“But c’n we count on it holdin’?” Josh demanded.

“Reckon I don’t rightly know,” Jinny admitted. A gust of autumn breeze swirled leaves between them, and sent a chill down Anna’s back. But it was a perfectly natural chill, and not a premonition, so she joined them.

“Yore Granpappy said her word was good,” Anna pointed out, even though she had not been invited into this particular conversation. “Reckon he’d know.”

Josh cast her a glance that said, And that there is a tale I need to know, how you come to know this. But he said nothing other than, “Wall, I aim t’make sure we don’t have ter depend on thet. I don’t reckon ter wait t’git married. My Ma and Pa are all right with thet. Pa’s gonna go on down ter Ducktown termorrow, an’ I’m a-goin’ with him. We’re a-gonna git the license an’ talk t’ all the preachers an’ th’ Justice a’ th’ Peace, an’ the fust one thet c’n come on up here’ll marry us. I tol’ Pa ’bout yore Ma’s debt,” he continued, looking at Anna, “and he reckoned we better git married now, an’ worry ’bout what happens iffen th’ bailiffs git here.”

Anna gaped at him. She never, ever would have expected Matt Holcroft to urge such a thing—she would have thought for certain that once he learned of the looming debt, he’d have urged Josh to break the engagement off.

“There’s somethin’ t’ be said fer thet,” Aunt Jinny agreed. She glanced at Anna. “It ain’t a-gonna be no church weddin’. But thet purdy pink with th’ white roses is purt near done, an’ we c’n finish it iffen we both work on it ternight, an’ thet’ll do fer gettin’ married in. They’s still some roses out in Maddie’s garden, an’ I reckon we c’n fit ev’body inter her parlor.”

She turned to Josh with a smirk. “I ’spect yore figgerin’ on movin’ in up here with me?”

Josh looked at his hands, awkwardly. “Wall . . . yes’m . . .”

“Good,” Aunt Jinny said. “’Bout time I had a pair o’ strong hands t’chop my wood!”

Josh blushed and mumbled his thanks.

“Now, jest one more thang. When y’all go inter Ducktown termorrow, I want y’all t’ go by Billie McDaran’s house, an’ leave a note fer me.” Aunt Jinny went into the cabin, leaving both Anna and Josh standing on the porch exchanging puzzled looks, and came back out again with a piece of torn-off brown wrapping paper that she handed to Josh. He looked at it.

“C’n I read it?” he asked.

“Go on ahead. An’ don’t show it to no one but McDaran’s wimmin, not even yore Pa,” Jinny ordered.

Josh read the note aloud. “Yor no-account master com to a bad end. If I was u I would pak wut I cud carry an run.”

“Oh!” Anna felt her eyes widen when she realized what Jinny intended. “Yore warnin’ them t’ take what they c’n an’ run afore the Company figgers out Billie ain’t a-comin’ back!”