Tenderness (37 page)

They waited until daylight, then left the house one at a time. Dusty was the last to leave. He went into Jesse’s room and
gently shook her shoulder.

“I’m not asleep, marshal. He didn’t come.”

“No, but there’s the chance he’ll come tonight. You didn’t get much sleep. It’s daylight. It’s safe to sleep now. I’ll be
leaving by the back way. You’re a spunky woman, Jesse. Your pa must be proud of you.”

“You and Ethan will be here tonight?”

“As soon as you turn out your light we’ll slip in the back door. You’re not to worry. One of us will have our ear to the door
all night long.”

The next night went by, and, much to the disappointment of those who waited, The Looker didn’t show up.

On Sunday night, the last night Jesse was to stay with Mrs. Pennybrook, Wade, Ethan and the marshal slipped into the house
just after dark. They had circled the town on foot and had approached the Pennybrook house from the rear.

“If he doesn’t come tonight, we’ll have to think of another setup,”

Ethan whispered. “He may have gone out of town. How long has it been since he’s looked at a woman?”

“It’s hard to tell. Most women keep it to themselves.” Dusty put his hat on the table and ran his stubby fingers through his
hair. “That Jesse is a spunky woman. She’s done the same thing each night—paraded around in her nightdress before she shuts
out the light.”

Wade sat on the floor and stretched his long legs out in front of him. Both he and Ethan wore moccasins. Ethan had grinned
when he caught Wade eyeing his well-worn, unadorned, knee-high leather boots.

“I’ve had these a long time. They’re good for sneaking about.”

Wade had not really had a close friend other than Ike Spangler and Jody. He liked Ethan. He knew that his lighthearted manner
was a cover-up. That was what made him such a valued agent. Ethan was a man of principle and Wade liked that. He and Pauline
were in love and planning a life together. If only he and Jesse had been able to. When Wade thought of how sweet and trusting
Jesse had been when she had lain in his arms, he felt an acute pain around his heart.

Through the crack in the door that was slightly ajar, Wade could hear the bed springs squeak as Jesse rolled over in the bed.

Jesse love, Jesse love. Not being with you is killing me.

“If you two want to sleep, I’ll keep watch until midnight,” Dusty whispered.

“You go ahead and catch a few winks. I’ve got too much on my mind to sleep.” Wade crossed his legs and leaned back against
the wall.

Lord, but he wished the bastard would come. The Harpers were still spreading it about that he was the one. Now that he came
to town every day or so to ask the marshal, Ethan or Ike Spangler about Jesse, the rumors were thicker than ever. He didn’t
care for himself, but… Jesse, his love, who had acted as if the opinion of the town people didn’t matter, had been hurt because
of her association with him. People would be more inclined to
forgive
her for her indiscretion, if the intruder were caught and it was proved that The Looker was not Wade Simmer.

During the night, Wade had to nudge Dusty. He came awake instantly.

“Nothing has happened,” Wade whispered. “You were snoring.”

“Hellfire. I had forgotten that I snore like a buzz saw. Glad you woke me. I’ll take a turn—”

“Shhh—” Wade put his hand on Dusty’s arm. His sharp ears, used to sorting out the usual sounds from the ones that did not
belong, had heard a faint scraping. A few seconds passed and they heard the screen being lifted away from the window. The
intruder entered the room silently, then came the sound of the shade being drawn.

“It’s him.” Wade barely breathed the words. He touched Ethan on the shoulder before silently getting to his feet. Ethan was
beside him in a second, and the three men waited. Fear for Jesse made Wade’s muscles tighten. His ears strained for the slightest
sound.

The man followed his regular pattern. After a gasp from Jesse, they could hear his husky whisper as he talked to her.

“I won’t hurt you. I’m going to take my hand from your eyes and tie a cloth over them. No, don’t fight me. I don’t dare let
you see me. Understand? Now don’t be scared and don’t cry out or I’ll have to put a gag in your mouth. I don’t want to do
that. I may want to kiss your sweet lips.”

On hearing that, Wade made a move to push open the door. Dusty caught his arm.

