Hearts in Hiding

by Patty Smith Hall

  “I drove by your dad’s house the other day. It’s coming along on the outside.”

  “I’m happy with it.” And he was. Instead of barren tracts of weeds and red clay around the front of the house, staggered rows of azaleas and box hollies had been planted under the large picture window in the dining room while a large hydrangea bush bloomed beneath the window of his old bedroom.

  And it had all been Edie’s doing.

  “So how’s the work going inside? Was it bad?” Mack tossed the ball in the air then caught it.

  Beau shook his head. “Once we cleared out most of the mess, there wasn’t as much repair work to do as we’d thought.”

  “That’s good. So you’ll be able to get it rented out soon.”

  “Well, there’s still some painting that needs to be done, and little odds and ends to do. But it should be ready soon.”

  Truth was, the more time he and Edie spent working on the house, the more he thought about living there himself. Which was nuts. Not one decent memory of his childhood came to mind when he took the time to think about it, only images from the last few weeks. Edie glancing up over a pile of newspapers, her eyes wide with interest and intelligence. Edie wielding a paintbrush, splashing different colors on the living room walls then standing back, chewing on her thumbnail before finally asking him to choose. Edie bowing her head to pray, her words reaching out to God. Prayers for Merrilee and Claire, for the Stephenses, for her parents.

  For him.

  She only wants my protection, not my heart.

  Beau slowed to a stop. It might be for the best. He wasn’t sure how to give Edie the kind of love she rightfully deserved. But he could protect her. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Edie’s working with Mr. Cantrell to string phone lines into Gertie Stephens’s neighborhood.”

  When Mack turned, it was the lawman standing before him. “I’d heard some rumors. Is it true she paid to have the work done?” He stepped alongside of Beau, his voice a rumble of a whisper. “You know how Cantrell feels about Negroes. If he has his way, he’ll stall Edie until the cows come home.”

  “That’s why I’ve been at the phone company every day since the check was cashed.”

  Mack’s eyebrows knitted together. “What’s got you so concerned about the Stephenses all of a sudden?”

  Beau could have said for Edie’s sake. At least, that was part of the truth. “Do you remember Gertie’s brother, George?”

  “Big guy, six-two, six-three. Had a few little scrapes with the law, mainly kid stuff.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Didn’t he run away years ago?”

  “Yeah.” No need to tell Mack it had been ten years ago, almost the same night he’d left Marietta. The lawman might start asking questions. “George was a good friend of mine.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  Not too many people had. It had been too dangerous. “Anyway, the Stephenses are good people, and with Gertie needing a job now, I figured I would help.”

  Mack scowled. “There’s folks out there who aren’t going to be too happy about this.”

  “I know.” Beau turned to face the outfield, looking for some degree of privacy. “We had some visitors a couple of weeks ago.” Beau filled the sheriff in on the details without mentioning Edie’s parents or their connection to the German Bund.

  Mack blew out an impatient sigh. “Maybe it’s best Cantrell’s taking his time stringing those lines. Edie might lose interest if she sees how long it’s taking.”

  Clearly the sheriff didn’t know Edie at all. “Gertie told Edie yesterday that the phone company was going to be at her house next week to install her telephone.”

  “I bet Edie was over the moon at the news.”

  “She was.” Beau couldn’t help the smile he felt tugging at the corners of his mouth, remember the look of sheer joy on Edie’s face when she’d told him the news.

  “Keep an eye on her, Beau.” Mack squinted into the sun. “You and I both know folks are likely to do anything when they hear about this.”

  Beau eyed his friend. “I figured you’d want to protect her seeing how you want to court her.”

  It felt like a lifetime before Mack finally shook his head. “No, I’ve thought about it, and I don’t think Edie’s the right woman for me.”

  Had the man lost his mind? “Edie Michaels is everything a man would want in a…” He glanced over to find Mack staring at him with a wide smile on his face. “What’s got you grinning like a possum?”

  “You want to know why I decided against courting Edie?”

  Beau fell silent. Sure, he wanted to know what had changed the sheriff’s mind about wooing Edie, though just the thought of them together made a sick knot form in his gut.

  Mack leaned toward him. “I've seen the way the two of you look at each other.”

  “It’s not like that.” At least, not on her end. But what would Beau know about love? It’s not like he’d ever seen much of an example of it between his father and mother, or between his parents and himself. So what if he found it charming the way she nibbled on the tip of her pencil when working on a problem? Or the endearing way she cuddled with Claire as they read together on the couch every night? And he’d admit he fought a ferocious battle every time an errant strand of her chestnut hair broke free from her snood. How he wanted to feel the soft curl against his fingertips as he pushed it back behind her ear.

  Very much afraid that he wouldn’t stop until he’d tilted her head back and brushed his mouth against hers.

  But what if Beau was like his father, incapable of real love?

  “Hey,” Mack called out, coming up beside him. “If I said anything out of line…”

  “It’s okay,” Beau answered. “And you’re right. I need to watch out for her. With her living in the boardinghouse, her presence could put the whole household in danger.”

  Mack nodded. “Merrilee’s had enough excitement with your dad’s doings to last a while. