The High Calling Read online

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  Kat clutched the blue ribbon in her left hand and led Hercules out of the ring as her family left to go save a table in the cafeteria. “I’ll be there in just a few minutes,” she called.

  As she led the animal into the stall in the cattle building, she heard someone call her name.

  “Miss Winslow?”

  Kat turned and there stood the tall man with the aristocratic air she had seen in the ring.

  “My name is Parker Braden,” he said with a British accent. “I wonder if I . . . I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were distressed.”

  Tears had risen to her eyes as she had led Hercules out of the ring—and now she suddenly realized with horror that they were running down her cheeks. She had a great distaste for women who cried, especially those who cried in public. But somehow the victory after her humiliation had caught her at a bad moment.

  “I . . . say, can I do anything?”

  “N-no, thank you.” Kat groped for a handkerchief but then remembered it was in her purse, which Missouri Ann was keeping for her. The man reached into the breast pocket of his coat and pulled out a handkerchief. “Perhaps this will help.”

  “Thank you.” Kat took the handkerchief, noticing the B embroidered in the corner of the fine material. She turned slightly away from the man and wiped her face.

  “Please, keep it,” he said as she tried to hand it back. “You may need it later.” He had a very nice smile, and now that she saw him up close, she was impressed with his appearance. He was wearing a snowy white shirt with a suit that was not of the typical cut, pale gray with a razor pleat in the front of the trousers, and an unusual tie.

  “I don’t think I’ll need it anymore. I don’t usually cry in public,” she said defensively.

  “Well, a victory sometimes does that to us even more than a defeat.”

  “It does, doesn’t it?” she said, wondering how an aristocratic, wealthy man like this would know anything about defeat. She suddenly felt the urge to explain her tears. “It’s just that I raised Hercules here from a calf. As a matter of fact, I helped bring him into the world and now—” She suddenly screwed up her face and shook her head. “It just came to me as I was leading him out of the arena . . . that part of my life is over, and I’m afraid he’s going to be . . .”

  Mr. Braden seemingly grasped all that Kat was saying at that instant. “I know exactly how you feel,” he told her. “When we lose an animal we love it gets to us, doesn’t it? Last year I lost a dog that I raised from a pup.” He shook his head faintly with wonder in his eyes. “I cried like a baby for a week. I think there’d be something wrong with us if we didn’t feel like that.”

  “Do you really think so?”

  “Most certainly! I can’t feel very much for people who don’t love animals. I suppose that’s very prejudiced of me.”

  Kat had gained control of herself for the moment. “You’re not from here—from America—are you, Mr. Braden?”

  “No, I’m not. Everyone knows that as soon as I open my mouth, of course.” He smiled then and shook his head. “I’m from England. Outside of London, actually. As a matter of fact, I would like to speak with you if you have time.”

  “With me?” Kat wondered if this was an attempt to pick her up. He didn’t look like that sort, but one couldn’t tell about foreigners.

  “Yes. One reason I’m in this country is to study different breeds of American cattle. My family owns a cattle farm back home. We’re interested in acquiring some new breeds.” He looked at Hercules and said, “I know practically nothing about the Black Angus, but they are such beautiful animals. I thought you might be willing to tell me a little about the breed.”

  “Why, I’d be glad to.”

  “Excellent! Perhaps we could go someplace and celebrate your victory over a spot of tea while you educate me.”

  “I’m going to meet my family for dinner right now, but I could meet you in the cafeteria later on—say, seven o’clock?”

  “That would be fine.”

  “But I doubt if we can find tea—unless it’s iced tea.”

  “Perhaps some of your American soda pop. I find it fascinating.”

  “We have plenty of that.”

  “I’ll see you at seven o’clock, then.”

  Kat made her way out of the stables and found herself wondering what it would be like if a rich stranger like this bought Hercules for a stud. The thought pleased her, for she had never been able to face the thought of her pet being led off to the slaughterhouse. She was not unaware of the facts of life, for she had been around such things all of her life, but she had let herself get too fond of this particular animal and now began to wish fervently that Parker Braden might be persuaded to buy him and give him a good home in far-off England.

