The judge’s house was silent when she came home. The wagon train guests had been considerate, staying near their pallets or working outside the house. With the sickness waning, the train would soon move once the rain stopped.
Audrey closed her eyes, holding tight to Willow’s hand as she sat beside the bed. Tired, so tired. Waiting was the hardest, the long days of uncertainty; at times she thought she’d scream. Other times she prayed for one more hour…sixty more minutes for Willow to return from wherever she lay in this deep slumber.
She sat up straight, listening, cocking her head toward the door, senses strained, trying to find the source of her concern. Her eyes drew to the window. Nothing. No raindrops hitting the pane to slide like tumbling children. No thunder crashing, no lightning flares. Stillness.
Surging from the chair, she ran to the foggy glass and wiped the pane clean. A glimmer of light flickered over the rain-washed landscape. The sun? It had been so long since she’d seen it. The clarity was startling. Had the storm finally broken? The incessant downpour over? She leaned against the pane, seeking confirmation of the miracle. The sun poured golden rays over Thunder Ridge.
She returned to the bed and took Willow’s hand. “I know you can’t see the sun, but it’s shining brightly all over the fields. I believe it’s God’s assurance that you’re going to open your eyes and smile at me. We’re going to laugh, and hug, and I’m going to fix you some broth. Tucker will come, and…oh, he loves you so much, Willow. So very much! We’re praying for you. Everyone in town is praying. Sunday services have been canceled because of the rain, but the reverend reminds everyone he meets of the prayer chain.” She pressed closer. “Wherever you are, I pray you can hear me. Come back to us, Willow. We need you. I need you.”
The door opened and Sadie entered the bedroom. “There now, love, you run on downstairs and I’ll sit a spell. You’re worrying yourself sick. The sun is shining. God’s in his heaven, on his throne. You can’t change a thing by sitting here until you grow to the chair.”
Audrey drank in the older woman’s wisdom. “She’s going to be all right, isn’t she, Sadie?”
“It’s in God’s hands, lovey. Our way is not always his way.”
“Waiting is so hard.”
“Nothing worth having comes easy.” Sadie sat down in a chair and rested her work-roughened hands on the arms. Her sun-streaked hair was swept up in a bun, and the calico dress she wore had seen better days, but to Audrey she looked like an angel, sent to comfort her. Sadie never hesitated to share her faith.
She smiled. “You’re good for me, Sadie. I’m glad God saw fit to send you this way.”
“We’ve both been blessed. Now you go rest. Or maybe go outside and enjoy the sunshine. I’ll let you know if there’s any change.
Sadie and Adele had cooked and cleaned, right along with Audrey and Copper, with nary a word of complaint. Because she was a widow, Sadie had been traveling with Adele, another widow. Colorado was to be a new start for the women, a chance to make a new life on their own. Audrey couldn’t imagine the past few trying days without these wise women’s help.
She descended the stairs, thinking how quiet it was without the rain beating against the windows. Later she’d go to the attic and empty the buckets and pans again. With God’s grace, the flood might be over. Right now, she just wanted to stand and soak up the warm rays bathing the soggy fields.
She stopped by the kitchen window and took another peek. Tate was in the field back of the house, running and jumping like a newborn colt. She watched, smiling. How wonderful to see the boy relishing the sun’s warmth. That was what childhood should be, happy and carefree. The boy clapped his hands together, and then opened them. A grasshopper flew from his hand. He lifted his face to the sky, laughing. Water stood in streams, but that only enhanced the child’s joy.
Tate chased after another hopper, and Audrey yielded to temptation. She wanted to join him. As foolish as it might be for a woman her age, she needed to run and laugh and enjoy being alive.
Casting a look at the pot of boiling potatoes, she rushed to the door, giddy with the bright sunshine. Did anything feel as good, or look as exhilarating as sunlight! Stripping shoes and socks off, she wiggled her toes.
She bounded down the steps and raced around the house to where Tate was playing. A grasshopper flew past, and her feet automatically gave chase. A light breeze ruffled her hair and tugged at her skirt. She laughed at Tate’s surprised expression.
“Miss Pride! You’re barefoot!”
“I am, and I can chase grasshoppers too. Why, I’ll bet I can catch more hoppers than you.”
His face lit with expectancy. “No, you can’t. I’m the best grasshopper catcher in the world.”
