The Granite Heart (An Ozark Mountain Series Book 2) Read online

  The Granite Heart

  Book Two

  An Ozark Mountain Series

  By

  Alan Black and Bernice Knight

  CreateSpace

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter Sunday Morning

  Chapter Sunday Noon

  Chapter Monday Before Dawn

  Chapter Monday Dawn

  Chapter Monday Mid-Morning

  Chapter Monday Afternoon

  Chapter Monday Evening

  Chapter Tuesday Before Dawn

  Chapter Tuesday Dawn

  Chapter Wednesday Evening

  Chapter Thursday Morning

  Chapter Friday Early Morning

  Chapter Friday Morning

  Chapter Friday Noon

  Chapter Friday Late Afternoon

  Chapter Friday Dusk

  Chapter Friday Evening

  Chapter Saturday Morning

  Chapter Sunday Early Morning

  Chapter Sunday Morning

  Glossary

  Other books by Alan Black

  Praise for other books by Alan Black

  About the author

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The Publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  THE GRANITE HEART

  Published by arrangement with the author

  Printing History

  Copyright @ 2013 by Alan Black

  Cover Design: Amy Black

  Cover Photo: Duann Black

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or digital format without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  ISBN-13: 978-1495418389

  ISBN-10: 1495418383

  Library of Congress Number: 1-1189308801

  Dedication:

  In commemoration of Ralph and Fern Hoffman (my parents and Alan’s grandparents) who moved to the Ozarks in mid-life and introduced us to the beauty and charm of the hills, inspiring our interest and love of the people in that part of the country.

  -- Bernice Knight

  To my brother Steve, whose support and encouragement continues to drive my passion to write, even to the point of writing stories that are not ‘his thing’.

  And to Duann, my wife, whose insight and determination pushed me to see LillieBeth’s story from a different point of view.

  -- Alan Black

  Authors note:

  See the glossary at the end of the book

  SUNDAY - MORNING

  Susanne Harbowe was surprised and excited to see the Right Reverend David James back at their little Methodist church. They were so deep in the Ozark Mountains it was unusual even in modern and up-to-date 1920 for a circuit preacher to come and deliver a sermon. To have an ordained minister two weeks in a row was a blessing. To have the same ordain minister two weeks in a row was peculiar, if nothing else.

  Her excitement, of course, had nothing to do with him being the most handsome man she had seen in all of her twenty-four years. Last week after church he had been friendly to her. He had been friendly, yet not overly so. They had picnicked with her best friend Clare Hazkit, Clare’s family, and Mr. and Mrs. Clayton Grissom. Clayton was the lay minister who filled in when a circuit preacher was not available and he was also the sheriff for nearby Oasis, Missouri.

  Susanne, no matter how she felt about him, was sure Reverend James was not attracted to her. Her figure was still girlishly slender. She had not matured and rounded as well as most men liked their women. Her face was too sharp, her cheekbones too high, and her lips just too full to be a beauty like her friend Clare. Clare’s face had the round, soft-cheek look of her Irish heritage.

  As much as she wanted his attention she knew it was a foolish fantasy. He did not know her well enough to court her with honest intent. He did not know her past, her mistakes and her heartaches. He did not know she was unsuitable as a wife for a respectable man. He did not know because there was less than a handful of people who did know.

  Her young friend Elizabeth Hazkit knew. In a rare uncontrolled moment she broke down and told her young student. LillieBeth, as Elizabeth was called, was the twelve-year-old daughter of her oldest friend Clare Hazkit, yet Clare did not know. Susanne wanted to chastise herself for blabbing her story to such a youngster, but LillieBeth was more mature than most young girls her age.

  Susanne knew she should have held her secret closer to her heart, keeping her lips sealed and her past hidden. She also knew she had to tell someone. The only ones who knew of her rape were her, LillieBeth and the two men who attacked and ruined her for a decent husband.

  Susanne shook her head slightly to clear the image in her head of her two rapists. She wanted them hurt. She wanted them stopped. She wanted justice for what they had taken from her and what she could still lose. How to stop them was a question she had yet to answer.

  It did not seem to matter what she wanted as the two men continued to hold her life hostage. It would ruin the rest of her life if word spread of her rape. She knew she would surely be dismissed from her position at the school and shunned by their little church as unfit for polite company. It frightened her to think of all she had lost at the hands of Trance and Dangle Braunawall. It terrified her beyond words to think of all she could lose if word of her rape spread.

  Susanne was not worried about LillieBeth telling about her rape. The girl had been attacked by the same men. LillieBeth would not speak of Susanne’s distress, but as a headstrong youngster, she would readily speak of her own ordeal once she had come to emotional grips with it.

