Chapter 39

Starting on the Monday after Benny's people came for Selinda, Mira opened the school in the afternoons. Not only did she need something to help her not hear the echo of Selinda's giggle in the cabin, Ada June needed a reason not to disappear into the woods and silence again.

The world around them was exploding in green and flowers, but a cloud seemed to follow Mira around. It shouldn't be that way. Selinda was sure to be loved by her aunt. Mira had Ada June to love and the promise of her baby growing inside her. While she still hesitated to speak words of love to Gordon, she was not sorry to be his wife.

Gordon wasn't shy about saying sweet words of love, but she had times when she wondered if he could really love her that much already. Everything had happened so fast between them. Even this baby on the way.

But then he would do something that swept away every doubt. A day after Selinda went to be with Benny's family, he borrowed a horse and made the trip over the mountain to Jackson. He claimed a need to see Reverend Haskell about some church issue, but he came back with a tin of soda crackers. For her.

Even better, Miss Stella sent a bunch of strawberry plants and a start of rhubarb. Ada June and Gordon spent much of the next day digging up a place to plant both. They wouldn't have strawberries this year, but the plants were a promise for the future.

Only a few students came for afternoon school. Even Joseph told Mira a fellow had to have time to look for crawdads. He did show up at least once every day to get his licks and tail wags from Bo. Ada June still left Bo at the cabin instead of bringing him to school.

Mostly young girls came to the classes. The boys were like Joseph with boy things to do if they weren't working in the fields. That didn't stop Mira from encouraging them to come.

Connor laughed when she told him he could use the extra work on his reading. She wasn't bothered by his laughter, but she was ashamed of her relief when he didn't come.

On the last Friday in May, she expected a few extra students since rain had come during the night to muddy the fields. When Ada June headed to the spring for a bucket of drinking water, Mira pushed open the shuttered windows to let the rain-washed air flow into the schoolhouse.

She took a minute to sit behind her teacher's desk. Fatigue still plagued her. She didn't know if it radiated from the pain in her back or from her sorrow over losing Elsinore and then Selinda.

Miss Effie said the tired feeling would get better, just as the nausea was already better. Then she warned that such was generally just replaced by some other baby-carrying ill.

"You're so small there ain't no way you can grow a baby to the proper bornin' size without some complaints from your back."

"I'm stronger than I look," Mira assured her.

"I reckon so or you couldn't make a roomful of young'uns pay you mind."

Now as Mira prayed for each of her students, she almost nodded off.

The sound of ferocious barks jerked her out of her chair. Bo's barks. But it couldn't be him. They'd left him at the cabin.

A scream made Mira's heart jump up in her throat. Ada June's scream.

She stepped out on the little stoop. Bo barked at Connor when he tried to kick him. Ada June ran up from the creek, yelling at Connor and then Bo at almost the same time.

"He's trying to bite me." Connor landed a kick that sent the dog flying.

Bo yelped and collapsed with a whimper. Ada June charged toward Connor, fists flailing. Marv grabbed her and held her back.

"Stop this right now," Mira shouted as she rushed down the steps, but the children paid no attention.

Connor looked at Ada June. "That dog ain't never gonna bite me again." He pulled a pistol out of his overalls pocket.

For a few seconds, Mira was frozen in place as the boy waved the gun around at Ada June, at Marv's dog, at Mira. Then he pointed it straight at Bo. The dog was dragging one of his back legs as he tried to go to Ada June.

"Bo never bit you," Ada June screamed.

Mira forced her feet to move toward Connor. Despite her pounding heart, she tried to sound in control. "Put down that gun."

"Pa told me not to let no little dog get the best of me."

"Connor, look at me." Mira willed him to listen, but he didn't even glance back at her.

Ada June was crying now. "Please, Connor. I'll keep him away from you. I promise."

Although he didn't turn loose of Ada June, even Marv started pleading with Connor. "Come on, Connor. This ain't fun no more."

Connor didn't seem to hear any of them as he stared at Bo. He wasn't going to listen. Mira started running, but she tripped on her skirt and went down hard on one of her knees. She scrambled up as Ada June jerked away from Marv.

"He ain't thinkin' right. He might shoot you." He grabbed for her again, but she knocked his hand away and ran toward Bo.

Mira's heart froze. Marv was right. Connor might pull the trigger and hit Ada June. She yanked up her skirt, ignored her knee, and ran. "Stop, Connor."

"No!" Joseph came from nowhere to tackle Connor.

The force of his leap knocked the bigger boy down. The gun disappeared between them as they rolled on the ground. The gun went off.

Neither boy moved. Then Connor pushed away from Joseph and stood up. He looked dazed as he stared down at Joseph.

Mira brushed past him and knelt beside Joseph. She ignored the pain when her injured knee hit the ground. "Joseph, are you all right?"

"I'm shot, Miss Mira."

He had blood on his side.

"You kilt him, Connor," Marv said.

