At the same time a spark of jealousy rose in Milly’s chest over Paddy’s interest. There was no commitment between the two of them, but they had been very close for many years. Seeing him now as smitten as all the other boys caused a deep pain in her heart. She was saved from dwelling on this too deeply when the bell rang. The children went forward as one, but the Fontaine girls hung back.
“I wish we had met more kids this summer,” Sammy commented softly as she brought up the rear.
“I feel sick,” Lexa added, and Danny put a hand on her arm.
Jackie didn’t feel much better, but she wouldn’t have admitted it under threat of death. She had been very aware of the eyes on her earlier, and where she usually enjoyed the attention, today she felt unsure about the style of her pale blue dress and wished she could have been invisible. It would have helped tremendously to have Eddie along—kind, confident Eddie—but she had finished her schooling in the spring while still in Boston.
“Take your seats, please,” the teacher’s voice rang out. “Older students in the rear, younger near the front.”
Jackie sat in the last seat in the row nearest the north wall and hoped she wouldn’t be moved. Every boy she’d ever sat in front of pulled her hair, and she didn’t think she could take one more year of that.
“I am Miss Bradley,” the tall, thin woman spoke from the front of the room. She smiled, but her eyes were serious. “I’ve written my name on the board so you can see how it is spelled, and now I wish to know your names. We will start with this row,” she said, indicating the row nearest the south wall. “When I point to you, you will stand, state your full name and age, and then be reseated. Does everyone understand?”
There was a chorus of “Yes, Miss Bradley,” and then they began. Sammy was near the front but not in the first row, and as it was, Lexa was the first of the Fontaine girls to give her name.
“Your full name is Lexa?” Miss Bradley questioned her with a frown.
“No, ma’am,” Lexa nearly whispered.
“What is it?”
“Alexandra, ma’am.”
“Then Alexandra it shall be. I do not use nicknames,” she now told everyone. “We will proceed, and you will give your full name.”
Again they were off. Red faces peppered the room as students with names like Bartholomew, Millicent, Danielle, Padriac, Matilda, Susannah, and Jacqueline were announced.
For Jackie it was the start of a morning that dragged. She was already hungry for lunch and tired of the looks the boy beside her was sending her way. How she envied Eddie. As much as Jackie hated stocking and dusting shelves, she wished she were at the store right now.
“Well, hello, Elaine.”
“Hi, Mitch. How are you?”
“Can’t complain, can’t complain. Yourself?”
“I’m fine, but I miss Kevin.”
“When do you expect him?”
“Two days ago.”
Mitch chuckled. “Say, Elaine, have you met my family?”
“I’m sorry to say I haven’t.”
“Addy,” Mitch called to the rear, “are you back there?”
A moment later she appeared. Elaine smiled as Mrs. Fontaine came forward, a picture of grace and beauty.
“Addy, this is Elaine Taggart,” Mitch began.
“Of course,” Addy said as her hand came out. “Please forgive my lack of response to your gift, Mrs. Taggart. We’re still trying to find things.”
Elaine laughed. “Call me Elaine, and think nothing of it. Moving can bring such upheaval. My Milly has been sick, or I’d have been to see you much sooner.”
“We met your son, and he told us about Milly. Is she feeling better?” Addy asked.
“Yes, she’s at school today. Clayton told me he enjoyed speaking to you.”
“He’s delightful,” Addy told her sincerely. “Eddie had a nice talk with him too.”
“Your husband?” Elaine questioned and received a chuckle.
“No,” Addy’s eyes sparkled. “My oldest daughter.”
At that moment Morgan and Eddie made an appearance, and both met Elaine. Morgan questioned Elaine about Kevin’s return, and because they were her closest neighbors, he told her to come if she needed anything, day or night. By the time Elaine left, they had made plans to get together soon. She hoped Kevin would be home by then. She was missing him more than ever and asking God to bring him home soon.
“What’s eating you?” Paddy O’Brien asked easily as he lowered himself to the grass beside Milly.
