Hope Rekindled

by Tracie Peterson

  “Has there been a lot of damage?”

  Her father shook his head. “I don’t know. I only wanted to make sure you were all right.”

  She smiled. “Too bad my husband didn’t feel the same.” She walked away, telling herself that it didn’t matter. Though she held no affection for Stuart, she did care if he’d made it through the storm. Stuart only cared about his investment.

  “Essie said there may have been a tornado,” Jael said, heading back to the house.

  Her father reached out to stop her. “Do you suppose the Vandermarks were in the path of the storm?”

  Jael felt as if she’d been slapped. She looked at her father in horror. “I . . . I don’t know.” She knew that Deborah and the others had been working at the logging camp. Living in tents, they wouldn’t have had any place to take refuge from the violent winds.

  “We need to go to them,” Jael told her father. “We can at least go to the house.”

  “I’ll get the carriage.”

  Grateful that he didn’t question her suggestion, Jael hurried into the house. “Essie!” The young woman appeared with a quizzical expression. “Father and I are going to drive out to the Vandermarks’. Will you let Mr. Albright know where I’ve gone, if and when he comes home?”

  “Sure will, Miz Albright.” Essie looked at the clock. “Gettin’ late . . . will you be back tonight?”

  “I don’t know.” Jael took up her parasol. “I suppose we’ll know better after we make certain the Vandermarks are safe.” She didn’t want to think what she’d do if they weren’t. The house might have been directly in the path of the storm, and the logging camp might have been destroyed, as well.

  Her new faith in God was being sorely tested. What was she supposed to do at a time like this? Jael looked at Essie.

  “Are you . . . do you . . .” She wasn’t even sure what she wanted to say. “Essie, I’m worried about Deborah and the others. I haven’t learned very much about praying, but I’m sure we should pray.”

  “Oh, absolutely, Miz Albright. I been prayin’ all along.”

  Stuart watched his father-in-law drive the carriage around to the front of the house. Where were they headed at this hour of the day? He crossed the road, his boots sinking deep in the muck. He’d had just about all he could take of this town. Nothing was going right. Now that Jael had let her father know about her reasons for marrying him, Longstreet treated him with contempt. The man no longer regarded Stuart as being in charge. He’d taken many decisions into his own hands without so much as a discussion. Just like now.

  “Where are you going?” he asked as Longstreet got down to help Jael into the carriage.

  “To check on my friends,” Jael declared. “Essie said there may have been a tornado, and I intend to make sure that Deborah and her family are all right.”

  “But they’re up at the logging camp. You can’t possibly hope to make it up there before the light is gone. And even if you did, you’d still have to drive back in the dark. The roads are certain to be difficult, if not impassable, from the heavy rain.”

  “We only intend to get as far as the house. Hopefully they will have gotten word to Mrs. Vandermark and she can let me know. Then Father and I can simply return.”

  “Not before the light is gone. I won’t have you out there on the road given the problems we’ve had in the area.”

  Jael looked at him oddly. “Why, Stuart, you almost sound as if you care about our well-being.”

  Her sarcasm irritated Stuart to no end. “I don’t need the expense of a funeral.”

  To his surprise, she laughed and settled into her seat. Longstreet looked at Stuart and shook his head. “This is a most unholy union. If I can convince my daughter to leave you, I will.”

  “We’re partners, you and I. Or have you forgotten?” Stuart fixed the man with a scowl. “We stand to lose a great deal of money and land because of your daughter’s interference.”

  “You know, I never came here to seek revenge on anyone. That’s probably why I feel capable of walking away from this ordeal without making a profit. I would rather lose money than friends.”

  “Then you’re a fool!”

  Longstreet shrugged and climbed into the carriage. “At least I realize my foolish doings. You seem blind to yours.”

  Stuart watched the carriage pull away and cursed them both. The same kind of helplessness he’d known the day Elizabeth had married G. W. Vandermark crept upon him. She had ruined all his plans, and now Jael and Longstreet were attempting to do the same thing.