"I weren't aimin' to shoot him. I weren't. He jumped me." Connor still held the gun. "He ain't kilt dead. He can't be kilt dead."

Mira pulled back Joseph's shirt. She had no idea how badly he might be hurt. She tore a strip off her underskirt and pressed the cloth on the wound to staunch the bleeding.

"Go get Miss Effie," she ordered Marv. He gave Joseph another scared look and took off up the hill.

If only Gordon was there. He'd know what to do, but he was somewhere helping a church member put a roof on a barn. She stared up at Connor. "Put the gun down and go get Miss Nicey Jane." She knew about tonics. Maybe she knew about gunshot wounds too.

He blinked as if he didn't understand her words. She gave him a hard look. "Put the gun down and go get your grandmother."

He finally dropped the gun and took off. He ran toward the woods and not Miss Nicey Jane's house.

"Am I kilt dead, Miss Mira?" Joseph's eyes on her were big.

"No, Joseph. Not killed at all. Just bleeding a little." She prayed her words were true.

She looked around at Ada June beside Bo. "Get Mathena, Ada June."

"Bo's hurt." She held Bo in her arms as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Put him in the house. Then after you go tell Mathena we need help, go for Miss Nicey Jane. We'll see to Bo later."

"Is Bo kilt too?" Joseph tried to sit up to see the dog.

"Be still." She pushed him down. "Bo will be fine."

He collapsed back to the ground. "I'm sorry, Ada June. I just let him out to play with me a minute. He weren't bothering Connor. He was after followin' you."

"Shh. No more talking." Mira kept the pressure on his wound and brushed his hair back from his face with her other hand.

"It hurts to breathe."

"But you're a tough boy. You can do it." She looked straight into Joseph's eyes and willed that to be true.

Then Mathena was beside her. "Oh, Joey. What in the world happened?"

"I'm kilt," Joseph said. "But not kilt dead."

"'Course not. We'll get you inside and see to you." Mathena stood up to look around. "Frank and the boys are out helping Winston build that barn way over on yonder hill. But I'll fetch a blanket and we can pack the boy into the house. Easy like."

She was gone before Mira could say the first word. Blood was soaking up through the folded cloth.

A shadow fell over her. "What's goin' on here?" A man's voice.

She glanced up. "Cleo." He was the last person Mira wanted to see. But help was help. "Joseph's been shot."

"Shot?" Cleo frowned as he looked around. He picked up the gun. "Connor done this?"

Mira didn't answer him. She'd let him find out the story from Connor.

But Joseph spoke up. "He weren't aimin' to, Uncle Cleo."

The man looked around. "Where is he?"

"I don't know," Mira said.

"What do you mean you don't know?" He narrowed his eyes at her, his voice fierce.

"Just what I said. He ran over that way." She motioned with her head. "He wasn't hurt. But Joseph is. I sent Ada June after Miss Nicey Jane."

"She ain't the one you need. It's Riley you're needing."

"Does Connor know that?" Mira asked. "Or where Mr. Riley might be?"

"Most everybody knows that." He looked toward the hill.

"Then he might have run to get him." At least Mira hoped so. For Joseph's sake and for Connor's too. Running away with a purpose would be better than running away to hide from what he'd done.

Mathena came back, a bunched-up cover in her arms. "Oh, Cleo." She leaned over to catch her breath. "You can carry Joseph inside for us."

Mira pulled her hand away from the bloody cloth over the wound, and Cleo picked the boy up with more gentleness than Mira expected him to have. When Joseph groaned, the man said, "Easy, Joey."

"It hurts, Uncle Cleo."

"I reckon so. Holler out if'n you need to."

After he headed toward the house, Mira bit her lip to keep from crying out as she pushed up off the ground. Then the pain in her knee was almost forgotten as a cramp grabbed her middle. Surely that was just because she'd been kneeling beside Joseph too long.

When Mathena pushed open the door, Bo hobbled out on three legs to bark at Cleo. Mira grabbed the railing by the steps to pull herself up on the porch. "Don't hurt that dog."

Cleo glanced back at her and growled. "Get the mutt away from me then."

"Bo." Mira spoke his name firmly. Bo whined and lay down. "Good dog."

She wanted to sink down on the porch beside Bo and just stay there, but instead she picked up the dog. He yelped and began panting hard. He was heavier than Mira expected as she carried him into the house.

When Cleo laid Joseph on Ada June's bed, the boy moaned and twisted to try to see the dog. "Bo?"

"Keep still." Cleo peered over his shoulder at Mira. "Fetch a towel to staunch the bleeding. And stir up the fire to boil some water."

Mathena looked at Mira in the middle of the floor holding Bo. "I'll fix the fire and get some water."

Cleo frowned at Mira. "What's wrong with the dog?"

"His leg. Connor kicked him."

"I reckon he deserved it," Cleo said.

Rage burned through Mira, but at the sound of Joseph's weak voice, she tamped it down.

