Rimfire Bride (30 page)

“Oh, no, Della, I invited Miss Hartmann,” Linda Steward said. “For without her, we wouldn’t have had a translation of the script. By sharing her talent with us, she contributed as much to the success of our production as anyone did.”

“Talent? What talent? From what I understand, she was born in Germany. What talent does it take for a German to speak German?”

Linda laughed nervously. “This
is
my party, and
I
invited her, and she
is
welcome.”

“Of course,” Della said, forcing a smile. “I guess I just misunderstood. Please accept my apology, and thank you for what you did for us.”

“There’s no apology needed,” Jana said graciously. “Working on the play was my pleasure, and by the way, you were a wonderful Mrs. Haller. Have you had theatrical training?”

Della smiled condescendingly. “I was the lead in three plays when I attended Vassar College. That’s in New York.”

“How wonderful. I’m sure you were as good in those plays as you were in this one.”

“Della,” someone called. “Could you come here for a moment, please? We have a photographer, and he would like a photograph of you, alone, before he takes the whole cast.”

“Of course.” Della smiled at Jana and Drew, though Jana got the impression that the smile didn’t go much beyond a stretch of her lips. “If you will excuse me?”

After the pictures were taken, Fern Watson called for everyone’s attention.

“We have been heaping praise upon everyone tonight, especially our star, Della Peterson, and she so rightly deserves it. But let’s not forget Jana Hartmann.” Fern looked over at Jana and smiled. “I’m sure most of you have seen Miss Hartmann, who has been somewhat of a star herself.” Fern paused. “I would like to point out, the beautiful gown Jana is wearing tonight came from my husband’s
store. As you all know, Watson’s Emporium is the place to go for the finest in women’s attire.”

“Oh, I hardly think that one who displays herself in a window could ever be called a star,” Della said. Then, realizing that what she had said might have come across as a bit shrewish, Della smiled. “Still, she is a beautiful woman, and it requires a certain finesse to be able to seduce—excuse me, I mean,
in
duce—men into purchasing dresses for their wives.”

The others applauded, but Jana was mortified. She felt her cheeks flaming as she was pointed out as little more than a walking mannequin.

When a sufferable amount of time had passed, enough that would satisfy Mrs. Watson, Jana asked Drew to please take her home.

Once they were in the carriage, Drew turned to Jana, and with his hand poised under her chin, he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her with a gentleness that was a godsend for Jana. He knew exactly how she was feeling without her having to say one word.

“Soon, very soon, my love, you won’t ever have to be put in that position again. I’m sorry.” He kissed her again.

When they were within a couple of blocks of the hotel, Drew asked the driver to stop. “Thanks, Chancy, but I think Miss Hartmann and I would like to walk for a few blocks.”

“Shall I follow along behind you?”

“No, you’re discharged. Good night, Chancy.”

Hand in hand, Drew and Jana walked slowly toward the hotel.

“You know you were the most beautiful woman there tonight.” Drew squeezed her hand reassuringly.

“It’s the dress, and tomorrow Cinderella’s coach will be returned to the fairy godmother, and I’ll just be me again,” Jana said wistfully.

“That’s not so bad. The prince fell in love with Cinderella, not her trappings. Do you recognize where we are?”

Jana looked around and smiled. “If it’s Beal’s Hardware, this must be our doorway.” She remembered the night after the firemen’s ball.

Drew started to kiss her, but then he looked around to make certain no one was observing them.

“Why, Mr. Malone, I do believe it is you who has become sensitive to scandal.”

“It’s not that. I just don’t want to influence the pool.” This time he kissed her with passion. “Will that one last for a while?”

“Until tomorrow.” Jana wrapped her arms around Drew’s neck, drawing him to her for another kiss.

“Unfortunately, I won’t see you tomorrow.” Drew started walking toward the hotel. “Antoine-Amédée-Marie-Vincent Manca de Vallombrosa, Marquis de Morès is here, and I must go with him to Little Missouri.”

“That’s impressive. How long did it take you to memorize his name?”

Drew laughed. “That’s why he’s known as the Marquis de Morès or just de Morès. I’ve been trying to find land for him all winter, and I think
we’ve found a way for him to take over a large tract very near Rimfire. Anyway, I’m going to Little Missouri in the morning.”

“I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too, but when I get back, I want to have a very serious talk with you. Are you ready for that?”

