Authors: A Place Called Rainwater
Dorothy Garlock
This book is a work of historical fiction. In order to give a sense of the times, some names or real people or places have been included in the book. However, the events depicted in this book are imaginary, and the names of nonhistorical persons or events are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance of such nonhistorical persons or events to actual ones is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2003 by Dorothy Garlock
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.
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First eBook Edition: May 2003
ISBN: 978-0-446-54893-9
Contents
“Garlock [is] noted for her grit-between-the-toes feel for time and place…plenty of period detail and an earthy portrayal of small-town life.”
—Minneapolis Star
ACCLAIM FOR THE NOVELS OF DOROTHY GARLOCK
HIGH ON A HILL
“A powerful and rewarding story.”
—Rendezvous
“Poignant …Ms. Garlock remains true to form with heartwarming stories, sympathetic, believable characters, and an easy-to-read plot.”
—Romanceatitsbest.com
THE EDGE OF TOWN
“The Edge of Town
is a heart-stirring love story spiced with suspense…. This is a gift from a writer whose books keep giving long after the last page…. It's impossible to choose a favorite character. I fell in love with them all, and relished every word of their heartwarming story.”
—Sandra Brown
“An exciting historical romance …a luscious Americana novel …another treat from a delightful talent.”
—Bookreview.com
“Charming story …sprightly dialogue and convincing depiction of farm life.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Americana at its best.”
—Booklist
MORE THAN MEMORY
“With her inimitable writing style, Ms. Garlock combines a tender, poignant love story with a bit of nostalgia for the rock-and-roll era of the 1950s.”
—Romantic Times
AFTER THE PARADE
“Garlock, as always, writes a sterling story with characters you want to hear about.”
—Southern Pines Pilot
(NC)
“[A] touching story of two people at cross purposes who struggle to save their marriage and get on with their lives after the Second World War.”
—Romantic Times
“The story oozes with danger and intrigue. Ms. Garlock keeps the reader rooting for the lovers…. A wonderful ending to a terrific series.”
—Rendezvous
“Fast-paced, poignant…. No one brings home small-town America in a more picturesque manner than bestselling author Dorothy Garlock.”
—Under the Covers Book Reviews
“A compelling relationship drama…. The characters are well crafted…. A refreshing tale.”
—Affaire de Coeur
WITH HEART
“Another winner! …Unique touches and continuous surprises that keep the reader enthralled and turning the pages….
With Heart
is a testament to the human spirit.”
—Bookbug on the Web
“Four stars! …Combines murder and corruption with a sweet, tender love story and compelling secondary characters.”
—Romantic Times
WITH HOPE
“A warm and satisfying love story …Garlock launches a promising trilogy of novels set during the Great Depression…. This difficult, dynamic time comes alive in her hands. Always likable characters drive the plot of this vividly depicted romance.”
—Library Journal
“Garlock tackles Depression-era Oklahoma with wit, freshness, and memorable characterization.”
—Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
WITH SONG
“Author Dorothy Garlock brings alive the 1930s era …in
With Song….
Garlock writes with an uncanny ear, and bravo to her for bringing forth this uplifting love story from a dark and dusty time.”
—BookPage
“This is an excellent book filled with many plot twists and turns, and plenty of secondary characters. I can hardly wait for the next book in the series! ”
—Interludes
BOOKS BY DOROTHY GARLOCK
After the Parade
A Gentle Giving
Almost Eden
Annie Lash
Dream River
The Edge of Town
Forever Victoria
Glorious Dawn
High On A Hill
Homeplace
Larkspur
The Listening Sky
Lonesome River
Love and Cherish
>Midnight Blue
More than Memory
Nightrose
Restless Wind
Ribbon in the Sky
River of Tomorrow
The Searching Hearts
Sins of Summer
Sweetwater
Tenderness
This Loving Land
Wayward Wind
Wild Sweet Wilderness
Wind of Promise
With Heart
With Hope
With Song
Yesteryear
FOR THE MIX FAMILY OF NORTHWOOD:
AMOS, karate champion LORAINE, exceptional mother and music teacher JACOB and LOGAN, who make life a joy for Grandma — but only for a half day at a time
Thad's Song
I'll sing you a song 'bout my sassy girl
If I can remember the tune.
She's little but mighty — a diamond, a pearl,
And I'm goin 'to marry her soon.
In this oil boomtown she's made a mark.
Runs the hotel her auntie began,
But there's danger for her where the streets are dark.
