Guarding Hearts

by Jaycie Morrison

  “No,” Rains said shortly. Her answer was finite and her tone so absolute that it made Bett cock her head and raise an eyebrow in question. “But just because I don’t want one doesn’t mean I don’t like them,” Rains explained, reading her expression perfectly, as she often did. “I am waáwaŋglakA, which is like a guardian to my brother’s twins. It is a very serious responsibility and one I would not have accepted if I didn’t like children.”

  “Your brother Thomas?” Bett asked, amazed at the way Rains’s language rolled off her tongue. She had a degree in linguistics and a flair for imitating other people’s accents, but she couldn’t have repeated that word on a bet. “He has twins?”

  Rains nodded. “A boy and a girl.” Her eyes became distant. “Children’s lives are incredibly fragile. It would take someone very brave to bring one into the world. I don’t have that kind of courage.” Bett’s hand stroked her back, and when she looked back down, her lover was smiling at her warmly. “What?” Rains asked.

  “Sometimes the things you say surprise me, and I want you to know it means a lot to me when you share something like that,” Bett said and kissed her on the cheek.

  Rains seemed relieved as she offered Bett her arm. “I wouldn’t do this at your mother’s house, but it seems okay to do it here, don’t you think?”

  Bett leaned into Rains’s tall, solid body. She’d never in her life been happier to be with someone. “Oh, yes.”

  * * *

  When they were all seated at the table, Rains was a little disappointed to see Lilly had already been put to bed. As they ate, a great deal of the conversation was about each couple’s history. Everyone seemed aware that Bett had been Rains’s squad leader, and Rains was grateful to be spared telling that story. Whit and Kathleen had first met four years ago in Chicago, where Kathleen and her father were attending a benefit for the police of the city. Whit’s father was among those being honored, and they’d made what Whit referred to as “significant eye contact,” but that had been the end of it. Telling of her delight in running into Kathleen again at Daytona Beach after her basic training, Whit made her pursuit sound like a military operation. Kathleen interrupted to amend the account, insisting, “I let her chase me until I caught her,” causing laughter all around. After living together for about a year and a half, they had both been transferred to Des Moines when the Florida base had closed early in 1944. They talked about buying this house and everyone complimented them on their find. Kathleen was obviously pleased, while Whit stated they’d been fortunate that the place had needed very little work beyond basic cleaning.

  Sara told how she and Miriam had both been with other people when they met at a house party, and there was much drama to the account of them getting together. They had separate living arrangements and Rains sensed they both preferred it that way. Neither Sophie nor Patrice was in the service. Patrice was a lawyer in town and Sophie was a journalist. “I do sometimes write about things happening on the base,” she said. “In fact, I did an interview with Miriam about munitions right after we were introduced.” Boudreaux nodded vaguely. “What department are you in, Bett?”

  “Cryptography. Absolutely hush-hush, I’m afraid,” Bett replied.

  “Gale, how about you?”

  “I’m over the motor pool now.”

  Sophie pursed her lips. “There hasn’t been much on that since Fort Des Moines first opened to the WAAC in 1942. I bet another story on the women mechanics would do well. Could I come by sometime soon for an interview?” When Rains didn’t answer right away, she added, “I could bring Lilly and we could have lunch at some point. How does that sound?”

  Rains nodded and Sophie pulled a small notebook from her jacket pocket and wrote for a few seconds.

  Bett turned to Patrice. “What kind of law do you practice?”

  “Oh, family stuff. Wills, property settlements, divorce, adoption—that kind of thing.”

  “I went to her when my husband and I were looking to adopt. For some reason, I thought a woman lawyer would do a better job,” Sophie explained.

  “For some reason,” Patrice, Kathleen, and Whit recited. Everyone else laughed. Rains understood they had heard this explanation before.

