“You hired her?”
“Well, why not? Aren’t you always encouraging us to better our community by helping those less fortunate? That’s all I’m trying to do.”
Hattie puckered, as if the taste of her own words soured her tongue. “But bringing her into your home? Your place of business, where decent folk will be forced to mingle with her? She’s not one of your orphans, Eden. She’s a girl of exceedingly low moral character who will only cause you grief. If you want my advice, I say send her packing before word gets out. She’s old enough to be on her own. Give her money if you need to assuage your conscience, but get her out of your house. Having her here will only cast aspersions upon your character.”
Eden swallowed the retort that sprang to her lips. Offending Hattie would only stir up more trouble. She could handle a few aspersions. It was better than sacrificing her character in truth by sending Chloe away.
“I appreciate your concern, Hattie, and will consider your advice. But enough of that.” She clapped her hands to her knees and stood, forcing her lips into a smile. “Surely something else brought you here today. Would you like to see the progress I’m making on the art piece for the auction?”
The older woman looked none too pleased by the change of subject but allowed Eden to steer the conversation onto a less rocky path. She murmured approval over the pressed-flower bouquet when Eden laid out sample blossoms and showed her the design sketch. They spent several minutes discussing Ladies Aid business and even chatted briefly about what books Mr. Fowler might consider carrying in the dry goods store, both ignoring the currents of tension flowing beneath the polite surface.
When Hattie took her leave, she made no further comments regarding either Chloe or Violet, but Eden couldn’t escape the feeling that the issue was far from resolved.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Levi closed up shop late on Friday afternoon, and whistled as he crossed the road. He couldn’t remember having a better week. Not even when he took out three opponents in three rounds back in ’84. For the first time in ages, he felt comfortable in his own skin. He’d finally turned loose of his guilt and discovered a new lightness in his heart. He no longer wasted time bemoaning his mistakes and worrying about his future. Instead, he focused on his work and on helping the people around him.
When Claude asked him to reinforce the chicken coop two days ago, he’d hummed while he hammered; whereas last week he’d somberly chopped firewood as if it were some kind of penance rather than a simple farm chore done in exchange for room and board. He found more joy in his forge work, too, and his customers responded. The smithy was turning a modest profit, enough that he’d splurged yesterday and bought himself a pair of heavy denim trousers for work so he could save his wool ones for Sundays.
Tipping his hat to the lady who ran the bakery as she pulled her door closed, Levi smiled as much to himself as to her. Things had been improving with Eden, too. After the excitement over the weekend, they had picked up their letter writing again. And with each letter, their literature discussions became more and more overshadowed by personal matters. Eden wrote him about Violet’s visit and the untimely arrival of Mrs. Fowler, as well as sharing everyday concerns—such as how she struggled to find just the right centerpiece flower for her pressed bouquet. Knowing she trusted him with such private matters gave him hope that she might be coming to care for him in the same manner he did for her.
If he timed it right, he would arrive at the library just as the school kids were leaving from their story hour. Being with the children always seemed to put Eden in a good mood, and if a man wanted to, say, ask a lady to supper at the café, her being in a good mood would greatly increase his chances of success.
Levi turned down Oak Street, repositioning the book containing his latest note under his arm. He’d begun sharing things about his family with her, revealing innocent bits and pieces with the goal of making his background more palatable. He figured it’d be easier to swallow if he doled it out in small bites. This time he’d mentioned the teasing he’d been subjected to as a boy due to his impaired speech and how that led to his first schoolyard fight. He was nervous about how she might react to the violence, but if they were to share a future together, he’d have to eradicate the secrets between them sometime. Might as well test the water.
He strode up the walk and clasped the door handle. Taking care to keep the hinges quiet in case the story was still in progress, he slipped inside. He didn’t hear Eden’s clear voice dramatizing Black Beauty’s tale, nor the buzz of childish enthusiasm. They must have finished early.
