Turner's Rainbow 2 - The Rainbow Promise (8 page)

"Thank you."

"Besides, Sarah's six months along; she could use a helping hand. The housework is a lot for her to do by herself, even when she's feeling good. But with her getting heavier and tireder and with summer coming on—well, it'd be impossible. The Crowleys, our neighbors, were going to send their oldest girl over to help starting next month, but you being here will be better."

"That's true. I could do a lot of things for her." Julia's spirits brightened. This house and alt the extra work that went with summertime would be too much for a pregnant woman. Julia realized that she would be useful, not a burden. If Sarah really was as nice as she seemed, maybe she wouldn't look down on Julia and think she was ignorant and low class. Maybe they could even be friends. And by the time Sarah was able to handle all the housework and the new baby by herself, Julia would have had plenty of time to look around for some kind of work. Perhaps she could even build up a little nest egg by taking in sewing in her spare time.

"There. See? You're a blessing, not a problem. Now, tell me how you got here. Who is this Micah fellow?"

"I walked," Julia replied simply.

"You what? All the way from Gideon?"

"Yes. How else could I come?"

"Why didn't you telegraph me? I would have come and gotten you."

"I didn't think of it. It would have cost money, and I . . . I didn't think of it."

Luke grimaced. He guessed a few years ago he wouldn't have thought of it either. "I'm sorry."

Julia shrugged. "It wasn't that bad. But it was tiring, and we didn't bring enough food. A mile or two from your house, I—well, it was silly, but I fainted. Micah happened along, and he helped me. He carried me part of the way, until I came to, and after that, he carried the suitcase and let me lean on him; my knees were watery."

Luke sighed. "I'n sorry this happened to you. Things will be better for you now. I promise." Luke rose from his chair. "I'm going out to talk to this fellow who helped you. And you better go on up to bed. You need the rest."

"All right." Julia stood up, too, and reached out to take Luke's hand, "Thank you."

"No need to thank me, I'm glad you're home."

"So am I."

❧

When Luke returned to the house, Sarah was already upstairs getting ready for bed. She sat in a chair, bending down to unlace her high-topped shoes and slip them off. She smiled up at Luke, and be brushed his hand against her cheek.

"Julie's husband's dead."

"What?" Sarah had thought of other reasons for Julia to be here, but not of that. "But he's not very old, is—was he?"

Luke shook his head. "Thirty-six or so, I guess. He dropped dead in the fields. A heart attack."

"Oh, my goodness. How awful for her."

"He's no loss."

"Luke!"

"What? His being dead doesn't make him any nicer."

"No, but... well, I'm glad she came to us."

"She didn't have much choice." Luke sat down and began to pull off his work boots. "Will was sharecropping forty acres for a man named Harrington, and the man wanted to put a new tenant in the house."

"You mean, he made Julia leave her house right after her husband died!"

"Yeah. That's why she set out on foot with the kids. She doesn't have any money. Will was in debt to Harrington, so Harrington took the tools, wagon, and team in payment of the debt."

"Luke! How terrible! Poor Julia."

Luke smiled. He had been certain of Sarah's sympathy, but it pleased him to hear her confirm it. "I told her she could stay with us."

"Of course." Sarah smiled. It would be nice having another woman in the house, not just for a hand with the chores (although that would be a pleasant relief, too, especially as she got heavier with child), but mostly for conversation and companionship. It was often a lonely life on the farm, not seeing neighbors or family except on Sundays, with only a two-year-old to keep her company during the day.

It would be fun to chat with Julia while they washed and hung out the clothes or cooked supper. They could laugh over the things Emily did. Maybe Julia would tell Sarah stories about Luke's childhood, the sort of sweet things Luke wished she knew about her husband—the way he had looked, his first word, the games he had played.

"She was afraid she might cause problems here," Luke told her.

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I guess because she doesn't know you very well."

"Well, with some women it might be a problem. I mean, every woman has her own way of running a house. But I can't see Julia and me fussing over things like that, can you?" Luke shook his head. "Anyway, even if she were cantankerous or lazy, she's your sister. I couldn't turn her away."

