opened the door, came inside, spotted her sitting on one of her students’ desks with her hands pressed to her burning face.
He smiled. “There are some kids coming down the road,” he informed her. “Your students, I presume.”
Piper cried out, bolted to her feet. “No!”
“Yes,” Sawyer said. “Doc will be back at three-thirty, with a license and a preacher.” With that, he headed for the bedroom, pausing to pour himself a mug full of coffee along the way. From the inside doorway, he looked back at her over his right shoulder. “Better step lively, Teacher,” he said. “School’s about to be in session.”
He was barely out of sight when Ginny-Sue Turner burst in, cheeks pink, eyes eager. “I know the whole second chapter of Luke!” she blurted joyfully. “By heart!”
Piper’s smile might have been a little shaky, but Ginny-Sue was too young, and too excited, to notice. “That’s wonderful,” she said, resting a hand on the child’s shoulder.
“And Christmas is going to happen, after all!” Ginny-Sue enthused, glowing as she got out of her coat and mittens and warm woolen hat. “Mama said it would, because you told her so.”
Piper’s throat tightened, and she managed a little nod. She had no power to keep another snowstorm away, of course, but this child clearly believed she did.
It was a weighty responsibility.
Madeline Howard arrived next, small and blonde and very pretty, like her mother, followed by half a dozen other children.
“May I ring the bell, Miss St. James?” Madeline asked, beaming.
Piper assented, and the other students arrived by twos and threes. Even Edrina and Harriet made it into town for class—Clay had driven them in a wagon drawn by those same two plow horses he’d hitched to the sledge the day before, and he waved and smiled from the seat, reins in hand.
“Has the baby arrived?” Piper asked breathlessly, after picking her way through the mud to stand beside Clay’s wagon, looking up at him.
He shook his head. “Not yet,” he said, “but Dara Rose was mighty eager to get the girls out of the house this morning, so I figure she’s about ready.”
“You’d better get back there, quick,” Piper said, worried, but thrilled, too. In her excitement, she forgot about Sawyer McKettrick, hiding out in her bedroom behind the schoolhouse.
He’d be discovered, of course, if only because Edrina and Harriet surely knew he was there, and would want to greet him.
Clay nodded, lifted the reins and released the brake lever with his left hand. “Sawyer doing all right?” he asked, in parting.
Piper colored up, quite against her will, but held Clay’s gaze. “Yes,” she said.
Clay touched the brim of his hat in farewell, brought down the reins on the horses’ backs, setting them in noisy motion, and drove away.
If it hadn’t been so cold outside, sunny sky or none, Piper might have lingered in the schoolyard, putting off the moment when she’d have to face her pupils, but she didn’t have a cloak and she’d forgotten to wrap the blanket around her before coming to greet Clay.
So she marched inside, clapping her hands to get the children’s attention.
They were gathered around the undecorated Christmas tree, examining it for bird’s nests and chatting among themselves. Edrina and Harriet, as she’d expected, were out of sight, and she could hear them talking with Sawyer in the back room.
She closed her eyes for a moment.
“Can we fix up the Christmas tree today, Miss St. James?” one of the boys asked. “Jack and me, we could fix up a stand for it in no time, out in the woodshed.”
Piper set her hands on her hips and considered the suggestion in a teacherly way. “That would be fine,” she said, at long last.
The children cheered.
Two of the boys rushed outside, followed by several more.
“Edrina, Harriet!” Piper called pleasantly. “Come out here, please. We’re going to decorate the tree.”
Dara Rose’s children, both
He smiled. “There are some kids coming down the road,” he informed her. “Your students, I presume.”
Piper cried out, bolted to her feet. “No!”
“Yes,” Sawyer said. “Doc will be back at three-thirty, with a license and a preacher.” With that, he headed for the bedroom, pausing to pour himself a mug full of coffee along the way. From the inside doorway, he looked back at her over his right shoulder. “Better step lively, Teacher,” he said. “School’s about to be in session.”
He was barely out of sight when Ginny-Sue Turner burst in, cheeks pink, eyes eager. “I know the whole second chapter of Luke!” she blurted joyfully. “By heart!”
Piper’s smile might have been a little shaky, but Ginny-Sue was too young, and too excited, to notice. “That’s wonderful,” she said, resting a hand on the child’s shoulder.
“And Christmas is going to happen, after all!” Ginny-Sue enthused, glowing as she got out of her coat and mittens and warm woolen hat. “Mama said it would, because you told her so.”
Piper’s throat tightened, and she managed a little nod. She had no power to keep another snowstorm away, of course, but this child clearly believed she did.
It was a weighty responsibility.
Madeline Howard arrived next, small and blonde and very pretty, like her mother, followed by half a dozen other children.
“May I ring the bell, Miss St. James?” Madeline asked, beaming.
Piper assented, and the other students arrived by twos and threes. Even Edrina and Harriet made it into town for class—Clay had driven them in a wagon drawn by those same two plow horses he’d hitched to the sledge the day before, and he waved and smiled from the seat, reins in hand.
“Has the baby arrived?” Piper asked breathlessly, after picking her way through the mud to stand beside Clay’s wagon, looking up at him.
He shook his head. “Not yet,” he said, “but Dara Rose was mighty eager to get the girls out of the house this morning, so I figure she’s about ready.”
“You’d better get back there, quick,” Piper said, worried, but thrilled, too. In her excitement, she forgot about Sawyer McKettrick, hiding out in her bedroom behind the schoolhouse.
He’d be discovered, of course, if only because Edrina and Harriet surely knew he was there, and would want to greet him.
Clay nodded, lifted the reins and released the brake lever with his left hand. “Sawyer doing all right?” he asked, in parting.
Piper colored up, quite against her will, but held Clay’s gaze. “Yes,” she said.
Clay touched the brim of his hat in farewell, brought down the reins on the horses’ backs, setting them in noisy motion, and drove away.
If it hadn’t been so cold outside, sunny sky or none, Piper might have lingered in the schoolyard, putting off the moment when she’d have to face her pupils, but she didn’t have a cloak and she’d forgotten to wrap the blanket around her before coming to greet Clay.
So she marched inside, clapping her hands to get the children’s attention.
They were gathered around the undecorated Christmas tree, examining it for bird’s nests and chatting among themselves. Edrina and Harriet, as she’d expected, were out of sight, and she could hear them talking with Sawyer in the back room.
She closed her eyes for a moment.
“Can we fix up the Christmas tree today, Miss St. James?” one of the boys asked. “Jack and me, we could fix up a stand for it in no time, out in the woodshed.”
Piper set her hands on her hips and considered the suggestion in a teacherly way. “That would be fine,” she said, at long last.
The children cheered.
Two of the boys rushed outside, followed by several more.
“Edrina, Harriet!” Piper called pleasantly. “Come out here, please. We’re going to decorate the tree.”
Dara Rose’s children, both
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