Authors: Promised to Me
Robin Lee Hatcher (6 page)
I
akob wore a bandanna over his nose and mouth as he attacked the thick layer of dust that covered everything inside the two-room cabin. Even so, he tasted the dirt on his tongue and felt it stinging his eyes. He could have used Lance Bishop’s help, but his young farmhand was occupied with the children, making sure they didn’t get into mischief while their dad was up on the mountainside.
Jakob paused a moment and cast an eye at the roof. He wondered if it leaked in a rainstorm. He didn’t see any blue sky peeking through, but that didn’t mean water couldn’t find a way.
The log cabin had been the first home of Matthew Lewis when he came to this valley to farm in the 1880s. Lewis had done well for himself, and after he married he’d built the main house down below for his bride. Then this cabin had become home to small varmints and spiders. It had remained so after Jakob purchased the farm from Lewis’s widow.
Is it a suitable for Karola?
He glanced around the room, then shook off the bothersome thought. Setting his jaw, he went back to work. Suitable or not, it would have to do. Short of having Karola sleep in the barn loft, this was the only place available for her.
Frustration welled inside of him.
Just once! Just once couldn’t life deal him a fair and easy hand? Why did it always have to be difficult? He’d watched his father get beaten down by hardship and poverty. That was one reason Jakob had left Germany. He’d wanted to escape the day in, day out adversity of existence in the old country. He’d thought things would be different here.
Things
had
been different, of course. By many standards, he was a successful man. But things had also been painfully similar. Like his father before him, Jakob had lost his wife too young and been left to raise his children alone.
He paused again, cupping his hands over the top of the broom handle and leaning on it. This time his thoughts centered on Siobhan. Oh, what a tumultuous marriage they’d had! Jakob was more reserved by nature; he liked a quiet and peaceful atmosphere in order to reflect and consider the matters of life. But Siobhan? There’d been nothing reserved about her. She’d been like a Roman candle, bursting brightly in the sky, shining light all around. She’d loved nothing more than a good
Donnybrook,
as she’d called their fights.
But Jakob had hated their frequent disagreements, no matter the cause. Until after Siobhan was gone. Then he’d missed them. Strange. He hadn’t known he would miss them as a part of missing her.
I wonder if Karola likes to argue.
No, he answered himself immediately. Karola would never like to argue. She was more gentle in spirit, more eager to please.
“You know nothing of me or my life since you went away,
Jakob.”
She was right, he thought, gripping the broom and returning to work. He didn’t know. Maybe she loved nothing more than a good Donnybrook. Maybe she would have made his life miserable if they’d married. He didn’t know, and he didn’t need to know. As long as she took good care of his children so he could take care of the business of farming, that’s all that mattered to him now.
Ida Noonan smiled as she dropped Karola’s letter into a leather bag behind the counter at the back of the grocery store. “I’m sure your folks’ll be glad to get word from you, Miss Breit. It’s good of you to write to them. Gotta be worrisome for them, having you go so far away.”
Karola nodded.
“Ja.”
“I was tellin’ Henry—that’s my husband, you know—that I’d sure hate it if one of our young’ns took it into their heads to go to a whole other country once they’re all growed up. Hard enough when they leave Shadow Creek.”
It seemed that Karola’s participation in the conversation wasn’t necessary, so she remained silent.
Ida leaned her forearms on the counter. “Our oldest girl, Elizabeth, she married a fellow from over in Boise. She’s expectin’ her first baby come fall, and I’m wonderin’ how she’s gonna manage. She can’t stand that mother-in-law of hers, so it isn’t like she’ll want
her
coming to stay after the baby arrives. Not that I can blame Elizabeth. Mrs. Young is the most busybodyin’ woman I ever did set eyes on.” She straightened and gestured with a hand toward the rows of grocery items behind Karola. “But it isn’t like I can just up and go stay with her for long. Henry, he counts on me to help keep this place runnin’. He’s got himself a lot of good qualities, that man does, but land o’ Goshen, organized he isn’t.”
When Ida Noonan paused to draw a breath, Karola grabbed the opportunity to smile, nod, and turn to leave.
Ida didn’t let her escape that easily. She bustled out from behind the counter and walked with Karola toward the door. “I hear tell you’re gonna look after the Hirsch children.”
Karola remembered the words that Nadzia Denys had spoken earlier that day: “Shadow Creek is a very small town.” It seemed news traveled as quickly here as it did in Steigerhausen.
“I think that’s right kind of you, given the circumstances and all. Mr. Hirsch’s had a hard time of it since Mrs. Hirsch died. Poor man. So heartbroken he was when he lost her.” She clucked her tongue. “Poor, poor man. And those adorable children, left without a mother. They are needin’ a woman in the home.”
