Dorothy Garlock (30 page)

“I have my reasons. Wait until Mrs. Cole comes before you go upstairs to make the beds if I'm not here. Even if I am here, the two of you stay together.”

“Let go of my arm, Thad.”

“Starting tomorrow, Joe and Blue will be working on the pipeline. We drew straws to see which one of us would stay here this week. We've set it up with the boss to take turns as long as two are working at one time.”

“Let me guess, ”she said irritably. “You were the lucky one.”

“I thought so at first. Now I'm not so sure. What's got your back up? Surely it wasn't because I kissed you. You didn't seem to mind at the time. Remember telling me that you'd been kissed many times? ”

“And it's true, I have. Let me go, Thad. I can't stop my work each and every time you get bored and want to indulge in a little flirtation.”

“For the past couple of days you've treated me like I'm the skunk at the picnic. I don't like it, Jill. The only time I see you is at mealtime, and you act like I don't exist. Did you hate what we did on the back porch so much that you can't even look at me? ”

“You flatter yourself, Thad.” Jill rolled her eyes toward the ceiling and hoped that her nonchalant attitude was convincing. “I'll admit that you're good at bowling a girl over. But why wouldn't you be, with the practice you've had? Now let go of me so I can get the beds made.”

A sound like a growl came from his throat. “I ought to … shake you.”

“I'm not surprised that you'd try that. It must be a blow to your pride to find a girl who isn't impressed with your sweet words and flirty ways.”

Jill looked up into the cold ruthlessness of Thad's green eyes and realized that she had provoked him into a towering rage. She attempted to take a step back, but his hands on her upper arms held her as if she were stuck to the floor. His unblinking green eyes on her face chilled her blood.

“Be careful what you say, Jill. It may come back to bite you.” His soft, velvety voice was as threatening as if he'd shouted. “You want me … maybe not as much as I want you right now, but you will. You know you're my girl. You liked what we did on the porch. You're just too stubborn to admit it.”

When he advanced a step, she retreated a step and suddenly her back was to the wall. He loomed over her. He released her arms and when she sidled sideways, his hands shot out and flattened against the wall on either side of her shoulders, imprisoning her within his arms.

“Stand still.” He pushed the towels aside when she tried to use them as a wedge between them. “Now tell me, little wildcat. What put the burr under your tail? ”He spoke the words very precisely, leaning so close that his nose was almost touching hers. His shoulders and chest were like another wall in front of her.

“I shouldn't have let you kiss me. I thought it was fun, but you're taking it too seriously.” Jill was proud of herself for being able to speak calmly even though her heart was about to jump out of her chest.

“Fun, huh? ”His eyes widened with fury; dark color ran up his neck to his face. “You think kissing me was just…fun? ”

“Of course. You thought so, too, or you wouldn't have been so persistent.”

“If you think kissing me was
fun,
wait until I get you in bed. I'll make you crazy for me.” He bent his head and moved his mouth warmly against her.

“Don't.” She turned her head to avoid his lips. “I don't appreciate such …talk.” Words stuck in her throat, but she managed to say, “It…will never happen! ”

“It will happen, sweetheart. I'd bet my life on it.” He removed a hand from the wall and, with his palm resting lightly against the peak of her breast, moved it in a circling motion against her nipple. Instantly it was a hard little knot rolling against his palm. He smiled down into her eyes. “See how easy it is to make you want me? ”

“Let me go, Thad, or I'll yell for Radna.”

“No, you won't. You know it would upset your aunt, and besides, Radna went uptown for a minute. That's why I was with Justine.” A chuckle came from deep in his chest. His eyes were like shiny green pools. He continued to rub his palm over her hard nipple. “You can protest all you want, sweetheart, but you want me. I can feel the evidence under my palm.” He bent his head slightly and kissed her nose.

Her face was fiery red. She grabbed his wrist and tried to push his hand away. Her strength was nothing against his. She looked helplessly up at him. Her eyes widened and filled with tears.

“Don't, ”she whispered. “Please — ”

Thad's grin faded the instant he saw the tears.

“Ah…damn, honey. Don't cry, please. I'm sorry. You just make me …crazy.”

As soon as Thad's hand fell away from her, Jill bent and swooped up the towels and ran down the hall to the stairs.

