The Clash Between the Minds Page 21

  He started to speak but hesitated. "Didn't...did Miss Sarah come home yet? I thought you expected her yesterday."

  "I haven't seen her. Maybe she'll be in today."

  "You will remember, won't you, not to frequent her company until the school year is over?"

  Faith sighed. "I remember. That doesn't mean I can't say hello to her when she arrives."

  Joel pursed his lips. "If you're wise, you'll stay away from her altogether. You don't want to give anyone fodder to cause trouble for you and Benjamin. Or for her." He reached for the doorknob, took hold of Faith's arm, and led her outside. "I thought we'd have dinner at the hotel."

  Joel moved his empty plate away and leaned back in his chair. "Faith, we need to talk."

  Faith looked up from pushing her sausage around with her fork. She hadn't had much appetite. Why had she agreed to come to dinner with Joel anyway? From the moment she had learned that Sarah was coming home, Joel had seemed more and more unattractive to her. In fact, his charming ways had struck a false note with her lately, and he was becoming disgustingly smug.

  As if awakening from a bad dream, Faith realized that she couldn't protect Benjamin and Sarah and herself from all the dangers in the world. Neither could Joel. But she knew Sarah would try with all her might to protect them from whatever they might face. So would she, and together they made a formidable team. Sarah was the one she loved and wanted, not Joel. If she had to wait a bit more time to be free to get back with her, so be it.

  "You," Joel said, "must get it through your mind that you need to ignore Sarah Coulter."

  "I can't do that." Faith laid down her fork and blotted her lips with the linen napkin. Joel's cheeks had reddened, and he looked stern.

  "Well, you have to. If you keep company with her, you stand the chance not only of losing your position at the school, but also in bringing trouble on yourself and Miss Sarah from the Ku Klux Klan."

  "What do you know of the Ku Klux Klan? Why do they want to harm us?" Faith had a pretty good idea of what Joel would say, but she wanted to hear it from him.

  "The Klan fights against people who are perverted. And Sarah Coulter, dressing like a man—trying to act like a man—is perverted. She's a woman and should dress and act like a woman." Joel plunged his forefinger against the table in staccato movements as though trying to drive his point home. "She's a disgrace."

  "A disgrace to whom?" Faith felt her temper rising. "She's never hurt anyone in this town. In fact, she's helped more than a few. And she hasn't tried to make anyone else dress as she does. She feels comfortable that way. How is that hurting anyone?"

  "If you continue to defend her, you'll be saddled with the same contempt that she's earned."

  "I will always defend her. She hasn't earned any contempt. She's a better person than many of your prejudiced friends."

  "Be careful. If you persist, I'll have to withdraw my offer of marriage."

  Faith considered the smirk Joel wore. He must think that was the last thing she would want. Every word he said drove her farther from him and nearer to Sarah—if Sarah would still have her. Faith had treated her miserably, and she regretted it deeply. She stood up. "I do persist."

  Joel stood, too, and threw his napkin on the table. His face contorted, and he hissed his words. "You won't get a second chance, you foolish woman. This is it."

  "The only second chance I want is with Sarah. I love her. I know now that I've never stopped loving her. As soon as the school year's finished, I'm rejoining her." She turned and strode out of the room, not looking back, heedless of whether or not any other patrons had heard her heated remarks.

  Joel bolted after her. "Wait. Perhaps I've been too hasty." He caught up with Faith as she stepped out through the door.

  Sarah and Leah were about to cross Main Street. Leah tugged Sarah's arm and discreetly pointed. "There's Doc Litchfield, across the street. He just came out of the hotel, and Faith's with him."

  Sarah squinted toward where Leah gestured. She moved to cross the street, and Leah restrained her. "Stay here, Sarah," she said in an urgent tone. "Let her come to you." Leah held onto her arm with two hands and pulled her along.

  They walked a few more steps, before Sarah halted and refused to budge. Leah let out a pronounced sigh. Sarah looked down at her and spoke in a measured tone. "I understand what you're thinking, but the last time I ran from Faith, she came after me. Now it's my turn to go after her. Please don't try to stop me. Besides, I want to get her away from Litchfield before the sheriff shows up to arrest him."

  Leah stood on tiptoes and kissed Sarah's cheek. "I hope you know best." She let go, and Sarah strode diagonally across the street, headed toward Faith and Litchfield.

