CHAPTER 7
Rowena
“That sure was a lot of snow last night,” Rebecca commented, a worried frown on her face as she stared at the window. “And with Zach ill in bed …” Her voice trailed off.
“We’ll just have to manage the best we can,” Rowena replied. “I can do the barn chores if that would help. Perhaps Lucy can show me what to do. She’s been to the barn with Zach a few times, hasn’t she?”
Rebecca’s eyes were full of relief. “If you don’t mind,” she said cautiously. “Lucy knows what to do. And thank you, Rowena. That would be a great help.”
It was several weeks since the accident that had almost claimed Jake’s life, and Rowena knew she would never be unconcerned about the weather again. This snowstorm was the first large one they’d had since then, but she knew better than to assume it was over. She would take extra care anytime she had to go outside.
It was still early, but she and Lucy headed for the barn so they could milk the cow and feed the animals before Charlie came to pick her up. Jake had returned home and was doing well, but he had still not recovered enough to go back to work. Charlie had been faithfully driving her to and from school each day, and she was grateful. Now that Zach was ill, she had to start her day even earlier so she could help Rebecca get through all the chores. Everyone was hoping that Zach would recover quickly.
She and Lucy floundered through deep snow drifts as they made their way to the barn. The snow had stopped, but the heavy clouds overhead threatened more. Rowena never ceased to be amazed that so much snow could fall on a single town, but the long-term residents assured her that this was an especially snowy winter and it wasn’t always like this.
“Look!” Lucy stopped short beside her and pointed. “Whose footprints are those?”
Rowena stopped too, staring at the set of large footprints in surprise. No one from the house had been to the barn this morning, and a prickle of fear made its way down her spine. Who had visited the barn?
But the animals needed care, and it wasn’t fair to expect Rebecca to do the job just because Rowena was worried. She took a deep breath and told Lucy to stay behind her and keep quiet. Then they approached the barn almost silently.
Fortunately, they didn’t have to dig the door out, and it slid open easily. But a moment later, the window at the other end of the barn banged, and Rowena gasped in shock as she saw the fleeting movement of a person outside. Rooted to the spot in fear, she and Lucy stood staring at the window for a long moment, but everything was silent.
At last, they moved inside and Rowena closed the door to preserve the warmth inside. She cautiously made her way to the window, climbed onto the barrel that had been placed below, and looked out, hoping she didn’t disturb whoever had just fled.
But apart from a hole in the snow where someone had jumped from the window and a set of footprints leading into the woods on the hill behind the barn, there was nothing to indicate that anyone was still around. Rowena shuddered; had they just disturbed a criminal who had used the barn as shelter? Fear swirled around in her heart and she could only hope that whoever it was didn’t return.
“Is anyone out there?” Lucy whispered fearfully from behind her.
Rowena climbed down. “No, honey. He’s gone.”
Lucy’s blue eyes were huge in her little face. “Will he come back?”
“I don’t know,” Rowena answered. “I hope not. It seems that he is afraid of us, so let’s hope he just stays away.”
“I hope he doesn’t freeze to death outside.” Despite her fear, Lucy’s natural kindness asserted itself.
“I’m sure he knows how to survive,” Rowena assured her. “The barn wasn’t exactly warm last night. Just not as cold as outside. He probably made himself a cozy bed in the hayloft to stay warm.”
“I hope he found something to eat.” Lucy’s worried frown creased her pretty face. “Even if he is a bad man, he doesn’t deserve to freeze to death.”
Rowena marveled at the little girl’s heart for humanity, doubtless learned from her mother, who was the epitome of kindness.
“You have a kind heart, Lucy,” she said. “We don’t know. So let’s do our chores instead so we’re not late for school. How about that?”
“All right,” Lucy agreed.
“Now, you’d better show me what to do, or I might get lost in the barn.” Rowena peered around, pretending to be lost.
Lucy giggled. “Then we’d have no school if you were lost in the barn.”
“Maybe I could teach the cows instead,” Rowena suggested.
Laughing, Lucy led the way to the hay loft. “We start here,” she said.
Later, after the chores were finished and she was ready for school, Rowena waited by the door for Charlie to arrive in his sleigh. The sleigh bells on his harness made a distinctive sound, and she’d grown accustomed to hearing him before he arrived.
But a shout outside startled her, and she opened the door to find Jake there instead. She gaped at him in surprise.
“Jake! What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be resting still?”
Jake’s smile was the biggest she’d ever seen. “No more of that invalid business for me,” he declared, climbing down carefully from the sleigh.
“Wait! Stay there,” Rowena exclaimed, fearful that he would fall and injure himself again. She made her way down the steps as quickly as she could. She would have to clear the snow from around the steps and the front door later if Rebecca didn’t get time. It was usually Zach’s job to shovel snow, and she hadn’t realized how much the family relied on him to keep things running smoothly in the background.
“It’s all right.” Jake was determined. “My leg is still a little stiff, but as long as I’m careful, I can do most things again.”
Rowena beamed at him. “Well, in that case, welcome back. It’s good to see you on your feet again.”
“It’s good to be walking instead of hobbling around on crutches, I can assure you,” Jake stated as he helped her into the sleigh.
“Are you ready to go back to work in the forest again?” Rowena asked.
“Not yet.” Jake carefully settled himself in the sleigh and picked up the reins. “It’s almost spring, so the winter work will soon be over anyway.”
“Spring?” Rowena looked around her at the snowy forest as the chilly wind brushed her cheeks. The clouds parted overhead to reveal a glimpse of blue sky, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come.
