by Woods, Emily
“I still say it’s too cold for a picnic.”
“I’ll keep you warm,” he said mischievously, a comment which earned him a light slap on the arm.
“None of that, please. I’m a proper lady, you know.”
He laughed and nodded. “Yes, I know. I apologize.”
“That’s more like it. Now, I hope you’re hungry,” she remarked, opening up the basket she’d prepared.
Watching her unpack the food, he replied, “I’ll let you know after the first bite.”
Her cooking lessons with Valerie had started to pay off, but there had been more than one time when the majority of the food had gone uneaten.
Instead of taking offense, Christina laughed and handed him a sandwich. “It’s rather hard to mess up chicken sandwiches.”
He took it warily and peeked inside. “Did you butter them yourself?” he joked, referring to the story she’d told him about the first time she’d helped her sister.
“Be careful,” she teased. “Or you might not get to try any of the cookies I made.”
“Well, since I know that’s one thing you can do very well, I’ll try to be a good sport.”
He took a large bit and chewed thoughtfully. “Very good,” he commented after swallowing. “But maybe a little too much butter.”
“Oh, you!” she said with a laugh, throwing a napkin at him.
He caught her hand and kissed it, his sandwich forgotten.
“It means the world to me that you want to stay. Have I told you that lately?”
The teasing faded away and she blinked a few times. “I don’t tire of hearing it.”
With a small tug, he pulled her closer and they both seemed to stop breathing. Although he’d kissed her hand several times, he’d never done anything more than that. However, she sensed that today was special.
“I know it’s early days, but I wanted to tell you something that’s been on my mind for many, many weeks now.”
“Go on then,” she replied, barely breathing.
“Miss Christina, I think you are by far the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, inside and out. I didn’t want to let myself fall for you because I didn’t think that I deserved such a wonderful woman, but it’s beyond my control. I admire the woman of God that you’ve become, and how you’ve turned your whole life around. You have my heart. I am totally in love with you.”
She inhaled sharply and when she met his gaze, her mouth quivered. “I never knew what love was until I met you,” she whispered. “And I thank God every day that my parents sent me here.”
“As do I,” he murmured, leaning over to close the last few inches that separated them. “Every single day.”
When their lips finally met, the shock of it affected them both. It was the softest, most promising of kisses. It didn’t demand anything, but assured them that no matter what the past had held, the future was a beautiful place.
* * *
Thank You
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Bristol, Connecticut, 1887
Kate Landry trembled as she watched the blazing fire greedily devour her childhood home. She clutched her six-year-old daughter, Maddie, close to her chest. Both faces were streaked with black soot, tears flowing down their cheeks.
Despite the efforts of the volunteer firefighters, the modest but respectable two-level house was soon engulfed in flames, dashing any hope Kate might have had for salvaging her belongings.
“Oh, darling girl,” Mrs. Johnston murmured, drawing the two of them into her warm embrace. “What a terrible thing. I’m dreadfully sorry.”
The words of her kind neighbor didn't penetrate the confusion of her mind. Dazed, she struggled to recount the loss. Both of her beloved parents had perished in the fire. Of that, she had no doubt. She’d tried to save them, but the door to their bedroom had been barred by fallen timber. Not only was she bereft of the last two people who loved her unconditionally, but she’d also lost her home and every possession in the course of a few hours. Although she was grateful that her precious daughter had been spared, her heart ached with knowledge she would never she her parents again. Aside from Maddie, they'd been her whole world. Without them, she was lost.
Her mind jumped back to their reunion just three years before. Owing to her husband’s job, they’d been separated all that time. But after her husband passed away, they'd taken her in and given her every kind of support: financial, emotional, spiritual. When she'd arrived on their doorstep with bag in hand, they'd enveloped her into a warm embrace and hadn't let go since. Now she was utterly alone and terrified, but she had to at least pretend to be strong for her daughter's sake.
“We're okay, sweetie,” she whispered into Maddie's hair. The little girl didn't reply, but wrapped her arms around Kate's neck and held on even tighter. “Everything's going to be okay.”
“Come to my house,” Mrs. Johnston insisted, taking Kate by the arm and compelling her to follow. “I'll find you a bed and you can get cleaned up.”
“But...I don't have anything to wear,” Kate protested lamely. Of course she didn't have anything. It had all been inside and was now reduced to a pile of ashes.
“Never mind that. I have Anne's old clothes and some of her daughter’s. We'll find something for the both of you.”