  ****

  Kat carefully applied some new lipstick, pressed her lips together, and then leaned closer to check her reflection in the mirror. She was sitting at her dressing table and suddenly looked down at the diary that lay open before her. The date was June 11, 1937, and her eyes followed the lines she had written the night before.

  . . . and so Parker is coming to have dinner with us tonight. Actually it’ll be the third date we’ve had, not counting the night we went out at the fair. I never met a man I liked so much!

  Kat closed the diary and put it into the dressing table drawer. She stared at herself in the mirror and shook her head. “You’re acting like a fifteen-year-old on her first date.”

  She was a little disturbed over the excitement she felt at the evening that was to come. She had gone out with Parker only the previous evening. He had taken her to the nicest restaurant in town, and she had enjoyed his company immensely. She had found herself inviting him to join them for a family meal the following night, and he had agreed at once.

  Moving in front of the mirror, Kat studied the new dress she had bought for a special occasion and had never worn. The fitted black bodice was cinched in with a green belt, which gave way to an accordion-pleated dark green taffeta skirt that had wide horizontal stripes of alternating green and black. She slipped on her black suede pumps. I’m always trying to look shorter, she thought, but I don’t have to do that with Parker. He must be at least six foot one.

  She turned around, loving the way the skirt flowed outward. She did not typically indulge in expensive clothing. Indeed, this was the most expensive dress she had ever bought, but she was glad she had it. She had thoroughly enjoyed Parker’s company the night before and wanted to look nice for him.

  She heard a car pull up in front of the house and ran to look out the open window. “Brodie, what are you doing here?” she yelled. He was wearing a light blue shirt open at the neck, blue jeans, and a pair of half boots. A gray Stetson with a low crown completed his costume.

  He looked up and grinned. “Come on down, sweetie. I’ve got a big night planned for us.”

  “Go away, Brodie. I’ve got other plans.”

  He shook his head. “With that limey?”

  “Yes, if you must know. He’s coming for dinner. Now go away.”

  “I’m a little hungry myself, you know.”

  “Well, you can’t eat here.”

  But he simply ignored her and moved toward the house.

  “He can’t stay for dinner!” Kat said and frowned. “I’ll have Dad make that clear to him.”

  ****

  “Mom, why in the world did you invite Brodie to supper?” Kat was in the kitchen helping Missouri Ann prepare the meal.

  She shrugged her shoulders. “He won’t eat much.”

  “I don’t want him here tonight. Why in the world did you let him stay?”

  “I’ve always liked Brodie.”

  “He could always get around you, Mom.”

  “I don’t know why you’d say that,” Missouri Ann said. “Anyway, it’s good to see him back in these parts. Now, you be nice to him, you hear?”

  Missouri Ann went out toward the porch to call the triplets in to wash up, but she returned imm
ediately. “I think Mr. Braden is here,” she told Kat. “I didn’t open the door because I thought maybe you should greet him first.”

  Kat went through the living room, where Brodie was talking to her dad, and opened the front door. “Hi, Parker. Come on in.”

  “Hello, Katherine. You look lovely tonight.”

  “Thank you,” she said, feeling a bit embarrassed that Brodie had heard the compliment. She introduced Parker to her father and Brodie.

  Brodie stood up to shake Parker’s hand and then slipped his arm around Kat’s waist. “Kat and I grew up together, Parker. But I was a little too old for her, you know. So I left and let her grow up. But we’re dating steady now.”

  “You . . . you stop that kind of talk, Brodie Lee!” She pushed him away and composed herself. “You’ll have to ignore Brodie. He’s hung around me as long as I can remember. I’ve tried to discourage him, but he doesn’t have any manners, as you can see.”

  Parker just laughed and said, “I can see you two are old friends.”

  “Have a seat, Parker,” Lewis said. “Kat tells me your family’s in cattle farming.”

