Free Hope Reborn by Caryl Mcadoo Page B

to do it. Might be too set in my ways to have a man in my life. Besides, who’d want an old maid ink slinger?”
    “Oh, Miss May, you’re a beautiful woman.”
    She smiled. “Well, thank you, sweet girl. Guess we best both get back to work. Chester’s liable to show any minute wanting to see some progress.”
    The girl nodded then beamed. “And by the way, I’m loving this book. I read the whole page before I go back and copy it and can hardly wait to get to the next, but I’m taking my time.”
    “I’m glad you like it.”
    “Yes, ma’am. I’m being very careful of my penmanship. I can’t imagine how much fun it will be to hold the real book in my hands! It’s going to be my favorite of all the ones you’ve written so far.”
    The girl’s enthusiasm was infectious, made May want to get this one done, so she could rest some before starting on the next.
    And she had to agree, finally having her stories actually printed and bound thrilled her every time, but she resisted the urge to open that new jar of time-wasting.
    “A toast?” She lifted her quill in the air toward the girl who lifted hers as well. “To romance, the language of love, and finishing this one, so we can have some fun while I’m here!”
    Mary Rachel laughed pointing the quill toward May. “Here, here.”
     

     
    Henry rocked out, held his chair forward in place, then studied the pile for a bit. Satisfied, he settled back again. Charley wasn’t being too rough with the younger ones.
    He loved how the ten-year-old took care of his boys as he called them. Henry couldn’t love Rose and Levi’s son any more than if he’d fathered him. But then they were all his, even Laura’s Little Lacy called him Pa.
    Footfalls turned his head, but it was only Mammy bringing him a cup of tea. The old girl seemed to have an extra spring in her step of late.
    “Here you go, Mister Henry, nice and hot, with a little dab of honey and cream.”
    He took the cup. “You spoil me something terrible.”
    “Yes, sir, that’s my pleasure to do.” She waltzed back inside. The Lord had blessed him so much when he sent Jean Paul and his family. Hopefully, traders could locate Mammy’s brother; he’d love having the whole clan in Red River County.
    Help us, Lord; let me do this little kindness for her.
    He loved blessing people, making them smile. That’s the only thing money was good for. He’d overpaid for the last two of her cousins he’d brought home.
    Grinned to himself; good thing their owners didn’t know he’d would’ve paid double the price. But what good was all the gold he and Levi had buried over the years if he couldn’t spend some of it? Buy what he wanted?
    Right now, what he wanted was upstairs; but she wasn’t to be bought. He resisted the urge to look in on the novelist. He wanted to spend alone time with her, get to know her, and see if his first impressions proved true.
    Oh, Lord, could it be that you brought her?
    He hated sitting there with her being just up the stairs, but it probably didn’t matter. For sure, she must have some fancy man waiting for her in New York.
    He knew this. If she belonged to him, he would never stand for her traveling halfway across the country by herself. Forget Chester. Henry would go, or she wouldn’t.

Chapter

Eight
     
    Henry eased the book closed. Houston had finally given it up and dozed off. He’d lasted a good three pages longer than Bart and Lacey. Henry smiled, extracting himself from the huddle of little boys who had fallen asleep draped over him.
    While the big girls got out their own books, Charley followed him to the kitchen.
    “How come we got to rope those hogs, Uncle Henry?”
    Dipping a scoop of water, he took a sip then held it for the boy. “Remember last year when we killed all the shoats and jakes and put ‘em in the smoke house?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Do you recall when we did that?”
    “Not exactly, but I remember the morning being real cold.”
    “That’s right. You