Tenderness (16 page)

“Y-You m-mean it?”

“Now?” Susan asked.

“What better time?”

“Glory! Old Ghost-face will have a fit.”

“Good,” Jesse muttered as Susan ran through the kitchen and out the door.

“You’re it, Todd. Hide your eyes and count to ten.”

Louella almost choked on her anger when she went into the dining room and saw the dinner dishes still on the table. The doctor
had retired to his study, and she could think of no tactful way to bring his children’s neglect of their chores to his attention
tonight.

Quietly and efficiently she carried the dinner dishes to the kitchen and began the cleanup. She was making progress here and
was determined not to let anything or anyone keep her from her goal. She had not realized the golden opportunity before her
when she had first arrived. It had fallen right in her lap. The only obstacle was Jesse, who should have been married and
out of the house long ago.

Mrs. Harper had hinted, more than hinted, that she would like a match between the doctor’s daughter and her son. Louella decided
that she would have to give it some thought. Surely there was something she could do to help bring that about. A marriage
between the two would remove Jesse and put her in solidly with the town’s leading family.

She had her arms in dishwater up to her elbows when the laughing trio came in the back door.

“Wash up, Todd, and get ready for bed.” Jesse gave her brother a gentle push toward the door. “We’ll have time to put the
hem in your new skirt if we hurry, Susan.” Her eyes met those of the housekeeper and held them until her brother and sister
were out of the room. “Good night, Mrs. Lindstrom.” She waited. The housekeeper turned her back and Jesse left the room.

Later in the week when Louella learned that Pauline Anthony would be staying with them for the summer, she was not happy about
it but was careful not to let Doctor Forbes know of her displeasure. Around him she was efficiency personified, with a double
dose of sweetness and refinement thrown in.

Todd was delighted that the storage room would be made into a room for him.

“Us… m-men will be d-down here,” he said in his halting speech.

“And us women will be up there.” Jesse hugged his head to her breast. She loved this little brother of hers fiercely.

“I’ll need help carrying all this to the barn,” Louella declared.

“We’ll help, won’t we, Todd?” Jesse turned cool eyes on the housekeeper. “We’ll do it tonight after school and tomorrow you
can clean the room.”

Pauline moved into Todd’s room as soon as school was out for the summer. While Jesse worked in the surgery, Pauline spent
time with Susan and Todd. Mrs. Lindstrom was barely civil to her when they were alone. This amused Pauline more than it angered
her.

Jesse had delayed her trip to the hills until Pauline could go with her. She persuaded her father to allow Todd and Susan
to go with them. Because her brother had not had scarlet fever, he would stay with Mrs. Frony at Mill Springs or with Granny
Lester while Jesse called on her former patients.

With Molly hitched to the buggy, a huge picnic basket and Todd sitting on the platform in back, they crossed the bridge spanning
the creek and headed up the hill road.

The June morning was warm and soft. The air was filled with the sweet aroma of thousands of blossoms. Long fingers of sunlight
meshed through the tree branches and made lacy patterns on the road. Birds fluttered from tree to bush to waving grasses.
When Jesse heard the song of a lark, it brought back vividly the memory of being beside the stream with Wade, his smiling
green eyes, and the way they had lingered on her face.

She acknowledged the budding excitement in the pit of her stomach at the possibility of seeing him again. She had debated
with herself about her hair and what to wear today. One part of her wanted Wade to see her in something other than the nurse’s
uniform; the other part didn’t want to see him at all. She had chosen to wear a pale-green-and-white-striped calico dress
with a small neat ruffle edging the yoke. Her chestnut hair, freshly washed in rainwater, was so soft and shiny it could hardly
hold the hairpins that held the knot at the nape of her neck. She was glad now that she had let Susan talk her into cutting
a thin layer of hair around her face. In the slight breeze it caressed her forehead and cheeks.

Susan and Pauline were chatting like a couple of magpies.

“I don’t know how Jess ever persuaded Papa to let us come.” Susan was so excited that she could hardly contain herself. She
had been to Mill Springs but not up into what was called the high country.

“I cried.” Jesse looked past her sister to Pauline and winked. “It worked too.”

“You did not! You never cry.”

“I told him I needed you to help Pauline push this buggy up the hill in case Molly gives out.”

“Old Ghost-face will be glad we’re gone. She’ll have Papa all to herself today.”

“He’s taking the morning train to Frederick and the evening train back home.”