  “I promise you, I’ve never had as many consultations with a single client before,” Patrice said with a grin. “First it was those hour-, two-hour, and three-hour meetings. Then a few lunches. Then long, romantic dinners. Then—”

  Sophie colored slightly and interrupted. “Yes, so about six months after Lillian came into our family, Patrice handled my divorce. During that time, we rarely saw each other…just in case.” She shifted a bit, as if uncomfortable with the memory. “Luckily, my husband decided he was well rid of an ambitious working woman, promptly remarried, and has since moved away. That was almost four years ago.” She smiled at Patrice in a way that made Rains feel good. “Ironically, I’m home a lot more now than I used to be. But it feels different, not as suffocating. And Patrice does more than her share of the parenting as well as an occasional load of laundry, so no complaints there.”

  “Gee, thanks, honey,” Patrice cracked, and everyone laughed again.

  “Are you in a big firm or is it only you?” Bett asked Patrice.

  “It’s me and a guy I’ve known since law school. I ran into him at our five-year reunion about the time I was ready to make a move from Cincinnati. Can’t imagine how I would have ended up in Des Moines otherwise,” Patrice explained. “But it works well for us. There’s not really enough business here to support a bigger firm.”

  Throughout the meal, Rains had been watching the others, noticing their use of the silverware and following Bett when she got lost. It wasn’t quite as difficult as she had imagined. Whit served the food for each course while Kathleen Hartley brought the drinks. When she first offered wine, Rains had put her hand on top of the glass to block the pour.

  “You don’t need to use your hand, Gale. Simply tell me ‘No, thank you,’” she said in a quiet voice, close to Rains’s ear. “But you’ll have to tell me more than once, because the waitstaff will offer again with each course. By the end of the meal, though, they will presume your answer will be no, and won’t come in as close. But they’ll always ask, not because they are trying to tempt you, but because that’s how they are trained.”

  Rains nodded. “I understand. Thank you, Cap—uh, Kathleen.”

  Hartley smiled and poured for Bett. Everyone else drank, and Miriam most of all. When the meal was over, she stood unsteadily. Kathleen glanced at Whit and frowned slightly before saying, “We didn’t know if you two would like to play rummy or hearts or spades. Or there’s Twenty Questions or Monopoly.”

  When Bett glanced in her direction, Rains shook her head. She’d never played any of the things that Kathleen had named, although she’d seen other girls enjoying cards or board games during her time in the service. She only knew the tricks that she’d learned from the Lost Boys when she’d first returned to the reservation—ways to make the cards work in your favor to get a free drink. After she’d learned the techniques, the Boys always let her work the sleight of hand if someone unsuspecting came into the bar. At first she thought it was because she was a girl, and therefore less suspicious to a newcomer. Later, when she’d stopped drinking and was learning to live her life differently, she heard that they’d told others she was the best at understanding the cards because she was most like them—able to be seen from two different sides. Thinking of that always gave her a pang of homesickness.

  Kathleen looked between them. “Or maybe you’d rather not play at all?”

  “I’m sure we’re good for whatever everyone else would like, but do you suppose we could play as a team?” Bett asked, and Rains nodded, relieved.

  “If you’re not playing for money, count me out,” Miriam called as she weaved into the den, settling heavily into a chair across the room.

  “Miriam prefers poker, but I think that’s a bit intense for your first time.” Kathleen smiled reassurin
gly. “Sure, we can play in teams.”

  They worked out a system where everyone else played with someone new except Bett, who stayed with Rains. Patrice paired with Sara, Kathleen with Sophie, and Whit played alone. “We can rotate the solo chair,” Kathleen offered, but Whit shuffled the cards with a flourish and answered, “Don’t worry about me. I’ll take you all on!”

  They started with rummy, Bett briefly explaining the idea. Rains nodded, and Bett let her pick which card to put back as she built their hand. But Patrice picked up each discard, and she and Sara won twice. Bett made a face as she added up their score, playfully complaining, “We should get to give you some of these points, since we’re giving you everything you need.”

  “You certainly are,” Patrice agreed. “We wouldn’t have won either hand without your cards.”

  “Are we not to help each other win?” Rains asked, blushing when everyone laughed.

  Bett squeezed her arm. “No, this is more of a competition. We want to be the only winners.”

  At that, Rains watched carefully as it was Bett’s turn to deal. They got good cards to start with and Patrice hesitantly picked up only one of their discards. They won so quickly it almost evened out the score for the first two hands. The next hand their cards were equally good, and they were ahead. The group decided to break for fresh drinks.

