Reverie (Hollow Hearts Book 1) (2 page)

Hetty leaned back against the soft fabric of the couch.
Is there a possibility she might travel to Philadelphia? Might I be going with her?

“I’ve decided to take her up on her offer. She is my only sibling and, frankly, my only living family. Samuel and I were never blessed with children so my sister is really all that I have left.”

“I understand, Mrs. Calhoun. Family should come first, especially in a time of crisis,” Hetty said, nodding her head in agreement.

“Indeed, child. With that said, I’ll be making arrangements to relocate to Philadelphia for the foreseeable future. I can’t say with any amount of certainty when I shall return to Hollow.”

“It is too soon to worry about returning when you have yet to see your sister,” Hetty said, knowing any travel plans would require a bit of leeway for weather and the uncertain circumstance of poor health.

“Exactly. I will have Solomon escort me to Philadelphia and assist with my travels. He will then return here and tend to the house until I see fit to return.”

The news left Hetty shocked. “Oh, I see.”

“I ask for your understanding, child. When I first received my sister’s letter and made the decision to travel to Philadelphia, I was planning to have you accompany me so we could carry on our arrangement. But my sister’s house is well staffed and I realized that, by spending my time tending to her, I’ll have no need of companionship.” Mrs. Calhoun said, knowing the words sounded harsh, but she’d never shied away from truth.

Hetty diverted her eyes and willed herself to hold back tears.
What will I do, Lord? Where will I go if Mrs. Calhoun doesn’t need me anymore? I’m too old to return to the orphanage now.
A hundred questions ran through her mind as she processed the news, the news that soon she would be without a place to live and without a job. This was the last thing she expected and the news nearly made her lose her breath.

Hetty was struggling to keep her emotions under control and she knew she couldn’t hide them from Mrs. Calhoun. While Mrs. Calhoun normally held little patience for emotional displays, Hetty knew the she would understand the news would be troubling. It wasn’t Mrs. Calhoun’s intent to hurt her, and she knew that caring for a family member was the right choice for Mrs. Calhoun.

“I understand this is a shock, child. I fully expected to remain here in the home I built with my dear Samuel until the Good Lord called me home. Frankly, I detest travel these days. All the dust and stuffy train cars make for a terrible experience. It’s not like it was when I was younger and Samuel and I would travel together. But, I cannot leave my sister with no one to care for her besides a staff of paid employees. I plan to give you a good reference, and I will do my best to assist you in securing other employment before my departure.”

With her voice registering barely above a whisper, Hetty asked, “When do you plan to make the trip?”

“I’ll be leaving in ten days. I want to make the journey and be settled before the weather turns cold. As I said, I hate traveling to begin with, but if I must endure the train for multiple days I’d rather do it when the weather is holding steady.”

Hetty felt like her world was collapsing. She was losing the only place she felt truly safe since leaving the orphanage. She was losing her job. And she was losing what little sense of belonging she had. She rose from her seat, left the room without another word, and made her way to her small bedroom. Just as she shut the door the rain began to fall, as did her tears.

Isaac Wheeler looked at the tiredness in his mother’s eyes. It was all getting to be too much. Since her illness this past spring she was struggling to regain the same energy and strength he was used to seeing all his life. She couldn’t run the ranch house, take care of him and his brother, and keep up with Lottie, his three-year-old niece. Poor Elizabeth needed a break. She needed help even if it was only temporary until her strength returned…
if it ever truly does
, he thought.

“Mother, how would you feel if we got someone to come out and help you for a while? Ease the burden of caring for all of us?” Isaac took his mother’s hand in his and silently pleaded with her kind eyes. She was a strong woman, a woman capable of turning an old ranch into a home, raising two rambunctious boys, surviving the death of the husband she adored, all while managing to overwhelm the world with her smile.

Isaac watched his mother’s eyes, full of pride and love. He knew she worried about putting too much pressure on him to care for her. He didn’t want her to feel, even for a moment, that her care was a burden. He wanted her to continue to see him as the handsome and strong boy she’d raised. He knew he couldn’t hide much from her; she was much too perceptive for that. One look and he’d confess his troubles the same way he did as a child. For now, though, she didn’t need the added worry.

“Oh, Isaac. You are such a wonderful boy. I’m so sorry that my health has troubled you and added an extra burden to your workload.” She squeezed his hand and gave him the same comforting smile he recognized from his childhood. 

“Mother, you could never be a burden! Elias and I love you and we want to do what is best for you. We don’t want to see you pushing yourself too hard. Winter is coming and I know how much we still need to get done. If that means hiring someone to help until you have your strength up, then that’s what we will do,” he said, his tone leaving little room for questioning. Isaac knew his mother felt that he and his father were so much alike, strong and determined, wanting to handle the concerns and cares of the family with firmness and love.  His father had done the same when he was alive and Isaac had taken after him in more ways than one. As the oldest son he wanted to step into the role of patriarch of the Wheeler family, shoulder the responsibilities of caring for their home and their future, and finding the help his mother needed was what any good son would do. 

“
I suppose it does make sense. With October already here I’ll be even busier trying to finish my canning and winter preparations as it is. With Lottie growing like a weed I’ll need to sew her a few new winter dresses before too long as well.”

“Then it’s settled. We’ll get someone to help you. I promise, Mother, you’ll see the sense in this. It will be nice to have someone here to help with meals and cleaning. Maybe you’ll even have time to rest in the afternoon with someone here to help look after Lottie.”

