Cora's Deception (9781476398280) (23 page)

“Oh, so that’s the way it is.” Vickie nodded
and lowered her voice. “That must mean you’ve forgotten
George.”

At the mention of his name, a flush of anger
brought Cora straight in her chair. “I know he’s your
brother-in-law, Vickie, but I don’t think George is—”

“Kind, considerate, gentlemanly. . .need I
go on?” Vickie smiled and picked up her knitting again.

Cora laughed. “Then you understand.”

“Yes.” Vickie nodded. “I’ve known him as
long as you have. I also know he’s spoiled rotten by his doting
mother. It amazes me a woman can treat her two sons so
differently.” She looked at Cora, her expression stern. “I hope
you’re not playing with Aaron Stark’s affections. From what I’ve
seen, he’s a fine young man.”

“Yes, he is.” Cora shook her head ready to
confess her feelings for Aaron when Ben came in from outside.

“How long until supper?” He turned to the
kitchen where Mother sat at the table peeling potatoes.

She looked up. “At least half an hour.”

Ben glanced around the large room. “Where
are Father and John?”

“In the south field.” Mother tossed a potato
in the pot and stood. “I think they’re hoeing corn this
afternoon.”

“Okay.” He nodded and stepped back outside,
leaving the door open. Cora watched until she couldn’t see him
anymore. If anyone was playing with a Stark’s affection, it was
Ben. Surely he didn’t care anything about Ivy, yet he’d turned to
her as soon as Esther tossed him aside.

She lifted her eyes to the distant line of
trees. Two figures stepped out into the open pasture. Aaron and
Ralph. They’d be at the house in minutes. She jumped up and tore
off the stained work apron she’d been wearing all day. With it and
the dust cloth clutched in her hand, she ran for the ladder.

“Cora, what’s the matter?” Vickie sat up
straight in her chair.

“Aaron and Ralph are coming. Eliza’s out
back, I think. Do you mind telling her?” Cora scrambled over the
last rung of the ladder and ran into her room, throwing the apron
and dust cloth into a basket of laundry. As she pulled her
hairbrush through her hair, Eliza climbed into the room.

“Vickie said Ralph’s coming. Look at me. I’m
a mess. I was feeding that fat, old pig he gave us. I don’t know
why he didn’t say something at the party.” Eliza grumbled as she
fumbled with her dress.

Cora smoothed the hair above her braid. “He
probably smelled the corn bread baking.”

“Cora!” Eliza’s dress dropped to the floor,
and she grabbed another from a hook on the wall.

“I’m only teasing.” Cora lifted her long
braid and coiled it in a knot at the back of her head. “It’s just
that I figured Ralph could smell food a mile away.”

Eliza stuck her tongue out. “It’s nice to
have you back to normal. I was getting tired of you being nice and
sweet to me.” Her grin disappeared when she pulled her clean dress
over her head.

They might as well have taken their time.
Cora helped set the table and watched out the door every few
minutes, but the men all came in together for supper. Aaron glanced
at Cora with a quick smile, but that was it. No acknowledgement she
was even in the same room except for the occasional meeting of
their eyes, which brought warmth to her cheeks each time.

After they ate, Cora and Eliza helped clean
while the men went outside to sit on the porch and visit. The open
door created a frame for the slanted bright rays bathing the
countryside in patches of sunshine and shadows. Low voices added
music to Cora’s waiting heart. At long last, Cora followed her
mother and Vickie outside. She shared a smile with Eliza,
understanding the brightness in her sister’s eyes. Her heart
pounded out its own special beat of anticipation.

Mother and Vickie took the only chairs. Cora
sat on the edge of the porch beside Eliza and watched Lenny try to
teach Nicholas to catch a ball. Ralph leaned against a post a few
feet from Eliza. Cora looked past Eliza, Ralph, and Ben to Aaron.
His eyes met hers and the distance between them disappeared.
Excitement surged through her body in a way she’d never felt
before.

Cora pulled her gaze from Aaron. She
couldn’t sit and stare at him, but oh how she wanted to. He talked
to her father and Ben about raising corn, but she had no idea what
they said. She listened to his deep voice. Every time he glanced
her way, her heart lurched.

Finally, Vickie stood. “If you’ll excuse me,
I think I’ll go in. It’s been a long day.”

