Loving Eliza (7 page)

He blushed.  “Oh, well, Bethann passed on to be with the Lord a good two years ago.”

She stopped laughing and grew serious.  “I am terribly sorry to hear that.”

“She was a fine woman.  We had twenty fine years together, and she gave me three terrific children.  But the Lord has provided and I’m doin’ alright.  I should probably be lookin’ to get married again.”

John tensed.  Could Old Willy be more obvious?

“Maybe you should put in for a mail-order
bride,” Eliza replied.  “I hear
lots of men d
o that when they are this far out
west.”

John relaxed.

“Maybe.  Who knows what the future will bring?” He turned to John.  “You need any paint or stain for the furniture?”

John reached for the wallet tucked into his back pocket.

“Not this time, John.  You took care of that wall for me, and I didn’t have money to pay you.  This will make us even.  Deal?”

John nodded and put his wallet back into his pocket.

“Well, that’s really nice,” Eliza commented.  “Two friends helping each other out.”

Old Willy grinned.  “We do what we can to help each other out around here.  I’ll load the usual amount and the extra paint into your wagon while you two continue on in town.”

John nodded again.  He was glad Old Willy did that for him.  Old Willy had the cart to lug those heavy cans around, and he understood that John didn’t like to park his wagon inside the town limits.  So even if the older man was interested in Eliza, he was still a good man.  Still, John had no intention of letting the man have her.

He was grateful to depart from the man’s house.  At least ordering the lumber from
Greg
would be safe.  Greg was
already
married.
  When they reached the lumber store, he motioned for her to go first through the open door.  He waved to Greg who was setting a stack of freshly
cut
rectangular boards by the counter.

“It’s nice to see you, John,” Greg called out as he stood up.  He sauntered over to them.  “You must be Miss Sweet.”

“I am,” Eliza said.

“I’m Greg Stevens.  It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He turned to John.  “Do you want the regular order?”

John held up two fingers.

“You’re going to double the order this time?” Greg asked.

John nodded.

“Business must be treating you well.” Smiling, he made his way to the counter and took out his ledger.  “I can have it delivered tomorrow morning around ten.  Does that work?”

John nodded and pulled out his wallet.

“Let me mark down the transaction.” He glanced at Eliza.  “In business, it’s important to keep track of all your expenses and profits.  Expenses are what you spend money on and profits are what you make.”

John noticed a flicker of irritation cross her face.  “Really?”

Greg didn’t seem to catch
the sharp tone in her voice, for he had returned to his paperwork.

John sensed the tension in the air.  Eliza wasn’t pleased but she kept quiet.  He wondered what was wrong.  He wondered if she would tell him on their way home.  He wished he could talk so he could ask her about it.

Greg finished writing and handed him the paper and pencil.  “All I need is your ‘X’ and the total comes to
$2.”

John took the pencil and paper and got ready to put the ‘X’ where he usually did when Eliza grabbed his arm.

“That’s the funniest looking two I’ve ever seen,” she said, obviously upset.  She looked at John.  “Do you know your numbers?”

Embarrassed, he shook his head.  No one had taught him that either.

“Mr. Stevens, I happen to be literate, and I’ve learned a couple of things when it comes to business.  That is a three.  You are trying to make a fifty percent profit off a man’s inability to read.  Now, I understand that you are using a shrewd business sense to rip someone off, but this is illegal and I don’t mind finding the marshal so I can discuss this matter with him.  I believe his wife, Charity Grooms, might like to see me again.  I did accompany her on the stagecoach ride to this place.”

John glanced from her to Greg, one of the few people he had believed to be a friend.  His face grew red in both anger and shame.  Why would Greg do this to him?

Greg glared at her for a moment before he turned his attention to John.  He smiled.  “Let me see that.” He took the paper and clucked his tongue.  “I meant to write a two.  Thank you for catching my error, Miss Sweet.”

John watched as he erased the old number to write in the new one.  Now John knew the difference between a two and a three.  This was one lesson he’d never forget.

Eliza smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes.  “I’m teaching John how to read and write.  I think it’ll be good for his own business.  Maybe he can even keep his own ledger and write out contracts too.  Then he’d be a real professional.”

Greg gave a curt nod as he set the paper aside.  “Yes.  It’ll be good for your business, John.”

John decided not to give any gestures.  Instead, he joined Eliza and left the store.  How long had Greg been doing that to him?  Like a fool, he’d just handed Greg his money and let Greg give him the change.  He knew that $2 was a fair price.  He knew that $3 was too much.  But without being able to recognize the symbols and what they meant, he hadn’t been able to deduct whether or not Greg was being honest with him.  He suspected it happened a lot.  And Greg hadn’t known Eliza could read.  John’s gaze traveled the length of the s
treet where store owners
had opened their doors to waiting patrons. 
Who else had ripped him off
?

Eliza let out a low sigh before asking, “Where do I buy curtains or have someone make curtains?  I never learned to do any sewing.”

Addy did that.  He pointed down the street to the house that stoo
d next to Melissa Peters
’
home.

