Eleanor worked on washing up the dishes in the kitchen.

Ruth came in with a half finished quilt and sewing box. "You care if I sit at the table and work on my quilting? More light in here and there's only so much quilting you can do with a bumpy wagon. I got a couple good quilts, but I want to be ready when next winter rolls around. Never can tell where we'll be that we might need an extra covering or two."

"No, go right on ahead," she said, not turning around to look.

"Where'd Kid go?" Ruth asked as she set the things down on the table and got comfortable on one of the chairs.

"He didn't say. He needed some time alone."

Ruth looked up at that comment, but Eleanor didn't elaborate. "He alright?"

"I think so. Working through some things."

Eleanor didn't seem too concerned, so she threaded her needle and began to stitch. The fabric was a lovely piece her mother had given her. It had an ivory white background with blue chintz flowers.

"You got pretty stitches," Eleanor commented, having turned around as she dried her hands.

Ruth looked up, surprised she had initiated the conversation for once. "Thank you."

"What are you going to stuff it with?" she asked.

Ruth warmed with the question when she realized the woman was trying her best to make a connection with her. "I haven't decided yet."

"How about cotton? We still got some leftover from the harvest that was too poor a grade to sell. It makes a nice insulation against the cold though."

"That would be lovely. Thank you."

Eleanor, unable to remain idle, sat down across from her. "Mind if I help?"

"Not at all," Rut said, smiling.

They worked in quiet for awhile and Ruth felt at ease with it. This was a companionable silence.

"Was Mrs. Woods okay?" Eleanor asked.

"Fine. She just needed some godly advice over a personal matter. I pointed out some scripture and offered what personal experience I could give. She could've gone to your pastor, I reckon, but sometimes a woman can understand certain situations better like she said, and when it's someone you don't have to see every Sunday, it can put you even more at ease and make it easier to confide. She had no reason to be ashamed, mind, but there it is."

Eleanor nodded, not prying. Then she said, "I guess I'm not the most welcoming soul in the world, but I am glad to have you."

"I'm sure it's been a shock. We should've sent a letter ahead of us probably to prepare you."

"So long as ya'll came that's all I care about. I should be thanking you for setting him straight and leading Millie in the right direction. Now I'm asking if you think there's anything you could do for Mr. Cole and Jedidiah?"

"That I can do? No. It'd be nice if we could lock them together in a room with Kid until they worked it out, but they'd probably kill each other first. Pray. That's all I can think to do."

"Always good advice," Eleanor agreed.

They worked on the quilt for another 30 minutes or so.

Ruth pinched the bridge of her nose. "I think I'm going to go look for Kid." Her eyes were watering from straining to see the stitches in the dim light and she couldn't focus on the task for worrying about Kid.

Eleanor helped her fold the fabric back up. "Maybe it'll clear up, but the way my joints are acting, it'll probably rain first. Better take your cape and hat just in case."

Ruth smiled gratefully. "I will."

sss

Kid's back rested against the trunk of a pine tree. The clearing where he sat was a favorite hideaway spot from childhood. It had been a sanctuary for him to reflect and gather his thoughts. It was where he had taught himself to play the guitar away from his father's criticism. The air seemed sweeter and the woods seemed quieter at this particular place. The spot almost felt almost like sacred, holy ground and he did feel closer to God here than he did at times in a crowded church. It wasn't lifting his spirits today though.

He heard the crunch of last fall's leaves long before she came into the clearing.

"I'm not in the mood for talking," he said darkly.

"That's okay. I ain't in the mood to listen to you," she said, plopping down under a tree not too far from his.

She was attempting to coax a smile out of him with that comment and normally it would have, but he wasn't ready to be cheered. He picked up a rock and threw it against a tree across the expanse of grassy land. "I mean it."

She made no move to leave and curiosity got the better of him. "How'd you know where I was?"

"Wasn't hard to find you with your stomping and trampling. I just had to follow the broken path and the boot prints in the dirt."

He hadn't winded his way in the woods very carefully. When it was clear she wasn't going anywhere, he said, "You married an angry man."

"You think I didn't know you had a temper going in? Our courtship wasn't exactly harmonious, but you should know by now that I'm not perfect either. I've got a bit of a temper myself. I don't always know when to leave people alone. I push too hard at times. I have a hard time letting go of control. I'm not above jumping to poor judgments about people and situations. Feel free to stop me at anytime."

She received a grin that time, a short one though. "I inherited it. I thought it would go away when I found God, but it hasn't."

"We ain't sanctified yet. Our struggles don't go away. We just have Someone to help us through them."

"My anger scares me," he admitted honestly. "What if it makes me do or say something I'll regret forever? I know how it feels to be on the receiving end of such terrible anger and I don't want you to have to go through that."

"Did your father ever hit you?" she asked.

"No more than any boy, I guess, but sometimes he came close to hitting Momma. Ben always stood up to him though, earned his respect for it, I think, oddly enough. Though it didn't seem like it at the time. And maybe Daddy wouldn't have ever really hit her, but the threat and fear of it was there. His words always hurt more than any beatings though. I shouldn't have married you until I was sure I had this all worked out."

"Your anger never scares me and I think it's good that you go off alone. Gives you some time to calm down to keep from falling into sin and some time to commune with God. You're on the right track."

"But is it enough? What if I can't get away?"

"Then do what I do. Next time you feel yourself getting mad, lift up your arm and praise God. Let His love pour through you cause I guarantee you if you do, you won't stay angry long and won't the anger have been worth it if it reminds you to cover yourself with prayer and thanksgiving?"

"That's one way to look at it. I suppose I better go apologize to Momma," he said standing up. "She gave me an olive branch and this is what I do."

"She understood, but an apology never hurts," she agreed as she stood up.

"Looks like I'm facing all my childhood demons slowly but surely, don't it?"

"Demons is right." She went over beside him and put her hand in his. "Just don't forget you don't have to do it alone."