Dorothy Garlock (36 page)

“That’s dumb; and if you don’t stop moving around, you’ll still be here in bed on Christmas, and Ruby will have to find another joker to marry.”

Jack laughed and held his side. “You’re good luck, April. I got my job after you came here. I couldn’t ask Ruby to marry me until I got a job. Corbin said the city council will hold it for me, and I’ll get part of my pay while I’m out because I was shot in the line of duty.”

“Well, hey. I wonder if I could get a job like that.”

Eudora came to the door. “Dinner is ready when you are, April. I’ve got a tray ready for Jack. He’ll probably want to wait until Ruby gets here to feed him. She’s spoiling that boy.”

April enjoyed being with the Joneses, but she left as soon as the meal was over, saying that she needed to be back in town before dark.

The next night she ate with Doc and Caroline.

Doc was outraged that Miss Davenport had tried to bully her way into his quarters, and he laughed heartily when April told him that she had kicked her in the kneecap.

“I was told that was the place to kick if you couldn’t reach the crotch,” April said dryly. “I’ve never had to do it before.”

“I wish I could have s-seen it.”

“No. You wouldn’t have wanted to be there. That woman is jealous and mean and determined to get into your house.”

“I’ve never given her the s-slightest encouragement.” “You’ve eaten her pies,” April said, and she winked at Caroline.

“I didn’t ask her to bring them,” Doc grumbled.

“She accused me of breaking her leg. Her friends had to help her up out of the chair and out the door. I won’t be surprised if she spreads the rumor that I’m Lizzie Borden reincarnated.”

“Or Calamity Jane,” Caroline said and giggled. Her shining eyes went to Doc. He gripped her hand proudly.

April had heard that Miss Davenport was now circulating the story that the woman of ill repute in Doc’s house was from Shanty Town, but she didn’t tell Doc and Caroline that.

In just two days Joe had managed to ease himself into the position of a friend. To her surprise, April discovered that she missed his winks, his engaging grins, his sly caresses. Since he had caught her crying, he had acted the perfect gentleman at all times and had done absolutely nothing that could be considered flirting with her.

He insisted on helping her when she moved her clothes, her ironing board, iron and toilet articles from Mrs. Poole’s house to the hotel and had taken her soiled uniforms to Mrs. Maddox to wash. Not another word was said about the dreaded date with Harold Dozier Saturday night.

Joe spent considerable time with Doc, going with him when he called on some of his longtime patients and checking on the new babies. April was glad that Doc had such good friends as the Joneses, Evan Johnson and Corbin Appleby. She knew that he felt guilty about leaving the patients who depended on him, but his desire for a life with Caroline was a stronger impetus.

Fred had been more than accommodating. He had offered to sleep at the store if April wanted to stay at the house. But after all that had happened there, April couldn’t get out of the house fast enough. She gratefully accepted his suggestion, however, that she leave some of her belongings in his storage room for the present.

April was seeing Fred in a different light. When she lived at the Poole house, he had almost made her skin crawl when he looked at her. Now there was a new expression in his eyes, a sadness at the loss of a sibling and his part in the accident that took her life. He had lived in the shadow of his domineering sister for a long time, and now that he was free of her, he seemed to be at a loss.

“You saved me from serious injury if not death, Fred. I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”

“I couldn’t let her stab you with that knife. I thought it strange that she had such a dislike for you right from the start. I’m sorry you had such a terrible time. I only wish that I had realized Shirley was as ...troubled as she was.”

“We can always look back and think that we could have done things differently. But what is done is done, and all we can do is move on.”

April dreaded going to Mrs. Poole’s funeral but felt obliged to go because she had lived in her house. Doc, however, had no such obligation and would stay in the clinic while she was gone. Most people in town were shocked at Mrs. Poole’s sudden death. Out of respect the merchants up and down the streets closed their businesses for the afternoon service.

On the day of the funeral April went to the hotel and changed from her uniform into a black, belted dress and matching turban. Julie, Joy and Joe were at the clinic when she returned and invited her to go to the services with them. Joe wore his suit, white shirt, tie and brown felt hat. He was so handsome she had to force her eyes away from him.

