Shifted Tides
Hope was headed up the bank steps to see Mr. Stewart when she saw the father of one of her students coming down.
Deputy Neil Forester worked for Sheriff Roan—at his day job, not in the saloon—and he always had a polite word for Hope. His daughter, Jessica, would be starting the third grade in a few weeks. “Howdy do, Miss Tucker?” the deputy asked. “Sure is a hot one today, ain’t it?”
“Deputy, it’s nice to see you,” she said with a friendly smile. “It surely is. But then, most every day’s been a hot one since I arrived in Texas.”
“Well, we could hardly tell you it was this hot or else you might notta come,” he joked, good naturedly patting her arm. “Jess sure is excited about school a’startin’.”
“Her and me both,” Hope replied. “I saw her on the playground the other day. She’s gotten tall this summer.”
“Taller and smarter. She’s been readin’ every book she can get her hands on, thanks to you, Miss Tucker.”
“Oh, Jessica is a natural born scholar,” Hope replied, praising one of her best little students. “She’s going to go far.”
“Bless you, Miss Tucker,” Deputy Forester replied with a genuine smile. “You sure are a gift to us! You take care now.”
“Thank you, Deputy Forester,” Hope said, turning to wave goodbye to him. “Be safe.” She hurried on up the last few steps, a smile on her face. It was always nice to run into parents who were excited about what their students were learning.
Inside, she saw Mr. Garner’s friendly face behind the counter and waited for him to finish up with Mrs. Stamine who said hello but wasn’t nearly as friendly as she’d once been, before Hope’s run in over the slates that had never come. She stepped up to the window next and greeted Mr. Garner and then asked if Mr. Stewart had a quick moment.
“I’ll go see,” he said with a smile before disappearing. When he came back, Mr. Stewart was on his heels.
“Miss Tucker, nice to see you.” She wasn’t sure if he meant it or not. “I’ve been meaning to have a word with you.”
A lump rose in Hope’s throat as she wondered what it might be he wanted to discuss. Had she done something wrong? “It’s nice to see you as well, Mr. Stewart. I just wanted to stop by to ask you about the construction I noticed behind the schoolhouse.”
“Yes, that’s precisely what I’ve meant to speak to you about. Has Mrs. Howard mentioned it at all?”
“No, she hasn’t,” Hope replied, thinking it was odd that Nita hadn’t said anything if she knew about it, but then, maybe she had been waiting for Mr. Stewart. “What is it exactly?”
“Why, it’s your house,” he said with his arms spread open, showing just how generous he was. “I’ve arranged for it to be built. Hopefully, it will be done by the time fall weather arrives, and you can move in so that you won’t have to walk so far in inclement conditions.”
Hope wasn’t sure what to say, especially since she was under the impression that Mr. Stewart hadn’t actually arranged for any of it. The idea that he would do so right after she’d heard Mr. Canton and Mr. Jones discussing giving him credit for something seemed like too big of a coincidence. But she could hardly say that. “Why, thank you, Mr. Stewart. I do appreciate it.”
“Of course. It’s just a small token of my appreciation for all you’ve done for the children of McKinney. We are lucky to have such a talented schoolteacher. All of the parents seem so happy with what you’ve accomplished, despite the playground.”
She kept her smile glued to her face, ignoring his backhanded compliment. “I am looking forward to school resuming in a few weeks’ time, and I’m certain we’ll get even more accomplished now that we have an entire school year to spend together.”
“Indeed,” Mr. Stewart said, his smile widening, and Hope realized that he’d thought she meant him and her—not her and the students.
Deciding it didn’t matter, she turned to go. “Thank you again, Mr. Stewart.”
“Have a good evening, Miss Tucker.” He waved and disappeared, and Hope waved goodbye to Mr. Garner wondering if this would affect the election at all. She decided she’d have to trust Mr. Canton to know what he was doing and headed back to the Howard house, curious to see what Nita might say when Hope told her she knew about the cabin.
When she came to within a block of the house, she realized that Nicholas’s wagon was out front and her stomach lurched into her throat. It had been difficult for the pair of them to avoid each other these past few months since he’d told her how he felt, and when they were in the same room, everything was awkward. Hope missed his friendship, the discussions they used to have. He was one of the few intellects she’d encountered since her arrival, so there weren’t any other options for discussing serious matters. It wasn’t as if she could talk about the French invasion of Russia with Brady.
Doc was seated across from his mother in the parlor when she opened the front door and immediately got up, as if he had to leave the room because Hope was there. “I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to intrude,” she said, finding a smile. “Please, Doc, don’t go on my account. I just wanted to ask Mrs. Howard a quick question, and then I’ll head upstairs out of your way.”
Before Nicholas could answer, Nita said, “We were actually just talking about somethin’ that involves you, Hope. Your cabin is goin’ up next to the school. Did you know that?”
“I did,” Hope admitted. “I just walked past there and went to speak to Mr. Stewart.” She left out the part about him wanting to know if Nita had already told her. “He said he hopes it’s finished before the fall weather comes in.”
“It likely will be,” Nita said. There was something about her tone that made Hope think there was more to the story than what she was saying. “You do know that Stewart is takin’ credit for somethin’ he ain’t done, right? I mean, I hope you didn’t thank him too heartily.”
Hope looked from Nita to Doc, who was nodding, and she realized they knew more than she did about the cabin, and braced herself, praying whatever they had to say, it didn’t infuriate her against Mr. Stewart even worse.
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