On the Wings of a Winter Heart (Miracle Express, #5)

by Rebecca Lovell

  “Even if I wanted to, I don’t have time for that kind of thing. I have to take care of the animals and package up their products to take to the store and keep the house clean. Henry, my farm worker, takes care of everything else, which mainly means cleaning up dead plants and trying to make the soil fertile.” She shook her head. “I suppose if I had time I would like to sew something for myself. I make our clothes, but I’d like to make a quilt. My grandmother taught me when I was a girl.”

  “You should take a break every now and again. Otherwise you’ll get old before your time.” The look Joy gave him was half-exasperated and half-amused, and the way she shook her head almost made Franklin laugh again.

  Once their dinner was finished and Franklin had paid Mary enough to make her protest, they put their coats back on and walked out the front door of the hotel rather than going through the saloon. The door stuck so it was hard for him to open it so he could hold it for Joy and Franklin made a mental note of the fact that Mary and her family would also benefit greatly from more people coming into town. It was as if he was gathering ammunition against Joy’s resistance, but it seemed he might not need to, the way she was talking. She seemed to be coming around, even without his coaxing.

  “Well, here we are,” Franklin said when they reached Clara’s house. “I hope Serenity didn’t fall asleep while we were eating. We did talk for a little while.”

  “She’ll be awake and playing with Lady, I’m sure. She would stay up all night if I let her.” Joy put her hand on the door, then turned to Franklin. “I had a nice time tonight. It’s odd to be the one served the meal instead of preparing it myself.”

  “Perhaps we should do it again,” Franklin said quickly. “I liked talking with you. Truth be told, I’d like to know more about you.” When Joy smiled at him, his stomach bounced pleasurably. Her beautiful blue eyes sparkled in the light that came from inside the house and he noticed that she had put a bit of rouge on her lips. He wondered what it would be like to kiss her, then remembered the looks they’d gotten just for walking into the hotel together.

  “I’d like that,” Joy said. “Perhaps you could come out to my house and we could talk more about it.” It was a bit of a bold statement but it was music to Franklin’s ears.

  “Then I’m welcome at your house now?”

  “So long as you don’t talk about the railroad,” Joy said firmly.

  “You’ll not hear a peep from me about work,” Franklin promised. It would be an easy promise to keep as far as he was concerned. Joy was the one who had brought up her land this time. When she smiled at him, he wanted to put his arms around her.

  “In that case, you may come out whenever you like.” Joy opened the door to Clara’s house and stepped inside. “Serenity?”

  “She’s upstairs with Lady,” Clara said, appearing out of the kitchen as if she had been summoned. “They both fell asleep on the bed in your room, Franklin. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “No, of course not.” Franklin took off his coat and hat and put them on the rack. “It’s only a bit of dog hair.” He turned to Joy. “Would it make things easier for you if she slept here tonight? I can sleep down here on the couch.”

  “It’s kind of you but she has school in the morning. I’ll go wake her up.” Joy went up the stairs without taking off her coat and Franklin watched her go, not taking his eyes off her for a moment. Once she was gone, he loosened his tie and sighed. When he turned he found Clara behind him with her hands on her hips.

  “Well?”

  “Well, what? I had a nice dinner with her and I want to spend more time getting to know her.” He frowned. “Why are you so ruffled by this?”

  “Because she’s my best friend,” Clara said, her voice low enough to sound threatening. “You didn’t want me to be happy, even though you said you would help me. Why should you get your way when you came out here to harass her?”

  “I didn’t come here to harass her,” Franklin said. “I came here to do the job they told me to do. The more I’m here, the less I want to do it but it’s still my job.” He shook his head at her, keeping an eyes on the stairs to make sure Joy wasn’t going to walk into their discussion. “I’ve promised her I won’t talk about the railroad anymore. If she chooses to take the offer, it will be her decision only, even if that gets me fired.”

