Mistaken Devotion

Chapter 4

Ryan was waiting by the wagon when Emily helped Alicia outside. She was limping slightly, and seemed a bit embarrassed about her bare feet, but she let him help her into the wagon and sat quietly while he drove them home.

He pulled right up to the porch and hopped down, reaching up for Alicia's hand as she slid over on the seat. Emily jumped down on the other side and came hurrying around to help, but he'd already carried her over to the steps and set her on her feet.

Alicia was still shivering a bit as she held the blanket the doctor had sent home with her around her shoulders, but she was able to look him in the eye. "Thank you," she said, a bit hoarsely.

"You're welcome, ma'am." He replied. Then he turned, climbed back up into the wagon and drove home.

He unloaded the lumber into a nice pile on the back porch before parking the wagon in the barn and letting his horse loose out in the pasture, but he couldn't concentrate on the work that had to be done and he never got past carrying the first armful of boards upstairs. He couldn't even remember where he'd left his hammer and the box of nails he'd been working with.

Deciding that the house could wait, he went for a walk, ending up at the part of the creek that wound its way through his property. Following it upstream, he eventually came to the place where Miss Morrow had been pinned under the log and he stared down at the water for a long time.

Up on the top of the grassy part of the bank, he saw that they'd left their basket, a book and a bundle of withered flowers and he carried them back to their house.

Emily answered the door. "Mr. Beckman?"

"I was just down at the creek and I noticed you left your basket. And your flowers were dead, so I picked some more." He cleared his throat. "How's your sister?"

"Better." Emily accepted the basket, although she couldn't figure out why the flowers had mattered to him. "She's sleeping now, but her color's back. I've never been so scared in my entire life!"

He nodded. "Alright, well, I'd better head home. I have lots of work to do." He said.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Alicia opened her eyes. It was late afternoon and she realized she'd spent half the day sleeping, but it did feel good under the warm covers and she lay there for several minutes before getting up. She changed out of her nightgown and went downstairs, certain she'd need to start supper, but Emily had already taken care of it and a pot of hearty stew bubbled slowly on the stove.

"I suppose I need to help with the chores, though." Alicia said.

Emily shook her head. "They're already done."

"You cleaned out the barn and everything?"

"I didn't. Mr. Beckman did. He even brought back your book and the basket." She pointed to the vase on the table. "And picked us some fresh flowers. I'm not sure, but he was acting weird. I think he was worried about you. It was really strange."

"Mr.Beckman?"

"Yeah. He went home and then came back. And then he went home again, then came back. That's when he did the chores. Said something about not being able to concentrate on his work."

"Oh." Alicia said.

"Well, wouldn't you know, here he comes again!" Emily looked out the window.

"Again?"

"Just kidding." Emily grinned. "But don't be too surprised if he does."

"Very funny!"

Alicia stared at the vase of flowers on the table, just as she had every time she'd passed by it for the past few days. It wasn't the flowers, exactly. She and Emily had fresh flowers in the house all the time during the summer. It was the fact that they were from Mr.Beckman. And why had he cared about the flowers anyway? She turned and walked out of the room.