eleven

Independence Day dawned bright and sunny, and everyone was excited about the planned activities. Faith, Rose, and Samantha had been up since before dawn, frying chicken and making all kinds of good things to go with it. They’d baked pies and cakes the day before—most of the women were entering the baking contests.

Faith had let her boarders have the use of her oven the day before so they could enter the contests, too. Even Sam had baked a chocolate cake to enter.

“I don’t expect to win, but with everyone else entering something, I got caught up in the excitement, too,” she told Ben that morning.

With things getting busier at the farm, Ben had arrived in town late the night before, and although he’d been happy to hear that Samantha’s first week of teaching had gone well, he really didn’t have a chance to say more than a few words to her before it was time to call it a night. He was eager to spend the day with her and find out more.

The parade was going to take place that morning around ten, so breakfast was a hurried affair with everyone trying to get everything ready for the picnic to follow. That evening there would be fireworks down by Cottonwood Creek.

The plan was for everyone to walk to the parade and come back to pick up the food before heading over to the creek. As they took off for town, Ben made sure to walk with Sam.

“So, things went well this past week?”

“Yes. It was wonderful to be back teaching again. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed it until I was back at it again.”

Her smile lit the fire in his heart, and he wondered how long it would be before she agreed to let him court her. “I’m glad it went well.”

“So am I. And it is much easier than working at Mrs. Miller’s.”

“Even with all those different-aged children?”

“Even with them.” She smiled.

Ben was glad to hear it. All week he’d worried that she might wish she were back working at the restaurant. But now he found he worried that she might not be happy living out on the farm. He wished they were actually courting so he could find out about all kinds of things. But to ask outright. . .well, he wasn’t quite ready to do that. Probably because he was afraid of what her answer might be.

By the time they got downtown, people were already lining the streets on both sides. Matt and Hope asked if they could join some friends on the other side of the street, and Ben gave his permission.

He looked down at Samantha and shrugged. “It’s becoming more obvious to me that my children like living in Guthrie more than being out on the farm.”

“Oh, I’m sure they want to be out there with you when they can—”

“No.” Ben shook his head. “Oh, Matt doesn’t seem to mind as long as it’s for no more than a month or so at planting and harvesttime. He’s mentioned that he’s looking forward to harvest and even asked if he could bring a friend to help.”

“Well, see?”

“I think he’s torn. He loves helping Gabe, too. One day, he’ll have to make a choice.”

“And you know, by then he may decide on something entirely different. He’s still young.”

Ben nodded. “That’s true. But Hope is definitely a city girl. She hasn’t even mentioned coming out to the farm. I think she’s afraid to tell me how she feels.”

“You might make it easier and bring it up yourself.”

“Maybe I will. I want them both to be happy, but. . .”

“You get lonely without them, I’m sure.”

“I do. But as Faith has pointed out to me, they are growing up fast. And it was my choice to move out to the farm, not theirs.”

“You could make them live with you.”

“I could. But then it would take time out of my day and theirs for them to get to school and back. If I was going to do that, I should have done it from the first. Now it would seem selfish of me when I can come in on weekends most of the time.” And even if they did live with him, it wouldn’t be forever. What he needed was a wife. And the only woman he wanted to ask was the one standing beside him.

Ben knew it was because of Sam that he enjoyed the parade and the rest of the day immensely—because she was by his side. Everyone was happy when Rose and Faith tied for first place in the pie contest, and even though Sam lost the best cake contest, she didn’t seem upset at all.

But when Ben took a bite of her cake, he leaned over to whisper, “You had it stolen from you. I can’t imagine any cake better than this.”

“Thank you, Ben. That means a lot to me—it was my mother’s recipe.”

They all enjoyed the picnic and the afternoon activities. But it was the fireworks that night that Ben would never forget. While the younger generation enjoyed the sparklers, he and Samantha shared a blanket with Gabe and Faith and watched the fireworks burst high overhead. As they oohed and aahed at each burst, Samantha’s eyes shone with happiness. Ben hoped part of that was because they were sharing the evening together. The only thing better than this would be sharing their lives together.

But something was holding Samantha back from letting him know he could court her, and he had no idea what it was.

❧

Samantha enjoyed the whole weekend, especially going to church with Ben. She’d come to love their church family, and now she knew more of the members from teaching some of the children. It seemed to her that many of the people at church seemed to be looking at Ben and her as if they wondered if they were courting.

The long weekend passed by way too quickly, especially when, on Sunday evening, Ben announced that he wouldn’t be able to get in to town every weekend for a while—at least not but for a night, here and there.

“Oh Papa, we’ll miss you,” Hope said. “I like having you in town.”

“I know. And I like being here. But with the growing season upon us, I can’t be asking Homer to watch over my crops and his every weekend. Besides his wife is back home now, and she might not appreciate it.”

“Surely you can come in on Saturday nights, Ben,” Rose said. “Most things can wait a day to be taken care of.”

“I’ll try, Rose. But that garden of yours sure can produce. And then there’s the cane and the corn to see to.”