  Before either he or Clara could say anything else, Joy came down the stairs with Serenity in tow. The little girl looked dazed, as if she had been sleeping deeply, and Joy helped her with her coat as she blinked up at Franklin. A smile crept over her face.

  “Did you eat your candy?”

  “Not yet, I’m saving it for a special occasion. But I’ve got it here, and I’ll keep it safe.” He patted his pocket and Serenity’s smile became a grin.

  “Come along,” Joy said, taking Serenity’s mitten-wrapped hand. “We’ll get you in bed at home before you know it.” She looked up at Franklin. “I’ll look forward to seeing you at the farm soon.”

  “You won’t have to wait long.” He opened the door for them and watched them walk out into the night with a smile of his own. He could feel Clara watching him from behind but he kept his eyes on Joy and Serenity until they disappeared into the darkness. At that moment, he didn’t care what his sister thought, or what would happen to him when he reported back to the AT&SF empty-handed. All he wanted was to see Joy again.

  “Close the door before you let all the heat out,” Clara said, and Franklin did as she asked. When he turned around he saw that there was a tight smile on her face. “Maybe you’re not so bad after all.”

  “What changed your mind?”

  “I trust Joy,” Clara said simply, and the three words made Franklin feel like everything was going to be all right. He watched his sister go back into the kitchen, then started up the stairs to his own room. He knew he was going to dream about Joy once he closed his eyes, and the thought brought him comfort. It wasn’t the same as sleeping beside her, but he’d wake up happy just the same.

  Chapter Seven

  “Your birthday is almost here,” Joy said with a smile in Serenity’s direction as she took their plates into the kitchen after dinner. “Is your heart still set on a magic cake?”

  “Yes, Mama!” Grinning, Serenity jumped up from the table and hurried over to her help her mother with the dishes in the sink. There was a child-sized apron hanging on a peg that looked exactly like Joy’s and she put it over her head. “What about my present?”

  Joy sighed heavily, closing her eyes for a moment. She knew what Serenity was really asking for but try as she might, she hadn’t been able to come up with a way to make it happen. Even if she could get the puppy for free from Eleanor, there was a bed and a doghouse to think of, not to mention food for it and cleaning up after it. She turned to her daughter and shook her head.

  “Serenity—-”

  Before she had to disappoint her daughter, someone knocked at the door and all thoughts of a dog flew out of Joy’s head. It was after dark, so she was on her guard as she went to the door and picked up her shotgun. When she looked out the window, she was surprised to find that her vision was obscured by a riot of pine branches. Joy put aside the gun in a hurry and opened the door for Franklin, who came through the door with a Christmas tree on his shoulder.

  “Thank you for opening the door,” he said, his face red. “I apologize for coming so late but I wanted to get this to you tonight.” Franklin looked around. “Where should I put it?”

  “I don’t know.” Joy looked around the room, somewhat bewildered. It had been years since they had a tree and she couldn’t quite remember where it had gone. “Here, put it over here in the corner.” She ran in front of him to pull a chair out of the corner and set it aside. Franklin dropped the tree onto its trunk on the floor and exhaled in a rush.

  “That was heavier than I expected,” he said, rubbing sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his coat. “I should have gotten a smaller one.”

  “Wow!” Serenity got
as close as possible to the tree and took a deep breath. “It smells so good! Smell it, Mama!”

  “I’ll smell it later,” Joy said absently. “Mr. York, you didn’t need to do this! It’s beautiful but it must have cost quite a lot.” She looked over her shoulder at Serenity, who was still gazing at the tree. “You know, there might be some ornaments for that tree in the attic if anyone wanted to look for them.”

  “Really?” Her daughter’s eyes lit up and Joy nodded.

  “Come along, I’ll pull down the ladder.” She turned to Franklin. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.” Not waiting for an answer, she followed Serenity to the door that led to the attic so she could pull down a small wooden ladder. “They’ll be in a box that says Christmas on the side. When you find them, holler at me and I’ll come help you down with them.” Serenity nodded with obvious excitement and climbed the ladder slowly while Joy went back into the room.

