Just Above a Whisper

by Lori Wick

  “She won’t throw me out,” Reese assured him, not serious at all, but Conner looked upset. Reese tried to make amends. “It is all right, Mr. Kingsley. Truly. I would have checked with you eventually, I’m sure.”

  Conner wanted to argue that there should have been no need to check, but he kept this thought to himself. Instead he decided to go for broke about the shoes.

  “There will be extra money because of this error,” Conner began, sounding like the businessman he was.

  Reese opened her mouth to protest, but Conner did not let her speak.

  “You will use that money for shoes. Troy wants you to have new shoes.”

  Reese did not know what she was expecting, but this wasn’t it. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. Conner found it amusing.

  “Speechless,” he teased her. “I don’t see that too often.”

  “Troy wants me to have new shoes?”

  “Yes. He didn’t want to offend you but found there is no subtle way to go about it. You do need shoes, don’t you, Reese?”

  “Yes, but how did he know?”

  “He didn’t say.”

  Reese looked thoughtful, not able to remember Troy ever seeing her feet.

  “Are we agreed?” Conner checked.

  “What exactly am I agreeing to?” Reese asked, mischief rising in her. “To be paid for my work, or to spend the money where I’m told?”

  Conner would not back down, but a sparkle lit his own eye when he answered.

  “Just this once, you’re agreeing to both.”

  “And if I refuse?”

  “I’ll tell Troy.”

  Reese had to smile. He had figured her out. For some reason, she would stand up to Conner, but not Troy. She couldn’t bear the thought of disappointing him.

  “Does Doyle Shephard have what you need?” Conner asked.

  “Yes. I’ve already seen them,” she admitted quietly. “The black ones are prettier, but the brown ones are sturdy. I’ll get those.”

  Conner suddenly wanted her to have both but knew he couldn’t suggest such a thing. It didn’t seem that anyone ever spoiled this woman, and suddenly he wanted to.

  “Stop by the bank when you have a chance,” Conner suggested instead, “and pick up your pay. In fact, take some time away from the house today and get your shoes.”

  “If I had known you were going to be this bossy,” Reese teased him, “I might not have taken the job.”

  Conner laughed a little, taking it in stride but also not wanting to think about what life would be like right now if she hadn’t taken the job.

  Fifteen

  On Friday the men had eaten dinner and returned to the bank at the normal time. Reese cleaned the kitchen and even readied things for tea, but her mind was on the shopping she needed to do to remedy the low food supply and the cleaning she wanted to get done in the dining room and kitchen. When someone knocked at the front door, it took a moment for her to realize she needed to answer.

  The man standing on the porch was a stranger to her, and yet he wasn’t. Reese stared at a smile she knew well, but when he spoke, it was not with the voice she expected.

  “You must be Reese Thackery.” He did not whisper. “I’m Dalton Kingsley.”

  His hand came out, and Reese shook it before speaking.

  “Hello, Mr. Kingsley.”

  Reese was opening the door wide when he said, “Please call me Dalton.”

  Reese shut the door and watched him look around, his hat and bag still in hand. His head went back so he could view the ceiling and stairway, his mouth smiling as he took in the orthogonal lines of the hall.

  “Everything looks great.” He turned back to Reese, still smiling with pleasure. “Troy said you were doing an excellent job.”

  “Thank you,” Reese acknowledged quietly, still taking in his presence—not just his appearance at the door, but his size. Were all the men in the family huge? He wasn’t quite as large as Conner, but he was still a big man.

  As Reese watched, he moved to the sideboard in the entry hall and studied the oil painting of the man there. The fond smile on his face told Reese that Dalton had known this man.

  “Conner and Troy must be at the bank,” Dalton suddenly turned and guessed.

  “Yes. They’ve had dinner, but I’d be happy to make you something.”

  “I am quite hungry if it’s no bother.”

