Neither Jackson nor Maggie wore a smile when Lily stepped out the door with the refreshments.
Jackson, however, brightened when he saw her. He sprang to his feet. “Let me help.” He whisked the tea tray from her hands.
“Thank you. Put it on the side table.” She indicated the one next to Maggie, then sat opposite her.
The young man plopped onto the seat next to Lily’s.
His nearness irritated Lily, but she maintained her composure. She turned to the older woman. “What would you like in your tea, dear?”
“Plain’ll do fine. I’m still full from that big meal we had this afternoon.”
Lily dispensed some of the hot brew into a cup and handed it to her, aware of Jackson’s gaze hot upon her. She reminded herself of her resolve to be strong and confident as she turned to him. “And how would you like yours, Jackson?”
“I like mine sweet an’ creamy.” The words sounded innocent enough, but his eyes said a whole lot more.
Once she’d handed him his tea, she poured her own plain drink and sat back, hoping to enjoy it for a moment. Alas, mere seconds passed before Jackson spoke again.
“Lily?” Balancing his cup and saucer on one knee, he leaned forward. “If you don’t mind, when we finish our tea, I’d like a private word with you.”
“How about now? The sun will be down soon. You can walk with me while I go shut the chickens inside their coop for the night.” She set down her cup and looked at Maggie. “Would you excuse us for a few moments?”
At the woman’s nod, she exited the porch, with Jackson right behind her. The coop was out of Maggie’s line of view, but not so far that Lily couldn’t summon her if need be.
Several fat fowl sought their roosts as Lily approached, and others came running when they saw her. Watching them scramble up the board ramp to their little house on stilts, she chuckled.
Jackson wasted no time coming to his point. “I ain’t thought about nothin’ but you since I was here last spring. I want you for my wife.”
That was it? His proposal of marriage? Lily was tempted to give him a flat no. But what if the young man was actually God’s choice for her? “I must say, that was an odd proposal.” She switched her attention from the chicks to him. “Why do you want to marry me, Jackson?”
He frowned, as if that was the dumbest question he’d ever heard. “Why not? I can’t keep waitin’ for this lousy excuse of a war to get over. It’s past time I started thinkin’ on my future, an’ you’d make a real fine wife. Besides…” He leaned closer, his breath feathering the fine hairs on her neck. “There’s no other way to say it. I want you in my bed. Real bad.”
The intensity in his voice almost compelled Lily to holler for Maggie. She took a step back to put distance between them as she weighed her response. The young man was only being honest, and his reasoning regarding the war was logical. “Jackson, I’m honored that you would consider me for your wife. Truly I am. But before I answer you, I must spend some time in prayer and seek God’s will. This is a momentous decision that would affect the rest of my life. My family expects me to join them once my indenturement is over. But even though I’ll no longer be his bond servant, I promised Mr. Waldon I’d stay with his sons until he returns in November.”
Jackson captured her shoulders. “You belong here with us, Lily. With me. You know you do.”
“Perhaps.” She reached up and gently removed his hands from her person. “Nevertheless, I believe we both need to pray about it. November is only two months hence. John will be home then.”
He scoffed, and a corner of his mouth quirked upward. “We don’t need to pray or wait. It’s obvious. Who d’ya think God put you here for, anyway? Me. We could up an’ marry now, an’ I could stay here with you till Waldon gets home.”
Lily couldn’t squelch a droll smile. “You and me, honeymooning here with all the women and children from the cove? I think not. Besides, I have no intention of being rushed into the most important decision of my life. I will say this much. I will never marry a man who doesn’t pray.”
“Okay, okay.” He took a step back and spread his hands. “If that’s what you want, I’ll do some prayin’. But it won’t change a thing.”
The following week proved to be a whirlwind of activity. By Tuesday, every entire family, not merely the women and children, took up residence in the farmhouse, the workshop, and the blockhouse. Crude canvas coverings also shrouded the wagons scattered about the Waldon clearing. The paddock was filled with milk cows. Inside the cabin, sleeping pallets were everywhere, and after bedtime, it was nearly impossible to step between them.
At dawn each morning, the men and older boys split into two groups and took their leave. One group headed downriver, the other upriver, to tend the remainder of the cove’s livestock and to harvest whatever crops were ready. Lily and the neighbor women picked the last of the vegetables from her garden and began cooking them down for preserves, or drying what couldn’t be stored in her root cellar. She didn’t want to think about the pears and apples that soon would be ripe for picking.
By the end of the week, wagonloads of corn and vegetables from the other farms arrived to be dealt with. Lily wondered where they would put it all. The boys had cut the hay while she’d been in Philadelphia, and it was dry now and needed to be raked up and brought in.
And the corn! On Saturday evening, a weary Lily stopped with her pail of milk to stare at the bulging corn crib. Even with all she and the others had already done, tons of corn still needed to be shucked and dried and hulled. Some would need to be ground into meal at Cal’s watermill. Then there was sorghum cane to be cut, pressed, and boiled down for molasses. Chestnuts and walnuts would be ready to gather soon, and then it would be hog-killing time.
Agnes, toting her toddler Margaret Rose, came to her side. “It’s been a good week.”