  “That’s right, Mr. Winslow. We have a few acres of our estate at Benleigh dedicated to livestock. It’s one of several enterprises we’re involved in.”

  “Tell me about your livestock. . . .”

  ****

  Parker Braden was enjoying his meal tremendously. The food was excellent, as succulent a roast as he had ever tasted, and the vegetables were quite unusual—fried squash, fried okra, corn on the cob, crunchy cucumbers. And he loved the fresh-baked bread that gave off a heavenly odor and practically melted in his mouth.

  He was finding the family delightful. He was enjoying watching the antics of the three identical boys all seated around the end of the table. They were giggling and kicking one another under the table, and at times they seemed to know what the others were thinking without a word passing between them.

  He had found Lewis Winslow to be a keen-minded man and had discovered that at one time he’d had a great deal of money but had lost it all in the stock market crash in 1929. Now, however, the man seemed content, as did the rest of the family.

  Before dinner, Lewis had shown Parker pictures of all of Lewis’s children by his first wife, explaining where they were and how many children they had. Parker found himself liking Lewis Winslow very much. Lewis himself had not mentioned it, but Missouri Ann told him that Lewis had won the Medal of Honor in the Spanish-American War.

  As they ate, Lewis related the story of his courtship of Missouri Ann in a humorous way. “You see, Mr. Braden, I was out hunting, and I fell and broke my leg. This woman found me and took me home with her. She set my leg, and as soon as I was able to listen, she told me that God had sent me to be her husband and that we were going to have beautiful children.”

  Parker laughed outright at this. “What a smashing way to begin a courtship!”

  “Oh, there’s more to it than that, Mr. Braden,” Missouri Ann said quickly. “I knew that God had sent him my way, but Lewis hadn’t heard from God about me yet. So it took a while for him to come around, and when he did, I made him come a-courtin’ me proper-like, don’t you see?”

  “A very nice way to get a husband,” Parker said with a smile. “Usually it’s much more difficult to find the right spouse—man or woman.”

  Suddenly Missouri turned and looked at Parker intently. “Do you English people believe God does things like that?”

  Parker was not taken aback, for Katherine had warned him that her stepmother was very direct. “Some do, I believe.”

  “Well, I believe it,” Brodie said. He had made himself part of the family, talking much more than Parker, and now he winked across the table at Kat. “Why, I never even thought of gettin’ married myself, because I knew God was gettin’ me a bride all ready. Never was interested in another woman. Always knew I’d come back and marry you, Kat.”

  “You liar!” Kat laughed, unable to help herself. “You dated every girl in school alphabetically and never even looked at me a single time.”

  “Oh, I was just giving you time to fatten up a little. You were pretty scrawny then, you know. And I knew you’d get rid of your complexion problems later.”

  “Brodie Lee, you hush up!” Missouri Ann spoke up. “You’re makin’ fun of the ways of God.”

  “No I ain’t!” he protested.

  “Yes you are! What you need is to get saved, Brodie Lee! Washed in the blood and filled with the Holy Ghost!”

  “You might be right about that, Mrs. Winslow. I probably will one of these days.”

  “You don’t need to put it off the way things are goin’ in the world.”

  Lewis turned sober at once. “What about this fellow Hitler over in Germany, Mr. Braden?”

  “Just Parker will be fine. It’s bad news, I’m afraid. He and Mussolini have teamed up together. You can’t believe a word that Hitler says. He promises he won’t take any more territory, but he’s a liar straight out of the pit. He’s got to be stopped.”

  The talk went on about the European situation, which was sounding graver by the day. Finally Parker looked at Lewis and asked, “What do you think America will do if there is a war?”

  “It’s hard to say. My country’s slow to fight. If we’re attacked, we’ll fight, of course.”

  “Hitler would never do that. He’s evil, but he has too much sense to attack America—at least not until he’s conquered Europe. Then you can look for him to be knocking on your doorstep,” Parker said grimly.

