[Troublesome Creek 01] - Troublesome Creek (38 page)

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Authors: Jan Watson

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Willy grabbed the basket, and Dr. Corbett lifted Daniel into his arms and carried him to the shady site, where Copper spread a blue-and-white, double-wedding-ring quilt. The smell of cedar from the blanket chest filled the air. Between Daniel’s sore leg and Copper’s corset it took a bit of maneuvering, but they were soon settled under the leafy branches of a sugar maple tree, away from prying eyes.
Copper retrieved dessert plates and pressed-glass goblets from her picnic basket as Simon cut and served the pie. She poured cold sweet tea from an earthenware jug and handed out silver forks wrapped in the linen napkins she had ironed just that afternoon.
“Thank you, Simon,” she said. “I fear my fancy cutlery and starched linen would have been wasted on Henry Thomas.”
“I feel a little sorry for the young fellow,” he replied around a forkful of meringue. “There’s not a man alive who wouldn’t want to be sitting where I am tonight.”
“That’s for sure,” Daniel interjected, “’cause Sissy makes good chocolate pie. Can I have just one more piece?”
“May
I, Daniel,
may
I. Hand me your plate, please. How about you, Willy? Want another piece?”
“I think I’ve got a bellyache, Sissy. I ate a bunch of them green apples from that tree yonder. Hey, Doc, can you help me out here?”
“Time will cure that stomachache, Willy. What if we save a piece for you?”
“Uh, maybe you’d better just go ahead and eat it yourself, Doc,” he yelled over his shoulder as he beelined for the outhouse. “I’ll probably be busy.”
The clink of cutlery filled the awkward silence that descended with Willy’s departure. Setting her plate aside, Copper made room for Daniel’s head to rest in her lap as he stretched out on the quilt and nodded off to sleep. She and the doctor sipped their tea and watched as several boys started an impromptu ball game.
Without taking her eyes from the game, Copper asked, “Why did you come back?”
“I was halfway down the mountain,” he said, “before I discovered I’d left something important behind.”
Her heartbeat quickened as she slowly stroked Daniel’s forehead. She gazed off across the field, and the air shimmered before her eyes. The crack of the wooden bat against the ball, the chattering of folks, the song of a mockingbird, the pinch of her corset all faded. The very world vanished. It seemed there was nothing in the churchyard save for her double-wedding-ring quilt, the doctor, Daniel, and her. “That important thing,” she murmured, “did you find it?”
“Yes,” he said as he closed the space between them, “I most assuredly did.” He began that delicious caressing of her palm again. “With your permission, Laura Grace, I’m going to ask your father if I may call on you.”
Daniel shifted his head in her lap, and she eased him off onto the quilt. She turned her face toward Simon. Her eyes took in the neatly trimmed mustache over his thin upper lip, his shiny black hair styled with a side part. It was combed off his forehead and slicked back at the sides to reveal nicely shaped ears that lay flat against his head. He was sure pretty to look at.
She answered him in a voice as soft as his own. “That will be hard when you live so far away.”
“I’ll work that out,” he replied. “I’ll get another doctor in town to help with my patients for a while. Then I’ll be free to come up here every few months.” His eyes met hers, and she thought she might drown in the dark depths of them. “All I know for sure,” he continued, “is that I must see you again.”
A signal of alarm trilled in the back of her mind. He was a stranger, and his very presence threatened her in a way she didn’t understand. But his eyes held hers, and she found she couldn’t turn away. What was happening to her? She should stop this now, before it was too late, but instead of protecting herself against the danger of his closeness she answered his need with her own. “I’d like that. If my daddy approves, I’d like that very much.” Finally, forcing herself, she lowered her eyes and began to gather up the plates and glasses.
“I’ll speak to your father in the morning,” Simon said, his voice husky. Without warning, he captured her hand and pressed his lips against her inner wrist. She could feel the throb of her pulse before she jerked away.
“Whatcha doin’, Doc? Sissy got chocolate on her hand?” Willy settled himself on the quilt and picked a piece of crust from the pie plate.
“Forgive me,” Simon entreated immediately. “That was presumptuous.”
“Don’t worry, Doc Simon,” Willy interjected. “Copper’s not the least bit squeamish. Why, you ought to see her gut a fish. She saves the lights for me an’ Daniel.”
“Lights?” Simon asked.
“The lungs,” Copper replied, her pulse still pounding. “They play with them.”
“That’s hard, Doc,” Willy said, “getting the lights out without popping ’em. Like I said, Sissy’s a good gutter.”
With a rush, Willy’s appearance caused Copper to take note of her surroundings. While she and Simon talked, getting to know each other, the evening had passed; it was near twilight. People were gathering their belongings, and she heard their calls of good-bye one to another. Thankfully no one seemed to be aware of what had transpired under their tree.
“Wake up, Daniel.” Copper shook him softly. “It’s time to go home.”
She allowed Simon to help her to her feet—actually, it was a necessity. She thought she might never walk again. Her legs were tingly from sitting in such a ladylike position, and that corset had absolutely cut her in two. Spying Mam caught up in a group of ladies, Copper kicked off her offending slippers and tucked them in the basket with the dirty dishes.
“There—” she straightened her dress and grinned up at Simon—“that’s ever so much better.” If he was going to come calling, then he’d have to take her as she was.
By the time they crossed the yard, Daddy and Mam were waiting in the carriage. Willy scrambled aboard, and Simon helped her and Daniel in. “Good night,” she called out with a wave as they drove off. “Good night.”
With a sigh she settled back against the buggy seat, already looking forward to the morning.
 
