Dinner at the St. James Read online

  “That sounds good to me. Thank you, Dr. Spencer. You and Captain Hawkins have been better to me than anybody else ever has.”

  Her father chuckled. “It’s easy to be good to nice people, Daniel, and I can tell you’re a fine young man. Now I’m going to work on my accounts. Why don’t you stay and keep Tave company until she has to leave?”

  Tave watched her father walk through the door before she glanced back at Daniel. “You can talk to me while I wash dishes.”

  He pushed up from his chair and steadied his legs that appeared to wobble. “I may still be a little weak, but I can help, if that’s all right.”

  She laughed and carried her cup to the dry sink. “I never turn down an offer of help.” She set the cup down and reached for the apron she’d hung on a peg by the stove before supper. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Daniel. His hair that tumbled over his forehead reminded her of how different he was from Matthew, who was always perfectly groomed. The way they looked, though, wasn’t the only difference between the two men.

  Matthew didn’t have to worry about money. Daniel did, but the fact that he wanted to earn his way made her respect him. There was a lot to like about Daniel Luckett, and she was glad he was going to be in Willow Bend longer.

  ❧

  Daniel couldn’t take his eyes off Tave. She turned from the dry sink and smiled at him, and he thought his chest would burst from the pounding of his heart. He needed to get away from Willow Bend. He was a drifter, a man who hadn’t stayed in one place long in the last seven years. In his heart, he knew Tave could make him want to stay forever, but he couldn’t allow that to happen. Another man was already in her life, one who could give her all the things she deserved.

  He picked up his coffee cup and eased across the floor to where she stood. When he stopped beside her, she turned to him. “Thanks for bringing me your cup.”

  He started to set it down just as she reached for it, and their fingers touched. The contact sent his blood surging through his veins. Her eyes grew wide as if she felt the same sensation. He placed the cup in the dry sink and stared down into her eyes.

  A longing like he’d never known washed over him. She stood still as his gaze moved over her face, lingered on her lips, and moved to her hair. She wore her hair down as she had the night she bent over his bed. He reached up and touched his fingertip to a curl. “Your hair is beautiful.”

  A nervous laugh escaped her lips. “You told me that once before.”

  Reason returned to him, and he let his arm drop back to his side. What was he doing? He’d never been this forward with a woman. From the moment he’d opened his eyes and seen her in that chair, he’d felt a connection to her, and his heart told him that would never change.

  He took a step back from her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

  She smiled. “That’s all right, Daniel. I’m not offended.”

  “You should be. I’m not in the habit of being forward with engaged women.”

  Her forehead wrinkled. “I’m not engaged.”

  “Well maybe not, but you’re spoken for and that’s the same.”

  She smiled and shook her head. “I’m not spoken for, either.”

  “B–but your father said—”

  She laughed, and the sound sent a thrill coursing through him. “I’m sure my father had a lot to say about Matthew. He doesn’t really like him.”

  Daniel eased back to his chair and dropped into it. “Well, he did mention their differences about the war, but I encounter that with a lot of people who are very nice individuals.”

  She sat down across from him and leaned forward. “That’s what I tell Poppa all the time, but it doesn’t do any good. He also thinks Matthew flaunts his money.” She planted her elbows on the table, propped her chin in her hands, and sighed. “I think it would be a blessing not to worry about money.”

  Daniel debated whether to ask her the question on his mind, but he wanted to know. “Are you going to marry him?”

  Tave crossed her arms on the table in front of her and shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s going to Dauphin Island for about six weeks. He said he wants to talk to my father when he returns and that he’d like to take Poppa and me to the St. James Hotel in Selma for a few days with his family when everything’s decided.”

  Daniel thought of the hotel on the banks of the Alabama River. “I’ve seen the St. James before when I was on the Montgomery Belle. Captain Hawkins told me that Union troops occupied it during the war. That’s why it was saved.”

  Tave nodded. “Yes. When the city rebuilt after the war, the hotel was sold, and the new owner has redecorated it. It’s quite a showplace, I’ve heard. My friend Savannah Rinaldi and her husband have been there. I’ve begged Poppa to take me, but we haven’t been able to afford it. Savannah says eating in the dining room at the St. James is an experience you’ll never forget.”

  “I’ve never been inside.”

  “Savannah says at night the dining room looks like something you might see in a palace. The tables are set with the best china, and candles glow all around the room. It even has a more elegant touch because they serve their biggest meal at night. They call it dinner, not supper like most Southerners do. She says it’s the most romantic place she’s ever been.”

  Daniel shook his head and grinned. “I would never have figured you for a romantic. You seem more like a practical woman to me.”

  She tossed her head and sniffed. “There are lots of things you don’t know about me, Daniel Luckett.”

  He chuckled. “Like what?”

  Tave pursed her lips and tilted her head to the side. “Well for your information, all women want romance. They want to feel like they’re special. I want a man who’ll show me that I’m the most important person in his life.”

  Tave’s cheeks flushed, and she glanced down at her hands. Daniel struggled to suppress a smile. He realized she was probably telling him something she’d never shared before, and he was thrilled to be getting a glimpse into her heart. “And how will he do that?”

