence Day, and only red, white, and blue should be considered! Why, the very idea!”

Eva Brock covered her face with her hands and groaned. It
was all he could do not to groan right along with her. Who wouldn’t, with
that
spewing her opinions all over the place?

Mrs. Caulder looked ready
to bust a gut at the outburst. Perhaps he needed to play peacemaker between them; but the thought of Miss Longfellow alone in his office with her tears kept him sitting at the ready near the hallway. What if she cried out in anguish? She had to be suffering a flood of tears by now. Should he check on her? No, best to give her more time …

“I see your help has abandoned her post.”

Luke looked up. Mrs. Brock loomed before him, her daughter at her side. “Not at all;
she’s taking a little … break.”

“Hmmm, how long does it take to visit the privy?” she huffed. “Eva, go fetch that girl so we can tell them what we’ve come up with. I don’t want to have to repeat myself.”

Luke stood. He didn’t want Mrs. Brock to know what Miss Longfellow was doin
g in his office. The last thing the poor girl needed was any sort of ‘consoling’ by the woman.  “I’ll see to it. You put your notes in order.”

“Our notes
are
in order!” she barked.

“Glad to hear it. I’d best go fetch Miss Longfellow. I told her to bring me something from my office. Perhaps she’s having trouble finding it.”

“I’ll go with you,” said Eva, her voice calm.

Luke looked at her and took
in her innocent expression, before observing Mrs. Brock’s satisfied one. “Certainly.” He didn’t know Eva Brock, but so far she seemed to
not
take after her mother.

She led the way
into his office where they found Miss Longfellow seated at his desk, her face buried in her hands, weeping. “Pastor Adams,” Eva said in a soft voice. “What’s happened?”

“It’s all right
, Miss Brock. She’ll be fine. And please, call me Pastor Luke.” He went around the desk, bent down and whispered in Miss Longfellow’s ear. “Are you all right? Do you want to go back to the Smythes’ house?”

She raised her face
from her hands, eyes red from crying. “No, I’m done for now. I had no idea … tha… tha …” she shook her head and put a hand to her mouth.

Eva c
ame around the other side of the desk and held her. “It’s all right. Whatever it is, I can see it’s a terrible burden. I’m so sorry.”

Winnie stared up at her, and unable to help herself, buried her face in the girl’s comforting embrace.

“She’s lost her mother recently,” Luke whispered. “See to her, will you? I’ll see to the others.”

Eva nod
ded, and kept her arms around the weeping girl. The sight warmed his heart. He always marveled at small kindnesses and the power they held.  Knowing he was leaving Miss Longfellow in good hands, he returned to the sanctuary.

Seven

Winnie wiped her tears as she moved away from Eva. “I’m usually not so easily upset. I can’t understand what happened.”

“It’s all right,” Eva said as she l
eaned against the desk. “I can only imagine what it must be like to lose a parent.”

  Winnie looked at her. “I’ve lost two.”

Eva put a hand to her mouth and gasped. “Oh, Miss Longfellow; I’m so sorry.”

“Please, call me Winnie.”

Eva nodded. “And you can call me Eva.” She glanced around the office. “I don’t suppose Pastor Luke would have a spare handkerchief around you could use.”

Winnie gave her a half-hearted chuckle. “No, I wouldn’t think so.” She sniffed back the last of her tears, and sighed. “We should join the others.”

“Not yet; you still look like you’ve been crying.”

Winnie closed her eyes and rubbed her arms. She always felt cold after weeping, and
, though her grieving was short, it was enough to tire her out. “Just a minute more, then…”

“Then
,
what
? You don’t have to go back in there.”

Winnie could only stare at her. “But …”

Eva pulled her out of the chair. “Maybe some fresh air?  It always helps me after I’ve had a crying fit.”

“Really? You’ve had … fits?”

“What girl hasn’t? C’mon, follow me.”

Winn
ie followed Eva through the door that led outside. The sun was bright and warm, and felt good on her skin. She looked at the blue of the sky and inhaled the sweet scent of grass and flowers. “Pastor Adams wants to use flowers in the parade,” she said.

“That would be wonderful. Did he say how?”

“No, just that he wants to use them. He said the fields around here are full of them.”

“They are.”

The two stood in silence for a moment before Eva straightened up at a familiar sound:
her
mother storming outside toward them. “There you are! What are you two doing out here?”

Winnie was too tired to deal with any more of Mrs. Brock’s tantrums, but before she could say anything, Eva came to her rescue. “We were d
iscussing flowers. Pastor Luke wishes to use them for the parade.”