“I’m going to tie your hands to the head of the bed. That’s a good girl. I’ve got a knife in my hand. If you don’t behave
I’ll have to put my mark on you. You’ve been wanting this. I’ve watched you walking back and forth in your nightdress with
the light on. You wanted me to come and look at you. I’ve waited so long to see your pretty breasts. I don’t care that one
of them is scarred. I’ll kiss it first. Now be still. I’m going to light the lamp. You’re so pretty and… sweet. I’ve just
got to see all of you and… touch you.”

Wade slowly and carefully eased the door open. He slipped through. The man was bent over the bed, his knife at Jesse’s throat
ready to cut away her nightdress. Wade crept up behind him, locked an arm around his neck and jerked him away from the bed.
Ethan grabbed the hand with the open knife and it fell to the floor.

“Marshal? Ethan?” Jesse cried in a choaked voice. “Untie me. I can’t stand it. Hurry, please.”

Wade spun the man toward Dusty, stuck out his foot and the man sprawled on the floor.

“Jesus!” Dusty exclaimed when he saw the man’s face.

Wade took the knife from Ethan, went to the bed and cut the cloth binding Jesse’s hands. He gathered her in his arms and held
her so tight she could scarcely breathe.

The smell of his skin, the familiar strength of his arms and the pounding of his heart told her who it was that held her.

“Wade! Wade, it’s you!”

Wade pulled the blindfold from her eyes and buried his face in the curve of her neck.

“Don’t send me away,” he whispered frantically. “Please. I’m dying inside.”

Frightened, she clung to him, welcoming the protection of his arms. “Take a look at The Looker, Miss Jesse,” Dusty’s voice
reached them. “You’d never guess who he is.

Wade lifted his head. Jesse looked into his face and saw the ravages of sleepless nights and restless days. A mist in his
eyes made them look like green mountain pools. Jesse felt naked, inside and out, before this man who had rejected her. But
she couldn’t seem to pull away. She turned her head to look at the man Dusty was handcuffing.

Jesse stared speechless with shock, until anger bubbled to the surface.

“Good heavens! Mr. Crane. How could you do such a despicable thing? The people in this town liked you, trusted you.”

The teacher hung his head and wouldn’t look at her.

“I’d like a minute or two alone with him, Dusty, but I’ve been in law enforcement long enough to know you can’t allow it.”
Ethan grabbed a handful of hair and lifted Crane’s face. “You miserable bastard. What you’ve done to these women will stay
with them for the rest of their lives.”

“I’m… sorry,” James Crane began to cry. “I didn’t hurt them. I just wanted to… look at them.”

“You violated them. You raped them with your eyes, you stupid son of a bitch,” Ethan growled.

“Need any help, Dusty?” Wade asked, his arms still locked around Jesse although she was trying to push away.

“Naw. Come to think on it, maybe I’d better catch the morning mail train and take this bird on down to the county jail. Folks
in this town are mad as a hive of stirred-up bees. I’m afraid that when word gets out, they’ll swarm all over him. I might
have trouble getting him out of town.”

“I didn’t hurt anyone,” James Crane babbled. “I didn’t hurt anyone.”

“Tell it to the judge,” Dusty said. “I’ll take him down to the jail and go buy a couple of tickets. You two were a big help,
but we couldn’t have pulled it off without Jesse. Thanks, girl.”

“I thought sure it was Edsel,” Jesse said, looking over Wade’s shoulder.

“I wouldn’t have minded that at all,” Dusty said with a laugh. “ ’Course I’d have lost my job, but it would have been worth
it.”

“Where do you plan to spend the rest of the night?” Ethan asked after Dusty had left with his prisoner.

“I couldn’t talk you into going to the livery and renting a buggy, could I? I’m taking Jesse home… to our house.”

Shocked by Wade’s words, Jesse began to protest.

“No! I’ve got to stay here with Mrs. Pennybrook.”

“Ethan will stay… after he brings the buggy.”

Ethan threw up his hands. “All in the name of love. If I don’t do it, Pauline will have my head in a basket.”

J
esse pushed against Wade’s chest and his arms fell from around her.

“I told Dusty I didn’t want you here.”

“He told me.”

“Then why did you come?”

“Because I couldn’t stay away.” Wade stood and looked down at her. “I’ll go in the other room while you get dressed.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you. You didn’t want me. Remember?” Something vulnerable inside her began to withdraw behind
the protective screen of anger.

