Redeeming Luke, page 8
part #1 of Days of Grace Series
Luke struggled to find his voice. “You—look like—your mother.”
A rosy glow filled her cheeks. She smoothed the skirt of the dress. “Oh, nonsense. Mama was beautiful.”
“Yes, she was.”
Her eyes met his again, her lips parting into a smile. From the corner of his eye, Olivia stood quietly beside Ruth. Luke cleared his throat, reprimanding himself for not noticing her. “You look real pretty too, Olivia.”
“Thank you.” She twirled once. “Ruth gave me one of her older dresses.”
Ruth brow twitched. “I hope that’s okay.”
Luke nodded his approval. He could only recall seeing Olivia in one or two dresses since the day he met her, and they hadn’t been anything as nice as the one Ruth gave her. Another characteristic Ruth inherited from Kate. His sister couldn’t stand for anyone to feel left out.
Luke rubbed his neck. His stomach knotted. Should he give some kind of fatherly speech? What did fathers say to their daughters heading out on their first date? He knew what he wanted to say, but he couldn’t find the words. “Well—uh—”
The sound of an engine outside drew Ruth’s attention. She rushed to the window.
“It’s Grady. His father let him drive his Packard. And Olivia is going with us.”
Luke’s gaze darted to the window.
The girls scrambled to gather their pocketbooks, and waited until they heard the knock at the door. Ruth and Olivia stared at Luke. Luke glared at the door. He could still stop this. Turning back to Ruth, he opened his mouth to speak.
Ruth pursed her lips, motioning toward the door. She didn’t just look like her mother. He watched her fidget and smooth her skirt. Saw the anticipation in her eyes. Heard Olivia’s giggle.
Luke swallowed the sour taste in his mouth and walked to the front door. He paused with his hand on the doorknob for a moment, then opened it.
Grady extended his hand. “Hello, Mr—uh—Luke.”
Luke reluctantly shook the boy’s hand. “Come on in.”
Grady entered the living room and Luke closed the door. He turned back and watched as Grady’s face froze in stunned silence. She fumbled with her handbag. Olivia giggled. Luke Recognized that look on Grady‘s face.
He could still remember his own galloping heart and tumbling stomach at the sight of the girl he loved, dressed up and looking more beautiful than anything he’d ever seen, all for him.
Luke coughed, choking on the thought. That was him and Sadie. This was Grady. And his niece. And this was not love. Ruth was a beautiful girl and Grady had two healthy, perfectly working eyes in his head. That’s all. Please, God, let that be all.
Had he just prayed?
“You better get going, I guess.”
He opened the door again, resisting the urge to shove Grady out of the house and close and lock the door behind him. He wanted to get out to the barn where he didn’t have to think about any of this.
The three teenagers filed out the door. Luke caught Grady before he stepped off the porch. “What time is this thing over?”
Grady answered with wide eyes. “Baptisms should be done before dark. About nine o’clock I’d guess.”
“Then you’ll have her home by nine-fifteen.”
Grady opened his mouth, but at Luke’s arched brow he clamped it shut and nodded his agreement. Luke patted him on the shoulder, maybe a little harder than necessary, maybe not.
“Good.”
CHAPTER NINE
Luke swung a saddle over a hay bale and began to use a cloth to work oil into the nooks and crannies of the prized possession, belonging to his most pretentious client.
“Raffle. Dumbest name for a horse I ever heard.” Luke lifted his arm to swipe away the sweat on his forehead and cast a look at Raffle, the stately quarter horse standing nearby in his stall, watching. “No offense, old boy.”
A stiff breeze blew through the open barn door, scattering hay and stirring up the scent of horse manure. Luke straightened his back and allowed the air to rush over him. He may as well set an electric fan in front of a wood stove. In this hundred and two degree heat, the breeze fought a losing battle.
He turned his attention back to the saddle. If he didn’t get it perfect he’d be in for a tedious lecture from Mr. Brantley. If only he could rub Grady out of Ruth’s life the way he rubbed the scratches out of this saddle.