“Yes.” Lily managed a smile. “Tiring, but ’tis nice to have company while we work. Lots of helping hands.”
“Extra ladies help things go a lot faster. This evening, though, we have the biggest job of all to take care of.”
Lily wanted to sink down to the ground and curl herself into a ball. “What are you saying?”
“Baths. You tell me how we’re gonna get all them young’uns cleaned up tonight and keep ’em clean for the Sabbath.”
Shoulders drooping, Lily turned toward the house and saw the Patterson twins toting water buckets to three tubs heating over fires, while Cissy Dunlap hauled more from the well for other tubs waiting to be filled. “I’m just glad Davy’s not here. He’d be impossible.” She laughed lightly, then sobered. “No, I wouldn’t care at all. I miss him and Emmy terribly.”
“So does my Joey. But soon the Indians will leave for the winter, and the children will be able to come back. Never expected I’d be looking forward to the cold months.” She shook her head in disbelief.
Lily nodded in agreement. “When Jackson and Frank went out scouting, they said they didn’t see any sign of war parties lurking about.” Having mentioned her persistent suitor, she had another thought. “We’ll need to string up some blankets around those tubs. We womenfolk will need some privacy when our turn comes.”
Agnes chuckled. “Especially you. Between Jackson and Robby, one of ’em seems to always be watching you. Personally, I think that Robby is a real charmer. And so handsome, with those cute curls and that smile of his. Don’t you think?”
Knowing her friend was teasing, Lily just tucked her chin. “I think ’tis time I take this milk to the springhouse and rustle up whatever blankets I can find.”
Moments later, on her return trip from the springhouse, the sight of a wagon drawing to a stop made her sigh. More work for her and the other ladies. Would it ever end? Thankfully tomorrow was the Sabbath, a most needed day of rest.
Ian, holding the reins, set the brake. Richard Shaw occupied the other half of the seat. His son Michael rode in back atop another load of corn with Matt and Luke, both of whom sported big smiles. It was good for her boys to have older men to rely on for a change, since their father was absent. At least John would return soon. Too soon, in a way, yet not soon enough for her longing heart. She knew the decision regarding her future would have to be made then.
As she walked toward them, her two lads hopped off the wagon bed. Matt waved something in his hand that looked suspiciously like…a letter! “We found some mail and a notice hooked on the nail at MacBride’s dock on the river. This one has your name on.” He held it out to her.
Lily took the missive and scanned the writing. John! Her heart leaped with joy. “ ’Tis from your father.”
“Thought so.” Luke grinned. “The notice came from Fort Henry, so we figgered the letter prob’ly did, too.”
Her joy dimmed. “Did the notice say anything of importance?”
Matt scoffed. “Nothin’ much. Just that we should all do what we already done.”
“Which is…?”
“Gather together at one place an’ harvest the fields, like we been doin’. Now open the letter, would ya? I wanna hear what Pa has to say.” He tapped his foot impatiently.
Glancing down at the smudged paper, Lily only hoped the news was good. But according to the notice the boys had seen, nothing had changed, so what good could there be? She broke the wax seal and unfolded the rough, heavy paper, then read aloud:
My dearest Lily, Matt, and Luke,
You are always on my mind and in my prayers. Nothing is more important to me than my children. I deeply regret that duty keeps me away from home during these dangerous times. Captain Busse has posted a notice throughout the surrounding settlements for folks to gather together for safety. I fear the people at the cove will refuse to abide by his orders, so I most urgently demand that you take the livestock to Ian MacBride’s place and leave the area at once. Everything we possess at the cove can be replaced, but I could never replace you. Please do as I ask. I love all of you very, very much.
Your loving Papa, and, to Lily, your most loving friend,
J. Waldon
Lily wished she’d been alone when she read the letter. Seeing the words penned by John’s hand, she’d come very close to pressing the missive to her heart. He loved her. He said it in writing.
Matt’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Well, at least we don’t have to go anywheres. The cove folks already did what the notice told us to do.” Looking at the lad’s dirty, dusty self, Lily smiled. “No, we don’t have to leave just yet. But I have a demand for you two. As soon as you finish tending the livestock, I want you to go down to the creek and take a bath. Tomorrow’s the Sabbath.”
“Aww…” Luke whined. “Do we have to? I’m tuckered out.”
“And be sure to take soap.”
As the disappointed pair grumbled and trudged off toward the stable, Lily sought the solace of a nearby tree for a private moment. She unfolded John’s letter again and drank in the message: I love you all very, very much…. Your most loving friend…
She ran her fingers over the treasured words. He loved her more than a mere friend. He said he was her most loving friend. When he’d written I love you all very, very much, he was trying to tell her more. For the briefest of moments, her heart flooded with joy.
Then reality set in.
It could not be. It could never be. John had loved Susan, had cared for her with his whole heart. It would be wise to remember that whenever thoughts of him drifted to mind. How unseemly to think anything else. John was exactly as he’d set it down on the paper, a most loved friend. Had it been otherwise, he’d have stated it in a way that would’ve left no doubt.
Still, that kiss he’d given her hadn’t been that of a friend. Dared she hope it meant more? Heaven help her, she wanted desperately to cling to the hope that it did.