Heart of Stone

by Jill Marie Landis

  Before Brand could open the door, the children raced out to greet him. He knelt down to wrap his arms around both of them at once in a crushing bear hug. He savored the feel of their strong little bodies in his arms, their boundless enthusiasm and energy.

  “You’re just in time for dinner, Papa,” Janie announced. “Jesse too.” She ran to Jesse and grabbed his hand. “Are you hungry, Jesse?” She swung his hand back and forth between them. Brand could see he was uncomfortable, but he didn’t try to pull away.

  “‘Course he’s hungry,” Sam decided. “They been out on the road. A man gets hungry on the trail, don’t he, Papa?”

  “A man surely does,” Brand laughed. “I could eat a bear.”

  When Charity came to the door her face was flushed from the heat of the oven. She was wearing her best gown, the pink one she usually saved for Sundays and special occasions. Brand gave her a hug too. She met his gaze and her blush faded. Worry shadowed her eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” Brand asked.

  She glanced down at the children, pursed her lips, and shook her head as if to say “Not now.” “I’m just so glad you’re back safe and sound. You, too, Jesse. Come on in and wash up. We’re having company for dinner,” she told them.

  Amelia, Hank, and Reverend John Lockwood were all waiting to greet them in the front room.

  “Charity invited us for dinner,” Amelia said. “We were just about to sit down.”

  Brand took one look at Amelia and knew something was wrong. Amelia was uncharacteristically quiet. Even more telling, she didn’t ask about Laura.

  If Hank knew what was wrong, he didn’t show it. He pounded Brand on the back and then welcomed Jesse home as well.

  “I’ll get two more plates and some silverware,” Charity said as she headed for the kitchen. As she passed Reverend Lockwood, she smiled. “Would you mind bringing two more chairs up to the dining table, John?”

  “I’m glad to see you, Brand. I’ve had a wonderful stay here in Glory these past few weeks, but I’ll be happy to hand you the reins tomorrow.” The reverend grabbed a side chair and carried it into the small dining room. Sam tried to drag another over by himself. Jesse took one look and helped him out.

  “John’s been a wonderful replacement.” Amelia smiled, though she appeared distracted. “The board was hoping that you had changed your mind—” She fell silent and Brand had the feeling there was much more she wanted to say.

  It didn’t escape him that no one had yet asked about Laura. Taking his cue from Amelia and Charity, he didn’t volunteer anything. Charity urged them all to sit down again. Amelia helped carry dishes out from the kitchen. They brought in a platter of fried chicken and a bowl heaped full of mashed potatoes, plus gravy, corn, beans, and biscuits. Hank kept the conversation flowing, but the expression on Charity’s face assured Brand something was definitely wrong—something that no one would address with the children in the room.

  Lockwood was still on his feet. He pulled out Charity’s chair when she made her final trip in from the kitchen. Hank assisted Amelia, and everyone finally settled into silence.

  “Reverend Lockwood, would you say the blessing?” Charity asked.

  After the blessing, everyone began passing serving dishes and filling their plates.

  Sam was the first to speak up between bites of a drumstick. “So are you gonna preach again, Papa?”

  “I am, son.”

  “You changed your mind,” Hank said. He didn’t sound particularly relieved.

  Brand took a deep breath. “Laura changed it for me, actually.”

  “You found her?” Charity laid her fork on her plate.

  “We found her and I convinced her to come home.” He glanced around the table and found the adults studiously considering their next bites.

  “Are you gonna get married?” Janie wanted to know. “Can I have a purple dress with lots of ruffles to wear to the wedding?”

  “Not now, Janie. I’m sure your papa is far too tired to discuss it.” Charity handed the gravy to John.

  Brand studied his sister for a moment. The look she gave him was a silent warning not to ask what was wrong.

  “We’d better see about getting you that dress,” he told his daughter. “Mrs. Foster has agreed to marry me.”

  He waited for congratulations and good wishes.

  Charity reached for her water goblet.

  Silence fell. Brand noticed that except for Jesse and the children, no one was even looking at him.

