Dorothy Garlock (35 page)

Jill mulled over whether or not to tell what Lloyd had said concerning her, but she couldn't find the words. The decision was made for her when Radna and Blue began their usual sparring. Thad would tell Joe. Her brother wouldn't believe she had been meeting Lloyd, even if Thad did.

Jill set aside food for Thad while Radna filled a plate and went in to feed Justine. Blue went out onto the back porch to smoke his pipe, and for the first time in a couple of days, Jill was alone with her brother.

“More tea, Joe? There's plenty of ice left and the ice man comes tomorrow.”

“I would like more, thanks. It was a hot one out there today.”

Jill chipped ice and poured tea from the pitcher. She placed it in front of him on the table, then sat down.

“Tell me what happened today, ”Joe said before she could say anything. “Radna didn't tell it all.”

“There's a bit more. Lloyd is the most evil, conniving person I've ever met. Remember what he said about you and me? Evil and crazy. He looked me straight in the eye and told me he was sorry he hadn't been able to meet me this morning and said that he'd explain when I came to his room tonight. He talked as if I had been meeting him for …you know. And Thad stood right there, not saying a word. He believed him.”

“Thad isn't that stupid.”

“He believed him, Joe. That is why he was so angry. He told me to go to the kitchen and said that I was the most irritating girl he'd ever met.”

“He's crazy about you, Sis. I've not seen him like this before, and I've known him a long time.”

“He can't stand it because I'm not chasing after him. You said he had girls running after him all the time. I remember how it was back home. Most girls, young or old, would have given their eyeteeth to have him notice them.”

“That's true. Thad never had trouble getting girls. Are you holding that against him? Would you have noticed him if he'd been ugly as a mud fence? ”

“He's like a brother to me and that is all.” Jill spoke deliberately slowly and tilted her chin defiantly.

Joe looked at the ceiling: “Yeah, sure. You're — ”He cut off his words when Thad came in the kitchen door. “It's about time you showed up. Jill was about to feed your supper to the dog.”

“I had things to do.”

“Like what? ”

“I went to see Bernie Shepard, Justine's lawyer. I asked him about getting Madison out of the hotel. He said it could be done, but it would take a while. By then his month's rent would be up and we could refuse to let him take a room again, using an excuse like the hotel was full or we were going to do some painting.” Thad glanced at Jill and then away. She placed his food on the table and poured him some tea. “Thanks, ”he said without taking his eyes off his plate. “We'll have to put up with Madison for another ten days.”

Thinking that she wouldn't be noticed, Jill slipped out onto the back porch. Aware of every move she made, Thad lifted his fork to his mouth, hesitated, then returned it to his plate.

Seeing Thad glance at the door, Joe dropped some news into the silence that followed. “She thinks that you believed she was meeting Madison in his room.”

Thad looked dumbfounded. “She … what? Where did she get a stupid idea like that? ”

“Ask her. She said you were mad and told her to go to the kitchen.”

“I was mad, but not at her. Good Lord! I knew he was lying. I wouldn't insult her by even asking her about it. I didn't want her there when he came back downstairs because I planned to beat him to death with my fists.”

“You should tell her that.”

“I can't talk to her anymore. She doesn't want anything to do with me. She's made that plain as the nose on her face. I've been on my knees for darn near a week and it's enough. Hell, I've got my pride, too. No woman is going to lead me around by the nose.”

Joe laughed. “So is that all there is? ”

“I don't know. I'm tired of walking around with my heart on my sleeve waiting for her to give me a kind word. It's too damn humiliating.”

Joe threw up his hands. “Hell and damnation! Swallow your pride. Tell her you love her and that you'll beat the holy shit out of Madison if he comes near her. You've had enough women after you to have learned something.”

“Do you want to keep your nose on your face? ”

“Do you want to go out with Blue tomorrow? I can stay here for a day or two until things between you and Jill cool down.”

“Good idea.” A knowing look came over Thad's face. “Oh, I get it. Tomorrow is the day Laura is here. Are you making any progress with her? ”

“I've not tried. I don't think it would do me any good.”

“For God's sake. Try, man. She's as pretty as they come and as nice as they get.”

“Then why don't you try your luck? ”

“I've got other things on my mind.”

