Loving Liza Jane (38 page)

Clement laughed and made fast work of using the twine to tie her to the chair.

Next, he withdrew something from his pocket and struck it against his shoe, then tossed it in the air, where it landed on a stack of papers. A match?

Blinded by a sudden flame, Liza screamed again, then watched as Rufus tried for all he was worth to stamp out the fire before tearing into Clement like a madman.

Rushing him like a bull would his worst enemy, butting him in the stomach with his head, Rufus knocked Clement to the floor, shouting and growling nonstop, beating Clement’s face to a pulp, while flames curled up around their rolling bodies, shooting higher in the room.

Fear coiled like a serpent in the pit of Liza’s stomach as she watched first one chair go up in a fiery blaze and then its accompanying desk. It seemed a cruel twist of fate that her parents should perish in a fire, and now she would, as well. A raspy cough expelled from her lungs as she looked about the cloudy room, realizing the closed up windows would not allow for any fresh air. The school door, slightly ajar, seemed only to feed the flames.

With alarm, Liza realized they were in the middle of an inferno, and it wouldn’t take long for the flames to consume them all.

“Dear Father, help us!” she screamed to the heavens.

***

Ben sipped a cup of coffee on Emma’s porch, Molly on his knee, a blanket covering her. Lili was in the house with Emma, helping her and Little Hickman’s newest citizen bake a batch of Christmas cookies.

Jon had joined him, coat collar flipped up to cover his exposed neck. “It’s cold out here. What are you doing?” he asked, taking a seat beside Ben.

“Just getting a dose of fresh air, enjoying December’s sunshine.”

“Heard a beautiful lady arrived on today’s stage.” Jon took his time settling into the chair.

“So that’s why you’re here,” Ben said with a chuckle.

“Just curious is all,” he answered.

“Yeah, well, it’s a long story, but the mail-order bride I sent for and then reneged on just happened to arrive today.”

Jon bolted upright, then turned to gape in the window behind him. “You aren’t going to—”

“No, I’m not going to marry her,” Ben interrupted, thinking it strange that a man who was bent on gaining the schoolteacher’s full attention wouldn’t want to marry off every other eligible man in town.

“Well, praise the Lord,” Jon exclaimed, looking toward the heavens. “It’s time you concentrated your efforts on the woman you really love, anyway.”

“What do you mean?” Ben asked, leaning forward.

“Anyone can see that you have eyes for Liza. Why are you dragging your feet with her?”

Confusion ran deep. “I thought you…”

Jon laughed. “Liza’s a wonderful friend, yes, but I think God has another woman better suited—”

“Fire!” A young lad came running up the sidewalk, his eyes full of panicked excitement. “The schoolhouse is on fire!”

***

All was quiet, save the roaring flames that hissed and sizzled everywhere, consuming everything, including Liza’s will to stay awake. Hot, so hot.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound…

Her throat, parched and dry, failed to swallow.

Lord, I’m coming home…

There was no air left to take into her lungs, only hot, burning, gray clouds.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…

“Miss Merriwether.” The strangled voice came from somewhere nearby. “It’s me, Rufus. We have—to—get out of here.”

When Liza struggled to see, she glimpsed the poor boy lying at her feet.

Father, help—us.

Door slamming open, pounding footsteps, earsplitting yelling, and—what? Was it the angel Gabriel come to take her home?

Big arms, so big, lifted both her and the chair, as if they weighed little more than a few measly pounds. This was the angel Gabriel. Sweet peace filled her soul.

“Gabriel—please—you must—go back for—Rufus.”

But those few words were all she managed before her world went black as night.

***

“Any change?”

Ben turned his head in the little room off Doc’s office to find Jon looming over him.

He shook his head in response. It was all he could manage due to the exhaustion running through his veins.

It’d been two days of continuous sleep for Liza and unbroken vigilance for him. Even though Doc and everyone else who’d stopped by had told Ben to go home, he’d refused.

Even Mrs. Winthrop, who’d hovered briefly in the doorway, ringing her hands with worry and something else, had told him he should get some rest. “I don’t intend to leave the woman I plan to marry, Mrs. Winthrop.”

“Oh my!” she’d gasped. “Well…” Perhaps it was for purposes of shocking her that he’d made the hasty announcement. Whatever, the look on her face had afforded him a brief thrill. But then she’d smiled and softened. “Well, that’s good news then, isn’t it?”

