Brides of Ohio (10 page)

Katherine was now waiting for him at the end of the row, looking toward the barnyards where the cows and horses grazed. He joined her, and she turned and shyly smiled at him. Her family may not have appreciated her, but he certainly did. As he looked into her unique eyes, he could certainly understand how Thomas had come to care for her.

The sound of a buggy drew their attention to the drive. Mary stepped out the front door as it drew to a halt. A slender older gentleman with a Vandyke beard and wearing a frock suit climbed out. He removed his tall beaver-skin hat, and Daniel immediately recognized James Harris, his old professor from Ohio Wesleyan.

“Professor Harris,” Daniel said as he walked over. He wiped his hands on his handkerchief before extending his hand, wishing he was a good deal less dusty. “This is a pleasant surprise.”

The older man smiled broadly and shook his hand vigorously. “Daniel, it’s very good to see you home safe.” He peered over Daniel’s shoulder to look at Mary and give her a gentle smile. “Mary …,” he began and then seemed to remember propriety. “Do excuse me. Mrs. O’Neal, how good to see you.”

“James,” Mary half scolded, “you’ve been too close a friend of our family to be formal.” She limped over and gave the professor a warm embrace.

Daniel did not fail to notice the slightly reddened cheeks of the old bachelor as they parted. “I heard about both your losses,” the professor said. “I’m terribly sorry.”

“Thank you,” Mary replied quietly. “How is your nephew?”

As they spoke, Daniel turned and found Katherine standing off to the side. He saw the apprehension on her face and smiled reassuringly as he walked her over to his old instructor.

“Professor Harris, may I introduce another good friend of our family, Miss Katherine Wallace. Katherine, this is Professor James Harris.”

“How do you do, Professor?” Katherine murmured.

“Miss Wallace, it is very good to meet you,” the gentleman said with a tip of his hat. “How nice to hear a Southern accent again. I taught at a Southern university before I came back home to Ohio Wesleyan. What part of the South do you hail from?”

Daniel could not help but smile at the look of surprise on Katherine’s face. She’d been so used to people snubbing her as soon as they heard her voice. It was good to see her taken so off guard by his professor’s kind comments.

“Why, South Carolina, sir,” Katherine said. She paused as a small smile gradually appeared. “On the edge of Lexington County near the Congaree.”

“Katherine was our neighbor, James.” Mary smiled, grasping her friend by the hand.

“And what a charming neighbor she must have been.” The professor’s smile faded, however, and he looked at Daniel. “You’ve heard about the president, of course.”

He nodded. “Is there any more news? I won’t get to Ostrander until the day after tomorrow.”

“Not about Booth, but they have announced there will be a funeral train traveling from Washington, DC to Springfield. Mrs. Lincoln insisted he be laid to rest in Illinois. Our own Governor Brough and John Garrett of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad were put in charge of organizing the trip.” He reached over and laid his hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “They say he’ll lie in state in several cities along the route they’ve arranged. Columbus is one of those cities.”

Daniel felt his mouth go dry. “When?”

“A week from this Saturday, the twenty-ninth.” The professor gave his shoulder a squeeze. “I remembered how you and some other students went down to meet the president when he passed through before his first inauguration. I thought you would want to know.”

Daniel looked down. More than anything he wanted to say good-bye to his president but … “I’m very glad you came to tell me, sir,” he said, looking up at the professor. “But I can’t afford to take even a day away from the planting.”

Professor Harris looked at him soberly. “The board got the letter you sent with Mr. O’Conner,” he said.

Daniel nodded. His parents’ lawyer had been good enough to deliver his letter of resignation to the university after his visit to the farm with Elijah Carr.

“I took the liberty of speaking to him. He said you heard about our offer. I had hoped—”

“I’m sorry, sir. I can’t,” Daniel replied, looking away.

The professor looked at his former student sadly, and Daniel hoped Dr. Harris wasn’t going to try to change his mind. Turning down the university’s offer was hard enough. He was relieved when his mentor simply extended his hand.

“It was very good to see you again,” the professor said. He then nodded to Katherine and Mary. “Miss Wallace, Mary.”