  “Is it safe up there for her?” They could hear Serenity’s footsteps on the ceiling and Franklin looked up at them as they moved across the floor.

  “Safe enough,” Joy said. She sighed. “This was a lovely gesture but I don’t know that I can accept it. I have no way to pay you back for it.”

  “You don’t have to pay me back.” Franklin went to the tree and looked up. “Before you say it, there’s nothing I expect from you for giving it to you. It’s my gift to you and Serenity.” He turned to Joy. “It’s not Christmas without a tree.”

  There was nothing she could say to this, and was relieved when Serenity called out to her from the attic ladder. Still uncertain about what she should say, Joy went to the ladder and wasn’t surprised when Franklin followed behind her. Serenity was on her hands and knees, her face framed by the hatch.

  “Did you find it?”

  “Uh-huh. It says ‘Christmas’ right on it. I think.” She pushed it forward so her mother could see it and Joy nodded up at her. “Can I come down now?”

  “Hand me that box really carefully first.” Joy climbed a couple of rungs on the ladder, took the box, then handed it to Franklin. “Take that into the living room, would you please?”

  “Yes ma’am,” he said, grinning like a schoolboy. It made his handsome face even better-looking and Joy watched after him for a moment before climbing back down. Once Serenity was off the ladder, she pushed it back up into the attic and closed the hatch.

  When she went into the living room, Franklin had already opened the box and was rummaging through it. Serenity squealed with joy and ran to join him, eyes wide. She started taking things out of the box and setting them haphazardly on the table and couch while Joy shook her head and hugged herself.

  She hadn’t seen most of these things since George died, and the last time they had a tree Serenity had been too young to even know what it was. This was the first year she had a tree, and if things continued the same way for them, it might well be her last. She pulled a rounded piece of metal from the box and held it up.

  “What’s this?”

  “It’s a tree stand,” Franklin said. “Thank you, that’s exactly what I was looking for.” He took it over to the tree and set it on the ground, then picked up the tree and attempted to keep it upright while he was bolting the stand to it.

  “Here, let me help.” Joy rushed over to the tree and held it straight while Franklin knelt down to fasten it to the tree.

  “Thank you,” he said, smiling up at her and making Joy blush in spite of herself. He finished attaching the tree stand and stood up, dusting needles off his hands. “There. It should stay up now.”

  “Thank you so much.” Joy had barely spoken the words when Franklin started for the door. “Wait a minute, where are you going?”

  “I thought I’d head back over to Clara’s,” Franklin said, taking off his hat and brushing more needles off of it before putting it back on his head. “You two will probably have more fun decorating it together. Besides, I don’t want to wear out my welcome here.”

  “No, don’t go!” Serenity dropped the ornaments she was holding and ran over to Franklin. “Please? You can help!” The adults shared a look and Serenity looked up at her mother with pleading eyes. “Please, Mama?”

  “All right, I suppose it’s fine,” Joy sighed. “You’re stuck here now, Mr. York.”

  “Yay!” Serenity tugged him toward the tree. “Come on, let’s go!”

  “I have to take off my coat first,” Franklin laughed. The impatient look on Serenity’s face as he took off his coat and hat made Joy giggle, and she hid it behind her hand. “There we go. Now let’s see about decorating this tree.”

  “Mama, can we have cinnamon chocolate?” Looking over her shoulder at her mother, Serenity grinned brightly.

  “I think that would be all right, seeing as how we have a guest tonight. Why don’t you two separate out the ornaments so we can hang them up together?” The pair was already back in the box and Joy couldn’t suppress her smile. “Don’t break anything, some of those came from your grandparents,” she called from the kitchen.

  “Yes, Mama!” Serenity’s voice was loud and clear, and Joy wondered where she’d learned to shout like that.

