“All right, but you know you didn’t have to do this. There was no hurry.” Marion’s face held a frown.
“I know that, but I’d have to leave at some point anyway. I’d just feel better if I went ahead and did it now. The owner happens to be my employer’s mother.”
“Yes, I know. She’s a very nice lady, and her daughters are too. I’m sure you will like living there.” Marion’s face reflected sadness. “But I’m going to miss having you around.”
“I’ll only be two blocks away. We can get together most anytime.” “Where will you board Choco? Does she have a place for him?”
“I never thought to ask, but I will this morning. Thank you again, Marion, and please give your father my greatest appreciation.”
Marion rose and gave her a brief hug. “I’m really proud of you, you know. You’ve grown a lot since your mother passed. If you need anything at all, please let me know, okay?”
“I will. You’ve been a good friend to me.” Juliana stepped back to look her friend square in the eye. “I won’t forget your kindness. Now go finish your breakfast.”
Back in her room, it didn’t take more than ten minutes for Juliana to gather her things. The bed was still unmade, but she knew the maid would put fresh sheets on it once she left.
She wondered if Josh had slept well last night in this room. She felt some satisfaction knowing she had given him a place to lay his injured head. As she bent to pull her suitcase from under the bed, something just under the edge of the bed rail caught her eye. It was a leather book. Turning it over, she saw it was not an ordinary book but a Bible. Made of soft black leather aged from use, it had gold writing on the bottom edge. Josh McBride. She flipped it opened and saw it was from his mother, Alice McBride, given to him on his seventeenth birthday. He must have been reading and somehow it slid off the bed. She’d see that he got it back tomorrow at church, but for now she tucked it away in her suitcase. She looked around the room and figured she’d make another trip for her box of books.
Nellie paused at the doorway and looked in. “Are ya leaving us, Miss Juliana?”
“Hi, Nellie. Yes, but I’m not going too far. I’ve rented a room at Mrs. Spencer’s boardinghouse.”
“I’d be glad to help you with that box of books on the floor there.” Nellie stepped into the room.
“Thanks, but you have work to do, and they’ll be looking for you. I don’t want you getting into trouble on my behalf.”
“Naw, they won’t be missing me, mum. I’ll just take a shorter lunch break.” Nellie bent down to lift the box. “I’m strong, see, and you need the help. It won’t take more’n ten minutes.” She grinned.
“If you’re sure, Nellie. That’s very sweet of you.”
“Think nothing of it. Now you won’t have to return for this box. Us working girls have to stick together, right?” She winked at her, and Juliana laughingly agreed.
In less than ten minutes they had carried Juliana’s things upstairs, and Nellie was flabbergasted at the beautiful toile accessories in the room. “Oh, mum, I’d love to sew something that looked like this. I’m good with a needle but don’t have a lot of free time with me job.” Nellie fingered the coverlet on the bed.
“Then maybe you could teach me what you know sometime. I could always use some lessons.”
“This is such a lovely room. You’ll have no trouble sleeping in ’ere. I’m sure it’s much quieter than the Stockton.” She headed toward the door. “Well, I’d best be off now and let you get settled.”
“Nellie, wait.” Juliana strode over to her, took her last two coins out of her change purse, and put them in Nellie’s hand. “Thank you.”
“No, I don’t want pay.” Nellie shook her head. “I did this just to help you out. You’d do the same for me, I know. I can tell.”
“Please, I want you to keep it,” Juliana insisted. “Besides, you have to clean my room now.”
“You’re too kind. Thank you. I’ll be seeing you ’round town, I’m sure.” Nellie left quickly to get back to work, and Juliana turned to unpack her suitcase, thinking about all the nice people she’d come to know recently, in spite of losing her mother. Maybe Marion and Josh had been right. I guess I should thank You, Lord, for seeing me through this far, for this beautiful room, and for sweet Margaret, who took much less rent than the room was worth. I’m grateful.