Jake smiled at her. “Spring comes gradually here,” he said. “It will happen, don’t worry. Sometimes it feels as if winter will last forever, but before you know it, the sun is shining and the birds are singing and everything feels wonderful. You just have to watch for the signs. I’m seeing them already.”
“What are they?” Rowena asked.
“Have you noticed that the days are longer now?”
“Yes, of course. But what else is there?”
“The birds come back, often before the snow has fully melted. I saw a mountain bluebird a few days ago, and it cheered my heart no end. There is nothing like the sight of a bright blue streak flying across a snowy landscape.”
“It sounds beautiful,” Rowena agreed.
“And we always listen for the cowbird’s song,” Jake continued. “It sounds like water dripping into a pot.”
Rowena laughed. “Well, I never! Whoever heard of a bird that sounds like dripping water?”
“I think you’ll enjoy spring in these parts,” Jake said. “The contrasts between the seasons are huge. Spring is wonderful after the cold winter.”
“When does it stop snowing?” Rowena asked. “I thought it might be over because we went for a couple of weeks with not a lot of snow, but last night, down it came again.”
Jake chuckled. “It can snow at any time,” he said. “But mostly, we can expect less snow or no snow later in March.”
“I can’t wait for spring,” Rowena said. Then a sudden thought struck her as she remembered the intruder in the barn. She turned to Jake. “Snow is good for something. There was an intruder in our barn last night and he left footprints in the snow.”
“An intruder?” Jake looked at her in astonishment. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I’m sure. I caught a glimpse of him as he fled through the window at the end of the barn.”
Jake frowned, concern all over his face. “Why didn’t Zach go to the barn?”
“He’s ill and can’t get out of bed right now. I went with Lucy so Rebecca didn’t have to worry about that as well as caring for him and all her other chores.”
“Well, I admire your willingness to step in where you’re needed,” Jake said. “But this afternoon, don’t go alone. I’ll stop by and do the chores with you. We don’t know who it is or if they’re dangerous.”
“It seemed that the man was afraid of us,” Rowena said. “He made great haste to flee.”
“That may be so, but if he realizes women are doing the work, he might get bold. I’ll be there.”
“Thank you.” Rowena smiled at him, feeling grateful.
Jake’s eyes softened as he looked at her. “It’s good to be here, driving you to school again,” he said quietly.
“I appreciate it more than you know,” Rowena replied. She felt a blush rising to her cheeks. “And you’re better company than Charlie. Not that I wish to be unkind to him.”
Jake burst out laughing. “We’d better not tell him that. He might get offended.”
“Please don’t,” Rowena begged. “It will only hurt his feelings.”
“Why am I better company than Charlie?” Jake asked, his expression curious as he looked at her.
“Charlie is a wonderful man,” Rowena said. “But he hardly says a word once we’re going down the road. I enjoy a bit of grownup company after being with the children all day.” She paused. “Besides, he smokes a smelly pipe.”
Jake laughed again. “I never could take to a pipe myself. I prefer the fresh air God gave us to breathe.” He looked at Rowena, his glance tender. “You have no idea how much I wanted to be back in the sleigh driving you to school,” he said. “It motivated me to push through the pain to get moving again.”
“I thought of you every single day,” Rowena confessed. “I was almost beside myself with worry when you had your accident. All I could think of was that you would get an infection or go downhill. Even after you were safe, I was still worried.”
“Nurse Hill’s strict rules paid off,” Jake said. “As you know, there was only a little infection that soon went away, and I’ve been getting stronger every day since then. I hope that when spring planting comes, I’ll be as good as new.”
“I hope so, too,” Rowena said softly. “It’s so good to have you back, Jake.”
He reached out and put his gloved hand over hers. “I wouldn’t choose to be anywhere else,” he told her.
They reached the schoolhouse, and Rowena was surprised to see several boys already waiting for her to open the door. Their eyes went wide as they spotted Jake.
“Mr. Brooks is well again!” one shouted to the others. “He just drove Miss Williams to school!”
Peter scrunched up his freckled face as Jake offered Rowena his arm and escorted her to the schoolhouse porch.
“My pa says you ought to wed her,” he said bluntly.
Jake looked taken aback for a moment but recovered swiftly. “Does he, now?”
The boy nodded. “He says unwed pretty ladies in these parts are like feathers on a moose. Have you seen a moose with feathers, Mr. Brooks?”
Rowena watched as Jake swallowed back a gulp of laughter.
“No, I haven’t,” he said in a suspiciously strangled voice. “I imagine it would be quite a sight.”
“My pa means it’s rare,” Peter explained. “Just like unwed pretty ladies. Are you gonna wed Miss Williams?”
“He can’t do that!” Daniel protested, his blue eyes outraged. “If he does, we won’t have Miss Williams for a teacher any more. She’ll be at home havin’ babies and cookin’ dinner for him. Then who will teach us?”
The boys fell silent, and Rowena felt her cheeks blazing with heat. She stole a glance at Jake and discovered that he was silently choking on something, his face red as he stared at his boots. She wasn’t sure whether to laugh or wither up with embarrassment, either.
“Well, I reckon we ought to just say no more about it,” Peter announced firmly after the boys had considered the problem for a moment. “We need a teacher more than Mr. Brooks needs a wife.”
And that was the end of the matter. The boys scampered up to the woodshed to collect wood for the fire, and Rowena bade Jake farewell and went inside. She had never felt so grateful to escape from a situation in all her life.