  Brodie said, “I heard on the radio that he’s got the biggest air force in the world.”

  “That’s true, I’m afraid. Germany was forbidden to build military aircraft after the Great War, but Hitler got around it by calling aircraft by other names. He built planes and called them transports, but they’re actually bombers. German fliers in Spain are now bombing the Loyalists. They call themselves the Condor Legion. They’ve got the best combat training in the world.”

  “Did I hear Kat say that your family is in the airplane business?” Brodie asked, his eyes intent.

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “I thought your family was in cattle farming,” Lewis said.

  “We are, but that’s only one of our businesses. My father also owns an aircraft factory,” Parker explained. “We don’t build the whole aircraft, just parts. But the orders have doubled recently. I think our government has finally realized that there’s no way we can avoid this war. Sooner or later those barbaric Huns will be coming over the Channel to invade England.”

  “Tell me about those fighter planes you’re building over there,” Brodie said. “I’ve heard a little about them.”

  “Listen,” Kat interrupted, “if you’re going to talk about the war, you men go into the parlor while Mom and I clean up the dishes.”

  Lewis laughed. “When she speaks like that, we have no choice but to obey. Come to the parlor, men!”

  ****

  Kat was seething inside. “Isn’t Brodie ever going to leave?” she asked Missouri Ann as she went into the kitchen to get more coffee.

  Missouri Ann turned from the sink, a smile on her lips. “Reckon as how I’ll have to help you.” One of the triplets was tugging on her skirt asking for a drink, and she handed him a glass of water. “You go and take your fellow for a walk, Kat.”

  “Brodie will want to go with us.”

  “No he won’t. I’ll sit on him.”

  Kat laughed. She knew that when Missouri Ann Winslow said something, it would come to pass. She went back into the parlor, where Brodie was firing questions about airplanes to Parker, who answered them patiently.

  “Parker, I’d like to show you one of the new calves,” Kat said. “I know you’ve been curious about what the stock looks like.”

  “Say, I’ll go with you,” Brodie said. “I’ve been aimin’ to see that calf myself.” He started to rise, but Missouri Ann grabbed him by the back of the collar, pulled him bac
k on the couch, and then plunked down beside him. “You just sit right there, Brodie. I want to hear about this fancy airplane you fly upside down. Tell me all about it.”

  She turned to wink at Kat, who immediately left the room with Parker by her side.

  As they stepped outside, Parker said, “That fellow Lee is a rather persistent chap, isn’t he?”

  “Oh yes. It’s quite surprising, actually. I hadn’t seen him for years until he showed up at the fair.”

  “He’s quite a pilot. We need fellows like him in England, or rather, we will if the war keeps escalating.”

  “Brodie has always liked to do daring things. If there’s a war, he’ll probably find it.”

  They walked along under the full moon until they got to the barn. Kat showed him the calf, and Parker got down to examine it, commenting on how sturdy it seemed.

  As they left the barn, Kat said, “Let’s not go back inside. How would you like to see where we used to go fishing?”

  “I’d love to see it.”

  Kat led him across the field behind the house and through the woods, stopping at the river, which looked silver by the light of the moon. “It was right there,” she said. “I was such a tomboy when I was a kid. Before we moved here, we lived right in the heart of New York City, and I used to beg my dad to take me fishing in Central Park. I was always digging for worms in our gardens.”

  “It’s hard for me to imagine you on your knees digging for worms.”

  “I still love to go fishing. There’s nothing quite like fresh fried fish, straight from the river.”

  The two walked along the river, and Kat said, “Tell me about your family.”

  “Well, there’s just my parents. I’m an only child. I would have had a younger sister, but she died at birth. And then there’s Aunt Edith, who lives with us.”

  Kat sat down on a fallen tree and motioned Parker to sit beside her.

  “Aunt Edith exists for one purpose,” Parker continued. “She lives to marry me off.”

  “Why would she do that?”

  “She’s very strong on family. She wants to keep the title until it passes on down to infinity to the end of the world, I suppose.”