Jessie (5 page)

Jessie thanked Seth from her place by the stove but didn't turn to face him. She had let him in the storeroom door and led the way upstairs but, suddenly nervous, had gone back to cooking as soon as she could. She had never had a man in her rooms. She didn't know where the boldness had come from to invite him, and now that he was there, she was at loose ends.

“Be careful,” Seth said, suddenly near enough to see that she had just about burned herself.

Jessie pulled her hand back and looked as uncomfortable as she felt.

“Are you sorry you invited me?”

Jessie turned to him, ready to deny it, but was honest instead.

“I don't usually do this.”

“Do what?”

“Invite men for dinner.”

“Well,” Seth said slowly. He certainly hoped this evening would lead to much more, but he didn't like seeing her upset. “You have to eat supper, and I took you at your word that it was a supper invitation, and that's all I'm here for.”

Jessie stared at him.

“You did make enough, didn't you?” Seth asked, doing well at looking stern without meaning it.

“Yes,” Jessie said, a grudging smile coming to her lips.

“Is it ready?”

“Just about.”

“Well, hurry it along. I'm half-starved.”

His teasing relaxed her. Jessie finished the meal, and they were sitting down to eat just ten minutes later. Jessie waited for Seth to taste it, trying not to be obvious, but looking very pleased when he filled his fork, tasted it, and then chewed very slowly.

“This is good,” he said at last.

“Thank you.”

“Are there things you can't do?” Seth suddenly asked.

“Many, I can assure you.”

“Such as?”

Jessie only shook her head at him and didn't try to answer. Seth ate for a time but found that his questions would not remain inside.

“So what happens now?”

“About what?”

“About you? Do you keep running the store forever on your own?”

“I hadn't thought about it,” Jessie admitted with a small shrug. “It's all I've ever known.”

“Do you wish for change?”

“For some things, but not in leaving the store.”

“What type of changes do you want?”

“It would be nice to have a house. Living and working in the same place gets old.”

“Where would you build?”

“Someplace close, so when the weather changes I don't have far to go.” Jessie stopped and smiled. “I guess that's the one advantage to working and living in the same place. I don't have to go out into the cold to get to work.”

Seth smiled at her smile and went back to eating.

“So who did you leave in Kingdon?” Jessie asked.

“No one. My mother lived there for a long time, but she met someone and moved on.”

“Why didn't you go with them?”

“I wasn't invited.”

“Where is your father?”

“I don't know. I've never known him. My mother's last name is Handley; Eliot's is McDermott; and mine is Redding. We're not what anyone would call settled.”

“When was the last time you saw your brother?”

“It's been awhile. He visited two houses ago.”

Jessie digested this a moment before commenting, “It sounds like you've moved around quite a bit.”

“Not too far from Kingdon. Most of our places were in that area.”

“Where all have you worked?”

“I've done some mining, something I
don't
plan to do again. I worked on a ranch for about five years, but other than a beef dinner every night, it wasn't a life I enjoyed. I've worked in plenty of saloons and a mercantile too.”

“What was your favorite?”

“You won't believe me if I tell you.”

“Try me.”

“The general store.”

Jessie's mouth opened for a moment, but then doubts flooded in. Was he just saying that to be charming?

“I knew you wouldn't believe me.”

“I didn't say that.”

“You didn't have to.”

Jessie went back to her meal, but she couldn't quite stop the small smile that turned up the corners of her mouth. She made herself not look at him, but suddenly every part of her being was glad she had invited him.

When the meal ended and they talked for a little while and he took his leave without once hinting for more, Jessie was glad again. Indeed, she had to do everything in her power to hold her heart in check.

“Is that you, Seth?” Pastor English asked when he heard the front door.

“Yes, sir.”

“How was your day?” the older man asked, coming from the kitchen with a dishtowel in his hand. “I've got some stew here if you're hungry.”

“I've eaten, but thank you. How did your pie social go?” Seth remembered to ask.

“It was fine. Most everyone sent an extra piece home with me, so if you've a hankering for pie, just name the type.”

Seth laughed, but in truth pie sounded good. He chose a piece of peach crumble, and Pastor English took mince.

“How is Jessie today?” the pastor asked, assuming that's where Seth had been.

“Very well. She just fed me chicken and dumplings.”

“I've heard she's a very good cook.”

“She seems to be good at everything,” Seth said.

“She certainly knows her way around that store, but then I guess that's to be expected.”

“Have you lived here long, Pastor English?” Seth asked.

“I have. I've known Jessie since she was a girl.”