  “I liked the ‘helping each other win’ game better,” Patrice joked as she headed toward the kitchen.

  Whit got up too, stretching. “Good thing you weren’t dealing either of those two hands, Gale, or I’d be mighty suspicious.” She thumped Bett’s shoulder lightly. “I guess I should have watched for this one dealing off the bottom.”

  “I didn’t know you could do that,” Rains said after Whit had left the room. “You must be very good at it.”

  Bett laughed. “I wasn’t and I’m not. Whit was teasing me.”

  “Is it allowed?”

  “Of course not. That’s cheating.”

  Rains made that sound that meant she wasn’t sure but didn’t want to argue. Bett cocked her head. “Are you secretly a card shark, Lieutenant?”

  Rains grinned, because Bett’s tone had been playful. “Maybe.”

  But her face sobered when Bett raised an eyebrow, obviously wanting her to continue. “Tell me,” she ordered.

  “There were some…some men I knew on the reservation who taught me a bit about cards and dice. They said I had napiyuzA, which is like power or control of those objects. For…uh…” She trailed off as Boudreaux approached them. They’d both forgotten she was in the room.

  “You wouldn’t have a chance at Bourre,” Boudreaux said, weaving slightly. “I play it with some Cajun friends of mine back home. Won big a couple times. You ever win big at your games?”

  Rains looked away without answering. Bett knew she was trying not to show how much she didn’t like Boudreaux.

  “What, you shy now?” Boudreaux taunted. “How about you and me play a simple game? Let’s make a bet on cutting cards. Unless you’re scared I’m gonna embarrass you in front of your woman?” When Boudreaux’s face turned to hers, Bett felt a jolt of dread. “How ’bout best three out of five wins a kiss from the prettiest lady here?”

  Oh God, say no, Beloved. Bett tried to shake her head furtively but Rains’s eyes were fixed on the stout lieutenant. “I would never bet on whether someone would want to kiss you, Boudreaux, since I’ve heard there’s no accounting for taste.” Bett managed a smile, as this was one of the things Rains had heard her say on many occasions.

  Boudreaux’s lip curled into a sneer and she reached for her wallet, sloshing her drink. “Then I bet you five dollars that the bayou can beat the reservation.”

  Rains pulled out the pouch around her neck and took out a five-dollar bill. She nodded.

  Everyone else had made their way back into the room. “What’s going on?” asked Kathleen, arriving last.

  “Gale and Miriam have made a bet about cutting cards,” Bett explained.

  Kathleen looked at the money on the table. “Oh dear,” she said. Everyone gathered around.

  “Could we ask for a fresh deck?” Rains said. “Boudreaux may say I’m cheating since Bett was the last to touch these.”

  “Who you want to shuffle?” Boudreaux asked heatedly, while not denying the accusation.

  “One of our hostesses?” Rains suggested. It was decided Whit would do the honors. A new deck was brought and shuffled. Rains nodded at Boudreaux. “After you.”

  Boudreaux cut a ten of spades. She smiled confidently. Rains cut a jack of hearts. She didn’t smile. No else one made a sound.

  “Shuffle again,” Boudreaux ordered fiercely. Whit did. Boudreaux watched the cards. Rains watched Boudreaux. “You first this time,” Boudreaux said to Rains. Rains’s card was the queen of hearts. Boudreaux’s card was the nine of spades. Boudreaux looked up at Rains. She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again. Rains’s face showed no emotion. Bett could feel the tension mounting in the room as Miriam downed her drink.

  Whit shuffled again without being asked, placing the deck in front of Boudreaux when she was done. Miriam waited for a long moment with her eyes closed, hand hovering over the cards. Then she drew the queen of spades. As everyone gasped, Rains’s hand went immediately to the deck and turned over the king of hearts. The gasps changed to oohs and ahhs and clapping.

  Miriam Boudreaux flipped the queen in Rains’s direction and stood, breathing furiously.

  Sara said, “I can’t even begin to calculate the odds of Gale drawing three hearts, especially those three.”

