Sarah My Beloved (Little Hickman Creek Series #2) (44 page)

"And we should have made a decision of this magnitude
jointly," she added.

He nodded. "Again, you're right."

"I don't know how the townsfolk would react to a newly
arrived citizen making such a donation," she rambled, "so for that
reason I'd like this offer to remain anonymous, if possible."

"The town will no doubt speculate where such a hefty
donation came from," Rocky replied, "but I'm sure we could
arrange for Bill Whittaker to keep his mouth shut, particularly
once he discovers that a mere slip of the tongue could land
your account in State Bank of Lexington. Bill's too fond of his
money to nourish rumors that might jeopardize his future."

Biting her lip, she looked out the window toward the
vacant space where the barn had once stood. "I know I've said
it before, but there is more than enough to put up a new barn.
A grand barn," she tacked on. He revealed a hint of a smile.
It amazed him how much he'd mellowed since inviting God to
regain control of his life. Still, he wasn't quite ready to let her
off the hook.

"And I told you before I don't need your money."

"Why do you have to be so stubborn?" she asked in a rush
of words. "It doesn't make sense to borrow from the bank when
we have enough to build a hundred fine barns."

Rocky's eyebrows shot up of their own accord. "A hundred?"

"More than that," she answered with no emotion.

"Just how much money do you have, Sarah?"

A shamefaced look moved across her face. "I'll show you
my financial papers if you're interested."

Rocky sat back in his chair to stretch out his long legs
and cross his arms over his broad chest. "File the papers away
for now, Sarah. I'll study on them later when I'm more in the
mood."

"Are you very angry with me?" she asked, voice dropping
to a hoarse murmur.

Angry? There were emotions to sort through, of course,
but he wouldn't say they involved anger. Awe, maybe. Naturally, it surprised him to discover just how wealthy a woman
he'd married, and it pleased him to learn how willing she was
to give up a portion of that wealth to erect a schoolhouse for
the citizens of Hickman. What surprised him most, however,
was his own reaction to the news. Shoot, he was even envisioning a fancy new barn-paid for in full.

If he were honest with himself, he'd have to admit to
having harbored some resentment, perhaps even outright hostility, when it came to Sarah's wealth. Deep down he'd feared
it would drive a wedge between them, particularly once she
grasped the vast differences in their backgrounds and realized that life in Hickman was a far cry from Boston. He'd been
certain that when she came to terms with their dissimilarities,
she would jump the next train back East. That hadn't been the
case, though, and as if to prove him wrong, she'd seemingly
grown accustomed to the tough and taxing way of life, making
him love her more than ever.

"I'm not angry, Sarah. Just a little puzzled."

She cleared her throat and stirred. "Puzzled?"

He pulled in his long legs and pushed back his chair. Rising,
he walked around the table and extended his hand to her. Placing her palm in his, she slid gracefully out of her chair, their
bodies facing. "I still can't quite believe you chose us, Sarah, but
I'm grateful," he murmured, hands now on her slender waist.
"I'm beginning to believe God really did send you to Hickman." He leaned close and whispered. "I'm a slow learner."

He loved the sound of her lighthearted giggle.

"God has been working on me, Sarah. I was a bitter man
after losing my wife and son, but I have a new family now, and
I don't want to blow my chances at that. Yes, there've been a
few setbacks-the fire, almost losing Rachel, and then Seth's
illness-but who am I to question God's plan? I'm determined
to lead this family by example, and I'd appreciate your help."
He bit his lower lip until the pain gave him courage to continue. "There's something else."

"Yes?" Her misty, sea-green eyes explored his face.

Eager to kiss her completely, he moved his hands to her
shoulders and locked gazes with her. "You've come to mean
a great deal to me in these past months. I know I've been
remiss in showing you just how much." At a loss for words, he
bent at the waist and kissed her briefly on the mouth. Pulling
back, their eyes met again, hers warm and forgiving, lending
him courage. "My feelings go much deeper than friendship,
Sarah."

"They do?" she asked, a smile growing on her rosy
mouth.

He cupped her cheeks with his hands, and a kind of joy,
like a freed eagle, threw wide the door to his heart.

As Rocky opened his mouth to declare his love, Seth's yelp of
alarm and pounding footsteps on the porch stopped him short.
"Uncle Rocky!" the boy squealed from the open door, "Rachel
says she's goin' to go live with Grandma and Grandpa." Wheezing, the boy bent at the waist to catch his breath and gripped his
chest. "She wanted me to come with her, but I told her-we had
better ask you first. So then, she left without me-said you guys
don't never wanna be ar parents. She's madder 'n a hornet."

Seth straightened his small body, his big brown eyes filling with hurt and need. "I like Grandma and Grandpa Callahan just fine, Uncle Rocky, but I wanna live with you guys."
His searching eyes went from Rocky to Sarah, and without a
moment's hesitation, Rocky walked to the boy and wrapped his
arms around him.

Mary Callahan stood on her front porch, her arms folded
at her plump waist and her skirt blowing in the wind, as if she
knew they'd be arriving any minute. She put a hand to her
brow to shield her eyes from the afternoon sun, then stepped
forward when they drove into the yard.

"Where is she?" Rocky asked after he helped Sarah off the
wagon and reached the porch.

"In the house, sittin' on your pa's lap, bawlin' her eyes out.
Keeps sayin' she wants to live with us. I do believe she ran her
little legs off getting here. Whatever did you say to her?"

"I guess it's what I didn't say that matters most."

Mary leaned forward. The closed door would prevent
Rachel from overhearing. "For some reason, Rachel seems to
think she's not wanted at your place."

"She's wanted," Rocky said, firm as could be.

"I think she's feeling a mite insecure. She still misses her
mama somethin' fierce, whether she wants to admit it or not."

