Where the Wild Rose Blooms (11 page)

"Not for an instant. And when I come again, we'll be husband
and
wife."

With that he caught her in both arms and kissed her. There were houses along the creek, but the trunk and branches of a large tree sheltered their tender kiss of love and anxiousness, and when they broke apart to walk back to the house, Eddie's thoughts went again to the forthcoming wedding.

"Are you certain your family won't come?"

"Quite certain. When I return to Boulder I'll write and let them know how things worked out, but it's such a long way from Pennsylvania, and my mother is not in the best of health. She'll want us to visit as soon as we're able. I know they're looking forward to meeting you, so we'll go soon after we're married."

"What if I'm expecting right away?"

"I hope you will be, and if that's the case, we'll wait and the three of us will
go."

"What if it's twins?" Eddie asked, and Robert laughed because he knew she was being outrageous.

"In that case," he was outrageous in return, "we'll leave one of the babies with a neighbor so it will still just be the three of us."

Now Eddie laughed as well. As they neared the house, they heard Jackie's voice in the yard. She appeared to be waiting for them, and indeed she was, hands on her waist.

"I know you want him all to yourself, Eddie, but this is Robert's last night, and we want to visit with him too."

"All right," Eddies hands went in the air as though in surrender. "I just had to get him away for a little while so you could do my job with dinner."

Jackie smiled hugely. "Well, it worked. Mother roped me in as soon as I came through the kitchen."

Eddie liked that a lot, but Robert turned on some mock sympathy. He put an arm around Jackie and walked her toward the house. His voice was full of fun when he asked, "She's very cruel to you, isn't she, Jackie?"

"Who? Mother or Eddie?"

"Both."

"Yes," Jackie told him emphatically and just barely held her laugher. "They all are. I'm under such persecution."

Robert laughed. Sammy darted from the house right then and took Roberts free hand. Eddie held back just a few steps so she could watch him walk with her sisters.

I never thought about how he would feel about my sisters. Lord, but this is so special. He brings out the best in all of us. I
don't know how I'll stand it when he leaves in the morning.

With that Eddie slowly made her way inside, determining to throw off any hint of sadness. This was Roberts last night, and she needed to make the best of it. After all, she had only a week of memories to carry her for the next six months.

"Now," Addy spoke with determination. "I decided to get you a Christmas gift from the catalog, Eddie. It won't arrive before Christmas, and I'm going to have it mailed
directly to Robert because its for your new home." Addy set a Montgomery Ward catalog in her daughters lap. "You choose which mantel clock you want.

"A mantel clock? Oh, Mother, are you certain?"

"Indeed I am. With the changes happening in the economy, I'm sure things are going to be tight in the days to come, but your father and I discussed it last night and he said you're to have the one you want. It can go over the fireplace in your bedroom, the one in the living room, or that wonderful fireplace you wanted in the en try way. "

Eddie gave the older woman a hug before they bent their heads over the pages.

"Which one do you suppose Robert
would like?"

"
I
don't know, Eddie," she said thoughtfully. "You could pick out a few you like—you know, circle them and then tear the pages out and send them to Robert. He could mark the ones he likes and send them back. I know its supposed to be a Christmas gift, but you won't be married for three more months, and that's more than enough time to pick out what you like."

"All right," Eddie agreed, and again both turned to the pages before them.

"That's pretty," Addy said
as she pointed to one of the clocks.

"Oh, Mother, that's a Seth Thomas, and it's almost $7!"

"Your father said you were to have the one you wanted, Eddie."

Eddie chewed her lip. "I really should mark more than one."

"Not if you only like one."

"I like this one too, but it's $8."

"Mark them both," Addy said decisively and stood. "I have a dozen things to do before the girls come home from school, so you go ahead and take care of it, Eddie. I'm sure Robert will be pleased either way."

Addy left the kitchen then, but Eddie just sat. It was hard to imagine how their home would look and even harder to see the clock on a fireplace that existed only in her mind, but it wasn't at all hard to see that she and Robert were going to be very happy.

"Now, Jacqueline," Miss Bradley spoke clearly. "Its your turn to recite the original 13 colonies in the order they were admitted to the union, and also their capitals. Please come forward and face the class."

