Jessie (19 page)

“Good morning, Hannah,” Seth said, not sure if her question was directed at the moment or his being there at all.

“Does Mama know you're back there?” Hannah persisted.

“She does. She's working on the books this morning.”

“Do you know how to work with the mail?” Hannah asked, coming close enough to climb onto the counter and stare up at him.

“I do. I used to work here a lot.”

“I didn't know that,” Hannah said, sounding a bit suspicious and a lot like her mother.

“Do you help out around the store?” Seth asked, hoping to change the direction of the conversation.

“All the time.”

“That's great. Does Clancy help too?”

“She dusts.”

“I'm glad to hear you girls are so helpful.”

“When did you work here?” Hannah asked, now sounding like the child she was.

“A long time ago, when your mother and I first met.”

“Mama's parents owned the store,” Hannah said.

“I remember her telling me about them.”

“You didn't know Grandma and Grandpa Wheeler?”

“I'm sorry to say I didn't. I think your Grandpa Wheeler had been dead only about a year when I met your mom.”

“Where did you meet her?”

“Right here at the store. She gave me a job.”

Seth was certain that Hannah's questions would have continued for the next hour, but a woman came in and Seth was given the excuse to leave his daughter so he could wait on her. He wasn't afraid to tell Hannah the details she wanted to know, but he thought such questions should be asked in front of her mother. Seth knew that Jessie was suspicious of him as it was. He had no intentions of doing anything behind her back or giving her any worry on that account.

In fact, just as soon as he had a chance, he darted into the storeroom to talk to her.

“Some of the questions I expected the girls to ask me yesterday came pouring out of Hannah this morning. She wanted to know how we met and if I'd known your parents.”

“Is that a problem?” Jessie asked, not sure what she was missing.

“I don't mind telling her any of it, but I wanted you to know that we'd talked some more.”

Jessie nodded with understanding, and in her heart she really did appreciate his coming to her, but he need not have worried.

“Actually, as I was falling asleep last night I wished I had warned you. That's how they are sometimes. Give them a few days to think on something, and you won't hear the end of it for a while.”

“Do you want me to wait until we're together to tell them things?”

Before he could say anything else, Clancy found them.

“Hey, Seth,” she started without preamble. “Hannah says you sorted mail.”

“I did, yes. Did I do a good job?”

Clancy did not take the red herring. She questioned Seth until she was sure he was right for the job and then went on her way. Not until Clancy moved off did Seth notice Jessie's face.

“You're enjoying this,” he accused.

Jessie tried to look innocent, but Seth could see right through it. He might have had something more to say to her on the topic, but someone was calling from out front.

Jessie didn't allow a full-blown, satisfied smile to stretch her mouth until after he'd left the storeroom.

Seth didn't know when he'd been so tired. There had been no break all morning. If it wasn't a customer, it was one of his daughters asking questions or telling him how to do something. At one point Seth was ready to snap and ask the girls to leave him alone, but then he caught himself. He was going to have to tell Jessie that he needed a dinner break soon, but for the moment he chose to calm down and think about why he'd come back.

Not long after he'd trusted in Christ, Cassy had written to him about a verse in the first chapter of Luke. He'd not committed it to memory, but he recalled that it said something about turning the hearts of fathers to their children. He didn't know why, but it seemed that men often deserted their children. His father had certainly not stayed around to know him.

Now on the job so many months later, Seth remembered Cassy's letter and the verse and began to enjoy the interrogation of his daughters. That they might not always be respectful was becoming very clear to him, but it was not the first issue that had to be covered. Their love and trust for him was.

“Are you going to dust up there?” Clancy asked. She'd come upon Seth when he was next to a section of very tall shelves. “It's high for Mama.”

“I'll tell you what,” Seth suggested. “Why don't you run get the feather duster, and I'll lift you up so you can dust it.”

Clancy's eyes got huge before she ran to find the duster. Seth was not surprised when she was back in little time, looking up at him expectantly.

“Ready?” Seth asked, looking down into her face with a sensation in his heart he'd not felt before.

“Ready!”

“All right,” Seth said, swinging her up onto his arm. “I'm going to set you on my shoulder. If your arm can't reach, I'll lift you higher.”

Clancy nodded, breathless with more than just running for the duster.

No small amount of dust came down into their faces, but they were a good team. With Clancy feeling as light as thistledown, Seth simply walked slowly in front of the shelf while she sat comfortably on his shoulder, her arm doing all the work.

“How's it look?” Seth asked at one point, only to hear Hannah come up behind him.

“When you're done there, you should probably sweep the front walk. Mama does that every day.”

