Sarah's Choice (15 page)

“Sammy, run down to the store and get Uncle Mike. Tell him that Helen’s missing, and that I’ve gone looking for her. Ask if he can leave the store long enough to come and let the boat through the lock.”

“I can do it, Mama. I can let the boat through the lock,” Sammy said.

Sarah shook her head. “No, you can’t. It’s too hard for you, and you might get hurt. Just do as I said and go get Uncle Mike.”

Sammy had just started across the room, when the door swung open and Kelly stepped in with Helen and Bristle Face. “Are you missing someone here?” she asked, looking at Sarah.

Sarah’s breath caught in her throat, and she bent down and swept Helen into her arms. “Oh, I was so worried. Where were these two?” she asked, looking at Kelly.

“Came over to our store. Helen said she was takin’ Bristle Face for a walk, and I figured she’d wandered off without your permission.”

Sarah nodded, feeling such relief. “I thought we could get along okay with just Sammy’s help today, but apparently I was wrong.”

“What do you mean? Where’s Betsy?” Kelly asked.

“She’s not feeling well, so she stayed home today.”

Wo–o–o–o! Wo–o–o–o!

“The boat’s getting closer; I’ve got to go. Can you stay and watch the kids while I open the lock?” Sarah asked her sister.

Kelly nodded. “Of course; and as soon as you’re done, I’ll take your kids to stay at my place for the rest of the day.”

“Thank you,” Sarah said with a nod. It might not be the best situation, since Kelly had her hands full watching her own two children, plus helping Mike in the store, but at least Sarah would be able to get some baking done when she wasn’t busy opening the lock.

“How are you feeling?” William asked Betsy the following morning when he stepped into the kitchen.

She leaned against the cupboard and heaved a sigh. “About the same. I had no idea being pregnant could make a person feel so sick and tired.”

“Dr. McGrath said that it’s different with everyone.” William gave Betsy a hug. “You’re just one of the unfortunate women who feels sicker than some. I’m sure it’ll get better, but in the meantime, I want you to rest as much as possible and drink that ginger tea the doctor suggested.”

“But I didn’t go to Sarah’s yesterday to help out, and I really should go there today.”

“No, you need to stay home and rest.”

“I’m worried about Sarah. How’s she going to manage with just Sammy’s help? He’s only a little boy.”

William slipped his arms around Betsy and kissed the top of her head. “You let me worry about that. As soon as I’ve had some breakfast, I’m going out to look for someone to help Sarah.”

Sarah had just finished the breakfast dishes when a knock sounded on the door.

Woof! Woof!
Bristle Face, who’d been sleeping on the braided throw rug in front of the stove, leaped up and raced to the door.

Sarah gently pushed the dog aside and opened the door. She was surprised to see Pastor William there with Ruby Miller, one of the older women who attended their church.

“Good morning, Sarah,” he said with a cheerful smile. “I knew it must have been hard for you yesterday, so I brought Ruby to help you today.”

Sarah wasn’t sure if the elderly woman could keep up with three lively children, but she smiled at Ruby and said, “I appreciate you coming.”

Ruby gave a nod. “I’m sure the children and I will get along well.”

Sarah turned to Pastor William. “Give Betsy my love and tell her to keep getting lots of rest.”

“I will.” He nodded at Ruby. “I’ll be back to get you this evening.”

Pastor William had just gone out the door when a conch shell sounded, followed by another and another. “The children have already had their breakfast,” Sarah told Ruby, “but if you could see that the kitchen gets cleaned up and make sure the children get dressed while I’m letting those boats through the lock, I’d appreciate it.”

“No problem.” Ruby waved a hand. “You go ahead and take care of business. By the time you come back, the kitchen will be clean as a whistle.”

When Sarah stepped outside, she saw three boats waiting in line to go through the lock. She was glad to have some help in the house today, because if the boats kept coming like this all day, she’d have her hands full just opening and closing the lock.

After the boats had gone through, Sarah turned toward the house. She was almost to the door when another conch shell sounded. By the time she’d let that boat through another boat was coming.

It was nearly noon by the time Sarah had a break and could return to the house. When she stepped into the kitchen she expected to see Ruby fixing lunch. What she saw instead caused her to gasp.

Helen sat on the kitchen floor with an open bag of flour in front of her. Some had spilled onto the floor, but most of it was in her hair, on her dress, and all over her arms and legs.

“Oh no—not the flour again,” Sarah moaned.

Willis sat at the kitchen table eating a piece of bread that he’d smeared with strawberry jam, but there was no sign of Sammy or Ruby.

Sarah placed her hand on Willis’s head. “Where’s Sammy?”

“He took Bristle Face out for a walk.”