  Susanne glanced at Reverend James. She fanned the flush spreading across her face. The heat was due to more than the warmth of the early spring morning. She would have been embarrassed to admit it, but the flush was due to the sight of the handsome preacher. Susanne was sure Reverend James’ friendliness at the picnic after church last week was mainly due to his having been an army buddy of Art Hazkit, Clare’s husband. The two men had known each other in France during the recent Great War to End All Wars. She could not imagine a man of his quality and caliber being attracted to an old spinster school teacher like herself.

  James had complimented her on her hair and dress causing her to blush and look away. He had complimented all of the women at one time or another during their picnic, especially LillieBeth. He even managed to compliment Grace Grissom, not on her physical appearance, but on her proficiency with a cake: sweet, moist and the most chocolatiest thing ever. She enjoyed James’ company whatever the reason.

  Now just one week later, the man was back and walking across the churchyard straight for her. She wanted to fuss with her hair and straighten her dress, but she did not want to appear vampish or vain. Besides, the church met in the same building as the school where she taught. She could imagine a host of reasons he would seek her out. She could only logically conclude he was just going to ask about the location of this or that.

  “Hello, Miss Harbowe,” Reverend James said. “It is so very nice to see you again.”

  Susanne said, “Reverend James, it is a surprise and a pleasure to see you again.”

  James said, “Please, call me David.”

 
; Susanne smiled. “Of course, David, and I am sure you remember my name is Susanne.” She was not sure he remembered at all, but years ago her mother had taught her to phrase statements as if the other person already knew the answer to what you were stating. Her mother said it was not best to start a conversation with the assumption of the other person’s ignorance. Susanne often did that with adults, but never with her schoolchildren.

  “I do remember, Susanne,” he said. “How could I forget? It has only been a week since we shared such a wonder picnic lunch under that very tree over there. You had your hair up, just as it is now, and very lovely it is, but I remember a red ribbon instead of this blue one.”

  Susanne blushed a deeper red. She was wearing the same dress, as it was her Sunday best and her hair was up the same way, as it was currently the most modest yet fashionable style among women in the area. The sameness not-withstanding, her womanly vanity had driven her to put in a different colored ribbon. She patted her hair not knowing what to say or if she could speak until she quit blushing even if she could tell when the blushing stopped.

  James said, “I know this is a bit forward of me, but might I have permission to come calling on you? Not right away of course, I do need to become settled into my pastorate and find a better place to live, but soon? Is there someone I should ask to get permission first?”

  Susanne became more flustered than ever. There was certainly no one to ask permission, her parents were long gone and she did not have any male oversight in her life. Yet, how could she say yes? She was unworthy of a relationship with a minister. How could she say no? Any such answer would certainly require an explanation. She wanted to turn and run away, but there was nowhere to go. The man had asked an honest question and she was required to give an honest answer, no matter the consequences to her own life.

  She had enjoyed very few suitors while she attended the Stephen’s College in Columbia, Missouri. She started the college in its first year after changing from the Stephen’s Female College to a co-ed Baptist Christian school. There were very few men on campus, but she did have a date or two, nothing serious. She attended on a work study program to obtain a teacher’s certificate and her free time had been at a premium.

  There was nothing romantically serious during her first year after returning to the Ozarks to teach. Time had been consumed settling in, becoming reacquainted with old friends and getting the school and her students up to acceptable standards.

  Then two years ago things changed. At almost the same instant she won free time to see a beau, the actions of others determined she could not have one. There had been very few suitors during the last two years, yet she rebuffed the few men who did come courting, without hesitation or explanation.

  Her reasons for not having men come to call had remained a secret in her heart for those two years. She did not want to share it, even with a man of God, yet he was a preacher, how could she not speak when asked? How could she tell Reverend James why and not ruin her own life? Would he even believe her? There were days she felt the whole matter was not real. There were days when she became so angry she doubted she could speak of it even if asked by a minister. There were days when she was so confused about her trials that she dithered about every decision.

  She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She spotted her salvation in her long time friend, Clare Hazkit and Clare’s daughter, LillieBeth. The young girl was waving frantically for Susanne to join them.

  The girl’s brown hair was up in an unfamiliar womanly bun. Susanne was not sure she had ever seen her favorite student’s hair done up in anything other than braids or pigtails. LillieBeth’s wild waving was threatening to shake loose her bun, allowing it to fall down and conceal her mass of freckles. The threat was imminent.

  Susanne heard Clare telling LillieBeth, “Not now, honey. We need to make sure we talk to her alone.”

  LillieBeth nodded.

  Susanne looked back at Reverend James. She believed he would understand she had done nothing wrong. She knew that should and would were two very different words, regardless of how closely they resembled each other.

  It was wrong that the Braunawall boys had forced themselves on her. James was an ordained minister and he should understand, but he was also a man. Sometimes men did not understand things the same way women did. She was not sure she understood her own feelings, so how could he? She was angry, and hurt, and confused, and sorrowful, all at the same time.

