Chapter Thirteen
Grace
"C'mon Blackie, let's get home and get some supper," I said to the brown work horse who'd been waiting under the shelter Dat had long ago built for Toby after I'd cried and told him I thought it was inhumane to make an animal wait outside in the sun or rain or snow. I could feel the tears welling up as I pulled myself up into the buggy and prepared to head for home.
It had been another extremely long day at the store and I was feeling the weight of everything crashing down on me. I'd spent the day sifting through Dat's papers, trying to organize the supply orders and the bills, but Dat seemed to have carried the information in his head rather than recording anywhere and now the office looked like a tornado had blown through it.
What I could piece together didn't paint a pretty picture. As best I could gather, the store was in some big financial trouble. It looked like Dat had been robbing Peter to pay Paul and the entire set up appeared to be in danger of collapsing leaving the store in a very precarious position. I wasn't ready to panic, though. Mamm had told me that Dat had always managed to put a little extra away for a rainy day, and I was feeling certain that I would be able to locate the money as soon as I cleaned out the office.
The velvety black night sky stretched out across the countryside and without the glow of electric lamps to interfere, I could see the various constellations shining brightly. This was the one think I loved about being home. I always loved how close I felt to the land and the sky. I loved the city for its busy bustling movement and the way it always felt alive and ready. But in Chicago, buildings rose out of the concrete landscape blocking out the sunlight often making me feel closed in and walled off.
I breathed deeply and smelled the scent of damp earth mixed with fresh cut grass. It was the scent I associated most with Corner Grove, that and Mamm's cooking. I bit my lip to hold back the wave of emotion that threatened to come crashing down as I struggled to suppress memories of Mamm standing in front of the stove frying chicken or bent over the counter rolling out pie crusts laughing as she tried to teach Danny how to emulate her technique. My brother would invariably end up with a lopsided lump of dough covered in flour. His silent laughter making Mamm laugh all the harder. I couldn't believe I'd never see her or Dat again. I choked back a sob as I turned into the drive and found Honor leaning against the fence post. She was barefoot with her arms crossed over her chest and an obstinate expression on her face.
"Honor, what are you doing out here?" I asked as I pulled the buggy around to the side of the house and hopped out. "It's late; shouldn't you be inside helping Danny clean up after supper?"
"I'm sick and tired of this family, Grace," Honor muttered as she helped me pull the harness and reins off Blackie. "It's absolutely ridiculous around here."
"What are you talking about?" I asked as I led Blackie to his stall and made sure he had plenty of feed and hay. I grabbed the hose and filled the trough with fresh water before grabbing the brush and going over his coat. "Honor, what's got you so worked up?"
"Verity brought a stranger into the house," Honor said grumpily. "He's on the couch and I think he needs a doctor, but she says he's fine. I'm sick of her bossing me around and acting like she knows what's best!"
"Wait, back up, what stranger?" I asked as I turned and looked at her. Honor was well known for her dramatic storytelling skills, so I always tended to wait to hear the full story before drawing any conclusions about what she was saying.
"The stranger who put his car in the ditch!" Honor said impatiently. She had finished hanging the tack on the wall of the barn and had joined me in Titus' stall. "The guy put his Mustang in the ditch and Verity, Danny, and I got him out of it and hauled him to the couch. I told Verity to call 911, but she said it wasn't necessary. He wasn't hurt that bad."
"Are you telling me that there is a strange man in the house?" I asked.
"Grace!" Honor yelled. "You never listen to me!"
She turned and took off toward the back door of the barn running out into the cornfields. I was too tired to chase her. Instead, I hung up the brush and secured Blackie's stall before heading into the house. I wasn't exactly sure what I'd find, but I knew that it would probably be a lot less dramatic than the picture Honor had painted.
"Verity? Danny?" I called as I opened the door and entered the kitchen. The smell of dinner hung in the air and I felt my stomach growl as I looked around and saw a covered plate sitting on top of the stove. I called again, "Verity?"
"Grace, I'm so glad you're home!" my sister said as she walked into the kitchen carrying a tray that held a glass of water and a host of first aid supplies. "It's been awful busy around here today."
"Honor told me," I said eyeing the tray and looking back at Verity. "What's going on?"
"One of the English crashed his car into the ditch across the road and we helped get him out!" she said as her eyes shined with the excitement.
"When did this happen?" I asked.
"This morning after we milked," she replied as she removed the bowl and glass from the tray and moved to the sink.
"This morning?" I exclaimed. "What is he still doing here? Do you know anything about him? He could be dangerous! What were you thinking, Verity?"
"Calm down, Grace," she said smiling. "He's staying over at Mrs. Yoder's place and he had a meeting with Uncle Amos this morning. He's very interesting, you know!"
