Love Finds a Home (Anthologies) Read online

  She blew out her breath. “I was hired to teach here, so until the school board says otherwise, it’s up to me to decide when and how to discipline.”

  “We’ll see ’bout that!” He slapped his hat on his head and stormed out of the coatroom. Judith heard the front door slam shut and knew he had gone.

  What have I done? She placed both hands against her hot cheeks. Ernie will probably never speak to me again, and he might even decide to pull his children from school before spring. I’d better spend some time praying about this matter.

  CHAPTER 10

  Judith had looked for Ernie at church the following Sunday, hoping to apologize for their disagreement. However, he wasn’t there, and neither were his children. Grace and Andy showed up for school on Monday morning, and for that, she felt relief.

  All weekend she’d been reading her Bible and praying about the situation. She had asked the Lord’s forgiveness for snapping at Ernie, but now it was time to offer an apology to Grace’s father.

  While her students read to themselves, Judith decided to write Ernie a note. She opened her desk drawer, took out a piece of paper and a pencil, then wrote the following message:

  Dear Ernie:

  I’ve been thinking about the discussion we had last week concerning Grace and her refusal to come inside after recess. I’m sorry for our difference of opinion. I shouldn’t have spoken to you in such a disagreeable tone.

  I care about all of my students. When I kept Grace after school, I was only doing what I felt was best. But as her parent, you had the right to ask me about it.

  Your children speak highly of you, and I’m glad you’re teaching them God’s ways, for His Word is our best teacher.

  I realize it must be difficult for you to raise your children without a wife. From personal experience, I know it’s hard for them to be without their mother. Grace and Andy are fortunate to have such a caring, loving father.

  I hope you will accept my apology, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

  Sincerely,

  Judith King

  Judith folded the paper and set it aside. When school was dismissed, she would give the note to Andy and ask him to deliver it to his father. By tomorrow morning, she hoped to receive a reply from Ernie.

  Long after his children went to bed, Ernie paced the living room floor, thinking, praying, and worrying. He’d read and reread Judith’s letter so many times he knew some of the phrases by heart—or at least the easier words he could understand.

  He stopped in front of the stove and added two more chunks of wood—not because he was cold, but because he hoped the action would take his mind off Judith King. It wasn’t bad enough he was an ignorant canaler who was at a loss for words whenever he was with the woman, but now he’d lost his temper in front of her. He should go to the school and apologize in person, but how could he face her after the things he’d said?

  “I sure can’t write the teacher no letter,” Ernie mumbled as he shut the door on the stove. “She’d really think I’m a dunce if I did somethin’ like that.”

  He moved to the window and stared out at the night sky. Several inches of snow remained on the ground—he could see it glistening in the moonlight. Soon spring would be here, and then he could return to the canal. Things would be better once his kids were out of school. He’d have less chance of running into Judith and getting all tongue-tied and squirrelly.

  Ernie hadn’t known Judith very long, but during the time they had spent together, he’d seen her patience and kindness toward his children. Andy and Grace often came home from school with stories of the interesting things their teacher had said or done. It was evident that Judith cared about her students and enjoyed being a teacher. He knew that included disciplining when it became necessary.

  Whenever Ernie had taken his children to church, he’d watched Judith from a distance. She listened intently to the preacher and always had her Bible open during the reading of the scriptures. There was a look of peace on her face as she sat in the pew singing praises to God. It was a look he could get used to seeing on a daily basis.

  Ernie groaned. “I need to apologize to her.”

  “You got a letter for me to give the teacher?” Andy asked his father the following morning.

  Ernie shook his head. “Nope.”

  “But she wrote you yesterday, and I thought—”

  “This ain’t none of your business.” Ernie gave Andy a pat on the head. “I’ll handle things with Miss King in my own way.”

  “I could sneak the note into the letter box, so the other kids wouldn’t know, and then—”

  “No.”

  “Okay.” Andy grabbed his lunch pail and turned to face his sister. “Ready, Grace?”

  “I’m comin’.” Grace gave Ernie a hug and scampered out the door.

  “Have a good day at school!” Ernie called to his children.

  A few minutes later, he donned his coat, hat, and gloves, then headed out the door. He still hadn’t decided how to go about apologizing to Judith, but he’d worry about that later. Right now there was some ice waiting to be cut.

  Judith stood at the front door as her students filed into the room. She smiled at Andy and waited expectantly to see if he would hand her a letter. When the boy headed for the coatroom without a word, she began to worry. Maybe Andy hadn’t delivered her note to his father. Then again, maybe he had, but Ernie hadn’t sent a reply.

