Sarah My Beloved (Little Hickman Creek Series #2) (38 page)

Sarah heard several utterances of concurrence rise up. Oh,
how she wanted to speak, but the fact that she was Hickman's
newest citizen kept her silent. She glanced at Rocky and found
him pensive. If only she could read his mind. Was he worried
about when his barn would go up now that talk of building a
new church had taken preeminence? She longed to reassure
him.

"I want my children to start school in the fall. If we build
the church first, is that going to be possible?" Esther Thompson piped up. On her lap, she held the newest member of the
Thompson clan, a baby girl dressed in pink and wearing a
matching bonnet.

More than a few women showed their agreement with nods
and murmurs.

Jon raised both hands at the restless parishioners. "Folks,"
he cut in, "you didn't let me finish. The funds for the church
have already been raised. You can now concentrate your efforts
on collecting for the schoolhouse."

Echoes of shock reverberated through the house, as
people whispered among themselves. Sarah looked at Rocky
and found him smiling at Jon and shaking his head. He had
that look of knowing written across his face.

Jon lowered his arms and fumbled with his papers, then
cleared his throat. "I've talked to a few of you, my good friends
Benjamin Broughton and Rocky Callahan, in particular,
sought the Lord's wisdom and direction, and, after much soulsearching and prayer, have come to an important decision."

Folks sat in utter silence as they waited, stiff and unsure.
Finally, an unidentified male voice from the back asked, "What
might that be, Reverend?"

"I've sold my farm, and the proceeds will be more than
sufficient for building a new church." When gasps erupted
around the room, Jon raised his arms once more to shush the
people. "Now, I don't want any protests. I've made up my mind.
I don't need that big farm. You folks know I'm no farmer."

"But ...that's your home, Reverend," said Iris Bergen, tears
evident in her large brown eyes. "Why would you do something
so generous?" Her husband, obviously taken aback by the pastor's announcement, could do little else but shake his head.

"I want no praise for myself," Jon said. "This is something
the Lord has told me to do. Now, if you want to argue the decision, well, I guess you'll have to take it up with Him." To that,
Jon gave an impish grin.

Sarah glanced about the room, taking in the faces of
Hickman's citizens. She saw joy and astonishment written
there, and wondered at the preacher's bigheartedness. Great
elation showed in his expression as he faced his congregation,
no doubt with relief mixed in. Oh, what satisfaction came from
trusting and obeying God, Sarah thought. And with that came
the sudden realization of what she had to do-whether her
husband approved or not. It was a simple matter of obedience.
First thing Monday morning, she would borrow Rocky's rig
and head for town, where she would put in a call to Stephen
Alden.

Bright sunlight filtered through low-lying clouds as Rocky went about his morning chores, humming as he worked. Never
had he felt such contentment. Even the knowledge that his
barn would have to wait until after the church was built didn't
dampen his spirits. He knew the men of Hickman would come
through for him when the time was right. Of course, he had
yet to obtain the money from the bank, but there was no point
in taking out the loan until he had the manpower. Yes, he
needed a barn in which to store his tools, feed, supplies, and
all, but for now, his sheds would have to suffice, and the warmer
weather eliminated the need for shelter for his livestock.

Overhead, birds sang in unison as the sun's warmth blanketed his shoulders, and a hymn of praise that he'd sung just
yesterday in church came to mind.

"Uncle Rocky, can I help?" Seth asked, slamming the door
behind him and jumping off the front porch, his face a picture
of eagerness as he ran across the yard toward Rocky.

"Slow down, Seth. You're just now getting back your
strength."

"But I feel good today," Seth declared, coming to a skidding stop as soon as he reached the chicken yard and pushed
open the gate. "Can I feed the chickens today?"

Rocky grinned in spite of himself. Seth's color seemed to
have fully returned along with his enthusiasm. "Be my guest,"
he said as he pushed open the creaky shed door. "I suspect
your sister will be out as soon as she finishes off her inside
chores. She'll want to gather the eggs." They'd moved Rachel
into her new room two days ago, and Sarah had instructed her
to make her bed and sweep the floor, already gritty from her
traipsing in and out.

The coop housed a few dozen hens and roosters, all of which squawked with delight at the first sight of Rocky and
Seth. Rushing on both of them, the roosters in particular
pecked at their pant legs, eager to claim the first of the morning feed. Seth sidled up close to Rocky, trying not to let the
pesky feathered creatures intimidate him.

Rocky chuckled. "You'll get braver with practice," he
assured.

"I'm brave already," Seth chimed with pride, even as he
scampered behind Rocky's legs when the biggest rooster in the
lot came at him.

As predicted, Rachel joined them, egg basket in hand, not
five minutes later, just as Rocky and Seth were finishing up. On
her tail came Sarah, dressed in her Sunday finest, including
matching blue cape and fancy hat. Rocky studied her with curious intensity. "We went to church yesterday, Mrs. Callahan," he
teased. "Do you plan to do the housework dressed like that?"

She blinked, then pulled back her shoulders. "I will see
to my household chores later. Right now I should like to drive
the rig into town if you don't mind-alone." She put special
emphasis on the word.

"I can drive you to town if you have need of supplies."

She swallowed hard, lifted her chin, and boldly met his
gaze. "I would appreciate the opportunity to handle the horses
on my own this time. Besides, you have work to do; you said so
yourself at breakfast-fences to mend, shelves to build, blades
to sharpen." Every curve of her body spoke a subtle challenge.
"I am not some delicate creature, you know. I am perfectly
capable of driving the rig."

