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“Josh? Competition? What are you talking about?” Rena asked, leaning forward and setting her cake plate on the table in front of her. Cora Lee’s question left her so rattled, she was afraid of breaking the china.
“Anyone with eyes in their head can see Josh is taken with you. It’s a wonderful thing. He’s been so closed off in his grief, he hasn’t even noticed any of the single girls in town who’ve done everything but stand on their heads and wave flags to garner his attention,” Henley said with a cheeky smile.
Rena bit her tongue to keep from saying something derogatory about love that might upset her newly found friends. Perhaps there was something floating in the air that made them determined everyone should be in love.
“Surely, you’ve noticed how he can’t seem to keep his eyes off you, Rena. And then there’s Gabi. She absolutely adores you,” Anne said.
“If Josh is watching me, it’s likely because I’m an oddity, not for any other reason. As for Gabi, I think she just misses having a woman’s attention and affection.”
“That is a bunch of fiddle-faddle,” Henley said, glancing down at Rena’s trousers, then at her face. “You’re a beautiful woman, Rena. Any man who fails to notice you would have to be blind.”
“I agree,” Cora Lee said with a smile. “Not that we care at all, Rena, but is there a reason, other than your work, of course, that you choose to wear trousers?”
When Rena remained silent, Cora Lee reached across the table and clasped her hand. “I meant no offense; we are merely curious.”
“No offense taken. However, it’s not a pretty story.”
Henley patted Rena’s arm. “I’m married to a doctor and work as his nurse. I know plenty of horrible stories.”
“I have four boys, and Cora Lee has three. There is no end in sight for the nasty, horrid things those rascals drag home.” Anne offered Rena an encouraging look. “You don’t have to tell us a thing, Rena. We just want to be supportive as your friends.”
Rena hadn’t spoken about the accident to anyone. Theo and Laura heard the details from her aunt. The people in town who knew Rena and her family hadn’t asked questions, only gave her pitying looks which eventually turned into disapproving glares as months went by and she continued wearing trousers.
She supposed telling these women her story would either prove she’d truly made friends in Holiday or give her a reason to avoid attending church or social gatherings.
“If you’re sure you want to hear it, I’ll share my story with you.” Rena looked around as all three women nodded.
“We only want to hear it because we care about you, and there is just a sadness you carry, Rena,” Cora Lee said, squeezing her hand again. “Perhaps in the telling, it will lessen your burden.”
Rena took a deep breath, then started at the beginning of the nightmare that left her world forever altered. “Three years ago, my father went to help a neighbor who’d been sick and unable to get out and work on his farm. Several of the men in the community decided to have a work day, and together they went over to see what they could do to offer their assistance. My father fell through a hole in the haymow in the barn and broke his neck. The men who brought his body home said he died immediately, but it didn’t ease the pain of losing him.”
“Oh, Rena, that’s terrible.” Henley offered her a comforting hug, while Anne dabbed at her tears.
Rena considered stopping the story there, but it was only the beginning. “I’m an only child, and my parents had a farm. It was our livelihood, so my mother and I did the best we could, but it was hard without Dad. One of the neighbors rented the farm ground, which gave us some income. Mama and I started taking in laundry as a way to make enough money to survive. We set up a huge kettle outside, where we’d do the washing and then hang the laundry to dry. That first year was so hard. We were grieving my father and trying to keep from losing the farm. Then one breezy day, Mama went inside to make lunch while I continued working on the never-ending piles of laundry. She was slicing bacon to fry when the wind picked up and blew the hem of my skirt into the fire beneath the laundry kettle. Only, I didn’t notice it at first. It wasn’t until I felt the heat searing up my legs that I realized I was on fire.”
“Oh, mercy,” Cora Lee whispered, slipping out of her chair and resting on her knees in front of Rena, holding onto her hand.
Rena swallowed down her emotion. Now that she’d started talking about the horrific event that had altered her life, she couldn’t stop. “Mama ran out of the house, screaming at me to get over to the pump, but by then the entire back of my clothes was on fire. I had a wet shirt in my hand and tried beating at the flames. I think I must have already been in a state of shock and unable to think with any sense. Mama knocked me down and rolled me on the ground, using her hands to beat at the flames. But the bacon grease on her hands and the apron she’d wiped them on caught fire, and before I could do anything, Mama was engulfed in flames. I managed to grab several wet things out of the laundry kettle and wrap them around her, but it was too late. Friends and the pastor buried Mama next to my father. The boy I’d agreed to wed came the day of the funeral, took one look at my burned body, and left. I spent months, flat on my belly, unable to get out of bed, at the mercy of the women who took turns caring for me. My intended never said a word when he was there for the funeral or in the weeks and months after the accident, but when I was finally healed enough to go to town, I saw him with his pretty new wife strolling down the street.”
“He is an idiot,” Henley said, wrapping Rena in a tight hug while Anne and Cora Lee joined them. “It’s a miracle you survived such a thing, Rena. What a blessing that you’re able to walk.”
“I don’t feel blessed. I feel like God turned his back on me that day. If anyone had to die, why did it have to be my mama instead of me? I was the one who caught my skirts on fire. I should have been more careful, paid more attention. My mama was the sweetest, kindest person. She didn’t deserve to die like that.” Rena had never told anyone, but visions of her mother burning to death had haunted her dreams nearly every night until she left Amarillo. Here in Holiday, especially after starting work at the mine, she was too exhausted at night to do more than sleep. Or maybe it was being far away from the terror of her past that allowed her to finally rest.
“No one deserves to die like that, Rena, but we’re so glad you survived. How on earth did you recover from your wounds?” Cora Lee asked, settling on the floor at Rena’s feet once again.
“Slowly. The doctor was caring and kind, and the women who stayed with me changed my bandages and moved my legs so they’d still work. My left leg was only burned a little, but my right leg and my lower back sustained the worst burns.”
“It’s no wonder you wear pants.” Anne gently lifted Rena’s hand between hers. It wasn’t until she did that Rena realized how cold her hands had grown. “I would too.”
“Thank you. You can’t imagine how many people judge and condemn me without knowing why I do what I do. I just can’t quite bear the notion of wearing a skirt again after what happened, at least not yet. Every moment I spent in Amarillo was a reminder of all I lost, especially when I ran into George and Arabella. I sold the farm to a neighbor and decided to start over in Holiday. Here, no one gives me pitying glances, glowers at me for wearing trousers, or whispers behind gloved hands that I’m the reason my mother died. My fiancé’s abrupt departure from my life confirmed that no man will ever want me, not in this damaged, scarred state. I’ve accepted the fact that I’ll spend my life alone.”
Cora Lee shook her head. “I don’t accept that. You’re lovely and kind, hardworking and intelligent, and beautiful. The right man won’t care at all about your scars. He’ll love you exactly as you are.”
“Trousers and all,” Anne said with a soft smile.
Henley nodded in agreement, then gave Rena an imploring look. “The boy who abandoned you. What’s his name?”
“George Stafford. Why?”