The shop door opened, and two young women—one tall and dark-haired, the other petite with strawberry-blond curls— stepped inside, arm in arm. They were talking softly to one another, their heads close. Their expressions implied they were sharing intimate secrets.
“Oh, look who’s here,” Ida said with enthusiasm. “Miss White. Miss Shrum. You’re just in time to say hello to Miss Breit. She’s come here all the way from Germany.”
When the more formal introductions were accomplished, Emma Shrum, the dark-haired girl, nodded to Karola. “I believe my mother called on you earlier this afternoon.”
“
Ja,
she did. She was very kind.”
“Oh, Mother would never think of allowing anyone to remain a stranger for long in this town.” Emma laughed softly. “Not even someone who chooses to attend a different church than my father’s.”
Ida chimed in. “Emma’s father is the Methodist minister.”
Karola nodded.
Charlotte White tipped her head and her curious gaze rested on Karola. “And what are your plans, Miss Breit, now that you and Mr. Hirsch aren’t to be married? Will you move to Boise or elsewhere?”
“Oh, she plans to stay right here,” Ida answered before Karola could. “Miss Breit’s moving into the old Lewis cabin and is going to care for the Hirsch children. I’m surprised you hadn’t heard.”
Charlotte looked at the girl next to her, her eyes suddenly narrowed. “No, I hadn’t heard. Did you know about it, Emma?”
Emma didn’t so much as glance at Charlotte, appearing as if she hadn’t heard the question.
“Well,” Ida continued, “it’s absolutely the perfect plan for all concerned.”
Karola hoped the proprietress was right. All she knew for certain was that it was the
only
plan available to her at the moment. And if this wasn’t God’s will, she would trust him to stop it from happening.
A loud noise, like something heavy hitting the floor, came from another room at the back of the store. It was followed by a man’s angry curses.
“Good heavens!” Ida hurried away, calling, “Henry Noonan, we’ve got
customers.
Watch your language.”
“That’ll be the day,” Emma said softly, a chuckle in her voice. Then, with another smile at Karola, she added, “I’d better see to my shopping or Mother will wonder what’s happened to me. Please excuse me.”
“Of course,” Karola replied.
“I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.” With that, Emma headed down one of the aisles.
“Good day, Miss Breit,” Charlotte said with a definite lack of warmth. Then she followed her friend.
Karola stared after the two young women, who were whispering to one another again. Had there been a time in her life when she’d had someone with whom she could laugh and whisper and share secrets like that?
Ja. Jakob. A long, long time ago.
She turned and left the store, her steps slow and heavy as she headed toward the hotel.
Jakob leaned over the crib and covered Aislinn with her favorite blanket. She slept on her stomach, her face turned sideways on the mattress, sucking on her thumb. Several women in Shadow Creek had volunteered pointers on stopping the habit, but he hadn’t paid them any mind. He figured she’d stop on her own when the right time came.
Turning from the crib, he stepped to the side of Maeve’s child-sized bed. With his fingertips, he brushed her unruly red hair from her face, then bent low to kiss her freckled cheek. Maeve murmured in her sleep before rolling onto her side.
“Happy dreams,” Jakob whispered. He walked from the girls’ room into Bernard’s.
The boy had been asleep no more than fifteen minutes, and already his sheet and blanket were twisted in knots and his nightshirt was bunched underneath his arms. He slept crossways on the mattress, his legs hanging over one side.
Jakob gently repositioned his son on the bed. Then he pulled the bed coverings back into place, knowing they wouldn’t stay there long. He ruffled the boy’s hair with one hand and kissed his forehead. Bernard was oblivious to it all.
Wouldn’t it be nice to sleep that soundly?
Jakob thought as he left the boy’s bedroom and went down the stairs.
He walked out onto the front porch and settled onto one of the rocking chairs as he stared across the valley to the east. The clouds along the horizon were stained red and orange by the setting sun, and the mountains were a deep blue hue.
Jakob sniffed the air, hoping for the scent of rain. Farming, even with the benefit of the Shadow Creek Irrigation Project, was a gambling proposition. The weather always mattered. So far, spring had cooperated, sun and rain coming in their proper turns.
This year, Jakob had nearly half his acreage in alfalfa, the rest in wheat. They were crops that needed no weeding or tilling and relatively little water and thus were easier to raise for a farmer who was short on extra hands. Some of his neighbors had switched to more labor-intensive—and lucrative—row crops, such as sugar beets and potatoes, but Jakob was sticking with the tried and true. Too many unknowns at present for him to add something else.
