Dorothy Garlock - [Dolan Brothers] (24 page)
Read Dorothy Garlock - [Dolan Brothers] Online
Authors: With Hope
“Well, for crying out loud! I was . . . was just having a . . . good time. If you don’t want me to come out anymore, I won’t.” Karen’s lips trembled. She turned quickly and rushed to the end of the porch.
Henry Ann hurried after her and grabbed her arm. “I didn’t mean that, and you know it. Grant is good-looking enough to turn any woman’s head—”
“—But not yours?”
“No, not mine. He’s got personality and is smart,” Henry Ann continued. “But he could be a crook and running from the law—”
“—He is not! If you think that, why are you letting him stay there?”
“I didn’t say that I thought that. I said he could be. I don’t want you to fall in love with Grant and be hurt when he suddenly pulls foot and takes to the road again.”
“Henry Ann Henry! Who said anything about falling in love with the man? My goodness! He’s fun to be with. He’s not stuffy and serious like most of the men around here. If you think our teasing each other is more than just having a good time, your brain’s on vacation.”
Karen, my dear, sweet friend. You’re protesting too much. You’re already in love with him or close to it!
“All right. Let’s forget about it for now. Come out anytime, Karen. I couldn’t bear it if I lost you for a friend.”
“You’ll not lose me, hon. We’ve had differences of opinion before, and our friendship survived.” Karen put her arm around Henry Ann and hugged her. “Is the candy for little Jay?”
“He asked for a frog like the one I gave him. I’m going over to the Five and Dime and see if they have one.”
“What happened to the one you gave him?”
“His mother put it in the stove.”
“Ah . . . no! Poor little boy. I don’t think they have one at the Five and Dime. The tables are almost bare. The store will be closing any time now.”
“Really? I hate to see it go.”
“Mr. Anderson has bought out some of their stock. Daddy and I are going to Ardmore tomorrow. Do you want me to look for a frog there?”
“Would you?” Henry Ann opened her purse. “I’ll give you some money.”
“Not now.” Karen covered Henry Ann’s hand. “I may not find one.”
“If you do, I’ll pay you.”
“I’m hoping to go to the picture show. I’d have to sneak in and sneak out. Some of Daddy’s
flock
think you’ll go to hell if you go to picture shows. I don’t want to cause him any trouble. Did you hear what happened at the air show?”
flock
think you’ll go to hell if you go to picture shows. I don’t want to cause him any trouble. Did you hear what happened at the air show?”
“About Tom and Mrs. Dolan?” Henry Ann raised her brows. “Oh, yes. Mrs. Miller and her sewing circle are making sure that everyone in town knows about it, and they’re making it look like Tom is mean to his wife.”
“You got it right. I don’t know why we need a weekly newspaper. That old busybody is making out that Mr. Dolan is a black-hearted, jealous Irishman who wants to keep his pretty wife all to himself.”
“Is that what she’s saying?”
“That, and more. She says he has an eye for other women.”
“That’s untrue and unfair!” Now it was time for Henry Ann’s cheeks to flame.
“Mrs. Miller doesn’t care if it’s fair or not as long as she has center stage at the sewing circle.”
“That woman is a gossip of the worst kind! I’ve got to go, Karen. Chris is waiting. Come out when you can.”
“Daddy and I would like some peaches to eat and for a pie or two, if you have some to spare. I don’t want too many, or I might have to can them.”
“You’re lazy and . . . the church ladies have spoiled you.”
“Only the widows have spoiled me. They butter me up so I’ll put in a good word for them with Daddy. If they want to make jelly and can beans for us, I’m all for it.”
“Karen, you’re the limit.” Henry Ann squeezed her friend’s arm and headed for Chris’s car parked beside the curb.
“Yoo . . . hoo, Henry Ann.”
Henry Ann turned to see Mrs. Miller, her sunbonnet tied snugly under her double chin, coming toward her on the other side of the street. She pretended not to have heard the woman calling her and quickly got into the car and glanced at Chris.
“Let’s go. She’s heading this way,” Henry Ann urged.