“It’s a contest. Ready, set, go!” Audrey’s bare feet flew over the ground, chasing the elusive insects. She didn’t care if her hem was already soaking wet. She needed to feel like a child again, to giggle senselessly, to rid herself of the stench of illness. The earlier weariness melted like snow in a spring thaw. She sucked in fresh air and raced through the fields, laughing in triumph, her hair tumbling loose from its ribbon. The rain had ended, and life suddenly made sense!
“What in the world are you doing?”
Audrey skidded to a halt and turned to locate the voice. Copper stood at the edge of the field wearing a bewildered countenance. “Have you lost your mind?”
“No, for the first time since coming here, I’m in my right mind! The sun is shining, the rain has stopped, and the grasshoppers are here for the chasing. Take off your shoes and join us!”
Her friend’s eyes skimmed the soggy ground. “You’re chasing grasshoppers—barefoot, in this mud and dirty water. May I ask why?”
Audrey laughed. “Because they’re here to chase!”
“Because they’re here to chase. You have clearly lost your mind. I warned you about working in that parlor.”
Audrey lunged for her hand. “Come on…you know you want to play.”
Copper’s strained features suddenly lightened. “Why, certainly. I can’t think of any better way to spend a sunshiny afternoon than to chase grasshoppers, barefoot.”
“You’re really going to play with us, Miss Copper?” Tate yelled as he flew past.
“I really am.” Copper toed off her shoes, removed her stockings, and then lifted her skirts and jigged across the muddy field. “Since I don’t see any jars, I assume this is a catch-and-release game?”
“Of course,” Audrey said. “Who’d want a jar full of grasshoppers?”
“I would,” Tate said. “Can I have one?”
Audrey paused to kneel beside him. “If you were a grasshopper, where would you like to live? Would you like to fly out here in the open field and all this sunshine, or be stuffed in a canning jar?”
Tate considered the options. “How big is the jar?”
Audrey burst into laughter. “Not nearly big enough.”
“Don’t believe I’ve ever seen a jar big enough to hold me,” Tate said. “You got one in the house?”
“A jar big enough to hold you?”
He nodded.
“No, but that’s not the point. Would you like to be shut up in a jar?”
Tate shook his head no, and she elaborated. “Neither would the grasshoppers. They belong out here in the sunshine. God didn’t create them to be canned. So, while it’s all right to catch them, they should be turned loose to enjoy all of nature.”
Tate studiously rolled his eyes. “Let’s just catch them. We won’t put them in a jar.”
“Good boy. Now, let’s see who can catch the most and turn them loose.”
Tate’s sturdy boots flew across the field. Copper ran beside him, dipping and swaying with each catch and release. Audrey headed into a patch of the winged insects, lunging. She ended up with one fat grasshopper, its wings harsh and brittle, and the body soft and plump.
She sprinted across the field on feet that had suddenly sprouted wings. The three ran and shouted, joy overflowing with freedom after being limited by rain and sorrow for days on end.
The mill door opened, and Audrey spotted Eli and Caleb looking up the hill for the source of merriment. She waved, and then turned to chase after Copper.
The two men watched for a moment, then walked up the path to the field.
“What’s going on?” Caleb called.
“We’re celebrating the sun!” Copper slapped his arm. “Take off your boots and join us.”
She turned and bolted across the field with Caleb close on her heels. Tate bent double, laughing. “Run, Caleb, run! Catch her!”
Audrey saw Eli standing at the edge of the fun. Would he join the game? “We’re having fun,” she called as she passed.
“So I see.” He removed his hat and studied the clear sky. “Well, it’s a fine day for it.”
“Hey, Pa,” Tate yelled. “Catch me!”
Eli grinned. “Let’s see how fast you can run.” His boots and socks landed beside him, and Eli took out after his son.
Tate dashed across the field with his pa on his heels. The uncharacteristic sight sent Audrey skidding to a halt. She stood watching father and son romp across the sun-drenched field, splashing water, Tate’s youthful screams filling the sweet, rain-washed air.
Caleb swatted her on the shoulder as he dashed past. “Tag. Miss Audrey’s it.”
She tore after him as Copper cheered from the sidelines. Tate resumed his grasshopper quest. Audrey, feeling brave, tagged Eli. “You’re it.”