“We’re going someplace where we can talk. You can go in your nightclothes or you can dress. It’s up you. These last few weeks
have been pure hell. Longing for you has turned me inside out.”

“You should have thought about that before you… abandoned me.”

“Is that what you think I did?”

“What else? I was weak from loss of blood and… hurting. You could have waited until I was stronger before you… you left me
at the mercy of the gossips who delighted in saying I told you so.”

“At the time, I did what I thought was best for you. I saw your friends turn their backs on you. I almost got you killed.”

Jesse was desperately trying to keep her anger alive, or she would cry. Hugging the bedclothes to her, she glared up at him.
His dark hair had fallen down on his forehead. He raked it back with spread fingers.

“You didn’t even take the trouble to talk it over with me,” she said, her voice quivering. “You made the decision that affected
my life as well as yours. You had no regard for my feelings in the matter at all, only yours.”

“That’s not true. I came to believe that someday you’d regret marrying me. I thought it better that you be hurt a little now—”

“—A little?”

“Yes, I thought you’d get over it quicker. It would be better than having a lifetime of hurt. My mother was a town girl. She
despised living in the hills. Life there is much different from what you’re used to. People are different.”

“You don’t know me at all, Wade. I didn’t give my heart lightly. I knew that you were a hill man and that you’d never be happy
living in town, especially Boyd Harper’s town. I’m not a young, naive, adolescent girl.” Her eyes glistened with tears. “Is
this what you wanted to talk about?”

“Yes, and how empty and miserable I am without you.”

“In other words, now you’re willing to take the risk that someday I’ll regret marrying you.”

“I want you so much I’d cut off my right arm if I thought it would bring you back to me.”

Tears spilled from Jesse’s eyes and ran down her cheeks. “Oh, Wade—”

“I want to take you to my home, show it to you, and you can decide if you want to live there with me. I was going to take
you there the day you were shot.”

“I’ve seen your house.”

“Not all of it. Please—”

The look of longing in his eyes melted all her resistance.

“Oh, dog-gone-it!” she exclaimed, trying not to cry. “Get out of here so I can get dressed.”

The sun was up and shining brightly when the buggy from the livery pulled into the yard behind Wade’s house. He hadn’t touched
Jesse since he had helped her into the buggy. Nor had they talked very much.

“Here we are,” he said, his voice strained with uncertainty. He alighted from the buggy and tied the horse to a ring in a
fence post. By the time he came to help Jesse down she was already on the ground. He took her elbow and led her toward the
house.

Wade opened the door and they stepped into the kitchen. The first thing Jesse saw was a huge bouquet of honeysuckle in a pitcher
on the table that was covered with a new white oilcloth. The room was clean as a pin from the freshly washed curtains on the
windows to the shining lamp chimneys to the stove that appeared to be newly blackened. The fireplace was cleaned, and on the
mantle shelf was a small crock filled with wildflowers.

Jesse turned her shining face to his. “It’s cozy and… beautiful.”

“I spent the last week cleaning. I had to do something or… go out of my mind,” he admitted sheepishly. He opened a door next
to the stove. “This is the pantry. The cellar entrance is outside, but I plan to put a door in here and steps going down so
you… so a person could get to the cellar without going outside. We have a tank that catches rainwater to use for washing,
but the drinking water is pumped up from the spring.”

He led her to the parlor. At one end of the room was an upholstered parlor suite. The high-backed couch and chairs were covered
with Turkish silk fabric. The set looked so out of place that Jesse wanted to smile. At the other end of the room was a combination
bookcase and desk. On the floor was a rust-colored woven carpet in a scroll design.

“I bought the furniture for Granny while on one of my trips home,” Wade said by way of apology. “I don’t think she liked it
much. I don’t like it either.”

“I’ll admit the room needs lightening up.”

“I can build another house,” he said quickly.

“No!” She turned and looked at his worried face. “Your ancestors built this house, lived here, loved here and died here. It’s
part of your heritage.”

“But if you don’t like it—”

“I like it.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure. Don’t worry about your home not being good enough. It’s a wonderful home. It looks as if it grew here with the
trees.”

“I want to show you something.” With his hand in the small of her back he guided her to a door tucked under the stairway.
He pushed open the door and stood back for her to enter.