Joe got up and slapped his friend on the back. “You're losing your touch, bud. You can't even reel in my little sis, who has been nuts about you all her life. Shoot, I remember when I had to carry a club to keep the girls off you.”

“The problem is your big mouth, ”Thad protested. “I should get up and beat hell out of you. For old times 'sake.”

“Come on, then.” Joe's mouth curved in a wide, reckless grin. “We haven't had a good fistfight since I whipped you over eating the last of the cookies Julie sent me.”

“It'd be too easy this time. I owe you one. Your damn exaggerations about me and women have ruined things for me with Jill.”

“Cheer up, bud. She's crazy about you. You just don't know how to handle women. Now, if you'd just listen to the master…”On seeing the angry gleam in Thad's eyes, Joe paused and ran his tongue over the edge of his teeth. He really wanted to keep all of them.

Thad got up from the table to take his empty plate to the dishpan, plowed his elbow into Joe's gut in passing and enjoyed the grunt that followed.

“Want to go uptown and hang around the pool hall? ”

“It'd be more fun to stay here and watch you and Jill snarl at each other. I'm putting my money on my little sis. She'll have a ring in your nose before you know it.” With a self-deprecating smile, Joe thumped his friend on the back, then went out onto the porch.

Thad stomped off toward the lobby, his misery wrapped around him like a winter coat.

Chapter 25

H
UNTER RAPPED GENTLY ON THE BACK DOOR
. Through the window he could see Mrs. Cole at the ironing board and Laura sitting at the kitchen table mending a shirt. He had waited until it was fully dark before approaching the small house at the end of the road. Casper had driven him part of the way and would wait for him to return to the car.

“Who is it? ”He heard the anxiety in Laura's voice and feared that she might be angry because he had come without an invitation.

“Hunter, Laura. I'm sorry to come at this time of night unannounced, but there is something important I need to tell you.”

“What is it? What's wrong? ”He heard the rasp of the lock before the door was opened.

“May I come in for a minute? I'd like for your mother to hear this.”

Laura moved back and Hunter stepped into the kitchen and propped himself back against the door as soon as it was closed. He took off his hat and held it against his thigh. Mrs. Cole had turned the iron up on end and moved away from the ironing board. Her face was creased with a worried frown, her hands clenched in the pockets of her apron.

“When I left here last night, I was run down by a car.”

“Oh, my goodness! ”Laura gasped, her hand going to her throat.

“I saw it in time to dive to the side of the road. Only the fender hit me. I'm all right except for bruises and being sore as the dickens. It wasn't an accident. The driver of the car aimed it right at me.”

“Do you have any idea who it was? ”Mrs. Cole asked.

“I've made enemies. A man in business, especially my kind of business, is bound to have, but I never thought that any one of them wanted to kill me. I spoke to the sheriff. He asked if I had been here, because I was just a short distance from your house. He wasn't too pleased when I said that I had been.”

“Why would he care? ”Laura asked.

“He thinks that whoever ran me down knew that I was here and waited for me to leave. What I came to say, Laura, is if I have put all of you in danger, I'm sorry. I will do anything in my power to protect you. If you agree, I'll have a man watch the house day and night — ”

“No. We don't want that, ”Mrs. Cole said.

“Will you let me have a telephone put in so that if you need me you can call? ”

“No, ”Laura spoke quickly.

“I understand your reluctance. Please don't think that my motives are any other than to keep you safe. If anything happened to you, Mary Pat or your mother, I'm not sure that I'd be able to handle it. I've enjoyed coming here. I can't put into words what it has meant to me.”

“We'll be careful.”

“May I leave this with you? ”Hunter took a pistol and a small box of shells from his pocket. “Put it on a shelf someplace where you can get to it, and don't hesitate to use it if someone is trying to break into the house, because they are not coming in to steal the cookstove. They want to hurt you to get back at me.”

Mrs. Cole took the gun, turned it aside and checked to see if it was loaded. She handled it as if she knew how.

“Thank you. I'll put it here in the cabinet. Laura and I both know how to handle a gun. My husband made sure of that.”

“Be on your guard even if someone you know comes here. And don't go out onto the porch or to the outbuildings after dark.”

