| |
The first time Jason noticed Claire was the first week he returned to the church where he had found Christ—or rather Christ had found him. Claire squatted on the ground surrounded by at least ten children. Her arms gestured in wide arcs and her voice rose and fell as she told a story to them. He crept closer and soon heard her telling the story of Noah and the ark.
“Jason!” Jessa’s shrill voice interrupted his daydreaming.
He shook his head and turned to her. “Yes, Jessa?”
“You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?”
He grimaced. “I’m sorry, no I didn’t.”
She huffed. “What were you thinking about so hard?”
“Claire.”
Jessa wrinkled her nose. “Why would you want to think about her?”
He chuckled. “Because I like her. A lot. Why do you like to think so much about Sidney DeBois?”
Jessa’s mouth opened and shut a couple of times. “But why Claire? Couldn’t you have picked someone more attractive looking?”
“She is.”
“Ha. In your dreams, maybe, but not in real life.”
Jason chewed his lower lip. “But she is beautiful. Her face lights up when she is around children and she uses her whole body to express herself when she is passionate about something. When the sunlight hits her hair, it makes her red curls turn into a brilliant gold color. She is also very talented and strong. I once saw her carrying a baby and two year old in her arms and she had another one—a little older—on her back. She’s also a very kind young woman who loves to help people, take care of and entertain children, and has a sweet disposition. She also loves God with all of her heart.”
“And loving God helps her looks?”
“I don’t see why her looks are so repulsive to you.”
Jessa raised her eyebrows. “Have you looked at her? She has freckles all over her face, frizzy red hair that never stays where she puts it, she’s short and stout—”
“That’s enough,” Jason said. “She may not fit your perfect model of a perfect woman, but she’s attractive in her own way and I happen to like her hair, freckles, height, and the fact that she has meat on her bones. You on the other hand look like you haven’t eaten a decent meal in the last five years you’re so thin. It can’t be healthy to eat that way. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do and I promised Grandma Beulah I would visit.”
He didn’t wait for her answer, knowing he wouldn’t like it anyway.
***
“I’m surprised your father is letting us walk to Grandma Beulah’s unchaperoned.”
Claire cocked her head. “He trusts you and me. And he knows I can take care of myself.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that I grew up with four brothers, so I know how to defend myself.”
Jason started. “Four? Why have I only met two of them?”
“Everett is in the army and off somewhere fighting Indians. Newton left five years ago and we haven’t heard from him since.”
“Are they younger or older than you?”
“Older. Everett is twenty-five and Newton is twenty-two. Everett and I have always been very similar. He’s the one who taught me how to defend myself. He didn’t join the army until about a year after Newton left, so when he decided to join, he knew I wouldn’t have any older brothers to protect me. Bennett and Hershel were only seven and ten at the time.”
Jason smiled. “I’m glad he did teach you. I wouldn’t have thought to do something like that for my sister. Although, you do seem to be a lot closer to your brothers than I am to my sister.”
“Why is that?”
“Why is what?”
“Why aren’t you and Jessa very close?”
“I’m not really sure, but our relationship got worse after I became a Christian. Now she doesn’t like me at all. I try to get back to the way it was before, but she won’t listen to anything I say.” He looked around. “We’re here already. I guess time really does fly.”
Claire laughed as they walked down the well-worn path.
“Jason-dear!” Grandma Beulah exclaimed. “You came right on time. And with your lady-friend, too, I see. Come in, come in. I have some lemonade ready and waiting for both of you.”
She ushered them onto the porch and Jason opened the door.
“You two are a sight for sore eyes. I don’t like to complain, but my boys just don’t like to be around their ma much anymore. They’re either out in the field or in town. I don’t blame them any, of course. Keeping company with an old woman isn’t very interesting. My dear,” she looked at Claire and blinked, “what is your name again?”
Claire smiled. “Claire.”
“Ah yes, I remember now. My dear Claire, I suggest you never grow old. That way your children will want to live with you longer and stay around. Or at least raise ’em right so’s they actually want to get married. At least then you would have grandchildren around.”
