New Beginnings Spring 20 Book Box Set

by Hope Sinclair

  “I’m sorry,” he said, steadying himself. “At this hour of day, I didn’t know anyone was in there, and this repair needed to be done as soon as possible.”

  Amelia glanced up at the man and gasped. “YOU?” she asked, astonished. “What are you doing here?”

  “Fixing up,” Luke smiled. His eyes twinkled and locked with Amelia’s. She looked aggravated, or annoyed, and it made his skin tingle.

  Amelia shook her head, moved away from the ladder, and started away from the church.

  “What are you doing here anyhow?” Luke asked, jumping down from the ladder and following after her. “What kind of business did you have at the church?”

  “Not that my business is any of your business,” Amelia snapped back. “But I came here to sit in mourning for your brother… He was my fiancé, you know.”

  “I didn’t know,” Luke admitted. “But I figured.”

  Amelia paid Luke no mind and kept walking. But then he spoke up again.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  Amelia stopped and turned around to look at him.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” he went on. “And I hope God grants you comfort.”

  As Amelia stared at Luke, she found herself second-guessing herself again. If she believed everything Mr. Porter had ranted and raved about the previous night, she would have thought Luke was being conniving or sarcastic. But the look on his face expressed otherwise. He looked sincere. She could tell his comment was heartfelt.

  Without so much as another word, Amelia turned around again and walked off. She got on her horse and made her way back to the Porters’ homestead, paying careful attention to each turn along the way. Back at the house she opted not to tell her hosts about her encounters with Luke, for she had other news to tell them. She’d learned that the next eastbound train wouldn’t be passing through Alton for ten days—and since she didn’t want to be a burden, financial or otherwise, she’d made plans to stay at the hotel, starting tomorrow.

  Of course when Mrs. Porter heard Amelia’s plan, she wouldn’t have it. She insisted the girl stay with them, and stressed that she wasn’t any type of burden.

  “In fact, it’s quite nice having you around,” the matron added. “You breathe fresh air into this place and are good company. It’s just the type of thing Edward and I need—especially at this time in our lives.”

  Well, once Mrs. Porter said all that, Amelia had no choice. Instead of going to town the next day to take up her stay at the hotel, she went there to cancel it. The hotelkeeper was slightly perturbed at Amelia’s waffling, but the exchange went down without hassle.

  All the while Amelia made her way to and from the hotel, she kept her senses alert. After running into Luke unexpectedly twice the day before, she kind of expected it to happen again. So each time she turned a corner, ran into a stranger or another traveler, or heard a noise from out of nowhere, her heart jumped inside her chest, and she waited for Luke to make some snide remark or another.

  But alas, Amelia made it to town and back to the Porters’ without encountering Luke—and although she didn’t want to admit it, she was a bit disappointed. But she didn’t remain disappointed for long. As it turns out, she saw him again the next day, and it came quite unexpectedly.

  Amelia had decided to “help out” around the homestead, out of consideration for the Porters’ hospitality. Since it was a nice day, she opted to do some of the neglected outdoor work. She started by sweeping off the back porch, then did some light weeding. She picked up some random debris and resituated a few things that’d fallen down, been misplaced, or been knocked over. She was just about to rake the lawn when someone interrupted her.

  “So, my parents have hired you to be their house hand?” Luke asked. As prepared as she was for him yesterday, Amelia wasn’t prepared to see Luke today, and her skeleton nearly flew out of her skin when she heard him speak to her.

  “They haven’t hired me,” Amelia replied, trying to collect herself. “I’m just helping out to thank them for their hospitality in letting me stay until I can catch the train home… I mean someone’s got to help with all this work, don’t they?”

  “And why do you think I’m here?” Luke retorted, raising his toolbox in the air. “I’m here to fix the barn door, and a few boards on the back porch—and to do whatever else I come across that needs done.”

