Summer of Joy Read Online Free PDF Page A

he had a camera to take her picture, but since he didn’t, he just captured the image of her joy in his mind. Her hair was blowing in her face. Her nose was red from the cold, and she had muddy knee prints on her good dress that would get her into trouble with Aunt Love. But she wasn’t worrying about any of that. She was too busy rejoicing with Wes.
    The day she’d been born into his life had surely been one of his sweetest blessings. And now she was surrounded by other blessings standing on the riverbank watching him, but he couldn’t stop to count them right then. He wasn’t even sure he still had feet down on the cold river bottom, and his nearly frozen fingers were aching. Wes looked even colder as water dripped off his gray hair and eyebrows. Icicles would be forming on the poor man’s nose and ears if they didn’t get somewhere warm fast. The next person who wanted a river baptism would just have to wait till spring.
    Matt McDermott and Whit Jackson were waiting with blankets to wrap around David and Wes when they stepped back up on the riverbank. It kept the wind off but didn’t stop their shivering as the icy cold was clinging to them in their wet clothes under the blankets. David hadn’t been this cold since he’d been down in the submarine in the Pacific Ocean during World War II and they’d lost all but their emergency power.
    “You holding up, David?” Wes asked through chattering teeth.
    “I don’t know. I’ll tell you when I thaw out,” David said. “How about you?”
    “I’m sure I’ve been colder, but my brain’s too froze right now to remember when,” Wes said. “But it was the right thing. I’m beholden to you for wading out there in the river with me.”
    When Jocie came running to hug Wes, he put out a hand to push her back. “No sense you getting wet and turning into an ice cube like us, Jo. We’ll have a Jupiter hugging party later.”
    Everybody was smiling but nobody was stopping to talk as they scrambled back up the hill to the road and their cars and heaters. Not only was the wind frigid, they’d come to the Redbone River for the baptizing right after morning services, so their Sunday dinners were calling to them at home.
    Matt McDermott followed David up toward his car. “You remember you’re coming to our house for dinner, right?”
    “I’ll be there as soon as I get changed into dry clothes back at the church,” David said.
    Matt looked over at Wes. “Dorothy fixed plenty, Wesley, so come on over to the house with Brother David.”
    “I’m not one to turn down good cooking,” Wes said. “Especially today if it’s hot.”
    “Don’t worry. It’ll be hot and I’ll throw another log on the fire while Dorothy sets an extra plate.” Matt turned his eyes back to David. “And of course we’re expecting Leigh too.”
    “She told me she’s looking forward to it. Dorothy asked her last week.” David looked past Matt to where Leigh was helping Zella back up the hill. She must have felt his eyes on her because she looked up, wrapped her arms tight around herself, and shook in an exaggerated shiver before she smiled at him. David forgot about his frozen toes squishing water out of his wet socks with every step and felt warmer even before he climbed into the car and turned the heater on full blast.
    His mother’s diamond ring in the folded up envelope was still tucked in his wallet back at the church. He’d have to take it up to the Jewelry Center next week for sure if he wanted to have the diamond reset by Christmas. He’d take in his watch to be cleaned and get Rollin Caruthers to vow secrecy before he pulled out the ring. After that, all he’d have to do was figure out a time and place special enough to pop the question to Leigh.
    Jocie climbed in the backseat behind David and Wes. Normally she’d have ridden on to the McDermotts with Leigh to play with little Matt, Molly, and baby Murray, but today she was sticking close to Wes. She scooted up on the edge