by Barbara Goss
Violet walked in with Miles behind her.
Gavin’s eyes widened.
Violet and Miles walked over to the other side of his bed from where Peggy was sitting. Violet took Gavin’s hand. “Thank you,” she said, almost a whisper.
Gavin smiled. “No problem. It was an impulsive move with no forethought at all.” With his other hand he squeezed Peggy’s, as if to reassure her that even with Violet’s gratitude she was still the love of his life.
“I owe you, Gavin. If Miles had been…I want you to continue with the camp. I’m sorry. When I gave you that choice I was also acting without forethought.” She looked down at her hand, still on Gavin’s. She patted his hand and then removed it. “I thought I’d forgiven you, but deep down inside, I hadn’t, not until you saved my husband, and I apologize.”
“I accept,” he said. “I thought that when I accepted Christ as my savior when I was nineteen, I truly had been born again, but I was only just saying the words. They never came from my heart, which allowed Satan to get in there and rule me. Thanks to Reverend Croft, the best minister ever, I am now truly born of the Spirit, and I love you, Miles, Billy, and everyone I know, but the one I love the most is Peggy, and it’s a different kind of love.” He squeezed Peggy’s hand again and smiled up at her.
“I’m glad,” Violet said. “Welcome to our family.” She took Miles’s hand. “I hope you continue to heal. Dare I say thank you again? I’m just so grateful that you were in the bank yesterday, and that you were brave enough to throw that plant and save Miles. You’ve just replaced any bad memories I might have with good, courageous ones.” She turned and went out the door.
Miles looked back to wink at Gavin before he let Violet pull him out of the room with her.
After they’d gone, Gavin looked at Peggy and said, “God is good.”
Pearl came downstairs and started to make some dinner for all of them.
Peggy joined Pearl in the kitchen once Gavin had fallen back asleep.
“Violet was here to make things right between her and Gavin,” she said.
“Really?” Pearl spoke without stopping to look up as she stirred her gravy. “I’m glad. Gavin is indeed a hero.”
There was a knock at the door and the two of them peeked around the corner so they could see who was at the door.
“It’s the doctor. I’ll let him in,” Peggy said. She invited the doctor in, led him into Gavin’s room, and then left to bring Timmy indoors to meet his new grandmother—something he’d never had before.
“Well, who’s this?” Pearl said, wiping her hands on her apron. “Is this my new grandson?”
Timmy seemed confused. He looked behind him, but when he saw no one there, he pointed at himself. “Me?”
“Yes, of course you. When your father marries my daughter it'll make you my grandson. You can call me Grandma,” Pearl said.
“Okay. What smells so good, Grandma?” Timmy said.
“It’s some left over roast beef that I’ve sliced up and put into gravy.”
“If we’re lucky,” Peggy said, “she’ll make us some mashed potatoes to go with it.”
“The potatoes are waiting to be peeled. Who wants to help?”
Timmy scrunched up his nose.
“Well, all right. We’ll make your new mother peel them.” Pearl laughed at the smile Timmy gave her. “I think I still have some of Quinn’s old tin soldiers in the attic and maybe some other things as well. Let’s go up and see.” She took Timmy’s hand and led him upstairs.
Peggy peeled potatoes until she heard the doctor come out of Gavin’s room. She dropped her knife and ran into the hall. “How is he?”
“He’s doing remarkably well. You’ve taken good care of him,” he said. “Keep forcing liquids in him. He can have broth and soft things like pudding, but only if he wants it.” He took Peggy’s hand. “He’ll recover, I’m sure of it.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
“I’ll come back in a few days, but if I’m needed, you know where to find me.”
Peggy thanked him again and showed him to the door.
When he was gone, Peggy folded her hands, looked up, and said, “Thank you, Lord.”
Chapter 13
Reverend Billy Croft walked into Gavin’s room carrying a bouquet of flowers.
“I didn’t die, Billy. Take the flowers back,” Gavin said, and he greeted him with a smile.