21
“Why didn’t you come back last night?” Andy scurried over to Josh with Shebe in tow, who barked in greeting. Josh pulled back on the horses’ reins, bringing the rattling wagon of supplies to a halt, and lifted his hat in explanation. Andy let out a loud whistle when he saw the purple lump. “Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat! How’d you get that?”
“It seems as though someone is still after the Yogos.” Josh climbed out of the wagon, gingerly placing his hat back on his head. He heard the bleating of the sheep, even though the camp, set up at some distance from the herd, continued to move daily. “I’m glad I went ahead and took them to the assayer’s.” He leaned down to affectionately pat Shebe’s head, and she licked his fingers. He didn’t mention that he’d left one stone to be fashioned into a ring. He’d feel foolish saying anything because Andy would want to know who it was being made for, and he wasn’t ready to share his feelings about a hopeful relationship with Juliana.
“So you think someone is trying to steal the Yogos?” Andy whispered, as though someone could hear their conversation.
“Yep. I wonder how the word got out, don’t you?”
“What happened? You sure you’re all right? That looks purty nasty to me, I gotta tell ya.” Andy shook his head.
“Aw, the doctor said it wasn’t too serious, just painful, but he thought I’d better stay in town for the night. Would you believe that the newspaper man found me and took me into the hotel? You’d have loved it, Andy. I had two women fussin’ over me. Marion— her father owns the hotel—and Juliana, who gave up her room for me last night. So I slept very nicely.” He gave Andy a wink.
“Boy howdy! You seem to have all the luck, Josh.” Andy started taking the supplies out of the back of the wagon.
Josh took off his leather gloves and stuffed them in his hip pocket. “Marion is a bit too old for you, I’m afraid, but she’s a right fine-looking woman. A bit pushy, but I don’t think she means any harm. It’s just her way.”
“All I can say is, next week it’s my turn to go into town for a break. Agreed?”
“Agreed.” Josh reached into the wagon for the flour and sugar.
“After that hit on your head, have you thought any more about doing business with Hoover?” Andy paused, leaning against the wagon’s side.
“I haven’t thought too hard about it. I’ve had other things on my mind. But how’d you do with me being gone? Everything all right?”
“It’s been right fine, Boss. I only had to untangle a ram that decided he’d rather go hiking alone and get stuck in the brambles and briars than stick with his brothers.”
His comment made Josh chuckle. Andy saw humor in just about everything. Probably because he had decided early on that he was better off if he could laugh about life instead of sitting around regretting his childhood of abuse from an alcoholic father. Josh knew he was like an older brother to Andy, and it did his heart good.
“I plan on going to church tomorrow. Wanna go?”
Andy scratched his head. “Yeah. I need to hear the Good Book preached. Helps keep me living right. Besides, there’s a pretty girl I met last time I attended. Maybe she’ll be there tomorrow.”
“Good. You’ll have to take your own horse, ’cause I’m meeting Juliana after church. Do you think you could help me pack up some dinner?”
Andy gave him a nudge in the ribs. “No kiddin’? Sounds like you did more than pick up supplies while you were in town!”
Josh was busy unharnessing the horses from the wagon but shifted his gaze to Andy’s grinning face. “Well, look who’s talking. Maybe I’ll tell you at supper . . . or maybe I won’
t, if we don’t get some work done around here.”
“Mmm, we have stuff to make sandwiches with if I bake some bread this afternoon.” Apparently Andy wasn’t thinking about the weather but rather about what to prepare for Sunday. “I can make some hard-boiled eggs and whip up some bread dough to rise this afternoon, if you check on the sheep and keep ’em out of mischief.”
“Such a deal. Bread making is not my cup of tea,” Josh answered.
Leaning against his bedroll next to the campfire after supper, Josh observed the twinkling stars beckoning overhead. He loved the stillness of the night, interrupted with an occasional stirring and baaing of a stray lamb looking for its mother. Tonight was warm enough to sleep outside, so he and Andy threw their bedrolls under the canopy of the inky black sky. He thought about his walk with Juliana earlier that morning and hoped she’d been able to find a room. He could understand why she felt it necessary to move. In a way he was glad, because if he courted her, it’d make it easier than having to run into Marion every time at the hotel. She just might have a way of making him feel guilty.
