Margaret Brownley - [Rocky Creek 02] (22 page)

Had God been watching over her all that time as Sarah insisted? If she had called out to Him, would He have come to her? Comforted her? Taken her into His arms? It was a question very much on her mind for the remainder of the day.

Nineteen

Weigh your options carefully and never make snap judgments,
which will likely come back to haunt you.

— M
ISS
A
BIGAIL
J
ENKINS
, 1875

B
renda hurried past the barbershop on the way to the general store. She hadn’t wanted to leave the hotel again after her walk, but Jenny had forgotten to stop at the general store to purchase soap. Though they took their outerwear to Lee Wong’s laundry, Jenny insisted that ladies wash their own undergarments.

Honestly, she didn’t know what was wrong with Jenny lately. It wasn’t like her oldest sister to be forgetful.

It was hot and the air shimmered with heat. A wagon drove by, kicking up dust. Tethered horses eyed her as she walked by, their tails swishing back and forth to ward off flies.

During her earlier walk, she avoided the barbershop, but now she had no choice but to walk past it. She didn’t dare look in the window for fear of seeing Kip. Even so, memories of the night they spent together flooded back, and it was all she could do to keep from bursting into tears.

She hurried inside Fairbanks General Merchandise only to find it crowded. Keeping her head low, she scurried past the counter where Mr. Fairbanks was weighing coffee beans and dodged a group of ladies from church, all belonging to the Rocky Creek Quilting Bee. She didn’t stop until she found an empty spot at the back of the store.

It did no good. Just as she feared, Kip spotted her as she hurried by his shop. Now he rushed into the store, knocking a bolt of fabric off the counter in his haste to join her.

“What is this I hear about you marrying Hampton?” he demanded.

She stared at him openmouthed. She had no idea Mr. Hampton’s proposal was common knowledge.

“Well?”

“
Shh
.” She glanced over his shoulder. Mr. Fairbanks was staring straight at them. She turned her back and pretended to be studying the pots and pans hanging from a rough-hewn rafter. “Keep your voice down.”

He repeated his question in a hushed but by no means quiet voice.

“Nothing’s been decided yet,” she whispered.

Following her lead, he lifted a cast-iron frying pan off its hook and examined it. “I thought if I gave your sister time to calm down, I could talk to her.”

“It wouldn’t do any good,” she said.

He replaced the pan. “You can’t marry Hampton.” He turned to look her straight in the eyes. “I love you, Brenda Higgins.”

His sudden outburst shocked her but only for the moment it took for his words to sink in. Then her heart leaped with joy. Never had she heard anything sweeter.

“I love you too.” The words slipped out so quickly and so easily, it was as if she’d rehearsed them for a lifetime.

An expression that could only be described as sunshine crossed his face. It was very much how he looked when he sang in church and lifted his eyes to heaven. “Do you mean that?”

“Of course I–I mean it,” she stammered, her cheeks hot with excitement. “I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it.”

Hands on his hips, he frowned. “Then would you please explain why you’re marrying someone else?”

“I–I told you, nothing’s been decided.”

“What’s to be decided?” he demanded, not bothering to lower his voice. “You love me, and I love you. What more is there to say?”

“It’s—it’s complicated. My sister . . . I promised my father. I—” Her eyes burned and she looked away.

He grabbed her by both arms, forcing her to look at him. His expression etched into a desperate plea that nearly broke her heart. “After the night we spent together—”

A gasp sounded behind them. Pulling away from him, she turned and saw the line of shocked faces staring at them.

Mrs. Taylor looked like she was about to faint. “Oh, my, what is the world coming to? In my day, a woman wouldn’t be caught dead under the same roof with a man not her father or husband.”

Mrs. Hitchcock sniffed, the feathers on her hat tickling the underbelly of the ham hanging from the rafters. “I’m telling you, it’s that
Harper’s Bazar, Harper’s Bazar
. The magazine encourages young women to don those dreadful divided skirts.” She sniffed and repeated herself.

One of the other women, whose name Brenda couldn’t remember, crossed her arms and gave a nod. “The next thing you know, women will be wearing trousers. Is there any wonder that our young people have such loose morals?”

Mrs. Taylor clucked her tongue. “I told my Harry years ago that when women starting riding horses clothespin style, it was the start of civilization’s downfall.”