  Her face grew redder, and she swallowed. “W–well, he’ll talk to me about how he feels, and he’ll ask my opinion on issues. He’ll value my advice and treat me like I’m more important to him than anyone else. And even if he thinks my wishes are silly, he’ll try to make them come true.”

  A warning flashed in his mind. His happy mood vanished at the thought of what she might want that he couldn’t give her. “And just what kind of wishes do you have, Tave? To have dinner at the St. James?”

  She straightened and frowned. “I suppose that’s one thing I’d like to do.”

  Daniel’s heart plummeted to the pit of his stomach. “And Matthew can afford to give you things like that.”

  Tave thought for a moment. “He can, but I believe there are more important things in life than what one can buy.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like faith in God and trusting Him to lead you in the direction He wants you to go. That’s the greatest wish that I have for the man I marry. I want him to trust God to lead him.”

  Daniel sat back in his chair and frowned. “If that’s what you want, I hope you get it.”

  She stared at Daniel, and the intensity of her gaze caused his skin to tingle. “I don’t know what I’ll get, but I believe that God has a plan for me. I’m praying that God will show me what it is. He has one for you, too, Daniel. All you have to do is trust Him.”

  Daniel shook his head. “You sound like my mother. She used to tell me that all the time. She trusted God, but in the end He didn’t do anything to help her. And I haven’t seen Him doing anything to help me either.”

  Tave reached across the table and covered his hand with hers. “He saved your life, Daniel, and He brought two new friends into your life—my father and me. Can’t you be thankful for that?”

  Her soft words pricked his heart like nothing he’d heard in years. How he wished he could tell her how thankful he was he’d met her. Tear
s stung his eyes, and he blinked them back. “You’re so much like my mother. Maybe that’s why I like you.”

  She smiled and sat back in her chair. “I like you, too, and I’m thankful God brought you to Willow Bend. I’m just sorry it took somebody shooting you to get you off that boat.”

  The memory of waking to see her bending over him returned, and he knew that no matter what had brought him here, he was glad he’d come to Willow Bend. “Me, too. Now I know who’s at the top of the bluff. I’ll never be able to stay on board again when we dock here.”

  “Good. We wouldn’t want to miss seeing you.” She glanced over her shoulder at the dirty dishes and sighed. “Well, I’d better get those washed. Then I’m going home for the night.”

  He pushed back from the table and stood. “I really enjoyed my supper, Tave. You’re a good cook.”

  “Thank you.”

  Daniel backed toward the door, reluctant to leave. “I think I’ll go to my room. Will you be back tomorrow?”

  “You can count on it. I’ll be here with breakfast early in the morning. But I think my father is right. In a few days, you need to start coming to our house to eat.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  Turning, he walked from the room toward his bedroom. Once inside, he shut the door and dropped into the rocking chair where Tave had sat to keep watch over him. The lamp on the table next to the chair cast a soft glow across the room. He sat back, gripped the chair arms, and closed his eyes. He rocked back and forth thinking about the conversation he’d had with Tave.

  “Where were You, God?” he whispered into the quiet room. “She trusted You, and You didn’t save her. And if You’ve been around these last seven years, You’ve been mighty quiet.”

  He opened his eyes, and his gaze fell on Tave’s Bible beside the lamp. During the last week, he’d opened his eyes several times to see her reading while she sat by his bed. Now it was as if the book called his name, and he reached for it.

  With trembling fingers, he caressed the leather cover. It had been years since he held a Bible. He opened the book and held it up to read the words. “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

  Daniel leaned his head against the back of the chair and laid the Bible in his lap. The words echoed in his mind: “In the world ye shall have tribulation.” He’d had plenty of that. But if Jesus’s words were to be believed, He could help people overcome whatever happened to them because He was always with them.

  That’s what Tave had been talking about, and Daniel realized she believed the promise he’d just read with all her heart. It seemed to work for her. Could it for him? He doubted it. He closed the Bible and laid it back on the table.

  Six

  Three weeks later, Tave stepped into her father’s office and knew the moment she entered that no one was there. Frowning, she stepped to the door of Daniel’s room and peered inside. The patchwork quilt she’d brought from home covered the bed, and Daniel’s clothes hung on the wooden pegs her father had attached to the wall when they first came to Willow Bend. Puzzled, she turned and walked back to the front door. Daniel hadn’t said anything at the noon meal about going anywhere, but then he had been taking walks to get his strength back. Maybe that’s where he’d gone.

  She’d just stepped onto the front porch when she spied Daniel ambling down the street toward her. His rolling gait reminded her of the sailors who came ashore from time to time when their ships docked. He whistled a tune as he walked along, his hands in the pockets of his denim work pants. She recognized the tan shirt he wore, with its white collar. She’d seen it on Dante Rinaldi. No doubt Savannah had donated it to the Ladies Auxiliary at church, and it had found its way to her father’s office.

  Daniel’s eyes lit up as he stepped on the porch. “I didn’t know you were coming back this afternoon.”

  Tave held up the basket in her hand. “I was on my way to Mr. Perkins’s store, and I thought I’d check on you first. Where have you been?”