He’d eyed her with suspicion. “For me it is. I hope it will be for her.”

She had granted him a clueless look. “You haven’t asked her yet?” He’d shaken his head. “Well, I wouldn’t worry. It will all work out as God sees fit.”

To that, he’d blinked his eyes in disbelief. “I thank you for that, Mrs. Winthrop.” Then, “Mrs. Bartel and Rosie…”

“They’ve gone on back to Angus now… As much as I tried to talk that woman out of going home… Well, I suppose she loves him…in her way.”

“Yes, I suppose.”

She’d left soon after.

“No signs of pneumonia?” Jon asked, breaking into his thoughts.

Again, Ben shook his head. “We’re turning her often, putting sips of water down her throat, forcing her to expel the soot.”

Jon placed a hand to Ben’s shoulder. “Courage, my friend. Courage. God didn’t bring her this far to let her go. I’m confident of that.”

Ben nodded and ran a hand along the back of his neck.

“You should let me sit with her awhile,” Jon offered.

Ben tipped a glance upward to eye his friend. “And take the chance that when she wakes, you will be the first man that she sees? Forget it.” To that, he managed a weak chuckle.

Jon gave a knowing smile. “How are your girls faring?”

“They’re staying at Emma’s, and between her and Sarah Woodward, they’re faring quite well. Turns out Sarah’s a mighty fine lady,” Ben said, surprised himself by her untold benevolence.

“God truly does work out all things for His good and in His time frame.”

“Now if He would just wake her up,” Ben said, eyeing his sleeping princess.

“Patience is a virtue, my friend. Ever hear that?”

Without forethought for the sleeping patient, Ben burst into riotous laughter, a culmination of all his pent up emotions and his bundle of tightly drawn nerves.

Although Jon failed to see the humor, he entered into the situation with gusto.

***

Laughter, Ben’s laughter, made Liza’s heart flutter with hope and expectancy.

Had she entered heaven’s gates by way of Gabriel’s strong arms with Ben following close behind? The last thing she remembered was those powerful arms carrying her away…away.

“Ben…” she muttered through closed, dry lips. So hard to move, impossible even to swallow for the fire burning deep in her throat.

The laughing ceased, but oh, how she missed its melodious pitch, reverberating her being, making her feel vibrant, making her long to open her heavy eyelids and view her surroundings.

“Liza? Are you waking up?” Ben’s voice massaged her ear, tickling her lobe.

“Liza, can you open your eyes? It’s Jon.”

Jon? Surely, he had not followed through heaven’s gate, as well.

“How is she?” This second voice brought her up short. Where was she, and why was she reclining on a—hard mattress?

“She seems to be trying to wake up, Doc,” said Ben, the tenor of his voice changing, lifting.

“That’s good. Liza? It’s Doc Randolph. You’re in my office and doing just fine. You’ve been resting since the fire. But you’ll soon be feeling good as new.”

His words trailed off as she pondered that one word—fire.

Fire? So hot, so parched. Need help, oh, God, please—help—us.

“Water.” The need to quench her thirst swiftly surpassed everything else, her curiosity, her pain, even her need to escape.

“Water, she wants water,” Ben cried. Sudden movement rocked her bed, made her eyes flutter and her fingers tingle. Fingers. Yes, there they were on the ends of her hands—feeling, touching—the woolen fabric of her—blanket.

A strong hand, familiar and real, reached behind her head and gently lifted.

“Here’s some water, sweetheart.”

Wet and wonderful, she lapped it up, leaning into its source, longing for more.

“That’s enough for now, honey.”

Sweetheart? Honey? If she’d had any doubts before, they were gone now. She was in heaven, and Ben was at her side.

Again, she tried to lift her eyelids, but they seemed immovable, heavy.

“Here, how’s this?”

A soothing cloth, cool and moist, trailed a delicious circular pattern over her face, relieving cracked lips and encrusted eyelids, slowly but surely bringing her back to a place of sameness. She made a slit in her eyelids, then closed them up tight again. Too bright. Then just as slowly, she tried again, this time going a little further until she made out the shape of three figures, all hovering close, shadowed by the overhead light.

“She’s waking up,” said Ben, his voice now taking on a husky quality, packed with emotion. “Liza?”