Claire patted Grandma Beulah’s arm. “I will keep that in mind. And you can always become the adopted grandmother of our children if we end up getting married, and if God blesses us with children.”
Grandma Beulah’s smile faltered and she blinked rapidly. “Oh, my dear. You are too sweet. I appreciate the offer and will gladly accept. And I’ll make a prediction right away. I think you two will marry before the year is out.”
Jason gulped. “But it’s already August. That’s only four months.”
“Five by my count,” Grandma Beulah contradicted. “You two have known each other for a month.”
Claire giggled. “Even out here where courtships tend to go fast, that is a little too fast, I think.”
Grandma Beulah clicked her tongue. “Nonsense. What else is there to know about each other?”
“A lot,” Jason said.
“Such as?”
Claire cleared her throat. “What we think about different things, how we react in various situations, and what our beliefs are on biblical matters.”
“You go to the same church, right?”
“Yes,” Jason replied.
“Then ya believe the same on biblical matters, don’tcha?”
Jason shook his head. “Not necessarily. We may go to the same church, but we also read the Bible and might find things there we don’t agree on.”
“Pish-posh. As long as you agree on the essentials, it doesn’t matter.” Grandma Beulah stood up and went to the icebox.
“Can I help you with something?” Claire asked.
“No, that’s fine. Sit there with your beau and get to know him better. I’ve always wanted one of my children to have a Christmas wedding.” She poured the lemonade into two glasses and set them in front of them. “There. Enjoy your drinks. I made it a little more tart than my boys like so they wouldn’t drink it up before you arrived. I needn’t have worried. They haven’t been inside since breakfast. Not even to get a lunch. I don’t know how they do it. They work so hard out there with very little food.”
Jason held back a laugh. “When you get working real hard, you don’t usually think about food until the project is finished. At least that’s the way it was for me when I was working on the ranches.”
Claire looked at him. “You worked on ranches?”
He swallowed his sip of lemonade. “Didn’t I tell you that? Yes, three of them for two months each or so. I learned a lot. It was hard work, but very rewarding.”
Claire nodded. “I can understand that. I haven’t worked like that before, but I’ve done other work that is hard and rewarding.”
Grandma Beulah leaned forward. “Do tell.”
Claire smiled. “Mama and I spent a month teaching different women how to preserve their own food. Many of them grew up in motherless homes and didn’t know anything. I can’t believe how hard that was. The kitchen stayed in perpetual heat, we always had people around, and my feet hurt for weeks afterward from all the standing. But the joy on each of the lady’s faces made it all worth it.”
Grandma Beulah chuckled. “What a wonderful thing to do. I wish I had thought to do it. Maybe I could have found a wife for one of my sons.”
Claire smiled. “Mama and I are talking about doing it again. Would you like to join us?”
“No, no,” she protested. “I would only get in the way. And I couldn’t get there anyway.”
“Nonsense,” Jason borrowed her phrase. “I could get you there, and I’m sure you could be useful, too.”
Grandma Beulah shook her head. “I don’t have the stamina of the young ones.”
Claire chewed her lip. “If you can’t help cut, stir, or can, you can regale us with stories, advice, or other nuggets of wisdom. I know you would be good at that.”
Grandma Beulah paused, blinked her eyes rapidly a few times, and scratched her chin. “Huh. An interesting idea. I think I could do that. Send your Jason out here when you decide to do it. I’ll tell my boys there may be a few days they need to fend for themselves. They won’t care.”
Claire’s chair scraped against the floor as she stood up and went to hug Grandma Beulah. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, dear. And now I think it’s about time for you two to leave. You’ve kept an old woman company long enough and have better things to do with your life than spend hours with me.”
Claire squeezed her harder. “How about we make supper for you before we leave?”
Grandma Beulah shook her head vehemently. “No, no, no. I can’t have you do that.”
“Why not?” Jason asked.
“My boys are very particular.”
“Which is why you will be supervising,” Claire said. “What were you going to make tonight?”