Jean and Granny Nanny carried their pile of pots and bowls back to the cabin, empty now except for half a watermelon. “Where’s Aunt Kate?” Holly Jean asked.
“Never mind about your great-aunt, child,” her grandmother assured her. “She ’n Pastor Jake got a lot of talkin’ to catch up on, I reckon. She’ll be here soon.”
Yes, Holly Jean was glad for her great-aunt and their pastor to be taking time to be friends again. Just as she herself would get to do with her old friends, Shirley and Roger, this very next weekend! Why, she could hardly wait!
“Granny,” she said, “do you mind if I go up to the attic while it’s still light and start cleaning it up? I want it to be nice for Shirley. I haven’t been up there since Mr. Bob built my new bedroom downstairs, and I’m sure it has a lot of cobwebs and dust by now.”
Her grandmother unlaced her good shoes and soaked her feet in a tub of cool water.
“Ahh! My bunions was about to kill me!” she remarked. Then she added, “Yes, dear, good thinkin’. We still have a few hours of sunlight left, so you can get up there before the hens roost on the ladder. But don’t git yourself overtired, you hear?”
Nodding, Holly Jean changed from her dress-up clothes to everyday ones. Then she grabbed some cleaning supplies and headed for the attic ladder. The supplies were hard to carry up without dropping them, but finally she’d made it up the ladder and through the small attic door opening.
It took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust. Yes, here were the big straw mattresses and featherbeds. She pulled off the dust-covered sheets, rolled them up, and tossed them out the open crawl-through door—to the horror of some loud, squawking hens below.
Now she just had to straighten up all the boxes and odds and ends around her and dust them off. But as she moved some old potato sacks to one side, she uncovered a very unusual box. Unlike the dull brown boxes all around it, this one was snow white, with small hearts and flowers hand-drawn all over one side, including a lovely white lily. The box was even tied up with a bright red ribbon!
But what really made Holly Jean’s heart stop was something printed across the top:
“With love to Joe Roberts.”
And it wasn’t in her mother’s handwriting.
Or Granny Nanny’s.
Or Aunt Bea’s.
Who in the world had given that box to Holly Jean’s father?
And why?
Chapter 5
Dum, Dum, De-Dum!
Heart pounding, Holly Jean reached for the mysterious box. But just then, Bear started barking wildly. And from down the road came a shout: “Ee-haw!”
Pastor Jake and Aunt Kate!
Quickly she dropped her dust cloth and rushed to the open attic door. Yes! They were back!
The carriage gleamed in the evening sun. So did the now-thirsty horses, as sweat poured down their backs. Jake Morgan stopped the buggy by the creek side so the weary beasts could get a drink. Then he gently helped his passenger down from the buggy seat.
By that time, both Holly Jean and Granny Nanny had rushed out to meet them. “Weren’t that a great homecoming party today?” her grandmother asked. “So thrilled for Daisy, I am.”
Then Holly Jean noticed something amazing. Aunt Kate and Pastor Jake were holding hands!
He cleared his throat. “Miz Roberts,” he announced formally, “this beautiful young woman has agreed to be my blushing bride. I hope we have your blessings.”
Well, of course—with hugs all around!
Thank You, dear God, thank You!
“A wedding!” Holly Jean shouted. “That means another party! Oh, I just love parties! Wait till we tell Aunt Bea!”
After that, they all sat on the front porch and talked and talked and talked, with an adoring Bear curled up at Holly Jean’s feet. Finally, the sun slipped down behind Razorback Ridge and some fireflies sparkled around them. The hens clucked sleepily on the attic ladder. Frogs and crickets and whippoorwills joined in an evening sing-along.
Then at last Pastor Jake said his good-byes. “Good night, sweet Kate,” he called as his carriage headed back down the road. “See you all in church tomorrow!” Then he was gone.
“Lord love a duck!” Granny Nanny exclaimed. “Look at the time! I think I hear Star and Morgie a-wailin’ for their supper. The chickens, too, poor things.”
“I’ll go feed them, Granny Nanny,” Holly Jean offered.
“And I’ll do the milkin’,” added her great-aunt.
Granny Nanny nodded. “Then I’ll get us some vittles a-going afore we starve too!”
Starve? After today’s big feast, Holly Jean wasn’t sure she could ever eat again!
She and her great-aunt headed across little Catfish Creek on their way to the barn. Towering sycamores lined each side of the road, with fields of half-grown corn and green pastures stretching out beyond. Inside the barn, Kate carefully lifted off her new sunbonnet and reached for the milk bucket, while Holly Jean pitched fresh hay for the old mule and cow.
Then as she gave Morgie a good petting, she said cautiously, “Aunt Kate, I found a box up in the attic today, addressed to Papa Joe. Do you know anything about it?”
But boxes and attics were the last thing on her great-aunt’s mind.
“Oh, Holly Jean,” she replied dreamily, “don’t you just love my Jake’s eyes and his deep, deep preacher’s voice?”
“Uh, why, sure, Aunt Kate. You’re lucky to have him, and he’s lucky to have you.”
“And he asked me to marry him. He finally asked me! Oh, I just want to dance circles ’round this here cow and sing hallelujah!” And she gave a startled Star a big hug.
So much for talking about boxes!
Just then Holly Jean noticed something. While Bear relaxed at Morgie’s feet, little Domino slipped out from beneath a pile of hay. Very, very cautiously the kitten stepped over to the big dog and sniffed him.
Bear opened his eyes but didn’t move. Then little Domino reached up and kissed him on the nose!
Bear whimpered with delight and thumped his nail. At that, Domino climbed right up on his back. In a moment, all the other kittens were tumbling over Bear, too. Why, the big dog practically purred with delight!
“See,” Aunt Kate pointed out, as she finished her milking, “even Bear’s happy for me!”
Back at the house, Granny Nanny was busy preparing dinner. “Here, girl,” she said to Holly Jean, “could you stir the taters for me while I dish out the beans?”
While