  He stormed into the house, mindless of the mud he tracked throughout. Stomping out his frustrations on the stairs, he made his way to the bedroom he’d once shared with Jael and began tearing at his clothes. They were filthy and he hated being dirty. Dirty like a common laborer.

  “The world will judge you by your appearance,” his father had always declared. “You can hide what you’re really thinking—what you plan to do in order to have your way—but you cannot hide your appearance.”

  Stuart threw his shirt aside. Such advice had served him well over the years. Pleasing his father by keeping a well-dressed, fashionably groomed appearance had allowed Stuart to conceal his true feelings of hatred toward the man who had never shown him the slightest consideration.

  “Essie!” He bellowed from the door and waited for some response. There was none. Jael had probably let the woman leave.

  He railed at the air, cursing his wife and everything around him. Nothing was going his way. Not even something as simple as a bath.

  Deborah felt Christopher loosen his hold on her as the winds died down and the rains ceased. She had scarcely been able to draw a breath at the height of the storm, and now she gasped to fill her lungs.

  Jonah cried in Mother’s arms while Emma and Darcy clung to either side of her. Deborah felt a sense of relief and regret. She prayed that she would one day be able to offer such love and peace to her own children.

  “We’d best check out the damage,” G.W. said, pulling Lizzie to her feet. They each reached down to pick up one of the sleeping twins. “I swear these guys could sleep through anything.”

  Mother smiled. “They felt safe in your arms.”

  Deborah remembered the comfort of Christopher’s arms around her. Better still, their time of prayer through the storm and the sense of being wrapped in God’s protection. Just like the cocherah Brother Shattuck had mentioned.

  “I’ll take that boy,” Sissy said. She lifted Rutger from his father’s arms. “Me and Miz Lizzie can tend them.”

  Lizzie nodded. “You probably have more than enough to deal with outside.”

  They had taken refuge down the main hall and under the stairs, far away from any windows. A good idea, too—Deborah had heard glass shattering through the wind’s roar.

  The family slowly made their way outside to survey the destruction. The house, except for some missing shingles and broken panes, had come through the storm without much noticeable damage. Deborah noted with relief that the barn was untouched.

  “I ain’t never been this close to a twister’s path,” Arjan said, looking across the vast cut of destruction.

  The tornado had taken a sharp turn to the north after narrowly missing their house. Downed and twisted trees were left in its wake. Worse still was all the debris slung across the railroad tracks.

  “The train ain’t gonna be able to get us to the camp,” G.W. said, following his stepfather’s gaze.

  “If there’s a camp left to get to,” Arjan said, shaking his head. “Unless that twister took another turn, it looks to have headed straight on to our site.”

  “Surely it would have lifted by then,” Deborah said. But in her heart, she couldn’t help but fear they were right. Why had God let this happen? They had honored Him by resting on the Sabbath. They had blessed His name for the safety and harvest. They had kept their faith. And still, they’d suffered the storm.

  Mother came alongside them. “We are so blessed that i
t didn’t hit our house or the barn and outbuildings. The animals all seem fine. We’re all safe.”

  Deborah didn’t have the heart to remind them that it might be only a temporary blessing. If the storm had destroyed the logging camp, they would lose it all on the morrow.

  Arjan put his arm around Mother’s shoulders. “We are blessed. Indeed, we are. We’re alive, and no one was hurt.”

  “Do you suppose it hit town?” Mother asked.

  “Can’t say for sure. Looks like it was hoppin’ and skippin’ around. See over there? No damage. But then it touched down over here, just beyond the tracks, and cut a path as far as you can see.”

  Pastor Shattuck and Mara walked over with Jake. “We can stay and help,” the pastor declared. “Since Mrs. Albright managed to get her husband calmed down about forcing us to move, we haven’t a care in the world.” He grinned. “Just tell us what we need to do.”

  “We’ll have to clear the tracks,” Arjan said, leaning hard on his cane.

  Deborah knew her stepfather was probably in pain, but he refused to let on. It wasn’t the Dutch way to make a fuss.