John picked up his yawning son and followed
her inside as Ben hopped off the porch. “I’m going out to check on
Flash.” He stretched out a hand toward Aaron. “Good to see you
again.”

“Thanks. You too.” Aaron shook his hand, and
Ben turned toward Ralph.

After they shook hands, he strode off
whistling. The shadow of the house loomed large on the ground
almost swallowing him in the darkness. He seemed happier tonight.
More content. Maybe he was getting over Esther.

Father cleared his throat and stood. He held
his hand out toward Mother. “Isn’t it getting a little chilly out
here for you, Opal?”

She looked up with wide eyes. “I don’t—”

He frowned and shook his head.

She nodded. “I don’t know but what it
is.”

Aaron stood when she did. He kicked Ralph’s
foot. Ralph jumped up and grinned at Mother. “I sure do thank you
for allowing us to come over and eat your good cookin’.”

Mother smiled. “You’re quite welcome.”

Aaron shuffled his toe in the dirt by the
porch. He looked up at Mother, his expression serious. “Thank you,
Ma’am. You set a real good table.” His gaze shifted to include
Father. “Thank you for givin’ us permission to visit your
daughters, Sir. We won’t stay long.”

His words stirred excitement in Cora. At
long last, they would be alone. Now she could talk with Aaron.
While her parents and Lenny stepped inside, leaving the door open,
Aaron walked past Ralph and Eliza to sit beside Cora, and her world
narrowed to the two of them.

He sat close, but not touching. His gaze
roved over her face, tender yet hesitant. “I promised your father I
won’t stay long.”

“Yes, I know.” She looked down at her hands,
clutched in her lap.

“Cora.”

She looked up when he didn’t say more.

His brilliant blue eyes searched hers.
“That’s ever’thing I know. Just Cora Jackson. What’s the rest of
your name?”

“Cordella Jane. But if anyone calls me
Cordella, I know I’ve done something wrong.”

Aaron laughed, making his eyes twinkle.
“I’ll remember that.”

He pulled a handkerchief from his shirt
pocket. There in the corner were the initials she’d embroidered. “I
reckon you don’t know all my name, either.”

“It’s Aaron James Stark.”

He looked up. “You do know. I figured you
didn’t, ’cause there’s only two letters on here.”

She smiled. “I didn’t know when I
embroidered them. Eliza told me later. I’m surprised you still have
that.”

Aaron glanced back at the handkerchief in
his hand. “I don’t use ‘em. I just carry ’em with me. They’re
special.” His eyes connected with hers. “Like you.”

Cora’s heart sang. Her lashes lowered toward
her hands lying deceptively still in her lap. Inside she jumped up
and down. “I still have the box you made for me. I keep my special
things in it.”

Aaron looked over his shoulder at the other
two talking in low tones. When he turned back around, he searched
her face before speaking. “Cora, could we . . .”

He glanced at the open door. “Would it be
wrong to take a short walk?”

Cora scooted forward and stood from the
porch. She held out her hand. “We’ll know if anyone yells
‘Cordella’.”

Aaron grinned and took her hand. They walked
to the edge of the shadow, just out of sight. He turned to face her
and spoke low, so she stepped closer to hear. “I’d like to kiss
you, if it’s all right?”

Cora started to nod when she saw Ben walking
toward them from the shelter. Her heart sank and she sighed. “It’s
more than all right with me, but here comes Ben.”

Aaron stepped back and turned toward Ben. He
kept Cora’s hand in his. “Flash doing okay?”

“Yeah,” Ben’s grin said he knew he’d
interrupted them. “He picked up a rock. Nothing important.”

“That’s good.” Aaron tugged Cora with him
back to the house. “Reckon me and Ralph better be gettin’ on
home.”

He leaned toward Cora and whispered. “I’ll
be comin’ back real soon.”

That was a promise she couldn’t wait for him
to fulfill.

Chapter 18

C
ora held to the porch post and leaned out as far as possible
to see down the trail toward the Newkirks. Vickie’s moans reached
even out here. Cora walked the length of the porch and back. She
hugged her upper arms to rub the tremble from them. What was
keeping Ben? More important, what was keeping Mrs.
Newkirk?

The moans had stopped. Something was wrong.
Cora turned toward the door. Mother wouldn’t know what to do.
Silence pounded against her ears, even more terrifying than the
moaning had been. Vickie had been so ill the first part of her
confinement. What if she died?