  “Not at all,” Reese said, leaving him in the hallway to make her way back to the kitchen. She didn’t think he would follow, but then she didn’t know about the private conversation he’d had with Troy during his visit back to Linden Heights. Dalton had put his hat and bag down, arriving in the kitchen just a few seconds behind her.

  “I feel I need to personally apologize for the bank’s having held your papers.”

  Reese was slicing ham but stopped when he made this announcement.

  “It’s all right,” Reese said, not sure how to reply. “I was glad when it was all done.”

  “I’m sure you were. I hope Conner is paying you well.”

  Reese said yes, but the small, breathless laugh that escaped on that word did not get explained. Dalton made a mental note to ask his brother.

  “Has Conner told you that you’re taller than our sisters?”

  “I didn’t know you had sisters,” Reese told him.

  “Four of them, and they’re all quite tall, but no one has you beat.”

  Reese smiled and continued adding food to the plate she was fixing. She kept the biscuits and butter separate but soon presented a full plate to Dalton Kingsley.

  “Would you like a piece of cake? It’s chocolate.”

  “Just one?” he asked in a way that so reminded her of Conner that Reese had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

  “I’ll bring it to you,” Reese offered, her way of telling Dalton he could go to the dining room and eat. He took the hint but was calling for her before she could even get a knife out. Reese went to the door.

  “I’d like to ask you a huge favor,” Dalton began. “Would you sit down?”

  Reese wanted to decline but instead took a seat by the wall.

  “Here.” Dalton stood and pulled out the chair across from him. “Sit here, Reese.”

  In silence, Reese did as she was told, slightly overwhelmed by how relaxed and friendly he was.

  “Douglas Muldoon and I go way back. He’s the one who wrote about your situation.”

  Dalton could have gone on, but the look on Reese’s face stopped him.

  “Reese?” he said with slight impatience. “Doesn’t anyone tell you anything?”

  Thinking he was upset with her, Reese only shrugged.

  “Honestly, Conner,” he went on, cutting meat into smaller pieces and talking to the men who were not there. “Troy, what were you thinking? And Dooner!”

  Reese only watched him, trying to take in his eccentric behavior as well as this new but significant bit of information.

  “Anyway,” he continued, getting back to business, “I would like to have the Muldoon family come for dinner on Sunday, but that means more work for you tomorrow. I want you to join us as well, but will you have enough time and energy to take care of it?”

  “Certainly,” Reese replied, giving her standard reply, her mind on other things.

  “Are you sure? Is there someone who could help you?”

  “It’ll be fine.” She forced her mind back to the moment. “What would you like to have?”

  “Anything. They have how many children, five?”

  “Yes, but one is still a baby.”

  “All right. Well, actually, I’d best check with them before I ask you to do all that work. I’ll do that before I stop by the bank.”

  Reese nodded, thinking she might have met someone with her energy level. She thought he was finished with her then and began to rise, but he kept on talking between bites.

  “I’ve just realized that you might not be able to buy meat on such short notice. Does someone in Tu
cker Mills have something readily available?”

  “Yes. I was thinking beef or pork, and both can be purchased right now,” Reese was pleased to say, but her mind was more on the stop she needed to make as soon as she was done for the day.

  Dalton finished his meal without Reese even noticing and sat looking at her. Reese looked back, not catching on.

  “Did you say there was chocolate cake?” he finally asked.

  Grinning like a schoolboy when Reese laughed a little, he stayed in his place and waited for the cake to arrive. It was a very large piece, and Reese had all she could do not to laugh again when he looked so pleased.

  “Did you need anything else?” she asked.

  “No, Reese, but thank you. I’ve taken enough of your time.”

  Reese only smiled and went back to work, a little bit glad that Conner and Dalton were so different. She didn’t know if having a tornado in the house was something she could manage on a daily basis.

  Dalton was busy in the next hour. He finished his cake, found the Muldoon home and settled those plans, went back to the big house to inform Reese, and then headed to the bank. He’d not told anyone he was coming and couldn’t hide the satisfaction he felt when he stepped in the door, knowing that both Conner and Troy would be surprised.

