10. Cora

10

CORA

C ora sat beside Jared in his truck, feeling so nervous she thought she might shiver out of her own skin and disappear.

At first, it had been all she could do to ignore the masculine scent of Jared in the cab of the pick-up truck.

Talking with him last night had been wonderful, awkward, and strange in a good way. It had been hard for her to get to sleep after he finished his cup of tea and left.

She knew he was an impulsive man, who certainly wasn't looking for a wife and child. And she was nowhere near ready to let go of feeling like she was Arthur's wife.

Yet something still danced between them like a small flame that couldn't be snuffed, no matter how desperately they both seemed to want to put it out.

But that nervousness paled in comparison to what she was about to do. Her principal had literally told her she wasn't to go visiting Jimmy. And she was still brand-new at this job. She couldn't afford to make waves. And the feeling that she was making a mistake only grew more intense the closer they got to the student's house.

"You okay?" Jared asked gently as he pulled into a long gravel driveway.

Out the window she could see a small herd of cows in a pasture and a small brick house at the end of the drive. She forced herself to take a deep breath and nodded to him with a confidence she didn't really feel.

"I waited two years for a teaching position to open up in Trinity Falls," she heard herself admit as they pulled up in front of the house. "And by some miracle, this one did. I'm so scared to risk it, even though I know this boy needs my help."

Jared nodded, his eyes still on the drive as he parked the truck.

"Tell you what," he told her. "You can wait in the car if you want. If there's any trouble, you can say you didn't realize whose house I was going to, and when you found out, you didn't go in."

It was a reasonable explanation. She could sit tight and protect her job and her means of providing for her son. But it meant leaving someone else's son vulnerable to whatever was going on with him.

"They didn't hire me to ignore a student in need," she said firmly, to herself as much as to Jared. "I'm going in."

She could sense him smiling before she even glanced over.

"What?" she asked.

"I like it you when you break the rules," he said softly. "For the right reasons."

They got out of the truck and headed to the front door. Jared took the lead, knocking on the door with the pretty Christmas tin in his other hand.

It swung open a moment later, with Jimmy standing in the threshold. His eyes lit up when he saw them.

"Hey, Jared," he said. "Oh wow, Mrs. Davies."

" Who is it? " a deep male voice called from the next room.

"Come in," Jimmy said, leading them past the little entry and into a cozy living room with a pretty rag rug. "My new teacher is here, Dad."

Cora followed until they reached Jimmy's father, sitting in an easy chair. He was an enormous man, thick with muscle. His left leg was encased in a massive cast and so was his right arm. A set of crutches rested against the wall beside him.

"Mr. Allen—" she began.

"What are you doing here?" the man demanded, his expression instantly closed off and maybe a little embarrassed.

"Good Lord, Allen," Jared yelled out. "What were you trying to do? Walk and chew gum at the same time?"

Cora was mortified. Jared was going to get them both kicked out, and she was definitely going to be in trouble. But a moment later, she was surprised to see a smile creep up on the big man's lips.

"I was putting up the Christmas lights," Mr. Allen said, his eyes twinkling as he shook his head. "All these years working with farm equipment, and I break my leg in two places and sprain my wrist falling off my smallest ladder."

"Hey, remember when Logan Williams had to go to the hospital in middle school when he burnt his hand on the toaster?" Jared asked, letting out a whoop of laughter.

Mr. Allen laughed too, and the air in the room felt like it was literally warming up, making Cora feel like things were going to be okay after all.

Jared had pulled down the man's walls in seconds with his impulsiveness and sense of fun. She never would have thought those qualities would come in so handy, but clearly they did.

"Well, no wonder I haven't seen you down at the feed shop," Jared was saying, shaking his head as he set the tin on the coffee table. "My mom sent me with cookies, of course. She told me to send you and little Jimmy her love."

"Your mother is an angel," Mr. Allen said. "And I figured Kellan would have told you all about all this."

"My brother is very serious about patient privacy. He didn't even tell me about the time Jon Rhinebeck knocked himself out jumping over the baby gate in the kitchen doorway while he was running for a snack during a commercial," Jared said, his eyes dancing. "Jon had to tell me all about it himself, in front of everyone in line for sandwiches at the Co-op."

Mr. Allen was laughing in earnest now.

"Your brother is a good man," he said, wiping his eyes with the hand that didn't have a cast. "And a great doctor. I've got to be on these sticks for another two weeks, and then he said I'll be right as rain."

