Hope Reborn (30 page)

“Yes, sir. I came last evening, but then it got dark, and I decided I best wait until this morning.”

Henry nodded. “That’s good to know, and probably for the best.”

“Yes, sir, Sir.” He glanced at May. “Ma’am, well…uh.…” He smiled and looked her square in the eye. “Sorry for stuttering. Had this all planned out. I’ve come for permission to call on Mary.”

She pointed at Henry. “Best ask him, Caleb.”

He turned back. “Oh, yes. Sorry, sir. Permission, sir? With your leave then, I’d like to call on Mary. We’re in love, sir.”

“You are.”

“Yes, sir. Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’ve been speaking every Sunday for better than a year now.”

“I’ve noticed, Caleb. How’s your mother? She better?”

“Oh, yes, sir, much. But she and Pa and the girls are going back to Little Rock in a week or so. My grandpa died, and they’re going to be running his store, take care of my granny.”

“Hate to hear that. My condolences to your family. They’ll be missed in the community. They selling their land?”

“Oh, no, sir. Pa already said he’d sign over his headright to me.”

“How old are you now Caleb?”

“Twenty-two, sir.”

“How far from your place to here?”

“Fifteen mile or better, sir.”

Henry nodded, seemed to be debating with himself then smiled at the young man. “Saturday suppers, Mammy has everything ready at six, don’t be late.”

The fellow jumped to his feet. “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” He extended his hand again and once Henry took it, shook vigorously.

“Bring a clean shirt, you can stay in the bunk house then go home after church on Sunday if that works for you.”

Oh, yes, sir. That’s a top notch idea, sir. I’d be pleased to.” He nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

Henry stood. “Caleb, let me explain something.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You ever dishonor or hurt my baby girl, and… Well, just don’t.”

Caleb gulped double, nodded, then managed a weak. “Yes, sir. I won’t, sir. You can count on me, sir. I’d never –”

“While you’re here, someone else is to be with the two of you at all times. She’s got plenty of sisters to chaperone. One of the boys would be fine as well. Don’t let me catch the two of you by yourselves.”

“Yes, sir. No, sir. I mean, of course, sir. I’ll gladly abide by that, sir.”

Henry put his hand on the young man’s shoulder. “You let me know if there’s any way I can help your family—or you after they’ve gone—with a crop or cattle. Whatever you need.”

“Yes, sir. Thanks. Mighty kind of you, sir.’ The sir-ing-est young man she’d ever known walked toward the door. “Thank you again, sir.” He turned to May as he opened it. “Ma’am, thank you very much. And very pleased to meet you.”

Then just him and her alone—again—with the door shut. He smiled. “That went well.”

She laughed. “It’s a wonder the young man didn’t soil himself.”

He grinned. “I think the implied harm was what he hated worse. Did you see the look in his eyes?”

“I did, but enough of Caleb. Can we get married today?”

“What? No big wedding?”

“You know, my whole life I’ve dreamed of a grand wedding to beat the nines, with hundreds if not thousands of well wishers, cheering me on, but it isn’t the wedding I’m after anymore. It’s only my groom. It’s you I want for the rest of my life, and the sooner you’re mine, the sooner I am yours, the better! Big weddings take a lot of planning and money, or have you not noticed all the work Rebecca and the girls are putting into her and Wallace’s coming nuptials.”

“I have.”

“And besides, I do not intend to steal one tiny rumble of their thunder. Being one with you will satisfy my every desire and make me the happiest woman alive.”

“You talked me into it. Let’s go tell everyone, and get them all ready to go to town. Better still, I’ll send Jean Paul for the preacher.”

“We can get married right here? Oh, that’ll be wonderful!” She threw her arms around his neck. “I love you, Henry!”

Henry stared into her eyes then kissed her ever so gently; she kissed him back and hugged him hard. He made himself stop. “We best go get everyone together, before we get things out of order.”

She put her forehead against his. “You’re right. We’ve waited this long, we can stand another few hours.”

He lifted her up, then she helped him to his feet. Halfway to the door, he froze. “May, answer me one question, and I’ll never bring that day up again.”

She nodded, but the joy in her eyes dimmed.

“You said earlier, you killed both your parents. How so?”