  Amelia raised her eyebrows and looked at Luke curiously, which made him shake his head and chuckle. “You really do think the worst of me, don’t you?” he asked. Luke bowed his head and sighed. “You know,” he said, looking up again, “my father may hate me one minute and adore me the next. But my feelings for him, and for my mother, are steadfast. They gave me life and raised me. They made sacrifices for my sake and, at times, have paid great tolls for my decisions and actions… As their son, I feel obligated, and honored, to give something back to them—even if it’s something as little as tending to broken doors and floorboards around this homestead.”

  Luke walked off toward the barn, and Amelia stood there speechless. She watched as he began working on the barn door, then returned to her own chores.

  EIGHT

  Over the next four days, Amelia and Luke “ran into each other” three more times. Each time, like before, seemed to happen out of nowhere, and as usual, the dynamic was intense. Though over time, that dynamic changed… significantly.

  Amelia went from ill feelings toward Luke to thinking that he was actually a charming person. She still didn’t know why he’d fled service, and she dared not ask him—but other than that, he seemed kind, considerate, and responsible.

  At some point Amelia felt herself swooning again, and this time she couldn’t wave it away with her previous reason. It wasn’t just Luke’s appearance that captivated her; it was also his character. She wasn’t moved by his physical similarities to Carson anymore, but by his personality differences. Carson had been so serious and firm, but Luke seemed so high-spirited and… passionate.

  If only I could resolve his strengths with his weaknesses, Amelia told herself on several occasions. Despite the new feelings she had for Luke, she also had plenty of reasons not to act on them.

  But not acting on them got harder after the next time Amelia ran into Luke. She saw him as she was leaving church, but she wasn’t the only one. So, too, had his mother and father—and it was Mr. Porter’s response that was the most unexpected and influential.

  “Is that you, boy?” Mr. Porter called out upon seeing his son. He started over toward Luke with a big smile on his face.

  “Hello, Father,” Luke answered cautiously, trying to gauge his father’s disposition.

  “It’s been too long, son,” Mr. Porter said. “You should come around more often… In fact, why don’t you come around tonight, for dinner?”

  Luke looked over at his mother, and she nodded.

  “Alright,” Luke smiled back. “I’ll be around tonight.”

  “Splendid,” Mr. Porter cheered. He reached out and gave Luke a hardy pat on the back, then turned and walked back over to Mrs. Porter and Amelia. Luke went one way, and his parents and Amelia went the other—and the lot of them, with the exception of Mr. Porter of course, kept their fingers crossed that Mr. Porter’s pleasantness toward Luke would hold up until dinner.

  Much to everyone’s relief, and surprise, Mr. Porter was still on his upswing when Luke arrived at his parents’ homestead for dinner. He warmly greeted his son upon arrival, and without reservation welcomed him into his home and treated him like he was a regular part of it.

  Indeed it shocked Amelia a bit to see Mr. Porter act toward, and regard, Luke so differently than he had before, and it made her feel bad for the old man—and for Luke—that his condition caused such fluctuations in his disposition.

  In any event Amelia, Mrs. Porter, and Luke were all careful not to raise any “sensitive” topics before, during, or after dinner. Instead they all stuck to talking about casual matters. But even though the matters were casual, Amelia gle
aned something more meaningful from them. She was touched by the way Luke interacted with his parents, and she gained a great deal of insight about who he was from the amusing stories one or another of them recounted.

  During dinner Amelia was surprised to learn that Luke was a farmer. From what she’d seen of him, she’d assumed he was some type of handyman or carpenter for hire. She’d come across him when he was repairing different structures, after all.

  Amelia wanted to ask Luke about this discrepancy, but something inside of her told her not to do so at the dinner table. She was afraid that it might steer the conversation toward one of those sensitive topics—and sure enough, she was right. When she asked Luke about it later that evening, he answered with something that would have surely upset his father.

  After dinner was through Mr. Porter and Luke went to the living room, and Amelia helped Mrs. Porter clean up. When the women finished, the men were still talking, and Amelia decided to go outside and catch a breath of fresh air before she and Mrs. Porter eased their way into the conversation.

