Not only were the rafters ringing, the pew seemed to be shaking. Feeling like people were looking at her, too, Olivia peeked to her left. Mama McCory was shaking while covering her mouth with her hand. Was she laughing? Well, becoming the laughingstock might be a little better than being tarred and feathered.
Stella was almost bouncing off the bench.
“Hallelujah!” came a voice from the back. A couple of male voices roared, “Amen!” A woman said, “Praise the Lord!” A woman down front stood and lifted her arms toward the ceiling. Then one on the other side of the aisle did the same. Heads were bobbing and bodies were bouncing.
“More, more,” someone yelled when she finished with a flourish. Stella slapped her hands on her thighs and faced her audience with a look of triumph while they said amen and applauded. Olivia wondered if Stella had led them down the path of wickedness and turned this place into a honky-tonk.
Pastor Whitfield walked a few steps over to the piano with his hands outstretched. “Please,” he pled. “One more.”
A wide smile spread across Stella’s glowing, beautiful face. “Everybody,” she shouted and began pounding out a fast version of “When We All Get to Heaven.” They all stood, began to clap and sing and sway—except Hedda. Then Bart poked her and she stood. Before long, she was moving, too.
Even Mama McCory was standing, clapping, and singing. Olivia looked at Neil. His gaze met hers, his eyebrows lifted, but he grinned then and stood, so she did, too. Soon the two of them joined in.
Amid applause and Pastor Whitfield’s high praise, Stella returned to her seat. Mama McCory reached over and held Stella’s hand for a long time.
Pastor Whitfield said that was a hard act to follow. It was indeed, and Olivia didn’t know what his sermon was about. Her concern was what Neil might say. Although it had been entertaining, he might banish both her and Stella from his home and his sight.
After church ended, while Stella was being surrounded by adoring fans, Mama McCory held on to Olivia’s arm and leaned around to speak to Neil. “Neil,” she said, “let’s invite Edith and the pastor to have lunch with us.”
“You must be feeling better,” he said. Earlier she’d said she probably wouldn’t eat out.
She gave a short laugh. “I’ve been revived.”
His brief nod seemed to say he knew what she meant. Olivia, however, felt rather drained. She turned her attention to Mary Clayton who walked up with little Janie. Neil said he’d go speak to the pastor. Several others came up, raving about how much they enjoyed Stella’s playing.
Olivia was grateful for the compliments, but she couldn’t keep from glancing at the aisle where Hedda had a grip on Mama McCory’s arm. Finally, Mama McCory shook her head, then turned and hastened away, quite quickly for a woman with a cane.
Hedda shot a glance at Olivia, making her wonder if Hedda had disapproved of Stella’s playing.
Then she looked at her aunt, the center of attention. Yes, being around Stella was like watching a play all right—one in which you couldn’t predict the ending.
❧
Milton had a table reserved for them by the time they reached the restaurant. “I’m glad to have such talented ladies in my establishment.” He smoothed the apron he wore over his church clothes. “Dessert’s on me.”
They thanked him, and waitresses brought the food. The Sunday meal was family style. Soon the table was filled with fried chicken, rice, gravy, biscuits, green beans, mashed potatoes, sliced tomatoes, and pickled cucumbers.
“Nothing against your preaching, Jacob,” Mama McCory said after the pastor asked the blessing, “but it’s about time we got some life back into our church. I remember when there was shouting and even some fainting when people felt the presence of the Lord.”
He agreed. “You’re right, Mama McCory. We need to get people more excited about the Lord than they are about the new telephones, automobiles, and running water.”
Olivia’s glance swept over Neil’s face and sort of settled on those firm-looking lips of his. She tried to turn her mind to things of the Lord. But exactly what was she supposed to think about the Lord?
“I think the Lord was speaking to me this morning,” Mama McCory said. “Again, no reflection on you, Jacob. But when Stella was playing, all we could do was just feel the music.”