The motor sprang to life and moved swiftly away from the curb. Henry Ann didn’t breathe easily until they were a block away.
“Whee . . .” She puffed her cheeks and blew. “That was close.”
“She got an eyeful. It’ll be all over town that we were together.”
“That isn’t all bad, Chris. If they think we’re a couple, they’ll not connect you with Opal until you’re ready.”
“I don’t know when that’ll be. If I had a job that would pay enough for me to support Opal and Rosemary, I’d be ready right this minute.” Chris swung around the block and turned the car into the Phillips 66 station just as a car was pulling out. “I’m ’bout out of gas. This won’t take long.”
A short thin man in a pair of greasy overalls stood looking after the touring car. He held several bills in his hand. He screwed his battered felt hat down on his head and came toward the car. He had a huge smile on his sun-baked wrinkled face and a chin dusty with three days’ beard.
“Golly-bum, Chris. You just missed seeing Frank Hamer.”
“Who’s Frank Hamer?” Chris asked as he got out of the car.
“Don’t ya read the newspaper? Frank Hamer’s the famous Texas Ranger. He’s a Federal man now. Gol . . . ly! I never thought I’d see Frank Hamer here in Red Rock.”
“Give me five gallons, Vern.”
“Frank Hamer come right in here and bought gas. He said, ‘Fill’er up, friend.’ He said that.” Vern unscrewed the cap and stuck the nozzle in the gas tank. “Yessiree—I never thought I’d see Frank Hamer. Recognized him right off. Then I asked him, just bold as ya please. ‘Ain’t ya Frank Hamer?’ I said. ‘Was the last time I saw myself in a lookin’ glass,’ he said.”
“Careful, Vern. I just want five gallon.”
“Wonder what they’re gonna do out at Dolan’s.” Vern cut off the flow of gas and replaced the cap on the gas tank. “Ya reckon he’s run afoul a the law? Heard he beat the tar outta his wife at the air show, but Frank Hamer’s got more to do than hunt up a wife beater.”
“Tom Dolan does not beat his wife, regardless of what you’ve heard.” Henry Ann got out of the car and glared at Vern over the top of it.
“Just sayin’ what I heard, Miss Henry.”
“You heard the lies of a malicious gossiper.”
“I was just—”
“He . . . does . . . not . . . beat . . . his . . . wife!” Henry Ann spaced the words to give them more emphasis.
“Ya got no call to get mad. I was just—”
“I know. You were just repeating the gossip that you heard, not stopping to think if it was true or not.”
“’Twas the man with Frank Hamer that wanted to know where to find Tom Dolan. Ain’t ever’day a man like Frank Hamer comes to Red Rock.”
“You’ve got a right to be excited, Vern. What did the man have to say about Dolan?” Chris asked, aware that Henry Ann wanted to know, but would not ask.
“Nothin’. Just how to get to Dolan’s place.”
“You told them?”
“Sure. Why not?”
“No reason.”
“Reckon Dolan’s tied in with the bootleggers? The bank at Duncan was robbed the other night—” He left his words hanging.
“Not a chance, Vern. I see him in the fields every day.” Chris spoke matter-of-factly. “If he was getting easy money from bootleg whiskey or from a bank robbery, he’d not be breaking his back day in and day out in a cotton patch.”
“Yeah . . . still, ya know, Frank Hamer ain’t got time to chase petty crooks. He’s got bigger fish to fry.”
“He’ll not fry them at the Dolan farm,” Henry Ann said testily, got into the car, and slammed the door.
“What’s eatin’ her?” Vern asked. “I ain’t never seen Miss Henry riled.”
“She hates gossip—”
“—And people who spread it!” Henry Ann scooted across the seat and leaned out the window on the driver’s side to add. “You’re jabbering about something you heard from the town gossip. Shame on you, Mr. Neal.”
Chris got into the car. “See you, Vern.”
“Yeah. Thanks, Chris. ’Bye, Miss Henry.”
Henry Ann looked straight ahead and didn’t answer.
“You gave old Vern an earful, H.A. He’s harmless.”
“Harmless? I don’t call repeating untrue things and ruining a man’s reputation . . . harmless.”