“No?” Billy said with a grin. “Maybe I can get a refund, then.” He set them down on the bedside table, and took a seat beside Gavin's bed. “Thank you for saving my brother’s life.”
Gavin waved his thank you aside.
“I heard the news,” Billy said. “Miles nearly killed his horse racing to tell me yesterday. He could have waited until after church this morning, but he was more excited than I was to hear the news. I’m not surprised it all worked out—we've had enough people praying for it to happen—although not for you to have to be shot to get it.”
“It must have been part of God’s plan, Billy. I gladly accept it. I’m feeling so much better,” Gavin said.
“Well, don’t rush it,” Billy said. “It’s summertime, you don’t need to teach, and the camp’s over with, so just relax and heal properly.”
“I want to get married,” Gavin said. “Peggy didn’t change the date, did she?”
“No, but I really think it should be pushed back a bit.”
“I can’t even plan for the honeymoon I wanted,” Gavin said.
“And that leads me to my surprise: Mr. Lebold, the owner of the bank, has offered you and Peggy the use of his summer home on the Missouri River, near Atchison. He’s even paid the train fare. Lebold was in church this morning and told me about the offer.” Billy put his hand in his breast pocket and pulled out an envelope. “Everything you’ll need is in this envelope.”
“Why would he do that? He doesn’t even know me.”
“Because not only did you save his manager, but you saved the money in the vault, too,” Billy said. “If you’ve never seen Mr. Lebold’s home, let me tell you: it’s spectacular, so I imagine his summer place is, too.”
“Wait until I tell Peggy,” Gavin said. “This is fantastic. Almost worth getting shot for.”
“You deserve it. That was a very brave thing you did.”
“The funny thing is I didn’t think of it as brave, it was just an impulse…like I had to do something when I saw that gun aimed at a man I thought the world of.”
“What were you doing at the bank that day, anyway?” Billy asked.
“I was transferring all the camp’s accounts to you.”
“Well, now that won’t be necessary. We’re going to have the best camp, you and I, Gavin.” Billy put out his hand and Gavin shook it.
“Since things are good between Violet and I, I want to start attending your church on Sundays,” Gavin said, removing his hand from Billy’s.
“Good,” Billy said. “Maybe you’ll even consider living here. We could work more closely if you did that.”
“I would—but I’d hate to leave Trina.”
“Trina?” Billy asked.
“She’s my blind neighbor. I look after her, although she did say she could hire a caretaker if I decided to move away,” Gavin said. “I have a home in Salina, but I could sell it and use the money to buy one here.”
“I think you need to talk to Peggy,” Billy said with a laugh. “As a married man, you’ll learn that quickly. Always check with the wife before making big decisions.”
Peggy was ecstatic when Gavin told her about the honeymoon.
“I can’t wait,” she said. “But I still think we should move the date back—just by a week or two—so we can enjoy the wedding and honeymoon more.”
“Let’s talk it over with the doctor. I really am feeling so much better.” Gavin took Peggy’s hand. “Billy thinks he’d like it if we lived here in Abilene. What do you think?”
“Oh, I’d love it, and so would Mother.”
�
�I could sell my house and we could build another here,” he said.
“I think we should bank the money from the sale of your house and live here, instead. Mother would love it. This is a nice house, it comes with three hundred acres, and Quinn said he didn’t want the house.” Peggy squeezed his hand. “What do you think?”
“I’d have to make sure Trina hires a reputable caretaker and that Timmy agrees.”
Peggy smiled. “I can’t get him away from the backyard swing, the kittens in the barn, or the fishing pond behind the barn—he loves it here.”
“I’d have a long ride to work each day, especially during the winter.”
“When the weather is bad you could stay over with Trina.”
“All right. We’ll do it,” he said. “You know, it was almost worth getting shot for.”
“Never say that, Gavin!” She leaned over and kissed his lips, but when she tried to end the kiss, he held her to his lips and returned it passionately.
