River Queen (39 page)

Actually, Robbie had served them dinner and dessert and coffee, but they had been so absorbed in talking that neither of them had noticed her at all. Now, as she gathered up their empty pie plates, she said softly, “Welcome back, Mr. Bronte. We all hope you’ll stay for awhile.”

“I plan to,” he said happily. “Thanks, Robbie. You know, you look real pretty. Have you done something to your hair?”

She blushed and said, “No, sir, except I just quit winding it up so tight, it was giving me headaches. That’s all.” Her hair was done in a soft figure-eight chignon, and she had let some soft short curls escape around her face. She disappeared back through the galley door.

Julienne blurted out, “I saw you kiss her.”

“What?” Dallas said blankly.

“Kiss. Robbie. The first night she was here.”

“Oh, that! I had forgotten about that. But I didn’t kiss her, she kissed me, to tell me thank you. Girl hasn’t said half a dozen words to me since, except for ‘Yes, Mr. Bronte’ and ‘No, Mr. Bronte.’”

“You forgot? How could you forget?” Julienne demanded.

“Because it didn’t mean anything,” Dallas said gravely. “She’d had a real bad time, she was scared, and I think I’m the first man she ever met that had a truthful kind word for her. She thanked me, and I guess I thought about it for a few days, but it didn’t take long to realize that she’s just a kid. I’m not interested in kids. And she’s not interested in me.”

Julienne listened, unmoving. Then she relaxed and said, “No, she’s not, Dallas. She’s in love with Revelation Brown. That’s why she’s letting herself look pretty again.”

“She is? How’s Rev taking it?”

“He’s scared to death,” she answered, her dark eyes sparkling. “But he’ll live. It’s his own fault. He started taking her to church, and she got saved, and then they had lots to talk about, and there you are.”

“Good ol’ Rev,” he said affectionately. “He deserves a good woman. I’ll be glad when I can tell him about me finding the Lord. You’ll probably be able to hear him whoop up in Natchez. But I don’t want to talk to the crew yet, Julienne. Now that I’ve told you about me, I want to know everything about you and the
River Queen.
If you want to talk to me, I mean,” he added quickly.

“Oh, Dallas, it’s an answer to prayer,” she said. “I’m so ashamed, but I want to tell you everything. Don’t worry, I don’t expect you to rescue me again. I just want so much to talk to you, like we used to.”

“I want that too,” he said warmly. “I’ve missed you, Julienne.” He reached out his hand, and after a moment she put her hand in his, and they kept holding hands as they talked.

“I’ve missed you too, Dallas. Oh, you’re not going to believe how stupid, how wrong, how—”

“Don’t do that,” he interrupted her. “Whatever mistakes you’ve made, or whatever wrongs you’ve done, have you asked the Lord to forgive you for them?”

“Yes, I have,” she said firmly. “And He has.”

“Then you’re forgiven, and He’s forgotten. What’s past is past, and what’s done is done. All we have to do now is ask Him how to go on from this day, now. So please just tell me about the situation, without blaming yourself, and then we’ll figure out what to do.”

Greatly comforted, Julienne started talking. She told him about the loan, and how happy she’d been to get it, and how she had felt. Then she told him about the exorbitant expenses, and she saw his face darken, but she kept on talking in a smooth, relaxed manner. She explained about the night she had realized that Lyle had been using her and lying to her, and about how she had finally read the contract and found out about the balloon payment due in October. “It’s impossible that we would be able to come up with $9,000 by then,” she said with the first sign of unhappiness.

“With God all things are possible,” Dallas quoted. “My grandfather used to quote that so much it stopped meaning a thing to me. But it means everything to me now. It’s true, Julienne. I believe that the Lord will give us a way to get out of this predicament.”

“I don’t know,” Julienne said softly, clutching his hand harder. “I really have gotten over feeling like God is going to punish me for what I’ve done. But I also know that sometimes people sin, and God forgives them, but there are still consequences. God will not make you pay for your sins, but this world will. It’s still possible that by October Lyle Dennison will own this boat, and he’ll kick me and my family right out onto that muddy street out there.”

“You do understand, don’t you, Julienne, that that’s not what he’s planning? No, he’ll make you an offer so that you and your family will be taken care of,” Dallas said harshly.

Julienne sighed deeply. “I didn’t understand anything about that part of it, you know. Now I do, because I’ve talked to Darcy. He’s the only one I’ve told about this. He’s been helping me, Dallas. I’m so proud of him.” She gave him a wry smile. “He explained to me about what Lyle was going to do when the payment comes due. Then he told me that he’d challenge him to a duel, shoot him dead like the skunk he is, and all our troubles would be over with.”

Dallas smiled back at her reassuringly. “I don’t believe it’ll come to that. What you say is true about the consequences of sin, Julienne. But many times we can humbly ask the Lord to deliver us from evil, and He will. I’m going to believe that He will make all of this right, for your family, for the
River Queen
, for Rev and Robbie and all of us who care about you and your family.”

Julienne leaned closer to him and asked, “And what about us, Dallas? Will the Lord make it right for us?”

“I don’t know the answer to that right now, Julienne,” he said honestly. “Do you?”

“No,” she said, “I have my wishes, and my dreams, but I don’t truly know His will right now.”

Dallas grinned. “Maybe saying just the plain truth isn’t as hard as I thought it was.”

“I’m simply astounded to discover how smart you’ve become in the last few weeks,” Julienne teased him.