“Maybe I should’ve said dumb.”
“He’s ignorant and stupid just like most of the people in Red Rock.”
“Gosh, Henry Ann, you sound like a sore-backed heifer with a mouthful of larkspur.”
“I get tired of narrow-minded people and . . . Red Rock is full of them.”
“These are hard times. If anything brings out the meanness in people, it’s hard times.”
Retreating into their thoughts, they didn’t speak again until almost fifteen minutes later. Chris had turned down a road which was not much more than a lane and came to a halt in front of a small unpainted frame house.
“It’s pretty back in here, isn’t it?” Chris said, as he parked the car beside a dented old washtub filled to overflowing with colorful moss rose.
The house, not more than two rooms, sat off the ground on blocks. A narrow porch stretched across the front of it. On a clothesline in the back of the house, squares of white cloth fluttered in the gentle breeze. A thin girl wearing a faded gingham dress belted at the waist came out of the house and stood waiting on the edge of the porch. She had dark red hair and was carrying a small child on her hip.
“Get out, Henry Ann. Opal’s shy as a doe, and she’s scared.” Chris had eyes only for the girl and the child.
“Because of me?”
“She’s not sure if you’ll be friendly.” He went quickly to the porch. “Hello, honey. How’s my girl?” He spoke first to Opal and then to the child. He bent and kissed the girl square on the mouth. She tried to back away, her eyes on Henry Ann, but Chris held her firmly to his side with his arm about her waist. “You know Henry Ann, honey.”
“Hello, Opal. I’ve not seen you for a long time.”
“I remember.”
“This is Rosemary,” Chris said proudly, the little girl’s hand wrapped tight around his finger.
“My, how pretty she is.” Henry Ann reached out and touched the dark red curls that hugged the child’s neck. The little girl cowered away from her and hid her face against her mother’s shoulder.
“Come here to me, little pretty.” Chris reached for the toddler, who went to him willingly and rested her head on his shoulder. “Soon you’ll be too big for your mama to carry.” The child stuck her thumb in her mouth and turned large brown eyes on Henry Ann.
“Won’t you . . . sit down?” Opal asked hesitantly, indicating the straight-backed chair with the rush-covered seat.
“For a few minutes.” Henry Ann’s mind searched for a way to put the girl at ease. “Chris gave me a ride to town—”
“I asked Henry Ann to come with me, honey. She knows about us.”
“I . . . I—” Opal’s eyes seemed to have a hard time leaving Chris. Finally, she turned to Henry Ann. “Can I get you a drink of water?”
“No, thank you. I’m fine. How old is Rosemary?”
“A year.”
“She’s a beautiful child. Would it be all right if I gave her a candy stick?”
“You don’t have to do that . . . ma’am.”
“Call me Henry Ann, Opal. I hope we can be friends.”
“Oh, yes, ma’am.”
Henry Ann went to the car and got a stick of candy from her grocery bag. When she returned to the porch, Opal sat in one of the chairs with Rosemary on her lap. Chris passed her on his way to the car and gave her a grateful smile.
Rosemary hid her face against her mother when Henry Ann tried to give her the candy.
“She’s bashful,” Opal explained. “She don’t see many folks.”
“She can have it for later.” Henry Ann pressed the stick into Opal’s hand and sat back down.
Chris was going around to the back of the house with a package under his arm. Opal’s gaze followed him.
“Chris and I went to school together.” When Henry Ann spoke, Opal’s eyes went quickly to her and then away. “We’ve been friends for a long time and have . . . confided in each other. I know he loves you and wants to marry you.”
“Folks’d look down on him.” Tears shimmered in Opal’s eyes. “I can’t let him—”
“He doesn’t care what folks think. It’s you he cares for. You’re a lucky girl. Chris is one of the finest men I know.”
“I know it. He’s too good for a girl like me.” Opal’s shoulders suddenly squared, and she tilted her head to give Henry Ann a defiant stare. “I ain’t ashamed of Rosemary. It ain’t her fault . . . what happened.”
“It isn’t yours either, Opal,” Henry Ann said gently.
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