“Whoa, Gavin!” she cried. “I love it, but you are in no condition to be getting romantic.”
“I just miss kissing you,” he said with a boyish look.
“Well, we can remedy that—as soon as you’re a lot better than you are now.”
Peggy went about her household duties, humming. She couldn’t remember ever being this content. She loved Gavin so much that it sometimes hurt inside. He was the most wonderful man. Now that things were settled between him and Violet, they were going to live in Abilene, and they had a millionaire’s honeymoon to look forward to.
She didn’t want Gavin to strain his lungs by calling when he wanted something, so she’d given him a tiny bell to ring—which she heard tinkling almost constantly. She smiled, and went to answer the bell—again!
“What is it, Gavin,” she asked.
He waved her over with his hand. She worried something might be wrong with his lungs and that he couldn’t speak. She approached him cautiously and wearily. As soon as she was close, he reached his arm out and dragged her to him, smiling all the while.
“Gavin! What is it? I’m trying to bake you a cake.”
“I was lonely and I wanted a kiss.”
“All right, but a small one, not like the last one.”
As she bent over to kiss him, he grabbed her waist with both hands and pulled her down onto the bed beside him. He put his good arm around her.
“Stay with me, just for a while. I miss you so much,” he whispered, nibbling on her ear.
Peggy laughed. “That tickles.” She gently pushed him away from her ear. “What if someone walked in right now? This is highly improper.”
“We’re betrothed. That’s got to come with a few perks,” he said.
She snuggled close, and put her arm around his waist. “Just for a few minutes, then.”
In just minutes she heard his breathing become a bit louder and more steady. She looked up and saw that he was fast asleep. She untangled herself carefully, kissed his cheek, and slipped out and back to her baking.
Later that day, the doctor returned to examine Gavin. When he was finished, he called Peggy into the room.
“You’ve taken good care of him, and he's much improved. I’m giving him permission to sit in the chair for an hour, twice a day. He is not to get out of bed alone, though. He may still be groggy from the laudanum doses.
“He’s asked me about the wedding scheduled for a week and a half from today. I don’t think it’s a good idea. I think you’d both enjoy the wedding and honeymoon a lot more if you postponed it for another month.”
“But doctor,” Gavin said, “the new school term starts in just six weeks. How about we postpone it for two more weeks?”
The doctor was silent for several minutes. “If you insist.” Then he looked directly at Peggy. “See that he takes it easy, won’t you?”
“I certainly will.”
“Gavin,” Peggy said when she tucked him in for the night. “I’ll talk to Billy and give him a new date. I don’t think we should do anything about moving from Salina until you are one hundred percent. I refuse to allow a relapse.”
“Yes, ma’am!” He saluted.
“I'm serious! The doctor said if you try to do too much before that lung is healed you might experience shortness of breath, and problems for the rest of your life. So you'd better listen to what we tell you and behave.”
“I’ll behave. Can I have my goodnight kiss now?”
She leaned over and kissed his lips and he returned the kiss passionately. Peggy enjoyed it too much to stop him. She'd missed his kisses, too. After he broke the kiss he stroked her hair and face.
“I love you so much, Peggy. I can’t stand it when you aren’t near me. I’m counting the days until you can spend the night with me.”
“As am I,” she whispered back. “One more?”
“You talked me into it,” he said and pulled her down beside him on the bed. He put his hands on each side of her face and guided her lips to his. He gave her several, quick, open-mouthed kisses before he hugged her to him. “Stay with me until I fall asleep?” he asked.
She nodded. It wasn’t long before she heard his even breathing, and she slipped away and went upstairs to her own bed. She lay there thinking how her arms felt empty, and her lips felt cold. Being married would be heaven.
Peggy noticed that Pearl had become quite fond of Timmy, as he’d become fond of her. The two of them spent time together, as Pearl couldn’t do much housework anymore. She’d taken down Quinn’s old toys from the attic and given them to Timmy.
