Julia's Hope by Leisha Kelly

Author:Leisha Kelly [Kelly, Leisha]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2002-08-31T20:00:00+00:00

TWENTY

Samuel

Alone in the yard late that night, I thought of cows and chickens and fences and friends, and I very nearly cried. “It’s too much, Lord,” I said. “I don’t know the first thing about cows. Or anything else around here.”

Julia had tried her hand at milking Lula Bell and had gotten barely a quart. But that was better than nothing and more than enough to satisfy the kids. We were blessed, true enough.

But I had the future to face. And church tomorrow. Barrett Post didn’t seem to care that I didn’t know what I was doing, but there would be others who would more than care. They’d be outraged, like that busybody, Hazel Sharpe, and would do their best to drive some sense into all of us.

The thought of church in that little town made me so uncomfortable that I began to think of ways of getting myself out of it. I could stay home to work on the pasture fence. Or check the roof on this house. It might need work too.

But I knew that neither Emma nor Julia would think much of my excuses. Emma probably wouldn’t like me working on Sunday at all, except to feed or water the animals.

Earlier I had carried in bucket after bucket of water for Julia to wash the kids. Then she’d helped Emma and cleaned herself up too. All in the big washtub, set right on the kitchen floor. Julia had expected me to wash in the water left in the tub and then haul it out to dump, but I couldn’t bring myself to go in yet. The water was surely cold by now, but I didn’t care. I didn’t even care if I went to church dirty. It wouldn’t make much difference to anybody.

Hazel Sharpe would be there, letting everybody know what a scoundrel I was. Taking Emma’s milk and eggs for my own kids. Using Emma just to get help from her friends.

I was leaning against the apple tree, listening to the owl that was out again, when I heard the back door slowly open and close. In a moment, Julia was holding my hand, not saying a word but softly breathing beside me, her head resting on my shoulder.

“You think I’m a fool, Juli?”

She was quiet so long that I turned to look at her. Under the moonlight I could see the gleam of tears on her face. Finally she spoke. “No more than I am, Sammy, thinking this would be so perfect for us. What are we gonna do if something happens to Emma? Oh, Sammy, what if she dies?”

I took Julia in my arms, wondering what on earth could have upset her so. “Honey, she seems pretty lively. Up before us this morning and wanting to get right out to the garden.”

“Oh, Sammy.” I could barely hear her as she struggled to tell me what was on her mind. “Sammy, she looked so pale after her bath. I went and checked on her again after I washed up, and she didn’t want to tell me .

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