Out there waits a murderin 'man.
Is he the attorney who harbors a grudge
Or the rich man who owns half the town
Or someone who works in the oil and the sludge?
I must, for her sake, track him down.
Oh, Jilly Justine, I'll watch over you
Whether you like it or not.
Whatever hazards I have to fight through
With all the strength that I've got.
Oh, Jilly Justine, I'll be faithful to you,
Though you may say that I tease.
You can taunt me and doubt me; I will be true.
To my heart only you hold the keys.
—F.S.I.
Jefferson City, Missouri, 1903
G
ET OUT, YOU WORTHLESS SLUT!
“Please. Please let me stay. I'll work hard. I'll do anything — ”
The young girl dropped to her knees and clasped the old man so tightly around his skinny legs that he stumbled backward. After grabbing the back of a chair to regain his balance, he lashed out with a large, bony hand. He slapped the girl with such force that she fell to the floor and lay there sobbing.
“Don't you dare touch me, you …goddamn bitch! I mollycoddled you for months while you carried that wretched creature. You had new shoes and dresses, a coat and scented soap. I put food in your mouth and allowed you to loll in bed until an hour past daylight. You never did another tub of washing after you
took.
When I look at what you've given me in return, I want to kill you.”
“I…didn't do …anything to cause it. Can't you understand that? ”
“Are you saying it's my fault that that brat came into the world with the mark of the devil on it? ”He reached down and grabbed a handful of rich auburn hair and turned the girl's tear-wet face to his. “I had to plow you for months before your trashy puss could generate enough heat to fertilize my seed.” He threw her head from him. It hit a table leg with a loud crack. “All this time wasted … for a flawed brat I'll be ashamed to show in public.”
“Judge, these things happen in the best of families. Only God knows why.” The doctor reached down and helped the girl to her feet.
“I've not heard of it and I've been on the bench twenty years. You told me that birthmark would go away. It's been a month, and if anything it's …redder.”
“I thought it probably would fade, Judge. I've not seen anything like it before. I've written to dozens of other doctors around the country, and they all tell me that it can't be removed. The baby would bleed to death.”
“It would be a blessing! It's the mark of the devil.” The judge looked at the young girl as if he'd like to cut her heart out. “I should have her locked up in a place where she'd never see the light of day again.”
“I can't go along with you having her locked up, Judge, ”the doctor said firmly. “You can't place the fault with her. What happened is a freak of nature. Some babies are born simpletons with big heads, crooked spines or deformed legs. This child has a different deformity, but it doesn't mean that he won't be bright.”
“All I wanted from the bitch was a son. Look what I got! One that's marked for all the world to see.” The judge's angry voice could be heard from the attic to the cellar of the large mansion on the south side of Jefferson City. The cook in the kitchen and the maid scrubbing the back stairway shuddered at the thought of being on the receiving end of his wrath.
“I'll take him away, sir. You won't have to see me or my baby ever again. No one will know who fathered him.”
“Are you mad? That scrap in there, sorry as it is, has my blood. It's probably the only offspring I'll ever have. I'd see it dead before I'd give it to you. It'll not be raised to be a weakling. It's got the devil in it, and I'll see to it that it torments you for the rest of your life.”
Courage she didn't know she had bubbled up in the young girl. She lunged at him with balled fists and would have hit him if the doctor hadn't grabbed her arm. Angry unguarded words spewed from her mouth.
“He's not got the devil in him. You have! ”she shouted. “He's a helpless little baby, not an
it.
I'll take him far from here. You can find some other fifteen-year-old girl to suffer your disgusting pawing and slobbering and …rape when you can get that puny
thing
that dangles between your legs hard enough.”
“Shut your lying mouth! ”The judge's voice was equally loud. He trembled with anger. Stooped and gaunt, with sparse gray hair and dried skin that stretched across his bony face, he looked every one of his sixty years. Saliva ran from the corner of his mouth.
“I want the doctor to know that the second week I came to work here you grabbed me by the hair, pushed me up the stairs to your room, locked the door and whipped me with your belt until I took off my clothes. You said if I didn't spread my legs for you, I'd go back to jail and rot there.”
Bolstered by the doctor's presence, and with the heart-breaking knowledge that she was going to have to leave her baby behind, the hatred she had kept bottled up came boiling out. At their first meeting, the judge had seemed to take pity on her when she had been falsely accused of lifting a purse. Later, he had held that accusation over her head throughout the months he had pleasured himself on her young body in an attempt to impregnate her.