Timmy liked the idea of living there. Everything that was wrong before seemed to turn out right. Peggy prayed it would all last—It seemed too perfect to be true.
.
Violet and Miles visited nearly every day, and always brought books, food, or flowers for Gavin. Peggy wondered if she’d imagined Gavin’s eyes lighting up when he saw Violet, and Peggy began to have feelings she hadn’t had since Hattie Wilson stole Edward Butterfield a few years ago. She wished Violet would stop visiting. She didn’t like having these feelings, nor did she like feeling such a strong dislike for Violet, and she felt guilty for that, but she had to admit it was there, and she didn’t know how to stop it.
Peggy cringed when she heard a knock on the front door. She hoped it wasn’t Violet and Miles again. She opened the door to find Julia Armstrong, Miles, and Billy’s sister at the door.
“Julia!” Peggy greeted. “What a nice surprise.”
“I’d have come sooner, but Alfie was sick with measles, and I heard you had Gavin’s son here, and I didn’t want to spread any germs,” Julia said.
“We appreciate that! Come in,” she held the door open wide for Julia.
“I just had to come and thank Gavin for saving my brother’s life. I’ve also brought him a book to read while he’s convalescing.”
“That’s so thoughtful. He’s getting very restless,” Peggy said. “Have a seat and I’ll see if he’s awake.”
Peggy went into Gavin’s room where he was sitting in the chair, reading. “Gavin, you're supposed to ring the bell for help getting in and out of bed.”
“I’m not dizzy or anything. I’m fine.” He winked at her.
“You have a visitor. Shall I show her in?”
“Please,” he said.
When one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen came in wearing a big smile, Gavin knew exactly who she was. She had Billy’s eyes, and Miles’ smile.
“Julia?” he said.
“How did you know? I don’t think we’ve ever met.” She sat down on the bed.
“You have some familiar features—you strongly resemble my two favorite men.”
“And one of them might not be here today if not for your brave actions. I came to thank you. I’ve brought you a book. It’s new. Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson. Have you read it?”
“No, I haven’t. I heard it was hard to get a copy. You didn’t have to,” he paused and then added, “but I’m so glad yo
u did. I can’t wait to start it.”
“I hear you have a son that’s about my son’s age. Alfie’s ten.”
“Timmy’s nine, but he’ll be ten in September,” Gavin said.
“I think we should get them together, some day soon,” she said.
Peggy was relieved; any day without Violet coming over was a good day for her. She was deeply ashamed of her feelings and she knew she had to get rid of them. She’d prayed and prayed, but the jealousy was still there. Should she mention it to Gavin, even though it might spoil their relationship?
Gavin was now able to walk around the house and sit on the front porch in a rocker. He spent most of his days there. He noticed that Peggy seemed preoccupied lately, and he wondered what the cause could be. Timmy loved her, and she seemed to care for him, and Pearl adored him. As far as he knew, Timmy was behaving himself. He wondered if it was because Peggy was impatient to get married.
As he rocked, he watched birds flying from tree to tree, chirping; he watched squirrels circling the tree nearest the house; and he watched buggies and horses going down the road at the end of their drive. He'd sit there, even when it rained. He thought he’d love living there, but what bothered him about it was that he’d never feel it was his and Peggy’s home, but rather, it would always seem like Peggy and Pearl’s home.
He looked up as a buggy barreled down the drive. He smiled when he saw it was Miles and Violet. He was always glad to see Billy or Miles—he loved them both like they were his own brothers. With Violet he was still a bit leery, but she seemed to be coming around.
They came up on the porch and he stood. Miles hugged him, and so did Violet—albeit a loose hug, but it was a hug, nevertheless. They sat near him and chatted for almost an hour before they left. Gavin waved as they drove down the drive.
Peggy had just put a roast in the oven, and she went to the front window to check on Gavin when she saw Violet hugging him. She felt ill. For the rest of the day she fretted about it. She smiled at dinner and said all the right things, but she felt like her world had come to an end.
