Angel of the Cove by Sandra Robbins Page A

night before. On second thought, she decided that couldn’t be. This boy didn’t give the appearance of one who found too much to laugh about. Whatever he was thinking, his somber gaze told her his life hadn’t been easy. It was as if an invisible veil covered his features and blocked the escape of any inner emotion.
    With a glance at Simon, he stepped to the back door. “Granny, it’s Matthew Jackson.”
    Anna waited until the boy disappeared into the cabin with Granny before she turned to Simon. “He’s the son of the man who was here last night?”
    Simon nodded. “Yes.”
    Something akin to despair spread through Anna’s soul. The look in Matthew Jackson’s eyes haunted her. She felt as if she’d just encountered an old man in a young boy’s body. “How old is he?”
    â€œI think he’s almost ten,” Simon said. “Matthew is a good boy. No thanks to Luke. It’s Naomi, Matthew’s mother, who deserves all the credit for taking care of her family.”
    â€œDid she send that bread to Granny to pay her for taking care of Luke last night?”
    â€œYes. Folks in the Cove pay their debts with whatever they’ve got.” Simon stared toward the door Matthew had entered and frowned. “And knowing how Luke doesn’t see to the needs of his family, I expect Naomi’s payment was a sacrifice.”
    Anna stared in the direction of Simon’s gaze and remembered how Luke had frightened her the night before. She couldn’t imagine any woman living with a man like that or allowing her children to be subjected to a drunken father. Now his wife and son had given her a different perspective on their family, and this made her wonder about theother people who lived in the Cove. What would they be like? Would they accept her or would they study her with the same wary expression as Matthew Jackson had?
    If she wasn’t accepted in the close-knit society, it certainly wasn’t going to be for lack of trying.

Chapter 5
    I wondered where you’d gone off to.”
    Anna looked up from the table where she sat making drawings and notes about the herbs on the wall and glanced over her shoulder at Granny. “I was trying to remember everything you’ve told me, but it’s all running together in my mind. I’m afraid I’m a hopeless case when it comes to your herbs.”
    Granny eased into the chair next to her and set three glass jars on the table. She pulled a root from one of them and laid it in front of Anna. “No, you ain’t. You already know more than you did ’fore you come here four days ago.” She pointed to the root on the table. “Now, which one is this?”
    Anna pursed her lips, narrowed her eyes, and examined the root carefully. “Um, I think that’s sweet gum.”
    Granny’s face broke into a big smile. “That’s right, darlin’. See, you gonna learn all my yarbs and how to use ’em. Don’t you fret none.”
    Anna smothered the giggle she felt bubbling up inside her each time Granny referred to the herbs as yarbs . Granny’s mountain speech might be different from what she’d heard all her life, but if she hoped to fit in with the people in the Cove, she’d better learn their ways. She pushed her hair back from her face and glanced at Granny. “I hope I can get them all straight and remember what they’re used for.”
    Granny dismissed her fear with a wave of her hand. “Well, wegonna start with somethin’ easy today. We gonna gather sweet clover blooms. Now I know you can tell them apart from anything else.”
    â€œClover? Oh, yes, I know what that looks like. We had lots of clover at home. But what are we picking it for?”
    Granny stood up and stretched her back. “I make my whoopin’ cough syrup out of the blooms. I make a big batch this time of year jest in case we have little’uns get