A Time to Bloom (Leah's Garden #2)(80)

“I better get moving. I’m going to yoke up the oxen after we eat. We can haul up a wagon of shocks and get started.”

By the time Del came home from school, they had begun a straw pile from threshing their first shocks and then moved on to throwing wheat in the air with a sheet. They had a bucket of almost clean wheat and were both sitting down, puffing.

“You started threshing!”

They nodded and sucked in matching deep breaths. “Tossing wheat in the air with a sheet is a bit tricky,” Lark admitted.

“Why do I get the idea that teaching school is far easier?”

“You want to swap?”

Del shook her head. “I’ll go start supper. RJ asked if you would come to the boardinghouse again tomorrow.”

“I think Lilac ought to come too. We all need to be in agreement on the boardinghouse.”

Lilac rolled her lips together. “I guess I’ll go milk Buttercup. What can we dump the wheat in so I can have the milk pail?”

“That burlap feed sack. Make sure there are no holes in it.”

Lilac fetched the sack from the storage room and held it open while Lark poured in the wheat.

“Let’s see, we worked most of the afternoon, and this is all we managed to thresh and winnow,” Lilac said.

“True, but we’re getting better at it, and we’ll get the children and anyone else we can to help.” Lark scratched her shoulder and wiggled to shed some of the wheat spears that easily penetrated clothing. It was itchy, tedious work, but they had just proved they could do it. They had grown and harvested their own wheat.

Thank you, Lord, for a successful harvest.



In the morning, while waiting for any dew to lift, Lark and Lilac finished the chores and rode Starbright into town to the boardinghouse.

“You wanted to show us something?” she asked after greeting RJ.

He nodded, his eye darker than usual. “I want your opinion on the kitchen. But something happened last night that’s more urgent.”

Dread laced Lark’s chest at his tone. “What?”

He started to speak, then hesitated and tipped his head toward the boardinghouse front door. He scanned the street once more, then turned and led them inside. “Come into the dining room.”

They found Jesse and William building a long table.

Both Lilac and Lark stared from the size of the table to the two young men working on it. “How many are you planning on seating?” Lark asked.

“Fourteen to sixteen, wouldn’t you think?” Jesse looked from the table to Lark and back. “I mean . . .”

“No, no, you’re right. It just looks huge.”

William straightened. “We could make it slide together or add boards when needed, but that would take a lot more time.”

Lark froze. A bruise circled the young man’s eye, dark against his brown skin. His nose swelled purplish with a cut on the side, though it had obviously been treated. “What happened?”

RJ’s face was set like stone. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. You know Jesse and William started staying here at the boardinghouse last week.”

“And?”

“Well, last night . . .” He gestured for Jesse and William to continue.

William bent over the table, smoothing a rough edge.

“A rock came through the w-window.” Jesse pointed to the broken glass on the back of the building, now patched with brown paper. “W-William went out to see, and somebody jumped him.”

“What?” Lilac sounded near tears.

“I ran outside, b-but he’d already fought the fellow off, and I just saw a shadow darting down the street. Maybe more than one.”

William glanced up and shrugged, though something flickered in his warm brown eyes. “No real harm done.”

“I disagree.” Anger reddened Lark’s vision. “William, did I hear something about some ruffians slinking around before you moved into the boardinghouse?”

“Yeah, you did.” Jesse’s talkativeness surprised her. Clearly the two young men had formed a bond.

“Remember you told me you thought someone was following you? Did you notice anything else?” RJ waited until William met his gaze.

“Not till last night.”

Jesse watched his friend, then shrugged. “I’m thinkin’ it might be those men you f-fired.”

“Hmm.” Lark watched RJ’s thoughts flicker across his face. “I thought they left town.”

“They’re campin’ out by that other camp,” William said.

“The liquor tent?” RJ asked.

William nodded.

“You followed them?”

“General direction. Stayed hidden.”

RJ had shifted back into military officer mode as naturally as breathing. “Do you both have rifles?”

They shook their heads.

“Can you both shoot?”

Nods this time.

“I will bring you a rifle to keep by the door or window, loaded.”

Jesse nodded. “Good.”

RJ sucked in a deep breath and turned to Lark. “When are you having that women’s meeting?”

“Monday night.”

“It looks to me like we have a lot to talk about. Do you mind if I invite Caldwell and a few others?”