Kelly's Chance (3 page)

Maybe he’s never seen a woman with such big feet. Probably thinks I should have been born a boy.
Kelly swallowed hard and forced the threatening tears to stay put.
Truth be told, Papa probably wishes I was a boy.
Most boys were able to work longer and harder than she could. And a boy wasn’t as apt to run off with the first person who offered him freedom from canal work, the way Sarah had.

Kelly glanced around the room, feeling an urgency to escape. She stood on shaky legs and forced her-self to march around the store a few times in order to see if the boots were going to work out okay. When she was sure they were acceptable, she pulled the price tag off the laces and handed it to Mama. “If ya don’t mind, I’d like to wait outside. It’s kinda stuffy in here, and since it’s such a nice day, maybe I can get in a bit of sketchin’ while you and Papa finish your shopping.”

Mama nodded, and Kelly scooted quickly out the front door. The sooner she got away from Mike Coo-per and those funny looks he kept giving her, the better it would be!

***

Kelly’s heart was pounding like a hammer as she exited the store, but it nearly stopped beating altogether when Mike Cooper opened the door behind her and called, “Hey, Kelly, don’t you want a bag of lemon drops?”

She skidded to a stop on the bottom step, heat flooding her face. She turned slowly to face him.
Why does he have to be so handsome?
Mike’s medium-brown hair, parted on the side and cut just below his ears, curled around his neck like kitten fur. His neatly trimmed mustache jiggled up and down as though he might be hiding a grin. The man’s hazel eyes seemed to bore right through her, and Kelly was forced to swallow several times before she could answer his question.

“I ... uh ... don’t have money to spend on candy just now. New boots are more important than satisfyin’ my sweet tooth.” She turned away, withdrawing her homemade tablet and a piece of charcoal from the extra-large pocket of her apron.

Kelly was almost to the boat when she felt Mike’s hand touch her shoulder. “Hold up there. What’s your hurry?” His voice was deep, yet mellow and kind of soothing. Kelly thought she could find pleasure in listening to him talk awhile—if she had a mind to.

“I was plannin’ to do a bit of drawing.” She stared at the ground, her fingers kneading the folds in her skirt.

Mike moved so he was standing beside her. “You’re an artist?”

She felt her face flush even more. “I like to draw, but that don’t make me an artist.”

“It does if you’re any good. Can you draw something for me right now?”

She shrugged. “I suppose I could, but don’t ya have customers to wait on?”

Mike chuckled. “You’ve got me there. How about if you draw something while I see what your folks might need? When they’re done, I’ll come back outside, and you can show me what you’ve made. How’s that sound?”

It sounded fair enough. There was only one problem. Kelly was feeling so flustered, she wasn’t sure she could write her own name, much less draw any kind of picture worthy to be shown.

“Guess I can try,” she mumbled.

Unexpectedly, he reached out and patted her arm, and she felt a warm tingle shoot all the way up to her neck. Except for Papa’s infrequent hugs, no man had ever touched her before. It felt kind of nice, in a funny sort of way.
Could this be why Sarah ran off with Sam Turner? Did Sam look at my sister in a manner that made her mouth go dry and her hands feel all sweaty?
If that’s what happened to Sarah, then Kelly knew she had better run as far away from Mike Cooper as she possibly could, for he sure enough was making her feel giddy. She couldn’t have that.

She took a few steps back, hoping the distance between them might get her thinking straight again. “See you later,” she mumbled.

“Sure thing!” he called as he headed back to the store.

Kelly drew in a deep breath and flopped down on a nearby log. The few minutes she’d spent alone with Mike had rattled her so much she wondered if she still knew how to draw.

In all the times they’d stopped by Cooper’s General Store, never once had Mike looked at her the way he had today—like she was someone special, maybe even pretty.
Of course,
she reminded herself,
I usually wait outside, so he hasn’t seen me in a while.
The time it took for her folks to shop was a good chance for Kelly to sketch, feed and water the mules, or simply rest her weary bones.