“Oh, Isaac, when have you ever known me to rest in the middle of the day? I’ve been a farm wife for over 30 years. That job doesn’t come with napping.”

Isaac laughed at his mother’s attempt to be firm. What an amazing woman, he thought. It wasn’t her firmness that had terrified him and his brother as children. It wasn’t the wrath of their father, either. It was the sense of disappointment he felt when he realized he had let her down. Both his parents took the approach of being firm yet loving with Isaac and his brother, Elias. Neither was the primary disciplinarian when it came to the scrapes and troubles of young boys. But when Isaac looked in his mother’s eyes and he saw the hurt he or his brother had caused, he felt he was punished enough.
Lord, what I wouldn’t give to find someone to love and share my life with who embraces the same warmth and kindness.
Isaac shook his head and dismissed the thought.
No point in dwelling on what will never happen. I’ve made too many mistakes. Unforgivable mistakes.

“I need to head to town this afternoon to deliver that chair to Mrs. Calhoun. Why don’t I stop into the mercantile and see if Mr. Davis knows of someone that might be looking for work. It would at least help to spread the word so we can get someone to help as soon as possible.”

“Oh, please send Alma my best. I haven’t seen her since I stopped helping at the orphanage. We’ve all been so busy, but I wish I had time to visit with her.”

“Of course, Mother. Do you need anything else while I’m in town?”

“No, my dear. I was hoping to take a nice walk with Lottie this afternoon, but the rain does not make for good walking weather.” Elizabeth rose from her chair and gave Isaac a hug, only grazing the broad shoulders of her oldest boy. “I remember when I used to be the taller one.”

“I may be taller, but everyone knows you’re the one in charge.” He leaned in and gently kissed her forehead.

“Please let Elias know when you leave. And I think maybe Lottie and I will bake cookies instead!”

Isaac hugged his mother and headed outside to find his brother. As he walked toward the barn he looked around at the acreage his family had acquired. The soft rolling hills were a thing of beauty. Hard work. That’s what it had taken. His father had built the ranch from nothing with sweat and muscle. His mother, ever the supportive wife, had done her share to be sure his father always had a home to enter at the end of each day with a hot meal and a scripture reading to nurture his spirit and his belly. Together they’d worked side by side to build the legacy that was now part of his and Elias’s future.

Elias was the one with the gift for ranching—a love of the land and a satisfaction in working it. He did all this to ensure his daughter, Lottie, was safe, secure, and surrounded by family after the death of her mother. Isaac’s dream hadn’t been tied to the land, but nurtured in the trees that grew on it. From a young age he found he held a gift in turning the trees into smooth wood and the wood into intricate and sturdy furniture. The wealthier residents in Hollow coveted his creations, and he’d even shipped a few pieces as far as New York. It was a blessing that his brother’s passion for ranching allowed him the freedom to pursue his. As he walked into the barn he saw Elias grooming his favorite horse, Silver, speaking softly to the creature as he brushed his mane.

“Elias, I’m tempted to think you like that horse more than you like most people.” Isaac smiled.

“More than most I’d say, but not as much as some.” He turned to face his brother. “Are you heading to town this afternoon?”

“Yes. In fact, I wanted to talk to you before I head out.” He attempted to hide his worry from his brother.

“Is something wrong? Is Lottie okay?” Elias asked.

“Lottie is fine. I think Mother was planning to do some baking with her this afternoon. Nothing to worry about there.”

“Then why the troubled face?”

Isaac ran his fingers through his dark waves and blew out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “We need to find some help for Mother.”

Elias laughed, surprising Isaac. “What are you talking about? Mother is fine. She’s moving a little slower these days, but she’s much better than she was just a couple of months ago.”

“Elias, I’m serious.” Isaac watched his brother’s smile turn a bit more sour and his brow crease slightly.

“I don’t understand, Isaac.”

“Look, you’re busy on the ranch from sunup until sundown. You see Mother quickly in the morning and some evenings not at all if you’ve been working some of the farthest fields. She’s tired, Elias. She’s struggling with her workload. Cooking and cleaning and taking care of both of us and Lottie. It’s all getting to be too much.”

Elias moved past Silver and sat down on a nearby stack of hay. He took a deep breath. Isaac knew he needed to absorb what he was saying. “She told you this?”

“She didn’t have to, Elias. I can see it. I see it every day. That illness she had this spring left her weak. She’s not going to complain–that’s not her way. She doesn’t want us to worry, but I can’t stand seeing her struggle with even some of the simple chores. You know she hasn’t had the energy to work in the garden lately. I’ve been out there as much as I can to guarantee we’ll have a harvest for winter. And even with my help I don’t know how she’ll get all the canning done before the bad weather sets in.”

“I didn’t realize it was so bad. Is she looking after Lottie?” Elias asked, suddenly concerned that perhaps his daughter wasn’t receiving the proper care.

“Of course she is. She’d let us starve before she’d ever let that little girl receive something other than the love and attention she deserves.” Isaac sat next to his brother. “But she needs help, Elias, and we need to find a way to make that happen.” Isaac tried to convey the seriousness of the situation without causing Elias undue concern. He was handling the situation as best he could. Adding more trouble to his brother’s responsibilities at the ranch and as a single father wouldn’t help the situation.

“Well, we’ve already taken the cattle to market. The work slows down a bit during the cold months. It’s more a matter of making sure they have enough hay and the ice hasn’t sealed off their water supply. I can see about getting a small crew back for the winter to lessen my workload so I can help more. You know I’d love to have the extra time with Lottie.”