“But Melissa’s not alive.”

He shook his head.

“Addy?”

He nodded.  He liked that she caught on fast to what he meant, and he liked that she looked out for him. 
I need to learn to read and write.  I need to learn my numbers.
  He had gone along with her plan to teach him partly because it meant that he could be near her, but now, in light of what just happened with Greg, he realized this was a necessity.  He didn’t like being a fool, and if he could read, he’d have caught the error—whether Greg intentionally did it or not.  Sadly, he suspected Greg did it on purpose.

After they went to Addy who seemed more than happy to make the curtains, they went to the general store where Eliza picked up some baking supplies.  Watching her choose what she’d make took his mind off of Greg.  He imagined for a moment that she was his wife and that they’d end up going home together to snuggle...to kiss...and then...

“I think this will do,” she said, interrupting his thoughts.

He walked over to the counter where Frank tallied their total.  When Frank announced the amount, John looked at Eliza who gave him a slight nod.  Comforted in her answer, he handed Frank the money and was reassured, once again, when she indicated that Frank gave him the right amount of change.  Good.  At least, he could trust Frank, which was good because he liked Frank and didn’t want to think ill of him.

John lifted the sacks of grocery items and followed Eliza out the door.

On their way
back to the wagon
, a couple of men lounging by the post office snickered at John.  “And that’s what they call ‘beauty and the beast’.”

John stopped and glared at Michael Reeves and Larry Gordon.
  His brother Aaron had warned him to stay away from those two, and for the most part, he managed.  But once in awhile, he ran into them and ignored their taunting.  Today, after what happened with Greg, he was especially sensitive to their comments.

“Did I hurt your feelings there, boy?”
Michael asked, obviously not caring either way.

Eliza halted her steps and turned to them.  “Is there a problem, mister?”

Larry examined
her
from head to toe.  “Not with you, ma’am.  You’re downright perfect.”

She didn’t respond.

Michael looked at her.
  “You do know you’re with a retard, don’t you?”

Her jaw dropped.  “A...a what?”

“A retar
d,” he slowly said.

“A woman as pretty as you can find other places to stay,” Larry said.
  “You don’t need to settle with someone like him.”

This was exactly what John was afraid of.  They were giving her ideas she didn’t need to be having.  He
caught her attention and nodded in the direction of his wagon.

The two men laughed.

“Just like a pup,” Larry said.  “He gets so excited when anyone pays him the slightest bit of attention.”

She placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at them. 
“You owe
John an apology.”

“I would apologize if he could understand me, but he can’t.  It’s why he never went to school.  The boy is dumb.”

“Like a dog,” Michael agreed.  “You can’t do much to train him either.”

She slapped both of them before John had time to blink.

Larry put his hand to his cheek, stunned, while Michael bolted to his feet.

John quickl
y stood between her and Michael.

T
he doctor who worked next to the post office ran out of the building.
 
“Hold it rig
ht there.”
As soon as he reached them, he said, “I don’t know what’s going on here, but you’d better stop right now. 
I won’t have this kind of conduct while I’m around.  I have enough sick people to tend to without you two beating each other up.  Now, I suggest you leave the matter be and go home.”

Once John was sure that Michael wouldn’t harm Eliza, he stepped back.

The doctor nodded.  “Good.  Go on home.”

“Like a good little doggy,” Michael hissed.

The doctor shot him a warning look which made him stop his taunting.

Eliza shook her head but obediently walked down the street.  The dust kicked at her heels since she practically ran.  John went after her and was glad when they reached the wagon.

Now she knew.  She knew what most people thought of him.  They assumed that if he couldn’t talk, he couldn’t think...or feel.  This only added to his
shame.

He
put the bags into the wagon and helped her in
to
the seat.

To his surprise, she pulled his hand closer to her.  Leaning forward, she said, “Don’t you mind them.  They’re not worth your time.”

He stared into her eyes, noting the tears that had formed in them.  He nodded.  He knew.  He always knew.  But he was grateful to know that she knew it too.

“Good.” She let go of his hand and faced forward.

He got into the wagon.  Unlike the first time he took her to his property,
she was quiet.  He wondered what she was thinking.  At one point, he even nudged her arm so she’d look at him before he tapped his head with his finger.

“Nothing.  I just don’t feel like talking,” she replied.

H
e decided not to press the issue.  She had a right to keep her thoughts to herself.
  But he sure wished he could tell her his.

E
liza turned the knob on the kerosene lamp so the light grew brighter.  Then she poured another cup of water for her and John an
d set them at the table where John
sat with a stack of papers in front of him.  He was currently writing the letter M on the blank sheet in front of him.

It had been three day
s
since their venture into town, and she noticed how serious he got about learning to read and write after that.  The thought that someone would go out of their way to rip off someone who couldn’t find out what was going on left her sick to her stomach.  John was much too trusting of people.  But then, did he have a reason not to be?  At least until she clued him into wha
t Greg Stevens was doing to him?