Faith (19 page)

Faith was down on her knees, humming as she scrubbed the
worn floor. Plans for the school were moving much faster
than she had expected. Evelyn had given her permission to clean the old house this morning. Even if the house never
became a school for the blind, Evelyn agreed the town
eyesore needed a good cleaning. Faith was thrilled. It was
a monumental task, but once the town saw how the blind
school was beginning to take shape, Faith hoped more
people would get excited about it.

She was badly in need of able-bodied men to repair the
outside, and Evelyn promised if the men came, the women
would soon follow. She could use all the help she could get.
Right after she helped Mary Ellen churn butter, she had left
and gone directly to the land office, thinking Evelyn would
have the information on the taxes. Instead, Evelyn had
handed her a key and told her she was free to start cleaning
whenever she wanted, predicting the money and help
would come in.

Faith suddenly froze at the sound of Liza's strident voice.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Scrambling to her feet, Faith brushed damp hair back
from her forehead. "Mother Shepherd! What are you doing
here?"

Liza's eyes coldly assessed the bucket of suds.

Faith swallowed and hurried on. "I-I thought the place
needed cleaning."

"You thought an empty homestead needed cleaning?"

"I ..." Faith knew that sounded ridiculous. "Evelyn gave
me permission.

"Why would Evelyn give you permission to trespass on
the Smiths' property?"

"I'm not trespassing."

Liza's eyes narrowed. "Does this have something to do
with your insane idea to open a blind school?"

Faith sighed. "Mother Shepherd, it's not an insane idea.
Jeremiah's promised to help, and I-"

Liza cut her off sharply. "Get into the buggy."

"Mother Shepherd-"

"Into the buggy, young woman! You are making a
laughingstock of the Shepherds! I won't have it!"

Faith had never once shown disrespect to an elder. Papa
would've taken a switch to any one of his daughters who
dared to talk back to a senior, but she didn't think he'd
object to her standing up for herself.

No.

Liza's brows shot up. "What did you say?"

"I said no ... ma'am." Faith met her glacial stare. "I
don't mean any disrespect, and it troubles me to disobey
you, Mother Shepherd, but I've been given permission to
start work on the school, and I intend to see it through."

"Have you lost your mind? Just where do you think
you're going to get the money to start this school?"

"Well, I've been praying...."

"The Lord isn't a fool, young lady. He doesn't answer
every whim a headstrong young woman throws at himand if you've got it in your mind the money's coming from
Nicholas, you can just get it right out again! People around
here think we're made of money! All this talk about new
steeples and blind schools-it's enough to make a body
want to scream. Now pick up that bucket and get in the buggy. I'll hear no more talk of this school for the blind. Do
you understand me?"

"Yes, ma'am." Faith didn't move.

"Well? Pick up that bucket!"

"No, ma'am, because I'd just have to set it down again."
Faith felt faint. She'd never stood her ground in such a bold
manner, but the school was important-so important she
was willing to fight for it.

Liza's face suffused with color. "Do I have to take a
switch to you?"

Faith blushed. "No, ma'am. If you would only listen to
reason

"Very well." Liza pinned her with a final look. "You will
either pick up that bucket and come with me, or you
needn't come home at all."

The threat hung between them.

"I can't do that," Faith said softly.

"You will do it, or you will be sent packing, young lady.
You are not Nicholas's wife yet. This ... this blind school
is a matter that will require considerable thought-you can't
just come in here and turn our lives upside down."

"I'm not starting the school today, Mother Shepherd. I'm
only cleaning-"

"Don't sass me. Either get up and come with me now, or
don't bother coming back to the house."

Faith mulled the ultimatum over in her mind. Where
would she go? She couldn't go back to Aunt Thalia's. Aunt
Thalia would turn her over her knee for certain when she
learned Faith had deliberately disobeyed an elder, but she couldn't stay and live in a household where she wasn't
wanted, either.

Liza tapped her foot. "Have you forgotten your purpose,
Miss Kallahan? You were bought-purchased, by my son.
Have you forgotten that?"

Faith recoiled from the spiteful words. Purchased? The
hateful word was hostile, repugnant. God had sent her to
Deliverance; Nicholas had sent for her, and Liza had no
right to ask her to leave. When Faith married Nicholas, she
had every intention of being an obedient wife. To Nicholas,
not Liza. Was that what was bothering Liza? Was the school
for the blind the real issue, or was it the knowledge that her
son would soon belong to another woman that incited her?

"Are you going to answer me?"

Faith dropped to her knees and started scrubbing, closing
her eyes against the sound of Liza's audible gasp. She had no
idea where she would go, but she wasn't going back to that
cold tomb the Shepherds called home.

"Very well. Your belongings will be on the front porch
when you decide to pick them up. You had best find
another place to stay, Miss Kallahan. You are no longer
welcome in my house."

"What about Nicholas?" Faith murmured, afraid to look
up.

"My son will do as I say." Liza turned to walk off, then
turned to give Faith a cold stare. "I'll expect the buggy to
be returned immediately."

Biting back tears, Faith scrubbed harder. The floor was
old and chipped, but with work it would come clean. She looked up only when she heard Liza's buckboard rattle out
of the yard.

Dear Lord. What would she do now? She had just been
thrown out of the Shepherd house. She had failed God; she
had failed Nicholas.

Burying her face in her hands, she sobbed.

I'M already missing home, Rusty."