“Jill, sweetheart — ”

Praying that he wouldn't come after her, Jill hurried up the stairs and into the lavatory room after flipping the sign to OCCUPIED. She closed and latched the door, then sank down on the toilet seat. She covered her face with her hands and groaned in mortification. Her nerves were jangling and she was physically shaking.

Thad cared no more for her than he did a common slut or he'd not have touched her the way he had or said hateful things. Joe said he was used to getting any girl he wanted. He was irritated because she wasn't falling in line.

When she thought her legs would support her, she got up, went to the basin and splashed water on her face. She had to talk to Joe, but how could she tell him about Thad flirting with her without letting him know how gullible she had been and how miserable she was now?

During the noon meal, Blue announced that he wanted the car for the afternoon.

“There's something out on the prairie I want to show Miss Radna.”

Radna looked up and fixed Blue with a cold stare.

“I'm not going anywhere with you, Randolph. I'm going to pick beans this afternoon. Thad'll be here to keep an eye on Justine and on Jill, too, if I'm not mistaken.”

“You can pick beans after we get back. Pass the butter.”

“Listen, you pigheaded Indian, I'm not going anywhere with you. Rose Evans said they had more beans than they could use and that I could pick all I wanted. I'm doing it this afternoon.”

“Eat your dinner. Joe said he'd feed Mrs. Byers and wash up the dishes, ”Blue said without looking up from his plate.

“When did I say …that? Ouch. You kicked me.” Joe reached under the table to rub his leg. “Julie cooked fresh green beans and cornbread when we were back home on the farm. She'd cook them with bacon or salt pork.”

“And put new potatoes in with them, ”Thad added. “You may as well give up, Radna. Blue probably wants to show you the Kickapoo camp where as a boy he had a white buffalo for a pet.”

“Do you drive, Radna? No? ”Joe winked at Thad. “Well, drive anyway. If you've never been behind the wheel, you'll still be a better driver than Blue.”

“Remember the time, Joe, when Blue took a shortcut through the farmer's yard and scattered a flock of geese? Feathers flew. The farmer cussed. We yelled for Blue to stop. He did … but only because the farmer's daughter was taking a bath in the horse tank.”

“Yeah. She was buck-naked.”

“And so ugly she'da stopped a freight train, ”Blue added. “I thought he'd just sheared a nanny goat and was washing her off.”

Radna looked from one to the other, rolled her eyes, shook her head and got up to put food on a plate.

“I'll feed Justine. One of you go relieve Jill so she can come eat.”

Thad looked pointedly at Joe. Joe tried to ignore him, then sighed and got up from the table.

“I'll do it, or I'll never hear the last of it, ”he muttered and followed Radna out of the kitchen.

“Don't you have something to do? ”Thad asked Blue.

“No. I want to stay and hear you try to sweet-talk the young lady out of being mad at you.”

“Go fix the car or something. If you're taking Radna in it, you'd better get rid of that dirty magazine.”

“I doubt there's anything in it she's not seen before. I want to stay and hear what you've got to say to Jill. I might learn a few cuss words.”

“Dammit, Blue. I swear that someday I'm going to knock your block off.”

“You're always saying that. I'm ashamed of you. You'd hurt me, after all the times I've pulled your tail out of the fire? That's gratitude for you.” Jill came into the room. Blue picked up a biscuit and got to his feet. “I'd better get out while I can.”

“You don't need to leave on my account, Blue. I won't be here but a few minutes.”

“If I don't go, Thad will knock my block off.” Blue let the screen door slam behind him. He sat down on the edge of the porch and called to Fertile.

Jill filled her plate without looking in Thad's direction. While she was chipping ice for her tea, Thad came up silently behind her. She didn't know he was there until she felt his hands on her shoulders.

“I'm sorry I made you cry. You believe me, don't you? I was just so damn mad and frustrated, I acted the fool.”

“Think nothing of it. Worrying over Aunt Justine causes me to cry easily these days.” Jill tried to shrug his hands from her shoulders. For a full two minutes it seemed she couldn't breathe. There wasn't enough room in her chest. She wanted to appear nonchalant, unaffected. Actually her bones had turned to jelly and her muscles to mush. “It's all right. Honest. Forget it. I have.”

Jill moved out from under his hands, buttered a biscuit and placed it alongside the helping of okra, cooked with tomatoes and onions. Since coming to Oklahoma she'd acquired a taste for it and black-eyed peas.