Milly looked at him for a moment and debated what to say. He’d been gawking at Jackie Fontaine for most of the lunch hour, and Milly, in an effort to protect herself, had moved away so she didn’t have to watch. In a flash, she decided on honesty.
“I realize Jackie Fontaine is pretty, but I’d rather not sit and watch all of you stare at her.”
Sixteen, but mature for his age, Paddy looked thoughtful. Instead of teasing her, he regarded her statement seriously.
“Yeah,” Paddy answered, his eyes on the walls of Clear Creek Canyon. “I guess we were all pretty obvious. It’s like that with anyone new. It’ll wear off soon enough. Were you jealous?” His gaze swung to her.
Milly met his eyes squarely. “A little, but more than that I’m confused.”
“Over what?”
“Over why boys are attracted to a pretty face no matter what the girl is like. I mean, look at Susie. She’s the nicest girl in school, but she’s not pretty so no one gives her a second look.”
Again Paddy stared at her. Personally, he thought Milly was the nicest girl in school and pretty to go with it, but he saw her point. He was not able to tell her, however, since Danny and Sammy wandered by just then. Sammy gave them a shy hello, and when both Paddy and Milly greeted them in a friendly fashion, they stopped.
“I can’t remember your names,” Paddy told them honestly.
“I’m Danny, and this is Sammy.”
“I’m Paddy O’Brien, and this is Milly Taggart.”
“Would you like to sit down?” Milly asked.
The sisters exchanged a look and then sank down under the tree.
“You’re new in town, aren’t you?” This came from Paddy.
“Yes. We used to live in Massachusetts. Boston, actually.”
“What was it like?”
“Oh, nice,” Danny commented. “We’ve lived many places, so in some ways, Boston was just another town.”
“Where all have you lived?” Paddy, who could not remember ever being out of Georgetown, was intrigued.
“New York, Vermont, and Pennsylvania,” Sammy informed him.
“I’ve lived in South Carolina, as well,” Danny added.
“I have a friend that I write to in South Carolina!” Milly exclaimed, and the two of them had an excited exchange until the bell rang. Sammy ended up walking back to the schoolhouse with Paddy, and because he was the youngest in his own family, they found quite a bit to talk about.
“My brothers have all moved away.”
“I think my sister Eddie will. She’s in love with a man who lives in Boulder.”
“It’s a good thing they don’t all leave at once. It can be pretty lonely when that happens.”
Sammy nodded as they went up the steps. Her light blue eyes sought out those of the handsome, dark-haired Irish boy and gave him a sweet smile when he gently tugged on her braid.
The letter began Dear Robert, and Eddie concentrated with all her might to make every letter and space perfect. She wrote about Georgetown and the things that had been keeping her busy but hesitated over anything too personal. She had been tempted to write Robert since she had received his letter the previous week, but she wanted very much to take time to think and pray. Asking a man to come and visit you was in a way an invitation for something very personal. Eddie wanted that something personal very much, but she was hesitant to be the initiator. She had proceeded with caution and more prayer and decided that now was the time to plunge in.
/>
My father has been uncertain of our corresponding because he and my mother have never met you. I do not want to presume upon your interest or go the other way and make you feel as though your letters are not welcome, but my father asked me if you’d ever expressed a desire to visit Georgetown.
Eddie frowned at what she had written. “I sound like a little girl.”
“Says who?”
Eddie jumped at the sound of her mother’s voice.
“I thought I was home alone.”
“I just got here. You must have been so intent you didn’t hear me.”
Eddie sighed.
“What is it, dear?”
“I’m writing to Robert.”
Addy’s brows rose. “Why did I think you would have done that long ago?”
“I wanted to, Mother, but when you ask a man to come and see you, well, I just didn’t want to—” Not knowing how to go on, she stopped.
“I think I understand,” Addy told her softly. “Are you a little uncertain of his feelings for you?”
“Yes.”
“He sounds quite smitten to me.”
