Reverie (Hollow Hearts Book 1) (11 page)

She looked at Joshua—his face anxious for her reply. “I’d like that, Joshua.”

His eyes lit up. He seemed just as surprised by her answer as she had by his question. “Great! I’ll meet you after church tomorrow. We’ll take a ride and maybe have a small picnic if the weather holds.”

“Can I bring anything?” she asked him.

“Nothing at all. I’ll take care of it.”

“Well, I look forward to it.” And she actually did.

“I’ll let you eat then.” He smiled and turned to join a few of the men from town as they discussed their weather predictions for winter.

As the afternoon moved into evening, the festivities began to end. Music had been played, many had danced, food was consumed, children were tired, ribbons were given to the game winners, and friendships were renewed for the upcoming season. Doc Winters had even given a delightfully humorous toast, and everyone had raised his or her glass in solidarity. The last wagon pulled from the yard just as the sun began to set. Hetty looked around the yard, thankful there wasn’t much left to clean up. Roger had stayed behind to help Isaac break down the tables and move what was left of the apple crop to the root cellar. Sarah helped Hetty wash the few remaining dishes to be returned to their owners at tomorrow’s church service. Together they’d convinced Elizabeth to retire early and allow them to handle any necessary cleanup. Elias had taken an already sleeping Lottie to bed and quickly fallen asleep snuggled next to her.

“I noticed you talking to that nice young man today,” Sarah said as she dried another dish.

Hetty kept her hands in the soapy water. “Yes, Joshua. He asked me to go for a drive with him tomorrow and I accepted.”

“He seems very nice. Roger knows him better than I do, but he always has nice things to say about the boy.”

Hetty nodded.

“Do you think this might be serious? Him asking you?”

Hetty tried to hold back the tears, but she couldn’t. “Oh, Sarah, I just don’t know. Things are, well, they’re complicated. I thought Isaac and I…oh, it doesn’t matter,” she said, wiping away the tears and resuming the dishes.

“It does matter. Clearly you’re upset. Come sit for a minute.” Sarah led Hetty to a seat at the table. “What is this about?”

Hetty took a deep breath. “It’s a long story. I can’t really explain it, but sometimes I wonder about Isaac. The way he looks at me…oh, it’s just silly.”

Sarah took Hetty’s hand. “The Lord says ‘
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
’ I think the Lord had it right. Maybe it’s time you allow yourself to love. We all struggle with things from our past, but it sounds to me like maybe you need to open your heart to new possibilities, even if it’s accepting the love of a new friendship.”

Maybe Sarah was right.

Hetty waved to Sarah and Roger as they pulled away, saying a small prayer of thankfulness for her newest friendship. She noticed thunder in the distance and knew the storm had held off as long as it could. She shook out the few quilts draped over the porch railing, knowing that, come laundry day, she’d need to beat them and air them out. As she opened the door to enter the warm house she saw Isaac leaving the barn and heading toward the porch. Not wanting to face another humiliating encounter she entered the house, placed the quilts on the dining room table and immediately retired to her room.

When Isaac saw Hetty folding quilts on the porch he knew it was his moment to make things right. He hurried toward the porch, hoping to talk with her for just a moment, but as soon as she saw him she disappeared inside. He wanted to rush after her, explain himself, apologize for those horrible things he’d said, and admit to her that, despite the terrible things from his past, he couldn’t ignore what was growing between them. But she’d hurried away. Clearly she didn’t want to face him. Could he blame her? She’d opened herself up to him by sharing her past, giving all she had financially and physically to care for his mother, and willingly shared a tender moment with him when they were both vulnerable—and he’d ruined it.
Why did I have to ruin it?

Hetty walked quietly behind the Wheeler family as they left the morning’s church service. Reverend Andrews had given a wonderful sermon on the value of community and fellowship that blended well with the renewed bonds of friendship they’d experienced just yesterday at the apple festival. She rode into town with them this morning but hadn’t yet revealed her plans for the afternoon. Sunday was her usual day off, and she’d prepared a roast before leaving this morning so the family would be taken care of in her short absence. She didn’t understand her hesitation to tell them of her plans. She was a grown woman, her responsibilities were fulfilled, and it was her day to do with as she pleased. Joshua gave her a pleasant smile just before the service began, and she was looking forward to her afternoon with her new friend. She just prayed Isaac’s icy words wouldn’t linger and ruin the day.