“Goody, goody, goody,” Susan chortled. “That’ll throw a kink in the rope she’s using to reel Papa in.”

“Papa won’t be so easy to reel in,” Jesse said firmly. “He still keeps Mama’s picture beside the bed and her things in the
dresser.” She said the words to convince herself as much as to convince Susan. The fear was there in the back of her mind
that her father would wake up too late to see Mrs. Lindstrom for the greedy, manipulating woman she was.

“I remember how sad he was when Mama died. I was just little bitty then, but I remember. It about killed him to lose her,”
Susan said.

Pauline grasped Susan’s hand. “Just be patient. Doctor Forbes will see through her sooner or later.”

“With our help it could be sooner.” Susan giggled happily and imitated Louella’s voice. “Oh, Miss Anthony, I’m so glad you’ll
be staying with us this summer.” Then in true Susan fashion she turned to her sister with a complete change of subject. “Do
you think we’ll see Wade Simmer, Jess?”

“I think so.” Jesse tried to keep the eagerness out of her voice. “I want Pauline to meet him and Jody.”

Jesse looked at her friend and saw the tension on her face. She had lost weight during the past few weeks, but it only enhanced
her beauty. Her pale hair was pulled back and tied with a lavender ribbon that matched the one at the neck of the white shirtwaist.
Her blouse was tucked neatly into a tan skirt. A wide belt cinched her small waist. She was pretty—so pretty. Just looking
at her made Jesse feel gauche and… plain.

Susan continued to chatter, jumping from one subject to the other.

“If Ichabod got wind that you were teaching a darkie he’d go straight to Mr. Harper and raise a stink.”

“And if Mr. Crane got wind that you call him Ichabod, you’d have a rough time next term,” Pauline retorted.

“He’s got his nose buried so deep in his books, he’ll be the last to know.” Susan giggled. “Anyway he brought it on himself
by reading
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
aloud to his class. The description of the school teacher fit him perfectly.”

Jesse was so occupied with her own thoughts that she hardly heard the conversation. They had passed the turnoff that led to
the clearing beside the creek $$$re she and Wade had picnicked. Her mind was busy $$$sg to decide how she should act when
she met him. Should she be cool and businesslike? She certainly didn’t want to act as if the kisses they’d shared meant anything
to her.

Her mind was suddenly cleared of all thought when Wade, on his big black horse, appeared in the middle of the road. It was
just as it had been before. If her mind had been able to sustain a thought, it would have been to wonder how the man could
move through these hills like a phantom. Molly stopped on her own accord because Jesse was too befuddled to pull back on the
reins.

Wade sat quietly on his horse and looked at Jesse, his eyes beneath the pulled-down brim of his hat devouring her face. He
was hungry for the sight of her. Just looking at her spread a feeling of peace over him. He slowly moved his horse up beside
the buggy.

“Mornin’.” His hand went to the brim of his hat. His eyes flicked over Susan and Pauline and came back to Jesse.

“Morning, Mr. Simmer. This is my sister, Susan, and Miss Anthony, the teacher Papa told you about.” Jesse was proud of the
way she was able to control her voice despite the heavy thumping of her heart.

“Ladies.” Wade put his fingertips to the brim of his hat again.

“H-H-Hi, Mr. S-S-Simmer.” Todd called from the back of the buggy.

“Hello, Todd. I wondered why poor old Molly was working so hard to get this buggy up the hill.” A genuine smile of pleasure
lit Wade’s face when he spoke to the boy.

“W-We got a p-picnic.”

“That’s good news. I left Jody at the house to watch a turkey I put on to cook. If it’s burnt up we’ll have something to fall
back on.”

“Oh, but we can’t impose—” Jesse said hurriedly. “I have rounds to make. I wanted Pauline to meet you and Jody so she can—”
Her voice trailed.

“He was expecting us,” Susan exclaimed.

“Todd left word with Ike last night.” He winked at the boy and looked back at Jesse. “I promised him a ride on Samson. Now
is a good time if it’s all right with you.”

“G-G-ee whill-liker!” Todd was already standing on the platform reaching for Wade.

Jesse watched while Wade lifted her grinning brother to the horse. Snug against Wade’s back, both arms about his waist, he
turned shining eyes to his sister.

“I-I-I won’t f-fall, Jess. I sat on Samson before.” The happiness on his face brought mist to Jesse’s eyes when she smiled
up at the man who was the cause of it.