“We haven't done that since the woman was killed.”

“I would have never come here if I had thought there was the slightest chance that someone would try to hurt you because of me.”

“Being run down by the car could have nothing to do with us, ”Laura said gently. “It could be someone …who doesn't like you because …because …”She couldn't bring herself to say because he was rich.

Hunter finished for her: “Because of the oil wells.”

“Sit down, Mr. Westfall, ”Mrs. Cole invited. “I'll make coffee.”

“Thank you, ma'am. But the truth is, I could hardly endure sitting in the car long enough for Casper to bring me down here. He let me out on the other side of the vacant house and I walked across the field.”

Laura saw the dark smudges beneath his eyes, the white streaks on each side of his mouth and the careful way he held himself erect. She knew that he was in pain.

“Ma'am, may I talk to Laura for a minute on the porch? ”Hunter's eyes were on Laura, but he spoke to Mrs. Cole.

“It's up to Laura.”

Laura opened the door.

“Good night, Mrs. Cole.”

“Be careful, Mr. Westfall.”

Hunter waited for Laura, then followed her out the door. She walked to the end of the porch, out of the light from the window, before she turned to him. Her voice was quavery.

“You're hurting and you've got to walk back across that field.”

On hearing the concern in her voice, Hunter reached out and took her hand.

“I'm afraid that my coming here has brought you to the attention of someone who may hurt you or the baby or your mother. Dear Lord, Laura. I couldn't…bear it if that happens.” His voice broke. He stumbled over the words that came pouring from his mouth. “Laura, sweetheart, I'm so a-afraid for you that…that it's making me sick.”

“Don't be afraid. We'll be all right.” She clasped the hand holding hers in both her hands and brought it up between them. Her eyes met his and words that he never intended to say came tumbling from him like water from a dam.

“Sweet, sweet woman. I can't describe what I feel for you because I don't have the words. What I'm trying to say, Laura, is that what I feel is wonderful, strange, different from anything I've ever felt before. I can't tell you why I feel this way. It's just there inside me as if it had always been there, as if you'd always been there, or as if I'd been waiting for you to be there. It's crazy, sweetheart. The first time I saw your face, I knew that you were everything that is sweet and good. Far too good for a man like me. But, dear God! I can't keep myself from wanting you.”

The more he talked, the more he feared that he would never be able to find the right words. His voice trailed. He fell into silence. She didn't speak, as if she knew that in spite of his silence, he wasn't finished.

“I don't know why I'm telling you this now. I had planned to keep my feelings to myself for fear that you'd not want me to come here again. I don't expect you to feel anything in return and I'll not speak of it again.”

He retreated to the safety of silence, but didn't linger, for fear that he would lose the will to break it.

“I'm sorry if I've embarrassed you.” He raised the hands clasping hers to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “Does this change anything between us? Am I still invited to supper on Saturday night? ”There was desperation in his voice.

“If you still want to come.”

She leaned toward him, silently inviting. His arms enfolded her slowly, as if he were afraid she would push him away. She turned her face to his shoulder and leaned against him. They stood there, pressed together, not speaking, merely drinking in the closeness of each other. She put her arms around him. He buried his face in her hair, kissing it, murmuring her name softly.

“Laura, Laura, you make me weak.”

Unaware that she was smiling, Laura lifted her head to look at him. He couldn't prevent his mouth from closing over hers. She stopped smiling with her lips, but smiles danced through her blood. The kiss was long and sweet. He felt the slow, subtle yielding of her lips and body. It aroused him unbearably. His heart thundered wildly against hers.

Terribly afraid of being too rough with her, he lifted his head, leaned back against the wall of the house and cuddled her against him. Her arms moved to encircle his neck. He looked deeply into her eyes, and what he saw there melted his heart.

“I'm trying to be …gentle. …”

Laughter bubbled up within her.

“Don't look so scared. I won't break, ”she whispered. Her breath on his face was warm and fragrant, just before she fit her lips to his in a sweet and gentle kiss.

“Oh, Lord.” His eyes on her face were wet and gleaming in the moonlight. “If I could sing, I would. If I could fly, I'd snatch you up and fly away with you.” He pushed the hair back from her temples. “I thought sure I'd ruined things.”