“Flowers? What does that have to do with you wasting your time out here?”

“Where else are we going to find them, Mother?”

Mrs. Brock opened her mouth, thought better of it, and snapped it shut. Eva smiled at her, took Winnie’s hand, and led her down the path to the front of the church. Rose bushe
s graced the main walkway, much as they did at the mayor’s house. Eva leaned into one, and inhaled. “Mmmm, these are so lovely.”

Winnie watched her. Eva Barton was a beautiful young woman, and she again wondered why Maude and Martha
had made such a fuss about her. So far she’d shown Winnie nothing but kindness, which made her think.  Would Pastor Adams – Luke -- notice? What if he decided to pursue Eva instead of her; and nature took its course in that direction? It would be bad enough if he wasn’t interested in her, worse if he was attracted to someone else. She sighed. If only she’d come to Independence as a normal mail-order bride! She’d probably be married by now!

“Feeling better?” Eva asked in a soft voice.

“Yes, thank you,” Winnie said, her voice just as low. “I appreciate you staying with me, and not telling your mother I was upset.”

Eva smiled. “My
mother is enough to upset anyone, let alone on top of what you’re dealing with!”

Winnie giggled at that. “She seems a force to be reckoned with.”

“You have no idea. I went to stay with my aunt to take care of her, but also to get away.”

Winnie nodded her understan
ding and ran her fingers over the soft petals of a yellow rose bush. “I know what it’s like to need to get away.  It’s one of the reasons I came out west.”

“How exciting, I’ve always wanted to do something lik
e that, except I’m already here.”

Winnie smiled again,
and then looked up as Pastor Adams came out the church doors, followed by the rest of the women. “Here you are. We were wondering where the two of you had gone.”

“We were admiring the roses,” Winnie said. “How did you want to use the flowers in the parade?”

He stood beside her. “Well, I was thinking folks could decorate their wagons with them, put them on their horses, that sort of thing. The person or group using them in the most creative way could get a prize.”

“That’s a wonderful idea,
” said Eva. 

Winnie watched as the other women gathered round. Mrs. Peatman clapped her hands together. “We could decorate the tables at the picnic with them!”

“Yes, and we could make flower hats, too,” said Mrs. Gelsinger.  “Just think how pretty everything will look.”

“It will mean a lot of work. Flowers wilt
quickly, so everyone will have to decorate their wagons, tables, and such in the early morning, or the night before,” said Pastor Adams. He looked at each woman and smiled. “Ladies, I thank you for coming this morning. I think we’ve made good progress. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Of course;
and I’m sure the mayor’s wife will be here, along with Mrs. Tindle and Mrs. Smythe.” Mrs. Caulder said.

Pastor Adams scratched his head. “Yes, where are those three?”

“Mrs. Vander wasn’t feeling well, and Mrs. Tindle had to mind the mercantile. I don’t know where Mrs. Smythe is,” said Mrs. Peatman.

“Well?” Mrs. Brock huffed as she joined them. “Where
is
Mrs. Smythe?” she asked as she stood in front of Winnie.

Winnie tried not to ball her hands into fists but did it anyway. “She’s helping Mr. Smythe. They’re
short-handed.”

Mrs. Brock blanched. “Don’t say another word! We don’t want poor Eunice to faint again!”

Winnie swore she saw Pastor Adams hide a smile. He feigned interest in the roses, and then gave his attention back to them. “Miss Longfellow, might I have a word with you in my office?”

She flushed red as her stomach flipped. She could feel Mrs. Brock’s eyes on her even without looking, and could just imagine what the woman was thinking. “Of course.”

He turned to the women. “Ladies, if you’ll excuse us, we still have work to do. Have a pleasant day.”

The
y said their goodbyes and began to leave, chatting about their plans as they went, none of them giving a second thought to Pastor Adam’s request to see her. Except Mrs. Brock, who stood with her arms folded across her chest, a look of pure defiance on her face. “Pastor Adams, what do you think you’re doing?”

He was already heading up the church steps, and turned to look at her. “
Pastor Luke,” he corrected. “And I’m going to my office.”

“With
this
woman?”

Winnie gasped. “Mrs. Brock, what are you implying?”

“It’s indecent!”

Pastor
Luke sighed. “Mrs. Brock, as I’m going to be spending a great deal of time with Miss Longfellow, it’s only natural that we’ll find ourselves working together alone now and then. It can’t be helped.”

