She nodded. “Aye. They do that in the rain.”
Nellie had secured a dry corner in the barn. Pushing away the feeling she needed to gather her belongings to her side to protect them, she took deep breath and let it out. All was well. She would stay alert, but there was no reason why she shouldn’t enjoy the day with her new friends out of the rain.
When they arrived, the small, paneled room was crowded with life. Some people stood in clusters, others sat around a cheery fire, still others angled their handwork around the meager light from a window aided by a lamp. Voices floated and sometimes punched through the sounds of industry. Knitting pins, wood carving, knife sharpening, mending, the beating of tape looms. The tussle of children and their mamas. Joy rose in Beti’s soul. Despite the looks of a few women, she knew she belonged here with these people.
Alice Swift patted the seat of the only empty chair. Beti scurried to secure her place. Not far from Alice, her brother Thomas politely listened to Charity Edwards. Beti had yet to see Charity up close. She had smooth skin and placid blue eyes that filled a face framed in curly gold. The honey and red tones blended together as only God could do. Beti wondered if she swirled the color just before placing the wool into the dye if she could achieve the right balance to match the tone. Oh, it would be lovely in just about anything she could think of to make. She turned back to Aggie before she could be caught staring, but she couldn’t help taking one more look before she settled. Miss Edwards’ petite form was pretty enough, but there was something not entirely open about her. Beti couldn’t place what it was she sensed, but all was not what it seemed. Of that she was sure.
Thomas Swift was gratifying to look at, though just beyond him Zeke leaned against the wall. They locked eyes. Beti’s heart tripped. Heat blazed her cheeks.
“Was it not a blessing for Captain Taylor to arrange this room?” Aggie asked.
“Aye.” Beti forced her eyes to her work. “’Tis good to be out of the rain.”
“And out of the wagon.”
The site of Beti on Toby’s arm rustled Zeke from the wall. She settled after locating Miss Swift. Beti started to fiddle with some kind of loom looking thing. He shifted down to his stool.
“Did ye see them two from Kemp’s?”
Zeke slipped his eyes to Mose.
“They were in the yard when I checked on the horses. Copper is fine.”
“I thank ye.”
Zeke started toward the exit. Mose followed.
“This is the road to Caroliny.”
“Yep.” That’s what worries me. He didn’t say it. Mose was already jumping to conclusions Zeke wasn’t ready to think about. Yes, he liked Miss Beti. Heck, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Eyes the color of a sandy pool, hair the colors of mahogany and teak. Musical laughter. Kindness and strength he’d rarely seen in a woman. But could he love her?
Enough.
She deserved a whole man, and if she picked Toby, he would rejoice with them. His gut twisted like a new piece of rope.
“Did ye hear anything I said?”
“Nope.”
Zeke strode from the room, Mose at his heels. The rain had subsided down to a sprinkle. More than one man stood under the canopy of the damp and chilly porch smoking. Shoe-sucking mud filled the path to the outhouse.
“No sign of ’em.” Mose said after they’d stood outside a good five minutes. “I think I’ll go inside.”
“I thought ye missed the Army life? Surely this bit of drizzle is naught.”
“Aye,” the affable Mose quickly agreed. “I am not opposed to weathering misery if there is a purpose.”
It was downright irksome when the boy was right. Zeke said nothing and followed Mose back inside, then deviated into the main chamber. Empty tables filled the room. Cheerful chatter leaked from the parlor. There was no sign of the men from Kemp’s that had followed Beti that night. They’d either bedded down or moved on. Zeke didn’t like it.
Back in the parlor, Beti was still working on that odd-looking loom thing she’d tied herself to. The Quakers remained within her arm’s reach. The rifle she’d strapped about herself leaned against the wall. Aggie sat the other side of the room mending a small pair of breeches.
Folks paired off into groups. In the far corner were the men who drove at the front of the wagon train. Farmers with strong backs and better know-how. These men would build the town that Zeke would live in. They would be neighbors and friends. His initial reservations eased as he watched these men work on their tack and other tasks that always needed doing. Edwards, forever long-winded, stood in the center holding forth. It appeared they were discussing the war. Isaac and Mose stood along the far wall talking and watching out the only window.
The women clustered near the fire in no certain order that Zeke could decipher. Hands to various homey tasks, their talk was low unless a child stepped out of line. Then that voice that only a mother owns would cut across the din.
“They were with Morgan in Quebec,” a farmer’s voice rang out.
Edwards ceased, and Zeke’s ears relaxed in the lull. Quebec. That fight was doomed from the outset. And yet they’d plunged right in. Following Morgan over the wall and into chaos. Morgan himself was captured. His regiment barely made it out. What difference it made on this road to Kentucky he had no idea. People seemed to want to know. To say thank you. It just made Zeke uncomfortable. He and his men did no more than their duty.
He should check on Copper. Yeah, that was it. Zeke crossed the room in a couple of strides.
The rest of the day passed quietly. By the time supper was announced with the possibility of some dancing after, Zeke was ready to give Beti’s odd little loom a try. Anything to ease the boredom.
Tables of various sizes were brought into the room. And though each provided their own supper, they assembled around uneven tables which afforded more camaraderie than wagons under the stars.
Alice had taken the seat across from Beti by the time Zeke arrived with his plate at one of the long tables. That left him sitting next to her, which was his preference especially since he had the good fortune to arrive before Alice’s brother. Disappointment lingered around the man when he arrived, though he chose not to speak about his misfortune.
“So the heddle was carved by yer father for yer mother?” Alice asked nodding to the contraption. No bigger than a letter, it looked like a paddle with well-placed holes and slats. A sailing ship with hearts expertly carved on either side adorned the top.
“Aye. He made it as a courting gift and gave it to her for their wedding.”
“Shall we pray?” Thomas interrupted.
In the silence, her fragrance drifted toward him. She smelled like a fresh breeze off the sea.
“I hear there is to be dancing.” Zeke took a bite.
