Jessie (6 page)

“I'd better get back to work,” Seth said.

“I have to get along too,” Jeb replied. “I'll see you around, Seth.”

The younger man waved and headed back inside the foundry. He still looked hot, but a small amount of his confidence had evaporated, and that gave Jeb Dorn no small amount of peace.

“Did you miss me?” Seth asked, leaning on the counter five minutes after Jessie opened the store on Saturday morning.

Jessie looked up to find his face very close, his warm gray eyes telling her he was much too pleased with himself.

“Why would I miss you?” she asked, working hard not to smile.

“Isn't it obvious? I'm a wonderful, charming person.”

Jessie couldn't stop the smile that peeked through, and Seth's own satisfied smile told her he'd seen it.

“Are you here to work or to lean on my counter?”

“I need a work shirt. I ruined one of mine at the foundry,” he said. “I'm also here to work if you can give me a quick lesson on how things run.”

A lot of things Jessie wanted to say from their last encounter slipped from her mind. She was amazed at how glad she was to see him again. When he hadn't come in all week, she'd assumed he was gone, and that had been hard.

“Jessie?” Seth said when she didn't speak. She caught herself, and only just in time. Two customers came in together, and Jessie recognized one of them as someone who always meant business.

“You do know how to make change, don't you?” Jessie asked, keeping her voice low.

“Yes, ma'am,” Seth said with yet another pleased smile.

“Well, try to keep up, and for goodness' sake, don't offend anyone.”

Seth didn't comment. He was amused by the look she gave him and also the way she made a beeline for a woman in a garish hat.

“Good morning, Mrs. Theel. What can I help you find?”

Seth watched Jessie in action until he noticed a pile of mail waiting to be sorted. Stepping behind the counter, he knew he was headed into the deep end but figured there was no better way to learn.

Chapter Three

July 1873

“W
HAT'S ON THE AGENDA
for tonight?” Seth asked when the clock showed minutes to closing. It was the sixth Saturday Seth had worked at the mercantile. He spent his weekdays at the foundry, building up a nice bankroll, and had even found a room at the boardinghouse. He hadn't pressed Jessie in any way, but their awareness of each other was hard to ignore. At the moment they were both behind the main counter, but Seth was the only one working, straightening a jewelry display that no one had taken time with during the day.

“The normal,” Jessie answered.

Seth stopped long enough to face her and ask, “Which is?”

“I find something to eat and then fall into bed.”

Seth nodded in full understanding. He could have mustered some energy if he tried, but he knew just what she meant. The activity in the store on Saturdays was nonstop. It wasn't a great weight when all you did was stock shelves, but dealing with people was exhausting.

“How about tomorrow?”

“I don't have any plans. Do you?”

“Only to see you.”

“You sound as though that's a foregone conclusion.”

Without warning, Seth cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her. He took his time about it, and when he was done Jessie felt flushed all over.

“It is a foregone conclusion,” he said quietly, gently kissing her one more time. “I'll see you tomorrow, Jessie.”

By the time Jessie had found her voice, he was long gone.

Jessie walked downstairs and through the storeroom early the next day. She didn't really have anyplace to go, but she was sure if she lay around as she usually did, Seth would be waiting. He was far too confident about himself in her opinion; the kiss had certainly proved that. She assumed that when he came, he would sit out back and wait for her. Well, by that time she would have already enjoyed her walk along the creek line and be back home. She would enjoy knowing that he would sit in the heat for nothing.

Jessie mulled all of this over as she let herself out the back door. Not until she had the door locked and the key in her pocket did she find Seth leaning against the back of the building, quietly watching her.

“Good morning,” he said, his eyes a bit knowing.

“What are you doing here already?”

“Catching you before you can get away.”

Jessie's chin came up. She'd been caught in the act but wasn't about to admit it.

“You're much too sure of yourself, Mr. Redding.”

“And you're not very honest, Miss Wheeler. You are as attracted to me as I am to you. When are you going to admit that to yourself?”

Jessie didn't look at him for a moment, and when she did, her face registered pain. Seth, who had been keeping his distance, came closer.

“What's wrong, Jessie?”

“I am attracted to you, Seth,” Jessie said, her voice sad. “There's no getting around that, but there's also no getting around the fact that you're passing through. If we get involved, I'm going to someday find myself alone, possibly with a child, while you finally make that move to Texas.”

Seth knew he'd asked for it. He told her she wasn't honest, and she'd surprised him by giving him as honest as it gets.

“I wouldn't do that,” Seth said, but Jessie was already shaking her head.

“I don't think you would mean to, but it could still happen.”

Without permission Seth took her in his arms. He held her close, his heart clenching with feelings that were new for him. Jessie hugged him in return and admitted to herself for the first time that she wanted him to stay forever.

“Walk with me,” Seth invited, taking her hand and stepping away from the door.

Jessie told herself to refuse, but she couldn't do it. Even knowing that spending more time with him would only lead to heartache, Jessie let her fingers link with his and went along.

“Is that Jessie and Seth?” Patience asked Jeb as they walked home from church. The couple was at a distance, and Jeb squinted that way.

“It looks like them.”

“Have you talked to Jessie lately?”

“Not since I helped her out last Saturday.”

“How did it seem between them?”

“There was lots of teasing and fun, but I didn't get the impression that they had much of a relationship beyond the store.”

The Dorns watched Seth slip an arm around Jessie and pull her close. Both wondered if this was something new or if Jeb had completely missed the signs.

“I'm going to catch the morning train,” Seth told Jessie at the end of the day. They were in Jessie's living room late Sunday night, standing close. They had spent every hour together that day, their eyes saying things that their mouths refused to voice. “But I'll be back.”

The smile that slanted across Jessie's mouth was sad, as were her eyes.

“I mean that,” Seth said, his hands caressing her shoulders.

“At the moment I'm sure you do, but Texas is a long way from here, and you know firsthand the way plans change.”

Seth took her in his arms. Never had he dealt with a woman the way he'd dealt with Jessie. All his life if he had found a woman desirable, and certainly one as alone as Jessie, he would have found a way to make their relationship intimate. But not Jessie. The idea of leaving her alone with his child was too much for him. No one before Jessie had ever talked so plainly about it, and it was not something he could ignore.

“I'll be back,” Seth repeated, kissing her this time with greater insistency, but making himself pull away.

Jessie didn't see him downstairs. She watched him leave the apartment, her eyes swimming with tears, but hadn't the strength to go after him. At the moment she didn't feel she had the strength to do anything ever again.

Through swollen eyes, Jessie opened the store on Monday morning, hoping beyond hope that it would be a slow day. On warm days she propped the door open wide, but on the chance that she would notice the whistle when the train left the station, she kept the door shut this morning.

She'd not taken any extra time on Saturday evening to clean up, so she was in an aisle putting things to rights when she heard the door. She knew she should at least call a greeting or head to the front but had no energy to act on the thought. It took a moment for her to realize she wasn't alone. Seth was standing ten feet away, watching her. Jessie pushed to her feet and stared at him.

“I bought my ticket,” he said quietly, his voice rough from lack of sleep. “I was in my seat and my bag was stowed, but I couldn't go.”

Jessie licked her lips and told herself not to cry.

“Marry me,” he said quietly.

Jessie was in his arms as fast as she could move across the floor. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him for all she was worth. When they broke apart, Seth laughed.

“Should I take that as a yes?”

“Yes!” Jessie said and pulled his head down to kiss him again.