  “It’s the Sabbath,” G.W. reminded them. “There’s time enough to work tomorrow.”

  “But we won’t be able to get the logs down to the mill unless the tracks are clear,” Mother reminded him.

  G.W. nodded. “True enough, but I reckon God will work all of this to His good. Ain’t never seen Him fail us yet.”

  But Deborah knew he didn’t feel as convinced as his words indicated. Maybe God didn’t want them to supply Stuart Albright with logs. Maybe God didn’t want Perkinsville to revive. Who could say for sure?

  Pastor Shattuck rolled up his sleeves. “I believe we can honor God even in our labor. Miz Euphanel, why don’t you start us in some hymns of praise?”

  Jael had been more than a little frustrated that wreckage on the road kept them from reaching Deborah’s house. She and her father had turned back only a mile or so down the road. Stuart looked pleased at their return. He said finally something was going his way.

  On Monday morning, Jael tried again. This time she donned her riding habit. Without sitting down to breakfast, she announced to her father and husband her intention to ride out to the Vandermark place.

  “I’ll take the black gelding from the stable. He’ll be able to jump anything too big to ride around.”

  “You shouldn’t go alone,” her father said, getting to his feet. “Stuart, why don’t we both accompany her. Today is, after all, your deadline for the logs. It would do you well to see if that quota has been met.”

  Jael frowned. She wasn’t at all sure why her father had said such a thing. It would have been far better to say nothing and hope that Stuart would just let the matter go. Of course, now he wouldn’t.

  “I suppose you are right,” Stuart said.

  Jael looked at her husband and then to her father. “I’ll let the stableman know to saddle three horses.”

  She wasn’t surprised to see most of the townsfolk out working to clear the yards and streets. The wind had done some damage, but upon further inspection in the light of morning, Jael could see that the town hadn’t suffered too greatly.

  The horses were saddled and ready to go by the time her father and husband finally made their way to the stable. Jael sat impatiently atop her mount. She saw that her husband held something in his hand.

  “What have you there?” she asked.

  Stuart gave her a smug smile. “The Vandermark contract.” He folded it and put it in his pocket. “I intend to see that they live up to every word.”

  Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to head out to the Vandermarks’ after all. Stuart would show no mercy whatsoever if things were bad. That could only lead to problems. But she had been the one to insist on the journey; it would only cause him more reason to be ruthless should she suggest they forgo the venture.

  The road was far from easy to manage. From time to time large branches blocked the main part of the path, forcing her father and Stuart to get down and move the ones they couldn’t jump. It took nearly an hour to cover what should have taken less than half that time.

  “The house is still standing!” Jael announced, urging her horse past her father and Stuart. She thought for a moment the place was deserted, but then heard the sound of mules, somewhere beyond the house.

  She maneuvered her horse toward the railroad tracks, where she found the entire Vandermark family working to uncover the tracks. Deborah pulled a long, skinny branch to one side and let it drop. Straightening, she noticed Jael and waved.

  “Oh, you are all right!” Jael declared, quickly jumping from the gelding’s back. “I was so worried.” She dropped the reins and ran to embrace her friend.

  “We worried about you, as well. How are things in town?” Deborah asked.

  “Nothing quite this bad.” Jael looked at the path the twister had eaten. “Oh, it must have been quite frightful.”

  “It was,” Deborah admitted. “I suppose Stuart has come to see about his logs.”

  “Oh, bother,” Jael said. “He surely can’t expect you to provide logs when the tracks aren’t even passable.”

  “He has a way of expecting a great many things.”

  Jael’s father and Stuart came to join them. Deborah turned. “G.W., we’ve got company.”

  Every last person, including Pastor Shattuck and Mara, congregated to where Deborah and Jael stood with the two men. Jael knew the questioning looks were all for her husband.

  “Mr. Albright, Mr. Longstreet,” Arjan said. He turned and tipped his hat to Jael. “Ma’am.”