  She saw Faith look her way then turn back toward Litchfield. Sarah almost paused, but decided to carry on. "Bastard," she mumbled.

  Faith stepped outside with Joel right behind her. "Hello, Mrs. Pruitt." Eric Stoudemeyer, the father of one of Faith's students, tipped his hat as he passed. "Nice day."

  "Hello, Mr. Stoudemeyer. Yes, it is." Truly, it was. Soft clouds moved slowly across a sky as blue as bachelor buttons. Sunshine bathed the street and boardwalk except where porch roofs shadowed portions of the walk. An early shower had settled most of the street dust, keeping the town air clearer than usual. Too nice a day for so much stress.

  Joel grabbed Faith's arm. She tried to shake him off and looked around to see whether anyone noticed. She gasped and put her free hand to her neck. "There's Sarah." All at once, the day looked even brighter and sunnier. "She's home."

  She thought Sarah had seen her, but her happiness dimmed ever so slightly when Sarah dipped her head toward the woman who clung to her arm. Leah. She went to see Leah first. That fact hurt, even though Faith realized it made sense. After all, Leah and her family were living in Sarah's former home. And mine, Faith thought with a pang of regret.

  She took a step in Sarah's direction, but Joel pulled against her arm, preventing her from going farther. "Stop, Faith. You're not going to make a fool of me by greeting that woman in view of everyone."

  Faith looked up at Joel. His face had hardened, and his jaw was clamped shut as though expecting an argument.

  Faith's temper stirred a little higher, but she tried to stay calm. "I just told you I love 'that woman,' as you call her. We haven't seen each other for months, and I refuse to ignore her." She pulled her arm from his and took another step toward Sarah. Her heartbeat quickened as she saw Sarah coming up the street, her lengthy strides rapidly shortening the distance. Her movements looked so forceful and elegant. Her hair was longer. And she had a new hat.

  Joel grasped Faith's elbow once more and swung her around to face him. "You will not acknowledge her. Come with me." He tugged hard on Faith's arm, and she grimaced. She noticed passersby giving them startled looks and moving away from them.

  "Let me go, Joel."

  He yanked her so hard, she lost her balance.

  From behind, a hand steadied her then nudged her aside. Another reached past her and closed on Joel's arm. Sarah had arrived.

  Sarah dug her fingers into the muscle of Litchfield's upper arm. Her low-pitched voice sounded almost like a growl. "You heard Faith. Let her go."

  Litchfield sneered. "Or what?" He pole-axed Sarah's arm with his other forearm. He looked surprised when she didn't budge. She made a fist and cocked her arm for a blow, but Faith grabbed her wrist.

  "Sarah, please, no violence. We can settle this with talk."

  Sarah stiffened. She glanced quickly at Faith then swiveled her hard gaze back to Litchfield. "We can talk when he lets go of you."

  "Both of you," Faith said, "let go of each other. Right now." She drew her elbow from Litchfield's grasp and pushed Sarah's arm down. "I said now."

  She could hear Sarah breathing hard and knew she was in a dangerous mood. But Sarah would never hurt her; Joel was the one in peril. Faith felt relieved when Sarah's fingers loosened and she released Joel's arm.

  "Please give us
a minute, Joel."

  "Why? School's not out. She shouldn't even be here." Joel's eyes narrowed as he glared at Sarah. "Go back where you came from. Things were fine here without you around. You're nothing but trouble."

  Sarah's face looked meaner than Faith had ever seen it. Her words were daggers. "I don't know what delusion you're suffering from. I don't have to listen to anything from you. Do as the lady said, and get away from her."

  From the corner of her eye, Faith saw townspeople scurrying out of the street. Women screamed and a man yelled, "He's got a gun!" Almost at once, a shot sounded, and she jumped in startlement. A piece of wood flew from a nearby post.

  "There's the bitch who killed my boy," Morton Blanton shouted. Obviously drunk, he staggered up the middle of Main Street waving his gun. People darted out of the street. Some ducked into doorways. "I'll give her what she deserves."

  Sarah immediately stepped in front of Faith and reached for her Colt. But it never cleared the holster before another shot rang out. Faith heard a thud. Sarah slammed backwards into her. The new hat tumbled to the ground. Grabbing her under the arms, Faith barely kept from falling. She screamed, "Sarah!" as she lowered Sarah's collapsed body to the boardwalk.