The old churchyard was finally empty. A masked raccoon ventured from the woods to scavenge bits of potato salad and crumbs of bread. A quick, swirling breeze snagged a piece of greasy newsprint and tumbled it across the ground into a copse of hackberries.
John Pelfrey grabbed the paper and used it to scrub hot tears from his cheeks. He’d hidden himself away once he lost the bidding on Copper’s pie, and no one had missed him. Least of all her. A noise from the underbrush caught his attention, and he jerked his head around, afraid someone had caught him crying. But it was just the raccoon scurrying away, a chicken bone clutched in its mouth.
John had spent a miserable evening watching Copper from his hideout, and when she’d let the stranger kiss her hand his heart nearly stopped. Henry Thomas and his ilk he could handle, but this was a doctor with money and stature. Had he lost her already? He scrubbed his cheeks again with the scrap of paper, stuck it in his pocket, and started down the path.
That stranger will leave,
John thought as he ambled along.
And then she’ll forget all about him. I know Pest, and there ain’t no man can make her leave these mountains.
As for himself, he thought he’d take that job Mr. Smithers had told him about over at Torrent Falls. He’d take his horse and light out in the morning, make himself scarce for a while. By the time he came back, she’d be ready to set up housekeeping.
Feeling better, and more sure of himself, he shrugged and whistled a little tune to keep himself company on his lonely walk home.
CHAPTER 26
 
Copper lay in bed, unable to sleep. She pressed her wrist against her cheek, Simon’s kiss still there, hot as a brand. Finally she threw back her cotton quilt and tiptoed to the porch. A faint smell of tobacco and a familiar cough told her she was not alone. “Daddy? Can’t you sleep either?”
“Oh, Copper . . . it’s so hot tonight.” He stood with one foot propped up on the bottom rung of the porch railing. “I can’t seem to settle down. What’s keeping you awake?”
She leaned on the railing beside him. “So many worrying things have happened lately. I can’t get my mind straightened out. I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”
“Now’s as good a time as any.” He pulled two rockers together. “Sit here and tell me what’s bothering you.”
“First I want to ask you about the deacons and the snakes. Do you think they’re right? Does it really say in the Bible to take up serpents?”
“You could look that up for yourself. Your Bible has all the answers. But, yes, it is biblical. I personally don’t believe that the signs are for our time, but I do believe that God reveals Himself to different folks in different ways.” He patted her leg. “Those snake handlers love the Lord in a great big way, and they are wont to prove it. I can’t argue with their faith.”
“Did what they do cause Daniel to get hurt? He thought he was proving his faith too, Daddy.”
“Having faith doesn’t protect us from harm. You know that. As the Scripture says, it rains on the just and the unjust alike. It only gives us a shield against the pain. What if Daniel had died? Could we bear such a burden without our firm conviction, without our promise of eternal life?” His rocker creaked a slow song in the still night air. “Folks who follow signs such as that don’t do it to prove their faith; they do it because it is an expression of their belief. They do it to obey what they understand as God’s will for their lives.”
“I’ll have to think on that.” She rocked, staring out across the dark yard. “Did you enjoy the pie supper?” she asked finally. “Was Mam’s lemon meringue as good as usual?”
“Way too good. That pie is why I can’t sleep. It’s not good to go to bed with such a full belly. And yourself? Did you have a good time?” He chuckled. “That ten-dollar bid stirred up some talk. People around here will have something to chaw on for a while.”
“That’s why
I
can’t rest.” Copper let out a huge sigh. “Simon wants to call on me.”
He chuckled again. “I had a sense he’d want to see more of you.” “I’m so confused. In the morning he’s coming to talk to you.” Her rocker stopped. “What will you say?”
“I like him all right, but it’s up to you whether he comes calling or not.”
Copper stood and walked to the porch rail. “How can we be sweethearts when he lives so far away?” She leaned her head on her crossed arms. “When he kissed my hand, I felt filled with light. My head’s still swimming. Is that what love feels like, Daddy?”
Standing, he put his arm around her shoulders. “Don’t be jumping the broom before it’s laid down. When he leaves, you’ll either pine away or forget about him. Best to let nature take its course.” He took a draw on his pipe, and she could see the embers in the bowl glowing in the dark. “What about John?”
John! Oh no.
As soon as Simon showed up she’d forgotten all about him. “I don’t know. I had thought . . . well, John wants us to marry and set up housekeeping. But the world doesn’t stop turning when I’m with John.”
“Hmm.” He knocked the tobacco from his pipe. “Just you be careful, Daughter. When the world stops turning, there’s a good chance a body could fall off.”
Copper stifled a yawn and reached up to kiss his cheek. “Thanks, Daddy. I think I can sleep now. Good night.” She paused at the screen door. “Not tonight, but soon—I want to know about my mother.”

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