"That's great news," Jared said, nodding.

"Well, sit down, sit down," the man said, turning to Cora. "You say you're the new schoolteacher? "

"Yes, sir, I'm Cora Davies," she said, meeting his eyes as bravely as she knew how.

"Cora Davies?" he echoed. "Arthur's wife?"

"Yes," she breathed.

"I knew your husband," he said, his eyes going serious. "I'm so sorry for your loss. Arthur was a really good guy."

Something about the man's last name started to click with her, but it couldn't be…

"Wait," she said, stunned. "You… you aren't Tiny Allen?"

" Tiny ," Jared hooted. "I haven't heard that nickname in years. I thought you left that one on the field."

"That's me," the man said with a fond smile.

"Oh, Arthur loved telling the story about how you saved his bacon when he finally got pulled off the bench in that crazy game against Springton."

"That sounds just like something he'd say," Mr. Allen said, shaking his head. "When your team is down to their second-string center and he's protecting the second-string kicker who's subbing in because they literally ran out of quarterbacks, you know it was a wild game."

"From what he told me, you didn't stay a second-string center for long," she said.

"It's true," he said, smiling. "Your husband made me look like a hero that day, for sure."

"He told me he cheered you on from his spot on the bench for the rest of your high school career," she said, smiling.

"He may not have been a star," Mr. Allen said warmly. " But he was a true team player. I wish he could be here to share these memories with us."

"Me too," she told him, clearing her throat. "But I'm actually here today to talk with you about Jimmy. Your son is brilliant, Mr. Allen. I'm sure you already know that. We've missed him so much at school."

She glanced over at Jimmy, but he was looking out the window.

"Now that I'm here, I can see why he's home, he must be working the farm while you're laid up," she went on quickly, turning back to his father. "It's no less than I would expect from a young man who shows such strength of character at school. But you should know that if he misses just two more days, he's going to be held back, and?—"

"Dad didn't finish school," Jimmy interjected suddenly. "I may as well just work on the farm now. It's what I'm going to do anyway. What does it matter if I go to school or I don't?"

Cora froze, wondering what she could possibly say next that wouldn't offend Mr. Allen, but would encourage his boy to stay in school.

"Absolutely not," Mr. Allen said in a loud, clear voice. "You're so much smarter than I was, Jimmy. You're going to go to college and get your degree. Then you'll be able to help every farmer in Tarker County. Did you know he wants to be a livestock veterinarian?"

"Jimmy, that's wonderful," Cora said, impressed that the bright young man had found a career path that would truly challenge him, yet allow him to stay in a field that he clearly loved .

"We'd lose the farm, Dad," Jimmy said softly, turning from the window to face his father. "Who will take care of the cows and the equipment?"

"That's not your concern," his father said. "I'll figure something out."

But Cora could tell by the look on his face that he had already tried to figure something out and failed.

"It's hard to get a laborer I can afford," he admitted, looking down at his hands.

"I'll be here Monday," Jared said immediately. "Maybe I can stop by tomorrow and the boy can show me the ropes?"

Jimmy's eyes went to his father.

"I'd appreciate that," Mr. Allen said after a moment. "Though you can't come here every day for two weeks."

"I can, if that's what it takes," Jared said. "But I think I know a couple other guys who're cooling their heels this time of year. We've got you covered."

Cora could see on Mr. Allen's face that it cost the big man to accept help. But that he would pay any price for his son.

"If it would be all right," she ventured, saving him from having to answer out loud. "I could come over tomorrow afternoon to help Jimmy catch up on the schoolwork he missed the last week or so. Though I would have to bring my son with me since I don't know anyone to babysit yet."

"Oh, that's just fine," Mr. Allen said with a smile. "I could use some company. I might even have some old pictures of his dad to show him."

Cora felt a pang in her heart when she realized how excited Sylvester would be to spend time with someone who had known his dad when he was young.

"And when we're done with the studying, maybe I can show him around the farm," Jimmy offered.

"He would love that," Cora said, tears suddenly springing to her eyes. "Thank you."

The men launched into excited talk about plans for the weekend and the week ahead, allowing Cora a moment to try to understand why she felt so overwhelmed.

It wasn't because of Jimmy and his dad, or at least it wasn't just because of them. She finally understood what Jared meant when he said neighbors care about each other.

She was starting to feel like she and Sylvester were a part of something here. She'd come to the house to help someone, but ended up getting something for herself that she didn't even know she needed.

And she had Jared Webb to thank for that.