A grin suddenly broke across his handsome features, and she watched years melt away from his face. He lunged, pursuing her across the uneven ground. She could hear him gaining as she raced away from the group, zigzagging from left to right, trying to escape. His breath increased to harsh, uneven gasps coming close on her heels. Grasping her shoulder, he spun her around. She whirled, laughing. Her hair had come loose and hung around her shoulders. She must look a sight, but she didn’t care. For the first time in a very long time, she felt young again.
Eli’s gaze focused on her disheveled state, and it seemed to Audrey that he was seeing her for the first time. As he held her at arm’s length, his air of detachment disappeared. This was Eli as she’d longed to see him. Laughing, eyes alight with fun. He rested his hand on her shoulder. “I’ve caught you, Miss Pride. Now what shall I do with you?”
She bit her lower lip, trying to still the sudden quiver. “I have no idea, Mr. Gray. I’m completely at your mercy.”
Heat penetrated her rosy cheeks. Was this she? Audrey Pride being so utterly bold and…flirtatious?
The twinkle in his eyes suggested that he shared her sudden enlightenment. “Ah, yes? Well, then I’ll have to think of a suitable penalty.”
She searched for a proper response, but for once came up speechless. Her eyes locked with his, and what she saw there almost took her breath away. The warmth of his smile, the way his gaze absorbed her as he examined his prize. His eyes moved gently and reverently over her features.
Whatever barriers had once stood between them had vanished. She silently thanked God for the sunshine. For the utterly perfect day and for the special bond she hoped had begun between them. Because at the moment, nothing was clearer. She adored this reticent man who had turned away from her at every corner. She felt the same unquenchable passion that Willow had for Tucker.
Oh, God, make it possible for him to return my affection. I’ll never ask for anything again…
A burst of laughter caught her attention. Yvonne had joined the others, and along with Caleb and Copper was now chasing grasshoppers with abandon. Audrey caught her breath, thinking that they were all mad with delight, saturated with the golden rays of the sun after so many days of gloomy skies and hard rain.
Eli reached for her hand, and together they waded barefoot across the field with a hidden bond knitting them together. They joined the others at play, their hands separating. He didn’t directly approach her again, but Audrey felt his presence, caught an occasional glance, a curious smile.
“Hey, is this a private party, or can anyone join?”
Audrey turned to see Josh Redlin approaching the merriment. The wagon master looked particularly fine today. The sun touched his auburn hair, turning the freshly washed mass a shiny red. Now that the illness had run its course, the deep worry lines previously rimming his eyes had vanished.
Copper’s features closed. “Mr. Redlin.”
“Miss. I heard the fun, and knew you’d want me to join in.” He smiled.
She sniffed. “You flatter yourself, sir.”
He sighed, gripping his right side. “Ah, another glancing blow.” The man loved to annoy her, Audrey noted.
He straightened, flashing another white grin. “For a moment I thought the sun had thawed your disposition, but I see I was mistaken.”
Copper nailed him with a frosty glare. “And I, sir, am saddened by your faulty observation. It seems you are plagued by the shortcoming.”
“Ah, yes. I am a rogue. It takes a woman of great insight to recognize my failings. May I congratulate you, Miss…?”
She crossed her arms. “You know my last name, and no, you may not congratulate me.”
“Ah. Pity.” The sound of Tate’s squeals filled the field. “Shall we join in?”
Copper heaved a sigh and turned on her heel. “I’ll leave you children to your play. I have work to do.” Turning, she flounced across the field toward the house.
Josh glanced ruefully at Audrey and stated the obvious. “She doesn’t like me.”
Shrugging, Audrey couldn’t argue. “She’s usually sweet-natured.” Not always…but more so than she was with Josh Redlin. The man clearly got under Copper’s skin.
“She’s a spitfire.” Caleb paused to join the conversation.
Josh’s eyes fixed on Copper’s retreating figure. “That she is. She’ll throw a party when I leave town.”
Audrey looped her arm through the wagon master’s. “And I promise not to attend. We’ve grown accustomed to having you around.”
He grinned. “Your hospitality is much appreciated, but we’ll be leaving soon as the roads are passable.”
“I’ll be sorry to see you go.”
His eyes turned toward the sound of the judge’s slamming back door. “To tell the truth, I like it here in Thunder Ridge. A man could do worse if he intended to put down roots.”
As much as Audrey delighted in the thought, she was happy Copper hadn’t heard it. The observation would inflame her.
There wasn’t enough room for Redlin and Copper in the same small vicinity. Beeder’s Cove might be several miles away, but the distance wouldn’t be nearly enough to temper that explosion.