The neighbor's house was similar to their own four-bedroom structure, which was common among the middle class in Connecticut. However, Mrs. Johnston's children had all grown and left, so there was room for them. Still, Kate hated to be an imposition, even at a time like this.
“Are you sure? I would hate to...” But the words died on her lips. If she couldn't bother Mrs. Johnston, a woman who had watched her grow up and been almost as present in her life as her own mother, who could she bother? Her mother had been an immigrant, so all her family was back in Italy. Kate had some contact with the family, mostly through her cousin, the only one who knew English, but she couldn’t fathom travelling halfway across the world.
Her father only had one sister, who lived thousands of miles away. Of course she’d had friends, but they'd grown apart after she'd married Roland. The wives of his friends had become hers after that, and she thought they were true friends. She’d been wrong. They'd all but disowned her shortly after Roland had taken his own life, and their savings along with him.
“Of course you’ll come,” Mrs. Johnston commanded, interrupting her memories. For once, she was thankful of the older woman’s domineering attitude. It was what she needed right then.
“Th-thank you. Yes, we'll come to your house.”
She allowed herself to be brought over, washed up, and put to bed like a child. Maddie, still shaking with fear, nestled into her side so closely that they were almost one. Kate s
truggled to find the words to pray, but none came. Wracked with fear, worry, and grief, she couldn't summon the energy to talk to her Heavenly Father. Indeed, at that very moment, she didn't even want to. After the initial gratitude that she and her daughter had been spared, Kate felt nothing else. Her heart was crippled, incapable of feeling.
And yet, somehow, she slept.
* * *
Rays of soft sunlight caressed her cheek and roused her from her slumber. Giving a luxurious stretch, Kate momentarily forgot the horrors of the previous evening and nearly woke with a smile on her face. But in a flash, everything came back to her, and her heart became like lead.
Wearily, she sat up and reached over to wake Maddie. The girl opened her eyes but had a frown on her face, her eyes bleary from her broken sleep.
“Hello, dear one,” Kate murmured, bringing the girl's small form to her own. “Did you sleep well?”
Maddie shook her head, her silken blond hair whispering over the shoulders of the too-big nightgown.
“Bad dreams?” Kate asked, but Maddie merely shrugged. She leaned against Kate's side and clutched her doll close to her chest. In all the confusion, Kate hadn't even noticed that Maddie had managed to rescue it.
Carefully and lovingly sewn together by her own mother's hands, Cindy was now in poor form. Its yellow hair was blackened in places and the red gingham dress was torn.
“She'll need to be washed,” she told Maddie gently, but the girl frowned and wrapped her arms around it even tighter. “You can have her back this afternoon, but she's very dirty.”
Maddie refused to give in, her eyes filling with tears. Kate didn't have the strength or the will to argue, so she just sighed.
“Whenever you're ready then.” Her daughter had lost too much for Kate to be stern with her now. Besides, a little dirt wouldn't hurt her.
Mrs. Johnston had left out some clothing for both of them, so after washing their faces, they dressed and went down to the kitchen where they were greeted by a cheery face and a hearty breakfast.
“I won't ask if you slept well because that would be silly, but I hope a big breakfast will give you some energy.”
On the table, there were large platters filled with bacon, eggs, pancakes, sausages, and toast. Kate nearly smiled. How much did the woman think that the two of them could eat?
As though reading her mind, Mrs. Johnston gave a little laugh and shrugged. “I know it's too much, but I couldn't seem to help myself. Please don't feel bad if you can't eat much. My husband will make a significant dent in it when he comes back from his morning stroll.”
After a quick prayer, said more out of habit than any gratitude or desire for a blessing, Kate put a small spoonful of eggs on her own plate and an even smaller portion on her daughter's. Maddie poked at the yellow mass with her fork, but after one bite, placed the utensil down again.
“How about some bacon then?” Kate encouraged, taking a few pieces for herself. “Or some toast?”
Maddie looked at the strawberry jam and then at her mother as though trying to tell her something with her eyes.
“Alright.” Kate piled the jam on a piece of toast and laid it on her plate. The little girl took a few bites, but then placed it back down. She drank a little of the milk but then just sat swinging her feet under the chair.
Kate did her best to do justice to her generous neighbor's smorgasbord, but in the end, she couldn't manage more than just half of what she'd taken.
“I'm so sorry,” she murmured. “But I'm afraid we aren’t very hungry.”