  Dalton walked into the bank building and, much as he had done at the house, stood and took it in. That was when Troy spotted him.

  “Well, now,” the older man said good-naturedly. “Look who’s come to Tucker Mills.”

  Dalton had to laugh. Troy came out to shake his hand, and as soon as Conner was close enough, Dalton gave him a great hug. In the next few moments he was introduced to Mr. Leffler before the three bankers sat in the alcove to talk.

  “How is Jamie?” was the first thing Conner wanted to know.

  “Very well. She’s not back to full strength, but she’s on her way.”

  “That’s great news,” the younger brother said sincerely.

  “How long will you stay?” Troy asked.

  “For a week,” Dalton committed. “I thought about just coming for the weekend but realized it wasn’t enough. We’re having Dooner and the family over for dinner on Sunday, by the way.”

  “How are we managing that?” Conner asked, knowing none of them knew how to cook for a crowd.

  “Reese is handling it.”

  “You’ve met Reese?”

  “She fed me dinner. It was delicious.”

  “And you know she’s willing to handle a Sunday dinner?”

  “Certainly,” Dalton spoke with confidence. “She’ll join us, of course.”

  “Of course,” Conner echoed, shaking his head a little.

  Dalton didn’t appear to notice, and when Mr. Leffler sought Conner’s assistance a few minutes later, Dalton was able to tell Troy what was really on his mind.

  “He’s got to marry her.”

  “Absolutely,” Troy agreed, “but it can’t be rushed. It’s just been a short time, but I think they’re more aware of each other than they realize.”

  “His concern about her doing Sunday dinner is a good sign.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “How does she do around him? Not still afraid?”

  “No,” Troy smiled. “You’ll have to watch them in action, but be subtle. I’m not always able to pull it off, and Conner will ask me what my looks mean.”

  Conner was returning, so they changed the topic to affairs of the bank for the rest of the afternoon. The men talked about what Troy and Conner were finding in the accounts, the situation with Mr. Jenness, and the future of the Tucker Mills Bank.

  When Reese left the big house on Friday afternoon, she did not go directly home. Dalton’s words still in her head, she made a beeline for the Muldoon house and asked to see Douglas. He came from the study to speak with her in the kitchen, baby Jeffrey already in her arms.

  “I just learned that you wrote to Dalton Kingsley about my situation.”

  “That’s true, I did,” Douglas admitted. “Did it never come up between the two of us?”

  “No, I had no idea.”

  Douglas sat down in the kitchen. Alison was working at the table, wondering how her husband would explain.

  “I felt terrible pain the day that Mr. Jenness announced the bank would keep your papers,” Douglas started. “I went for a walk to pray and ask God to help me accept this for your life. While I was on the walk, I remembered who owned the bank.

  “I go way back with the Kingsley family. Dalton and I were in school together. We hadn’t had much contact in recent years, and I mostly wrote asking for his advice. Without warning, Conner and Troy came to town. Not until I’d heard they were here did I realize my letter had been received and acted upon.”

  “And evidently they found the bank’s owning papers as odd as the rest of us did,” Reese figured thoughtfully. “Thank you, Douglas. I had no idea, and as you can imagine, I’m very grateful.”

  Douglas only inclined his head modestly as his wife spoke up.

  “So what did you think of Dalton?”

  Reese smiled. “He’s a kind man, but he and Conner are different. I think I’m glad about that.”

  “The only thing larger than Dalton is his personality,” Douglas said fondly, remembering some times from the past.

  “We’ll have to get these two talking during dinner on Sunday,” Alison said to Reese, who agreed with a mischievous lift of her brows.

  Much as she wanted to sit and hear stories now, Reese made herself leave. After giving the baby a last cuddle, she handed him off and headed for home.