  Amelia had been outside for a few minutes, strolling around the property, when she passed the barn. She went over and looked at the door Luke had recently prepared. Then, out of nowhere, she heard a voice.

  “I put a lot of work into fixing that thing,” Luke said with a snort of laughter. “And now I’ve got to break it so that I can fix it again.”

  Amelia turned around, faced Luke, and looked at him curiously.

  “Father told me that the barn door is broken,” he explained. “And he wants me to come out tomorrow afternoon to help him fix it… So…”

  “So, you’ve got to break it so that you can fix it again,” Amelia said with a smile, repeating what Luke had said a moment earlier. Her smile made him smile, and they both blushed a little.

  “A few hours of lost labor is a small price to pay for the chance to work alongside my father,” Luke added. He took a deep breath and walked closer to the barn door, to inspect it.

  “Plus, I guess I could have done a better job on this,” he went on. “The day I worked on it, I was a little distracted… and I’m not all that good of a carpenter.”

  “Funny you should say that,” Amelia laughed. “I actually thought you were a carpenter… I’d seen you working on the church awning that day, then fixing things here on the homestead. So I assumed that was your line of work—and I was surprised tonight to learn that you’re a farmer.”

  Luke stared at the barn door and thought for a moment before answering. “I guess it’s more accurate to say I’m trying to be a farmer,” he said. “But I’ve had a hard time at it so far. I own my farm, but I can barely pay for its upkeep and operation… You see, there are still a lot of Confederate sympathizers and loyalists in these parts, and they all know about my history. It’s hard to establish the kinds of relationships a farmer needs to have.

  “I’m not making ends meet as a farmer, so I have to do whatever I can to get by sometimes. And luckily, the reverend at the church has me on his payroll. He’s open-minded and kindhearted, and he couldn’t care less about what I did or didn’t do during the war—and he’s been sympathetic to how everyone else in this town treats me. He pays me a small sum each week to fix things around the church or tend to other chores.”

  Luke’s explanation had satisfied Amelia’s curiosity and, at the same time, further intrigued her. Up until this point, she’d only thought about how Mr. and Mrs. Porter had suffered because of Luke’s decisions, not about how he’d suffered too. She felt bad for him—but at the same time, she figured it was his fault, because of how he’d chosen to respond when called for service.

  “And as per my work around here,” Luke went on, “as I told you the other day, I do it as my parents’ son. I take care of what needs taking care of, because it needs taking care of. They don’t pay me or anything… Though my mother did give me some money once. It was a small amount, and she insisted I take it. I didn’t want to—but if you know anything about my mother, you know she always gets her way. So…”

  Amelia couldn’t help but laugh. She, too, had had Mrs. Porter persuade her. “Yes, your mother sure is good at getting her way,” Amelia giggled.

  Luke was moved by Amelia’s laughter, and it moved him to laughter. “In fact, that’s why I’m out here now,” he said after getting in a few chuckles. “Mother’s brought out a plate of cookies, and she wants us all to get together in the dining room. She sent me to find you.”

  “Well, you’ve found me,” Amelia replied. She meant to be comical, but neither she nor Luke were laughing. They just gazed at each other, and they each felt something powerful but tender swell between them.

  “Yes, I have,” Luke said. Amelia smiled back at him bashfully.

  “Now, come along,” he added, gesturing his head toward the door. “We don’t want to keep Mother waiting.”

  NINE

  When Amelia went to bed, she felt a happiness and hopefulness that she hadn’t felt in a long time. She was no longer plagued by thoughts of what she’d lost, but filled with excitement over what she’d found. She’d developed a genuine fondness for Luke, and she could tell that the feelings were mutual.

  So when Amelia closed her eyes and drifted to sleep, she drifted off to thoughts of Luke and what tomorrow would bring.

  But unfortunately, tomorrow only brought disappointment.

  According to what Luke had said the night before, he was supposed to come to the homestead that afternoon to help his father fix the barn door. But afternoon came and went, and Luke did not appear. Amelia was sure she’d heard him correctly, so she was uncertain why someone, especially someone of Luke’s character, at least how she perceived it, would go back on his word.