“Don't worry about it, my dears,” she soothed. “I understand completely, and don’t you worry. I can use a lot of these leftovers. The bacon will do nicely for some sandwiches at lunch.”
The thought of lunch, still hours away, made Kate think about the passing of time. Although Mrs. Johnston wouldn't be in any rush to throw them out, she needed to make a plan of what they would do and where they would go. But before all that, she had a number of other things to deal with.
“I-I need to go to the funeral home,” she said, almost apologetically. “And I guess the bank? And... And...” It was difficult to think of what else needed doing. “I suppose I should send a telegram to my aunt in Montana. She's the only living relative we have.” That hadn’t really been an option last night, but Kate figured she should at least inquire.
Mrs. Johnston frowned. “You can live here with us for now, Katie dear. Possibly even indefinitely. I have this big house that's empty now except for me and Mr. Johnston.”
Kate shook her head. “I appreciate it, but your children won't like it.”
That much she knew for sure. Although fully grown now, the three girls whom she'd lived next door to all her life would not be pleased if she were to take up residence here. They had never shown her any kindness when they were children, in part, she thought, because they thought that their mother spent far too much time trying to include her in their family. They all should have been the best of friends, especially since the youngest was her age, but instead, they saw her as a rival for their mother's attention. They wouldn't suffer her presence in their parents' house for very long.
“That's so kind, but I need to make a plan for Maddie and myself. If my aunt can't take us in, then I'll look for work in the city.”
She hated the thought of going to work, not because she was lazy or without skills, but rather because it would mean leaving her daughter with strangers much of the time. She'd worked as a secretary before she'd gotten married, and she knew that a woman was expected to work twice as hard as a man for roughly half the salary. In all likelihood, she would have to be out for twelve hours of the day just to make enough for them to live on.
Mrs. Johnston tried to persuade her otherwise, but Kate knew that she would have to leave. “Hopefully by the end of the month,” she promised. “Sooner, if my aunt gets back to me quickly.” A thought occurred to her, and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I'm sorry to ask you this, but could I borrow the price of the telegram?” It grated on her to ask this small favor, but what else could she do?
Shaking her head with concern, Mrs. Johnston quickly retrieved a few coins, much more than what was needed to send a telegram, and pressed them into Kate's hand. “Never mind about the borrowing part. I'm happy to give you this and whatever else I have. No one has to know.”
So it seemed that she was aware of the bitter feelings her daughters harbored toward Kate. The generosity shouldn't have surprised her, but Kate felt tears prickle the backs of her eyes nonetheless.
“Thank you,” she whispered, tucking the money into the pocket of her dress. She pushed her chair back and started to clear the table.
“Leave that for me, if you please,” Mrs. Johnston said with a tender smile. “Believe it or not, I miss the days of cleaning up after someone. Run along and see to your errands. I'll have a nice lunch waiting for you when you get back.”
Kate left the house, coins jingling in her pocket, and headed for the lawyer's office. She knew they wouldn't get much for her parents’ estate, but it had to be worth something. It was just a short trip from there to the bank, where she would find out what her financial standing was. As an only child, she would inherit everything, so there must be enough for her to survive on temporarily. She hated herself for thinking that way, but for Maddie's sake, she had to try to be practical. That meant burying all her feelings, all her grief, down deep. She had no time for any of that now. Their future was at stake.
* * *
Both the trips to the lawyer’s and the bank had been disheartening. Kate discovered that until there was a buyer for her parents' land, there would be no money. The news was almost as bad at the bank. Apparently, her parents hadn't managed to save much over the years. There was barely enough to see them through the next few months, should she decide to rent a small place. That money wouldn't last longer than that. She knew that much.
Desperation and anger filled her as she walked toward their last stop: the postmas
ter. There, she sent a short telegram to her Aunt Marge in Great Falls, Montana. It had been many years since she’d seen her father’s sister, and she knew very little about her. One thing she did know was that Aunt Marge didn't live exactly in the town, so it was not possible to know how long it would take before she received the message, let alone how long it would be before she got a reply. Kate automatically sent up a plea Heavenward that it would be sooner rather than later.
Again, the prayer came from habit rather than out of a deep, abiding belief. She felt that any faith she might have claimed died with her parents. Her marriage, her husband’s suicide, and her eventual state of poverty had caused much of it to disintegrate, but now it was entirely gone. It was clear to her that God either didn't love her, or couldn't be bothered with her. In either case, she was on her own.
I hope you liked the preview of A Gentle Love. You can get the rest of the story on Amazon.
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