Read Online Turner's Rainbow 2 - The Rainbow Promise by Lisa Gregory - Free Book Online
Authors: Lisa Gregory
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running out to the fields to tell him immediately But then she wouldn't get to see the joy on his face when he walked in on Julia, unknowing.
She occupied herself by making supper and speculating about Julia. Sarah wouldn't have been so rude as to ask Julia point blank why she was here, but that didn't mean her curiosity wasn't aroused. Obviously Julia hadn't trudged all the way from Gideon just for a visit with her brother. She must be in some sort of trouble. Had her husband left her?
Or more likely, it was the other way around. Luke said that Will Dobson was a crude, even mean, man. Perhaps he had hit her, or worse.
Sarah put on a pot of corn and another of collard greens and took out the pieces of round steak she had tenderized earlier this afternoon and left to soak in milk and eggs. She set the big black skillet on the largest eye of the stove and plopped a huge spoonful of lard into it. When the fat was sizzling hot, Sarah dipped each piece of meat into a mixture of flour, salt, and pepper, and laid it into the pan. The grease popped and hissed with each new addition. She kept a watchful eye on the frying meat, turning it with long tongs to avoid being burned by the hot grease. When it was brown and crisp, she set it out to drain and poured the old grease into an old pot kept for that purpose.
While she was working, Micah came to the back door and asked if she would like any chores done, so she had him do the evening chores of feeding the animals and bringing in a fresh supply of wood for her stove the next day. She glanced at him out the window now and then while she cooked. He seemed a hard worker.
The children soon arose from their nap and went to play outside. Sarah kept an occasional eye on them, too. It was nice knowing that Vance and Bonnie were with little Emily, so that she didn't have to watch her continuously. Preparations for supper went much more smoothly without Emily's presence in the kitchen, too.
The sun was getting low. It was almost time for Luke to come in from the fields. The food was done, Sarah set the table, continuing to look out the window for him. When she spotted Luke coming in from the fields, Sarah ran to the stairs and called up, "Julia! Luke's home."
A muffled voice answered her, and assured that Julia was awake, Sarah hurried out the kitchen door and into the side yard. Bonnie and Vance stood at the foot of the porch, looking across the yard toward Luke. Emily had run to him, and he had picked her up and was now hugging her and nuzzling her soft neck. He looked up at Sarah and waved, then started across the yard toward her.
"Bonnie. Vance. Why don't you run inside and clean up now?"
Sarah didn't want to have to introduce them to Luke and spoil the surprise. The children scurried back into the house. They had had enough experience of a man's uneven temper to be glad to get out of one's way when he returned from a hard day's work.
"Sarah." Luke kissed her lightly in greeting. "Who is that man in the barn? He said he'd take care of the mules. Did you hire somebody?" It wouldn't be like Sarah to do that.
"He asked if he could trade some chores for supper, so I said yes," Sarah replied. "I told him he'd have to talk to you about a job, though."
It wasn't an unusual occurrence to have a drifter be given a plateful of food by his kindhearted wife and let him pay it off with a little work. Luke frowned, saying automatically, "I don't like you talking to those drifters when you're here alone." It scared him to think of someone being around Sarah when he was out in the fields. The most frightening thing in the world, the only thing he could think of, really, that scared him, was something bad happening to Sarah or Emily.
"I can't turn them away." It was Sarah's usual response in their long-running argument over the subject. "Besides, I didn't let him in the house, like you told me."
"Good." But there was something else going on here besides a drifter seeking work. Sarah's cheeks
She occupied herself by making supper and speculating about Julia. Sarah wouldn't have been so rude as to ask Julia point blank why she was here, but that didn't mean her curiosity wasn't aroused. Obviously Julia hadn't trudged all the way from Gideon just for a visit with her brother. She must be in some sort of trouble. Had her husband left her?
Or more likely, it was the other way around. Luke said that Will Dobson was a crude, even mean, man. Perhaps he had hit her, or worse.
Sarah put on a pot of corn and another of collard greens and took out the pieces of round steak she had tenderized earlier this afternoon and left to soak in milk and eggs. She set the big black skillet on the largest eye of the stove and plopped a huge spoonful of lard into it. When the fat was sizzling hot, Sarah dipped each piece of meat into a mixture of flour, salt, and pepper, and laid it into the pan. The grease popped and hissed with each new addition. She kept a watchful eye on the frying meat, turning it with long tongs to avoid being burned by the hot grease. When it was brown and crisp, she set it out to drain and poured the old grease into an old pot kept for that purpose.
While she was working, Micah came to the back door and asked if she would like any chores done, so she had him do the evening chores of feeding the animals and bringing in a fresh supply of wood for her stove the next day. She glanced at him out the window now and then while she cooked. He seemed a hard worker.
The children soon arose from their nap and went to play outside. Sarah kept an occasional eye on them, too. It was nice knowing that Vance and Bonnie were with little Emily, so that she didn't have to watch her continuously. Preparations for supper went much more smoothly without Emily's presence in the kitchen, too.
The sun was getting low. It was almost time for Luke to come in from the fields. The food was done, Sarah set the table, continuing to look out the window for him. When she spotted Luke coming in from the fields, Sarah ran to the stairs and called up, "Julia! Luke's home."
A muffled voice answered her, and assured that Julia was awake, Sarah hurried out the kitchen door and into the side yard. Bonnie and Vance stood at the foot of the porch, looking across the yard toward Luke. Emily had run to him, and he had picked her up and was now hugging her and nuzzling her soft neck. He looked up at Sarah and waved, then started across the yard toward her.
"Bonnie. Vance. Why don't you run inside and clean up now?"
Sarah didn't want to have to introduce them to Luke and spoil the surprise. The children scurried back into the house. They had had enough experience of a man's uneven temper to be glad to get out of one's way when he returned from a hard day's work.
"Sarah." Luke kissed her lightly in greeting. "Who is that man in the barn? He said he'd take care of the mules. Did you hire somebody?" It wouldn't be like Sarah to do that.
"He asked if he could trade some chores for supper, so I said yes," Sarah replied. "I told him he'd have to talk to you about a job, though."
It wasn't an unusual occurrence to have a drifter be given a plateful of food by his kindhearted wife and let him pay it off with a little work. Luke frowned, saying automatically, "I don't like you talking to those drifters when you're here alone." It scared him to think of someone being around Sarah when he was out in the fields. The most frightening thing in the world, the only thing he could think of, really, that scared him, was something bad happening to Sarah or Emily.
"I can't turn them away." It was Sarah's usual response in their long-running argument over the subject. "Besides, I didn't let him in the house, like you told me."
"Good." But there was something else going on here besides a drifter seeking work. Sarah's cheeks
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