“It all depends on what you have to say, Mr. Malone.”

“I’ll just say the name Malone will figure prominently in our discussion.” A broad smile crossed his face as he opened the door to the hotel.

When Drew and Jana walked into the lobby, they were both surprised to see the space filled with the residents, including Greta.

“I told you boys!” Hank said. “Have any of you ever seen anythin’ more regal than our girl, Jana, and her man?”

“Never, and she’s purty, too,” someone said, and everyone applauded.

Drew chuckled. “Well, I see I’m leaving you in good hands.” He kissed her lightly, on the lips, as the men whooped and hawed in appreciation.

“Good night,” he said.

“Good night,” Jana called to him as he started toward the door.

Drew expected to
be gone for about two weeks, but fortunately he came back sooner. When he arrived, Elfrieda was beside herself.

“What’s wrong?” he asked when he saw how distraught she was.

“It’s my sister. Her husband is near death’s door
with diphtheria, and now my cousin writes that Ethyl has it, too. Nobody will take care of her five little ones because they’re all in quarantine. I wish I was there to take care of the poor little souls.” Elfrieda wiped her tears.

“Where is there?”

“She’s on the Mississippi at Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Oh, Mr. Malone, what are those poor babies gonna do?”

“They’re going to have their aunt to take care of them, Elfrieda. You have no choice. Your sister needs you and you must go to her.”

“But what about Sam and Benji? Who will take care of them?”

“Don’t worry about the boys. They’ll be taken care of. Do you have enough money to get there?”

“Yes, sir, I do. I can’t thank you enough for letting me go help Ethyl. I haven’t seen her since the Little Bighorn. You know, she came to see me after Martin was killed.”

“Then you must go to her now.” Drew withdrew a money clip from his pocket. “Take this.” He handed her some money.

“Mr. Malone, do you know there’s over three hundred dollars here? I can’t take this.”

“Then consider it a loan. But right now, you have no idea what you’ll need when you get to Missouri. There could be expenses you aren’t expecting.”

“You don’t have to do this.”

“I know I don’t have to, Elfrieda. But I want to. You’ve been a wonderful addition to my house and to my family. The boys love you, and I’m very appreciative of what you do.”

While Elfrieda was
packing for her trip, Drew dropped by the Emporium to talk to Jana. “I know it would be asking a lot of you,” Drew said, “but I wonder if you would think about staying with Benji during the day, and also with Sam when he comes home from school. They know you, and I think it would be less of a disruption for them while Elfrieda is gone. That is, if you would consider leaving your job here at the store for a while.”

“I would love to do it, but what would the boys think about me coming to their home every day?”

Drew chuckled. “Well, now, just how do you think Benji will feel about it? You won him over the first day he ever saw you.”

“He’s not the one I’m worried about. It’s Sam that may have trouble with the arrangement.”

“He’ll accept it. First of all, he’ll be in school most of the day, and secondly, you know he really is a good boy. It’s just that he’s so sensitive, but I have no doubt that with Benji’s help you’ll win Sam over in no time at all.”

“Drew, if I agree to this, I want you to know I’m not going to make any overt effort to win Sam over. If he accepts me, it will have to be of his own volition. If it is to happen, it will happen.”

“I understand. When can you come?”

“When is Elfrieda leaving?”

“She’ll be leaving tonight.”

“Then if it’s all right with Mr. Watson, I’ll come tomorrow. I think he’s been creating work for me
ever since Christmas, but his business has slowed considerably. I’ll tell him this afternoon.”

“Good. If you would, come for supper this evening, and we can tell the boys together.”

The first few
days of looking after the boys were pure pleasure for Jana. She felt like a little girl playing house with real live dolls. Every day, she tried to think of a new activity to do with Benji, and when Sam came home, Benji was anxious to show him what they had done. Drew came home every couple of hours whenever he could, just to make sure everything was going well. Then, on the fourth day, when Jana arrived, Drew met her at the door with a concerned look.

“What’s wrong?” Jana asked as she stepped into the house.

“It’s Sam. He says he has a sore throat.”

“Oh, dear.” Jana went into the boy’s bedroom and felt Sam’s forehead. It was warm, and she noticed also that his cheeks were puffy.

“Are you hurting anywhere?”

“Yes, ma’am. My head hurts, and my ears hurt.”