Jackie did so without fuss or nerves. She had
worked long and hard with this memorization, and she knew them all by heart. However, Jackie didn't count on the way she would feel when every eye in the class was trained on her. It wasn't the admiring looks she received from some of the boys; it was the looks of dislike that many of the girls gave her. In order to get started, Jackie dropped her
&yes
to the floor in front of her.

"The capital of Delaware is Dover. The capital of Pennsylvania is Harrisburg. The capital of New Jersey is—"

"Look at the class, please," Miss Bradley interrupted from the rear.

Jackie raised her eyes and swallowed hard. "The capital of New Jersey is Trenton. The capital of Georgia is ..." Here she faltered. She tried to keep her eyes glued to her teacher, but they kept darting about the room. Jackie felt her face turn red, and Miss Bradley suggested kindly that she begin again.

Jackie thanked her with a smile and started out all right, but faltered again at Georgia. She knew all of these, but her mind had suddenly gone blank. She wanted to tell the teacher, but she couldn't find those words, either. Her heart sank when after several strained minutes Miss Bradley rose and moved to her desk.

"Come here, Jacqueline." Her voice was stern. Jackie turned, thankful at least that her back was to the class, and stood before her teacher.

"I am very disappointed. You have had weeks to learn these." Her voice wasn't angry, but Jackie knew it would do no good to try
to explain.

"Hold out your hand."

Jackie did as she was told, and her entire body convulsed as the ruler came down across her knuckles five times. She thought her hand would break with each blow.

"Return to your seat."

Jackie did so, her eyes blinded by tears. She didn't look at anyone or lay her head on her desk and sob as she longed to do, but sat looking straight ahead at the portrait of George Washington, blinking rapidly to dispel the moisture. Miss Bradley began to say something to the class but then faltered. Jackie would have been surprised to know that her own sister had caused the stumble. Lexa was looking at Miss Bradley with something akin to hatred.

"Mitch," Morgan called into the back room. "Have we received that order from Denver?"

"Not yet. I expect the
 snow has something to do with the holdup."

Morgan came into the room now, and Mitch turned to look at him. The light from the window shone full in his face for several seconds, and Mitch was alarmed by how tired and old he looked.

"You know, Morgan, I didn't ask you to join me in Georgetown so you could work yourself into an early grave.

"Why," Morgan asked with a grin, "am I looking half dead?"

"What time did you come in this morning?"

Morgan shrugged. "I couldn't sleep."

His avoidance of the answer told Mitch that the noise he'd heard around 4:00 A.M. was Morgan arriving for work. The older man slowly shook his head.

"We have different strengths, Morgan, and I'm thankful for that. You're more aggressive than I am, but we're not going to starve if you take a little time
off. You've been down here every day since you arrived in July. I live right upstairs, but I've never had the desire to be here as often as you do. I really think you need to slow down-spend some more time at home. Eddie will be leaving in three months. Take as much time with her as you can."

"That's just it, Mitch."

"What is?"

"Eddies leaving. It's shown me that I won't have my children here forever. I need to be sure I'm established now, while I'm still young enough to do the work. They won't be around forever, so I've got to see to Addy and myself on my own."

Mitch's heart ached.
If only you were seeing to eternity the way you see to this life on earthy Morgan. My heart would find rest knowing you 're going to be with me up there.

"Do you ever think about the folks?" Morgan asked out of the blue.

"Yes. I think about them a lot."

"So do I. They nearly worked themselves to death in their old age. That's why I'm working now."

Both men were silent for a moment.

"At least they're at rest now."

"Are they, Morgan?"

"What do you mean?" The younger man frowned at Mitch.

"I'm just saying I'm not sure."

"Well, of course they're at rest," Morgan said a bit testily. "They were good people. They deserve to be in heaven."

"Is that really what you believe, Morgan? That good people go to heaven?"

"Well, of course. Don't you?"

"No. "

The single word hung between them for several uncomfortable seconds, and then the bell sounded at the door that led to the hardware.

"I'll get it." Morgan spoke quietly, but when he turned away his face did not hold his usual enthusiasm for any and all customers.