As the professor’s buggy rolled down the road, Daniel walked down the drive and across the dirt road. He soon found himself at the bank of Mill Creek. He stood there for several minutes before picking up a large stone and heaving it into the rushing water.

“I don’t suppose You’re going to tell me why, are You?” he prayed aloud.

He sat down on a low rock near the creek bank and ran his hands through his hair. The urge to ride over to Elijah Carr’s farm and accept the man’s offer to buy the farm was so overwhelming he actually stood up.

A professor! They want to make me a professor, Father!

But in spite of his plea, he felt the Spirit close the door on his dream. He quickly walked over to a solid buckeye tree and plowed his fist into the rough bark.

A small gasp caused him to turn around. Katherine stood just inside the shadow of the trees, her eyes wide and a hand to her mouth. She rushed over and looked at his hand.

The skin on his knuckles had broken and blood oozed from the wounds. She looked up at him, her small brow furrowed, and he immediately felt sheepish. He gently pulled his hand from hers and walked over to the creek. Kneeling down, he washed his hand off and sat back down on the rock, avoiding her eyes. He was ashamed that he had lost his temper and that Katherine, of all people, had witnessed it.

She knelt down beside him, her simple work dress billowing out around her, and grasped his hand to take another look at it. “This will need tending to,” she said. Her gentle voice didn’t hold even a hint of reproach. “We should cover it up in the meantime. Where’s your handkerchief? Mine’s too small.”

Daniel pulled it from his back pocket and looked away. He felt her gentle hands wrap up his wound and felt even more like a heel. “Thank you,” he murmured when she was done. She released his hand, but he grasped her fingers and squeezed them. “I’m sorry you saw that,” he said, finally daring to look at her.

Her face was soft, and an understanding smile graced her face. “It’s all right.”

He released her hand and looked at the makeshift bandage on his own. “Professor Harris was going to offer me a position as a professor at Ohio Wesleyan.”

“I gathered as much.”

“You’re wondering why I don’t just sell out and accept it, aren’t you?”

“Mary told me your father was bound and determined you become a farmer. She thinks since your brothers are gone you’re keeping the land out of respect for him.”

“I would sell this farm in a heartbeat to Carr or anyone else who would give me a fair price for it, but …”

“The Lord is telling you otherwise,” she finished.

Daniel stared at her, and she blushed and looked out toward the creek.

“You’re such a godly man, I can only imagine the reason you’re doing this is because God is guiding you.”

Daniel laughed hollowly. “If I’m such a godly man, why was I about to ride over to Elijah Carr’s and accept his offer?”

“You wouldn’t have.”

He threw a pebble into the creek. “You’re right.” They sat there for a moment or two watching the creek swirl by.

“If your pa wanted you to be a farmer, then how did you come to be at Ohio Wesleyan?” Katherine asked tentatively.

“Pa died of a heart attack when I was fourteen. After he died, Ma insisted I sell my share of the farm to Jonah and go. She was the one who understood me. Only Jonah wouldn’t take it.”

“Why?”

“He felt Ma and I were betraying Pa.”

Daniel remembered how angry his brother had been. When his first term at Ohio Wesleyan was over, he’d stayed in Delaware with Uncle John and Aunt Mary instead of going home. They had owned and run a mercantile there before his uncle inherited the plantation.

“He forgave Ma eventually, but he and I never really reconciled.”

He looked over at Katherine to see her beautiful eyes large with sympathy. He found their speckled depths comforting, and he allowed himself to become lost in them for a minute or two. They reminded him of the way the trees looked along the creek in the early fall.

K
atherine blushed and looked down at her lap, wondering why he would pay so close attention to her bizarre eyes. She had always thought of them as her worst feature. Her father had always called them “perpetually confused” since they weren’t really one color or another.

She could feel Daniel’s gaze still on her, and a warm feeling grew in her chest. Why did he give her so much of his attention anyway? He couldn’t possibly think her
that
interesting. Could he? She had to admit she enjoyed their evening conversations. They reminded her of the letters she and Thomas had exchanged while she was away at school.

Thomas. She would always miss him, always care for him. But what she had felt for Mary’s son was nothing compared to what she was now beginning to feel for her nephew. How could she help it? He was kind, a very godly man …
and far too handsome for a drab little nothing like me. He can’t possibly think of me as anything more than a friend.