He looked around at the quiet hills. It’d be so nice to have Juliana’s head lying in the crook of his arm just now. They could look up and name the stars and talk about the future. Excited at the thought, Josh breathed deeply to clear his head. He couldn’t wait until after church. Before he drifted off to sleep, he prayed for Juliana’s heart.
In Lewistown, Juliana had retired for the evening, thoroughly satisfied with her room and with the proprietor and her daughters. She had found a new friend in Nellie, who reminded her of herself. She smiled, thinking that here it felt like a real home with a family. She sat with her feet curled up under her legs in the side chair, in her very own toile-decorated bedroom. She pulled the reading lamp closer and gingerly opened up Josh’s Bible. The smell of old paper and ink drifted from its parchment paper, not an unpleasant smell to her because she loved the smell of books. It felt peculiar to be holding something Josh had read, or, for that matter, lived by. Some of the pages had notations next to the verses.
Juliana had never owned a Bible, but her mother had quoted Scripture from memory. Many of their personal belongings, including their Bible, had been lost on their way to Lewistown, when their wagon had plunged into McDonald Creek and its contents were pulled downstream by the current.
Her eyes latched onto a Scripture underlined in Job 28:11: “He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.” She wondered why he had this particular verse marked. What did it mean? She flipped through the Psalms, reading and feeling oddly at peace, until her eyes could barely stay open.
The Sabbath dawned bright and beautiful. Juliana dressed in the best blue dress she owned and carried her sunbonnet in her hand when she stepped to the stairway to join the others for breakfast. She wanted to pinch herself, she was so happy at this moment. Things were looking up! One thing was for certain: living here, Juliana would not go to bed hungry. Miss Margaret saw to that.
Breakfast smells enticed her as she entered the dining room to find Natalie and Louise already seated along with their mother. The homey scene of the table set with matching dishes, tablecloth, and napkins caused tears to form in Juliana’s eyes. In the table’s center was a beautiful rose pitcher and bowl. Such niceties Juliana had never been privileged to enjoy. Her room alone with its small reading area was more than she had ever hoped for.
“Good morning. Don’t you look nice.” Miss Margaret smiled approvingly at Juliana.
“Thank you, ma’am. It’s the only church dress I own.”
“It brings out the color of your eyes,” Natalie said.
“Thank you, Natalie.” Juliana took her seat with the others. She’d liked Natalie from the moment she had met her at the social club. Her sister, Louise, was a little shy and always spoke in a very soft voice.
“Is it all right if I walk to church with you ladies?” Juliana asked as she helped herself to pancakes and syrup.
Louise set her teacup down. “Of course you may. Reverend Carlson will be so happy to see you again. Where have you attended church before coming here?”
So innocently asked. Louise obviously knew nothing of why Juliana squirmed in her seat and made great pretense of slathering the butter on her pancakes before answering. “I wasn’t a member anywhere else. My parents moved a lot. Most of the time we worked six days a week, which didn’t leave us any free time.”
“Oh . . . I wasn’t trying to be nosy.” Louise poured more coffee for everyone.
“It’s okay, really. Albert invited me, and I told him I would come.”
“Our brother told us that he’d hired a young girl and that you were doing a terrific job,” Natalie said.
Juliana’s heart warmed at her comment. “I enjoy working with him, and I was grateful for the chance.”
“We’re very sorry for the loss of your mother. Have you no family left?” Miss Margaret asked, her eyes softening when she looked at Juliana.
“I’m afraid not.” She wasn’t going to tell them her father had abandoned them, but she figured the word had gotten around when her mother died and the Stocktons took her in.
“No matter, dear, you’ll have us now,” Miss Margaret said, patting her shoulder when she stepped to the sideboard for the cream. “I always wanted another daughter.”
“You do me an honor, Miss Margaret. I appreciate your genuine hospitality.” Juliana meant the words and hoped they conveyed her gratitude. Natalie looked over the rim of her cup at Juliana. “Are you going to be here for lunch?”