In the east, the bright colors faded from the clouds, and the sky and earth blurred together, awash in shades of deepening gray as dusk turned to night. The chirping of crickets filled the air, punctuated occasionally by the deep
ribbet
of a frog.
Tomorrow, he would ride into Shadow Creek for the third time in three days. Yesterday, he’d expected to return with a bride. Tomorrow, he would return with a housekeeper and nursemaid for his children.
Maybe that was for the best. He hoped so. He supposed only time would tell.
E
xcept for the rattle of harness and the creaks and groans of the wagon, the ride from Shadow Creek to the Hirsch farm had been a silent one. Jakob’s children had been left for a second day in the care of Lance Bishop, Jakob’s part-time farmhand. Lance never complained about that particular duty—he said he liked kids—but Jakob wasn’t keen on paying him to watch the children when there was so much other work to be done. Thankfully, after this morning he wouldn’t have to worry about it. Now Karola would be there.
He glanced sideways at her and wondered what she was thinking. Did she resent him for his insistence that she repay her passage to America, or did she accept the fairness of the situation? He couldn’t be sure. It seemed to him there’d been a time he’d known exactly what Karola thought because they’d been of one mind. Or maybe he’d imagined that. It was all such a long time ago.
He slapped the reins against the broad backsides of the horses. “I’ll take you up to the cabin first so we can unload your things. Then we’ll go back to the house.”
From the corner of his eye, he saw Karola nod.
“I hope you’re not expecting much. About the cabin, I mean. It isn’t big, but it’s solid. I cleaned it as good as I could yesterday and brought up a better mattress and an old chest of drawers that used to belong to Mrs. Lewis, the lady who owned the place before us. I expect you’ll do all your eating with the family, so I didn’t worry about things like dishes and pans and such.”
Karola nodded again.
“I figure you’ll mostly just be sleeping there. ’Course, if there’s anything you need—”
“I am sure it will be fine, Jakob. Please, do not worry about me.” She sounded stoic, resigned.
For some reason, that galled him.
She’s right. I’ve got nothing
to apologize for. She won’t be doing without.
Jakob pressed his lips together and didn’t speak again for the remainder of the way.
The wagon followed a narrow track of road that passed to the south of the main farmhouse before winding up the slope of the mountain. It wasn’t long before the cabin—Karola’s new home—came into view. Square and squat, the log structure sat in the center of a small clearing surrounded by tall but scraggly pines.
For a moment, Karola recalled the place she and Jakob used to go, deep in the forest beyond their tiny village. She remembered the dim light that had filtered through the thick tree branches. She could still smell the damp air, and see the greenness of everything around them.
And then, unexpectedly, she remembered something else.
Jakob and Karola sat on a large boulder, surrounded by the dense
forest and a denser silence. This was their secret place. Since they
were children, they’d come here on Sunday afternoons, sharing
their hopes and their dreams.
“I could go with you, Jakob,” Karola said softly, a catch in
her voice. “We could marry first, and I could go with you to
America.”
“Your father would never agree. You know that. You’re too
young, and I have nothing to give you yet.”
“But it is not fair that I should have to remain here, just
because I am a girl! I could work, too, Jakob. I am strong, and I
am a skilled baker like my father.”
“Karola.” Jakob took her face between his hands, then leaned
forward and silenced her with a sweet kiss. When their lips
parted, he whispered, “It won’t be so long before I send for you.
I’ll work hard and I’ll buy my own land, and then you’ll join me
and we’ll grow rich and fat together.”
She felt as if she might die from the pain of his going. What
would she do without Jakob? He had been her best friend long
before she had fallen in love with him. Jakob understood the
things her seventeen-year-old heart longed for. He understood
her dreams because they were so much like his own.
“Do not cry, mein Liebling.” Jakob kissed her lips again,
then brushed the tears from her cheeks with tender fingertips.
“Do not cry.”
Karola did her best to obey. Swallowing the lump in her
throat, she reached into the pocket of her skirt and withdrew a
small, round photograph of herself. Until this morning, it had
been part of a larger family photograph, sitting on a shelf in her
father’s office at the back of the bakery. Karola had cut out her
likeness to give to Jakob.
“It is for your watch.” She sniffed. “So you will not forget me.”
Rather than take the photograph, he cupped her face with his
hands. “I could never forget you, Karola.” His voice was deep,
his devotion clear. “And you must remember that you are promised
to me.”
“I will remember. I promise, Jakob. I will always be yours.”
The memory of that day and of those whispered promises was not a welcome one. How awful that her mind would betray her in such a way! It would be better to forget all that had passed between them so long ago. That had been another time, another country—even another Jakob and Karola.