Luke unbuttoned his shirt. "I told her you would be fine with it."

Sarah finished undressing and slid a white cotton nightgown over her head. Luke watched her, his fingers growing still on his buttons. Sarah's stomach was swollen with the child she carried and the gown was plain and voluminous, but, even so, the sight of her putting it on stirred his loins.

"I hired Micah." Luke slumped down in his chair, stretching out his legs, to watch Sarah unbraid her hair.

"Did you? Good. You need a hand." The thick strands of her hair loosened when Sarah unfastened her braid, but didn't fall apart. She pushed her fingers through her hair like a comb, separating the strands. Her hair clung and curled around her fingers.

Luke wet his lips. "Yeah. Well, he did a good job on the chores this afternoon, and he helped Julia. He's staying in the room in the barn. I gave him sheets and towels."

Sarah picked up her brush and began to pull it through her hair. It fell in thick, brown, silky waves down her back, clear to her hips.

Luke went to stand behind her. He took the brush from her hand and began to brush her hair himself. He loved the feel of it in his hands, warm and soft, catching on his calluses. "Being in that room made me think about when I first came here. When I lived there."

"I remember."

He smiled faintly. "I used to lie awake in my bed every night, thinking about you."

"Oh. Luke."

"It's true."

"You acted like you didn't know I was alive."

He gathered her hair in one hand and twisted it lazily around his hand and arm, watching it catch the light. He bent and kissed the top of her head. "I was scared to death of you, afraid I'd frighten or disgust you. I wanted so badly for you not to fear me."

Sarah rose and took his face between her hands. "I never feared you."

"I know. You're an amazing woman."

"No. I just know you."

Luke bent and kissed her, releasing her hair and letting it slide through his hand. He wanted her, as he always did, but he refrained, as he always did. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

They climbed into bed, and Sarah snuggled into his arms. She fell asleep quickly, as she did nowadays, but Luke lay awake for a long time, listening to her soft, even breathing and feeling the soft warmth of her body. He knew there wasn't a man alive happier than he was.

J
ulia was amazed at how easily she and the children fit into Luke and Sarah's life. All the fears she had held about her sister-in-law proved to be wrong, Sarah was pleasant and easy to talk to. She never demanded or told Julia what to do but always asked. There was nothing in her tone or manner to indicate that she thought herself better than Julia. She treated Julia simply as her husband's beloved sister, a woman whom she wanted to know and like—and by whom she wished to be liked! That amazed Julia more than anything else, that Sarah McGowan should be concerned over whether Julia Dobson liked her and was happy in her home.

They worked well together, both of them hard workers and neat to a fault. They fell into a natural division of labor, with Julia taking on the heavier tasks that were difficult for Sarah in her condition. At first Sarah protested that Julia was working too hard and would hurt herself, but Julia simply laughed. "Haven't you got that backwards? You're the one who should take it easy."

"But you—are you sure you're up to it?"

Julia shook her head, smiling. She knew that her small size and pale coloring often deceived people into thinking she was fragile. "Don't worry. I may not be big, but I'm strong as an ox. Just let me worry about the heavy things."

Before the day was out, Sarah had to admit that Julia was right—she might look as though a hard wind would blow her away; but she was strong and loaded with stamina.

Sarah was glad for the help. She had forgotten how much more quickly the chores went when there were two women to do them, especially with Vance and Bonnie to take care of small chores and keep Emily occupied. They were done each day with time to spare, so Sarah suggested that they use their free time to make the children some new clothes, pointing out tactfully that Julia must have had to leave most of their clothes when they moved.

Julia supposed that she ought to be too proud to accept Sarah's charity, no matter how kindly Sarah phrased it. But she couldn't bring herself to refuse the offer. She longed to see her children in something new and pretty, just once.

Sarah brought down several lengths of material from a trunk in the attic, and throughout the next few days, they worked on the children's clothes every moment their hands were idle. With two of them sewing, the work went quickly and by Saturday they had finished a simple outfit for each of the children. Then Sarah brought out two of her own dresses and insisted on altering them to fit Julia's smaller frame.