"Of course she does," Sarah interjected. "Losing a parent
is an awful burden to carry. It's difficult enough for adults, but
when you're young, well..."

Rocky stepped past his mother and opened the front door.
His father sat in the family rocker in the living room, Rachel's curled-up body snuggled against his chest, his weary eyes connecting with Rocky's over the top of the girl's blond head.
Rocky walked across the room and knelt on one knee so as to
meet Rachel's nearly hidden eyes.

"Rachel, do you suppose you could come out on the porch
with me? I'd like us to have a little chat."

She opened the eye that was visible to him, and he noted
the redness surrounding it. For one who'd lost her mother just
months ago, she'd rarely shed a tear. Tending to Seth's every need,
remaining brave through her pain and loss, she must surely have
nearly caved under the weight of it all. And what had he done to
make her load easier? Guilt ran over his soul.

When she made no move, he extended his hand, hoping
and praying he hadn't lost what little trust he'd managed to
build with her. Frank nudged the girl forward, and although
she threw Rocky a wary look, she took his hand.

He smiled, and the two walked to the porch.

"Give us a minute," he whispered to Sarah. She nodded
and followed Mary into the house.

Rocky led Rachel to the porch swing. Once they were
seated, he pushed off with one foot and gazed out over his parents' farmyard. Chickens roamed freely, poking in the ground
in search of seed. Two milk cows and a horse hovered near the
fence, watching, dipping their heads for grassy nutrition every
now and then, seeming more interested in what went on at the
house than in their meager meal. The old red barn sagged in
the middle, showing its age, the late afternoon sun peeking
over the roof like a lazy cat.

"I'd miss you if you decided to move in with my folks," he
told her.

Rachel gave him a sideways glance. "Seth could keep you
company. I don't think he's very keen on movin'."

"Seth would miss you something terrible. He relies on you
an awful lot, and I hate to think how Sarah would feel. She's
grown very attached to you."

A tiny glint of pleasure burst into her eyes, then quickly dissolved. "She would probably forget about me in a week or so."

"Are you kidding? On the way here, she talked about all
the wonderful ways you help her around the house-reading to Seth, collecting the eggs, washing the dishes, lending
a hand with the meals, sweeping the front porch. I could just
tell by listening to her that she'd be lost without you. We're a
family, Rachel, and families stick together."

"Grandma and Grandpa are family"

"Sure, but they don't live with us. I'm afraid we'd never see
you if you moved in with them. My pa's getting older, you know.
He might not feel like driving you over to see your brother as
often as you'd like."

She seemed to think that over. "Grandma and Grandpa
don't fight like my ma and pa used to-and sometimes you
and Aunt Sarah..."

There it was-the fist in the gut. He supposed he had it
coming. "Rachel, Sarah and I weren't really fighting earlier;
we were discussing an issue, something that happened in town,
but I think we've managed to resolve it."

"Is she gonna stay at your house for always?"

A hard lump formed in his throat when he read the insecurity in her eyes. "Yes, I believe she is." He glanced down at
her and winked. "I won't let her leave, if you want the truth.
She means too much to me." She gave a half-smile and Rocky placed his arm along the back of the swing, giving her shoulder a tender squeeze. He weighed his next words carefully. "If
you're worried our home won't always be a safe place, you can
stop fretting about it this very minute."

At that, she looked him full in the face, some of her stubbornness having fallen away. "Will you be like a real pa to Seth
and me?"

He smiled. "I'd like to give it a try."

"I don't remember much about my real pa 'cept for his
Yellin'. He died before Seth was born." She swatted at a tiny
pebble with the toe of her shoe, sending it flying. "A horse
kicked him to death."

"I know that." He wondered if Rachel knew her father had
been drunk when the accident happened. Matter of fact, from
what his mother had told him, the jerk had rarely been sober.
It was unfortunate the way he died, but if the horse hadn't
killed him when it did, his drinking habit soon would have.

Rachel's lips started to form a word, then closed back up,
as if what she had intended to say needed more pondering.
Rocky gave her time to shape her thoughts.

"I hate when people die. What if somethin' happens to you
or Sarah?"

Across the yard, Seth emerged from the barn, three kittens tucked under his arm. He plopped himself into the dirt
with the trio of felines and started playing with them, oblivious
to Rocky's watchful gaze.

"Some things in life cannot be controlled, sweetheart, but
I can tell you something I've learned." Her expression sparked
with curiosity when she raised her face to look at him. "Life isn't
always fair," he murmured, "and sometimes the things that come at us are cruel-like you kids losing your ma, and me losing my
wife and son. But God loves us all-and He never changes. He's
there to offer comfort and strength if we just let Him." It was
somewhat of a shock to hear these words coming from his own
mouth, and he thanked the Lord that he could say them honestly.
He casually brought his hand to rest on her small shoulder.

She moved a bit closer to rest her head against his side, and
the simple act set his heart in motion. "Do you think I could have
my old room back?" she asked, the question throwing him.

"What? Why...?"

"It's too big for me, and I get kind of lonesome in there
'cause I can't hear Aunt Sarah when she's workin' in the
kitchen."

So she'd decided not to live with her grandparents after
all. He smiled. "Well, I guess we could arrange that."

She pulled herself upright. "It's not that I don't like that
new room, but I was thinkin' that you and Aunt Sarah could
have it, and Seth could have the room Aunt Sarah sleeps in,
and I could have the old room Seth and me used to sleep in,
and..." He seriously doubted the girl understood the implication of her words. Then again, in many ways, she'd surprised
him with her insightful nature.

Just then, the screen door opened with a squeak and Sarah
emerged.

Immediately, Rachel made way for Sarah's slender body to
slide in between them.