  Friday evening at the Greenlowe house was quiet. Both women were in the parlor, Mrs. Greenlowe with handwork in her lap and Reese with her Bible and the book she was reading. When someone knocked on the kitchen door, the landlady was the closest and went to answer it. She was back just a moment later, telling Reese she had a visitor. Reese found Conner on the porch.

  “You’re welcome to come in,” Reese invited.

  “I don’t wish to intrude on your evening,” Conner replied, but then in his quiet way he got right down to business. “You met Dalton.”

  Reese smiled before saying, “Yes, I did.”

  “Did the word ‘hurricane’ come to mind?”

  “No, it was ‘tornado.’”

  Conner smiled. “I’m actually here for a reason. I heard about Dalton’s plans for Sunday and wanted to make sure that was all right with you.”

  “Yes, I told him it was.”

  “But Dalton can be hard to say no to. Are you sure about Sunday, Reese?”

  “It’s fine.”

  “And you understand that you’re there to join us, not work?”

  This gave Reese pause. “Who will put things on the table and take care of the dishes?”

  “Dalton, Troy, and I.”

  Reese’s look was so skeptical that Conner’s own brows rose.

  “You think we can’t take care of it?” He sounded as outraged as he could manage but still only drew a disbelieving look from Reese.

  “Let’s just say,” Reese tried tactfully, her voice having dropped to whispering, “that I’ll be available should you need me.”

  Conner had to smile as he studied her. His head tipped to one side when he asked, “Douglas said you’re never tired. It’s true, isn’t it?”

  “Of course it’s not true,” Reese said, trying to dismiss the matter.

  “Are you tired right now?” Conner pressed her.

  “No.”

  “Were you tired when you got up this morning?”

  “No.” She sounded surprised at the very idea.

  Conner was shaking his head in amazement when he thought of something.

  “Velma? Is it Velma?”

  “No,” Reese said emphatically.

  “Verna?”

  “No,” Reese repeated.

  “Why don’t you just tell me?”

  “Because it’s an awful name, and you’re too curious for your own good.�
��

  “I’ll find out,” he teased her, leaning against the porch railing as if he had all night.

  “I don’t think so,” she teased back.

  “We’ll just see about that.”

  “Do you know what I just found out?” Reese was the one to change the subject this time.

  “What?”

  “Douglas wrote to your brother about my situation with the bank.”

  “You didn’t know that?”

  “Not until today when your brother mentioned it.” Reese suddenly smiled. “You and Troy and Douglas were all in trouble when he realized you hadn’t told me.”

  “Let me guess.” Conner was smiling hugely. “He did a lot of talking to us when we weren’t in the room.”

  “You know him very well.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “I also found out today that you have four sisters, all of whom are quite tall.”

  “My, my, Dalton did do a lot of talking. Did he also tell you that you’re taller than all of them?”

  “Yes, he did. He seemed to think I would be pleased.”

  “Were you?”

  Reese shrugged. “It doesn’t make any difference to me. I don’t know a woman as tall as I am, but I wouldn’t mind.”

  “Would you have been afraid of me at first if I hadn’t been so big?”

  “No.” Reese knew it to be true.

  “Why did it matter?”

  Reese weighed her words and came up with what she felt was a reasonable answer.

  “I’m used to being able to protect myself. Had you been a different kind of man, I wouldn’t have been able to do that.”

  “How did you come to Christ?” Conner asked.

  “One day I talked with Douglas and Alison. After listening to what they said, I believed,” Reese said, careful not to add more.

  Conner watched the way her face sobered and her eyes went to the wood at their feet.

  “Maybe someday I can hear the whole story,” Conner ventured.

  “Maybe,” Reese echoed, her eyes on a faraway spot. “How about you? Did you grow up in a believing home?”

  “I did, yes. I remember praying with my father one night, and he asked me how I knew my prayers were being heard by God. I didn’t have a good answer, so he got his Bible out and showed me how I could have God’s Spirit living inside of me, as His child, and if I was His child, then my righteous prayers would always be heard by Him.