“What now?”

Hannah and Seth—Clancy still perched on his shoulder—turned to find that Jessie had come into the aisle. She was not looking at all pleased, and Seth quickly but carefully lowered Clancy to the floor.

“Have they been giving you orders?” Jessie asked of the man before her.

Seth looked uncomfortable and was working on a delicate way of saying yes when Jessie speared her daughters with her eyes.

“Have you been giving Seth orders?”

Both girls nodded, guilt written all over them.

“That will end right now,” Jessie said in a voice only a fool would argue with. “You are not Seth's boss. If I want something done, I will ask Seth. You are not to boss him around ever again. Do I make myself clear?”

Both small blonde heads bobbed.

“Now apologize to him and remember what I said.”

“I'm sorry” came from Clancy and was immediately echoed by Hannah.

“Thank you, girls,” Seth barely got out before Jessie spoke again.

“Go upstairs and start working on dinner. Make butter and jam sandwiches. The bread is cut and ready.”

Jessie watched them obey and then turned back to Seth.

“Has that been going on all morning?”

“It was my idea to put Clancy on my shoulder,” Seth said, not trying to protect the girls if they needed correcting but wanting Jessie to have a full picture.

Jessie stared at him, something occurring to her for the first time. He was afraid to make a wrong move. She had told him there would be no third chance, and he was obviously willing to put up with anything in order to be a part of their lives. This should have given her great satisfaction, but it didn't. She should have wanted to make his life miserable, but it wasn't in her.

“I'm going to go check on the girls,” Jessie said. “I'll bring you some lunch.”

“You don't have to feed me, Jessie. I can stop over at the hotel.”

“I don't mind,” Jessie said, and for a moment they looked at each other. “I just realized,” Jessie continued after a few seconds, “I forgot to pay you on Saturday night.”

Seth looked dreadfully uncomfortable with this, but he knew he was going to have to pay rent as soon as he found a place of his own to live. He had savings he'd just put into the bank in town, but he also had plans for that savings, and those did not include using it for monthly living expenses.

“I'll just cover last Saturday at the end of this week if that's all right,” Jessie said. Seth nodded. More regret knifed through him, and he was not able to look at her for the moment. A customer came in, and Seth went to the front counter, using him as an excuse to walk away from his wife.

“How are you doing, Jeb?” Rylan asked. Jeb was sitting in his living room near an open window, his ankle propped up on a pillow.

“Not bad. It only throbs now, and Doc Ertz says that will lessen in a short time.”

“It looks like he got everything back into place,” Rylan said, coming close to look at but not touch the wrapping.

“I think so. It would be nice to have it work normally when all is said and done. Tell me, Rylan,” Jeb suddenly said, “what's going on with Jessie and Seth?”

“Were you surprised to see him?” Rylan asked, smiling a little.

“I could hardly believe it. Do you know how long it's been?”

“He told me eight years.”

“How did it go with him and Jessie?”

“Good. She let him meet the girls, and he's working there right now.”

“Patience was going to stop in to check on Jessie while she ran errands, but she's not back yet.”

“They're coming to supper with us tomorrow night.”

Jeb looked thoughtful for a few seconds. He was concerned about his cousin, but he also wanted to talk to Seth. Much as he trusted Rylan, Rylan didn't know Seth like he did.

“I want Seth to come to supper tonight. Do you know if he has plans?”

“I don't know, but I can swing over there and mention it to him.”

“I would appreciate it, Rylan. I feel I need to talk to him. I didn't talk to him as much as I should have while he was still living here, and I've regretted that for a long time.”

“I'll tell him.”

“You might run into Patience, but let me tell her what I have in mind.”

“Certainly.”

Jeb nodded in satisfaction, reached for his Bible, and said, “I'm ready for my private sermon now.”

Rylan laughed but also opened his Bible, ready to tell Jeb what he'd missed on Sunday.

It was Seth's turn in the storeroom, this time to eat lunch. Jessie had brought him a plate some ten minutes past, and he'd taken her place at the worktable in the back room of the store. The account books were still open and waiting for her, but Seth didn't look at them. He was curious as to how she was doing financially and knew her system from when they'd first been married, but he would never have presumed a welcome to that information.

Seth was still deep in thought when he realized he was being watched. Hannah had come to the edge of a tall shelf and stood staring at him. He'd not seen the girls since their mother had sent them upstairs and knew why she was hesitating. Seth had no such qualms.

“Hi, Hannah,” he greeted her. “Did you eat dinner?”

That little girl nodded and came forward.

“Was it good?”

Again the nod, but Hannah was still silent.