body jolted. He brought the hand plow to a stop and gaped at her. “Re—Rebekah? Is that you, gal?”
She’d forgotten about her clothes. With a laugh she popped Great-Granddaddy’s hat from her head. Her hair spilled around her shoulders. She threw her arms wide. “It’s me!” Her chest ached and her muscles quivered from her run through the woods, but she couldn’t resist spinning a circle that made her tangled locks fly out like the skirt on a woman’s fancy ball dress.
Daddy caught her arm and gave a firm yank that halted her dance and sent Great-Granddaddy’s hat rolling across the ground. He bounced his gaze up and down her frame, his face flushing red and his eyes snapping with fury. “What do you think you’re doin’ paradin’ around like that? Has Nell seen you?”
She’d expected surprise. Maybe even curiosity. But his anger stunned her so thoroughly she lost her ability to think clearly. She stared at him mutely.
“I asked you a question, gal!”
She frantically gathered up her hair and braided it while she answered. “No, Daddy. Nobody’s seen me. Well, except for you and Tolly Sandford at the cave estate.”
Daddy’s jaw dropped. “You went to the cave dressed like…like that? Where’d you get those clothes?”
Rebekah hung her head and dug one toe in the ground. “From Andy’s trunk.”
He grabbed her chin and lifted her face. His fingers bit into her skin and his glare pierced her heart. “Gal, you better start explainin’ yourself ’cause I’m about to come undone like I ain’t come undone since Cissy went swimmin’ in the altogether with the Davis boys.”
Rebekah gulped. She wasn’t ten years old like Cissy had been, so it wasn’t likely Daddy would cut a switch, but seeing him so angry made her stomach tremble. How she hated displeasing him. “R-remember last night at supper I told you I’d need to go back to the cave today because I didn’t get to see the estate manager?”
He nodded.
“Well, Mr. Cooper—he’s the cook for the hotel—told me the only job open was for a guide. And that the guides are always men. So I figured to get a job there I’d have to be a”—she gulped again—“man.”
Daddy dropped his hand and took a step back. “So you stole clothes from your brother’s trunk an’ lit out early this mornin’ like some sneaky thief.” His flat voice didn’t hide his disapproval. The words stung worse than any switch could.
Tears filled her eyes. “I didn’t think of it as stealing.”
He drew his hand down his face. He stared outward, somewhere beyond her shoulder. Suddenly he seemed very old and very, very tired. “Gal, I always thought you was the sensible one o’ the lot. Now I’m wonderin’ if you got any sense at all.”
She jolted forward and grabbed his arm. “Daddy, listen. Mr. Sandford—you remember him, he found Andy in…in the cave. He saw right off that I’m a girl. But he hired me anyway. He said there’s no rule against a girl being a guide, but I’d need to wear britches because it’s safer for me when I’m taking people on tours. And he said the guides get paid twelve dollars a month. Twelve whole dollars, Daddy! Why, you’d have the money for Andy’s marker in no time at all.”
Daddy’s stony expression didn’t change.
Rebekah went on as if he’d expressed enthusiasm. “Guess what else? I get to live right there on the estate in my own little cabin and eat my meals at the hotel. So all the money they pay me can go right to you and Mama.” She waited several minutes, but he didn’t look at her. Didn’t say anything. She wrung her hands. “I’m supposed to go back again tomorrow morning so Mr. Sandford can show me through the cave, get me familiar with the tour. But I won’t go if you”—she pulled in a breath, almost afraid to finish her sentence—“tell me I can’t.”
Slowly Daddy shifted his gaze until his blue eyes met hers. “How old are you now, gal?”
“Twenty, Daddy.”
He
She’d forgotten about her clothes. With a laugh she popped Great-Granddaddy’s hat from her head. Her hair spilled around her shoulders. She threw her arms wide. “It’s me!” Her chest ached and her muscles quivered from her run through the woods, but she couldn’t resist spinning a circle that made her tangled locks fly out like the skirt on a woman’s fancy ball dress.
Daddy caught her arm and gave a firm yank that halted her dance and sent Great-Granddaddy’s hat rolling across the ground. He bounced his gaze up and down her frame, his face flushing red and his eyes snapping with fury. “What do you think you’re doin’ paradin’ around like that? Has Nell seen you?”
She’d expected surprise. Maybe even curiosity. But his anger stunned her so thoroughly she lost her ability to think clearly. She stared at him mutely.
“I asked you a question, gal!”
She frantically gathered up her hair and braided it while she answered. “No, Daddy. Nobody’s seen me. Well, except for you and Tolly Sandford at the cave estate.”
Daddy’s jaw dropped. “You went to the cave dressed like…like that? Where’d you get those clothes?”
Rebekah hung her head and dug one toe in the ground. “From Andy’s trunk.”
He grabbed her chin and lifted her face. His fingers bit into her skin and his glare pierced her heart. “Gal, you better start explainin’ yourself ’cause I’m about to come undone like I ain’t come undone since Cissy went swimmin’ in the altogether with the Davis boys.”
Rebekah gulped. She wasn’t ten years old like Cissy had been, so it wasn’t likely Daddy would cut a switch, but seeing him so angry made her stomach tremble. How she hated displeasing him. “R-remember last night at supper I told you I’d need to go back to the cave today because I didn’t get to see the estate manager?”
He nodded.
“Well, Mr. Cooper—he’s the cook for the hotel—told me the only job open was for a guide. And that the guides are always men. So I figured to get a job there I’d have to be a”—she gulped again—“man.”
Daddy dropped his hand and took a step back. “So you stole clothes from your brother’s trunk an’ lit out early this mornin’ like some sneaky thief.” His flat voice didn’t hide his disapproval. The words stung worse than any switch could.
Tears filled her eyes. “I didn’t think of it as stealing.”
He drew his hand down his face. He stared outward, somewhere beyond her shoulder. Suddenly he seemed very old and very, very tired. “Gal, I always thought you was the sensible one o’ the lot. Now I’m wonderin’ if you got any sense at all.”
She jolted forward and grabbed his arm. “Daddy, listen. Mr. Sandford—you remember him, he found Andy in…in the cave. He saw right off that I’m a girl. But he hired me anyway. He said there’s no rule against a girl being a guide, but I’d need to wear britches because it’s safer for me when I’m taking people on tours. And he said the guides get paid twelve dollars a month. Twelve whole dollars, Daddy! Why, you’d have the money for Andy’s marker in no time at all.”
Daddy’s stony expression didn’t change.
Rebekah went on as if he’d expressed enthusiasm. “Guess what else? I get to live right there on the estate in my own little cabin and eat my meals at the hotel. So all the money they pay me can go right to you and Mama.” She waited several minutes, but he didn’t look at her. Didn’t say anything. She wrung her hands. “I’m supposed to go back again tomorrow morning so Mr. Sandford can show me through the cave, get me familiar with the tour. But I won’t go if you”—she pulled in a breath, almost afraid to finish her sentence—“tell me I can’t.”
Slowly Daddy shifted his gaze until his blue eyes met hers. “How old are you now, gal?”
“Twenty, Daddy.”
He
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