Ripples Along the Shore (12 page)

Thankfully, Thursday morning dawned without clouds. Emilie didn’t have classes and had chosen to work with her father, which meant Caroline was free to go to the farm today for the quilting circle.

First, she needed to fetch the sorrels from the livery. Two curled lead ropes swung at her side as sunlight and shadow guided her steps around water puddles and pools of mud. Thanks to heavy wagon traffic, both were plentiful on Pike Street. She waited for a freight wagon to cross in front of her and returned the driver’s wave. Emilie’s husband, Quaid McFarland, tipped his hat in a quick greeting, then pulled into line behind a couple of other wagons.

Within twenty minutes, a gangly livery hand brought the two horses to her outside the corral gate, sparing her a mucky walk through the wet manure that coated the ground.

“Thank you.” She took the two leads from him.

He brushed the brim of his cap and spun toward the corral. When the gate chain clinked behind her, she settled between the sorrels, one rope in each hand.

“Mrs. Milburn?”

Caroline looked into the friendly face of the young man she recognized from the wagon train meeting. “Good day, Mr. Hughes.”

“Please. Call me Boney. Any friend of Anna’s is—”

“Is a friend of yours.” She smiled. “Thank you. Boney.” There, she’d used his nickname. But she didn’t expect to ever grow accustomed to the relaxed comportment on this side of the Mississippi.

“Mr. Cowlishaw told me of your intention to provision a wagon and go west with the company.”

“It’s true.” Polite airs obviously didn’t concern Boney Hughes. “Did your boss also tell you what he said?”

“Yes ma’am, he did.”

“Well, I’m a woman who takes
no
to simply mean
not now
.” She squared her shoulders. “I still intend to go west, Mr. uh … Boney.”

He scrubbed the shadow of a beard. “I see.”

She swallowed a giggle. “You needn’t trouble yourself though. I won’t be making the trip this spring with your wagon train. I’ve already made other plans.”

“No hard feelings, then?”

She smiled. “No hard feelings.” Except when she grew frustrated with her living conditions. Still needed to work on that. Soon, she’d have a place of her own, which would help immensely.

The young man’s marriage proposal to Anna nipped at her curiosity, tempting her to ask him about it. Unfortunately, her eastern proprieties were still intact and forbade inquiry.

Boney dug the toe of his boot into the wet ground, then looked up at her. “I called on Miss Anna and her family this past week.”

“Oh?”

He nodded, bobbing his hat forward as if it were too big for his head. “She hasn’t answered my question.”

“About your question, Mr. Boney … it didn’t seem hasty to you?” If he wasn’t willing to entertain her curiosity, he shouldn’t have brought up the subject.

“Anna did look a bit flabbergasted, didn’t she?” He chuckled. “Her jaw dropped so suddenly that I feared she might bruise her chin.”

“I hadn’t thought on it long, but it ain’t my nature to stew. Just don’t take me long to make up my mind about somethin’.”

Yes, well, she’d tried throwing caution to the wind last week. Had to hope doing so turned out better for this likable fellow. And for Anna.

Less than an hour later, Caroline and Jewell had the horses harnessed to the wagon and were on their way to Mrs. Brantenberg’s farm. Mary squirmed on the front seat beside her mother while Caroline sat in the back with Anna.

Anna leaned forward, her shawl fluttering in the light breeze. “Did you tell your sister?”

Turning slightly, Jewell glanced over her shoulder. “Tell me what?”

“I didn’t say anything.” Caroline looked at Jewell. “Didn’t feel it was my place.”

“Do you remember the boy named Robert Hughes … Boney?” Anna asked.

Jewell nodded. “He lived with his aunt and uncle over the old cobbler’s shop.”

“Yes.” Anna leaned forward. “He’s back in town. I saw him at the Boone’s Lick Wagon Train Company meeting last week. And … he up and asked me to marry him.”

“He
what
?” Jewell’s voice rose an octave, causing them all to giggle.

“After the meeting, Boney proposed marriage.”

“He had a reputation for being a tease. You’re sure he wasn’t pulling your leg?”

“I was there. He seemed plenty serious to me.” Caroline looked at Anna. “As a matter of fact, I saw him this morning at the livery. Mentioned he had called on you last week but had yet to receive your answer.”

“He’s very sweet. Said I deserved to be taken care of. I told him I’d think about it.”

“And have you?” Jewell faced the road in front of them.

“It’s all I’ve thought about. Ruined about a dozen candles in the distraction.” Anna wrung her hands. “What would you do?”

Caroline shook her head. “You won’t hear me tell you what to do. I’m not even listening to myself anymore.”

Anna giggled. “What about you, Jewell? You’re married. What do you think I should do?”

Jewell looked at the road, then back at Anna. “If you don’t know for certain it’s what you want to do, I think you best not be rushing your thinking.”

Anna blew out a long breath. “I—”

Mary twisted onto her knees. “I know.” Her little hands grasping the back of the seat, she peered at Anna with big green eyes. “Does he have a horse?”

Anna startled. “I believe he does, and a wagon.”

“Marry him then.”

When Anna’s shoulders began to shake with laughter, Caroline could no longer hide hers behind her hand. She remembered those childhood days … when everything seemed so simple and matter-of-fact. Days when she and Jewell skipped through grassy meadows and dreamed of dressing up like lovely princesses to marry charming princes.

Those days were gone. So were the dreams.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up
.

Recognizing the words of Scripture that echoed in her heart, Caroline folded her hands on her lap.
Show me how, Lord. Show us all how
.