Julia protested, but when she tried them on, she couldn't bear to refuse them. One dress was blue and the other, a dusky rose, and they did magical things for her coloring. The sleeves of the rose-colored one were tight, with long, buttoned cuffs, and puffed out at the shoulders. A narrow row of ivory lace decorated its cuffs and collar,

Julia looked at herself in the mirror, wanting the rose dress so much she could taste it. "It's awfully fancy."

"Fancy! What do you mean? It'll be perfect for church or company."

"Well, yes, you're right." Julia turned before the minor, craning her neck to see the back. No doubt it didn't seem fancy to Sarah, but Julia had never had a dress with lace on it, even the one she had worn on her wedding day. "I just meant, it's maybe too fancy for me. I don't know if I look right in it."

Sarah gave an inelegant snort. "Don't be silly. Luke!"

He came up the stairs and smiled at the sight of his sister in the dress.

"Tell her that she looks right in that dress," Sarah ordered.

"You look beautiful."

"See?" Sarah said around the pins in her mouth and continued pinning up the hem. "If I hurry, we can get this ready for you to wear to church tomorrow." She glanced up. "That is, I mean, if you want to go."

Julia thought of going to church in Sarah's pretty dress, with her children in brand new clothes and Sarah there to smooth her way. It was vanity and pride, of course, not good reasons to go to church, but still... she wanted to go. "Yes, I'd like that."

The next morning after chores, Julia was surprised to see Luke come down dressed in a black suit and white shirt with stiff celluloid cuffs and collar. Julia realized that he was going to church with them. Julia had never known Luke to step foot inside a church before. She sneaked a glance at Sarah, but Sarah, struggling to get Emily's feet encased in her little black boots, seemed to find nothing unusual in Luke's going to church.

And when they arrived at the New Hope Methodist Church, no one there seemed surprised to see Luke, either. People did turn to look at them when they walked in, but then they just smiled and nodded to Luke and Sarah. No one looked surprised. No one turned away and began to whisper furiously to his neighbor No one seemed offended.

Julia felt self-conscious. She often did. She had learned as a child that she didn't fit in most places—not at church or school or the other places where "good" people belonged. Because she had been quiet and well behaved, Julia had been tolerated (as Luke and her older brother had not been), but she had always been aware that she was there on sufferance. She knew that people looked at her and waited for her to do something that would reveal her as a true Turner.

She knew that they were looking at her here, wondering who she was and what she was doing here. She was very aware of Sarah's borrowed straw hat on her head and Sarah's pink dress on her body and Sarah's white gloves on her hands. Did everyone realize that none of these things were her own? Did they think she was like a pig dressed up in finery? Julia raised her eyes timidly from her hands and met the interested gaze of a bearded man sitting in the next pew beside three stair-step children.

Sarah leaned over and whispered in her ear, "I think you've caught Bill Langley's attention." Sarah's voice was light and amused. "Tread carefully; I've heard his boy is a tenor."

Julia felt a flush spreading over her cheeks, and she glanced at Sarah. "You can't mean that he's—"

"Interested in you? Oh, can't I?"

Julia turned her attention back to her primly folded hands. Sarah must be mistaken. No man would be interested in her. She'd lost whatever looks she'd had long ago. Why, she was twenty-eight years old and had two children! The years and the work showed on her. She had seen the fine lines around her mouth and eyes and the dulling of her burnished hair and blue eyes. It wasn't possible that a man might still desire her. Certainly not in church!

She looked up again, but the man was no longer looking at her. Relief spread through her Sarah had to be wrong.

The sermon was long, Julia glanced over now and then at Luke and more than once caught a glazed look in his eyes. She knew he was bored, but he sat patiently. They sang a few hymns, but Julia didn't know many of them. Will hadn't liked for her to go to church; he had never wanted her to socialize. And, of course, when she had lived at home with her father and brothers, she had never gone to church. But she followed along in the hymnal, enjoying the sound of the music. This was a peaceful, simple church, and she liked sitting here, listening to the preacher's mellow voice and the solemn songs.