  Amelia spoke up. “Would anyone care for some mashed potatoes?”

  When Brand looked across the table at Hank, he wasn’t sure he liked what he saw in the publisher’s eyes.

  “When you getting married, Papa?” Sam wanted to know.

  “Sooner rather than later.”

  An awkward silence descended once more. Everyone concentrated on eating until the meal was over. Charity was in a hurry to serve up apple cobbler with fresh cream. As soon as most everyone was finished, she turned to Sam.

  “Why don’t you and Janie bundle up and show Jesse that new litter of kittens. You wouldn’t mind going out to the barn with them, would you, Jesse?”

  Jesse glanced at Brand and tossed his napkin on the table. “Not at all, ma’am.”

  Sam and Janie raced down the hall to collect their coats. As soon as the three of them were outside, Brand leaned back in his chair. He looked at Amelia, Hank, Charity, and Lockwood in turn.

  “Now, who would like to tell me exactly what is going on?”

  His sister’s face turned the color of a ripe raspberry. She opened her mouth, closed it, and shook her head.

  Brand turned to Amelia. “What is it? Did the board retract their votes and accept my resignation? Is that it?”

  Before Amelia could comment, Charity found her voice. “Not yet, but people are saying terrible things about Laura, Brand. Things I can’t even repeat.”

  So it’s happened, he thought. Laura would arrive and be ambushed by gossip. He had wanted to be the one to bring the truth out into the open. Coming from him, he’d hoped to make a difference as to how the news was received.

  “Collier Holloway let it out,” Amelia said. “I was afraid this would happen.”

  Brand was furious.

  Charity stared at him. “You knew about this? It’s all true?”

  Brand slowly nodded. Charity turned to Amelia. “You knew too? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

  “Laura took us into her confidence just before she left,” Brand explained. “If I could have told you, I would have.”

  “That’s why she left town, isn’t it?” Charity glanced back and forth between them. “She told you and she was too ashamed to face you afterward.”

  “Actually, she left to spare me embarrassment when and if the truth came out,” Brand said.

  “And yet you went after her.” Charity shook her head in disbelief. “What were you thinking, Brand?”

  “I love her.”

  John Lockwood folded his napkin and slid it alongside his plate.

  “Maybe I should excuse myself,” he said softly.

  Charity turned to him. “Please, don’t leave.” She took a deep breath before she turned to Brand.

  “First Jesse shows up and now this. I like Laura well enough, Brand, but I don’t see how you can expect folks to accept her, let alone as your wife.”

  Amelia and Hank had yet to voice their opinions, but Brand thought their silence telling enough. He looked around the table again. He’d overcome doubt because of his love for Laura, but if those closest to him couldn’t accept it, he didn’t know how he was going to convince anyone else that Laura was worthy of becoming his wife.

  “Forgiveness is the foundation of my belief,” he said softly. “Love and forgiveness go hand in hand.”

  Amelia nodded. “We only want what’s best for you.”

  “Laura is what’s best for me,” he said, daring anyone to object.

  “Both Amelia and I think so too,” Hank sa
id. “But we also think you’ll have a long, hard row to hoe.” He turned to Amelia, slipped his arm around her shoulder. “Maybe we should be heading home,” he suggested.

  Brand walked the Larsons to the door and told them goodnight while Charity collected Reverend Lockwood’s overcoat and brought it to him.

  “Thanks again for agreeing to preach tomorrow,” Brand told John after the Larsons left. “I’m going to need some time to prepare for more than stepping up to the pulpit again. From the reaction tonight—and I’m in a friendly camp—it looks like I’ve got an uphill battle to fight.”

  “I’ll stay on as long as you need me,” John volunteered. “Things will work out for you, one way or another.”

  Lockwood went into the kitchen and took an overly long time thanking Charity for dinner and bidding her goodnight. When he came back in he asked, “Would you mind stepping outside with me, Brand?”

  Lockwood appeared to be concentrating on buttoning up his coat.