Brenda’s face flamed. She didn’t know what to say. Never had she felt so humiliated.

Kip stepped in front to protect her. “Ladies and”—he glanced at Timber Joe and Mr. Fairbanks—“gentlemen. If you don’t mind, this is a private conversation.”

Timber Joe stepped forward. “Don’t go worryin’ none about that. What’s said in this here spot”—he pounded the floor with the barrel end of his rifle—“stays in this here spot.”

Behind him, Mrs. Hitchcock nodded her head, the feathers of her hat waving like a flag at sea. “We heard about your betrothal to Mr. Hampton, Mr. Hampton, and we came to pick out fabric for a quilt for your wedding, your wedding.”

Brenda covered her mouth with her hand. Her betrothal? “N–nothing’s been decided,” she stammered.

Mrs. Taylor looked confused. “But I’m sure that’s what I heard. Are you saying there’s
not
going to be a wedding?”

“There
is
going to be a wedding,” Kip assured her. He stared at the bolt of brown fabric in Mrs. Hitchcock’s arms. “And if it’s all the same to you, ma’am, the bride and I prefer blue.”

Brenda didn’t go back to the hotel. Instead she walked. She had no idea where she was going, but she simply couldn’t face Jenny. Not yet. Had Jenny really accepted Mr. Hampton’s proposal on her behalf?
Please, God, don’t let it be true
.

Jenny hadn’t said anything about her talk with Mr. Hampton, not a word. Mr. Hampton was out of town on business, and Brenda assumed Jenny would broach the subject upon his return. That gave her a couple of days to think of a way to discourage Mr. Hampton, Jenny, or both. Only now it looked like she didn’t have a couple of days. If Mrs. Hitchcock and all the rest were right about her upcoming marriage, she was already doomed.

She followed the road leading away from town. She shook so hard she could hardly think. The sun was hot and her corset pinched, but she hardly noticed. Kip Barrel commanded her every thought. Even now as she stared at the road ahead through a veil of tears, she imagined she could see his smile, see his soft eyes dance with joy. Even the warm breeze seemed to carry the sound of his rich velvet voice.

She’d never gone against Jenny’s wishes. Nor had she ever disobeyed her parents. Mary Lou had always been the willful child. One of Brenda’s earliest memories was her poor mama throwing up her arms in dismay at something Mary Lou had said or done.

“You’re my little angel,” her mother liked to say whenever she tucked Brenda in bed for the night. Her father called her his good little girl and Brenda did her best to live up to everyone’s expectations.

She followed the winding road up the hill, not knowing where she was going. It wasn’t until she spotted the church that she realized it had been her destination all along.

She walked up to the door. The sound of children’s voices and laughter prevented her from entering, but she peered inside. Boys and girls sat on chairs facing a young woman who pointed to the ABCs written on a wooden board.

Disappointed that she couldn’t sit inside and pray, she closed the door softly so as not to disturb the class and walked away. No sooner had she reached the end of the footpath when she heard someone call to her.

“Miss Higgins?”

She turned to find Reverend Wells walking toward her. Dressed in black trousers and a white shirt rolled up at the sleeves, he looked less formal today than during Sunday worship, but every bit as friendly.

Upon reaching her, he touched the brim of his hat. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“No, I–I was just out for a walk,” she said. “It’s a beautiful day.”

“Indeed it is.” He studied her for a moment. “Do you mind if I join you?”

“Yes, please do,” she said, though she really wanted to be alone.

Together they started down the hill. Children’s voices followed from the distance.

“I didn’t know that Rocky Creek had a school,” she said. Jenny constantly complained about the lack of such civilities as a school and library.

“Not a school,” he said quickly. “Bible study.”

She frowned. “I didn’t know they taught the alphabet in Bible study.”

“Nothing in the church’s rules of order says we can’t teach reading, writing, and arithmetic.”

“Then why not just call it a school?” she asked.

“I’m afraid it will take a change in the Texas constitution before we can do that,” Pastor Wells explained. “Right now it says that we must provide separate schools for white and colored students. I don’t think the good Lord meant for us to separate His children from one another.” He gave her a conspiratorial wink. “As long as Rocky Creek doesn’t have an official school, we’re not required to comply with the constitution.”