She closed her eyes and pursed her lips. “Chester and Mother dreamed it up, and I let them.”

“What’s that, baby?”

“All the house slaves had fled. They all knew how the commodore acted once he got going. So they—we—decided instead of telling the truth, for Chester to shoot Mama then put the gun in Grandfather’s hand and say he shot her then she shot him back in self defense. Chester did it, and that’s the story we told the sheriff.”

“Mercy, why didn’t you just tell the truth?”

“They said no one would believe it. And without Mama getting shot, they’d make it out that she murdered him even though her beating was quite obvious.”

“That’s just wrong.” He shook his head.

“I almost told, but Chester said they’d put me away, and the commodore’s kin would legally get Sea Side. But Mama never recovered from the wound. Chester didn’t aim too good.”

“How terrible for him.”

“Doc said he hit her in the liver. She died of the jaundice, so yellow you’d have thought she was a slave herself.”

“So you inherited everything when you were thirteen?”

“Mama had the lawyers fix it all up so that I didn’t get control until I was twenty-one. She told me about my real father about a week before she died. Chester already knew, but he had sworn to Silas he’d keep the secret.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too, Henry. Now can we get things in gear? I’m not getting any younger.”

Took only fourteen minutes to get everyone in their seats; May figured that had to be a record, except dinner time was getting close. No one in their right mind wanted to miss any of Mammy’s meals.

Henry stood and held a hand out. Everyone quieted. “First, May has something she wants to tell everyone.” He sat down.

She looked at him. “What?”

He leaned in, cupped his hand over her ear. “Bible says if you’ll confess Jesus before men, he’ll confess you before the Father.”

“Oh. Yes, of course.” She jumped to her feet. Her cheeks warmed, but yes, she needed to do this. She looked around at all the Buckmeyers and Baylors, stopping at Chester.

He’d love this.

“Well, I’m walking on air I think. A few minutes ago, I asked Jesus to save me, and He did.”

For half a heartbeat, silence boomed in her ears.

Then Chester jumped up so fast, he knocked his chair over and made his way around the table to her. He wrapped her in his arms and hugged her tight, like he might never let go.

“Oh, May, that’s wonderful!” His voiced cracked. Was he about to break into tears? He buried his face into her hair and neck. “Praise God, I’m so happy.”

More voices joined in the congratulations and hallelujahs. Appeared everyone agreed, then one of the children, maybe Houston, started clapping and all the others joined in.

Levi and Wallace whopped like she’d just rode a bronco or something.

Gooseflesh popped out all over.

How wonderful to belong to the Lord! And to have such a big family to share it with! She knew now what everyone had been talking about. She sat back down and faced Henry.

“Your turn.”

The man stood and held out both hands again until they settled down, but smiles still adorned the table all around, looking like a family around the crib of a newborn.

“Friends, family, I asked May to marry me, and she said yes.” He looked right at Jean Paul. “Would you be so kind as to fetch the preacher? We’ve decided today’s a perfect day to become one.”

More celebrating ensued. Whoops and hollers and back slapping and hugs flowed like the love from her heart to her beloved. After not too long, Chester took Mammy’s hand and quieted the room again.

“Would it be fine if we were to make it a double wedding?”

May looked to Henry who smiled. She faced her brother. “Of course, a double wedding would beat the nines.”

Then like her soon-to-be husband, the general, went to ordering his minions into action. Of course, he did it with gentile suggestions and plenty of how-abouts. In the end, his marshalling served the purpose of everyone doing his bidding.

May discovered the lesson she’d found Sue learned on the Jefferson Trace. Henry did know the best way to do things. How fine he led. How blessed she was God chose her to be his—and His!

Oh, the rest of her life would be so much fun, so much better than all the days before that one. Her wedding day!

Mid afternoon, after she’d picked out her wedding dress, a lovely white, floor-length gown loaded with lace, the big girls suggested baths, and Henry went to heating water.

Wonder he didn’t think of it himself.

Even before the preacher arrived—the man’s name escaped her, she needed to find out—the house filled with neighbors. Who spread the word? She loved it though.

Her spur of the moment wedding would host more well wishers than even in her dreams. But instead of strangers, these folks obviously loved Henry. True friends of his, and soon to be hers.