  The fire in the stove was still hot from dinner so she didn’t have to do much to get the burners back to life. While she heated the milk, Joy couldn’t help wondering why she had let him stay. She did appreciate him bringing over a tree, though she didn’t know how he’d known that they didn’t have one, but she’d been set to let him walk out the door after delivering it. Even with Serenity’s begging, she would have been able to tell him to leave but a part of her had wanted him to stay, so she had been glad to have an excuse.

  She couldn’t possibly be developing some sort of affection for him, she’d only just met him. He seemed so nice, though, and Serenity had taken to him so quickly. Even when he was at her doorstep trying to buy her land he had been kind, not the way she would picture a man in his position at all. She supposed if she wanted to know more about him she could ask Clara, but she would rather hear it from his own mouth.

  When she went back into the living room, Serenity was picking through a box of glass ornaments while Franklin pulled out a mass of colorful beads. He had taken off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves a little to work, and she was a little surprised that he was being so casual about it. Franklin pulled at the beads and then shook his head at them as Joy took mugs of steaming cinnamony cocoa to them.

  “Thank you!” Serenity took the mug and took a tiny sip. “It’s hot.”

  “Of course it is, it just came off the stove.” She turned to Franklin and held out the mug. “Here you are, sir. Courtesy of the Everly kitchen.”

  “Thank you,” Franklin said, his eyes meeting hers and filling her with warmth. “It smells wonderful.” His fingers brushed against hers as he took the cup from her hands and a sparkle went up Joy’s arm.

  “I hope it’s all right, it’s made with goat milk.” Joy watched as he took a sip and considered it. When he didn’t speak, her brow furrowed. “Do you not like it?”

  “No, it’s very good. I was just trying to taste the goat’s milk. It’s a little difficult with the cinnamon. If you hadn’t told me it was in there I wouldn’t have even guessed.” He took another sip. “That being said, it’s still pretty hot.”

  “No wonder you two get along, you’re both determined to be difficult.” Joy shook her head and went into the kitchen to get a mug for herself. She took it back to the living room and sat in one of their two wing chairs to watch. Just as she was starting to relax, Serenity picked up one of the ornaments, a delicate spun glass spindle, and held it up by the hook.

  “Wow,” she said as she turned it around slowly.

  “Be careful with those.” Joy set aside her cocoa and got up to hover over Serenity anxiously. She knew her daughter would be careful but she had no idea how old their family heirlooms were. “Those belonged to your grandmother. I believe she inherited them from her mother as well.” Joy picked one up. It was light and air
y, and looked so fragile. She held it up to the tree. “How’s this?”

  “Looks great to me,” Franklin said, still working on the beads. He only looked up for a moment and the scowl on his face made it clear that it wasn’t going well.

  “Uh-huh,” Serenity said, rolling another of the ornaments around on the table. “Mama, did you know my grandparents?”

  “What a silly question, of course I knew them. They were my Mama and Daddy.” Joy put the glass ornament she was holding carefully on a branch. “They both passed away before you were born, just like your Daddy’s Daddy.” She glanced over at Franklin, who was trying to untangle a strand of brightly painted wooden beads. The look of determination on his face was endearing and she paused for a moment to watch him.

  “Was my grandma pretty like you?” Serenity hugged her mother’s legs and Joy’s eyes filled with tears. She fought them back and nodded.

  “She was. You look a lot like her.” Joy had never expected her daughter to ask these questions, especially not with a man who was very nearly a stranger in their house, but Serenity seemed as comfortable with Franklin as she was with Clara. “I have a sketch your Grandaddy made of her somewhere. I’ll try and find it.”

  “I’ve got it,” Franklin said, standing up from his place on the couch. The beads were draped over his hands and Serenity let go of her mother to go see his handiwork. “Do you want to start at the top or the bottom?”

  The rest of the tree trimming went smoothly, with Franklin and Serenity doing most of the work while Joy watched them and drank her cocoa. He was good with Serenity, there was no doubt about that. For a moment when they were decorating, she’d wondered if this was how it would look if George had been there to bring a simple pine tree to life with a kaleidoscope of colored glass and wood.