Blair.
“If I leave, Jacob, I promise to take you with me.” She hugged the little boy and rocked until Henrietta frowned and poked her in the side with her elbow.
“Excuse me, Mrs. Harvey. I’ll take the boy out so he doesn’t bother you.” Henrietta’s puckered eyebrows didn’t stop her as she climbed over Albert’s legs. She ground her heel on John’s toe as she reached the end of the row, but refused to acknowledge the question he mouthed.
Once outside she stood Jacob on his feet. “You’re too heavy for me to carry.”
“Where’re we going? Was I naughty?”
Emma stepped beside them. “You’re not going anywhere, and no, young man, you were not naughty.” She patted his shoulder then pinned her gaze on Robin. “Needing some air, were you?”
Robin shrugged. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“Tell you what?” Emma hooked her arm in Robin’s.
“I didn’t know Ty was a preacher, too.”
“What difference would it have made, Robin? You know, most of us around here don’t even think about Ty being anyone other than a fine young man. He grew up out there on the Hawk, stayed on after his folks died and took on the preaching when the congregation couldn’t afford to hire a full-time man. I suppose that’s why we don’t think about it much.”
She led Robin to a clearing where they sat on a fallen log. “I’d get to the ground, but you’d have to go back in and ask for help getting me up again.” Emma smiled. “Now, how about answering my question?”
Jacob squatted beside them and dug in the soft earth under the trees.
“Don’t get dirt on your white shirt, Jacob.”
Emma patted Robin’s knee. “ Pshaw . Let the boy be. He’s probably the only one in this whole mess with a good enough reason to run. By the looks of you and Ty a while ago you were both ready to bolt.”
“If Ty ran any direction it would be toward Miss Blair. Did you see her ring sparkle? Was it an engagement ring, Emma? And did Ty give it to her?”
“Is there something between the two of you I don’t already know?”
Robin shrugged. “I hoped, Emma. I only hoped.”
“And now, because Anna Blair shows up with a ring on her finger and a song on her lips, you quit hoping?” Emma clasped Robin’s hands. “That’s not hope, girl—that’s wishing. And there’s a whole lot of difference between the two.”
“Did you see how he looked at her, Emma?”
“I did. I also saw him looking at you. And girl, what I saw in that man’s eyes . . .”
“Pity, Emma. Pure, plain pity. He feels sorry for a poor crippled girl who wears clothes someone bought for her, living with a relative to earn enough money to pay off her papa’s debts and playing mama when he knows she’ll never have the opportunity to ever become one. That’s what you saw.” She swiped at her tears.
Emma cupped her hands around Robin’s face. “Now you listen to me. You’re as sweet as they come, but you might as well be living in the middle of a thorny bush. You’ve built a wall around you full of sharp things—pride and presumption—then you defy anyone entrance."
Robin stared, her mouth agape, at the older woman.
“Oh, Robin . . . shutting people out will only keep you alone, not safe. A turtle hides in his hard shell when he senses danger, but it doesn’t keep a wagon wheel from crushing him. If he’d face the
“If I leave, Jacob, I promise to take you with me.” She hugged the little boy and rocked until Henrietta frowned and poked her in the side with her elbow.
“Excuse me, Mrs. Harvey. I’ll take the boy out so he doesn’t bother you.” Henrietta’s puckered eyebrows didn’t stop her as she climbed over Albert’s legs. She ground her heel on John’s toe as she reached the end of the row, but refused to acknowledge the question he mouthed.
Once outside she stood Jacob on his feet. “You’re too heavy for me to carry.”
“Where’re we going? Was I naughty?”
Emma stepped beside them. “You’re not going anywhere, and no, young man, you were not naughty.” She patted his shoulder then pinned her gaze on Robin. “Needing some air, were you?”
Robin shrugged. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“Tell you what?” Emma hooked her arm in Robin’s.
“I didn’t know Ty was a preacher, too.”
“What difference would it have made, Robin? You know, most of us around here don’t even think about Ty being anyone other than a fine young man. He grew up out there on the Hawk, stayed on after his folks died and took on the preaching when the congregation couldn’t afford to hire a full-time man. I suppose that’s why we don’t think about it much.”
She led Robin to a clearing where they sat on a fallen log. “I’d get to the ground, but you’d have to go back in and ask for help getting me up again.” Emma smiled. “Now, how about answering my question?”
Jacob squatted beside them and dug in the soft earth under the trees.
“Don’t get dirt on your white shirt, Jacob.”
Emma patted Robin’s knee. “ Pshaw . Let the boy be. He’s probably the only one in this whole mess with a good enough reason to run. By the looks of you and Ty a while ago you were both ready to bolt.”
“If Ty ran any direction it would be toward Miss Blair. Did you see her ring sparkle? Was it an engagement ring, Emma? And did Ty give it to her?”
“Is there something between the two of you I don’t already know?”
Robin shrugged. “I hoped, Emma. I only hoped.”
“And now, because Anna Blair shows up with a ring on her finger and a song on her lips, you quit hoping?” Emma clasped Robin’s hands. “That’s not hope, girl—that’s wishing. And there’s a whole lot of difference between the two.”
“Did you see how he looked at her, Emma?”
“I did. I also saw him looking at you. And girl, what I saw in that man’s eyes . . .”
“Pity, Emma. Pure, plain pity. He feels sorry for a poor crippled girl who wears clothes someone bought for her, living with a relative to earn enough money to pay off her papa’s debts and playing mama when he knows she’ll never have the opportunity to ever become one. That’s what you saw.” She swiped at her tears.
Emma cupped her hands around Robin’s face. “Now you listen to me. You’re as sweet as they come, but you might as well be living in the middle of a thorny bush. You’ve built a wall around you full of sharp things—pride and presumption—then you defy anyone entrance."
Robin stared, her mouth agape, at the older woman.
“Oh, Robin . . . shutting people out will only keep you alone, not safe. A turtle hides in his hard shell when he senses danger, but it doesn’t keep a wagon wheel from crushing him. If he’d face the
Similar Books