Levi hung his hat on the hall tree and wandered into the reading room. He searched for Eden.
Odd. She wasn’t at her desk. He didn’t see her near the shelves either. “Eden,” he called. “Are you here?”
A tiny creak echoed at the far side of the room. Levi turned to find the kitchen door slightly ajar. “Eden?”
The door inched open a bit farther, then all at once it flung wide. “Mr. Grant! Oh, Mr. Grant, you have to help me. I don’t know what to do.”
“Chloe?”
The girl burst into the room and sprinted toward him, stopping just short of a collision. “Verna and Harvey took the afternoon off to visit some friends outside of town, and Miss Eden begged me not to leave. But I’m worried about her. She was so upset.”
The girl wasn’t making any sense. “What happened?”
Chloe’s lip trembled and her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “It’s ’cause of me. That’s why they didn’t come. I told her I’d leave, that I never meant to cause her no problems. But she begged me to stay. Said she couldn’t bear it if I left her, too. Said she needed me. What am I s’posed to do, Mr. Grant? Is it better for me to stay or to go?”
Levi took the book from beneath his arm and set it on Eden’s desk. He gently clasped her upper arms. “Abide, Chloe.”
“A-what?” She scrunched up her nose as if the word smelled funny.
“Abide. Remain. Linger.” Levi rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. This would be so much easier if he could just say stay. His lisp was a blasted nuisance. Finally simplicity found its way onto his tongue. “Don’t go.”
“You sure?” she asked, but her body sagged with relief in his hold. “The kids might come back if I left.”
The children? That’s who hadn’t come? He closed his eyes as a deep ache radiated through him. Eden.
Levi opened his eyes and focused a firm stare on Chloe. “You need to be here.”
He couldn’t have her running off to who knew where—or worse, back to the saloon. Eden wouldn’t want that, either. Levi waited until Chloe nodded her assent before he released her.
“What about Miss Eden?”
“I’ll find her.” As he spoke, he strode out to the hall and grabbed his hat. Chloe’s footsteps followed him. “Do you have any idea where . . . Eden went?” he asked as he headed for the door.
“No. All she said was that she needed some time by herself and not to wait supper on her.”
Levi set his jaw. “I’ll find her.”
“Good.” She held the door for him as he exited to the porch.
He scanned the area, not finding anyone resembling Eden. He itched to begin the search, but before he could get his feet to walk down the path, he cast a final stern look at Chloe.
She seemed to understand his meaning, for she stood a bit taller, lifting her chin. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I’ll be here when you get back.”
Levi nodded to Chloe, then marched down the walk. He heard her latch the door and prayed that she would indeed stay put.
He paused at the edge of the street, turning his head in both directions. Where would Eden have gone? His first instinct was to look for her at Emma Cranford’s place. But if she truly wanted to be alone, she wouldn’t have sought out her friend. So where else?
Eden would be on foot since Harvey and Verna took the buggy. She couldn’t have gone far, but he had no idea where to start. He rubbed a ha
nd over his face and closed his eyes once again.
She shouldn’t have to carry this burden by herself, Lord. Let me help her. Show me where to look.
Instead of opening his eyes, Levi searched his memory for clues. He thought back over the letters she had written, the talks they’d had. Nothing resonated.
Unable to stand still any longer, he sent one last plea heavenward for guidance, then started walking away from town. It would be hard for her to be alone when surrounded by neighbors, after all.
He passed the church and continued along the rutted road, heading northeast. The schoolhouse rose in the distance, and Levi slowed his step. Would she have come this way? Surely seeing the school would only remind her of the children who had failed to appear at the library. Why cause herself more pain?
Levi kicked at a stone along the edge of the road in frustration. It skipped and rolled over the dirt and yellowed prairie grass until it thumped into the trunk of a sweet gum tree.
Why won’t you help me? Levi’s heart railed at God. Hadn’t God led him to Chloe when she needed assistance? Why not Eden? God was supposed to work all things together for good for those who loved him. But what was good about this? Eden opened her home to Chloe and lost what she held most dear. Where was the justice in that?