“I'll take my plate back to the front counter — ”

“Joe's out there. Sit in here with me.”

“Laura and her mother went home for dinner. She'll be back soon to take the wash off the lines.”

“What has Laura coming back got to do with me? ”

Jill filled her glass with tea from the pitcher and placed a fork on her plate. She picked up the plate and the glass before she turned to look at him.

“You can amuse yourself by flirting with her. Laura should present a real challenge. Every man in town has been after her. You could be the lucky one.”

Thad didn't say anything for a long moment. His green eyes held hers. Was it hurt she saw there in the instant before he grinned?

“You're right, little sis. I could strike paydirt with Laura. She's a very nice girl and pretty, too.”

“Yes, she is. Good luck.”

“Go on out to the front desk and tell Joe to get back here and help me with the dishes. Then I'll see if I can give Laura a hand.”

Jill's knees were shaking and her heart pounding as if she had run five miles. She walked carefully back down the hallway to the lobby, trying to hold her dinner plate steady. Skeeter Ridge leaned on the counter talking to Joe.

Jill ignored Skeeter and placed her plate on a table behind the screen.

“Why didn't you eat in the kitchen? ”Joe asked when she came to stand beside him.

“I was told to tell you to come back and help clean up, ”she said. “Aunt Justine is having her dinner, ”she added to Skeeter. She had never overcome her dislike for him. He came almost every day to visit her aunt.

“I'll wait.”

“It might be a long wait, ”Jill said irritably.

“Don't matter. I ain't got nothin 'else to do.”

“That's obvious.”

“Go on back there and eat, ”Joe said when Skeeter ambled away to sit in a chair beside the window. “Maybe it'll sweeten your temper a bit.”

“There's nothing wrong with my temper.”

“You've been like a bear with a sore tail for several days. I thought you and Thad had something going.”

“You thought wrong, ”she snapped. “I've more pride than to be one of a herd of women running after him. He can go jump in the lake as far as I'm concerned.”

Joe laughed. “Sis, do you know how far he'd have to go to find a lake? ”

“It couldn't be far enough to suit me.”

She went behind the screen, sank down on the couch and automatically began eating but not tasting what she put in her mouth. What was she going to do? Oh, Lord, if she could just get away for a little while, walk out somewhere by herself where she could think.

When she went back to the front desk, Skeeter was walking down the hallway toward Justine's room.

“What does Aunt Justine see in him? ”

“They are old friends. Skeeter said he knew her husband.”

“More than likely, he's trying to get a handout.”

“I don't think so. He seems really concerned for her.”

“Well, I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him.”

Joe studied her set profile. “You're getting cynical, Sis.”

“This place is wearing me down.” She looked at him and tears sprang into her eyes. “I want to go home, Joe.”

“Ah, honey. I know. I can tell.” He put his arms around her and she leaned her face against his shirt. “If you think you can't stick it out, I'll put you on the train. Thad and I will stay here until…the end.”

“Oh, no! ”she said quickly. “I'll not leave Aunt Justine. I just get down in the dumps sometimes.”

“There's not much here in the way of entertainment. Why don't you get Thad to take you for a drive around the countryside? There are some big ranches out there on the prairie.”

“I'll not go anywhere with that big …windbag.”

“Whoa. You two have a fight? ”Joe asked, knowing that it was obvious they had. His blond head was bent over hers; his arms were around her, rocking her gently.

“No. I just — ”

“Hello. What do we have here? ”Lloyd Madison had come in and neither one of them had noticed. “Is big brother wiping away little sister's tears, or is it a…lovers 'quarrel? ”

Joe's arms dropped from around Jill and he turned. His cold eyes honed in on Lloyd's grinning face.

“What do you mean by that? ”Joe spoke softly, but the muted fury in his voice came through loud and clear.

“Taylor led me to think she belonged to him. Are the two of you sharing her? ”

“She's my sister! You'd better watch your goddamn mouth, or you'll be carrying your ass in a sling.” Joe was so angry, his voice was raspy.

“You can say she's your sister, your aunt or your mother if it makes you happy.” Lloyd held his hands up, palms out, in a gesture of surrender and backed away, laughing. “Some folks in this town wouldn't understand it, but I've been around a bit more than most.”