32

Margaret’s shoulders dropped as the long sigh slipped out and she wiped her brow. “Oh, my goodness, it’s hot!” She waved a hand, fanning herself. “You know, Mama, I’ll bet if you put all the purple hull peas we’ve shelled together into one big pot, it would be so big we wouldn’t be able to fit it into the kitchen.”

“Oh, I don’t know about all that, but we have shelled many a pea in our days. Sometimes peas were all we had to live on, and I was sure glad to have them.” Mama didn’t look up from her work. “Don’t throw out those pods. Put them in that sack I brought out. I thought we would try that pig of yours on them.”

A warm breeze floated in from the coast. It wasn’t refreshing, but it gave a hint of relief to the blazing August heat. Margaret wasn’t paying a bit of attention to what Mama said. Her eyes were firmly planted on her handsome husband-to-be.

He worked with his shirt off; his muscular arms glistened with sweat.

The blush creeping up her neck and cheeks wasn’t only caused by the heat of the day.

Thomas, Papa, and Ensign Miller worked together with the crew from New Orleans to unload the wooden tower that would become the temporary lighthouse. The Union was anxious to relight the waterway between the Bolivar Peninsula and Texas’s largest city, Galveston.

Margaret heard her piglet squeal in distress.

June was chasing her baby around, holding on to the pig’s tail. Jeremiah followed close behind, holding on to her skirt.

“Hey, you two, let him be. You’re wearing out my present from Thomas.”

June released the baby pig, then she and Jeremiah fell to the ground in a laughing heap.

“I don’t know how you put up with those two, Mama.”

“I had plenty of practice putting up with you and your sister.”

“I suppose so.”

Margaret glanced down at the bowl of peas and straightened the skirt of her simple blue work dress bunched up around the container. She realized something in that moment. For the first time since her family had moved to Texas, she felt contented. The burning desire in the back of her mind to return to New Orleans wasn’t there. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d thought about wanting to wear fancy ball gowns or attend social parties. That part of her life had passed away with the war. It all seemed like vanity to her now.

She was happy just the way she was. And she no longer thought of Bolivar as a godforsaken place. She was happy to make Texas her new home. Yes, Texas had grown on all of them. It would be the new home for the Logan family and soon the Murphy family as well.

Her eyes drifted to the east, to where Thomas had begun setting the piers of what would be the foundation of their home. Thomas had purchased the small piece of land. Their hopes and dreams of a life filled with love and someday a family would become a reality on that tiny slice of heaven.

Mama was still shelling her bowl of peas.

“Can you believe what a coincidence it was that Papa and Thomas met up in Brenham and how things have worked out so perfectly? Just think about it. The war is over, and both Thomas and Papa have jobs, and—”

“Now you wait just one minute, Margaret Frances Logan. You know good and well that none of those things were coincidences. God was in control of every single thing that happened. Now are you shelling those peas, or will I have to do it for you?”

Mama’s words hit Margaret like a load of bricks. God was in control or else she never would have fallen in love with Thomas. The hatred she once held in her heart for northerners had faded into the past and she was pledged to wed a Yankee. She’d forgotten all about the money from the Lighthouse Board that arrived right when they needed it to get help for Elizabeth. No, there were no coincidences…only divine assistance. She turned toward her mama. “How did you get to be so smart, Mama?”

“I serve a gracious God, who gives wisdom to those who need it.” She chuckled. “And the good Lord knows I’ve needed it.”

“Have you and Papa thought any more about the wedding? Did y’all ever decide whether we’re going to have it inside or outside?”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, of course we’ve thought about it, but no, we haven’t made any firm decisions yet. That’s the least of our worries. We have to think about how many of the neighbors might come out for the wedding and how much food we’ll need. Goodness, the list goes on and on.” She turned to Margaret and smiled. “You should be more concerned about me finishing the alterations on your dress before the day of the wedding.”

Margaret sighed. “Yes, ma’am. I’m just so excited and it will be here before you know it.”

“I’m aware of that and it will get taken care of. But not if you don’t help me out by shelling those peas. Good thing I know how to cook for a small army.”

There were so many things that needed done, but her biggest worry—how to get Elizabeth back home from Austin for the wedding. She rustled her fingers in the bowl of pea pods. “I saw that Papa received a letter from the hospital. Did they decide whether or not Elizabeth can come home for the wedding?”

Mama gave “the look.” “Nosiness doesn’t suit you, dear.”

“At least I didn’t open it.” Margaret grinned.

“Be thankful you didn’t, young lady.” Mama nodded toward her bowl, implying she should actually shell the peas instead of simply stirring them about. “And if it is any of your business, Dr. Walker is completely against Elizabeth leaving the hospital after such a short period of time. They’ve only just started making progress in her treatment.”

“But she’s got to be at my wedding, Mama. I can’t get married without my sister standing by my side.”

“Don’t you think I want her to be here with us just as much as you do? Now what do you think is more important…Elizabeth coming home for your wedding, or her staying at the hospital and getting well?”

“You know the answer to that, Mama, but I’ve had my wedding planned out ever since Jeremiah was born. He would be my little pageboy, and June would be my flower girl.” Her voice began to crack as her throat tightened. “And…and Elizabeth would stand with me at the altar. Besides, we can take her back to the hospital just as soon as the wedding is over.”

“I’m sorry, honey, but I don’t want you to get your hopes up. Things don’t always turn out the way we dream they will.”

Margaret returned to shelling peas. Her disappointment that there were so many things over which she had no control angered her to the bone. She couldn’t put off the wedding until Elizabeth was well…who knew how long that might be?

Thomas was getting more anxious by the day to have her as his wife.

She would have to put away the wedding she had always dreamed of and settle for what God would allow her. As the number of hulled peas in her bowl grew, so did the mountain of grief in her heart. There had to be some way for Elizabeth to come to the wedding, but how? Lord, I don’t pretend to think I’m in control of anything down here. I acknowledge Your Lordship and give this whole wedding over to You. And if it’s in Your will that Elizabeth be at my wedding, then You’ll have to make it happen. Please forgive me for my lack of faith. In Your Son’s name I pray.

It was a relief to give everything up to God. Now she could concentrate on more important things…like watching her husband-to-be working without his shirt on.