Tears filled Eddie’s eyes. “Oh, Mother. He’s so wonderful, and I just can’t think what he sees in me.”
Addy’s arms went around her oldest child. A lovelier, sweeter Christian girl she had never known, but Eddie always believed herself homely next to her beautiful sister, Jackie. Indeed, Jackie was lovely, but Eddie didn’t realize how lovely she herself was. Addy pulled a scented lace handkerchief from her pocket and tenderly wiped her daughter’s face. She cupped her daughter’s soft cheeks in her smooth hands and spoke earnestly into her deep blue eyes.
“Robert Langley was blessed by God the day he walked into your Aunt Lacey’s home in Boulder and saw you sitting there. I’ve talked to my sister, and she said he was enchanted before he could take his next breath. He wouldn’t have felt that way about a little girl. She said he couldn’t keep his eyes off you. And what did you tell me he said?”
“That he’d been waiting for me for a very long time.”
Addy smiled. “Finish your letter, dear, and run downtown to post it.”
“Thank you, Mother.”
Addy was on her way from the room when Eddie spoke again.
“Why are you home?”
“Because your father wants me to meet the girls every day, and school lets out in less than an hour.”
Eddie hadn’t realized the time. She finished the letter, saying just what she’d wanted, and then grabbed her bonnet and rushed for the door. She wasn’t overly tall, but her stride was swift, and in less time than she would have expected, she was at the post office and pushing her coin and letter across the counter. The postmaster smiled warmly at the lovely young woman, and Eddie beamed at him before turning to go. She was on her way through the door when a voice stopped her.
“Good afternoon, Miss Fontaine.”
Having recognized that voice, Eddie turned with a ready smile.
“And to you, Mr. Taggart.”
“What are you up to this warm afternoon?”
“I was mailing a letter. How about yourself ?”
“I was doing the same.”
“Someone special?” Eddie asked with a cheeky grin.
“Business,” Clayton told her dryly. “How about you?”
Eddie bit her lip, her eyes sparkling. Clayton would have been blind not to recognize the look.
“What’s his name?”
“Robert,” she breathed. “Robert Langley.”
“Where does he live?”
“Boulder.”
“I see. And does he tell you that he’s been looking for you for the whole of his life?”
“Oh, Tag,” Eddie breathed. “How did you know?”
Clayton’s smile was tender. She was a girl in love, all right. He thanked God that he hadn’t lost his head the first time they’d met.
“God was smiling on Robert Langley the day he found you, Eddie Fontaine.”
“That’s what my mother says.”
“And she’s right.” Clayton suddenly flipped his watch out of his pocket. “I’ve got to run. I told Milly I’d give her a lift home. Would you like a ride?”
“No. I have to get to the store.”
“Good day to you then, Miss Fontaine.”
Eddie threw him a beaming smile and swung away. Clayton placed his hat back on his head, climbed aboard the wagon, and swung the team toward the schoolhouse on the hill.
4
Milly and Danny left the schoolhouse still talking. They had hardly noticed each other before lunch, but once they had returned to class both realized that they sat just two seats away from each other. When Miss Bradley told the class they could pair up for a reading exercise, Danny immediately looked to Milly who slid over on her bench so the younger girl could join her. Jackie had ended up sitting with Susie, and both girls looked miserable.
But now the day was over, and many of the students hit the door running. Miss Bradley had been strict but fair, and in her fairness she had warned them that she was an unyielding disciplinarian. She did not believe God had created stupid children, which meant if they were not learning, then they were not trying, and that meant the strap if you were a boy or the ruler if you were a girl. Punishment would be meted out at the front of the room, but that would be the end of it. No staying after class or writing sentences for the better part of the day. Miss Bradley had no doubt that a session with the strap or ruler would be more than enough impetus to learn your lesson or alter your behavior.
“Here’s Clay,” Milly said as the girls gained the warm afternoon sun. “He told me he’d come for me. Hey, Clay,” Milly called as she approached, “can we give Danny and her sisters a ride home?”
