Tenderness (25 page)

“Me? I thought I made it clear I’m not interested.”

“Yeah, you did, but it puzzles me why you’re so hostile to me.”

“Glory be! I’m probably the first woman you’ve met who’s not smitten by your dazzling smile.”

“You noticed—my smile?”

“How could I not notice, for heaven’s sake? You grin like the Cheshire cat in
Alice in Wonderland.”

“And that’s the reason you dislike me?”

“Only partly. You’re the kind of man who sets my teeth on edge. You turn on the charm and expect women to fall at your feet.
I’ve no desire to be one of those who feed your conceit.”

“It’s that obvious? Hummm… I never thought about women falling at my feet. It would be fantastic, though, wouldn’t it?”

“You’re impossible!”

“You’re as pretty as a dish of strawberry ice cream and about as cold.”

“Your tongue must be attached in the middle. It flaps at both ends.”

“That’s a good one. Mind if I use it sometimes?”

“Feel free to use it whenever you wish. It may get you a good hard sock in the jaw.”

“Will you go with me to the Chautauqua over in Frederick on Sunday? William Jennings Bryan is going to talk on ‘A Conquering
Nation.’”

“ A Conquering Nation’? That sounds about as dry as chalk. I’m going to the ball game with Jesse and the kids.”

“That sounds better yet. Mind if I come too?”

“I couldn’t very well keep you away.”

“Good. I’ll be by about two o’clock.”

“I didn’t mean with me,
Romeo,”
Pauline said heatedly.

“Oh, shoot! I thought you did.” A buggy stopped in front of the house. “Looks like you’ve got company,”

“It’s only old… Mrs. Lindstrom coming back from her meeting. She got herself invited to serve on the church bazaar committee.”

“You mean old Ghost-face,” he whispered.

In spite of herself, Pauline giggled. “You’ve heard?”

“Yeah. Fits her, doesn’t it?”

“Where’d she come from anyway?”

“Who knows. She talks out of both sides of her mouth the way you do. You’d make a good pair.”

“You don’t like her?”

“I can hardly stand the woman.”

“Hmmm… that’s interesting. The ladies in town seem to think she’s right up to snuff.”

“The ladies in town don’t have to live in the same house with her.”

“You don’t
have
to stay here, do you?”

“I’m staying here for the summer. Don’t ask me why.” She turned to frown at him. “You’re as nosy as old Ghost-face.”

Mrs. Lindstrom waved a cheery good-bye to the man and woman in the buggy and came up the walk to the house.

“I didn’t know you were expecting a caller, Pauline.”

“Good evening, ma’am.” Ethan got to his feet. “Ethan Bredlow from the
Gazette.
I met you the other night when I came to interview the doctor.”

“I read the article. It would seem to me that you could have given the doctor more credit. He’s the only one in town and he
works from daylight to dark.” She lifted her brows and looked at Pauline. “Is Susan home?”

“She’s at Mary Sue’s. Mary Sue and Jeff will walk her home.”

“She didn’t ask permission to stay out until after dark.”

“She asked her father,” Pauline replied drily.

“Oh, well, in that case—I’ll go in and have a glass of lemonade with Jesse.”

“Jesse isn’t here either.”

“Oh, dear. I hope she isn’t traipsing around after dark by herself.”

“No. She has an escort.”

“Who, for goodness sake? Edsel came to fetch his mother. He and Roberta gave me a ride home.”

“Ask Jesse. She’s coming up the walk now.”

Louella turned to peer into the near darkness. “Well, my heavens! Has she lost her wits? What in the world is she doing with
him?”

“I don’t think that’s any business of yours, ma’am.” Pauline said testily.

“I wonder if the doctor knows. My, my! I can’t believe he’d approve of his daughter consorting with hill trash.” Louella turned
and went into the house.

“Old busybody,” Pauline murmured.

Jesse and Wade came up the steps, Jesse holding tightly to Wade’s arm.

“Hello, Ethan. It’s nice to see you. Have you met Wade Simmer?”

“Well… no. Howdy, Wade.” Ethan held out his hand.

“Ethan Bredlow works for the paper,” Jesse explained as the two men shook hands.

“Howdy,” Wade said, then, “Howdy, Miss Pauline.”

“Mr. Simmer.” Pauline’s nod and smile did not go unobserved by Ethan.

“I dropped by to ask Pauline to go to the ball game on Sunday.” Ethan sat back down in the swing.