“Where’s Ruby?”

“She’s in the parlor takin’ a nap.”

Sarah frowned. So much for the help she thought she was getting today. She’d have been better off with no help at all!

She cleaned up Helen and the floury mess, then hurried into the parlor. Sure enough, Ruby was sprawled out on the sofa, her eyes shut, her mouth hanging slightly open.

Sarah bent down and gently shook the woman’s shoulders.

Ruby’s eyes snapped open. “Oh, Sarah, it’s you! Guess I must have dozed off.”

Sarah didn’t bother to tell Ruby about the mess she’d found in the kitchen. Instead, she helped the exhausted-looking woman to her feet. “It’s noon. If you feel rested enough would you please fix the children some lunch?”

Ruby yawned noisily. “Of course.” She ambled into the kitchen just as another conch shell blew.

Sarah could only hope that by the time she returned to the house, the children’s lunch would be made and Sammy would be back from walking the dog.

W
hen Sarah awoke the following morning, she had a pounding headache. Oh, how she wished she could stay in bed and sleep all day. But duty called, and already, at just a few minutes after five, a conch shell was blowing.

Sarah hurried to get dressed and tiptoed down the stairs so she wouldn’t wake the children. Amazingly enough, the blowing of the conch shells didn’t usually wake them, but if Sarah moved about the house too loudly, they were wide awake.

The conch shell blew again, and Sarah stepped outside just in time to see Bart Jarmon’s boat approach the lock. Bart was not her favorite person—especially not this early in the morning when she hadn’t even had a cup of coffee yet. She hoped he wouldn’t make any rude remarks, like he’d often done in the past. He’d have never done that when Sam was alive, because Bart, along with all the other canalers, respected Sam and knew better than to smart off to him the way some of them did to Sarah.

As Sarah prepared to open the lock she prayed that God would give her the right words, should Bart say anything crude. She was relieved when his only remark was, “It’s already gettin’ warm. Looks like it’s gonna be another hot one today.”

Sarah nodded and called, “Summer’s here. There’s no doubt about it.”

“Yep.”

She stood silently while the water level rose and was relieved when Bart’s boat was on its way. She hurried back to the house to start breakfast.

By the time Sarah had some bacon and eggs cooking, the children were up.

“Somethin’ sure smells good, Mama,” Willis said. “I’m hungry!”

Sarah smiled. “If the three of you will take a seat at the table, I’ll dish up your breakfast.”

The children clambered onto their chairs with eager expressions.

“Sure don’t understand why I haven’t seen Elias lately,” Sammy said. “Makes me wonder if he’ll ever take me fishin’.”

“The last time he came through the lock, he was having trouble with his new mule,” Sarah said, placing a platter of eggs and bacon on the table. “Maybe the mule’s still acting up, and that’s slowing him down.”

Sammy’s forehead creased. “If I was leadin’ his mules, bet I could make that stubborn mule go faster.”

Sarah frowned. “Don’t get any ideas about leading Elias’s mules, because that’s not going to happen ever again.”

“But Mama, I could make us some extra money.”

Sarah shook her head. “We don’t need extra money that bad, and I won’t have any of my children walking the dusty towpath from sunup to sunset.” She placed an egg and a hunk of bacon on Sammy’s plate. “Now please stop talking and eat your breakfast.”

Sarah dished up an egg and some bacon for Helen and Willis, as well as some for herself. She’d just started eating when a knock sounded on the door. “That must be Ruby,” she told the children. “You need to help her out today and not make any messes.”

Sarah hurried to the door, and when she opened it she was surprised to see Hortence Andrews, one of the young, single women from church, standing on the porch. “I’m here to help out,” she said. “Pastor William came by my house last night and said that Ruby didn’t feel up to coming anymore, so I’ll be helping you from now on.”

Sarah heaved a sigh of relief. Surely things would go better today with someone younger and more energetic overseeing the children.

“I’m anxious to introduce you to the storekeeper and his wife,” Elias told his sister as his boat approached Cooper’s store. “They’re good Christian people, and I think you’ll like them as much as I do.”

Carolyn smiled, and her blue eyes twinkled as the sunlight brought out the golden color of her shiny blond hair, which she’d worn in a loose bun. “I’m sure if you like them, then I will, too.”

“Elias likes everyone,” Ned said with a grunt. “Never met anyone, ‘cept for his grandpa, who was as agreeable as him.”

Elias’s face heated. “I’m only trying to be a good Christian.”

Ned folded his arms. “Humph! I’ve known a lot of nice folks who weren’t Christians, and I’ve known some who called themselves Christians but acted as disagreeable as that stupid, stubborn mule you bought from the blacksmith.”