Cora's Deception (9781476398280)

by Colvin, Mildred

  Before Cora could think of a good response to that, Ivy walked across the floor and stood with her bare toe sticking out from under the worn hem of her dress and rubbing circles on the wood floor. What on earth was she doing? Admiring the floor?

  Her eyebrows lifted when she looked up. “It must take a passel of work to keep these boards clean. Ma says a dirt floor is healthy—the way God intended us to live.”

  Cora opened her mouth to set Ivy straight on her manners when Mother spoke. “Yes, I believe your mother mentioned the benefits of a dirt floor when she was here for our house raising.”

  She laughed. “We city folk are so used to our wood floors we’d probably get sick the first winter without them. I guess it’s all in the way a person is raised.”

  Ivy shrugged and walked across the room to stand in front of Mother’s corner cabinet with her fine China dishes and porcelain figurines displayed behind the glass front. Ivy’s wistful expression changed to a sneer just before she turned toward Cora. “When you’ve lived in the wilderness as long as I have, you’ll find little use for stuff like that. Before you know it, all those fancy things will be broken.”

  What was wrong with the people around here? First Esther decided she was too good to associate with the likes of them because she thought they were heathens. Now Ivy considered them beneath her because they had nice things. Anger stirred in Cora’s heart. Mother and Vickie had gone to the far end of the room to see about fixing lunch and didn’t appear to be listening.

  Cora planted a fist on each hip. “Well I should hope not. Just because you live in the wilderness doesn’t mean—”

  “Of course they could be broken.” Eliza stepped in front of Cora, giving her a frown before she smiled at Ivy. “Mother probably wouldn’t have had Father bring them, but they each have special meaning to her. You see, our grandmother owned these dishes first.”

  As Eliza pointed out the contents of the cabinet and explained where they’d come from, Cora stood back. She’d never noticed before how much like Mother Eliza was. How she could be so nice to someone like Ivy was a wonder. And even more amazing was how interested Ivy acted in everything she said.

  The door opened while Eliza and Ivy were still talking about the small boy and girl figurines Vickie and Ben had given Mother years ago for Christmas. Ben stuck his head inside. “Ivy, your brothers want to get back home.”

  Ivy swung to the door with a smile. “Thank you, Ben.”

  She stepped outside while he held the door open for her, her eyes flashing toward him. Cora and Eliza followed. As soon as they were outside, Ivy clutched Ben’s arm. “Ben, why don’t you walk back a ways with us? I was thinkin’ maybe you could tell us how that story ended. You recollect? The one we was readin’ last winter just afore we went sleddin’?”

  “You mean Swiss Family Robinson?” Ben looked at Ivy and grinned.

  Cora frowned.

  Ivy nodded. “Yes, that’s the one. Maybe your sisters would like to walk along with us too.”

  “Now that’s the best idea I’ve heard in a coon’s age.” Ralph grinned at Eliza and took her hand.

  Cora frowned more. Eliza shouldn’t be holding hands with Ralph, and Ben shouldn’t be grinning at Ivy. It’d been what? Three days since Esther sent him packing? Maybe she wasn’t the right girl for him, but that didn’t mean Ivy was, either. Ben seemed all too willing to forget Esther. How could men be so fickle?

  She looked up and caught Aaron’s gaze on her. The look in his eyes set her heart racing. Maybe a walk into the woods would be nice. They hadn’t had any fun in a long time. Her lips curved as her gaze locked with Aaron’s. She nodded. “All right. I’ll be just a moment while I tell Mother where we’re going.”

  ~*~

  Ralph and Eliza got ahead several yards with Ben and Ivy behind them. Cora allowed Aaron to fall into step with her. What else could she do? She stared at Ben’s back and realized he held Ivy’s hand in his. How had that happened?

  She watched the ground for a few steps, unsure of herself and of Aaron. A quick glance brought his gaze to her. “You doin’ all right?”

  “I’m fine.” She forced something like a smile to her face. “I was just thinking that you got stuck with me.”

  He walked with his hands in his pockets. “There’s no one I druther be with.”