  Susanne had not wanted to tell LillieBeth of the attack on her; it had been a secret she planned to keep locked away for the rest of her life. She had opened her heart to the twelve-year-old girl and blurted it out only because LillieBeth confided to her that Trance and Dangle Braunawall tried to do the same harm to her. They would have succeeded with LillieBeth if that crazy old hermit Fletcher Hoffman had not been there to intervene.

  Men like the Braunawalls would not have stopped with her and LillieBeth. She believed there were untold numbers of other women forced to give up their virtue because there was no one there to give halt to their evil. No one had been there to protect her as Hoffman had protected LillieBeth.

  Susanne smiled at Reverend James. “May I answer shortly? Please excuse me as this appears to be a matter of grave importance.” She was mindful of James’ question to come calling, but she welcomed the interruption in an attempt to stall giving her answer.

  She went to see her friends leaving Reverend James behind. It was obvious LillieBeth wanted to talk to her and Clair alone. Susanne wished for the same thing. No matter how hard anyone wished for it, James followed her.

  When they reached the Hazkits, Reverend James smiled at the mother and daughter. “It is the beautiful Hazkit ladies. It is my pleasure to see you both again.”

  Susanne saw LillieBeth start to speak. She did what all schoolteachers knew how to do; she stopped her with a look. She glanced at Clare and knew in her heart that Clare knew about the Braunawall’s attack on her. She was appalled her best friend had heard of such an embarrassing and private trial. Yet she was relieved as if one of the knots in her stomach had finally untwisted.

  Reverend James, apparently oblivious to the tension between the women, laughed. “Surprised to see me?”

  LillieBeth nodded.

  “I am surprised to be here,” he said. “I applied to the Methodist Synod to become your permanent pastor and they readily agreed. I get to preach here every week. I will be staying at a cabin the Grissoms own until I can find a place of my own. How about that?”

  LillieBeth said, “That is wonderful. I could not be happier. Now, please go away. I need to speak to Miss Harbowe.”

  Susannena grabbed LillieBeth’s hands and said, “He need not leave.” Tears welled up in her eyes as she squeezed LillieBeth’s hands in one of her own. She grabbed Clare’s hand with the other. “Reverend James asked if he could call on me once he gets settled in. I have no choice but to tell him what happened.”

  Reverend James’ face clouded up with confusion, but with a little effort, it grew clear again. “Please tell me if there is something I have done wrong or some reason you do not think me a suitable match.”

  Susanne sobbed. She could barely get the words out, “I will be as honest as I know how. Until today I thought only LillieBeth knew of my problem, but I see Clare Hazkit has learned the truth.”

  LillieBeth said, “Mama is a good guesser. I did not tell her, but she knows. You did nothing wrong. It is okay to speak up.”

  Susanne said, with a hitch in her voice, “Two years ago I was asked to go for a walk along the lane with a young man. It was a pretty spring day and I thought he was a nice boy. He led me astray and before I could stop what happened, his brother jumped from behind a tree and grabbed me. Between the two of them, they held me down by force, each taking a turn; they had their way with me.”

  Reverend James’ face clouded up again, this time in anger, but he said nothing.

  “I have prayed to God every day that He would forgive me
for my part in the matter.” Susanne said, “I kept quiet for the shame of it and the fear of what people would think of me. Please, I am sorry for what happened and I am still afraid of what others would say. I did not consent to anything other than a quiet walk on a spring day. I was forced.” Her voice faded to a whisper.

  Clare squeezed Susanne’s hand tightly. “Go on, Susanne.

  “I am telling you now because you have asked to call on me. As a minister, you should know because you have a position to uphold and you deserve the truth. I give you leave to retract your offer to come courting.”

  Reverend James held his breath turning red in the face. He looked skyward. Finally he spoke, “Miss Harbowe, I know what happened to you was not all your doing. It was the work of the devil. It is not that I do not care or am cold to your predicament, but you must carry some of the blame. It was your decision to walk alone with that young man. It showed very poor judgment. It is not up to me to judge those men or you in this. God will judge all. But, I must think of my position in the church.”

  LillieBeth spat through her teeth. “I am ashamed of you.”

  Reverend James looked at LillieBeth with compassion on his face. He said, “Please don’t be ashamed of Miss Harbowe. I realize how hard such a thing can be for a woman and I promise to keep her secret as best I can, since she is not wholly to blame-”

  LillieBeth said in a low voice, “Her? I am ashamed of you. You are a man of God, how can you think yourself better than her? How can you think that you should not be seen with her? Jesus was friends with tax collectors and harlots. I do not think you are better than Jesus Christ. And since those same men tried to rape me and would have if Fletcher Hoffman had not been there to save my virtue, then you should not be seen to consort with me either.”

  “Now, LillieBeth-” he began.

  Clare Hazkit interrupted. “Reverend James, if you intend to consort only with people who are without sin then you will be a lonely man indeed.”