“You did not,” Pauline declared and stood. “You asked me to go to the Chautauqua, and I said I was going to the ball game.”

“Honey, you’re just being picky.” He gave her a cocky grin.

“Don’t honey me, you… masher. And get yourself out of the swing so Wade and Jesse can have it.”

“No, don’t bother,” Wade said. “I’ve got to go to Ike’s and get my horse. It’s not wise to be wandering around Harpersville
at night. I might be mistaken for The Looker.”

“I’ll go with you, Simmer, unless Pauline begs me to stay.” Ethan cocked a brow at the teacher, who tilted her chin with indignation.

“Don’t hold your breath,” she said tartly, then scowled.

“I think I may have cracked the ice around her heart, Miss Jesse,” Ethan said good-naturedly. “At least she’s talking to me.”

“I’ll be glad for your company, Bredlow.” Wade drew Jesse toward the corner of the wraparound porch. “Give me a minute with
my lady.”

My lady.
Jesse loved to hear him say that.

“You’ll come Sunday?” she asked as soon as they were alone.

“A team of mules couldn’t keep me away.”

“Saturday Papa and I will be at the school giving the smallpox vaccinations. The next Saturday we’ll be at Fronys’ store.
I hope the hill people will turn out.”

“You may be surprised. They’re not all like Otis Merfeld. They love their children. But enough about that. I need a kiss to
last me until I see you again.”

The tenderness of his lips on hers bespoke a new priority, putting love ahead of all other desires. They kissed as if they
had not kissed before—soft kisses, loving kisses. He cradled her face in his hands.

“I love you.” His voice was quiet. They stood pressed together, heart to heart, thigh to thigh, toe to toe.

“I love you too,” Jesse said and meant it with all her heart. “I’ll look forward to Sunday.”

“Be careful. I’ll worry about you until that man is caught.”

“I’ll worry about you. I’m glad Ethan will go with you to Ike’s.”

“Bye, sweetheart.”

“Bye, till Sunday.”

Jesse watched him and Ethan until they rounded the corner of the porch and walked down the drive toward the alley where they
would take a shortcut across the field to Ike’s garage.

“Well?” Pauline said when Jesse came to sink down beside her in the swing.

“He loves me and wants to marry me.” Jesse hugged herself with her arms and leaned her head against the high-backed swing.

“You’ve just discovered that he’s crazy about you?” Pauline sighed. “Anyone with half an eye could see that when we were at
his place. He couldn’t keep his eyes off you.”

“I’m not going to tell Papa yet. I’ll not leave Susan and Todd here with Lou… el… la.” She drew the housekeeper’s name out
the way Susan sometimes did. “Wade will understand when I tell him.”

“I keep wondering how she got in so tightly with the Harpers in such a short time.”

“She’s probably convinced them that she’s a quality lady who has fallen on hard times. But I can’t see Roberta Harper hobnobbing
with a housekeeper.” With a toe on the floor, Jesse started the swing moving gently.

“I bet she’s told them that she’s a friend of the family and come to take care of her
dear
friend’s children.”

“How did you and Ethan get along?”

“Like a cat and a dog.”

“Which was the cat?” Jesse laughed. “He’s quite a charmer.”

“That’s the trouble. He could charm the bark off a tree.”

“Are you still worried about… The Looker?

“’Course I am. I don’t think I’ll ever feel safe again.”

“It wasn’t Ethan. He hasn’t been here long enough.”

“I realize now that it couldn’t have been him. Besides, he’d not do anything incognito. He’s too much of an exhibitionist.”

“I kind of like him. I hope he and Wade can be friends. Wade needs friends here in Harpersville.”

The familar squeak of the swing chains filled the silence. The thoughts of the two women were of the men who had just left
them.

Jesse felt as if she were riding on a cloud. Wade loved her! All the time she was worrying that he had changed his mind about
her, he was worrying about calling on her. He had actually come and left when he had seen Ethan on the porch.

Darling Wade, you are my heart.

Pauline’s thoughts were on Ethan. In another time before the attack she might have been flattered by his attention. He was
good-looking, fun, and charming. That was it, she thought as her mind mulled over the things he had said; he was
too
charming. It was as if he were using his charm to hide something. What could it be?

