A Time to Bloom (Leah's Garden #2)(29)

“Well, you certainly set him off-kilter a bit. Who knows if it will have any effect, though.” Lark scanned the windswept bit of prairie they’d just bought. “So, here’s our property. You’re right that those trees provide some good shade, not to mention shielding from the wind.”

“And it’s convenient for Del, with teaching right next door,” Forsythia added.

“Sure that’s not why you argued for it?” Lark waggled her eyebrows at her sister.

“No. I mean, it will be handy, but I just liked it better. And we didn’t have much choice.”

“No, we didn’t.” Lark sighed and scanned the land once more before they headed back to the wagon. Lord, I sure hope we haven’t made a mistake, taking on this project right now.

“Have you thought of all the help you’ll need to hire?” Anders propped his boot on the edge of the wagon as they drove home. “Not just building, but cooking for your boarders, cleaning, laundry. Keeping up the stables.”

Lilac spoke up from the back of the wagon. “I heard the town leaders are planning to advertise back east for more workers for the construction in town. Maybe we could include an ad for the boardinghouse.”

“Maybe.” Lark’s head spun with it all. “Actually, Climie spoke to me last night, asking if she might run the boardinghouse.”

“Really?” Forsythia cocked her head. “Do you think she’ll stay here?”

Lilac narrowed her eyes. “I don’t think she’ll want to head back to Ohio anytime soon, not with the deacon threatening to come back.”

A frisson of anger tensed Lark’s spine at the thought of that man. “I can’t believe his nerve.” Or maybe she could, but she sure prayed they’d seen the last of Deacon Wiesel. He chased every charitable thought and feeling right out of her every time she heard his name.

“I’ll talk to her,” Forsythia said. “Del, you probably won’t have much time to give to the boardinghouse, not with teaching.”

“I’ll do what I can.” Del rubbed her arms as if the air weren’t still heavy with heat and humidity. “I just hope I haven’t jeopardized my job, talking to Mr. Young like that.”

“Well, who else do they have to teach school?” Lark halted the horses at the Brownsville house. “Thanks for coming along, Sythia.”

“Of course. Want to come in for a bit?” Forsythia climbed down, assisted by Anders.

Lark glanced at her sisters.

Del shook her head. “I’ve got too much planning to do.”

“Soon then,” Lark said to Forsythia. “Actually, I want to have you all out for supper, maybe Sunday night? We haven’t had a family meal at the farm since Anders arrived.”

“Sounds good. I’ll speak to Adam.”

“RJ, Climie, and Jesse too.”

“Of course. ’Night.”

They drove home as the sun slanted golden over the prairie, then hurried to milk the bellowing cow and feed the animals.

“We should have music Sunday night. It’s been too long since we had a sing-along. We ended up just dancing and visiting at the party.” Lilac slapped at a mosquito as they headed into the soddy under falling twilight. “Want to invite anyone else?”

“Like who?”

“Maybe the Caldwells, Reverend Pritchard. He loves our music.”

Lark strained the milk. “Good idea. Isaac McTavish too, if he’s still in town.” Or had the drifter already moved on with the railroad? She hadn’t noticed him anywhere in town today.

“It sounds like a good way to cheer everyone up.” Lilac sat on a chair to pull off her boots, then jerked back as Scamp hurled himself onto her lap. “Whoa, little fella.”

“I wonder if RJ Easton can cheer up.” Del pulled out provisions for a cold supper. “He’s the most sullen young man I’ve ever seen.”

“You know Ma would have welcomed him in all the more for that,” Lark said. “He seems like a lonely and hurting young man. And he might be just the one to build our boardinghouse.”

“I suppose.”

A yawn caught Lark by surprise. “I guess it’s been a long day.”

“A long day but a good one. We now have land for our boardinghouse.” Lilac ruffled Scamp’s ears.

“So we do. I wonder what we should call it. It’d be nice to honor Pa somehow in the title, like we do Ma in our garden business. I thought perhaps Nielsen House.”

“I like that.” Del sat down in the rocking chair and picked up her knitting, which she could do anytime, day or night, not needing to look. “Or Nielsen Hotel?”

“That sounds a bit pretentious.” Lilac wrinkled her nose. “But I like using our name like that. That way even if all of us get married, we’ll still have Pa’s name there.”

Even if all of us get married. No doubt Lilac would, and Forsythia already was. Lark knew Del was set on not marrying, and Lark often doubted she would herself. There was always too much to do, too much leading and caring for this family, to think of starting another one of her own. Most of the time.

But she just smiled at their youngest sister for now. “I like it too.”

Scamp snoozed at Lilac’s feet while she read them a chapter from Matthew, a habit Ma had started and that the sisters were trying to reinstate. Then Lark got up, wound Pa’s clock, and secured the door.