After the service, the congregation moved down the center aisle and out onto the steps of the church, gathering in little groups on the steps and in the yard. A middle-aged man and woman with several children of all ages came over to greet Luke and Sarah, and it was obvious from their smiles and enthusiastic greetings that they were special friends. Sarah introduced them to Julia as Jake and Mary Etta Crowley. The Crowleys seemed genuinely happy to meet her.

Julia liked Mary Etta Crowley on sight. She was a large woman with traces of her youthful good looks still on her face. There were laugh lines around her mouth and eyes, and her brown eyes were sharp and alight with interest. "So you're Luke's sister, are you? I've heard him talk about you often. Such a pretty little thing you are, too. And such nice children. I'm sorry to hear about your husband. It must be quite a loss to you. "

"Thank you."

"But it's an ill wind, I always say, 'cause here you are to help Sarah when she needs it, I know she's grateful."

"Oh, no, I'm the one who's grateful."

"Hush," Sarah interjected pleasantly. "I don't want to hear any more talk like that from you. I need you. You've already been a tremendous help."

"How have you been feeling?" Mary Etta asked Sarah, and they launched on a long, thoroughly engrossing discussion of pregnancy and its problems,

Julia glanced over at Luke. He stood talking to Jake and the Crowleys' oldest boy, Burt, both of whom listened to Luke with great interest. Julia could see the respect in Burt's eyes.

Other people joined them, some pausing only to say hello, others to chat, Sarah introduced Julia to everyone, and they returned her greetings politely. She was accepted, Julia thought, because of Sarah—and Luke, Nearly all the men stopped by to say hello, and some of them lingered to talk. There were no askance glances, no hesitations in greeting Luke, Some clapped him on the back or shook his hand with affection. Others simply nodded or said a word or two. But no one treated him as an outsider. And Luke— Julia was amazed to see his expression so open, sometimes smiling, sometimes serious, but never hard and bitter. He didn't stand with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes narrowed and suspicious, as if he were waiting for someone to say the wrong thing, as he once would have. Over the past few days Julia had become accustomed to the changes in her brother, but now, seeing him with other people, she noticed them all anew. Luke Turner no longer looked for trouble.

The Crowleys joined the Turners for Sunday dinner and wound up staying most of the afternoon. Hearing Luke talk to Jake, Julia sensed the strong bond between them, and she realized that the older man was almost a father to Luke, the kind of father he had never found in his own flesh and blood. A lump of pain crystallized in Julia's chest, but she wasn't sure if it was sadness for what Luke had missed all his life or happiness for what he had now.

Later, when the Crowleys had gone and Luke was outside doing the evening chores, Julia and Sarah sat alone in the parlor, their hands busy with the mending.

"Luke's changed a lot," Julia commented, glancing at her sister-in-law, "He's happy, and I never thought he would be. It's because of you."

Sarah smiled. "He hasn't changed. He just let out all the good stuff inside him that he never allowed people to see before. It's not me that's done anything. It's Luke."

"Then you saw in him what no one else did, except me."

"That's because I loved him," Sarah responded simply. "He's given me every bit as much as I've given him." She turned to Julia, her sewing dropping unnoticed into her lap. "He made me happier than I'd ever been in my life. I was never loved as Luke loves me, heart and soul. I love him the same way. Sometimes I lie awake at night, scared to death, thinking what if something happened to him? I don't know what I'd do without Luke. I wouldn't want to live."

Julia's heart squeezed inside her chest, and she thought, suddenly, of Jimmy. She had felt that way about him, long ago, when they had been in love. She had thought that she couldn't live without him. But she had. "That kind of love is precious. I'm very happy for Luke."

Sarah thought she caught the glimmer of tears in Julia's eyes. She reached out and took Julia's hand and squeezed it. Julia returned the pressure. Then they smiled a little shyly and moved back and the moment slid away.