“It most certainly can!”

Winnie saw anger flash in his eyes, as Eva backed up a few steps, shaking her head. No wonder she’d to take care of her sick aunt. Winnie would have done the same thing!

“Mrs. Brock, do you plan on chape
roning us the entire time we’re working together?”

“Of course not! I don’t have time for such nonsense!”

“Then, if you’ll excuse us,” he said as he motioned for Winnie to precede him.

She was about to take a step when Mrs. Brock blocked her path. “Pastor
Adams
, you know perfectly well how people in this town talk.”

“I’m well aware,
since you, Mrs. Brock, are the one who does most of the talking.”

Winnie froze as Eva covered her mouth with both hands. It was all either of them could do to keep from laughing.

“And as you love to tell everyone my business, you can tell them this: Miss Longfellow is now my secretary, if she’ll take the job, which means we will be working long hours from now until the Fourth of July celebration. Do you think you can manage to pass that along?”

Mrs. Brock stood
, her body rigid as Eva backed away toward the road, her hands still over her mouth. “Well! I never!” She spun around. “Eva! We’re going home!”

Winn
ie and Pastor Luke watched as Eva bit her lip to keep her giggles at bay, her face red with the effort, and looked everywhere but at her mother.

Mrs. Brock stomped to the road, grabbed Eva by the arm, and dragged her off. But not before her daughter managed
to wave and smile at Winnie.

“I don’t know how she does it,” said Winnie. “I could never live with anyone so overbearing!”

“Nor could I. I wonder if that’s why I’ve never met Mr. Brock.”

“He doesn’t come to church?”

“No. Now I know why. It’s the one day of the week he can have some peace.” He sighed and looked at her. “That was wrong of me to say. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be
, it’s probably true … what did you say?”

“Excuse me?”

“You … you want me to be your secretary?”

“Oh, yes
; that,” he said with a nod. “Yes, I would. I can’t get anything done and these women, well, you saw how it was. I need an assistant to help get me through this, and maybe even after the celebration’s over.”

“I guess it sounds more official when you say
‘secretary’.”

He stuck his hands in his pants pockets. “So, do you want the job?”

“I was under the impression
that I already had it. It’s … one of the reasons I came here…”

He gazed at her a moment, and Winnie felt her knees go weak. His eyes were mesmerizing. “I’m still not clear on
the reason for your arrival and what happened the other night, but I’m glad you’re here.”

She smiled, unable to help herself, and nodded. “So am I.”

Together, they went into the church and got to work.

* * *

  Winnie was amazed by what was involved with not only preparing for the Fourth of July celebration, but the daily running of a church, albeit a small one. Pastor Adams—correction – Pastor Luke (he insisted she call him that as he preferred it and expected them to be working together for some time) showed her the list of sick folks to visit, the sermons he planned for the month, tithe records, upcoming weddings … okay, one. Beth Simmons and Fred Night, who were nearing seventy and wanted to get hitched in two days. At least it let her know people getting were married here! But she was beginning to doubt if she’d be next.

“What do you need help with
first?” she asked as she eyed the piles on his desk. 

“I ne
ed help organizing this mess. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but it’s not my strong point. I’m better at people than paperwork.”

“Doesn’t seem like too much to me
; I can get started on it right away.”

“Great! How long do you think it will take you?”

“Give me a couple of hours?”

“That quick
ly? You
are
good at this! Mercy Vander was right; you’ll be a big help.”

She blushed and picked up a box with loose coins and currency in it. “I’d best start recording this tithe money. Where do you want it when you’re done?”

“I have a spot in the house where it will be safe until I put it in the bank. Most of it goes to the building fund. The church needs a new roof before winter sets in.”

She sat at the desk and began to count
, as he rummaged behind her for something. “Ah, here it is,” he said. He turned and put a leather journal on the desk.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“My sermons from Chicago; a few of them would be good for this time of year, and go well with the celebration.”

Winnie looked at the worn
book and smiled. “How long have you been serving as a pastor?”

“Let me think
; about seven years now, I think.”

“I imagine it’s rewarding work,” she said, her voice soft.

“Yes, very.” He sat in the other chair. “Speaking of which, you’re more than welcome to talk with me anytime about your mother.”

“You’ve told me that already,” she said as she bowed her head and put her hands in her lap. She could feel his eyes on her, and unconsciously blushed.

“I want to make sure you know that I’m here for you.”

She looked at him and smiled. “I appreciate it
; thank you.”