“What about when you swallow?”

“That makes my throat hurt really bad.”

Jana bent down and kissed Sam on the forehead, and he made no move to resist it.

“Drew, I think Sam should stay home today. Do you know if anyone in his classroom has had the mumps recently?”

“Miss Peterson said Jamie Wilcox has the mumps,” Sam said.

“There’s the answer,” Jana said. “He’ll be out of school for at least ten days.”

“Should I ask Dr. Pinkstaff to stop by?” Drew asked.

“I don’t think so. There’s really nothing that can be done for mumps. When his jaws begin to really swell in a couple of days, it’s going to be painful. Then we’ll just need to have a lot of cold compresses handy.”

“What about Benji?”

“I’ll try to keep him away from Sam as much as possible, but I’m sure he is exposed as well.”

When Jana and Drew stepped out of Sam’s room, Drew took her in his arms and held her. “I’m sorry, Jana. Nursing wasn’t something you signed on for, was it?”

“Sam didn’t ask to get sick. I’ll do my best, and who knows, the mumps may be just the thing that breaks the ice between us.”

“Did anyone ever tell you, you’re wonderful? That’s what I love about you. You always see the bright side. I’ll come home as often as I can, but I know the boys are in good hands.” Drew kissed her lightly on her brow, much as a husband would kiss his wife before he left for his day.

For the next
few days, Jana made certain she had cool cloths to apply to Sam’s swollen jaws and warm cloths to ease the pain of his ears. Benji tried to stay out of the room, but when Jana read stories to Sam, Benji crawled up on her lap and listened. At first Jana had insisted that he stay away, but
then she decided it was useless. Benji would have the mumps in two to three weeks, if not before.

When Sam’s swelling began to subside and he began to feel better, Drew asked Jana if she would tutor him, so that he didn’t fall farther behind in his schoolwork than he already was. Drew showed her some of the notes Della Peterson had sent him, detailing Sam’s difficulties. Jana picked up the latest note and read:
Sam is falling behind in his schoolwork. He needs extra attention if he is to stay up with the others in his grade
.

Jana thought it strange that a teacher would send such a note to a parent. Wasn’t it her job to see that a child learned what he could?

“Oh,” Sam said when Jana picked out
Swinton’s Third Reader
for him. “Miss Peterson says I can’t read that book.”

“Why not? Let’s try it.” Jana opened the book near its middle.

Sam began reading. “ ‘I am going to tell you about Daniel Weh . . . Web . . . ’ ”

“Webster,” Jana said.

“ ‘I am going to tell you about Daniel Webster’s first case. It was his very first, for Daniel was at this time only ten years old.

“ ‘Webster’s father was a poor farmer, and besides Daniel, he had an older son, E . . . ’ ”

“Ezekiel.”

“ ‘Ezekiel. Both boys used to help in the farmwork.’ ”

Sam read the entire story of how when they trapped a woodchuck who had been eating from
their garden, Ezekiel had wanted to kill him, but Daniel wanted to set him free. Their father established a court, appointing Ezekiel as the prosecutor, and Daniel the woodchuck’s defense counsel. Daniel did a good job explaining that the woodchuck wasn’t violating any laws but was, instead, following the law of nature to feed himself.

Acting as the judge in the story, Daniel’s father set the animal free.

“Well,” Jana said when Sam had finished, having read the story perfectly, stumbling only over the two names, “what do you think?”

Sam was smiling from ear to ear. “It’s a wonderful story, and you know what? Daddy’s a lawyer, too, so I’m going to read it to him because he doesn’t know I can read.”

“He will be so proud of you.”

“May I read it again?”

“Of course you can.” Jana pulled Sam closer to her, but before he started to read, he climbed onto her lap and laid his head back against her chest. Then he opened the book and began.

Jana didn’t say a word, but she put her arm around him to pull Sam a little closer as she listened to him read. She was glad he couldn’t see the tears streaming down her cheeks.

W
hen
Jana came to Drew’s house one morning, she was met by an exhausted Drew.

“Benji’s not going to be as good a patient as Sam’s been,” Drew said. “I’ve been up most of the night with the little guy while he’s been crying that he can’t swallow. He finally fell asleep about an hour ago, but now Sam’s awake, so I’ve tied a wet cloth around his head. He says his ears hurt.”