Cheryl St.John - The Preacher's Wife

Her expressive face brightened. “You will?”

Josie nodded. Just then, Anna called them to come observe the cat batting at a fly on the windowsill. The child was fascinated by the feline’s swift movements, and then grimaced when it caught the insect and ate it. Josie hid her amusement. “I have an idea.”

“What is it?” Anna asked.

“I have a tea set. Why don’t you and Abigail come home with me for an hour or so, and we’ll have tea.”

Anna scrambled to her feet. “Do you got any lemon cakes or raisin scones?”

“I don’t, but I have some sugar cookies. Those will do, won’t they?”

Anna’s delighted smile was all the answer required.

The afternoon passed more quickly than any Josie could remember. After they’d had tea and cleaned up, then taken the sheets from the line and folded them, the girls got comfortable on their bed and read while Josie made up the reverend’s bed with fresh sheets and put away the towels.

She waited supper until Samuel and Elisabeth arrived. Josie ate in the kitchen with the girls, while Samuel kept Henry company, so they could talk about the calls he’d made. The bread pudding was well received, and Reverend Martin even asked for seconds. She refused offers of help to wash the dishes, and the girls went up to their room to study.

Later, she made coffee and carried a tray to the men and served them.

“Sit with us,” Reverend Martin invited. “Unless you have to be going.”

She hesitated only momentarily. Evenings were dreadfully long at her house. She jumped at the chance to avoid another one. “I’ll get a cup.”

Samuel stood until she had poured her coffee and taken a seat. “Your daughters are delightful company,” she told him. “I think even Daisy is warming to Anna.”

Henry explained how Anna and the feline had held a staring match most of the afternoon. He raised one eyebrow. “Sam said the Widow Harper seemed a trifle standoffish.”

Josie knew the woman. Mrs. Harper had been a widow for as long as Josie could remember, though others in town recalled a husband.

“And it seems she’s added a chicken to her pets since I was there last,” he told her.

“There was a sheep in a pen right beside the front door,” Sam said.

“I knew about the lamb,” Josie said. “I guess it grew up and was too big for the parlor.”

“She’s not too keen on people,” Henry understated. “Prefers her critters.”

“She didn’t care much for our visit,” Samuel told them. “Feeling was mutual, actually. Elisabeth sat on a footstool with her gaze riveted on that chicken, like it was going to fly up and peck her eyes out at any minute.”

Josie fought back a laugh by pursing her lips. Finally, she managed to say, “I would probably have done the same.”

Reverend Martin laughed then, a chuckle that started slow and built, until he held his sore ribs and grimaced.

Samuel’s cheek creased becomingly in a grin that gradually spread across his face.

Why his crooked smile was of special interest, she couldn’t have said, but the sight warmed and lifted Josie’s heart.

His laugh, once it erupted, was a deep, resonating sound that Josie felt through the floorboards. She knew instinctively that laughing was something he hadn’t done for a long time. She joined their merriment with a burst of laughter.

A shriek came from upstairs, effectively silencing their good humor. The sound came again, followed by a thump on the floor above.

Samuel shot from his chair and Josie followed close behind. He took the stairs two at a time while she gathered her hem and kept a slower pace.

The lamp on the hallway wall led them to the girls’ bedroom, and Samuel darted in. Josie found the oil lamp on the bureau and lit it.

She couldn’t identify the sobbing, but Abigail’s father went unerringly to the larger bed, where the covers were strewn onto the floor and Abigail sat with her arms over her head, white-clad elbows pointed toward the ceiling.

Elisabeth sat up from the narrow bed where she slept alone and blinked sleepily at them.

Anna was on her knees on the mattress beside Abigail, reaching out to stroke her sister’s mussed hair.

“It was Mama,” Abigail choked out, tears glistening on her cheeks. “Mama was in the water.”

Behind her, Anna burst into tears.

Samuel lifted Abigail and she wrapped her arms and legs around his waist and clung to him. He splayed one hand across her back and smoothed her hair with the other, making comforting shushing sounds.

Anna’s sobs broke Josie’s heart, and the sight of Sam holding Abigail so tenderly stirred feelings from her childhood, reminded her she’d never been held and comforted by her father. She couldn’t just stand by and do nothing, so she went to the side of the bed and knelt to touch Anna’s arm.

Anna immediately lunged toward her, her weight taking Josie by surprise and nearly toppling her. She regained her balance and sat on the edge of the bed, where Anna nestled right into her lap and tucked her head under her chin. The sweet scent of her hair and her trembling limbs incited all of Josie’s nurturing instincts. The girls’ heartbreaking sobs brought a lump to her throat and moisture to her eyes. She held Anna securely, rubbing her back and rocking without conscious thought. After a few minutes, Anna’s sobs dwindled.

Josie recalled her poignant words about her mother. Her gaze touched on a rag doll lying on the floor, then moved to the narrow bed where Elisabeth had lain back down and was staring at her. Josie stroked Anna’s back and gave Elisabeth an encouraging smile. The girl pulled the sheet up around her shoulders and rolled to face the other way.

“It was just a dream, Ab,” Samuel said to his daughter. “Just a dream.”

“But it was real.” Her voice trembled as she explained. “It was just like the day Mama died. I could hear the water….”

At those words, Anna trembled again in Josie’s arms. Oh, Lord, please comfort these children.

“And I could see her.”

“I know,” Samuel said. “I know.” He lowered her to the bed and perched beside her on the edge opposite where Josie sat holding Anna. In the lantern light, his face was etched with shared suffering. He gathered the bedding and covered Abigail with the sheet. “Dreams do seem very real.”

Abigail snuggled into the bedding.

“Remember the psalm we found?” Samuel asked her.

She nodded. “Will you say it, Papa?”

“‘When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid; yea thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.’” His voice and those inspired words sent a shiver up Josie’s spine.

Sam closed his eyes. “Merciful Lord, give Abigail and Anna and Elisabeth sweet sleep this night.”

“Yes, Lord,” Abigail said and closed her eyes.

“Yes, Lord,” Josie said under her breath.

The remaining tension drained from Anna’s frame and she relaxed.

Josie’s chest ached with compassion for this man and his daughters. She admired his love for them, his dedication to their well-being, and was moved by his trust in God to comfort them. They had no idea how blessed they were to have a father who was present in their lives.

Samuel opened his eyes and nodded at Josie. She urged Anna from her lap, and the child slid under the covers to snuggle beside her sister.

“Good night, Mrs. Randolph,” Anna whispered. “Thanks for the hugs.”

She wanted to cry herself, but instead she gave the child a reassuring smile. “Good night, Anna.”

Josie turned out the lamp and followed Samuel into the hallway, where he pulled the door closed and stood in the golden light of the wall lantern. When he met her eyes, she read his anguish.

“I never know what to say,” he told her.