“Ain’t I?” Then he grew serious, and he went on, “Okay, Boss, I accept your job offer. And I know that means we’ve got about ten thousand more things to talk about. But I have a suggestion first.”

“What’s that?”

“Would you pray with me, Julienne?” he asked simply.

She smiled at him, bowed her head, and said, “Dearest Lord Jesus, thank You so much that Dallas has come home.”

LYLE DENNISON SHOWED UP at the
Queen
the next day at two o’clock, as always. He was surprised—and not pleasantly by any means—to see Dallas Bronte come forward to stop him at the foot of the gangplank. Julienne and Darcy followed him.

“What do you think you’re doing here, Bronte?” he demanded roughly.

“I work here. What do you think you’re doing here?” Dallas retorted.

Dennison’s mouth twisted, and he spoke over Dallas’s shoulder. “Julienne, what do you think you’re doing? He’s nothing but a lowdown drunk river rat! You’ve got two good pilots! Unless he’s just roughnecking for you,” he sneered.

“I’m standing right in front of you, Dennison, you got anything to say about me, you say it to me,” Dallas said.

Ignoring him, Dennison said, “Julienne? You owe me an explanation.”

“No, Lyle, all I owe you is nine thousand dollars,” she said dryly.

“And you’re going to get it, too, in just a couple of weeks,” Dallas said evenly. “In the meantime, you’re not welcome on this boat. Just leave this family alone, Dennison. From now on.”

“Not welcome on this boat! I’ll have you know I paid for all the shiny new toys on this boat! I’ll come on board her any time I please!” he shouted, his craggy face turning red.

“You did not pay for anything, Dennison,” Darcy said in his usual lazy, bored tone. “My sister did, with money that you loaned her, and put into her bank account. At that time it became her money. She could have taken it out and made a bonfire with it, and it wouldn’t have been any of your business. Just like the
Queen
isn’t any of your business, Dennison. I’m not as polite as Mr. Bronte, so I’m telling you to get your foot off of my sister’s gangplank, go get on that horse, and let us see your backside for the last time!”

Dennison stood unmoving, his foot planted solidly on the gangplank. “I’ll ruin you, Bronte. This boat will never get one crumb of freight again, and not a single soul will set foot in a stateroom.”

“Wrong,” Dallas said succinctly. “I’ve been busy this morning. Miss Ashby gave me the shipping schedule you gave her, and I’ve already been around to all the agents and shippers and confirmed our freight. As for passengers, if they cancel, we’ll get more. Easy pickings in summertime for a fine boat like the
River Queen
.”

As Dallas talked, Dennison’s face got uglier and uglier. “Well, you have been busy scuttling around, haven’t you, River Rat? Had your first drink yet this morning?”

“It’s afternoon,” Julienne said with disdain. “And those insults to Mr. Bronte are real old news, and frankly, you’re boring me. Please leave. Now.”

“All right, I’ll leave now,” he grunted, “but I’ll be back, right here, at eight o’clock in the morning on October 19. If you don’t hand me nine thousand dollars right then, the
River Queen
will be my boat. And you and your fine family, and especially you, Mr. Bronte, will be kicked right out into the street.”

“I told you,” Dallas said with exaggerated patience, “you’re going to have your nine thousand dollars the first week of September, Dennison.”

He laughed, a brittle sound. “Where are you going to get that kind of money? No one in his right mind would loan any of you nine thousand dollars!”

“You did,” Dallas said mildly. “But that’s beside the point. Go check Inman & Sons office, Dennison. They were just putting up the handbills when I was there. There’s going to be a steamer race the first of September, and the winning purse is ten thousand dollars. And the
River Queen
is going to win it.”

Despite the still-scorching weather, New Orleans had turned out on September 1 to watch the beginning of the Great Race. If she was known for anything, the Crescent City was famous for being able to celebrate. People came from all over the United States and even from other countries to wander the sections of New Orleans that offered everything for the tourists.

A platform had been built on the wharf, decked out with bunting and with flags flying high overhead. A hot fast breeze whipped them, and they snapped and popped while beneath them the mayor of New Orleans and the governor of Louisiana gave pompous speeches ringing with patriotic phrases.

Bands had been playing, and there had been dancing in the streets, and bets were being made on every corner on the winner of the Great Race. The newspapers had taken up the drama of it all, and not just in the South, but all over the country.

From their position in the pilothouse of the
Queen,
Dallas and Julienne watched the festivities and people coming and going on board the other ships in the race. Julienne said, “The whole country is talking about this race, Dallas.”

“They sure are. Even people that don’t normally gamble are getting in on this action. Some people are betting their last dime on the winner.”

She turned to him and studied him for a moment and then asked, “Dallas, is there any chance that we can win this race? I mean, all of these other ships are bigger than the
Queen
.”

“The bigger the better,” Dallas smiled. He reached out and took her hand. “Bigger doesn’t mean faster. They have bigger engines, but then they’ve got a lot more weight for those engines to push.”

“But some of them are side-wheelers. They’ve got two paddle wheels. Doesn’t that mean they can go faster?”

“Not really. The paddle wheels on those sidewheelers are very narrow. Single paddle wheels on the back of the stern are three times as large as those.”

“Then why do they have them on the side?”

“It makes the ship more maneuverable. You can back one and turn the other forward and make a sharp turn. But that doesn’t give you an advantage in a straight-out full-on race.”

Dallas pulled out his watch and said, “Only thirty minutes before the race starts. I need to go down and talk to Jesse and Rev and Ring. You want to come with me? Or you want to go stay with your family?”