Forcing her thoughts off the handsome storekeeper, Kelly focused her attention on a pair of mallard ducks floating in the canal. The whisper of the wind sang softly as it played with the ends of Kelly’s hair. A fat bullfrog posed on the bank nearby. It seemed to be studying a dragonfly hovering above the water. The peaceful scene made Kelly feel one with her surroundings. In no time, she’d filled several pages of her simple drawing pad.

Kelly was pulled from her reverie when Papa and Mama walked up, each carrying a wooden box. She rolled up her artwork and slipped it, along with the hunk of charcoal, inside her pocket. Then she wiped her messy hands on her dusty skirt and jumped to her feet. “Need some help?”

“I could probably use another pair of hands puttin’ stuff away in the kitchen,” Mama replied.

“Will we be leavin’ soon?” Kelly asked, glancing at Cooper’s General Store and wondering if Mike would come back to see her drawings as he’d promised.

“Soon as we get everything loaded,” Papa mumbled. “Sure would help if we had a few more hands. Got things done a whole lot quicker when Sarah was here.”

Kelly watched her dad climb on board his boat. He’d been traveling the canal ever since he was a small boy. Except for winter when he worked in town, running the boat was Papa’s whole life. Though he had a fiery Irish temper, once in a while she caught him whistling, singing some silly tune, or blowing on his mouth harp. Kelly figured he must really enjoy his life on the canal. Too bad he was so cheap and wouldn’t hire another person to help out. Most of the canalers had a hired hand to steer the boat while the captain stood at the front and shouted directions.

I wish God had blessed Papa and Mama with a whole passel of boys. Sarah’s gone, and I’m hoping to leave someday. Then what will Papa do?
Kelly shrugged.
Guess he’ll have to break down and hire a mule driver, ’cause Mama sure can’t do everything she does now and drive the mules, too.

As Kelly followed her mother into the cabin, she set her thoughts aside. They had a long day ahead of them.

***

Mike hoisted a box to his shoulders and started out the door. He had offered to help Amos McGregor haul his supplies on board the boat. It was the least he could do, considering that Amos had no boys to help. Besides, it would give him a good excuse to talk to Kelly again and see what she’d drawn.

Mike met Amos as the older man was stepping off the boat. “Didn’t realize you’d be bringing a box clean out here,” Amos commented, tipping his head and offering Mike something akin to a smile.

“I said I’d help, and I thought it would save you a few steps.” Mike nodded toward the boat. “Where shall I put this one?”

Amos extended his arms. “Just give it to me.”

Taken aback by the man’s abruptness, Mike shrugged and handed over the box. Amos turned, mumbled his thanks, and stepped onto the boat.

“Is Kelly on board?” Mike called, surprising himself at his sudden boldness. “I’d like to speak with her a moment.”

Kelly’s dad whirled around. “What business would ya have with my daughter?”

“She was planning to show me some of her artwork.”

Amos shook his head. “Her and them stupid drawings! She’s a hard enough worker when it comes to drivin’ the mules, but for the life of me, I can’t see why she wastes any time scratchin’ away on a piece of paper with a stick of dirty, black charcoal.”

“We all need an escape from our work, Mr. McGregor,” Mike asserted. “Some read, fish, or hunt. Others, like me, choose to whittle.” He smiled. “Some, such as your daughter, enjoy drawing.”

“Humph! Makes no sense a’tall!” Amos spun around. “I’ll tell Kelly you’re out here waitin’. Don’t take up too much of her time, though. We’re about ready to shove off.”

Mike smiled to himself. Maybe Amos wasn’t such a tough fellow, after all. He could have said Kelly wasn’t receiving any visitors. Or he could have told Mike to take a leap into the canal.

A few minutes later, Kelly showed up. She looked kind of flustered, and he hoped it wasn’t on account of him. It could be that her pa had given her a lecture about wasting time sketching. Or maybe he’d made it clear he wanted no one calling on the only daughter he had left. Amos might be afraid his younger child would run off with some fellow the way his older daughter had.

He needn’t worry. While I’m clearly attracted to Kelly McGregor, I don’t think she’s given me more than a second thought today.