  Several yards later, Cora’s palm closest to Aaron began to itch. What would happen if she accidentally brushed her hand against his? Would he do like the others and hold it? How would that feel? She longed to know, but she could never do anything like that. Only a girl as forward as Ivy would try that sort of trick. She looked toward the woods just ahead.

  “You know a lot about the trees, don’t you?”

  Aaron grinned, his deep blue eyes glinting mischievously. “I don’t rightly know about that, but I reckon I could tell you the difference between a oak and a cedar.”

  Cora laughed. “I can do that. I was thinking about the herbs you gathered for your mother. Did they help her headache?”

  His grin disappeared as he looked away. “They help some. There ain’t nothin’ gonna take ’em away, I reckon.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” Cora, looking up at Aaron’s firm, serious profile, realized how much he cared for his mother. He was a man to be admired.

  He looked into her eyes. “Ralph said you got a headache the other day. Reckon I should’ve give you some willow to take home.”

  Cora’s cheeks burned. She touched the bruise on her face but kept her gaze to the ground. Their feet crunched twigs with each step. She could smell the pungent fragrance of cedar that often flowed across this wilderness land. Somehow, it smoothed her troubled emotions, so she breathed deeply.

  “Are you all right now?” Aaron pressed for an answer. “Ralph said you almost didn’t wake up.”

  “I’m fine.” Cora used the same answer she’d repeated daily. She looked up and saw a play of emotions cross Aaron’s handsome face, including a frown. Did he think she was ugly with the bruise covering one side of her face? She gave a quick laugh. “Except for my looks.”

  “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with your looks.” He gazed at her with such a tender expression, her breath caught. No one had looked at her like that before. Her heart picked up a deep, quick beat. A shaky smile rose to her lips. She couldn’t turn from Aaron’s gaze and the special feeling that passed between them, drawing them together on a level she’d never been before.

  ~*~

  June’s warm sun drew Cora outside several days later. She saw Ben sitting on the ground behind the old shelter reading. Might as well see what he’d found so interesting.

  When she drew near, he looked up and spoke. “’Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’”

  “What?” He was talking nonsense. She looked at his book and her heart sank. He held a Bible.

  He grinned. “That’s what Jesus told a man named Nicodemus. I don’t think the fellow understood it any better than I do. I guess it has something to do with believing in Jesus.”

  Cora straightened. “I believe in Jesus.”

  “But is believing enough?” Ben frowned. “This says you have to ‘be born of water and of the Spirit.’ Maybe water means natural birth as a baby. But what is born of the Spirit?”

  Cora tossed her head. “I don’t know. I’m not sure I even care.”

  Ben ignored her surly attitude. “Is there a special time for that birth like there was our first birth?”

  “I don’t know, Ben.” Cora crossed her arms and glared at her brother. Why was he talking about such stuff anyway?

  He snapped his Bible closed and stood. “Can’t say as I know, either. I’m going for a ride.”

  “A ride? Where?” Ben had been acting strange ever since he and Esther broke up. Cora searched his face for an answer to his behavior. Why couldn’t everything be the way it was before?

  He lifted an eyebrow at her questions. “Not that it’s your concern,
but I’m going to see Ivy. Tell Mother I’ll be back in a couple of hours or so.”

  Cora stood with her mouth open as he disappeared around the corner of the shelter. She ran after him, but couldn’t think of a reason why he shouldn’t take up with Ivy. She was obviously willing, which was more than could be said for Esther. Cora watched him saddle Flash and ride away.

  One thing was certain. Ivy wouldn’t tell Ben he was a sinner who needed to read the Bible. What he’d said just now disturbed her. She’d rather he stopped trying to figure out things like being born in the Spirit. Talking about that reminded her too much of her close brush with death. She shivered and went back to the house.

  A few days later, Cora took the water jug to the field where the men were working. She relished the freedom of going barefoot through the knee-high grass. Clouds drifted lazily across the blue sky, and honeybees buzzed from one wildflower to the next. When she reached the plowed ground, her feet stirred little puffs of dust. She paused to wiggle her toes into an especially soft mound, reveling in the sensation.

  Her father’s laugh boomed out, and she looked up. “We’re going to make a farm girl of you yet, Cora. Get that water out here. We’re ready for a break.”