“Sure,” the young man responded readily enough. “Hop in.”
Danny, Lexa, and Sammy scrambled aboard with Milly, but Jackie, who had just come upon the scene, stopped short. Clayton’s amused gaze swept over her affronted features.
“Are you going to join us, Miss Fontaine?”
That chin went into the air.
“Come on, Jackie,” Sammy urged her. “Get in.”
“No, thank you,” she said with a regal air. “I’d rather walk.” With that she turned, her skirts swirling around her, and started home.
Clayton grinned and raised the reins to slap the team, but Paddy hailed him from the schoolhouse steps and he stopped. The younger man had a question and a message from his father that he’d forgotten to tell Milly. The two talked together for a few minutes. The girls took no notice but spoke of the day and made plans for the week.
By the time Clayton moved his team down the road, Jackie was far ahead of them. He slowed the team ever so slightly as they came abreast of her, and Clayton smiled to himself when he felt the wagon bounce slightly. The unapproachable Jackie Fontaine had climbed aboard. Clayton pulled up in front of the Fontaine home less than ten minutes later, and the three younger girls scrambled out with calls of thanks and goodbye. Jackie remained silent. Clayton deliberately turned his handsome blond head and watched her. Jackie caught his look and tossed her chestnut curls.
“Not going to thank me?” he murmured softly and watched as she flounced into the house. She shut the front door a little too hard and said to the entryway at large, “I hate that Clayton Taggart. I tell you, I do.”
No one in her family commented, and Jackie stormed up the stairs telling herself that when her sisters saw what a colossal conceit he had, they would feel the same way.
In the meantime, Milly had come up beside her brother on the wagon seat, and as they pulled away, she commented, “I don’t think she spoke to anyone all day.”
“Jackie?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe she was afraid.”
Milly shook her head. “I don’t think so. She thinks she’s better than the rest of us.”
“Her sisters aren’t like that.”
Milly thought about that. The Fontaine sisters wer
e all so much alike in looks, but like night and day in termperament. Sammy and Danny were both warm and friendly, but not quite as lovely as Lexa and Jackie. They were the beauties of the family, their eyes rimmed by dark lashes and framed with perfect brows—a perfect foil for the burnished mahogany hair that was the hallmark of the family. Their attitudes, however, were much more guarded, making them seem standoffish and conceited.
“No, they’re not all like that,” Milly finally agreed. “Which is something of a miracle, since they’re all pretty.”
They fell silent, busy with their own thoughts, and the ride was quiet for the last hundred yards home—quiet, that is, until they spotted their father’s horse. Kevin Taggart had finally come home.
Milly was in bed, and Clayton and his father sat together at the kitchen table. They had talked about the mine he’d been surveying and now they discussed the next jobs.
“I’ve got a letter out to McBride about his newest mine, but Paddy O’Brien told me today that his father is laid up with a leg injury. I didn’t have time to go see him, but that means the Moonbeam #3 is going to be open for a surveyor.”
“The Moonbeam is set in horrible terrain,” Kevin commented.
“That’s probably why Cormac O’Brien is laid up.”
“At least it’s close,” Kevin put in. “I’m weary of the trail.”
“Tell me about it,” Clayton said softly, and his father laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.
“Still have that dream?”
“I sure do. I think that’s why I’m so eager to pick Milly up from school. Every once in a while her dress will smell like chalk and all the other classroom smells combined. I can just see myself there, at the front of the class, chalk in hand.”
Elaine had poured them all cups of coffee in heavy, dark mugs and had taken a place at the table. She looked across and smiled at her son.
“God will show you the way, Clay. You believe that, don’t you?”
“I do, Mom, but I must admit that at times I chafe at God’s timing. I want this now, while I’m still young.”
“You are getting old,” his father said, and it was clear where Clayton gained his sense of humor. “We’ll find a way, Clayton.” He turned serious just that fast. “Trust and keep on here. We’ll find a way.”