“I know what you mean.” The pastor passed the food. “In church is a time for the Lord to speak, and it’s not always through my sermon. Anyway, I’m kind of used to you speaking your mind.”
“I liked your sermon,” Stella said. “You talked about many things I’d never thought about.”
The pastor seemed to bask in her praise. “Thank you. That’s quite a compliment.”
“Yes,” Edith said. “Jacob and the Lord do sometimes speak in mysterious ways.”
Olivia liked the way the pastor and Edith looked at each other then—he with a warning look and she with mischief. They all laughed. Olivia liked the throaty sound of Neil’s laughter.
“Now that my wife has insulted me, let’s move on,” the pastor said. “What did the Lord say to you, Mama McCory?” He bit into a chicken leg.
“You know, after my Streun died, I quit hosting the Bible studies. Then when I thought I would start them up again, I had that stroke. I felt like life was over for me.” She took a deep breath, put down her fork, and reached over to hold Olivia’s hand. “There’s new life in my house now.” Her eyes grew moist.
Olivia looked at Neil. This is what he wanted. He some-times glanced at her or looked for a brief moment, but this time their gazes held long enough that she saw the warmth and gratitude in his brown eyes. He finally looked down and poked his mashed potatoes with his fork.
Stella smiled at her fondly and gave her a slow wink.
Yes, it did appear she was doing her. . .job. . .well. But it wasn’t just a job. She loved Mama McCory, and she didn’t know a finer man than Neil.
“Mama McCory,” Edith said, “do you want to start the Bible studies again?”
“If you will teach it.”
Edith clasped her hands over her heart. “Oh yes. And there are so many ladies in the church who need this. We can announce it next Sunday. Then you want to start it on the following Tuesday?”
Mama McCory said she would. “Could you come up for the Bible study, Stella?”
“I would love to,” she said so sincerely that Olivia suspected she meant it.
“Oh, this is wonderful,” Edith said. “Should we have Juliet suggest our first topic?” The women agreed.
“Do you have a topic you’d like studied, dear?” Mama McCory asked.
“Yes,” she said without having to think. “The Holy Ghost.”
fourteen
Rain had fallen last weekend. Olivia feared it might again and Stella wouldn’t be able to come. This Friday the weather was sunny, however, and the cooler mid-October temperatures had turned the West Virginia mountains into a spectacular array of red, gold, and yellow. The leaves were at their peak in color.
Stella hadn’t been able to attend the first Bible study on Tuesday as the weekend rain made much of the road from Canaan Valley too muddy for travel. So Olivia was relieved when her aunt arrived at the inn shortly after sunset.
Hedda and Bart had left early to get home before dark, so Juliet served Stella, Neil, Mama McCory, and herself a piece of pineapple upside-down cake.
“I don’t normally eat a lot of sweets before going to bed,” Mama McCory said, “but Juliet is cooking up such good things nowadays. And, too,”—she reached over and patted Stella’s hand—“when you visit, I don’t want to miss a thing. There’s always something new.” She laughed. “You’re wearing a tie.”
Stella touched the green silk tie at her neck. “It’s the style for women.”
“Yes, I’ve noticed that. Amazing what is in the papers nowadays.”
As if he, too, were thinking about another ad, Neil said, “I’m glad you’re back to reading the papers again, Grandmother.”
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“I didn’t have a reason to for a long time, Neil. When you’re dying from a stroke and have a weak heart, that kind of becomes your world. Things have changed.”
Stella returned her smile with her own affectionate one. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to the Bible study.”
“We had eight women,” Mama McCory said. “Met in the parlor and had a good lesson and discussion.”
“Maybe you could give me a summary of what you learned.”
Mama McCory’s eyes seemed to light up. “I’d love to, but first we must help clean up in here.”
“There’s not much to do,” Olivia said. “You two go ahead. It won’t take me any time to do this.”
“Thank you, dear.” Turning to Stella, Mama McCory said, “Let’s retire to the parlor for our discussion so we’ll be out of the way.” The two women headed out the door, talking about the Bible class.
