Rhonda Gibson - The Marshal's Promise

“I’ll see you on Sunday, Reverend.” Seth stopped in the doorway.

They shook hands and then the minister left.

Seth closed the door and looked about. The sitting room had been dusted and swept. Thanks to his promises, Rebecca now worked for him and the town gossips had started to spread their poison.

* * *

Rebecca gathered her basket of applesauce-oatmeal muffins and headed out the door. She stopped on the sidewalk and enjoyed the crisp morning breeze. Mr. Watson entered the newspaper office. He waved at her before shutting the door.

The sound of skipping feet caught her attention and she turned to see Grace Miller skipping toward her. “Hi, Miss Rebecca.”

“Well, good morning, Grace. Off to school this morning?” she asked.

Grace held a lunch pail in one hand and a book in another. “Yeah, Ma makes me leave early every morning. I end up there way before the other kids. Where are you going?” She tugged at the long brown braid that had landed on her shoulder when she’d stopped skipping.

Rebecca tried to remember if Grace had left early the mornings she’d been staying at the Millers’ house. After a few moments, she gave up. “I am headed to work.” Rebecca started to walk down the sidewalk. She liked the idea that she had a job now and didn’t have to rely on someone else to take care of her.

“At the marshal’s house?”

“Yes, at the marshal’s house.”

Grace walked along beside her. “Mama says you are lucky he needed someone ’cause there isn’t no work here.”

“Because there isn’t any work here,” she automatically corrected.

Grace frowned up at her. “That is what I said.”

Rebecca laughed and continued walking. She was in too good a mood to press the matter further. Grace skipped along beside her.

“Your mother is right. I feel very blessed.” Rebecca tucked a wayward curl behind her ear. If it hadn’t been for the marshal, she’d have had to go home. The last place she wanted to go.

“Can I go with you to the marshal’s house? I don’t want to go to school yet.” Grace stopped in front of the diner and looked up the hill at the school.

The smell of bacon and eggs drifted to them as the town banker opened the diner door and walked out. “Excuse me, ladies.” He tipped his hat at them and then continued on down the sidewalk.

“Yes, as long as you’re sure your mother doesn’t mind.”

Grace smiled. “She said she doesn’t mind as long as I get to school on time.”

Rebecca frowned. Had Mrs. Miller planned on Grace going with her to Seth’s house? That’s the way it sounded, but then again, children often maneuvered things around to fit what they wanted to do. Besides, what difference would it make as long as Grace got to school on time? “Well, then, let’s go.”

They arrived and Rebecca knocked on the door. Grace shifted from foot to foot as they waited. Seth opened the door. He stood before them with wet hair and stocking feet. The brown curls coiled about his white collar and Rebecca itched to reach out and touch the damp strands.

“Good morning,” she said in a soft voice.

Grace looked up at her. The young girl tilted her head as if to study Rebecca’s face further. The expression in her eyes said she knew something was wrong but wasn’t sure what.

Rebecca cleared her throat and said a little more forcefully, “Good morning, Marshal.”

He smiled at Grace. “I see you brought a chaperone this morning.”

“I’m not a chaperone. I’m Grace Miller.” The nine-year-old stood up taller as if to remind him of who she was.

“So you are.” He tugged her braid.

Rebecca pulled her shawl closer around her shoulders. “May we come in?”

Seth opened the door farther and Grace slid around him. He looked into Rebecca’s eyes and smiled. The dimple in his left cheek winked. “Sure, come on in.”

He inhaled as she walked past. “What’s in the basket?”

“Applesauce-oatmeal muffins. My mother’s recipe.” Rebecca walked past him and headed for the kitchen. “I thought you might like them with a hot cup of coffee for breakfast.”

“Sounds wonderful,” he answered, following close behind.

Her mother used to say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Rebecca hadn’t thought of that in a long time. She made the coffee and listened to Grace and Seth talk about school and the spelling test that Grace was dreading.

She put the muffins on the table and got down three small plates. Next, she poured herself and Seth coffee. “Would you like a glass of milk, Grace?”

“If you have it,” the little girl answered politely.

“I do. I’ll be right back.” Rebecca went out to the well and pulled on a long rope. The evening before, she’d tied a mason jar filled with milk to one end of the rope and lowered it into the cold water below.

She returned a few minutes later to find both Grace and Seth munching on the muffins.

“These are very good.” Seth indicated the muffin in his hand and then sipped his coffee.

Rebecca smiled. “Thank you. I never think they taste as good as when Mother made them.” She poured the milk for Grace and set the glass down beside her.

“Thanks, Miss Rebecca.” She picked it up and gulped it down. “Oh, it’s so cold!”

“That’s because it just came out of the well.” Rebecca sat down and picked up one of the muffins. She bit into the sweetness and sighed. They were good, but like she’d said earlier, not as good as her mother’s. The brown sugar and oatmeal topping didn’t taste as sweet.

“May I have another one, Miss Rebecca?” Grace was already reaching toward the bowl.

“Of course you can.” Rebecca licked the sugary sweetness from her lips. She looked up to see Seth watching her. Tingling heat filled her face.

He pushed his chair back. “If you ladies will excuse me, I need to get to work.”

Rebecca followed him to the door. “Is there anything special you want me to do today?” she asked as he stepped out onto the porch.

“Just do what I’m paying you to do, and don’t expect anything more from me.” He stomped off around the house. Rebecca knew the barn was behind the house and figured he was going after his horse.

Grace came to stand beside her. “What did he mean by that?”

Rebecca shook her head. “I have no idea.” The man seemed as skittish as a mother deer with a new fawn, another good reason to stay away from him. She knew opening her heart to a man like him would only lead to heartbreak.

Chapter Six

The sound of the school bell had both Rebecca and Grace hurrying back inside. Grace to get her book and lunch pail, Rebecca to get the breakfast and the previous night’s dinner dishes washed. She’d noticed earlier that Seth had piled his dinner dishes into the new dishpan.

“See you after school, Miss Rebecca!” Grace yelled as she raced back out the front door, the sound of the slamming door a sure sign of her departure.

Rebecca grabbed the water bucket and walked out the kitchen door to the well. What had Seth meant by “don’t expect any more from me”? Did he think she’d expected him to give her this job? Surely not. He’d been the one to suggest it and had even seemed angry when he’d realized she’d been out seeking employment elsewhere. She carried the water to the stove to heat.

Then she made her way to the bedrooms. The guest room looked the same as when she’d left it the day before. Seth’s bed looked as if he’d wrestled a bear during the night. Rebecca stripped the sheets and quilts off it and then remade the bed.

Next she returned to the kitchen and poured the hot water into the dishpan. After the dishes were washed, Rebecca swept and mopped the kitchen floor. While it dried, she stepped outside and looked at the backyard. To the left someone had hung a clothesline between two boards and to the right an overgrown garden spot had been fenced off. At the back of the lot stood a big red barn.