Glancing up, she saw he was now looking out across the creek. She felt her breath catch as she took in his handsome features.

Closing her eyes, she bit her lip.
Oh Father, please take these feelings from me. I know I once dreamed of loving and being loved, but it was never anything more than a dream.

“Are you all right?”

Katherine started and looked at Daniel. The look of worry in his green eyes caused her heart to pound so hard she was afraid he’d hear it. “I–I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

He reached over and pulled her hand away from her jaw. She hadn’t even realized it had strayed there. “Because you only do that when something is bothering you,” he said, his fingers curling around hers.

Coherent thought refused to form in her mind, and she closed her eyes. “I …”

Suddenly harsh shouts came from the direction of the farm, and Katherine and Daniel immediately jumped up and raced toward the house. As they approached, Katherine could hardly believe the scene being played out on the Kirbys’ front porch.

Elijah Carr stood towering over Mary, a switch in his hand. She was glaring at the man with young Jacob Stephens standing just behind her.

Katherine gasped as Daniel forced his way between his aunt and Carr, anger hardening his face. “What’s going on here?” His voice was surprisingly calm.

“Nothing that concerns you, Kirby,” Carr growled. “If you and Mary just step aside, I’ll deal with this vandal here myself.”

“I didn’t do anything,” the young boy cried out. “I just wanted to see my home again. Those windows were broken when I got there.”

“It ain’t your home. That’s my legal property.”

“No, it’s not. You stole it from me and my ma after the Rebs killed Pa.”

“You just shut your mouth before I tan your hide.”

“Enough!” Daniel hadn’t shouted, but his voice was so rough with anger Katherine jumped. With one swift movement, he grabbed the switch out of Carr’s hands. Snapping it in half, he tossed it away. “As long as Jacob is on
my
property, you won’t lay a hand on him.”

“He was trespassin’ and broke out the windows of that house his pa built,” Carr said. “I—”

“Whatever he’s done, send me the bill and I’ll pay for it.” Daniel glanced back at the boy. “He can pay back what he owes working for me.”

“Tore up a couple rows of corn going after him.”

Daniel glared at him for a second before going out back to the shed. He returned with a small cloth bag of seed corn, which he all but threw at Carr. “I’m sure that will cover your loss. Now get off my property.”

Carr walked away from the porch and down the drive, glaring at Katherine as he went.

She ignored him and rushed over to Mary. “Are you all right?”

“I’m just fine,” Mary said calmly. “But I’m afraid Jacob got a taste of that switch.”

Katherine looked down to see an ugly red welt on the young boy’s hand. “Oh, you poor thing!” As Mary stepped aside, Katherine knelt down and gently lifted Jacob’s hand to look at it. “Please let me tend to this for you.”

The boy looked at her in wonder. “Are you really a Johnny Reb?”

“No,” Daniel said sternly. “She’s the kind young woman who’s going to bandage up your hand just as soon as you apologize to her and tell me what happened.”

Shamefaced, the young boy looked at Katherine. “Sorry, ma’am.” He turned to Daniel defensively. “I just wanted to see our old house. Mr. Carr found me there and chased me because he thought I was throwing rocks at the windows. But I didn’t do anything. I just wanted to look. The windows were busted when I got there.”

“Why were you trespassing on Mr. Carr’s land?”

Jacob shuffled his feet, his brown eyes cast downward. “Sometimes I forget what Pa looked like. When I go back to our old house, I remember.”

Katherine rose and bit her lip, trying not to choke on the sudden onset of tears and guilt. Her hand itched to touch her scar, but she clasped them together tightly against her waist.
Boys from South Carolina made this child fatherless.
Then another stinging thought crossed her mind. What if it had been someone under her father’s command? Or Charles’s?

Daniel reached over and rested his hand on the top of the boy’s dark mop of hair. “It’s all right, Jake. I understand. I know your ma well enough to know she wouldn’t raise you to do a thing like that.” His voice had lost its stern tone, and he looked at Katherine. “I’ll go on with the garden while you fix him up. Send him on out when you’re done.”

Jacob looked up hopefully. “You mean it? I’m going to be working here?”