Brenda smiled. So the town wasn’t as uncivilized as Jenny thought. For some reason this pleased her. The more she knew about Rocky Creek and its people, the more she liked it.

Reverend Wells led the way to a bench beneath a sprawling shade tree.

He sat down and waited for her to join him. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but you look troubled. Is there something you wish to talk about?”

She stared down at the ground. “It’s just that . . . my sister wants me to marry Mr. Hampton.”

“He’s a fine man,” the pastor said. “He talked to me about the need to find a good wife and start a family.”

Brenda said nothing. Instead she stared down the hill to the town below and wondered what a certain barber was doing.

“But you’re not here to talk about Mr. Hampton, are you?” he asked.

She turned her head in his direction. She welcomed the opening. She would never have been brave enough to bring up the subject otherwise. “I don’t want to go against my sister’s wishes. She’s taken care of us since Papa’s death.”

“And you feel that you owe her?”

“It’s not that. I promised Papa to obey her. But—”

His hands clasped as if in prayer, he tilted his head to one side. “But?”

“I no longer think she knows what’s best for me.” No sooner were the words out of her mouth than she regretted them.

She hastened to explain. “She’s doing her best, but after Papa’s death, she . . . changed. She’s not the same person I promised to obey.”

It was hard to explain, but the sister who had driven desperately into town to seek help all those years ago was not the same when she returned. Brenda burst into tears. She missed the old fun-loving Jenny. Missed the times they once shared. Hated the rigid way she ran their lives now. Surprised and embarrassed to find herself overcome with emotion, Brenda palmed her wet cheeks.

Reverend Wells handed her a clean handkerchief but made no effort to stop her from crying. Instead, he waited until the tears stopped of their own accord. “So what do you think caused her to change?”

“I don’t know.” Oh, she knew, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell him. She hadn’t even told Mary Lou her suspicions that Jenny had given herself to a man. It was the only way she could think to explain their sudden rise from rags to riches.

She dabbed at her eyes then twisted the handkerchief in her lap. “She used to be such a joyful person, always laughing and teasing. Now—”

“Now all she can think about is finding husbands for you and your sister.”

Brenda nodded. “She’s not a gold digger like some people think. They don’t know her like I know her. She hardly spends any money on herself. She just doesn’t want us to go hungry again.” She beseeched him. “I don’t want you to think I’m ungrateful or anything. I’m honored that Mr. Hampton thinks me worthy enough to be his wife, but . . .”

“But he’s not Kip Barrel,” he finished for her.

She gaped at him.

He laughed. “My wife, Sarah, doesn’t miss a thing. Apparently she noticed the way the two of you look at each other in church.”

Brenda’s cheeks flared. “I didn’t know we were that obvious.”

Reverend Wells brushed her concerns away with a wave of his hand. “Kip is a very talented singer. I keep praying that he finds the courage to use God’s gift to the fullest extent and sing solo.”

Brenda smiled. “He sings to me,” she said. She looked up at the clear blue sky through the leafy canopy of the tree overhead. “When he sings, it’s like hearing a voice from heaven.”

“Ah, then God
has
answered my prayers.”

“But I’m only one person,” she protested.

“It’s a start,” Reverend Wells said. “It’s a start.”

They sat in silence for several moments before she noticed the sun was low and sinking fast. “It’s getting late. I better go back.”

Before she stood, he stayed her with his hand. “Brenda, I know your sister has big plans for you. And I understand you don’t want to disappoint her. But you can’t discount God’s plan for you.”

She wrinkled her brow. “God’s plan?”

He nodded. “Marriage is a sacred oath that a couple makes before God. The Bible says that a couple becomes one flesh. For this reason, marriage cannot be entered into lightly or for the wrong reasons.”

“My marrying Mr. Hampton would be for the wrong reasons,” she admitted. “But I don’t know that I can go against Jenny’s wishes. I promised my father.”

“The Bible says that we are not to please men.” Reverend Wells glanced at her sideways. “And that includes your sister and father. We are to please
God, who tests our hearts
.”

She stared at the ground. It had never occurred to her that her eagerness to please first her parents, then her teachers and Jenny, could be contrary to what God wanted her to do. Was He testing her now? Did He really mean for her to be with Kip? Her heart leaped at the very thought.