“Ben?” she said, choking with the use of untested vocal chords.

“Water. Here, try another sip,” he suggested, lifting her head just slightly again and tipping the cool tin cup to her lips. The liquid slid down easier this time, refreshing her parched tongue and throat.

Coming fully awake now, she lay there in the strange little sterile room surrounded by glass-enclosed cabinets housing bottles of every size on one side of the room, and on the other, bookshelves. A stethoscope hung on a hook near her bed, along with various other medical supplies and equipment. Next to her bed was a tray with a variety of paraphernalia—bandaging materials, scissors, tape, and some sort of antiseptic ointment.

Satisfied that she was among the living, she took in a raspy breath. “There was a fire,” she stated simply.

“Yes, there was.” This from Jon. Ben sat next to her, holding her hand and making little circles on it with the pad of his thumb.

“The s-school?” she managed.

“The school is gone, Liza,” Doc Randolph said.

Waves of regret swept over her. “Oh, dear. All the s-supplies and books and…” Her gaze traveled to Jon. “…our Sunday meeting place.”

Jon smiled and leaned forward. “Believe it or not, the Winthrops have offered their expansive house as a means for meeting on Sundays. It will be crowded, but we’ll make do until we erect a new building.”

With the realization that she was truly alive came a fresh flood of memories, all washing over her at once, filling her head with unanswered questions.

“Rufus?” she asked, dreading the answer yet needing it more than anything.

“Rufus is young and strong,” said Doc. “I’m on my way out there now. His mother and father are doing a fine job of caring for him.”

“Mr. Baxter?” Liza asked. “Has he been good to Rufus?”

“Far as I can tell,” Doc said. “Can’t always predict how these hill folk will act, but I do believe they’re proud of Rufus for the stand he took against Clement. Some might call him a hero.”

Panic thundered through her body at the mention of Clement. Ben must have sensed it, for he squeezed her hand and looked at Jon and Doc. “I’d appreciate some privacy.”

“Oh, absolutely,” Jon said. Then to Liza, “You get well, darlin’.”

“Thank you,” she managed, confused as to Ben’s request for privacy.

Next, Doc laid a gentle hand to her forehead. “I’ll return later to check her vital signs,” he said to Ben.

When the room fell silent, Ben pulled his chair closer, leaning in until she felt his breath caress her face. He studied everything about her until she felt near blushing. “You scared me nearly to death, do you realize that, young lady?” His words came out on a tender whisper.

She shook her head in reply.

“Well, you did. I thought I’d lost you. When I heard there was a fire in the schoolhouse, I grew wings and flew there.”

To this, she managed a weak smile, trying to picture the whole episode.

“The place was so smoke-filled that I had to feel my way along,” he said. “Thank God He led me straight to you. I picked you up chair and all.”

“I thought you were the angel Gabriel, ushering me into heaven,” she admitted.

He grinned. “It wasn’t your time for going home yet, sweetheart.”

Sweetheart? His words were like warm honey traveling the length of her.

“How is Clement?” she decided to ask. So far, no one had mentioned where or how he was.

The blue of Ben’s eyes seemed to go a shade darker with her question, his answer taking so long in coming that Liza wasn’t sure she wanted to hear it after all. “Clement—didn’t make it out of the fire, Liza. After I got you out, I went back in for Rufus. I never did see Clement. It would have been impossible to get him, though, because the roof collapsed after I pulled Rufus to safety. They found Clement’s body under one of the rafters.”

Liza shook from the veracity of his words. “I’m glad you didn’t risk your life by going in a third time, Ben.”

Although her heart broke for Clement and all the poor choices he’d made along the way, she had to let it go, had to remember that the choices he’d made were not her responsibility. And something she could be thankful for was the change she’d witnessed in Rufus. Truly, God had brought something good out of the whole mess.

“Where will we hold school?” she asked, suddenly concerned for her students.

“The school will have to close until we build a new one in the spring,” Ben said, soothing her with the way he gently rubbed her hand.

“I don’t have a job.” Reality struck her square between the eyes.

“No, I don’t suppose you do.” His voice took on a tranquil quality.

“But that means I will have to move back to Boston. Without a job I can hardly continue living in the cabin, expecting the town to pay my salary, supply my needs, and…”