  Evening came, and still, there was no sign of Luke. And at this point, Mr. Porter made his opinion on the matter known.

  “Some son I have!” Mr. Porter scowled, staring out the living room window. The sun had long set, and there was nothing but darkness on the horizon. “I should have known he’d fail me.”

  It pained Amelia’s heart to hear Mr. Porter say those words—and it pained her even more that she agreed with them. Luke had let his father down, and had poked at the sensitivities of his condition. What Luke had done angered Mr. Porter, and that anger set him against Luke again and sent him into one of his fits. For a good while that evening, he went on and on about how Luke had failed his country, family, and brother; it wasn’t until he took his tonic that he settled down. Indeed it upset Amelia to see Mr. Porter this way and upset her even more that Luke was responsible for it.

  But as much as these things pained and upset Amelia, what was worse was how Luke went on to continue to fail his father, his family, and her. Not only did Luke fail to show up the afternoon he said he would, he also failed to show up the next day, and the day after that.

  By this point Mr. Porter was furious with his son—and sure enough, many would say he had good reason. He promised to help his old man fix the barn door, and as far as the old man was concerned, his boy never delivered.

  Mrs. Porter was also affected by it all. She wasn’t mad, however. She was more worried, both about Luke and about whether he’d destroyed whatever “progress” he’d made with his father.

  And of course, Amelia was affected by it all as well—and she was affected in a myriad of ways, for a myriad of reasons. She’d longed to see Luke, and her longing hadn’t only gone unquenched, it’d gone unrequited. She’d thought there was a mutual fondness between her and Luke, a romantic interest and attraction. But apparently, she’d been wrong. If there had been anything between her and Luke, it must not have been that powerful; it hadn’t been strong enough to make him come see her. She was disappointed, angry, heartbroken, and feeling foolish—and she was glad that the eastbound train would be passing through Alton in two days… and that she’d be on it.

  Over the next two days, Amelia continued to let her newfound hard feelings toward Luke fester. Though all the while, she kept hoping tha
t he’d show up at the house, either to try and win her over or offer some legitimate explanation for his absence. But alas, that never happened.

  And sure enough, when the eastbound train stopped at the station at Alton, Amelia got on it—and as she sat down in her seat, she stared out the window, still holding onto a thread of hope that Luke would show up and stop her from leaving. But alas, that never happened either. Luke never showed up, and the train started moving.

  TEN

  Three Months Later

  Amelia had had a long day at work, and she wanted nothing more than to go home, freshen up, eat supper, and settle in for the evening. Upon arriving back at her mother’s house in Arkansas, Amelia got a job as a waitress to contribute to the household expenses and save up for her independence—but she’d only been working a little over two weeks now, and she wasn’t quite yet used to the burdens of her new lifestyle and schedule.

  “You wouldn’t believe the day I’ve had,” Amelia said, walking into her house. “I didn’t get to sit down for more than a minute and two of the customers—”

  “Excuse me, dear,” her mother interrupted, “but we’ve got company.”

  Amelia arched her head and peered around the corner. It was a good thing she’d already hung up her coat, for if she hadn’t, she would have dropped it.

  That wavy brown hair, those deep-set eyes, she thought to herself. That square jaw, and that broad nose. Just look at his rugged features, and his stature.

  She felt lightheaded. But at the same time, her blood was boiling.

  “Hello, Amelia,” Luke smiled. He stood up from the couch, put his hands behind his back, and tipped his head politely.

  “You have a lot of nerve coming here,” Amelia said. This man had hurt her, and she was not afraid to let him know it.

  “He sure does,” Mrs. Johnson interjected. Amelia looked at her mother curiously. Over the past two months, she’d thoroughly explained what happened to her in Alton—but something in the tone of her voice made it sound as if she was on Luke’s side. “Just hear him out,” Mrs. Johnson said. “I did… and I think it’d behoove you to listen.”