"Verity," I said sternly. "This is not okay, and you know it."
"But Grace..." she pleaded, ”he's talking to Danny."
"He's what?"
"He's been talking to Danny all day, and Danny's been sitting next to him listening," she said. "Go see for yourself!"
I dropped my things on the kitchen table and walked into the living room. There on the couch under the window that looked out over our backfields, sat the very handsome man who'd been so flip with me the night before. Except now he was dressed in business attire and looked like one of the young executives I regularly worked with in the offices in the Loop.
"What are you doing here?" I asked in a flat voice looking him over. He was stretched out on the couch with one of Mamm's quilts spread across his body. It wasn't quite long enough to cover his whole body, so his feet stuck out on one end. His eyes met mine and I couldn't look away. He threw back the quilt and tried to stand, but the pain was too great and he groaned as he sunk back down on the couch.
"Well, if it isn't the irritated store clerk!" he said in a tone that implied we were long lost pals.
"Who are you?" I asked ignoring his pain for the moment.
"I told you last night or did you forget? I'm Adam Wallace," he muttered through clenched teeth wrapping an arm around his mid-section. "You know, that dinner you sold me was outstanding despite the microwave."
"Wonderful, Mr. Wallace," I said in a clipped tone. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now, please tell me what you are doing in my house?"
"He crashed his car in the ditch across the street," Verity said quietly. "Danny, Honor, and I got him out and brought him inside."
"Why on earth would you do that, Verity?" I said as I spun around to face my sister.
"Because he was hurt, Grace!" she cried. "I didn't want to leave him trapped in the car."
"He's a stranger, Verity," I scolded. "Didn't you think about your safety? Or Danny's? You're old enough to know better!"
"Grace," Adam interrupted, "It's true I'm a stranger in town, but I promise I'm not dangerous."
"Your car in the ditch would indicate otherwise, Mr. Wallace," I said dryly.
"Well, that was definitely an error in judgment," he chuckled. "But not dangerous in the way you're implying."
"Has anyone called a tow truck?" I said changing the subject. The talk I wanted to have with Verity would have to wait until we could get the English man out of our house. "Or an ambulance? You're obviously hurt, Mr. Wallace."
"Oh, I think it's just some bumps and bruises," he said waving me off. "I would have called a tow truck, but my phone got smashed."
"One of my sisters could have walked down to the phone and called," I said as I tried to maintain a neutral expression. It wasn't easy while this handsome stranger flashed me a smile that both irritated me and threatened to melt my icy defense. "In fact, I'll go do that now."
"No, no, it's not necessary," Adam said as he sat down to put his shoes on. He winced as he bent over and then stayed perfectly still for a few moments before bending further.
"Mr. Wallace, you're obviously hurt and in pain," I said as I moved toward him and knelt to help him with his shoes. His only response was to raise his gaze from the floor and when he did, I gasped. His face was etched with pain, but he still tried to smile at me. I moved his shoes out of the way and gently pushed him backwards on to the couch. "Lay back and rest. I'm going to go down to the corner and call an ambulance."
"Please don't," he said quietly. "I'm okay, really. I don't think anything is broken. Besides, it's just some bumps and bruises, nothing compared to what you and your family are going through. "
I bit my lip and looked away. The pain of my parents' death had barely become bearable, and to have this handsome man poking at the fresh wound was almost more than I could take.
"So, why are you here, Mr. Wallace?" I said trying to hide the shakiness in my voice.
"Look, it's a long story, and one that I'm sure you'll have very little interest in, but I really don't think we need to involve the police," he said. "And can you please stop calling me Mr. Wallace? That's my father's name, not mine. I'm Adam."
"Fine, Adam," I said putting my hands on my hips. "Tell me what your story is."
"Grace," Verity interrupted. "Let me take care of him before you grill him about his life story."
"Verity, take Danny and go to bed," I said more harshly than I intended. I was wary of Adam, but there was something in his expression that told me he wasn't out to do us harm. "I'll tend to him tonight and you can take over in the morning."
Danny signed his disappointment at being excluded from the interesting grown-up conversation, and I repeated that it was past his bedtime. He protested by telling me he was old enough to make his own decisions, and I reminded him that I was in charge of the family now that Mamm and Dat were gone and asked if he would have disobeyed them. He shot me an injured look as his shoulders slumped and he gave in slowly climbing the stairs. Verity quickly followed, casting one last worried glance over her shoulder.
Once my siblings were out of the room, I turned my attention back to the injured man on the couch only to find that he'd lain back down and fallen soundly asleep. For a moment, I wondered if he'd passed out from the pain, but when he began to snore, I pulled the quilt up over him and silently left the room.
There would be plenty of time to find out Adam Wallace's story in the morning.