  Oh, God. Sarah's face was as white as a sheet. She wasn't breathing. She had a discolored gash on her forehead, but she'd been shot in the chest. The hole in her coat was over her heart. For Faith, the next few moments went by like a stereopticon slide show in slow motion. Blanton yelled and fired again. He was coming closer. Faith wrapped her arms around Sarah's shoulders. She pulled her into her lap and tried to shield Sarah's body with her own. She flinched as another shot sounded from close behind her. Something hit the ground. People came out of hiding and began to assemble around them. Leah plopped to her knees next to Sarah. Tears streamed down her face as she grabbed Sarah's arm.

  "Sarah, Sarah! Oh, my God." Leah looked up at Faith. "Is she...?"

  Faith gazed at her blankly. What a ridiculous question. The bullet had entered Sarah's heart. No one survived that. She managed to get the words past numb lips. "She's been shot in the heart."

  "No!" Leah screamed. "No, no, no." She pulled Sarah's hand to her cheek. "Please don't leave us, Sarah. Please."

  Sheriff Schmidt squatted next to them. "I shot Blanton. Doc's checking him now." He nodded toward Sarah. "How is she?" He gazed at Sarah and shook his head. His rough voice softened. "I'll send Doc right back for her."

  The sheriff's words snapped Faith out of her funk. Sarah might be dead, but she deserved the respect of at least examining her. Faith would rather do that than leave it to Joel. "Leah," she said in little more than a whisper, "help me get her jacket off." She laid Sarah gently on the boardwalk, and they removed her jacket.

  Leah shrieked and reached toward Sarah's chest. "Oh my God. Oh my God."

  Muttering broke the silence of the nearest people gathered around.

  Faith took one look and started crying. She lifted Sarah's head and shoulders back into her lap. She bent her head over Sarah's and her cascade of red ringlets veiled them both from the gazes of the spectators. She couldn't hold back the tears, and they poured from her eyes.

  In spite of the streaming moisture, she saw Sarah's mouth drop open. A whistling sound happened as she sucked air into her lungs. After several jerky tries, she took one long, slow breath then gulped more and more air. Color came back into her cheeks, and her eyes opened. Faith lifted her head, blinked to clear her vision, and looked directly into Sarah's eyes. Faith about died of happiness.

  Sarah touched her own chest and groaned. She raised her hand and stared at it. "What happened?"

  Faith opened her mouth, but she couldn't speak. Tears still streamed down her cheeks.

  Leah held up a bent silver dollar with the bullet stuck in it. She was crying, but now from joy. "Morton Blanton shot you in the heart. I mean he would have, but he hit this dollar and it saved your life. God bless the gal who made this vest for you." Leah pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and made an attempt to dry her own face.

  Sarah rubbed the sore spot. "Rusty Gunther. Rusty made it for me." She reached up and wiped Faith's cheek. "Don't cry. I'm all right."

  At last, Faith could talk. Her voice sounded forced. "You were dead. I was so sure you were dead." She shook her head. "It's a miracle you're not. I almost can't believe it. Oh, God, Sarah, I thought I'd lost you." She took a handkerchief from her pocket and dried Sarah's face of the tears that had fallen onto her. Then she dabbed at her own cheeks.

  "Help me up, please." Sarah stood up with Faith and Leah supporting her. She wobbled a moment. "Thanks. I can manage now." They both hung onto her until she moved their hands aside. "I'm fine, honest."

  "You're all right?" Sheriff Schmidt's surprise showed on his face as he approached through the crowd. He had Joel Litchfield in tow.

  "Sure am." Sarah pointed her thumb at one of the silver dollars remaining on her vest. "The bullet hit one of these and got stopped. Good thing Blanton was pretty far away."

  Litchfield gave her a flat look. "Lucky you."

  Sarah gave him one back. "I won't need your help, so I guess we're both lucky."

  Still holding Joel, Sheriff Schmidt tapped a fist on Sarah's arm. "For a minute there, you looked like you were dead. I'm glad to see you're not."

  "Thanks, Sheriff."

  Faith looked toward where Morton Blanton had fallen. Several men were carrying him off. "How is Mr. Blanton?"

  "He's dead," Schmidt said.

  Faith felt sympathy for his family. But he had tried to kill Sarah, and she felt none for him. Maybe the Ku Klux Klan attacks would fall off without him to lead them.

