Part 15:
Justin was waiting on the porch when Anna came back. He went down the steps as she untied Cookie’s lead rope, taking his horse to the barn. They led both horses into stalls and watered and fed them, then went back into the house.
"I didn’t get to talk to," she paused and wrinkled her brow, "Angel. You know, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to calling her that."
"Yeah, well . . . it’s easier than you think."
"What happened to her Justin, to make her change so much?"
"I’m not sure, but I know who’s at fault."
"Are you sure? His family doesn’t exactly have the best record. In fact, that’s why I’m here . . ."
They talked for a few hours and decided to leave at first light. After a simple supper of beans and biscuits, they went to sleep.
Had Nick been paying attention, he would have noticed how distant Erin seemed over dinner. But he was too busy thinking about Anna to notice. He didn’t really react when she told him she didn’t want to marry him. Instead, he looked at her, blinked, and said "Oh." Then he left. Erin was happy though, even if it did bother her a little that he was obviously thinking of someone else. She had thought about it a lot and realized that she wasn’t ready to marry anyone right now. She had just wanted a man around since her father died. But she didn’t NEED one. She and her mother were doing very well by themselves.
Katie hesitantly pushed the door open, surprised to see Beckie and Sarah hugging each other as they wiped their tears away. Sarah saw Katie first and gasped, uttering a heart felt "Thank God!" Beckie turned to see Katie standing there and her reaction was almost an exact mirror to Sarah’s. They seemed to move as one, jumping up and practically flying across the room. Katie suddenly found herself being hugged by both of them at once. She wasn’t quite sure how but she ended up sitting in the chair Sarah had vacated as they sat on the edge of the bed facing her.
Sarah took a deep breath. "I don’t blame you for running off this morning." Katie just stared at them numbly. "It was a lot to take in, but please understand that we all thought it was for the best when we decided . . ."
Beckie was nodding. They turned when Katie looked up at the door. Josh and Cassie were standing there, looking as if they were afraid to intrude. They came in and closed the door behind them, finding seats near the others. Cassie looked at the other adults and knew that if Katie were to hear the whole truth, she would have to begin. She made sure she had Katie’s attention before starting. "Before this town was ever even founded, before any of us ever met your father, Sarah, Beckie, Sarah and I knew each other. Lance and Sarah Bass and their parents were Sarah’s neighbors. Beckie and I lived fairly close to all of them. We grew up together. We were inseparable. Then Lance and Sarah moved to another town and we never saw them again, until recently." She paused, thinking about the part she had left out. She had been certain Lance was going to marry her. Then his family left town and obviously, he forgot her.
"Beckie and I always had similar tastes," Sarah said. "And when your father came to town, it wasn’t all that surprising that we both fell in love with him the first time we saw him. It was okay at first, until the dance . . ."
"He asked me, but spent all his time with Sarah," Beckie said. "But the next day he took me on a picnic."
"I didn’t know what I wanted." Josh’s words were quiet. The only person who heard them was Katie, as the others were lost in their own memories.
"And then my Papa caught him with me in the hay loft and said if he didn’t marry me, he wouldn’t live long enough to regret it. So he did marry me. I never did figure out why you never said anything," Sarah said, turning to Beckie.
"I knew you loved him as much as I did." Beckie refused to say any more and Cassie took over the story.
"I was the one to tell Josh and Sarah that Beckie was expecting. She was just going to leave and never tell anyone. Maybe move to a small town and say she was a widow. I guess I was angry at Josh and Sarah for hurting my sister. When I told, apparently we weren’t alone and the news got out. Ma and Pa told Beckie to leave and they quit speaking of her. Ever. Eventually I left too. I didn’t find Beckie until you were a year old."
Sarah made herself look Katie in the eye. "Luke brought you to us right after you were born. He had taken Beckie in because she reminded him of his own daughter. He always said they had the same soul. She died of pneumonia when she was Beckie’s age. We had all decided that it was in your best interests to be raised by us."
It was Beckie’s turn again apparently, because she took over. "I couldn’t stand being away from you, so after Josh and Sarah decided to move to Sweetcreek, I did too. Luke and I built this place from the ground up with the money my parents had been guilty enough to send me. It started as just a place for other girls . . . girls who were in trouble like me . . . it was a place they could come and stay. But somehow things changed."
"Were you ever going to tell me the truth?" Katie said softly as the tears slipped down her cheeks. "Were any of you EVER going to tell me ANYTHING?" She was yelling now, standing in the middle of the room with her hands fisted at her sides. She left and slammed the door, storming down the stairs and running blindly home. She wasn’t there long before she left again. She didn’t know where she was going, but she had to get away again. And this time she didn’t plan on coming back. Ever.
Luke saw Katie run out. He loved Beckie like his own daughter and that love was transferred to her child. He remembered the first time he saw her, all red and squalling. Beckie had named her Katie, but he had always called her Sugar, even when she didn’t know it. He knew his "baby girl" was hurting, and he knew he had to keep her safe. But he needed someone with him. Angel. He would take Angel. If anyone could get through to the child, she could.
| [::-::Back::-::] | [::-::Next::-::] |