Neil stayed in the kitchen and helped Olivia clean up, although she protested.
“I’m glad to help, Juliet. You’re busy from before sunup to late at night.”
“I’m busy, yes,” she agreed. “But it’s not hard work. Anything I can do for Mama McCory is not work but a pleasure.”
“That’s fine,” he said. “But I’m glad Stella is here and said she will help with breakfast in the morning. I’d be pleased if you could spend more time with the things you like to do. Like cooking, Bible study, playing the piano, reading. . .”
“I do those things,” she said, handing him a plate to be dried.
“Good,” he said. “I don’t ever want you to feel like you’re just. . .anything less than my wife.”
Olivia let go of the plate and stuck her hands back into the soapy water. There was only one time each week when she felt less. And that’s when he gave her the dollar she’d earned.
❧
Neil thought she might say, “You decide,” when he asked what she’d like to do on their day off that his grandmother and Stella had planned for them.
She responded, however, with a great deal of enthusiasm. “Could we take a hike? Everything is breathtakingly beautiful right here. But I’d like to see more. Fall is my favorite season.”
“Mine, too.” Neil liked finding out what she enjoyed. Maybe on this day off they could get to know each other better.
“Will we hike all the way to the top of the mountain?”
He laughed. “I think we’d better ride Sally. At least part of the way. It’s a long way up there.”
Her face was animated. “I’ll make a picnic lunch.” He felt rather pleased that she seemed to eat the rest of her breakfast with a great amount of zest, as if she couldn’t wait to begin their day’s adventure.
Yes, like his grandmother had said several times over the past few weeks, “Juliet’s and Stella’s enjoyment of life could be quite contagious.”
He sat for a while longer, sipping another cup of coffee and stealing glances at Juliet making sandwiches for their lunch. If he did have a wife in the true sense of the word, he wouldn’t want her thinking he’d married her only to manage an inn and be a companion to his grandmother. He would want to take time to show her that he. . .cared.
Then he should do the same for Juliet. After all, they were legally married.
Thirty minutes later, Neil stared at the young woman who walked out the back door wearing a shirtwaist much like she wore daily, a riding skirt, and sensible hiking boots. She came up to him and Sally. Her auburn hair was pulled back from her face and was fastened with a wide clasp at the back of her head. It hung in waves to below her shoulders. He envied the early morning sunshine that caressed it with a touch of reddish gold.
With the discipline of a doctor trained not to say everything on his mind, he reached for the bag of lunch she’d prepared and fastened it to the side of the saddle. He mounted the horse, then looked down at her. “You can ride in front and I’ll look over your head so we both see the views. Or you may ride behind me and stare at my back.”
Her gaze moved toward heaven as if that were a ridiculous statement. Laughing, he hoisted her up in front of him. They rode along a trail marked for the inn’s guests and tourists. A young couple moved aside to let them pass.
Olivia glanced around at him. “You think the hikers will appreciate a horse on the trail?”
“No, I don’t.” A short distance ahead he did what he’d intended all along. He left the trail, and Sally trotted along a familiar path.
Soon he stopped, dismounted, and held up his hands for Juliet. She gave him a questioning look, but he grinned at her and tied Sally to a tree limb in the completely wooded area. “This way.” They walked onto a trail where they could peek through the myriad colored trees on their left and see the town below. On the right was the steep mountainside.
He heard the trickle of water about the time Juliet spied it and laughed gleefully. Water flowed over an outcropping of rocks like a miniature waterfall and formed a pool at the side of the trail. They cupped their hands and drank the cold, clear water.
Farther on, as the trailed curved up and around the slight incline, they passed others who were strolling along, enjoying the beauty of the day and the scenery.
She stopped. “Look how dark it is up there on that section of the trail.”
“Look at this,” he said, picking up a stick. He pointed with it to a muddy place on the side of the trail. “What kind of track do you think that is? Bear? Mountain lion?”