How grand, almost made her want to forget traveling to Europe, but having her husband make the trip with her would make it so much fun. He’d never seen Europe, and so many wonderful places she wanted to share with him called her name.

Then it happened.

A fiddler played.

Chester walked her down the aisle then stood beside Henry. Jean Paul, with his mother on his arm, beamed, coming toward the makeshift altar flanked by candles and lilies and roses from the garden out front.

The girls had done an excellent job of decorating, and made her and Mammy the loveliest bouquets of wild prairie flowers.

Then just like that, in a blur of unadulterated love that she and Henry vowed would last until death parted them; amidst I do’s all around—love, honor, and forsaking all others—that wouldn’t be hard.

Where in the whole world could another man exist who compared with her love? She became Mis’ess May Buckmeyer.

And Mammy, who loved May’s surprise suggestion, became a Meriwether—Jewel Merriwether, because she was such a jewel. Chester loved it, too.

What joy consumed Mis’ess May Buckmeyer! She loved her new name as much as Chester’s new wife loved hers! Never a moment in all her life had she been so completely filled with happiness.

The new day broke with him still in bed. She snuggled in close. What a night. She never dreamed marriage would be so enthralling.

He smiled. “Good morning, Mis’ess Buckmeyer.”

“Oh, I’d call it a grand morning, Mister Buckmeyer.” She scooted up in bed. “Want me to get us coffee?”

“Later.”

She loved it that he didn’t want her to leave. “Did you notice Caleb last night?”

“Guess not. Why?”

“Oh, most of the evening, he was very attentive to Mary Rachel, but a time or two I noticed him talking to the Wheeler girl. It just appeared to me that –”

“Nothing to be concerned over; they’re cousins, nothing strange going on.”

“Oh. Well. He only did it when she wasn’t around, and…. Oh, well, I’m sure you’re right.”

“Dark haired, more woman than girl, early twenties, around his age—that the one?”

“That’s her, wore a dark dress. Blue maybe, and a long braid.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Well, even if they weren’t cousins, Mary Rachel wouldn’t have anything to worry about. The girl’s nowhere near as beautiful.”  

“Nowhere near her money either. Believe her name’s Lanelle, Caleb’s mother’s brother’s girl.”

“Hmmm, I sure would’ve bet.… Oh well, never mind; come here to me, my mister.” May snuggled back down. She loved her ready-made family and all the drama that came with it.

Soon though, she’d have her own little one, not that the Buckmeyer babies weren’t hers now. Bonnie didn’t remember her mother at all, and of course, Houston never knew Sue.

She listened to his heartbeat for the longest, then a new idea brought her back upright. “Why don’t we take the big girls with us?”

He rolled toward her and smiled. “You talking Europe?”

“Sure, the little ones wouldn’t really appreciate it, but the three big girls would love it. Could be a break for young Caleb, and Mary Rachel might tell the true tale if he’s really in love.”

“That’d be good. And if we took Bonnie and Houston, then Charley, Bart, and Lilly would be sick we didn’t take them, too.” He tapped the tip of her nose playfully. “All of them would be a handful traveling.”

“No doubt. Just an idea, though. We can think on it. How soon do you think we could leave?”

“For sure not until after Rebecca and Wallace’s wedding. What say we stay until January?”

“That’ll work fine. How long do you think we can be gone?”

“Six, seven months at most.” He fingered her curls. “Have I ever told you how much I love your hair?”

“No, but I sure am glad!” Counting the months, January to June or July, she frowned. “Put us back in the middle of your nasty Texas heat. I think I’d so prefer easing into summer.”

“Maybe everyone could meet us in New York when we get back. We can spend a month there showing them all around. If they left here, say two weeks after we sailed, we’d both get there about the same time.”

“Oh, that sounds like fun! We might just have to do that.”  She kissed his cheek. “Do you suppose we can go to North Carolina, too, on our way home? I’d love to show you Sea Side.”

“Sure.” He kissed her neck, and all conversation ceased.

The big clock struck its eighth chime, just as a light tap on the door sounded. Henry swung out of bed, grabbed his robe, and threw May her housecoat. “Yes?”