Love Blooms in Winter (21 page)

Lowering the weapon, she smiled at him. “Why, git yoreself on in here, Tom Curtis!”

Out the corner of his eye he caught sight of Jeremy riding in on a donkey. He silently watched the young man slide from the animal’s back, reach for the ropes looped around its neck, and use one to tie the donkey to a rail. Then he waded into the pack of barking dogs, culled Pauline’s strays, and tied them to Lil’s fence railing.

Tom shook his head. He had to admit, the nickel a day he paid that boy was well spent. Striding toward the shanty, he stepped up onto the porch.

“What brings you out this way this afternoon?”

“Well, um, Fisk mentioned you have an elephant.” The implied inquiry felt as silly as the words sounded. This would go down as a first for him and the railroad, hiring an elephant, but he was left without a choice.

She nodded. “Yeah, I got one.”

“You actually have one?”

“Just said so, didn’t I?”

“You didn’t mention the fact yesterday.”

“Figure you’d come to me if you needed Esau.”

She peered up at him and he smiled. She had a smudge of red jam on the corner of her mouth. She might actually be an attractive woman if she ever cleaned up and dressed like one. “Fisk told me his name. Can’t rightly say I’ve ever heard that before, except from the Bible.”

“I took one look at that big ol’ hairy skin and knew that was my Esau.” She paused. “He was a hairy, hairy man.”

When his mama had read the Bible to him, Tom had never thought of naming an elephant or anything else for that matter, after one of Isaac’s sons.

Her eyes turned to the slate-colored sky. “You planning to work this evenin’?”

His gaze followed hers. The clouds showed signs of breaking up. “I don’t think so. The day’s gone. But, weather permitting, tomorrow we can continue to clear the wreckage. I was wondering if I could…use your elephant.”

“Use him how?”

“To move the locomotive and the cars.”

“Well, he could shore do it,” she said. “I’ve made a pulling harness for him—ain’t the best, but it helps when I’m uprootin’ trees.”

Tom relaxed a little. He was relieved to have at least one problem off his hands. Just two to go: Get the right rail, and find Pauline a home. But there was one question that kept nagging at him. “Is it safe to work with him?”

“Safe? Aww, Esau’s a big ol’ kitty. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

Flies didn’t concern him. The removal of the overturned steam engine and wooden boxcars did. He needed brute strength. He hoped the animal was up to the challenge. “Can you have him at the job site early in the morning?”

She nodded. “I’ll ride him there. I have to take special care of his skin in the cold, but he can handle it for a day. I’ll have to have him back home and inside before dark.”

“Much obliged.” He tipped his hat and turned to step off the porch. The dogs lunged on their ropes and a few broke loose. Chickens squawked. Feathers flew. He paused when he heard Lil clear her throat, loudly, so he turned and met her stoic expression.

“He gets a dollar a day—same as me.”

Nodding, Tom set his jaw. “Dollar a day.” He’d never paid an animal one red cent before, but he figured there was always a first time for everything.

By morning word had spread that Esau had been hired to move the locomotive and cars. When Mae, Jake, and Pauline arrived at the work site just after sunrise, the area was teeming with curious observers. Over the previous two days most of the snow surrounding the engine and cars had been cleared away, but if today was sunny, the entire area would become a mud pit. Mae had put her boots on, but Pauline insisted she didn’t have any and shoes would be just fine.

Mae recognized most of the people in the gathering crowd, including many who came all the way from Branch Springs to help. On Jake’s insistence, she’d closed the store and post office for a couple of hours to accompany him to the site. If truth be known, she came more to see Tom than to be with Jake, and that thought bothered her.

Thoughtfully, Jake had included a reluctant Pauline. He had yet to volunteer a hand in the repair of the track, but Mae knew that manual labor was not his strong suit. Pauline had grumbled all the way to the site because she still nursed a grudge against the railroad interfering with the town’s serenity, and it didn’t seem likely she’d ever let go of her resentment. But as exciting and entertaining moments were few and far between in Dwadlo, she willingly climbed into the buggy.

Mae spotted Jeremy in the distance as soon as they arrived. She saw quite a few dogs tied to various objects. He was putting logs on the fire next to the water barrels to keep them from freezing. He loved his “man” work and took it seriously. He also seemed to love working with Tom. Mae was sure she’d heard his name at least a hundred times in the last two days during conversations with her little brother. She was happy to see him bond with another man, but she was afraid that Tom’s departure would devastate Jeremy, and she didn’t want to see that happen.

More families arrived, with men and women carrying small children and babies bundled in warm clothing. Once word had circulated about the elephant working here today, a huge crowd was certain to show up. The whole scene had taken on a circus-like atmosphere.