When they went out to the car, April stepped ahead of Julie and slid into the backseat with Joy. Joe silently helped his sister into the front seat. April avoided Joe’s eyes when he went around and got behind the wheel. The church was full when they arrived. Joe ushered April and his sisters into a pew, careful to place them between him and April to dispel any notion that they were a couple.

Of the four of them Joy was the only one who sincerely grieved for Shirley Poole. She had liked the woman, liked the attention she had given to her. Although she was sorry for any death, April was sure that the majority of the people there, like herself, had come because it was expected of them or out of respect for Fred.

“Mrs. Poole would have wanted us to have the harvest party,” Joy said as soon as they were outside the church. “I don’t see why we can’t.”

“I’ve talked to some of the others,” Julie said patiently. “We all think that it wouldn’t be appropriate. You can wait and have a Christmas party.”

“That’s a long time off.” Joy sulked all the way to the cemetery.

After the short burial service they got in line to offer their condolences to Fred, who stood beside the coffin. He acted with surprising dignity as he was greeted by the townspeople. April and Joy now waited for Julie, who had stopped to speak to someone she knew. Mrs. Maddox stopped to speak to April and lifted her brows and smiled when Hattie Davenport and her two friends, their noses in the air, sailed by.

Sarah Parker, a pleasant woman in her late twenties who had been one of the ladies to bring treats to Dr. Forbes, paused to say a few words. She had been ahead of April in line to speak to Fred, and April noticed that he held her hand for an extra length of time. She now wondered if they had ever been interested in each other. If so, Mrs. Poole would have put the kibosh on it.

April knew that Harold Dozier, standing with a group of men on the edge of the crowd, had been watching her. She avoided making eye contact with him. As soon as Miss Parker moved away, he came toward her. She glanced toward Joe and saw that he was looking over the shoulder of the man he was talking to. His eyes were on her.

“Hello, April. You look nice today. Black becomes you.” “Thank you.”

“Big turnout today. I’m surprised.”

“Why? Mrs. Poole lived here for a long time.”

“What I mean is, she was not very . . . sociable. But folks in Fertile are very forgiving when one of their own passes away.”

April’s first thought when she viewed Harold’s brown double-breasted suit, striped shirt with gold cuff links and brown felt hat was that he probably had fifty dollars’ worth of clothes on his back. His shoes were the latest style and as shiny as a new penny. He had flashed a ring with a dark onyx stone when he put his fingers to his hat brim in greeting her. He was dressed to impress.

“She had been working with the young people at the church.”

“Ah, yes, I heard that. She was a good woman. We will miss her.” Harold, his excuse being to avoid people who were passing behind him, stepped closer. “I’ve been going to come by the clinic and see how you were making out after your terrible ordeal. I hear you’ve moved into the hotel.”

“It’s only temporary. I’ll find lodgings soon. I’m in no hurry.”

“Let me help you with that. I—”

April interrupted. “No, thanks. I’m not sure yet what I want.”

“Well, I see that most everyone is leaving. May I give you a ride back to the hotel?”

“Thank you, but I have a ride.”

“All right. I’ll see you Saturday evening. I’m looking forward to it.”

April nodded.
But I’m not.

Joy had left her when Harold approached. She had spied Sammy and hurried to where he stood beside a tall marker. He had tried to dress appropriately in dark britches and a white shirt. His coat was much too large for him.

“Hi, Sammy.”

“ ’Lo. Your brother’s watchin’.”

“I don’t care; let him watch. I heard what you did the other morning. It was a brave—”

“It wasn’t anything.” He leaned nonchalantly against the tall tombstone.

“Yes, it was. Don’t be stubborn.”

“All right, it was. Satisfied?”

“I thank you. The whole family thanks you. You deserve a medal.”

“Well, now, ain’t that somethin’, a kid from Shanty Town deservin’ a medal,” he said in a sarcastic drawl. “I don’t need any thanks from the Joneses.”

“You got ’em anyway. You’re acting like a clobberhead. Did your house flood?”

“Yeah, but I’ve ’bout got it cleaned out.”

“Why haven’t you been in school?”

“I had things to do.”

“Like cleaning?”

“Yeah, and finding the chickens and keeping my ma sober,” he said angrily.

“Why’re you mad? I know your mother drinks.”