***

Kelly’s legs shook as she lifted one foot over the side of the boat and stepped onto dry ground. She could hardly believe Mike Cooper had really come looking for her. Papa was none too happy about it and had told her she wasn’t to take much time talking to the young owner of the general store. Kelly figured it was probably because Papa was anxious to be on his way, but from the way her father had said Mike’s name, she had to wonder if there might be more to his reason for telling her to hurry. Maybe Papa thought she had eyes for Mike Cooper. Maybe he was afraid she would run off and get married. Well, he needn’t worry about that happening!

Mike smiled as Kelly moved toward him. “Did you bring your drawings?”

She averted her gaze. “I only have a few with me, and they’re done up on scraps of paper sack so they’re probably not so good.” She blinked a couple of times. “I got some free newsprint from the
Sunday Call
while we were livin’ in Easton, and those pictures have a white background. They’re on the boat and might be some better.”

“Why not let me be the judge of how good your pictures are? Can I take a peek at what you’ve got with you?”

Kelly reached inside her ample apron pocket and retrieved the tablet she’d put together from cut-up pieces of paper sack the size of her Bible. She handed it to Mike and waited for his response.

He studied the drawings, flipping back and forth through the pages and murmuring an occasional “ah ... so ... hmm...”

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, wondering what he thought. Did Mike like the sketches? Was he surprised to see her crude tablet? The papers were held in place by strings she’d pushed through with one of Mama’s darning needles. Then she’d tied the strings in a knot to hold everything in place. Did Mike’s opinion of her artwork and tablet matter? After all, he was nothing to her—just a man who ran a general store along the Lehigh Navigation System.

“These are very good,” Mike said. “I especially like the one of the bullfrog ready to pounce on the green dragonfly.” He chuckled. “Who won, anyway?”

Kelly blinked. “What?”

“Did the bullfrog get his lunch, or did the dragonfly lure the old toad into the water, then flit away before the croaker knew what happened?”

She grinned. “The dragonfly won.”

“That’s what I expected.”

Kelly pressed a hand to her chest, hoping to still a heart that was beating much too fast. If only Papa or Mama would call her back to the boat. As much as she was enjoying this little chat with Mike, she felt jittery and unsure of herself.

“Have you ever sold any of your work?” Mike asked.

She shook her head. “I doubt anyone would buy a plain old charcoal drawing.”

He touched her arm. “There’s nothing plain about these, Kelly. I have an inkling some of the folks who travel our canal or live in nearby communities might be willing to pay a fair price for one of your pictures.”

Her face heated with embarrassment. “You ... you really think so?”

He nodded. “The other day, a packet boat came through, transporting a group of people up to Allentown. Two of the men were authors, and they seemed real interested in the landscape and natural beauty growing along our canal.”

Kelly sucked in her lower lip as she thought about the prospect. This might be the chance she’d been hoping for. If she could make some money selling a few of her charcoal drawings, maybe she’d have enough to purchase a store-bought drawing table, a good set of watercolors, or perchance some oil paints. Then she could do up some
real
pictures, and if she could sell those...

“How about I take two or three of these sketches and see if I can sell them in my store?” Mike asked. “I would keep ten percent and give you the rest. How’s that sound?”

Ten percent of the profits for him? Had she heard Mike right? That meant she’d get ninety percent. The offer was more than generous, and it seemed too good to be true.

“Sounds fair, but since I’ve never sold anything before, I don’t know what price to put on the drawings,” Kelly said.

“Why not leave that up to me?” Mike winked at her, and she felt like his gentle gaze had caught and held her in a trap. “I’ve been selling things for several years now, so I think I can figure out a fair price,” he said with the voice of assurance.

She nodded. “All right, we have us a deal, but since these pictures aren’t really my best, I’ll have to go back on the boat and get ya three other pictures.”

“That’s fine,” Mike said as he handed her the drawings.

“The next time we come by your store, I’ll ask Papa to stop; then I can check and see if you’ve sold anything.”

Mike reached out his hand. “Partners?”

They shook on it. “Partners.”

***

Shaking hands with Mike Cooper had almost been Kelly’s undoing. When Mike released her hand, she was trembling and had to clench her fists at her sides in order to keep him from seeing how much his touch affected her.

Mike opened his mouth as if to say something, but he was cut off by a woman’s shrill voice.