“No. I’m meeting a gentleman for lunch, but I’ll be back by suppertime.”
“Ooh, how divine. Do we know him, if you don’t mind my asking?” Natalie said.
Juliana’s lips twitched with amusement. “I don’t mind. His name is Josh McBride.”
“I don’t believe we know him,” Miss Margaret said.
“He’s a sheepherder.” She wanted to add that he had the most magnificent amber eyes and rich-sounding voice that caused her heart to flip-flop, but they would think her daft.
“I see,” was all Miss Margaret said.
Was that response disapproval? Juliana wasn’t sure.
“Sheep are very noisy, and their smell is disgusting,” Natalie said, wrinkling her nose as though the very odor had entered the room.
Juliana shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know that I’d agree. They have a peculiar musky smell, but they are sweet, gentle creatures, and Josh and his sheepherder, Andy, are really fine people.”
“I didn’t mean to imply that they weren’t,” Natalie quickly added. “I assure you, I was only speaking of the sheep. Sheepherding is the fastest growing industry in Montana.”
“I’m sure he’ll be quite successful then. Let’s finish our breakfast and clean up, or we’ll all be late for the service,” Miss Margaret said. “Juliana, do you know how to drive a team?”
“No, but I’m willing to learn if you’ll teach me.” She smiled.
“Louise can teach you. She’s quite skillful and has a way with horses,” Natalie said of her shy sister.
“Indeed?” Juliana threw Louise a warm smile, who blushed at the compliment. Reticent Louise. Who would have thought it? Juliana was beginning to think that life at the boardinghouse would not be dull—not dull at all—and she was looking forward to every moment.
22
Josh’s thick hair was neatly combed under his hat, and he was dressed in a dark woolen coat, a crisp white shirt, and a black string tie. He was uncomfortable in this Sunday getup. The collar felt tight, and the starch from his shirt scratched his thick neck, but he refrained from loosening the tie, wanting to look presentable when Juliana saw him. He wondered if Juliana had already arrived at church. He and Andy were already late getting there, and with all the rushing around this morning, it had put him in a strange dither.
Josh parked the wagon under a spreading cottonwood tree, where their lunch would be in the shade. Lots of
wagons, buggies, and horses were parked in the church’s yard. Andy had ridden alongside the wagon in great spirits, chattering the entire way, probably with nervous anticipation of seeing the young gal he’d met the last time he’d attended church. Josh told him that he cleaned up good, hoping not to embarrass him, but Andy didn’t seem to mind at all. He tied his horse to the back of the wagon and slicked his hair down with his palm.
Josh stood outside the front of the white clapboard church, its bells pealing out across the valley as worshipers made their way inside. He gazed up at the white steeple that seemed to point the way toward heaven. It created a sharp contrast against the brilliant blue sky and the few puffy clouds.
“I think they must be inside,” he said. “Let’s go on in, the organ’s starting up.”
The door to the church stood open, and both men strode up the steps to a packed congregation inside. Andy found his friend and scooted in next to her. Josh scanned the crowd crammed like leaves in a tobacco tin for a glimpse of just one person. Why was it so packed? It wasn’t even Easter. As he looked a second time, he saw her. Juliana was sitting with two other young ladies and someone he figured to be their mother. He paused, looking down the pew and wondering if he should try to sit next to her. Their eyes caught and held briefly. Juliana shifted in her seat, but he felt a hand touch him from behind on the elbow. It was Marion.
“Josh, what a delight it is to see you. Come sit me with me. There’s lots of space,” Marion said, tugging on his coat sleeve. Before he could make a move, she latched on to his arm, pulling him toward the pew. He threw Juliana a helpless look, shrugged his shoulders, and sat down next to Marion. Juliana turned toward the altar as Reverend Carlson took his place at the podium.
“I want to welcome all of you this wonderful Sunday morning to our house of worship. And we want to do that right now— worship. Let’s turn to page 192, and I’ll lead us in this great hymn of faith.”
The Jewel of His Heart Page 14