“You and everybody else in town.” He straightened up. “I’ve got to go.”

“Why’d you come?”

“She was decent to me. Thought I was smart enough to be on the party committee. Why did you come?”

“I liked her even if she was a little strange at times.” “Well, you’d better be going. Here comes the
big brother,
and I don’t feel like getting busted in the nose today.”

“Let him come. He won’t dare hit you! Don’t you like me anymore, Sammy?”

“Why do you say that?”

“You’re not very friendly, and I have to pull every word out of you,” she whispered as Joe came up beside her.

“Hi, Sammy. How did you find things at home? Did you get moved back in all right?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you find your livestock?”

“Didn’t have anything but a few skinny chickens.”

“We got to go, mutt,” Joe said to Joy and tugged on her arm. “April and Julie are already in the car. See you around, Sammy.”

“Bye, Sammy. Will you be in school tomorrow?”

“Maybe.”

Sammy watched Joy and Joe walk toward the car. Joe had his arm over her shoulder. It wouldn’t be long now before they would turn her against him. He had been thinking for a while now that he was wasting his time staying here, going to school, hoping he could amount to something. What he’d better do was hop a train, go to California and get a job picking peaches or oranges or something.

He might be lucky enough to get in the movies and get rich. Now, wouldn’t that just chap the folks around here? He’d come back to this one-horse town and thumb his nose at everyone in it but Joy. If she wasn’t married, he’d take her away with him.

Yes, that’s what he’d do as soon as his pa came back. He’d hop a train out of here. There was nothing for him here but the contempt of folks because he was the son of a drunk from Shanty Town.

Sammy waited until most everyone had left before he approached Fred.

“Sorry.” It was all he managed to say. But in saying it he felt that he had repaid Mrs. Poole a little bit for her kindnesses to him.

Julie didn’t mention to Joy that she had seen her talking to Sammy. But she told Evan that night as he held her tightly in his arms. Her head was on his shoulder. He pulled her thigh up across his and eased his legs between hers.

“She’s still got a crush on him. I don’t know what to do about it.”

“She’ll get over it.”

“I’m not sure. She’s very protective of him and proud that he tackled the man that shot Jack.”

“All the Joneses root for the underdog. It’s their nature.” “I don’t understand the attraction.”

“Some people might wonder what you see in me,” he teased and pulled her thigh up over his arousal and held it there.

“Be serious. You know I married you because you’re so ugly I was afraid no other woman would have you, and I did love your dear mother.”

“And I played on your sympathy because I was determined to have the sweetest woman in ten counties.”

“Only ten?”

“Maybe eleven.”

After several long kisses Evan said, “Doc really loves that girl. I hate to see him go, but I understand. I’d take you and run if I couldn’t live with you here.”

“Corbin knows, doesn’t he?”

“Yes, and Joe and Jack. April, of course. Joe is taking them to the train in Kansas City on Saturday. Doc has boxed up some things he wants Joe to ship to him later on when he’s settled.”

“I’ve not met Caroline, but Joe says you can’t tell she has colored blood. He said she was a beauty and seemed to be well educated. I guess her mother was known to be colored. Her father, a college professor, met her back East and came here thinking they could live peacefully together.”

“He should have known better than to bring her to Missouri,” Evan said. “But like most Easterners, he probably thought Missouri was wild and unsettled and that Indians were running around all over the place.”

“Does Doc have a destination in mind?”

“He’s mentioned going to Canada or Mexico, but he’s going to Tennessee first to see one of his sisters. He wanted to give Joe his car, but Joe wouldn’t accept it without paying for it.” Evan chuckled. “Joe didn’t want to ask Wally down at the filling station what it was worth, so he asked me. He doesn’t want to take out a loan, but as soon as he gets the money, he’ll send it to Doc.”

“Joe’s unhappy right now.”

“How do you know that, mother hen? He seemed all right to me.”

“He’s in love with April. I have the sense that he’s feeling inferior. She’s got a good job, and he’s struggling to make it with mortgaged land and a bull.”

“Not Joe. He’s the most confident fellow I know.” “Something happened the night the river came up. He doesn’t tease her, hardly even looks at her. Not at all like he treated her the day they came out here. He was very careful today at the funeral to keep his distance. That’s not like him.”