  “I’ve been to see Mr. Perkins. Your father told me this morning he’d talked with him about a job for me, and he wanted to meet me.”

  Tave frowned as she examined Daniel for any hint that he hadn’t recovered enough to work. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

  “I’m feeling good. Mr. Perkins said I could start Monday.” He laughed and pointed to the chairs. “Let’s sit and enjoy the day for a minute.” He dropped down in one of the porch chairs and wiped at his forehead. “It sure has gotten warm in the last few days.”

  Tave settled in the chair next to him and set her basket down. “It’s the last of June, Daniel. Can you believe you’ve been here a month?”

  “No, I can’t, but I feel stronger every day.”

  “Well don’t try to do too much in this heat. It’s only going to get worse.” She pulled a handkerchief from the pocket of her dress and mopped her face. “I always dread the hot weather.” A breeze drifted from the river, and she smiled. “Then the river reminds me I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”

  They sat in silence for a moment, and she studied him out of the corner of her eye. Color had returned to his cheeks, and he looked very different from the man who’d been brought up the riverbank to her father’s office. His face didn’t hold the gaunt look she’d observed on it in the days after surgery, and he was able to walk farther each day.

  He turned his head toward her, and for a moment their gazes locked. Her face grew warm from the scrutiny of his eyes. A slight frown wrinkled his forehead. “What are you thinking?”

  Tave struggled to control the increased beating of her heart. “I’m thankful to see you recovering so well. We really didn’t expect you to live when we first saw you.”

  “I know.” He gazed back toward the river. “I owe you and your father a lot, Tave.”

  She reached over and touched his arm. “You don’t owe us anything, Daniel. You’ve given us a lot in just knowing you.”

  He faced her again. “How could I possibly give you anything?”

  His question surprised her. Was it possible he had no idea of his worth? “You’ve given me so much just by being my friend. I’ve talked to you more in the past few weeks than I have to anyone else since I came to Willow Bend.”

  “You have? I would think you and your friend Savannah share all your thoughts.”

  “Well, she’s very busy at Cottonwood, and I’m at school all the time. So we don’t get to see each other much except at church.”

  A frown wrinkled his forehead. “I’m sure Matthew is very important to you, too.”

  Tave bit her lip in an attempt to keep from grinning. “Why Daniel Luckett,” she said, “you remind me of Caleb Thompson, Martha’s youngest son. He comes to my desk several times a day to ask if I like his brother Tad better than I do him. I wouldn’t have thought a grown man could sound so much like a jealous little boy.”

  Daniel straightened his shoulders and took a deep breath. The muscle in his jaw twitched. “I’m only saying what is obvious. Matthew must be a mighty fine man if you’re interested in him, but we don’t have much in common. I’ve seen a lot of rich people on the Montgomery Belle, but they always looked at me as if I weren’t really there.”

  Tave’s heart thudded at the sadness she saw in his eyes. She’d never known anyone who put as little value on himself as Daniel did. How could she make him see his worth? She breathed a quick prayer for guidance before she spoke.

  “Daniel, you are God’s creature. He gave you gifts and abilities that are yours alone. In the time I’ve known you, I’ve been struck by the fact that you are a good man who has suffered some terrible tragedies in your life. But God gave you a resourcefulness that got you through those bad times. He gave you a deep concern for other people—enough that you almost gave your life to save another’s. Only a brave man would do that. I only wish I could help you with whatever happened in
your past that has left deep scars on your soul.”

  His eyes widened. “What makes you think something happened to me?”

  She’d hoped for the opportunity to broach the subject of his past ever since she first heard him cry out in his unconscious state. “I sat by your bed when you were delirious. I listened to your cries and wiped away tears that ran down your face. That first night, you were so agitated that I knelt beside you and prayed that God would calm you. I was afraid you were going to die.”

  He swallowed, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. “I couldn’t see you, but I felt you there.”

  “I’m glad you knew I was praying. That was the worst night. After that, I spent a lot of time on my knees beside your bed.” She smiled. “And it worked. Look at you now. You’re well enough to get a job.”

  He took a deep breath. “What did I say that concerned you so?”

  “You called out for your mother. Then you yelled for someone not to hurt her.”

  Daniel nodded. “Yes, I suppose I did.” He sat silent for a moment. “I told you that my mother married after my father’s death.”

  “Yes.”

  “The man’s name was Frank Jessup. He’d lost his wife and didn’t have any children. My mother thought she was doing the right thing for us. We’d have a home, and I’d have a father. It didn’t take her long to realize what a mistake she’d made. Frank had a cruel streak that came out after we moved in. My mother worked from dawn till bedtime, but it was never enough for him. It only got worse when he drank. That’s when the beatings began.”

  Pain flickered in his face, and Tave clasped her hands in her lap. “How terrible.”

  He glanced at her. “Yeah. It was bad. I was just a child, but I’d try to protect her. Then he’d turn on me. I didn’t mind because if he was hitting me, he was letting her alone. Of course she didn’t see it that way. She didn’t want me hurt. I begged her over and over for us to leave, but she said we had nowhere to go. God would take care of us, she’d say. And then Frank would get drunk again.”