As foreign as homesickness was to Nicholas, the realization was clear: He wasn't looking forward to the long trip.
He was going to miss Faith. The thought was even more
sobering when he conceded he barely knew the woman.
Yet he was going to miss her. Her infectious zest for life,
her spontaneous nature, her radiant smile had brought
sunshine into the Shepherd household, something sadly
missing for longer than he cared to remember.

"Well, it won't be long before the cattle are ready, Boss."
Rusty whistled, steering a stray heifer back into the herd.

For six weeks the men had worked hard before Nicholas
joined them, searing hot branding irons into the cattles'
sides, marking them Shepherd beef. Sunup to sundown, the
men worked, readying the cows for the cattle drive.

Nicholas smiled, missing his comfortable bed and hot meals
already. The roundup was taking longer than Nicholas liked.
For the past few days he'd worked the back range and shared
a cabin with Rusty Treson, the trail boss. This morning the
two men rode to the main bunkhouse. The men were up
and saddling their horses, loading their Winchesters and
securing bedrolls. Cook, Gabby Masters, was busy stocking
the chuck wagon with beans, flour, cornmeal, coffee, lard,
salt pork, bacon, and beef jerky. The drive was finally under
way.

Thirteen days later Nicholas took off his Stetson, wiping
sweat from his forehead as he eyed the hardy group. He
studied the men, proud of his help. The men knew their
jobs and always gave him a full day's work. There were a
couple of tenderfeet in the crowd this year, but by the end
of the drive, they'd be seasoned drovers. One cattle drive,
even a short one, could determine a man's calling in life.

Nicholas's features sobered as he faced the cowboys.
"You each know how much I appreciate the job you're
doing. You've put in long hours and had little rest. But we
still have our work cut out for us. Tonight's activities are
bound to cause problems, but you men need a break from
the tedious work. Have a good time, but remember,
you're paid to work, not to play."

Nicholas knew that a few hours of relaxation would see
them back, rested and brimming with enthusiasm. "Bear in mind the rules. No one comes back drunk, and everyone is
to be in his bedroll by ten o'clock."

A good-natured groan went up.

"Ten o'clock," Nicholas reiterated. "There'll be a brief
prayer service at sunup."

"How about extendin' the time to ten-thirty, Boss?"
Gabby Masters grinned. A gold tooth glistened in the
predawn light.

Nicholas gave the weathered old cook a good-natured
frown. Nicholas couldn't recall Gabby ever leaving camp.
"You know what's expected of you, Gabby. Just keep the
biscuits and gravy coming."

Rusty spoke up. "We'll be on our best behavior, Mr.
Shepherd. I guarantee it. Ain't that right, boys?"

A few nodded; some mumbled as they adjusted their
spurs, tightened their chaps, and mounted their horses.

"Let's head 'em out!" Nicholas ordered, his high-spirited
Appaloosa stirring up a trail of dust as he led the way.

This year's herd was larger than usual. The cattle plodded
along with riders ahead, behind, and on both sides. Gabby,
eating a lot of dust, followed behind the herd with the
chuck wagon. At the end of the day, there wasn't a man in
the pack who wasn't ready to climb out of his saddle and
chow down. Gabby set up camp at the edge of a small, clear
stream. By the time the men had washed up, supper was
waiting.

The hungry drovers lined up at the chuck wagon.

"I've eaten more dust today than a cyclone," one of the
men joked.

"A meal, fifteen minutes of shut-eye, then I'm headin'
into town!" another declared.

Cook piled tin plates with salt pork, steaming beans, and
biscuits. Gabby's generous helpings were guaranteed to stick
to a man's ribs.

Nicholas poured scalding hot coffee into a tin cup, then
leaned against a rock. He hoped the drive would end in San
Antonio in a few days, maybe less. Faith filled his thoughts.
Were she and Mama getting along? He grinned, taking a sip
of the biting coffee. He sure hoped so.

The women reminded him of two ornery bulldogs staking
out their territory. It had been slow coming, but now that
he wasn't around, maybe they'd get along better. Mama
needed to accept Faith; after he and Faith were married, she
would be a comfort to Mama. He pictured them sitting in
the parlor, stitching handwork as they talked about whatever women talked about. Later Mama would fix that tea
she favored-maybe put a few of those lemon cookies on a
fragile plate, and the two women would warm to each
other.

He felt a twinge of guilt, realizing he hadn't been fair to
Faith. He should have taken time to court her, let her get to
know him. But with Mama acting so strange, hay to be put
up, and the cattle drive, he'd neglected his intended bride.
He planned to change that when he got home.

Pitching the remainder of his coffee into the fire, he
decided to join the men in town.

As the cowboys crawled into their bedrolls later, they fell
asleep listening to the night watch sing to the herd. A few weary snickers sounded from nearby bedrolls. Even Nicholas had to smile. No matter how off-key a cowboy sang, his
voice had a soothing effect on the herd.

Camp had been asleep not more than an hour when the
wind suddenly rose. In an instant, bolts of lightning lit up
the churning sky. Thunder reverberated through the
ground, and rain fell in blinding sheets.

"Watch the herd!" Nicholas shouted, and the men ran for
their horses.

Cattle moved about restlessly. Father, don't let the herd spook,
Nicholas prayed as he rode the perimeter of the camp. The
storm passed, and the weary men spent the remainder of the
night rounding up stray steers. The electrical storm would
throw them yet another day behind schedule.