E
than walked alongside Wade. With an experienced eye he sized up the man. Although Ethan could match Wade stride for stride,
Wade was taller and more heavily built. Obviously, he was a hard, tough, powerful man who was well able to take care of himself.
He radiated energy and strength. Ethan had met others like him who seemed to be both the hunter and the hunted. Their senses
were alert to a thousand possible dangers.

As they rounded the barn behind the doctor’s house, Wade paused and looked in every direction before he started walking again.
He was a careful man.

“I’ve been wanting to meet you, Simmer.”

“Yeah? Why?”

“To see if you were the hellion everyone says you are.”

“Yeah,” Wade said again, his eyes scanning the landscape from side to side.

“You expecting someone to jump you?”

“Maybe. Can’t tell about these yahoos. They’d not do it in daylight.”

“Ralph said he warned you about Secory.”

“He left word with Ike.”

“Most folks think you’re the fellow who’s looking at the women.”

“Yeah? They can think what they want.”

“Who do you think it is?”

“How the hell would I know? I just know it isn’t me.”

“It isn’t me either. I hit town only a few weeks ago.”

“Rules you out, doesn’t it?”

Suddenly Wade threw his arm out in front of Ethan to stop him. He tilted his head to listen. His keen ears had picked up a
sound. An instant later he knew what it was. A horse was snorting and fighting.
His horse.
He began to run. Ethan kept pace with him.

“What is it?”

“Be quiet. Somebody messing with my horse.”

When they reached Ike’s garage, Wade sped around to the back and jumped over a rail fence. In seconds he was on the man who,
with a cruel thin rope on the nose of the horse, was trying to pull him to the gate. Wade’s fists lashed out with lightning
speed and knocked the man to the ground. The frightened horse reared when the man lost his grip on the rope, his hooves coming
down within inches of his tormenter. Wade grabbed the horse’s mane, held his hand in front of his nose so he could smell him,
and began to talk soothingly. Recognizing his master, the horse quieted.

“God-a-mighty, that bastard almost killed me!” The man swore and scrambled to his feet. He reeled toward the fence and ran
headlong into another fist. Ethan’s.

“If there’s anything that gets my dander up,” Ethan said calmly, “it’s a son of a bitch who abuses a horse.” He hit him again
and blood splattered.

Wade grabbed the man by the shirt at the back of his neck and pushed him toward the gate. “Move,” he snarled, “while you can.”

He hauled him into Ike’s garage with only his toes touching the ground. A lantern hung over the grinder where Ike was working
on a piece of metal. Wade’s eyes quickly scanned the room, then turned to the man he held. He seldom forgot a face, and he
had seen this man unloading a dray wagon the day he had talked to Marshal Wright.

“In the hills we hang a man for horse-stealing.” His voice was low and sinister.

“I… wasn’t stealing him.”

“It sure as hell looked like it to me.”

“Me too,” Ethan said. “Let’s hang him.”

“I was… only goin’ to turn him loose. I wasn’t stealing. I… wasn’t.”

“You’d better talk fast, mister.” Ethan jerked his head toward Wade. “This man is one mean son of a bitch. I don’t know if
Ike and I can keep him from stringing you up.”

“They… told me to turn the horse loose so ya’d have to walk home.” His eyes left Wade and pleaded with Ethan. “That’s all
I meant to do, mister. I swear it.”

“Who’s they?” Wade demanded and shook the man like a wet mop.

“I… I… I—The… the bridge crew. Don’t shake me! Ouch! Ah… my neck—”

“Where are they waiting?”

“Bridge, by the creamery.”

Wade opened Ike’s door and shoved the man outside. “Go tell ’em I’ll be along in an hour.” Before he could get the door shut
the man was running.

“I never heard a thin’, Wade. I was workin’ on the grinder.” Ike was a small man with a sun-wrinkled face, squinty blue eyes
and hair that had receded to the middle of his head. His hands and his clothes were covered with grease.

“That’s all right, Ike. Where’s Jody?”

“In the back room readin’ or sleepin’. He’d not hear nothin’ either with the grinder goin’.”

“It’s a good thing. He’d have run out there and made matters worse.” Both Ike and Wade looked questioningly at Ethan.

Ethan held his hands up palms out. “You’re thinkin’ I’ll turn the boy in for being in Harpersville after dark?”

Ike spoke. “I don’t know ya, mister. I don’t know what ya’ll be doin’.”

“It’s a stupid law that wouldn’t hold up in court. I’m sure Marshal Wright knows it. If he doesn’t, I have contacts that will
make sure he knows it damn quick.”