Mississippi Brides by Diane T. Ashley Aaron McCarver

Author:Diane T. Ashley,Aaron McCarver [ASHLEY, DIANE T.; MCCARVER, AARON]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-62836-311-1
Publisher: Barbour Books
Published: 2011-11-22T16:00:00+00:00

Abigail straightened and looked across the strawberry patch, where she and her mother were working once again. They had already gathered some of the succulent fruits a few weeks earlier, and this would likely be their last harvest for this year. “You’re supposed to pick the berries, not eat all of them, Mama.”

Her mother’s guilty look made Abigail laugh out loud. “Did you think I wouldn’t see you?”

“They’re too sweet for me to resist.” Mama pulled her bonnet forward and bent to gather more of the red fruit.

Abigail dropped another handful into her basket, palming one to pop into her mouth. “You make an excellent point.”

Laughter filled the air.

“I think we have enough for now.” Mama started for the kitchen, her basket piled high.

Abigail grabbed her basket with both hands and followed. “I saw a new recipe in the Natchez Free Trader last week.”

“Was it a cake recipe?” The older woman emptied her basket into a vat of water that had been drawn earlier. “I think I remember seeing it.”

“We also need to make some preserves. I love strawberry preserves on your fresh bread.”

“That’s a wonderful idea, daughter. We’ll take it with us on our trip.”

Abigail removed her bonnet. “What trip?”

“A big church conference is going to be held in Jackson in two weeks, and your papa and I have decided to go.”

“I thought we were going to Gatlin’s Camp Ground like last year.” Abigail was shocked at her mother’s pronouncement. Her parents usually consulted her before making their plans. It wasn’t that she had anything against traveling to the capital city. She had never visited Jackson before.

“We’ll probably go there, too.” Mama swirled the strawberries vigorously enough to wash them clean. “But we thought it would be nice to visit with the elders in Jackson. We were also thinking about asking Brother Pierce to travel with us.”

Abigail’s mouth dropped open. “Why would you want to do that? We never took Brother Harris with us to Gatlin’s Camp Ground when he was the pastor, much less to Jackson.”

A secret smile teased her mother’s lips. “But this is a different situation.”

“Mamaaa.” She drew out the last syllable to indicate her objection to the idea. “You have got to stop interfering in my life. I am not interested in Nath—Brother Pierce. And he’s not interested in me.”

Her mother put down the spoon and rested her hands on her hips. “Abigail, I love you dearly, but you have got to realize that not everything going on in this household revolves around you.”

The words struck home. She sat down hard in a convenient rocking chair. “I didn’t…”

Mama leaned over her and put a hand on Abigail’s cheek. “I’m sorry, dear. But you are jumping to the wrong conclusion. We were thinking about Brother Pierce. He’s all alone and new to the area. If he doesn’t go with us, he’d likely have to go by horseback and sleep out in the open. This way, he can go with us on the steamship to Vicksburg and then overland on the stagecoach to Jackson.

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