  “I could use some fresh air,” Brand assured him.

  Together they crossed the front porch and stopped at the end of the walk. He was certain the reverend would try to council him about his feelings for Laura.

  “I meant what I said. I’ve truly enjoyed my time here,” John told him. “Everyone has made me feel quite at home.”

  “You have my undying gratitude,” Brand said. “It wasn’t easy leaving Charity and the children here. You might have noticed they’re a handful, but my sister does a fine job with them.”

  “She’s not only competent but beautiful. If I were younger, I’d ask your permission to court your sister. She’s just the kind of woman I’ve always wanted to marry. She’s dedicated and hardworking and would do a man proud. She should have children of her own to love.” John’s face was a shade darker. He shook his head and tried to make light of his comments. “She probably wouldn’t want anything to do with an old goat like me.”

  Brand studied him. “How old are you, John?”

  “The very late side of forty-five.” He shoved his hands in his coat pockets and glanced down the street. “Tell me about this woman you’re in love with.”

  “She’s a good woman with a dark past.” He gave John an abbreviated account of Laura’s life and situation.

  “People around here are in shock,” Lockwood told him. “They knew you were courting her and that you went off searching for her when she up and left. Some have asked for my opinion.”

  “What do you think? What do you tell them?”

  “I trust your judgment. I know what’s in your heart, what you believe. If you think she’s the right woman for you, then I don’t doubt it.”

  “I made no secret that I was courting her. There is nothing to hide. I didn’t know about her past until she told me a few weeks ago. Then she left—to keep from hurting me.”

  “Still, you might want to think this through, Brand.”

  “I have. Believe me, I have.”

  “Then I’ll pray for you both,” John promised.

  “Thank you, John. That’s all I can ask.”

  Brand found Charity finishing up the dishes.

  “Did Jesse and the children come back in yet?” he asked.

  “They went into their rooms to change into their nightclothes.”

  “Did Jesse leave?”

  “I suppose. He didn’t stop in to say good-bye.”

  He was surprised Jesse hadn’t come in to thank her for dinner. No doubt Jesse was as bone tired as he and longing for a good night’s sleep in his own bed—if he still had one.

  Brand wanted to tell Jesse that Laura’s story had come to light before he heard disparaging talk from someone on the street and wound up in a brawl.

  Suddenly he felt like the walls were closing in. He ached for a few minutes alone. Instead he watched his sister dry her hands, slip off her apron, smooth her hair. Her forehead was creased with worry lines.

  “We’ve a new organ at church.” She avoided his gaze. It was more than evident she didn’t want to speak of Laura right now.

  “Purchased by the board? That’s surprising. At the last meeting, the treasury had been sorely lacking.”

  “It was donated by someone and delivered right to the church door. It’s very grand. Amelia has been accompanying the choir on it and we had the old upright piano moved into the church hall.”

  Though she was trying to keep the conversation light, worry lines creased her brow. He figured she could use a compliment right about now.

  “You know, John is quite taken with you.”

  “He is?” Her face turned as pink as her gown, but she didn’t sound surprised.

  “In fact, he said if he were younger and staying on for a while, he would ask my permission to court you. I don’t know what he’s thinking. He’s far too old for you.” Brand shrugged. “Still, it’s always nice to know when someone admires—”

  “He’s not that old.”

  “He’s forty-five.”

  “I wouldn’t care if he was fifty. He’s educated and still very handsome. He loves my cooking, which is passable at the most. He thinks I’ve got a way with children, and he thinks I’m beautiful.”

  “I think you’re lovely.”

  “That doesn’t count. You’re my brother!”

  “Then I’ll tell him he’s welcome to court you, but he’ll have to work fast if he’s set on leaving town—” Brand stopped. “Would you go with him, Sis? Would you leave if he asked you to marry him?”

  Tears glistened in her eyes. Irritated, she quickly wiped them away.

  “I want what you have, Brand. I want a family. I want someone to love me.”

  “We all love you.”

  “I know that, but it’s not the same.”

