Page 48 of Grounded (May Hollow Trilogy #1)

Beulah sat in the kitchen drinking her coffee and listening to the rain on the tin roof, feeling that just as the water was filling up her rain barrel, so was her heart filling up with the blessings of the last two days.

First, Evelyn was back from tending to Dixie, and Beulah took comfort in knowing she was home.

Then there was Evelyn’s phone call about Scott and Mary Beth’s engagement.

It tickled Beulah to no end that maybe some of that courting had happened right under their noses over pot roast and gravy.

And to think they wanted to be married at Evelyn’s home with country ham and biscuits for the reception!

They would all be scurrying around like mice getting it together, but what fun it would be.

Of course, some of the talk around town was centered on Scott marrying a divorced woman and not even marrying in the church.

But for goodness sakes, Scott’s church family was just fine with it.

After all, the church’s name was Grace, and if ever there was time to dole some of that out, this was it.

The new church didn’t even have a proper building anyway, what with meeting at the high school for now.

Mary Beth would make a good preacher’s wife, Beulah was certain about that.

And maybe once they were married, she wouldn’t draw the criticism of the gossips like in some of the more established churches.

Some preacher’s wives might as well have a target tattooed on their backs for all the verbal arrows shot at them.

Beulah took a drink of her coffee and knew the best news of all was having Annie and Jake both home to stay and courting each other. Her heart overflowed and she had to share some of it or else bust.

Beulah lifted her left knee, giving it a little extra exercise. She was healing up just fine. “Do as much as you are comfortable with,” the doctor had told her on her last visit and that was what she intended to do.

Just as the rain was tapering off, she heard Jake drive in. “Jake’s here,” she called upstairs.

“Coming,” Annie said from her room. Beulah made her way to the back door, still using the cane for extra help.

Jake was at the door when she got to it and she held the door open for him.

As soon as he was inside, he kissed her on the cheek. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Fine as frog hair,” Beulah said as Annie entered the room.

When he looked at Annie, the tenderness in his eyes reminded Beulah of the way Fred used to look at her. And Annie did look awful pretty, the red blouse pulling out the right colors in her face and the silver cross necklace hanging just above the neckline. She almost seemed to glow, Beulah thought.

When Annie smiled back at Jake, Beulah felt like an intruder, feeling an unseen current run between the two that was meant only for them.

She edged back into the kitchen. “Have fun!”

When they waved and went out the door, Beulah took a deep breath and sighed, full of contentment.

Now it was time to share all the good things so she wouldn’t split wide open trying to keep it all inside.

With her cane, she walked to the back room and found the small metal garden stool.

The stool in one hand and her cane in the other, she made her way outside to the Marquis.

She put the stool in the backseat behind the driver’s side and slid in the front.

It was the first time she had driven since the surgery.

Not because she couldn’t, but Annie had taken it upon herself to drive her everywhere.

It felt strange to be behind the wheel, but she needed to get used to it so she could start being back to her old independent self.

Well, almost her old self. Letting go of her pride and allowing others to help her had been a lesson she needed.

She put the car in gear and turned it around in the driveway.

As she approached the end of the lane, she saw Betty in her front yard working on her geraniums. Just as she turned onto May Hollow Road, Betty stood and waved as if trying to get Beulah to pull over so she could talk.

Beulah waved back, but kept her head straight, set on where she was going.

Even Betty Gibson couldn’t interrupt today.

She turned left onto Gibson’s Creek Road, passing the old stone house on the left. Then she turned into the cemetery lane, pulling her car as close as possible to the wrought-iron gate.

Beulah was even more careful on the uneven ground, but the cane helped to steady her. She got the stool from the backseat and made her way inside the gate. Placing the stool to the side of Fred’s grave, she sat.

For a few moments, Beulah enjoyed the silence broken only by the birds singing in the trees above. Then she bowed her head in prayer and thanksgiving to God for all the recent blessings. When she opened her eyes, she looked at the ground next to her.

“Fred honey, you can’t believe what all has happened. Annie’s home,” her voice broke with the words. “That’s right, she’s back for good.” Beulah could feel her eyes fill with unshed tears. “It took us awhile to learn how to live without you, but we finally did.”

Beulah knew only Fred’s earthly vessel lay below the earth, that his spirit was with Christ in Heaven, but there was some comfort in being close to the place where his body lay. In this peaceful place, she had the freedom to say the things pent up in her heart.

“And guess what else? Jake is coming back to run the farm.” Beulah pictured Fred’s response in her mind, his eyes twinkling with pleasure, white eyebrows raised, and taking his pipe out of his mouth to grin and say, “Well if that don’t beat all.”

Beulah reached down and took a handful of loose dirt that was close to the stone. She let the rich soil slip through her fingers back to the ground.

“I hope I’m not jumping the gun, but it looks like there might be a chance to join these two farms after all,” she said, finally allowing herself to laugh and cry at the same time.