Her eyes widened. “Are you trying to scare me?”
“Yeah.” He grinned at her.
She hit him on the arm and marched toward the dark, casting a glance over her shoulder that dared him to follow. He had no problem doing that. She slowed upon reaching the path into the section where rhododendron formed a canopy, allowing very little light into the area.
“There really are bears and mountain lions around here, aren’t there, Neil?”
“Yes, but they try to stay out of our way.”
All of a sudden something was upon them. Juliet let out a yelp, and Neil pulled her close to the side of the path and jumped out of the way. A young man apologized and kept running. That’s when Neil thought he should take Juliet’s hand in his, which he did. She didn’t protest, but they let go when they walked into the light again.
They wound up and around, then stopped for a moment to look down, able to see the town that now looked even smaller.
Neil explained that the trail was almost parallel to the one they’d hiked. “We’ll soon be back down to Sally.”
Sally snorted, as if showing her disapproval of having been left in the forest. They mounted her, and after a time of winding up through the woods, the trees thinned. A sudden gust of wind whipped the tree branches, and soft yellow leaves fell on them like pieces of gold and blanketed their path.
Juliet held out her hand and laughed with delight. Suddenly her breath caught and all she could say was, “Oh.”
That’s how Neil felt whenever he came here.
They dismounted. While she walked toward the spectacular view of mountains below and beyond them, Neil secured Sally. He spread the saddle blanket out and set the bag of lunch on it, then walked up to Juliet.
“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful,” she whispered, as if a voice might disturb the scenery. She looked over at him. “The colors, too, are more vivid than I’ve ever seen.”
Hearing her appreciation of this spot that meant so much to him and looking into her eyes, he said, “Green is beautiful, too.”
She blinked her eyes and looked again at the scenery. “I’m sure it’s beautiful here anytime. And the town below is like a toy town.”
Feeling he had made an error in implying something too personal, he turned and walked to the blanket. She followed, and soon they were eating the sandwiches, fruit, and cheese, and drinking from the canteens. All sounds were magnified. He could hear his own chewing. Sally whinnied, and he tossed his apple core for her to eat. Then Juliet did the same and quipped, “She didn’t ev
en have to step aside to get mine.”
He straightened, pulling his knees up and hugging them. “Oh, was there a contest?”
“Yeah,” she teased. “In case a bear shows up, somebody has to be able to hit him between the eyes.”
Neil breathed easier, feeling that had eased the tension he had felt. “I’ve thought of building a house here someday.”
She seemed surprised. “You don’t plan to live in the inn?”
“Having the inn is grandmother’s dream, not mine. I would like to have a home where friends can visit, but I’d like my home to be just for my family. Sunrise is becoming more of a tourist area every year. Hotels will be built. The town will become a city before long.”
Juliet agreed. “The automobiles will come, too. Do you not want one?”
“They are the way of the future, contrary to what some are saying. The cities are filled with them. But for now, when I make house calls, the horse and buggy serves me better than an automobile. For one thing, we don’t have the roads for them here.”
“With a clinic and a hospital in town, I wouldn’t think you’d make many house calls.”
“I don’t make a lot of them. But some of the people back in the mountains don’t trust hospitals and clinics. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have a doctor caring for their needs.”
Juliet looked out toward the spectacular view that went on for miles. “Has Kathleen seen this?”
“Yes.” He closed their canteens and put them into the bag. “She still prefers the city.”
Juliet stood. “But maybe she will prefer this when Sunrise becomes a city.”
Neil picked up the blanket and shook it. “I don’t think I want to marry a woman who rejects me because I won’t live in the city.” He laughed as if it didn’t matter. “Maybe I could. . . hire a wife.”
She walked alongside him toward Sally. “I think you already did that.”
“Yes, but it’s temporary.”
“Right,” she said. “If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be getting paid. Humph.” She stomped her foot. “Not only are women not allowed to vote, but they don’t even get paid for all the house-work they do.”
A Bride Idea Page 9