  Judith didn’t wish to embarrass the boy in front of the others, so she waited until morning recess to broach the subject. Andy made it easy for her when he was the last one out the door.

  “May I speak to you a moment?” she asked him.

  He turned around. “What about? Have I done somethin’ wrong?”

  She shook her head and motioned him back inside. “I want to ask you a question.”

  Andy leaned against the nearest desk and stared up at her.

  “I was wondering if you delivered my letter to your father yesterday?”

  He nodded.

  “Did he write me a note in return?”

  Andy shook his head.

  “Did he ask you to tell me anything this morning?”

  “Nope. Just said to have a good day at school.”

  Judith sighed. If Ernie hadn’t sent a note or given Andy a verbal message, he must still be angry with her. Was he planning to speak with the school board about the rules she’d made? Would he try to get her fired?

  “Is that all, Teacher?” Andy asked. “I’d like to get outside and help with the snow fort some of the kids are makin’.”

  “Yes, that’s all I had to say. Run along, and tell the others I said to be careful. The snow started to melt yesterday, but now that it’s turned cold again, it will probably be slippery.”

  “I’m used to walkin’ in slippery places. Once the ice thaws and the canals open again, there’ll be mud and lots of puddles along the towpath.”

  Judith shuddered. Just thinking about the poor boy trudging up and down the towpath six days a week made her feel sad. He was too young to be put to work like that. And then there was Grace left to run around Ernie’s boat with only the supervision of an elderly man.

  “Do be careful, Andy,” she said as he stepped onto the porch.

  “I will.”

  She shut the door and moved over to the potbellied stove. The room had cooled some, and it was time to add more wood to the fire.

  On Friday morning, Ernie made a decision. “I’ll be walkin’ with you to school today,” he announced to his children after breakfast.

  Andy looked surprised. “How come, Papa?”

  “Need to speak with your teacher.”

  Grace stared at him with questioning eyes. “Am I in trouble again?”

  He reached across the table and took her hand. “’Course not. I need to say a few things to Miss King.”

  “Okay.” Grace picked up her spoon and delved into the bowl of cornmeal mush set before her.

  A short time later, Ern
ie found himself on the steps of the schoolhouse one more time, asking the teacher if he could have a word with her. At first, Judith looked undecided, but then she gave him a nod. “Come inside.”

  “In the coatroom again?” he asked, looking in that direction.

  “That’s probably a good idea.”

  Ernie waited until Judith instructed the class on what they should do in her absence. Then he followed her to the back room. Once inside, he had second thoughts about his mission. Being in such cramped quarters with her standing so close, he could smell the sweet scent of the soap she’d probably used this morning. His knees began to knock.

  “What did you wish to speak with me about?” she asked.

  He shuffled his feet a couple of times, then decided to plunge ahead. “I got your note.”

  Her only reply was a brief nod.

  “I … uh … want ya to know that there’s no hard feelin’s.”

  She smiled. “I’m glad.”

  “And … I–I’m sorry for spoutin’ off the last time we talked. I had no call to get so upset.”

  Judith opened her mouth as if to say something, but Ernie hurried on before he lost his nerve. “You were right about Grace. She shouldn’t have disobeyed the rules. She deserved to be punished, too.” There, that felt better.

  She extended her hand. “I’m glad you understand.”

  When his fingers curled around hers, it felt like a bolt of lightning had shot up his arm. He pulled away quickly, and Judith did the same. Then she lowered her hand and smoothed her long gingham dress as though there might be wrinkles. “Thank you for coming, Ernie. I know you have a job to do, so I mustn’t keep you any longer.”

  “No, it’s me who shouldn’t be takin’ your time. You’ve got a class waitin’.” He moved toward the door but turned back around. “You’re a good teacher, and I’m glad my kids have been in your class this winter. I’m sure they’ll miss ya come spring.”

  “I wish they didn’t have to drop out of school when the canal opens again,” she said. “They’ll miss so much and will probably have to repeat the same grade when they return next winter.”

  He shrugged. “I only made it through the fourth grade, and I’m managin’ okay. Besides, Andy will be walkin’ the mules for a few more years, and after that he’ll work on the boat with me. Sooner or later, the boat will be his to captain. He don’t need much schoolin’ for that.”

  Judith’s wrinkled forehead told him she didn’t agree, but she never offered a word of argument.

  “Have a nice day,” Ernie said, turning toward the coatroom door.

  “You, too.”

  Ernie grasped the knob and gave it a yank, but the door didn’t open. He tried again. Nothing happened. “It seems to be locked,” he mumbled.

  Judith rushed forward and pulled on the doorknob, but it didn’t budge for her, either. She pounded on the door. “Somebody, please open this!”