He growled and kicked another stone, harder this time. It sailed off the toe of his boot and ricocheted off the same tree.
Eden had agreed to take Chloe into her home because he asked her to. He’d pushed her. This was his fault. He had to fix it. Had to make it right somehow.
Tearing his gaze away from the tree, Levi trudged forward a few more steps. As he moved, however, a flash of color tugged at his peripheral vision. He glanced back at the sweet gum. There beneath its branches grew a clump of dandelions, their cheerful hue a testimony to the onset of spring.
Spring . . . Wildflowers . . .
Thank you, Lord.
He knew where to go. Levi swung toward the south and spotted a rise with a solitary oak standing guard at the top. Lone Oak Hill. The other day in Eden’s yard, Harvey had mentioned her fondness for wildflowers and the piece of property her father had purchased for her. It was a retreat of sorts, a place to escape.
Levi left the road and set off across the open fields, stretching his stride. His boots crunched against the twigs and low-lying brush that covered the area, but except for dodging the occasional mesquite, he kept his path aimed straight for the tree on the hill—and the woman waiting on the other side.
Eden’s breath hitched as she inhaled, the pain in her chest marking the death of her dream. Swiping her crushed, damp hankie beneath her nose, she gazed out over the pastureland and tried to imagine the riot of color that would emerge in a few weeks. All she saw, however, were clumps of dead grass and naked branches. Where was the hope of new buds, the promise that beauty would triumph over desolation? She’d come here seeking comfort, but the barrenness only intensified her grief.
She needed to go. She’d cried enough tears. Chloe would be worried. If the girl was still there.
Eden wrapped her arms around her middle and rocked back and forth, a moan vibrating in her throat. Her bones ground against the rock beneath her with each backward tilt, as if to emphasize her inability to escape the pain. Why had Verna chosen today to go visiting? She needed someone to lean on, someone to hold her and tell her everything was going to be all right. Someone to care.
“Eden?”
She jerked her head around, her throbbing heart leaping at the familiar voice. Her blacksmith. She didn’t know how he’d found her, and frankly, she didn’t care. All that mattered was that he’d come when she needed him most.
With a tiny cry, Eden jumped from her rocky perch and threw herself against Levi’s chest. The tears she’d thought had been exhausted returned with a vengeance. Starving for comfort, for a sympathetic touch, she sobbed in gratitude as much as in grief when his arms folded around her back.
“I’m here, darlin’,” he crooned, caressing her hair and laying a kiss atop her head. “I’m here.”
He was so warm and strong. Eden longed to melt into him and forget all her worries. His hands rubbed long strokes along her back, soothing her like he would a restless mare that needed a shoe. The technique worked. His deep voice rolled through her, unclenching the tightness in her stomach, and soon her sobs dwindled into hiccups.
She dabbed at her face with her handkerchief but couldn’t bring herself to step away. As if he sensed her need, Levi scooped her into his arms and carried her back to the rock she used for sitting. But instead of depositing her there, he tucked her closer and sat down with her in his lap. He didn’t say anything, just held her. And it was perfect.
Once her breathing resumed a deep and even rhythm, Levi broke the silence. “Want to talk about it?”
She tipped her chin up to look at him, and he smiled in encouragement. Then he ran his finger around the edge of her face, collecting loose hairs the wind had pulled free from her pins and placing them gently behind her ear. A tremor ran through Eden at his touch, the concern in his storm-gray eyes only heightening the sensation. This was a man she could trust—a man who could keep her safe, even from heartache.
“I should have expected something was amiss when Hattie Fowler suddenly volunteered to host the Ladies Aid meeting at her home last night.” Eden sniffed and lifted her balled-up hankie to her nose.
Levi shifted his position for a moment, then tugged the soiled linen from her hand and replaced it with a clean cotton square.
“Thank you,” she said.