While working oil into the leather with one hand, he reached for the bottle of oil with the other. He bumped with bottle, knocking it off the workbench. Spitting out a string of curse words, he rushed to pick up the bottle as the contents flowed out onto the ground. With a puddle of oil creating a very expensive mud pie on his barn floor, and the saddle only half finished, he would have to drive to the store to buy more. Frustration erupted in his chest. He slapped the oil laden cloth down on the saddle and stalked out of the barn. He snatched his keys off the kitchen counter, and left the screen door slapping against its frame in his wake.
As he drove to town, Luke fended off thoughts of Ruth and Grady that had aggravated him ever since they left together two hours ago. He’d actually considered driving down to the social to satisfy the nagging worry that worked at his brain. But he’d rather walk into a snake pit than into a crowd of church people.
And then there was Emma Darby. Doing repairs at her home had given him time to study her. He’d begun to look forward to seeing her come out of the cottage with a sandwich or cold drink for him. At least when she wasn’t spilling it on him.
She was definitely enjoyable to look at, but to his surprise, he also enjoyed talking to her. She had a way of pulling information out of him that left him baffled. It reminded him of when he was a boy and got a splinter in his finger. He was always afraid it would hurt to have it removed. But his mother could pull the sliver out before he realized she’d even begun. And once the sliver was out the finger felt better.
Emma had a way of getting him to agree to things he had no intention of agreeing to. Like letting Ruth go to that blasted social with Grady.
Luke parked the truck in front of Lyman’s Feed and Supply and walked inside. The bell above the door jangled, announcing his entry.
Jim Lyman glanced up from a clipboard. “Afternoon, Luke.”
“Jim.” Luke nodded at the man and walked toward him, the wood plank floor creaking beneath his feet.
“What can I help you with?”
“I need some of that oil you sold me, for conditioning saddles.”
Jim’s brow pinched. “You run out already?”
“No.” Luke suppressed his irritation at having to converse when all he wanted was to get his oil and get back to work. “I spilled it.”
“Ouch. That’s an expensive accident.”
“Yeah. It is.” Luke stared him.
The store owner’s smile faded. “I’ll fetch a new bottle for you.”
Luke acknowledged with another nod and watched Jim walk away. He flipped through a seed catalog at the counter while he waited for Jim to return. The bell above the door jangled.
“Hello, Luke!” J.D. Hudgins approached with a wide smile, a shock of white hair and dancing blue eyes.
“J.D.” Luke accepted the pastor’s outstretched hand. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at the social?”
“I‘m on my way there. I just got back from visiting Buster Kelsay at the hospital in Santa Rosa.”
“I heard he got pretty banged up in that automobile accident. How’s he doing?”
“As stubborn and ornery as ever. Making the nurses laugh and the doctors wonder why they didn’t become lawyers.”
Luke smiled at the adept description of one of Petaluma’s favorite citizens.
Jim returned and set the bottle on the counter next to the register. ““Here’s your oil, Luke. That‘ll be eighty-five cents. Hi, Pastor. How ya’ doing?”
“Fine, Jim, just fine.” J.D.’s smile reached his eyes. “I came by to see if you might have some extra burlap sacks. Seems Barbara forgot to get them for the sack races.”
“Sure I do. I’ll get them for you right after I ring up Luke’s oil here.”
Jim finished the transaction with Luke and left to get the sacks.
Luke turned to J.D. “Well, it was good to see you.”
“Good to see you too. Say, I hear Ruth is over at the social. Rumor has it she was going with Grady Akins.”
Luke rubbed his chin and stared out the store window to the street where his truck waited. In his mind, he replayed the choice to allow Ruth to attend the social. Seemed that’s all he did these days. Relive his decisions over and over, never knowing if he’d made the right ones.
“Something bothering you, son?” J.D. asked.
“Just wondering if I made the right decision letting her go with him.”
J.D. hooked his thumbs on his suspenders. “I’ve gotten to know the Akins family pretty well since they moved here. Grady seems to be a fine young man.” He patted Luke’s shoulder. “You know, I was thinking about you the other day. About you and your niece.”