  “Shut up, Sara,” Miriam ordered, grabbing her empty glass on the way to the kitchen. Kathleen motioned her head to Whit, who headed out of the room after Boudreaux.

  Rains felt Bett’s hands on her shoulders. “I want to play you.”

  “Of course,” Rains said. “Would you shuffle these?” she asked Patrice, who was standing nearest the table. As Patrice began to shuffle, Bett came around the chair, sat on Rains’s lap, and started kissing her. Everyone else was laughing and clapping.

  “How long do you think they can keep this up?” Patrice asked, shuffling repeatedly. In answer, one of Rains’s hands slapped the table. Patrice stopped shuffling and Rains and Bett were both laughing as they came apart.

  “I wanted you to play fair,” Bett said, sitting opposite her.

  “You call that fair?” Rains answered, smiling.

  Bett drew the queen of diamonds. Rains drew the two of clubs.

  “Rain!” Bett said, her tone somewhere between amused and accusing.

  “What?” Rains held up her hands innocently. Everyone clapped again.

  “All right, enough cards for one night.” Kathleen swept in, taking them off the table. “Everyone get a drink and we’ll play Twenty Questions.” Bett kissed Rains on the cheek as she went into the kitchen. Rains stood and went over at the fire, rubbing her head.

  Sara came over and said, “I’m very interested in what happened there. Could you talk to me about it for a moment?”

  “I shouldn’t have done that,” Rains said, not looking at her. “Please make sure Miriam takes her money back.” The two fives were still lying on the card table.

  “No, I don’t care about the betting.” Sara gestured toward the bills. “I’m sure she bullied you into it, the way she does. But I have a genuine interest in the paranormal and mind over matter.” She gave a little laugh. “Ironically, it was one of the things that first interested me in Miriam. If you don’t want to talk tonight, I understand. I’m sure you’re tired. But could I call you? We could have lunch.”

  Rains looked at Sara then, trying to gauge the true nature of her invitation. “I don’t know what I could tell you, really,” Rains said slowly. “I was—” She cut herself off. She didn’t know Sara well enough to speak of her drinking and the nights when the Lost Boys had filled the nights with tales of those with special powers and how they could command objects around them. She suspected th
at her knowledge of simple card tricks was not what Sara wanted to discuss. “I’m not sure of the words in English.” She shrugged.

  “Well, think about it when you can and I’ll call you next week, if that’s all right.” She looked at Rains hopefully.

  Rains nodded reluctantly, wanting to talk to Bett about this. Sara started away and then turned back. “I hope this doesn’t make you change your mind, but I’m not going to say anything to Miriam about us having lunch. Even though she’s a huge flirt, she gets ridiculously jealous if I even look sideways at another woman.” Sara shrugged. “It’s just the way she is.”

  “Perhaps if someone else joined us, it wouldn’t look so suspicious.”

  “Of course.” Sara glanced nervously toward the kitchen. “I’ll call you.” She went off in that direction.

  Chapter Four

  Rains stood by herself for a moment, grateful for the opportunity to let her mind settle. Seconds later, a child’s cry pierced her, even though the sound was not one of great distress. She looked into the kitchen for Sophie or Patrice. Patrice was seated at the small kitchen table, talking to Bett. Sophie wasn’t in sight. Rains thought she might have already gone to see about Lilly, but then she heard the crying again. She walked down the hall of the house. The sound came again, from the back bedroom. She opened the door and Lilly sat up. “Mama?”

  Rains stood in the doorway. “No, Lilly, it’s your friend Rain.”

  “Where’s my mama?” Lilly asked fretfully.

  “She’s right here, in the very next room. Do you want me to go get her?”

  Lilly sniffed. “I had a bad dream.”

  Rains came in a step. “Do you want to tell me about it?”

  “Okay,” Lilly said, sounding more awake. Rains went over and sat on the bed. “Well, first I was all by myself. Then it was snowing and I was very cold,” Lilly said.

  Rains felt her heart seize. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you, Lilly.”

  “But you were!” Lilly insisted. “After that, we played some every day and then finally a big bird came and took me way off in the sky.”