  He put his arm around her. “I know, Sis. And I do want you to be happy, if this is what you want.”

  “What do you really think of him, Brand? You promised you’d tell me if you thought the man I fell in love with was anything like our father.”

  “John is nothing like Father. He admires and respects you. I think you’d be very well suited and happy together.”

  “Then please tell John I’d be happy to have him court me.” She moved away, hung the wet dishtowels on a rack near the pie safe. “And I’d like you to think about what you would be doing by marrying Laura. I can take care of myself and I’ll stand beside you no matter what, but you’ve got Sam and Janie to think of. What will this do to them?”

  “The woman I’ve come to know will make a kind and loving mother to them, but you’re right. There is more than just myself and Laura to think of.” He paused. “If you don’t mind, I need some fresh air.”

  “Of course.” The steaming dishwater had dampened her hair. She smoothed it back away from her face.

  He grabbed his coat off the rack in the hallway and headed out the back door. Outside, wind from the southwest was picking up. There were stars in the eastern sky, but storm clouds were fast approaching. He pictured Laura tucked into the coach and hoped she was warm enough. He thought of the crude depot stops along the route and chided himself for not following his instincts and escorting her home.

  Now he was more determined than ever to be waiting at the mercantile when her stage pulled in. He had to be there to soften the blow and warn her about Collier’s revelation.

  He took another deep breath of frigid night air, lingered to watch the stars blinking in the indigo heavens before he turned around to see if the barn was locked up tight. He noticed the glow of a lantern seeping out from the cracks around a shuttered window in the side wall. He’d have to have a talk with the children. They could have burned the barn down if the unattended lantern fell and started a fire.

  When he got to the barn door, he noticed the heavy bar had been dropped in place on the outside. He was about to lift it when he heard a loud thump from within and then Jesse shouted, “Hey! Lemme out!”

  Brand raised the bar and the door swung open. Jesse was standing inside.

 
; “What are you doing in there?” Brand asked.

  Jesse shrugged. “Ask your children. They locked me in.”

  “What?”

  Jesse nodded. “Had me look at the kittens and then they told me one was missing. I fell for it. Got on my hands and knees and while I was digging through the straw, they slipped out and barred the door. I tried yelling but nobody heard me. I figured I’d bed down and try to stay warm.”

  “Why would they do that?” Brand muttered.

  “I can’t figure out why those two do anything. You mind if I head home now? See if I’ve still got one, that is?”

  Brand held out his hand. Jesse took it and they shook.

  “Thank you for your help. I couldn’t have made it through that country on my own,” Brand admitted. He told Jesse that Laura’s past had been revealed. “Just remember you’ll always have a home with us if you want it. Come on back tonight if you need to.”

  “Yeah. Those tadpoles can lock me in again.”

  Brand returned to the house and knocked on Janie’s door. She opened it so quickly he was convinced she’d been standing on the other side, waiting for him.

  “Yes, Papa?” She smiled up sweetly.

  “Come into Sam’s room with me,” he said.

  She hung her head as she walked with him to the room beside hers.

  Sam was in bed with the covers pulled up over his head. His imitation snores didn’t fool Brand for a second.

  “Sit up, Sam. Don’t make me ask you twice.”

  Sam sat up and peered at them over the edge of his blankets.

  Brand looked at both of them in turn. “Who wants to tell me why you locked Jesse in the barn?”

  “Jesse was locked in the barn?” Sam’s eyes grew round as wagon wheels.

  “You know Jesse was in the barn. Don’t make things worse.”

  “We wanted to keep him.” Janie shrugged.

  “Keep him?” Brand anchored his hands on his hips. “You wanted to keep Jesse so you locked him in the barn?”

  “We thought that if he spent the night in there with the cat and her kittens, he might like it as much as he does sleeping in Mrs. Foster’s barn.” Sam folded down the blankets and tucked them under his arms.

  Brand found himself biting the inside of his cheek. “He has a room in Mrs. Foster’s carriage house. He doesn’t sleep in a stall.”