Luke saw the familiar glint in the man’s eye. J.D. Hudgins was the only preacher Luke had allowed to get close to him since he came to Petaluma. And he was the only preacher who could ever get away with saying some of the things he’d said to Luke over the years.
“I was reading in my Bible,” J.D. started. “In the book of Ruth.”
Luke adjusted his hat. “Kate’s favorite story. She always said if she had a daughter she’d name her Ruth.”
“Really?” J.D.’s wide smile could disarm the most hardened of men. “Well, isn’t that something.”
Luke saw a spark of understanding in the man’s eyes. He knew something Luke didn’t know. It made Luke curious, but cautious. He may not be on speaking terms with God, but he knew J.D. Hudgins was. Sometimes it made Luke squirm, knowing that J.D. could talk to God about him behind his back, and that God answered him.
J.D. leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his broad chest. “When was the last time you read the story?”
“Not sure I ever did read it myself. Kate read it to me. She gushed all the way through it. Said it was the most romantic love story in the Bible next to Jacob and Rachel.”
J.D. smiled that knowing smile again. His voice held an air of mystery. “Oh, it’s a love story all right.”
“Okay, I’ll bite. What do you mean?”
“Oh, only that it’s like a lot of things in life. There’s plenty more going on than what folks see on the surface.”
Jim returned, plopping burlap sacks on the counter. “Here ya go, Pastor. Will six be enough?”
“That’ll be perfect, Jim. How much does the church owe you?”
Jim waved his hand. “Nothing at all. I’m happy to contribute.”
“Well, thank you, Jim. Why don’t you come out and join us at the creek when you close up? We’ll be having baptisms and some hymn singing.”
“I might do that.”
“All right then.” J.D. turned to Luke and gave him a wink. “You really oughta dust off your Bible and give that ‘love story’ a closer look.”
Luke studied Pastor Hudgins for a moment. It wasn’t like the man to push Luke to pray or read his Bible or even attend church. The fact that he was doing it now sparked Luke’s curiosity.
He touched the brim of his hat. “I’ll think about that.”
Luke carried the bottle of oil out to his truck and set it in the passenger seat. As he turned the key to start the truck, J.D. walked out of the feed store and started down the sidewalk, mopping his forehead with a handkerchief. Luke frowned and looked around for the pastor’s Buick. He didn’t see it. He slowly drove forward until he met up with J.D.
“You aren’t walking all the way to the social in this heat are you?”
J.D. walked across the sidewalk to Luke’s truck and spoke to him through the passenger window. “Oh, it’s not that far.”
“Where’s your old Buick? How’d you get all the way to Santa Rosa and back?”
“I caught a ride with Jack Marsoni.”
Luke adjusted his hat and stared down the road. The last thing he wanted was to go anywhere near that social. But it was too hot out for seventy-year-old J.D. to walk that far.
“Hop in.”
“Are you sure? I wouldn’t be taking you away from important work, would I?”
Luke shook his head. “Nothing I’m thrilled about getting back to anyway.”
J.D. opened the door and climbed into the truck with a grunt, holding the stack of burlap sacks on his lap. He chuckled as he closed the door. “To tell you the truth, I was dreading that walk. This heat wave is something else, isn‘t it?”
“Sure is.” Luke pulled the truck away from the curb and drove in the direction of the social on the creek. As he stopped for the D street drawbridge and pulled aside for a steamer to pass by, he considered the opportunity this afforded him to check on Ruth.
“I understand you’ve been helping Emma Darby at her place,” J.D. commented.
Luke glanced over at the man and caught the amused grin on his kindly face. “You know for a preacher, you’re sure caught up on all the gossip in town.”
J.D. chuckled and smoothed his hand over his short white hair. “She’s a good woman.”
Luke returned his attention to the bridge ahead of him.
J.D. repeated himself, “A real good woman.”
A smile tugged at the corner of Luke’s lips.
The steamer finally passed, and the bridge moved back into place so Luke could drive again.
