"Are you serious?" Bartholomew Hurst asked.
"Yeah Boss, I seen it with my own two eyes!" Hugh Porter said with a huge grin.
"A tornado hit her house and it's gone? The whole thing?"
"Yep, there's only one wall standing. I don't know how she didn't get killed. Hugh took a swig of whiskey from the crystal glass in his hand, his reward for bring the boss good news.
"That bitch has the best luck of anyone I know! Nothing I've done has worked to get her off of that land but a damn tornado is going to do it for me! Even Gil won't be able to say anything. It's just too bad it didn't kill her."
"Gil?" Hugh asked with his glass half way to his mouth, a puzzled look on his face.
"Gil Turner, Sheriff Turner, my cousin you idiot! He's been on my ass since Jacob's came to town. All I've heard is I'm causing too much of a stir, bringing too much unwanted attention to Woodland; especially when he found out who her family was. Well, now he can quit his bitchin' and moanin'. That girl will go running back to her family for sure now. Even God doesn't want her on that land!" Bart practically cackled with glee, at least on the inside. On the outside he simply wore a satisfied and triumphant smile on his weathered face. It wouldn't be long now and he'll have use of her land again, for free!
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"Oh my God; are you all right?" Hope jumped up from her chair in the parlor and went running over to Faith, hugging her more tightly than what Faith though was possible from someone of her sister-in-laws size. Hope then abruptly let go and began to inspect Faith for any injuries, just like she would for one of her own children.
"I'm fine, really. Cade saved my life. He heard it or saw it coming and got us both into the root cellar just in time." Faith said, unaware that she was gazing at the person she was speaking about. It did not go unnoticed by Hope but thankfully Levi was oblivious.
Levi cut his eyes over to Cade, noticing the man looked extremely uncomfortable being the recipient of so much attention. "I just did what any man would do." He stated flatly.
"That may be the case but it was my sister's life you saved, not just anyone. I'm in your debt."
"No, you're not." Cade said quickly. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be outside." Cade tipped his hat at Hope, then let his eyes fall to Faith for just a little bit longer than they should have before turning to walk out the front door.
Levi and Hope's eyes met, she smiled while her husband scowled. Faith did not see their exchange; her eyes were on Cade's back as he shut the door, walked across the porch, and down the steps then headed towards the barn. The longer she watched the more her brother scowled and the wider Hope's smile became.
"Well that settles it! You're moving back in with us. I'll send some men over to get whatever there is left."
Faith's head snapped around to face her brother, neither paying attention to the windows being open or that the lone figure in the yard stopped at Levi's words. "No I'm not!" She snapped straightening her spine and rolling her shoulders back.
Taken aback by the sharpness of her tone, Levi stood there for a moment trying not to lose his temper. He counted to ten then continued in a slightly lower tone. "Yes you will and that's final."
Her blood began to boil. Not only was he treating her like a child, but he was speaking to her like one as well. Faith walked over to stand in front of her favorite big brother. "You are not my father Levi Matthews, and if you think you can treat me like a child, well think again! I will rebuild my house with or without your help. If you try to keep me from rebuilding, I will simply sell the land and move away from Red Valley! Do - you - understand?" The last sentence was emphasized by taking her index finger and poking him in the chest as she spoke each word.
Cade had heard every word the two of them had spoken. At first his gut had clenched at the thought of Faith moving back here with her brother. That would mean he would no longer be needed, and for some reason he couldn't explain he just wasn't ready to move on just yet. A rare smile played on his lips as he continued on his way to the barn. He only wished he could have seen her face when she spoke to her brother like that. Faith Matthew's was a beautiful woman, but when she was angry, she was simply magnificent!
"Of course we'll help you rebuild your house!" Hope exclaimed before her husband could say anything. "We will simply have a house raising instead of a barn raising. You can draw out how you want your new house to be built and Levi will order the wood from Fred and have it delivered." Turning to face her husband, she continued. "You may also need to order some from Woodland. It will just depend on how big of a house she wants."
"Just have the bill sent to me." Faith said, feeling triumphant. She really loved Hope!
"Nonsense." Hope replied. "We will pay for it, as atonement for your brother trying to be so high handed."
"What?" Faith and Levi said at the same time.
"I can pay my own bills." Faith said, slightly defensive.
"Of course you can, but you are going to let us do this for you and that's final. Again brother and sister both opened their mouths to speak but Hope shut them both down. "I said we will pay for the materials and that's final." There was a smile on her face but there was no mistaking her tone. Neither one of them said anything else on the subject.
The three of them sat down to make up a list of supplies they would need while Faith and Hope began to draw a basic design for the house. When Levi was satisfied with his list, he left the ladies to themselves and went outside with the rest of the men. Faith knew she wanted a simple house, nothing like what her brother had built, yet she wanted something a little nicer and bigger than the old house.
The sound of a buggy coming down the drive drew their attention to the open window. Faith looked up in time to catch a glimpse of the driver. She almost groaned out loud when she realized who it was. Fortunately she was able to catch herself before she did.
"I wonder what brings him here." Hope asked, then went back to their designing. It wasn't that easy for Faith, she knew she was the one he'd come to visit. She was really beginning to dread his company.
Stephen Gilford pulled his buggy up to the front of the house and jumped down. He saw Levi talking with several men and knew that no matter how badly he wanted to ignore his friend and head straight inside, good manners dictated, he engage in polite conversation with the man of the house. Glancing longingly at the house, he turned and made his way over to the group of men.
"Stephen, good to see you; what brings you all the way out here?" Levi stuck his hand out for the customary hand shake. He knew exactly why the man was here.
"I ran into Yancey in town this morning. He told me Faith's house had been destroyed by a tornado. I wanted to come check on her and see if there was anything I could do to help her."
Cade noticed the use of Faith's name. "No, there's not, she's fine."
The men all looked at Cade, surprised not only with his quick response, but also his sharp tone. Stephen looked back at Levi for an answer. He didn't like Faith's foreman. It was obvious the man fancied her but then what man wouldn't. "No, she's fine. We've already started drawing up plans to rebuild her house. I'm going to have to get the materials from Fred and Woodland, but I think we should be able to have a house raising in about a week or so. Then you can help." Levi said smacking his friend on the back.
Stephen's brows shot up. "You mean you're going to let her rebuild after everything that's happened?"
"Apparently you don't know my sister very well." Levi paused when Cade snorted. He cut his eyes to look at the other man but said nothing to him. "I'm not letting her do anything. She's going to rebuild, either here or somewhere else. To be quite honest with you, I would rather it be here so I can keep half an eye on her."
"If she were my sister, I would have to put my foot down." Cade snorted again but he simply ignored him. He had been so hopeful that she wouldn't rebuild, but instead marry him and move to town.
"Go ahead, let me know how that works out for you. My money's on her." Dammit! Cade wanted to bite his tongue off. What in the hell was wrong with him? That was twice he had opened his mouth and said something he shouldn't have.
"Mine too." Levi said with a grin. His grin faded and his became serious once again. "In all honesty, the only reason she's all right is because of Cade's quick thinking. He saved her life."
It was all Cade could do to keep from smiling at Gilford when he looked over at him. For once, he was okay with taking a compliment and being the center of attention. The men talked for a few more minutes, before Levi and Stephen headed into the house.