  She laughed and ran the remaining few feet. A bothersome bee buzzed around her head, and she slapped it away. She handed the jug to her father. “Those bees are all over the place. I could even hear them in the grass.”

  “You’d better watch where you step, then.” Ben grinned before he took a swallow of water, his eyes filled with teasing laughter. His trip to see Ivy seemed to have cheered him considerably.

  Another bee flew past. This one seemed intent on its purpose as it headed straight for the forest. Father stared after it. “Come on, boys. I think that one’s going home. Let’s get us some honey.”

  “Yahoo! Let’s go.” Ben took off after Father.

  John drained the last of the water. He handed the empty jug back to Cora with a grin. “What do you want to bet that bee gives them a merry chase if they can even keep it in sight?”

  Cora watched her father and Ben run and jump over soft ground and growing crops, chasing a tiny bobbing speck. In all truth, they were a comical-looking pair. She met John’s laughing eyes. “Why are they chasing a bee?”

  John threw back his head and laughed. “Some folks say you can follow a homing bee to its tree where the honey is stored. I’ve never seen it done, so I don’t know. I sure don’t intend to go off chasing one across the country to see if it works.”

  He turned to the waiting team. A grin lifted the corners of his mouth. “It’s a good thing they’ve got me to work. Of course, if they happen to find that tree, I won’t be against helping haul in the honey.”

  Cora stepped carefully as she went back to the house. The thought of the sweetener her father might bring home brightened her day. Already the ten-pound cone of sugar they’d brought back from St Louis had a large gouge in its side.

  That night at supper, John laughed again as Father and Ben told of chasing the bee through the woods. Cora was amazed they’d kept the tiny insect in sight as long as they had.

  Father looked around the kitchen as he picked up a slice of bread. “Where’s the sugar, Opal?”

  “In the cabinet where I always keep it.” Mother frowned. “Is something wrong with your food?”

  “I want sugar for bait.” He waved his bread as he talked. “I remember back when I was a boy, a neighbor mixed some sugar and water and soaked a corncob in it. The bee loads up on the sweetening and then heads for home. We’ll soak a cob and put it out in the morning near where we lost that bee. More than likely the honey’s in a big hollow oak.”

  The next day when Father sent Ben back home from the woods to get the wagon, John didn’t laugh. They threw the laundry tub and a couple of pails in the back of the wagon, then John climbed into the driver’s seat.

  Cora stared at the honey and honeycomb when they returned from the woods. There was so much, and they’d gotten it just from chasing after a tiny bee.

  Mother clasped her hands together, and her eyes shone. “Oh, Orval, I didn’t think you could really do it. This is wonderful.”

  Father grinned. “There’s more where this came from.”

  Mother stood beside the wagon and stared at the golden syrup lapping the rim of the laundry tub. “Are you going back?”

  Father laughed. “No, I think we have enough. I sent Ben to tell the Starks. It’s a big tree. There’s plenty and more to share. We’ll let them have the rest.”

  “Yes, that’s the thing to do.” Mother’s smile was wider than it had been in weeks. “Maybe we can share some with the Newkirks too. How much do you think we have?”

  “Oh, there’s a good sixty pounds here and probably half that left in the tree. It’s the biggest store of honey I’ve ever seen. Let’s have a party. We’ll invite all the neighbors—the new ones moving in too. Tell everyone to fix some food to bring, and we’ll make up the sweets. Bill Reid can bring his fiddle, and we’ll have a barn dance.” Father grabbed Mother’s hands and did a little jig.

  Cora giggled with Eliza to see her parents acting so silly.

  Mother resisted his pull even while she laughed aloud. She cradled her rounded stomach. “Orval, you’ll wear me out. Stop this nonsense and help me get the honey put away.”

  “Wear you out?” Father laughed and pulled her into his arms for a quick embrace. “You’re the one talking nonsense, Opal. You have to break free and dance before you can get worn out.”

  Mother’s face tinged with pink. A smile sat on her lips even as she pulled away from Father. “Yes, Orval. Now if you’re finished celebrating your wonderful find, I’ll go get the crocks.”