He felt the beginnings of a smile. Something about her
unwavering deportment dazzled him. When he should have put his foot down, he found himself giving in. "You want me
to hitch up the team, or are you just stubborn enough to want
that job as well?"

She tried to maintain her curtness. "I suppose you can do
that much."

They left the children in the chicken yard and headed for
the corral where he kept the horses. The wagon sat on one side
of the fenced-in area. On the way there he asked, "Any reason
why you want to make this trip alone?"

She paused before replying. "None in particular," she said,
though he could have sworn her determination faltered just
slightly. "There are some items I want to purchase."

"You sure you know how to drive?"

"I drove our carriage plenty of times in Boston, and traffic
there is heavy."

He felt his eyebrows shoot up as they strolled along. "I
wasn't aware. I must say I'm impressed."

She tipped her gaze at him, and behind her hooded eyes
was a slight twinkle. "I daresay there's a good deal you don't
know about me, Mr. Callahan."

He turned toward her, coming dangerously close to touching the tip of her nose with his own, surprised when she didn't
withdraw. "Then I think it's time I learned, don't you?"

There was a certain confidence in her smile, a cheerfulness
in her gait. "Perhaps," she answered, looking straight ahead.

He tossed his head back and laughed. "Why do I feel like
you have something up those pretty silk sleeves of yours?"

"I wouldn't know," she replied. She appeared beyond intimidation as she tilted back the rim of her bonnet and looked at
him through gleaming eyes. A vague sense of longing passed through him, but he ignored it. So far, she'd not proven to him
that she shared his level of affection. He wondered if there was
a way of finding out how she felt about him aside from coming
right out and asking her. Of course, that would mean revealing his own feelings.

While he harnessed the horses to the wagon, he watched
his wife out of the corner of one eye. She gazed silently out over
the land, every so often turning her attention to the chicken
coop, where Rachel was no doubt gathering eggs and Seth was
talking her ear off. She had turned out to be a good caregiver
to the children, he ruled, even though Seth and Rachel weren't
her own. No one could convince him that her heart wasn't
capable of strong feelings the way she mothered those kids.

Besides being a good mother, she'd also demonstrated
her talents around the house. The way she tended things, one
would think hard work had never been foreign to her-fixing
the meals, washing the clothes, scrubbing the floors, and ironing his shirts. Of course, he knew better. If she came from
wealth, as so many had alluded to, then she'd no doubt never
needed to lift a finger until now. It had to be sheer determination that had brought her to this point. Why else would she
have worked so hard to prove herself? It still never ceased to
amaze him that he'd triumphed over Alden, that she'd actually chosen life in Little Hickman, Kentucky, over the affluent
suburbs of Boston.

When Sarah caught him watching her, a blush ran across
her face like a shadow. "You'll watch over the children while
I'm gone?" she hastened.

"I'll keep an eye on them," he assured, still curious as to
why she meant to take this trip alone. "How long will you be?"

"Oh, I shouldn't think long at all," she answered.

He felt the start of a frown behind his brow. "Like I said,
I'd be happy to drive you. The road into town is pretty bumpy,
if you recall. Not many women make the trip by themselves."

An irritated look replaced her earlier blush as she positioned her hands on her slightly rounded hips. "Do you think
me incapable of handling the horses? I'm not a featherheaded
dolt, Mr. Callahan."

He stared at her, discovering that his wife was startlingly
cute when annoyed. "No, you certainly are not that. Stubborn,
maybe," he teased.

Walking the horses in a half-circle, he turned them, and
the rig, in the direction of town, unable to wipe the smile from
his face. Sarah waited until he halted the team and laid the
reins across the front. Then she hoisted up her skirts, preparing to climb aboard, her jawline firm, her eyes clearly focused
on her task.

Suddenly, he took her by the elbow and turned her until
they came face-to-face.

"You make a pretty picture, Sarah Callahan." Something
like a marble caught in his throat, refusing to go down.

Her heavy lashes lifted, revealing blue-green eyes that
sparkled in the sunlight. He couldn't say for sure, but he
thought he detected a ray of hope combining with the color.
"Well, thank you," she said in little more than a whisper. When
it looked like she might be waiting for more, he lowered his
head, wanting to move before he lost his nerve, and placed a
gentle kiss across her forehead, deciding to linger there.

Gentle breezes played against their faces as he drew her
into a possessive embrace, knocking her bonnet to the ground accidentally, then taking in the lemony scent of her gingercolored locks. He wanted her to know she belonged to him
and no one else.

He kissed the top of her head first, then dropped tiny
kisses on her cheek as he journeyed to her full, waiting mouth.
And if he'd had another second, he just might have unburdened his heart, but something stopped him-the absolute
certainty that they weren't alone.

Staring up at them were two pairs of eyes, one set blue, the
other brown, both curious and speculative. "You dropped your
hat, Aunt Sarah," said Seth, holding it out at arm's length.

Without a moment's hesitation, Sarah pulled back, straightened her skirts, and cleared her throat. "Thank you, Seth,"
she said, snatching the hat and plopping it back in place.

Rocky took her elbow and helped her aboard. "Drive with
care, you hear?"

Once seated, Sarah glanced down and gave a smile that
seemed mostly directed at the children. "I shouldn't be long."

With that, she made a clicking noise with her tongue and
whipped the horses into a safe speed, leaving the trio in the
dust.