There was no threat in the words, but Seth was reminded that even though Jessie lived alone, she was not alone in this town. Seth had no plans to dabble with her heart or do anything that they both didn't agree on, but this gave him pause.

The conversation ranged to a few other topics before they turned in. Pastor English mentioned what he was studying for his sermon, but Seth only half-attended. As with the rest of his waking moments since arriving in Token Creek, his mind was on Jessie.

Tuesday rolled to an end, and Jessie knew what she had to do. It was hard, but she reminded herself that she had a business to run and that was the bottom line. She watched Seth lock the front door, and the moment he turned to her, she spoke.

“I've had you do everything in the back, Seth. Unless you want to learn the workings of the store or do some painting, I don't have more work for you.”

“You would teach me how to run the store?” Seth asked.

“If you're interested.”

“As a matter of fact, I am, but just last night Pastor English mentioned some work he hoped to get done around the church and the parsonage. He won't let me give him anything for staying there, so I want to lend him a hand. He also said he'd heard that workers are needed and they're paying well at the foundry. I thought I might check into that.”

“Fair enough,” Jessie forced herself to say, not wanting him to know that she wished he would just stay at the mercantile. “I'll settle with you tonight, and you can come back if you want.”

“You don't need to settle with me now,” Seth said, but Jessie was already headed to the cash register. She returned with the currency in her hands, but Seth did not reach for it.

“I'll be back,” he said.

“But if you don't make it…” Jessie began, but stopped when Seth shook his head.

“I'll be back.”

“Seth.” Jessie began to look impatient. “You probably won't be back this week, and that way we'll be settled.”

“I'll be back this week,” he said, watching her.

Jessie's look told him she was not happy, but Seth still did not reach for the money.

“You like to have your own way, Jessie Wheeler. You know that, don't you?”

Jessie's mouth opened in surprise. She had never seen herself that way, but it was the very thing her mother used to say about her father. The memory was not a happy one, and soon the surprise gave way to anger.

“It's just the way I do things, Seth. Take the money!”

Seth's brows rose in amusement, but there was also a good measure of stubbornness thrown in.

“I'll be back,” he said quietly as he turned away. Unlocking the door he'd just latched, he slipped outside and walked from the store without a backward glance.

Jessie didn't know when she'd been so surprised and frustrated. Just barely remembering to relock the door, Jessie returned the money to the till, nearly throwing it in. She wasted no time milling about the store but made for the stairs. Half of her hoped she would never see Seth again, and the other half hoped he would come back just so she could deny him entrance. It was not a good start to the evening.

“Well, Seth,” Jeb spoke to the hot, sweating man who had just come from the foundry midmorning on Friday. Jeb had been cutting past the building and on his way home and caught Seth as he came outside. “You done at Jessie's already?”

Seth took a long drink from the bucket and ladle outside, even as he shook his head no. When he'd slaked some of his thirst, he explained.

“I'll be back there, but this was good money and just for a few weeks. But hot,” Seth said, looking at Jeb from a face that was thinner than the last time he'd seen him.

“Definitely hot.”

“Why did I think you would have moved on by now,” Jeb said, no censure in his voice.

Seth smiled a little before saying, “My plans may have changed.”

“Does that have anything to do with a certain mercantile owner?”

“Well, it certainly doesn't have anything to do with this foundry work,” Seth said dryly, using his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his brow.

Jeb smiled at his tone but wasn't done.

“Does Jessie know?”

“That I'm staying around town for her? Probably not. That last time I saw her she was mad at me, so we'll have to see how it goes.”

“What happened?” Jeb asked, but then put his hand up before Seth could answer. “Let me guess, you wanted her to do something different concerning the store.”

Seth studied the older man before asking, “What is that about?”

“I don't know. Her father was the same way. In most ways she's easygoing, but when it comes to working the store, there is only one way. And no one can really argue with her since she and her family have always made such a success of it.”

Seth looked as though he were pondering something, and Jeb wondered what he was thinking. Seth seemed decent and hardworking, and Jessie was no one's fool, but Jeb was determined to have his say.

“Jessie doesn't need me to cosset her, but I want you to know that I care about her, as do many others.”

“I can see that,” Seth said, but didn't comment on his intentions toward Jessie. They were not altogether selfish, but some certainly were.

“I'm glad it's clear to you,” Jeb said, his eyes watching the younger man.

Until that moment, Seth had not taken Jeb's full measure. Seth had gauged him to be very kind, like an older uncle who visits the family once every few years, but there was more to him than that, and the serious eyes watching him made that clear.