  ~*~

  They scheduled the party for the last Saturday in June. After two full days of the women baking, a delectable array of sweets lined the work counter. The men worked too. They cut three long planks from a straight pine to make a tabletop and benches. They set their new table in the yard. Father used his scythe to cut the grass and make the area as presentable as possible for the guests who would be arriving just before noon.

  Cora watched the Starks emerge from the woods as their first guests. Mrs. Stark rode in a small wagon just large enough for one or two people. A long rope was attached to it with a harness on the end. Aaron had slipped his arms through the leather straps of the harness to pull his mother. Cora’s heart swelled with pride for him.

  Mr. Stark, Ralph, and Ivy left Aaron and Mrs. Stark behind and hurried toward the party. Cora met them as she walked out to greet Aaron and his mother. She acknowledged their greetings, but her attention was centered on Aaron. He’d converted the sled he made last winter into a wagon for his mother. Where wooden runners had been, wooden wheels now turned, easily carrying his wagon across the uneven ground.

  Aaron could do anything he set his mind to. No one else would have been able to plan and build such a wonderful conveyance. Ralph would have never thought of his mother in the first place.

  Cora smiled at Mrs. Stark. “Hello. I’m so glad you could come. Mrs. Stark, how are you feeling? Was the ride over too hard for you?”

  Mrs. Stark gave Cora a snaggle-toothed grin. “This here wagon’s as comfortable as my own rockin’ chair.”

  “I’m glad.” Cora fell into step with Aaron. “You did this, didn’t you? You turned your sled into a wagon for your mother.”

  He barely glanced her way as he nodded. His brows drew together in a frown. Color crept up his neck and touched his clean-shaven cheeks.

  Cora’s heart pounded with admiration for this backwoodsman who seemed a cut above most men. Did he understand what a wonderful thing he’d done? “I think it’s great. I admire your ingenuity.”

  “My what?” His scowl deepened.

  Cora mentally kicked herself for her choice of words. Maybe he didn’t understand. “Your ability to take something simple and make something so wonderful with it.”

  “Wonderful?”


  ~*~

  Aaron shook his head. He sounded like an echo. Cora would think he was a country bumpkin and an idiot. Problem was he couldn’t get his mind wrapped around anything except her smooth skin and shining hair. That fancy blue dress with ribbons tied in a bow on each sleeve, and little bows all around the skirt, brought out the golden color of her hair and the blue in her eyes. Little golden curls on each side of her head bounced when she moved. He’d like to capture one of those curls and feel it wrap around his finger. If he could, he’d touch her smooth cheek to see if it was as silky as it looked. And her lips, pink and fresh like roses in bloom, drew him like—

  No, he couldn’t think such thoughts. It was all foolishness. He was a poor man and ignorant. Cora knew it too. She wouldn’t ’a told him what she meant when she used that big word otherwise. She wasn’t the girl for him. He couldn’t never be so lucky.

  She gave him a sweet smile. “Yes, Aaron Stark. Wonderful. You can do anything. You’re very special and I think you’re wonderful.”

  He stopped near the table in her yard and grabbed the straps on his shoulders. Her eyes shone as she gave him one last smile before she walked away. Had he heard her right? He yanked the straps off. He’d been harnessed to a homemade wagon like their old ox, and she thought he was wonderful? His heart beat out a rhythm that promised something exciting to come. Maybe this party would be more fun than he’d thought.

  Chapter 17

  Bill Reid cast a long shadow on the ground with his fiddle tucked under his chin. Cora stared at the shadow rather than the man. She’d managed to avoid him all day, but she couldn’t avoid his music. He drew the bow across the strings, the melody slow and haunting at first, gradually picking up speed until Cora’s toe tapped in rhythm.

  She tore her gaze from the fiddling shadow as a few of their guests began forming sets for a square dance. Thirty-four people. Imagine! Someday this beautiful land would be settled. Pride swelled in her heart as she thought of others moving into her adopted home near Cedar Creek. The Sinclairs fit right in with their two small children who ran and laughed with the youngest Newkirks. Beyond them stood an older couple named Hanson. They seemed all right, but what of their daughter, Anna? She was pretty, and she liked Aaron.