“You know, I could ride out and help you on Friday evenings and be there to help you pick the produce and bring it in on Saturdays,” Matt said.

“Thanks, son. I might need your help in another few weeks.”

Samantha hated to see Ben leave on Monday morning. Something about seeing him leave alone had her wishing she could tell him she was ready to be courted, ready for him to propose marriage.

But fear that somehow her former principal would succeed in his threat to ruin her reputation had her hesitating—if that rumor followed her here, would Ben believe the lies or her? And since she hadn’t told him, or even Faith, everything, would he decide she wasn’t who he believed her to be?

She also worried that Ben wanted to court her only because he’d saved her life and somehow felt responsible for her. Samantha loved him with all her heart, and she wanted him to be happy. She owed him her very life. But he owed her nothing.

The next weekend Ben came in for supplies and to let them know that his neighbor Homer had sprained his ankle badly. “I’ll be helping him out for a while,” Ben explained. “It’s the least I can do after all the times I’ve counted on him.”

“Didn’t you say his wife was back from her trip?” Rose asked.

“She is. But of course she can’t take care of the farm all by herself. Hopefully Homer will be up and around in a few weeks, but for now, you probably won’t see me except maybe Saturday evening and part of Sundays. It’ll depend on the workload.”

The workload must have been heavy because Ben didn’t make it in the next weekend. And Samantha found herself looking forward to the coming weekend even more than usual, hoping he’d be able to come into town. She missed Ben more each day and was glad to stay busy with settling into her new teaching job, planning lessons, and grading papers at night. She flew through the week on the anticipation that she might get to see Ben soon.

On Thursday she looked up from her desk to find Principal Connors knocking on her door with a woman and a young boy at his side.

“Miss Carter, I have a new student here for you. This is Jeffery Edwards and his mother.”

“Miss Carter? Didn’t you teach in Arkansas City?”

Dread flowed through Samantha. “Yes, I did.”

“I thought so. You are the teacher who caused so much trouble for Mr. Jennings, aren’t you?” The woman turned to Mr. Connors. “This woman will not be teaching my son. I’ll put him in another school first.”

Mr. Connors looked at Samantha questioningly. “Miss Carter? May I see you in my office? And Mrs. Edwards, won’t you come tell us what this is all about?”

Samantha knew what it was all about. It appeared that Principal Jennings had kept his threat to ruin her reputation. She got one of the older children from the next class over to take charge and headed to Mr. Connors’s office.

“Miss Carter, please take a seat, and we’ll find out what this is all about.”

“It’s about this woman trying to seduce Mr. Jennings and then blaming it on him! His wife even left him for it, and he’s been fired—”

“That is not true, Mr. Connors.” Samantha stood and looked the woman in the eye. “At least the part about me isn’t true. I did not do this thing you are accusing me of, Mrs. Edwards.”

“Well that’s not what I heard.” The woman stood and looked at Mr. Connors. “I’ll be going to the school board about this first thing Monday. I won’t have my son taught by the likes of her.” She pointed a pudgy finger at Samantha.

“Please calm down, Mrs. Edwards. We’ll get to the bottom of this matter, but—”

“You need to fire her immediately, sir!” The woman grabbed her son’s hand and marched out of the principal’s office.

Samantha was trembling so hard her legs felt wobbly. She dropped back into the chair and looked at Mr. Connors. “What she said is not true. But I can’t prove anything, and it would be my word against his. I’m sorry, Mr. Connors, but before this gets out of hand and hurts anyone I care about, I must offer my resignation.”

“Oh please, Miss Carter, don’t act hastily. I don’t want to accept your resignation. Let us get to the bottom of it all. If what Mrs. Edwards said is not true, you should fight her accusations.”

“How do you fight rumors, Mr. Connors? Mr. Jennings threatened me in a most disgusting way. And it was only the arrival of my best friend, Annie Rogers, that stopped him from forcing me to—” Samantha couldn’t finish the sentence. Didn’t even want to think about it. “I gave him my resignation, knowing he would try to ruin my reputation. Evidently he’s convinced people to believe him, and how do I fight a lie?”

“You have people who would defend your honor, Miss Carter. What about this Annie person?”

Samantha shook her head. “I don’t want her or anyone else hurt by all of this, don’t you see? I don’t want their reputations damaged because of being loyal to me. I can’t let that happen. No, Mr. Connors. I’m resigning my position before anyone else I care about gets hurt—and before Mrs. Edwards can convince the school board to fire me.”

❧

Samantha gathered up the personal items she had in her room and put them in the bag she’d brought them to school in. She tried to stay calm until the last bell and to hide how devastated she felt as she walked home with Matt and Hope.

Hope hurried upstairs to change her clothes and start her homework, while Matt went on to see if he could help Gabe down the street. Samantha wanted nothing more than to run to her room and hide under the covers, but she continued to the kitchen, knowing that if she didn’t, Faith would guess something was wrong.

When she walked into the kitchen and Faith turned to ask how her day had gone, Samantha’s resolve crumpled, and she dissolved into tears.