Isaac watched Elias scoop Lottie into his arms.  He asked if there was anything they needed in town before heading back to the ranch. He could see how tired his mother was from her morning out and yesterday’s excitement. Isaac wanted nothing more than to get her home to rest. He gave Elias a nod and motioned in Elizabeth’s direction. His brother nodded back to signal his awareness of Elizabeth’s exhaustion.

“I’d like to pick up more coffee at the mercantile if you can wait a few minutes. Mr. Davis said it just arrived and would be happy to wrap it up even though he’s usually closed on Sundays,” Elizabeth said.

“That’s fine, mother. Why don’t I help you and Hetty into the wagon and then I’ll run over and get the coffee. It’ll save you the trip and then we can get you home to rest.” Elias said.

“You’re so sweet, my dear boy.”

Isaac stood back, silently brooding while Elias set Lottie in the back of the wagon and gave Elizabeth his hand to help her settle in her seat. When Elias reached for Hetty’s hand she knew she needed to tell them that she wouldn’t be returning home.

“Actually, Elias, I won’t be heading back to the ranch with you.”

“Oh, is something wrong?” Elias looked at Hetty then towards Isaac. Even Elizabeth’s face gave away its own curiosity.

“No, nothing is wrong. I just have plans this afternoon,” Hetty assured them.

Joshua walked up to the wagon and greeted everyone. “Hello, Mrs. Wheeler. Isaac. Elias. It’s good to see you again.”

“Hello, Joshua. I hope you enjoyed the festival yesterday,” Elizabeth said with a smile.

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you for including me.” He turned toward Hetty. “Are you ready?”

“I am,” she said, smiling.

Hetty turned to Elizabeth. “I’ll be home later this afternoon. Lunch is all prepared, so don’t worry about overdoing it.” She avoided looking at Isaac.

“That’s fine, dear. You go enjoy your day.”

“I’ll make sure she gets home safely, ma’am,” Joshua said to Elizabeth.

“I’m sure you will.”

Joshua offered Hetty his arm and she slipped her hand through it while smiling at the young man.

Isaac watched the two of them walk away. He’d blown it. And no apology would fix what he had clearly broken. Turning away from them, he hoisted himself into the wagon. Elias headed to the mercantile and Isaac was left to sulk in the presence of his mother and niece.

Elizabeth reached over and placed her hand on Isaac’s. “You know, son, you can’t brood like this forever.”

“You don’t understand, mother,” he said quietly.

“I understand more than you think I do,” she said firmly. “And maybe, if you opened your heart, you’d finally admit to yourself that a certain young woman might just be getting to you.” She removed her hand and stared ahead, indicating that the conversation was closed.

After the short ride through the outskirts of town, Joshua escorted Hetty to a small table in the back of the cafe. He pulled out her chair and motioned for her to sit. When they were seated and had ordered the day’s special—ham with green beans and mashed potatoes—they returned to their earlier conversation. Hetty found Joshua to be rather easy to talk to. They’d laughed and talked about books, family, work, and church. The conversation didn’t seem to lag at all, and the ease Hetty felt with Joshua surprised her.

“Okay, tell me your favorite dessert,” Joshua said.

“Oh, that’s easy. Chocolate cake! Sol used to make the most wonderfully rich chocolate cake.” Hetty reached for her glass and sipped her water.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Joshua didn’t wait for her to respond. “The cafe uses Old Sol’s chocolate cake recipe. And they’re serving it today.”

“Oh, Joshua!”

He laughed as her cheeks flushed with excitement. How did he know she’d greatly missed Sol’s cooking? Had he planned this? Did Beth, the cafe owner, put it on the menu just for them to enjoy today?

“I thought we’d take our dessert with us so we could enjoy the last of this warmer weather.”

Hetty nodded. “Are you ready for winter, Joshua?”

“I think so. Things slow down a bit for me, but I’ll have more horses boarding this year, so that will give me something to do. I bet it will be different this year spending winter on a ranch rather than close to everything in town.”

“I suppose so. I’ve been helping Elizabeth with all her canning for winter and other preparations. I never realized how much work goes into preparing to be nearly stranded for several months. I still have a hard time imagining not being able to get to town on a regular basis.”

“That’s the tough thing about the snow in this area. There is at least some traffic in town, which helps to keep the roads a bit more clear. But if you’re far from town it gets a little more difficult. Luckily the weather will break once in a while and folks will have a couple of chances to get out and about.”

“How do you keep yourself busy during the cold months?” Hetty asked.

“I read mostly. Usually the Bible, but Doc Winters isn’t shy about lending me something to read once in a while. This winter, though, I want to work on some new cabinets for Ma. I hope to fix up her kitchen a bit for her.”