He nodded, and Eden found herself suddenly wanting to smile. How often had she silently castigated him for that nod, thinking him dim-witted, when first they met? Now the gesture was so dear to her, she preferred it to a worded reply.
“For the last few years, the ladies have met at my house because of the larger rooms. Then yesterday, Emma stopped by to tell me that Hattie felt they had been imposing on my hospitality too long and decided to hold the meetings in her parlor for the next several months. I assumed her change of heart had something to do with the run-in she had with Violet, but I thought she was just uncomfortable. I didn’t imagine she’d spread the story to everyone in town, warning mothers to keep their children away from the library for fear of the bad influence Chloe might have on impressionable minds.”
Levi stiffened, the tension in his muscles palpable.
“I know,” she said. “It makes me angry, too.”
“Maybe with time . . .”
Eden sighed. “Maybe, but I’ll not pin my hopes on it.”
She fell quiet. The soothing motion of Levi’s chest expanding and contracting eased her sorrow. His right arm supported her shoulders, and his fingers drew lazy circles on her sleeve above her elbow. A new emotion rose in her, something fluttery and light, with a warmth that permeated all the corners of her heart. Then his left hand cupped her chin and lifted her face to meet his gaze. For one delicious, completely irrational moment, Eden thought he would kiss her. And she wanted that kiss. More than anything.
But sanity returned as he began speaking to her instead.
“I’m . . . I regret . . . the trouble you’re having.” He frowned and Eden could almost see his mind scrambling for the right words. “I really didn’t think anything bad would happen. I thought you would be a good . . . model for Chloe and that the girl would feel . . . inviolable in your home.” He glanced away for a second, then drew in a deep breath and directed his gaze back toward hers. “I never meant for you to get hurt. Forgive me?”
“Oh, Levi. There’s nothing to forgive.” Eden pulled back to look him more fully in the face and propped her hand on his shoulder. His very wide, muscular shoulder. Determined not to get distracted by her growing awareness of his masculinity, she banished the ill-timed observation and focused again on their conversation.
“When you brought Chloe to me that night, I resisted at first because of fear and selfishness. But then you challenged me, and it w
as as if scales fell from my eyes, revealing my true nature. I am the only daughter of a wealthy man. I’ve never been in need. In fact, I’ve been indulged most of my life. I thought I was righteous because of the causes I supported and the moral life I lived, but with Chloe sitting in my parlor, the Lord laid a new conviction on my heart.
“Jesus’ love led him to a cross. What had I sacrificed for him in return? I had given money, but I had plenty, so that was no hardship. I had given time when I volunteered at the orphanage and opened my home to the Ladies Aid group. But that cost very little. My love for God must be shallow indeed if I was loath to help a child just because I feared for my reputation. How could I claim to be a living sacrifice if I was unwilling to lay anything of value on the altar?”
Levi dropped his chin. “You humble me.”
“You humbled me first.” The irony made her smile. “The Lord knows I needed it.” His head shot up and shook in vigorous protest, but she cut him off before he could say anything. “God spoke to me through you, Levi. You were his instrument. And I thank you.”
Silence fell over them again, but it carried more peace with it this time. Eden gazed out across the fields, and suddenly the landscape didn’t seem so barren. She could envision the places the bluebonnets would bloom and see the sunrise colors of the Indian paintbrush in her mind. Though she hated to leave the shelter of Levi’s arms, the time had come. She’d absorbed enough of his strength to stand on her own.
When she pulled away from him, he moved with her and helped her to her feet. He stayed close, as if he shared her reluctance to separate.
“I’m going to miss reading to the children,” Eden said, a touch of wistfulness lingering in her tone, “seeing their faces light up with interest and intelligence as the story unfolds, being a part of their lives. I probably needed them more than they needed me over the last few years. Yet even though my heart grieves the loss, I can see new purpose lying ahead. God directed me to Chloe, and I won’t let pain over the past inhibit me from meeting the future.”