They arrived at the creek and J.D. got out of the truck carrying the burlap sacks. Luke watched the small crowd of people milling about, talking and laughing and eating. Something deep inside wanted to join them, to be a part of something bigger than himself again. For all the rotten memories he had of church, there were good ones too. He watched a young boy chase a girl in circles until she hid behind her mother. He remembered the happy times spent with his family at church picnics. The kindness, and acceptance. The peace of mind that they all shared because of the love of God. Sadness crept in. He wished for all the world he hadn’t let God down the way he did. Wished he hadn’t destroyed what he once shared with his creator.
“Luke, hello!”
He turned his attention to Barbara, J.D.’s wife. She walked toward his truck with the smile that always made him feel like he’d come home from a long journey. Wearing her hair in a blonde pony-tail, trousers rolled up at the ankles, revealing bare feet. She was a rare sight for a modest pastor’s wife. But, Luke always appreciated Barbara’s authenticity. She never put on airs.
He didn’t even attempt to hide his smile. “Hello, Barbara.”
“I’m so glad you’re here. Barbara wagged a finger at him. “You are just the person I need.”
J.D. stepped up and wrapped his arm around his wife. “Luke isn’t here for the social, Sweetheart. He just gave me a ride from the feed store.”
“Oh?” Barbara raised a brow at her husband, then turned back to Luke. “Well, thank you Luke. Goodness knows J.D. shouldn’t have even attempted to walk all that way in such heat.” She jabbed her finger at J.D.’s chest. “You’re not a young man anymore.”
J.D. kissed her cheek. Barbara playfully pushed him away and walked to Luke’s window. The two of them reminded Luke of his own folks. He rubbed his fist against a familiar twinge in his chest.
“I know you aren’t here for the social, Luke,” Barbara pleaded. “But we could use your help if you don’t mind. Just for a few minutes.”
Apprehension crawled into Luke’s chest. He didn’t want to have to talk to any of these people. Not that they were all bad folks. In fact, he considered a couple of them friends. But that didn’t mean he wanted to socialize with them here. In no time at all he’d be inundated with questions like, “Oh, are you coming back to church?” “Will we see you on Sunday?” “You know, you can stay and get baptized!”
“You see,” Barbara continued, “Emma is down the beach just a bit further, setting up chairs for the baptism service, and she could use some help.”
Luke’s eyes darted in the direction Barbara indicated. Emma was so close. All he had to do was walk a few yards and he’d be with her.
J.D. stepped forward. “Barbara, don’t you think we have plenty of other folks to ask for help? I’m sure Luke has things he needs to do. Besides, there are plenty of blankets around. We don‘t need chairs.”
Luke opened the door of his truck and hopped out. “I can help.”
J.D. raised his brows. Barbara looked like the cat that swallowed the canary.
Luke ignored her pleased reaction and pointed west. “You said she’s down that way?”
“Yes. She’ll be so pleased so see you.” Barbara winked at him. “To help with the chairs, I mean.”
CHAPTER TEN
Emma carried another wooden folding chair closer to the water’s edge and set it next to the first three. She took a moment to watch the sunlight dance across the water’s surface. An ache developed in the back of her throat. The letter she’d slipped in her skirt pocket felt like a lead weight. Jasper Loomis’s handwritten words still rang with accusation and threats in her mind. Why had she stopped at the post office on her way here? If she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have gotten the letter, and she could have enjoyed this day in blissful ignorance.
She turned to walk back to the pile of chairs and saw a man approaching. She squinted, shielding her eyes from the sun. Her stomach flip-flopped.
Emma held her hand to the pocket that concealed Jasper’s letter. “Well, this is a surprise.”
Luke adjusted his hat. “I’m not here for the social. Barbara asked me to help you with these chairs.” He frowned at the pile of chairs, dumped unceremoniously on the ground.
Emma sighed and rested her hands on her hips. “That would be the work of Ben Carver. He brought them from the church in his truck.”
Luke nodded his understanding. “I’m guessing his chubby fingers are now wrapped around a nice juicy piece of fried chicken.”
Laughing, Emma nodded. “Apparently you know him.”