Sixteen

S
aturday afternoon, Caroline was the acting shopkeeper while Mr. Heinrich went to the bank. She pulled a tin of peaches off of a high shelf behind the counter and dangled it for her customer to reach. Concern creased Oliver Rengler’s brow.

“You shoulda let me do the climbing, ma’am.” He set the tin on the counter and steadied the ladder.

Her knuckles white, Caroline planted her booted feet on one wrung, and then another. She didn’t wish to lose her footing. Nor did she fancy tangling the heels of her boots in her skirt with two men nearby.

She’d counted two more steps when Oliver held his hand out to her. She gladly accepted his assistance onto the solid floor.

“Thank you.”

He nodded, but didn’t let go. Caroline glanced at her hand in his, which looked like a teacup inside a serving bowl.

His face tinted red and he jerked his hand to his side.

Caroline smoothed her work apron and returned to the ledger. A lot of folks were using store credit to gather provisions for their trip west, planning to pay off their debt after they’d sold their property and belongings. The Rengler brothers were counted among those. She picked up the pencil and continued listing their supplies. Like she and Jewell, the brothers were as different as a pencil is from a hammer. Owen favored the costume of a city businessman while Oliver seemed content in sailcloth trousers.

Oliver added a poke of tobacco to the pile they were accumulating at the end of the counter. “A lady like you, Miss Caroline, should be sipping tea in a parlor.”

She smiled. Oliver’s flattery was different … innocent. “I like the way you think, Oliver.”
A parlor in San Francisco
. “But sipping tea doesn’t pay the rent.”

“No ma’am.” Oliver chuckled. “Playin’ checkers and gulpin’ old man Heinrich’s coffee don’t neither.”

Owen set a sack of dried beans in front of her. “Looks to me like my brother’s sweet on you, Miss Caroline.”

Color flooded Oliver’s face again. Was he
sweet
on her? No. Everyone in the store was friendly, that’s all it was. He was simply being sociable.

Oliver met his brother’s impish gaze. “That ain’t the way it is, Owen. I’m tellin’ the truth, is all.” Hooking his thumbs on the suspenders holding up his trousers, he turned to face her. “Unless you’d like that, ma’am.” His eyebrows arched, his childlike expression sweet. “You want me to be sweet on you, Miss Caroline?”

Her mouth went dry.

“Wouldn’t do either of you any good, Ollie.” Owen clapped his brother on the back. “Miss Caroline is staying in Missouri.”

Oliver sighed. “You were at that meeting about the wagons. With Hattie and Miss Anna.”

She nodded. “I went to the meeting, but I won’t be going west.” And right now, saying so was a considerable relief. “It’s a fine offer … you being sweet on me, and if I were looking for a husband—”

The doorbell’s jingle stopped her midsentence. She faced the door. The grandmother of five seemed intent on tracking Caroline’s every move, but Caroline couldn’t have been any happier to see the woman. “Good morning, Mrs. Kamden.”

“Dear.” She dipped her chin. “Misters Rengler.” A smile bunched her cheeks.

Oliver chuckled, and pointed to his brother, then to himself.

“Mrs. Kamden.” Owen doffed his bowler. “The pleasure is ours.”

Caroline set her pencil down and stepped out from behind the counter. “Did you need help finding something?”

The older woman waved her gloved hand. “Ian said we’ll do our shopping next week. “We came to see you.”

Caroline looked at the door. She didn’t see anyone waiting outside.

Mrs. Kamden fanned herself. “I meant to say … the others are on their way.”

“The others?”

“Why, my son and his family, of course.”

Of course?
Caroline nodded. Somewhere along the way, she’d apparently missed an important piece of the conversation.

Davonna Kamden waved for Caroline to return to the brothers. “You go right ahead with your business, dear. I am in no hurry.”

While Caroline finished adding the Renglers’ goods to the ledger, she couldn’t help but entertain a puzzling question: Why would Mrs. Kamden and her family come to see her if they weren’t there to shop?

Caroline stepped onto the cobblestone walk in front of the dry goods store. As she strolled down the hill toward her sister’s cabin, the late afternoon sun cut a swatch of light across the road in front of her. That’s how Caroline viewed the news she’d received today—a light illuminating a dark path.

But Jewell? That’s not at all how she’d see Caroline’s opportunity.

With supper behind them, Caroline and Jewell tucked the three children into bed while Jack lounged in the sitting room, smoking his pipe like that was all in the world there was to do.

First, Caroline smoothed the quilt over Mary, tickling her youngest niece’s belly as she went. Her heart warmed and wrenched in the reward of joyful giggles she received. Jewell came behind her tucking the quilt in at the sides, then Caroline followed with a nose tap and a kiss. They repeated the routine with Cora. But since such silliness was far beneath Gilbert’s eight years, they settled for tucking and a kiss on the forehead.

Jewell claimed the tradition of praying over her children every night and every morning. The only difference on this night was that Caroline knew her role in the rite would soon come to an end.

Sighing, she added her own amen to her sister’s.

“Sweet dreams, children.” When Jewell lifted the candle lantern off its peg near the door, Caroline glanced longingly at her own bed in the far corner. She was ready to retire, to lie in bed and think about her future, but she could no longer delay the conversation she needed to have with her sister.

Caroline followed Jewell out of the room, clicking the door shut behind them.

“Hot tea?” Her sister’s invitation came out on a whisper as she led the way to the kitchen.

Caroline pulled their favorite teacups from the hooks beneath the shelf and set a ball of sassafras leaves into each of the cups. “On the porch?”