The jingle of harness and rattle of a wagon
sent Cora running off the porch into the yard. They’d arrived at
last. Mr. Newkirk brought the horse to a stop in front of the
house.

“Oh, Mrs. Newkirk, please help Vickie. She
isn’t making any sounds now.” Cora willed the woman to hurry.

As soon as he helped his wife down, Mr.
Newkirk turned the wagon around and drove back the way he’d come.
Mrs. Newkirk patted Cora’s shoulder and hurried into the house.
“I’ll do my best with God’s help. It’s in His hands, you know.”

In God’s hands? Cora groaned as the front
door closed behind the woman. What did that mean? Maybe she
wouldn’t know how to help Vickie, either. Oh, where was Ben? Cora
walked across the yard and stared at the empty trail. Surely, he
wouldn’t stay and visit with the Newkirk children. With Esther? She
huffed and walked back to the porch. What her brother did was no
concern of hers. If he wanted Ivy and Esther both, she didn’t care.
She sat on the edge of the porch and hugged her knees with her head
bowed to rest against them. Vickie moaned again, bringing tears to
Cora’s eyes. Why did women go through this?

Her tall, handsome dirt-poor farmer who’d
almost kissed her the other night popped into her mind and she
smiled. Maybe someday they’d have a baby or two. Longing for a son
that looked just like Aaron filled her heart.

A horse’s hooves clomping against the hard
ground brought her head up. So Ben decided to come home. Cora gave
him time to start grooming Flash before she followed them to the
shelter. He looked up from brushing the horse when she entered.

She crossed her arms and scowled at him.
“What’s going on?”

Ben laughed. His eyes sparkled as if they
held a secret. “How should I know? You’re the one who’s been here
all the time. How is Vickie?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t gone inside. Mrs.
Newkirk’s been with her for ages already.” She shrugged. “I assume
they’ll let us know if anything’s wrong.” She pinned him with a
stare. “I’m not talking about Vickie, though. I want to know what’s
going on with you.”

“What are you talking about? I just went to
get Mrs. Newkirk and came home.” His smirk said he knew exactly
what she meant.

Cora shook her head and sighed. “You made up
with Esther, didn’t you?”

Ben laughed again. “Yep!”

“Does that mean you did what she wanted?”
She shook her head. How could he give in so easily? Esther was too
demanding and self-righteous.

Ben sobered. He set the brush aside, patted
Flash, and took Cora’s shoulders in his hands. He looked deep into
her eyes. “I owe you an apology. I should’ve said something a long
time ago. I went to see Harvey Sinclair awhile back.”

She nodded. Something was wrong. She sensed
a change in her brother. “I know that.”

He sighed. “We had a talk. He prayed with
me, Cora. I’ve accepted Jesus as my Savior, but I didn’t do it for
Esther. I did it for myself.”

She looked into his eyes and searched his
face. He’d been more content lately. He looked happy. What he said
didn’t make a lot of sense, but that didn’t matter. Ben’s happiness
did. She nodded. “I’m glad, Ben.”

He smiled. “I—”

“Cora! Ben! Come on. The baby’s here!” Cora
welcomed Eliza’s call. Not only because of the baby, but because
she didn’t know if she wanted to hear anything more Ben might
say.

“All right, Eliza!” Cora yelled out the
door. “We’re coming.”

~*~

Cora sat before the mirror, combing her long
blond hair. Already little Christopher Lee was two months old. A
smile touched her lips at the thought of her baby nephew. He was a
charmer for sure, as he’d already wrapped the entire family around
his tiny finger. She could hardly wait to hold him again. Of all
times to move away, why had John picked now when Chris was so
little and sweet, and they had to wait days sometimes without
seeing him or Nicholas?

“Are you going someplace?” Eliza stepped
into their room.

Cora nodded, smiling. “Yes, Aaron and I are
going to Vickie’s for supper.”

“Oh.” Eliza dropped to the bed and propped
her head on her fist with her elbow on her knee.

She looked glum enough to cry.

“Is something wrong?”

Eliza sighed. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Cora
laughed. “Even I can tell you’re down in the mouth. So did you lose
your last friend?”

Eliza lifted her gaze. “Maybe I have.” She
jumped up and started toward the ladder. Then, as if changing her
mind, she turned and sat back on the bed. “It’s Ralph. About every
other time Aaron comes, Ralph doesn’t.”