  “I’m come to find out if my logs will be delivered in time to meet the deadline,” Stuart said in an almost amused fashion. “But I can see for myself that things do not look hopeful for that.”

  “No, I s’pose not,” Arjan said. “We made a trip up to the camp, and truth is . . . the storm destroyed most of the waiting logs up at the camp. At least it disbursed them. I imagine your logs are all over Angelina County.”

  “Well, that’s a pity. It would seem you have broken our agreement.”

  “Now, just a minute,” Jael’s father said. “Do you mean to tell me that you are going to hold the Vandermarks to every point of the contract?”

  Stuart smiled and gave Jael a smug look of satisfaction. “I do.”

  Her father then turned to Mr. Vandermark. Jael saw Mrs. Vandermark grasp her husband’s hand in support. Deborah went to stand beside her mother, and Jael felt tears come to her own eyes at the sight of them offering each other comfort.

  “You cannot do this,” Jael told Stuart. “You are being cruel in their time of need.”

  He said nothing, and Jael’s father continued. “Mr. Vandermark, has it been your intention to honor the contract in full?”

  “It has.”

  The simple statement seemed to boom across the short span of space. Jael was surprised to see her father smile. “Mrs. Kelleher, I wonder if you would be so kind as to read the last paragraph of the contract.”

  Deborah frowned but stepped away from her mother. “I’ll have to go retrieve it from the office.”

  “Oh, don’t bother,” Jael’s father said. “I believe my son-in-law brought his copy along.”

  Stuart pulled the folded papers from his pocket and handed them to the older man. “I did, indeed. I wanted to make certain that you would not attempt to dupe me with a different contract.”

  “Of all the low-down—” G.W. was silenced as his stepfather put his hand out to hold him back.

  “We are men of honor,” Mr. Vandermark declared.

  “I’m quite glad to hear you say that,” Jael’s father said. He handed the contract to Deborah. “Please, read it aloud for us—just the last paragraph.”

  Deborah seemed none too happy to do so, but nodded. “ ‘The terms of this contract are to be strictly met and fulfilled until the termination date given. However, the contract will be set aside should any act of God cause either part
y to forfeit their responsibilities to the other.’ ” She looked up and smiled. Turning back to her mother and stepfather, she repeated one phrase. “Any act of God.”

  “Well, there’s no denying the destruction of our product was at the hands of the storm, which I believe would be deemed an act of God,” Jael’s father said, turning back to his son-in-law. “Just as you claimed the fire that burned the mill to be such an act. As I recall, the judge allowed you to set aside the contract terms until the insurance company could assess and determine the cause.”

  “I . . . that isn’t . . .” Stuart narrowed his eyes. “It doesn’t change anything.”

  “Oh, but it does,” Mr. Longstreet countered. “Read the final line, Mrs. Kelleher.”

  Deborah looked back to the contract. “ ‘Should said “act of God” interfere with the continuation of the agreed upon terms, such terms will be open for renegotiation and new dates of delivery and quotas set.’ ”

  “But you couldn’t possibly have met the terms to begin with,” Stuart declared. “It would have been impossible for you to supply me with what you owed my mill.”

  “I hardly believe that is the issue now,” Jael’s father said, taking the contract back from Deborah. “The fact of the matter is, these good people did attempt to deliver the intended product. The ongoing rains slowed them, and a tornado made it completely impossible. I would say that the terms make it clear. The contract is open for renegotiation.”

  The Vandermark family and workers broke into cheers. G.W. hugged Lizzie with such enthusiasm that Jael couldn’t help but laugh and clap her hands. She met Deborah’s smiling face. Apparently prayer did work. So many times of late, God had helped her in times of trouble. Jael’s faith had grown in each situation.

  Stepping forward, Jael took the contract from her father’s hands. “I suggest that this contract be completely dissolved.” She tore the papers in two. “That way you can sell whatever you like elsewhere.”

  “You can’t do that,” Stuart protested. “My lawyers will see to it that you honor the terms. It changes nothing.”