As Jakob drew the team to a halt, the door of the cabin opened, and Jakob’s two older children spilled through the doorway, followed a moment later by little Aislinn, who was gripping the index finger of a tall young man, bent low to accommodate her as she toddled forward.
“Da!” Maeve rushed toward the wagon.
“Da!” Bernard echoed, hard on his sister’s heels.
Jakob jumped down from his seat.
“Mr. Lance showed us the cabin,” Maeve said. “It doesn’t look like it did before.”
“It had better not.” Jakob gave his daughter an affectionate pat on the shoulder before turning toward Karola. “Let’s give you the grand tour.”
Karola stood, and Jakob stretched out a hand to help her down. The memory of that same hand cupping her face with such tenderness made her reluctant to accept his offer, but she had little choice. To refuse might give too much meaning to her private thoughts.
Neither seemed inclined to hold hands longer than necessary.
They separated as soon as her feet touched the ground.
“Karola, this is Lance Bishop. He works for me a few days a week.”
“Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” Lance bent the brim of his hat.
“
Danke,
Mr. Bishop.”
The young man chuckled. “Mr. Bishop’s my father, ma’am. I’d just as soon you called me
Lance,
if you don’t mind.” His grin was lopsided and infectious.
She smiled in return.
Jakob grunted. “Help me get this trunk inside, will you, Lance?”
“Sure thing.”
“Maeve, take your sister’s hand,” Jakob instructed, and the girl obeyed.
While the two men stepped to the back of the wagon, Karola moved toward the cabin. At the doorway she paused and peeked inside.
The main room had a stone fireplace, large enough for cooking, with what appeared to be an oven built into one side. A box in the nearby corner was stacked high with wood, and the scent of pine filled the room. A small table and two chairs were positioned beneath one of the two narrow, curtainless windows, set high in the walls—one facing north, one facing west. The only other furniture was a wooden rocking chair with an oval-shaped table beside it.
Hearing sounds behind her, Karola entered the cabin and walked across to the bedroom. She stepped through the doorway, then off to one side so she would be out of the way as the men carried in her trunk and set it on the floor at the foot of the bed.
The bedroom was as sparsely furnished as the main room. Here there was the brass-framed bed covered in a yellow-and-white quilt, a large chest of drawers, and a long, narrow table set against one wall, a pitcher and basin in its center. The bedroom had one window; it, too, was curtainless.
Jakob cleared his throat, drawing Karola’s attention. “Lance is bringing in the rest of your luggage. We’ll leave you to settle in. When you’re ready, walk on down to the house.” He gestured, as if she could see outside. “You can’t get lost. Just follow the path down the hillside. It’s no more than half a mile or so. We’ll have our lunch when you get there, if that’s all right with you.”
She nodded.
He looked as if he might say something more, but instead, he turned on his heel and strode out of the house.
Karola stayed where she was until Lance appeared with her bags. He set them next to the trunk, then bent his hat brim to her a second time, saying, “Ma’am,” before departing. Finally, alone in the cabin, Karola stepped to the bed, sank onto the edge of the mattress, and listened as the silence closed in around her.
Alone …
Rejected …
Unwanted …
Just as she’d been in Germany.
She was supposed to have been a bride by now. She was supposed to have a home and a husband and be looking forward to children of her own. What had gone wrong? Why hadn’t it worked out the way she’d imagined? Why couldn’t any of her dreams come true?
She felt a stab of guilt. Her newfound trust that God would see her through hadn’t lasted much more than a day. Already she was questioning his will for her life. Already she was doubting that he would handle her disappointments.
She sighed heavily. “Help me.”
Moments passed, and then a thought occurred to her.
I was
the one who stopped the wedding.
She straightened a little.
That was true. She was the one who had chosen not to marry a man she didn’t love. Jakob hadn’t rejected her. She had rejected him. Naturally, she had fond memories. Jakob had been her dearest childhood friend, and she’d loved him when she was young. But everything was different now. She was no longer a girl. She was a woman, and she didn’t have to think the way she’d once thought. Why, she should be reveling in her freedom. She was no longer a spinster who lived with her aging parents and worked in her father’s bakery. She was an independent woman, unmarried by choice, with limitless possibilities in this wonderful new land. Hadn’t Jakob come to America with nothing? Yet look at him now. If she applied herself, couldn’t she accomplish the same?
Of course she could.
She rose from the bed, lifted her chin, and squared her shoulders.
Harvest was not such a long time away, and this cabin wasn’t such a horrid place. She would repay Jakob because it was the right thing to do. But after the harvest … well, anything was possible.
Anything.