“I’m sure Isaac would be willing to offer advice if you need it.” Hetty silently chastised herself. Why had she brought up Isaac? They’d been having such a nice day together. In fact, she hadn’t thought of Isaac much at all. When Joshua mentioned building something for his mother, the name just slipped out. She quickly tried to change the subject, not wanting Joshua to notice the warmth that crept up her cheeks. “It’s very thoughtful of you to do that for your mother.”

“She’s a good woman. She’s worked so hard taking care of my father and me and she never asks for anything for herself. She deserves something nice.”

“I don’t have any memories of my mother, but when my father would read to me at night he’d tell me how he tried to build her the most comfortable rocking chair in the world so she’d be comfortable sitting with me.” Hetty looked away. The memory itself was a sweet one, but it still brought her a touch of pain to think about the life her parents missed when they died so young, and it was one of the only memories she had.

“I’ll bet your father was a good man. My dad remembers him. They didn’t know each other well, but he remembers your father always coming into the livery with a new story of his sweet little girl. I guess all fathers like to dote on their daughters.”

“Elias is that way with Lottie. She’s such a doll and watching him with her gives me a small idea what it must have been like for my father raising me.”

Their food arrived . After a short prayer of thanks they dug into the overflowing plates of food.

“I’d like to have a daughter someday,” Joshua said in between bites.

“Not a son?” Hetty asked. “Someone to continue the livery business your father started?”

“Well, maybe one of those too.” Joshua smiled. “Actually I’d love to have a house overflowing with kids. I think being an only child has made me want a big family. I love the idea of being greeted at the door at the end of the day with kisses and hugs and giggles from a whole parcel of kids.”

Hetty noticed the dreamy look in Joshua’s eyes. She knew exactly what he was talking about. It’s what she dreamed she’d have for herself someday. A warm home, a table full of children and chatter. A man to lovingly yet firmly lead the family. The man sitting across from her wanted the same thing. Why hadn’t she noticed Joshua before? Despite his boyish good looks he was all man. A man dreaming of a future. A man who knew what he wanted. A man who’d asked to spend time with her today.

“I know exactly what you mean. That dream sounds just about perfect.” Hetty smiled.

A short while later Hetty and Joshua finished their lunch. With their chocolate cake tucked securely under his arm, Joshua led her to the grass near the church. He set out a quilt, waited patiently while Hetty sat and adjusted her skirt, and then joined her for their dessert. One giant piece of cake—two forks. He offered Hetty the first bite, which she couldn’t resist. The sweetness hit her tongue and she closed her eyes to savor the richness. Joshua enjoyed watching her appreciate the dessert. He’d wanted her to have a nice time today and, from the look on her face, the cake at least was a hit.

As they drove back to the ranch Hetty wished the day wouldn’t end. She’d been surprised by how pleasant her afternoon with Joshua was. He’d been polite, considerate, and nothing short of a perfect gentleman. It pleased her to have someone take such time and care with her attention. He didn’t interrupt her when she spoke, he seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say, and he made her laugh. It felt good to laugh with Joshua. His humor wasn’t cruel or crass, just playful and witty. The days were growing shorter and the sun was quickly moving lower in the sky. Hetty knew their time together needed to end. He still had to make the trip back to town.

“I hope it isn’t too much trouble taking me back to the ranch,” Hetty said.

Joshua moved his eyes off the road to give her a quick smile and a bit of reassurance. “Hetty, I have truly enjoyed spending time with you today. The drive back gives me just a bit more time to have the pleasure of your company.”

Truly a gentleman
, Hetty thought. 

As they pulled up to the ranch a short while later Hetty turned to Joshua. “This has been a lovely day, Joshua. Thank you.”

“It was my pleasure.” He smiled and took her hand in his.

Although warm and comforting, it didn’t give her the same intense butterflies she’d experienced when Isaac had held her hand in the kitchen, but the feeling was still nice. Simple and uncomplicated.

“I’d like to see you again, Hetty.” Joshua tilted his head as if attempting to read what she was thinking.

“That would be nice, Joshua.” She knew with the days growing shorter and the weather changing rapidly it might be some time before they could spend any real time together, but she wanted him to know that the thought of seeing him again pleased her.

Joshua helped her from the wagon and escorted her to the porch. A sweet and appropriate good-bye with a simple kiss on her hand ended their evening. Hetty stood on the porch and waved to him as he pulled away to begin his drive back to town. She let out a deep sigh. It had been a good day. And Hetty was pleased to share it with a new friend.