Chapter Seven
“GET AWAY FROM THERE!” Levi’s harsh tone echoed through the small house.
Rebecca yanked her attention away from where she was buttering slices of bread to find Levi storming toward his desk and Roger scurrying away. She dropped the bread and knife. “What happened?”
Levi was shuffling papers in a hurry. “He needs to stay away from this desk.”
Rebecca glanced at her son, who looked properly chastised already.
He cast his eyes up at her. “I didn’t mean to mess anything up, honest. I only wanted a paper to draw on.”
Rebecca nodded at him. “Apologize to Levi, please, and in the future, you must remember to ask before you go hunting around in someone else’s belongings.”
“I will. I’m sorry.”
Levi shoved the papers into a drawer before finally looking over at Roger. He nodded quickly, clearly still irritated at the intrusion. Roger slipped away and joined his siblings, who had gathered around the table and were watching them intently.
“Go ahead, Gwynnie.” Rebecca said. Satisfied that her oldest was ensuring the little ones got their plates filled, she stepped closer to Levi.
“It was an innocent mistake.” She laid a hand on his arm, trying to recapture that moment of joy she’d felt earlier as he’d taken her arm in his on their way back home.
Levi looked down at her hand, but he held himself stiffly. He glanced down at the desktop, almost as if he were reassuring himself that it was empty.
Then he stepped back, and Rebecca’s hand fell away.
Not knowing what to do or say, she clasped her hands together and tried to make sense of his reaction.
“I like things neat and organized,” Levi finally said.
Rebecca nodded. “I understand.” Young children were anything but neat and organized.
“I need to go out to the barn.”
“Don’t you want your lunch?” But her words were lost in the opening and closing of the front door. She stood there a moment, her eyes moving from the door to the desk. Levi kept it tidy and devoid of any stray papers at all times. Perhaps he was simply more protective of his things than she’d realized.
“Mama, I made a plate for you and for Levi,” Gwynnie said from across the room. “Shall I bring his out to the barn?”
Rebecca ran her hands over her skirts. “Thank you, Gwynnie. I’ll bring it out to him later.”
Her daughter nodded and settled onto the floor with Roger and Sarah to eat.
Rebecca ate quickly and then busied herself with cleaning up and setting a stew to cook slowly for supper as she let her thoughts drift. She’d been thinking more about the children’s schooling. The oldest three should be in school, with Johnnie not far behind. But with it taking so long to drive to and from town, it felt impossible for them to regularly attend the schoolhouse there.
Determined to broach the subject with Levi, she slipped on her coat and crossed the snowy yard to the barn, his wrapped up lunch in her hand.
Inside the barn, the afternoon sunlight cast blocks of light across the space. It was a little warmer inside, thanks to the sturdy walls blocking out the wind. She found Levi at a workbench, driving a nail through two pieces of wood.
He turned to look at her, his eyes drifting from her face to the covered plate in her hand. She held it out to him.
“You left without eating. I thought you might be hungry.”
His face took on a pinched expression for a moment before he reached out and took the plate from her. “Thank you.”
It seemed as if he wanted to say something else, so Rebecca waited a moment, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth.
But he remained silent. Rebecca tried to ignore the awkwardness that had settled around them, but it was as heavy as the wet snow outside. Just as she’d thought they were growing closer and getting to know each other, it felt as if the incident with Roger and the desk had driven a wedge between them.
She drew in a deep breath as he examined his work on the table. School. She needed to address that, for the sake of the children’s education. “Levi? I wanted to speak with you about schooling for the older children.”
“Schooling?” he repeated, as if he’d never heard of such a thing.
“Yes. Gwynnie, Sarah, and Roger. They had regular schooling with a teacher back in West Fork, but now they’ve been out of a classroom for a while. They need to return before they forget all they’ve learned.”
He nodded thoughtfully, his hand resting on the wood. “The schoolhouse is too far away for daily attendance.”
“I agree. I thought that perhaps I could teach them. And Gwynnie was always good at helping Sarah and Roger practice their sums and reading.” She drew her lip in between her teeth, hoping that he might also think it a good idea.
“You can do that?” He looked at her with his eyebrows raised.
“Of course. I attended school.”
“I suppose I never considered it because I failed to pay attention most days in school. The days I actually attended, anyway.” A small mischievous smile lifted the corner of his mouth.
Rebecca’s heart lightened as the awkwardness fell away. “I would never have guessed such a thing of you,” she said in a teasing manner.
“My brother was the studious one. I was the troublemaker.”
Rebecca tried to imagine him as a little boy, running away from the schoolhouse and making his mother fret. “You make me think of Roger and Johnnie. They couldn’t be more different, and I fear Johnnie might not take to sitting still long enough to learn lessons.”
That made Levi grin. “I’ll do my best to help you corral him when the time comes. Do you have everything you need for teaching?”
So very grateful that he brought up the subject, Rebecca shook her head. “No, but we shouldn’t need much. The teacher in town might be able to lend us some books.”
“Why don’t we go into town tomorrow? I need to send a telegram and place an order for seed. You can visit the schoolhouse, and then look in on your sister.”
Rebecca clapped her hands together, unable to contain her glee. “That would be wonderful! I worry over Eleanor.” Her sister’s baby would be arriving that spring, and she hated the thought of not being there for Eleanor as Eleanor had been for all of Rebecca’s babies. Especially since this little one was such a surprise. Eleanor hadn’t discovered she was expecting until they were on the train, headed to Colorado to meet their new husbands.
“Then it’s settled.” Levi reached for the covered plate she’d brought. “I suppose I’ll eat and get back to work.”
“I’ll tell the children the news. Thank you!” Impulsively, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her husband. He stiffened beneath her grasp, and she froze. Had she misread his kindness?
But then his chest relaxed some, and his hand rested against her back. “You’re welcome,” he said a bit gruffly.
She let go, gave him a smile, and slipped out of the barn as fast as she could. Outside, she leaned against the barn wall, her cheeks so hot she thought they’d melt the tiny flakes of snow that drifted down to land on them.
It had been so easy with John. They’d fallen in love at a young age, he’d courted her, and then they married. It had all been as it should be. But this time . . .
She shook her head, trying to clear it. Everything felt so mixed up. They’d done all the steps out of order. Sometimes it felt as if she’d known Levi for years, but other times she felt so uncertain with every move and every word. And he was so much harder to read than John had been. More guarded. Slower to share things about himself. It was almost as if he was still trying to decide if he could trust her.
Oh, John, she thought as she peeled herself away from the wall and began to walk back toward the house. I hope I’ve made the right decision.
He wouldn’t answer her, of course. He was with God now. And she was here, left to figure out this new life and a husband who was entirely different from the only other one she’d ever known.