When Tom appeared, she noticed a frown on his handsome face. Tired lines had formed around his eyes. Was he getting enough sleep? The accident consumed his days. She stood up in the buggy and waved. He lifted a gloved hand in greeting.

“Sit down, Mae.” Jake shook his head. “The man doesn’t need more distraction.”

Mae sat down, fuming inside. How dare he reprimand her like a child! If they weren’t in public she’d give him a piece of her mind. Jake had been acting a bit strange lately, and she had no idea why. Maybe he just missed her brother’s cooking. Since they had moved into Dale’s place, Jeremy hadn’t cooked dinner for him.

She opened her mouth to talk to Jake about his behavior, but before she could speak the crowd let out a loud roar. When she looked up her anger was forgotten. Her excitement swelled as Lil and Esau came into view.

Dwadlo would never forget this day!

M
others moved small children closer to their sides, allowing plenty of room for the massive animal. Lil sat like a proud parent showing off her newborn. Mae’s eyes focused on the enormous coat and smiled as she thought of the elephant’s name. Esau certainly was hairy.

She looked over at Tom. His eyes were fixed on the gigantic force moving toward him, and she noted his uncertainty. Life had thrown him a curve, and he must spend his nights wondering how on earth he had found himself in this situation. Sadness gripped her. When the rail was complete, he would leave. Right now, watching him take charge of the difficult situation, she knew that for her Dwadlo would never be the same. She gave herself a mental shake.
Mae, that is a most shameful thought for a woman about to become betrothed to another man!
She glanced at Jake, seated in the buggy next to her, observing the activity with keen interest.

The massive Goliath lumbered closer to the overturned locomotive. Lil called, “Stay back, folks! Let Mr. Curtis connect the riggin’!”

Mae’s heart nearly stopped when the animal came closer to Tom. Her hand absently came up to cover her mouth.
Protect him, Father
…

Pauline clasped her hands. “Sonny boy could be crushed like an ant!”

The animal’s sheer bulk dwarfed Tom. Mae couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped while she watched the unfolding scene. She caught back an appalling thought. If Esau were to overstep his bounds, she feared Pauline could be right.

Jake abruptly turned toward Mae. “Did you say something?”

“No…I just…uh…the elephant scared me.” She wasn’t afraid of Esau. She’d been around him before. Had Jake sensed her fear for Tom?

“Curtis is a smart and cautious man. He knows what he’s doing. He’ll be fine.”

Please God… let it be so
.

Jake stared at the scene in front of him. “You seem overly impressed by the man’s work, Mae. It hardly takes a genius to work with a dumb animal. See how your railroad man is getting dirty messing with that filthy animal. Most repulsive.”

Tom looked fine to her. He worked fearlessly with Lil to get Esau into his harness. At one point he’d slipped and gone down, but he’d only hit the snow-covered ground. It wasn’t as though he’d rolled in the mud and looked like one of Lil’s muck-coated sows. However, according to Jake, that was exactly how he looked. If she didn’t know better, she’d think the lawyer was jealous. But that was ridiculous.

“What I see is that you don’t plan to help.” Mortified by her imprudence, Mae couldn’t believe she’d voiced her displeasure with him, yet she felt no compulsion to take it back. Jake turned toward her, and from the look in his eyes and the expression on his face, she could tell he wanted to scold her for being insolent.

“Oh, look!” She pointed at Tom and listened to the crowd’s appreciation when he finished connecting the harness-like apparatus to the elephant. “He did it!”

Jake glared at her again, but she joined the crowd’s cheers and clapped her hands. For the first time in a very long while she felt liberated, and she was mindless of Jake’s insecurity.

“They’re ready to move the engine!”

“Lil!” Tom shouted above the growing racket.

“Yes, sir?”

“See if you can quiet the crowd.” He didn’t know how the news had spread so fast. He’d hoped to move the engine and cars without an audience. This certainly wasn’t a spectator event, and he didn’t want to excite the elephant.

Placing her fingers at the corners of her mouth, Lil whistled. The piercing sound caught the crowd’s attention. “Shuddup!”

Conversations ceased.

Nodding at Tom, Lil said. “Go on.”

He checked the rigging twice and then motioned for her to back the animal to the engine. “Slowly!” he warned.

Giving another whistle, Lil spoke to the elephant. “Back.”

Esau lifted one large foot and took a step backward.

Tom shivered, thankful Esau listened to his master. The morning was freezing, and he wondered if the temperature would ever get out of the teens. His hands and feet were already numb, and he doubted he’d even feel it if the elephant stepped on his foot. He wasn’t comfortable in such close quarters. Esau’s tail whipped his cheek, and he quickly averted his head, dodging the weapon on the return swish. He felt like a fly next to the gray beast. “Does he have to do that?”