"No, Uncle Cleo. He weren't doin' nothing to Connor."

Cleo didn't give any sign of hearing him. He was still staring at Mira. "Stop actin' like you ain't got a lick of sense. Put the animal down and come tend to the boy."

He was right. She put Bo in the bedroom and ignored his whines as she shut the door. She pulled in a sharp breath as another pain grabbed her back and radiated to her front. It couldn't be those kinds of pains. Not this soon. She breathed out and grabbed a towel off the cabinet and limped over to the bed.

Cleo moved out of her way. "Somebody kick you too?"

"I fell." She had no interest in giving him more information.

"A woman in your condition should oughta be more careful."

His words surprised her. She'd never heard a man speak of any woman other than his wife being in the family way. No woman had even spoken about her expecting a baby to her face other than Granny Perry and Miss Effie. Granny Perry out of nosiness and Miss Effie out of caring.

She ignored Cleo as she leaned over Joseph. The wound was still bleeding but not as much. She covered it with the towel and pressed down. "You're being so brave, Joseph."

He grabbed her arm. "Bo? Is he kilt?"

"Don't worry about Bo." She smiled at him. "Your grandmother will be here in a minute."

"Ada June is gonna hate me."

"That could never happen. Now don't talk."

Miss Effie came in and rushed to the bed. "What have you done, Joseph Foster?"

"I'm sorry, Granny. I couldn't let him shoot Bo."

"So you let him shoot you instead?" She sounded cross.

"I weren't aimin' to."

"'Course you weren't, baby." Her voice softened as she stroked his face.

Miss Nicey Jane was there too, out of breath from her run down the hill. "Cleo. What are you doing here?"

"I come lookin' for Connor. Appears I was late findin' him."

"Connor did this?" Miss Nicey Jane said.

"Don't worry about that right now," Miss Effie said. "Come look about Joseph."

Mira let go of the towel and stepped back from the bed. When another pain grabbed her, she gasped. Miss Effie gave her a look before she turned back to Joseph.

"It don't look too bad." Miss Nicey Jane glanced around at Cleo. "You done good, Cleo, slowing the bleeding."

"That weren't me," he said. "Preacher's missus done that."

Miss Nicey Jane nodded. "You need to put some water on to boil."

"Mathena went for water," Mira said. "Where's Ada June?"

"I sent her after Riley. He'll know what to do."

A new worry. What if Ada June came across Connor out in the woods? She might let her temper flare. There might be another fight. One Ada June couldn't win. But surely Connor wouldn't hurt her. Not after this.

Nothing she could do about that. Besides, she had other worries. She put her hands over her abdomen as if she could stop the pains and stepped back quickly. She bumped into Cleo. When she jerked away from him, she couldn't keep from crying out as her knee gave way and the pain in her middle doubled.

Cleo caught her. She didn't have the strength to pull away from him.

Miss Effie was beside her. "What's wrong?"

Cleo answered for her. "She says she fell."

Miss Effie's eyes were sharp on Mira. "You having pains?"

Mira burst into tears.

"Don't be givin' up hope yet." Miss Effie hugged her.

"You need to be seeing to Joseph," Mira choked out between sobs.

"She's right, Effie. Come hold this towel proper, and I'll see to Mira." Miss Nicey Jane came over and laid her hand on Mira's belly. "Cleo, pack her into the bed."

"I can walk." Mira stumbled as she moved away from Cleo. He caught her again.

"Do as I say, Cleo." Miss Nicey Jane gave Mira a fierce look. "Off your feet is the babe's only chance."

Cleo picked her up as easily as he had Joseph earlier.

"Don't let Bo out," Mira said when Miss Nicey Jane opened the bedroom door.

"Blast that dog," Cleo boomed, but he stepped around Bo as Miss Nicey Jane pushed the dog away from the door.

Cleo put her down on the bed and was gone as though the room was on fire.

Miss Nicey Jane looked down at her for a minute. "Don't you be gettin' up for nothing."

"Will that make the pains stop?"

Miss Nicey Jane huffed out a breath. "Hard to say. Bein' abed might turn things in your favor." She shook her head a little. "But if the Lord don't intend this baby coming, nothing will change that. Nothing 'cepting maybe prayer."

Mira caught her hand as the woman turned away. "Will you pray for my baby too?"

Her face softened. "Me and Effie, we been prayin' for you already, seein' as how you were carryin' hard." She pulled her hand free and patted Mira's shoulder. "You take your ease. The good Lord hasn't run out of miracles. Else that bullet might have found little Joseph's heart instead of a rib."

After she went out and shut the door, the noise from the other room was muffled while the silence in the bedroom pressed down on Mira until she could barely breathe. Bo hobbled on three legs over to lay his head on the bed beside her and whine.

"Don't give up hope." She repeated Miss Effie's words as she stroked his head. "Ada June will be back soon."

And Gordon would come. She needed him beside her, and not just for his prayers.