  Faith picked up Sarah's jacket and hat and handed them to her. "Please come over later. We need to talk."

  Joel took Faith's arm, and his annoyance showed on his face.

  "She shouldn't be visiting you. Everyone in town is watching you right now. You'll be jeopardizing your position and, possibly, your safety."

  Sarah took a step forward, but Leah quickly inserted herself between Sarah and Joel. "Perhaps you can visit Phillip and me, Faith. Bring Benjamin and join us for supper." She didn't even look at Joel. "No one can object to that."

  Faith raised her voice. "Take your hand off me, Joel. I told you we're finished. I can't believe I ever listened to your self-serving gibberish."

  "You're coming with me, Litchfield." Sheriff Schmidt pulled a set of Adams handcuffs from his pocket and fastened one around Joel's wrist. Joel looked dumbfounded. "What's going on? I haven't done anything."

  "You'll hear all about it once I get you in a cell." Schmidt tugged on the cuffs and led Joel away as he loudly continued his objections.

  "What's going on?" Faith looked at Sarah then at Leah.

  "Get Benjamin and come on over to the house. We'll explain everything," Sarah said.

  Faith yearned to put her arms around Sarah and kiss her, and of course she couldn't do that here in the street. She didn't even know whether Sarah wanted her to.

  Later that afternoon, Benjamin steered the buggy toward the house that used to be theirs. Faith sat next to him, twisting her handkerchief around her fingers. They both had been silent for most of the journey, until Benjamin said, "Mama, I feel really bad about what happened to Aunt Sarah."

  "So do I, Benjamin. Thank God she's all right."

  "But it was my fault."

  "What? Why do you say that?"

  "I'm the one who killed Hiram Blanton, not Aunt Sarah." Benjamin sounded and looked miserable. He lifted a jacket-covered arm from the reins and wiped it against his cheek, giving Faith the first clue that he was crying. Society considered fourteen-year-old males to be young men, but there was still a lot of boy in them.

  "Honey, Sheriff Schmidt didn't even give a second thought to accusing you of killing Hiram. He knew the Ku Klux Klan killed him. If they hadn't stirred up Hiram's hate, he wouldn't have kidnapped Aunt Sarah with the intention of hurting her. None of you would have been in that cav
e. You got accidentally caught up in his evil deed. It wasn't your fault."

  Benjamin sniffled. "I keep telling myself that, but I still feel awful about it. Because of me, Mr. Blanton almost killed Aunt Sarah."

  Faith didn't know what else to say to make him feel better. Then she had a thought. "I think you need to talk to Aunt Sarah about all this."

  "Yes, ma'am," he mumbled.

  "I need to tell you about something else that happened today."

  Benjamin wiped his face again. Then he said, "What's that?" in an almost normal voice.

  "I won't be keeping company with Dr. Litchfield anymore."

  Benjamin jerked the horse to a stop and turned to Faith. In a split second, his expression went from mournful to being lit up like the sunrise. "Are you sure?"

  "I'm sure."

  Benjamin wrapped the reins around the brake pole, put his palms together, and lifted his gaze to heaven. "Thank you, God." Then he turned to Faith with an ornery grin. "I knew he couldn't beat out Aunt Sarah."

  Faith studied him for a moment. "You've never been pleased that I was seeing him, have you?"

  "Nope." He took Faith's hand between both of his and shook it up and down, all the while looking at her with a sober demeanor. "Mama, I wouldn't trade one second of being with Aunt Sarah for years with Dr. Litchfield." He hunched his shoulders. "Can we please go back to Aunt Sarah?"

  "The sooner you start this buggy, the sooner I can find out whether Aunt Sarah will have us back."

  "Hooray!" Benjamin flipped the reins off of the brake pole and jiggled them against the horse's rump. "Let's go, boy. We have important business to tend to."

  Benjamin drove the buggy into the barn and helped Faith down. She took his arm, and they walked toward the house. When they crossed the porch, Leah met them at the door. "Come in. I'm glad you could make it." They greeted each other, and as they entered, she looked at Benjamin. "Where's Paddy?"

  Benjamin grinned. "He's in our barn. I didn't think he was invited."

  "Young man." Leah wagged a finger as though admonishing him. "Paddy's always welcome...in any house of mine." The twinkle in her eyes belied any notion of scolding.