“Why Samantha, whatever is wrong?” Faith hurried to her side and enveloped her in her arms. “What’s happened? Matt and Hope, are they—”

“They are fine. I’m sorry, Faith—I didn’t meant to frighten you. It’s. . .I. . .”

Rose seemed to appear from nowhere to set a cup of tea in front of Samantha. “Drink this and tell us what’s happened, dear.”

Samantha managed to compose herself. Faith didn’t need this kind of stress in her condition. “Thank you, Rose.”

Both women made tea for themselves and sat down at the table. “Now, what is it that has you so upset? And what can we do to help?” Faith asked.

Samantha looked into her teacup and shook her head. “I don’t think anyone can help. But what has happened is I’ve resigned my teaching position, and I am going to go to Oklahoma City and try to find work there.”

“What!” Faith jumped up. “You’ll do no such thing, Samantha Carter! What has happened to cause you to think like this? Have we done some—”

“No! Of course you haven’t, Faith. Please, sit down and I’ll try to explain.” These people truly cared about her, and as much as she didn’t want to have to tell them about what had happened, she really had no choice. She couldn’t let them think they’d done anything to make her want to leave, nor could she leave knowing they’d hear the rumors and think they were true. She could only pray that they would believe her.

She explained the afternoon’s events as quickly as possible. Then she looked at Faith and Rose and shook her head. “It’s not true. I wouldn’t even—”

“Of course it’s not true. Why surely you never believed we would think it was?” Faith said. “That man—that principal Jennings—he’s trying to save his own hide, isn’t he?” Rose asked.

Sam nodded and began to sob. “He. . .” She haltingly explained what had happened up until the point where he threatened her.

“Did he. . .did he hurt you, Samantha?” Rose whispered.

“No.” She shook her head. “The Lord was watching over me. Another teacher, a friend of mine, showed up just in time. I—I don’t know what has happened since I left. I should have written her, but I didn’t want him forcing her to tell him where I was or. . .give her any trouble.”

“Oh, my dear.” Rose had gotten up and come around to hug her. “You can’t let this man win, dear.”

“You can’t leave us, Samantha,” Faith said, wiping her eyes. “We love you. There’s no need to—”

“Oh, but there is. I don’t want your reputations to suffer because you took me in. I don’t want your boardinghouse to get a bad name and—” The headache that had begun with Mrs. Edwards’s accusations had become almost unbearable. “I feel I must leave. But I’m going to pray about it. Please don’t worry if I don’t come back down for supper, all right?”

“All right. You go get some rest. I’ll check on you later.”

“Thank you.” Samantha got to her feet, but she couldn’t leave the room until she hugged both women. “Thank you for believing me.”

The very fact that they did had her hurrying out of the room and up the stairs before she started sobbing all over again. How could she leave this family she’d come to love? But how could she stay and bring trouble to them?

❧

Ben poured himself a cup of coffee and was thinking about heating up some of the beans and corn bread he’d made the night before when he heard a horse galloping up the lane to his house. He hurried outside to find Gabe swinging out of the saddle on his horse, Midnight.

His expression was grim, and Ben’s heart seemed to drop to his stomach. Something was wrong. “What is it, Gabe? What’s happened? The kids? Sam—Faith? Are they all right?”

“They are all right. Well, as good as they can be with all that’s happened. Samantha is having a tough time tonight, and yes, something has happened. Faith sent me to see if you can come into town before Samantha leaves.”

“Leaves? What do you mean? Where is she going?” Ben was sure his heart had stopped beating.

“She says she’s going to Oklahoma City to look for work,” Gabe said.

“But she has a—”

“She gave her notice today. Pour me a cup of coffee, Ben, and I’ll try to explain it best I can from what Faith and Rose told me.”

Ben poured them coffee, and Gabe told him all he knew about what had happened in Kansas and what had happened that day to make Samantha quit her job. Ben found himself clenching and unclenching his fists over and over again. At once wanting to strangle the principal in Kansas and praying for forgiveness for even thinking of doing it. He’d never felt so much like harming another person in his life.

“He didn’t—” He couldn’t even finish the sentence.

“Samantha said no. She said the Lord was watching over her, and I’m sure He was because He sent another teacher to her room just in time to keep the man from harming her.”

Thank You, Lord. Ben let out a huge sigh of relief. “But evidently he’s carried through with his threat to try to ruin her.”

“It appears that way. And she doesn’t want to bring any trouble to any of us. That’s why she wants to leave.”

“Well, she’s not going anywhere. Not if I have anything to say about it,” Ben said.

“You can come back with me?”

“I was coming in the morning anyway. Homer is better, and I’ve got crates of produce I need to bring in.” And he’d been pining to see Samantha. “Everything is already loaded in the wagon. I’ll be right behind you.”

“Good. Faith said she’d keep supper warm for both of us. I’ll see you back at home.”

Ben quickly rinsed out their cups and the coffeepot, locked up, and hitched Rusty to the wagon. He saw no need to take the time to tell Homer he was leaving early.

Ben headed into Guthrie with a heavy heart that the woman he loved had been hurt not once but twice now by that low-life principal. He wasn’t going to let it happen again.