  Not a sound could be heard, and the door remained firmly shut.

  “I’ll bet one of those troublemakers who sits near the back of the room decided to lock us in,” she said.

  Ernie bent down and squinted, as he peered through the keyhole. “Can’t see a thing. The key must be in there.”

  Judith clucked her tongue. “Whoever did this will be cleaning the blackboard until school lets out for the summer.” She folded her arms and released a puff of air that lifted her curly bangs right off her forehead.

  Ernie fought the temptation to touch one of those curls, wondering if Judith’s shiny blond hair was as soft as it appeared. Her pinched expression and squinted eyes made him want to laugh. She looked awful cute when she was mad.

  “I wish I knew what I’d done to make one of my students angry enough to lock us in,” Judith said.

  Ernie rubbed his forehead. He couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to get even with her. Judith was a good teacher, and he’d come to realize that her firmness with Grace had been necessary. The child had gotten over her anger, so he was sure she wasn’t responsible for this.

  The key rattled in the hole, and Ernie and Judith bent toward it at the same time. Their heads collided.

  “Ouch!” they said in unison.

  “You okay?” he asked, reaching up to feel her forehead. The minute his fingers came in contact with Judith’s skin, he wished he hadn’t touched her. An unfamiliar jolt shot through him, and his face grew hot and sweaty.

  Her eyes were wide as she slowly nodded. “I–I’m fine. How about you?”

  “I’ve got a hard head. I’m sure there ain’t no damage.”

  Suddenly, the door swung open, and Grace rushed into the room. “It was Andy who done it!”

  Ernie stepped out of the coatroom and sought out his son.

  Andy sat at his desk with his head down. “Sorry, Papa,” he mumbled. “I just wanted to make sure you and Miss King stayed in there long enough to patch things up.”

  Ernie could hardly believe his own son had been the one to lock the door. “Everything’s fine between me and the teacher,” he muttered, “so the only thing you did is to get yourself in trouble. And now you’re gonna have chalk dust on your clothes for a long time to come.”

  CHAPTER 11

  As she stood on the schoolhouse porch, saying good-bye to her canal students on a Friday afternoon in late March, Judith felt as if her heart would break. She was going to miss them all, especially Grace and Andy, for whom she had formed an attachment that went beyond teacher and pupil.

  Judith thought about Ernie and how she would miss seeing him at church and various community functions. Now that he was hauling coal up the canal again, it wasn’t likely she would see him much at all. He was a good father, and she knew his children belonged with him. But the thought of Andy returning to the hard work of mule driving, Grace running around the boat with little supervision, and the two of them going without schooling for so many months made her sad.

  If only there was a way they could receive their education during the spring and fall. Judith turned toward the door, knowing it was time to clean the blackboard and secure the schoolhouse for the weekend. She knew the logical thing was to commit Ernie and his children to the Lord.

  As Ernie guided his boat past Parryville, his thoughts went to Judith King. What was she doing right now, and did she ever think of him?

  “Why would she?” he muttered. “Even if she knew how I felt, she’d never take an interest in someone like me.”

  “You talkin’ to yourself, boss?” Jeb called from the center of the boat, where he stood in front of the small cookstove.

  “Yeah, guess I was.”

  Jeb grunted and kept stirring the pot of stew he’d started some time ago.

  Ernie glanced at the shoreline, and his breath caught in his throat. Judith sat under a tree not far from the towpath. Her long blond hair lay across her shoulders like a ray of golden sunlight. Andy approached her and halted the mules. Any other time Ernie would have hollered at the boy to keep moving, but he was as anxious to see his kids’ schoolteacher as they were.

  Judith joined Andy in the middle of the towpath, and a short time later, Ernie had the boat docked near the shore. He’d no more than set the gangplank in place, when Grace bounded off the boat and rushed over to Judith. “Teacher! Teacher! It’s mighty nice to see ya!”

  Judith bent over and gave Grace a hug. “I’m happy to see you and Andy, too.” She smiled at Ernie, who now stood beside his children. “Hello, Ernie.”

  He swallowed around his Adam’s apple and nodded. “How have ya been?”

  She pushed a windblown strand of hair away from her face. “I’m fine. How are you and the children?”

  He wiped his forehead with the back of his shirtsleeve, wondering if he looked as dirty and sweaty as he felt. “Fine. We’re all fine. Keepin’ busy, as usual.”

  “Papa’s hopin’ to make enough money so’s me and Grace can have new boots for school come winter,” Andy interjected.

  Judith smiled. “That’s good.
It’s always nice to have something new.”

  “What are ya doin’ down here by the canal?” Grace asked, voicing the question that had been on the tip of Ernie’s tongue.