“And when was that?”

“Only a time or two at Ike’s.” Wade commanded the fidgeting horse to stand still. “We’ll turn off just before we get to the
Mill Store and take the shortcut home.” Wade moved the horse out ahead of the buggy as if previous arrangements had been made
for them to go to his place. Molly followed.

Take the shortcut home.
The words echoed in Jesse’s mind. She could hear her brother’s chatter and the low tones of Wade’s voice. He liked her brother…
he liked children. He’d had a special look on his face when he looked and spoke to them. In her heart she knew that he was
a special man regardless of what anyone else said or thought about him.

Jesse looked around Susan to Pauline. There was a slight frown on her face. In the excitement of seeing Wade again she had
forgotten how disturbing the meeting must have been for her friend.

“Pauline? Do you mind going to his house?”

Pauline turned and smiled. A silent message passed between the two friends.
Pauline no longer suspected it was Wade who had subjected her to such appalling indignity.

“No, Jess. I don’t mind at all.”

Jesse’s shoulders slumped with relief. She felt as if a weight had been lifted, and she could fly as free as the butterflies
that darted amid the wildflowers alongside the road. She was eager to get her friend alone and ask her what it was about Wade
that had caused her to change her mind. Jesse had been sure that Pauline would come to that conclusion once she had met Wade,
talked to him, but she hadn’t expected it to be quite so soon.

“So that’s
him.
This is the first I’ve seen him up close.” Susan rolled her eyes toward her sister. “Imagine that little stinker leaving word
at Mr. Spangler’s that we would be up here today. Jess, do you think Mr. Simmer asked Todd to let him know when you would
be coming up here again?”

“I don’t know about that. He and Todd are better acquainted than I thought. I wonder why Todd never said anything before about
riding his horse.”

“Todd likes him a lot.” Susan chattered on. “He’s handsome as all get out, but kind of scary too, isn’t he, Miss Anthony?”

“And too old for you,” Pauline said.

“But not too old for Jess. He looked at her as if he could eat her.”

“Susan, you say the most outlandish things!” Jesse could feel the heat rise to her face. “And don’t talk so loud. He might
hear you.”

They turned off the main road and onto a trail cut through a thick stand of oak and ash trees, the well-worn trail began to
slope gradually upward. It was quiet and cool in the woods, the only sound being the creak of the buggy and the soft thud
of the horses’ hooves. Even Susan had stopped chattering.

“I want to tell you something before we get to Wade’s house.” Jesse spoke in a low murmur. “I don’t want you to be shocked.”
When she was sure she had Susan’s and Pauline’s complete attention, she continued. “Wade treats Jody as if he were his son.
He’ll eat at the table with us.”

“Is Mr. Simmer a Yankee?” Pauline asked. “He didn’t sound like a Yankee.”

“No, he isn’t a Yankee. He was born and raised right here in these hills, but he spent quite a few years as a stevedore and
traveled all over the world.”

“How exciting!” Susan exclaimed. “Well, if he wants his nigger to eat at the table it’s all right with me.”

“Susan! You know how I hate that word. Don’t you dare use it again.”

“I’m sorry. I meant Negro.”

“—And Wade doesn’t consider Jody
his.
He treats him as his equal.”

“It’s strange,” Pauline said, shaking her head. “I’ve heard of that being done up north, but not here in Tennessee. Hill people
are clannish. I can’t imagine them accepting a colored in their homes.”

“I got the feeling, although Wade didn’t say so, that the people here are less than kind to Jody. I think that those who are
especially fond of Wade, like the Lesters and the Fronys, just ignore Jody’s existence.”

“Wouldn’t it be a lark if he ran in the Olympics and won?” Susan chortled. “Wouldn’t that put some folks’s noses out of joint?”

“I don’t know the rules,” Pauline said. “But I doubt they would let him enter the races.”

“That’s not fair, is it, Jess?”

“Not it isn’t, but many things in life are not fair.”

Jesse was getting nervous. Her hands inside her gloves were damp. Wade and Todd had gone on ahead and were out of sight. The
image of Wade’s sun-bronzed face with its high cheekbones, well-formed nose, and sharp but kind green eyes floated before
her. His kissing her did not mean he had any serious interest in her, she told herself sternly. He had been in town several
times since they met and had not called on her and she wasn’t sure she wanted him to. She could easily get to liking him too
much and she was too young to live with a broken heart.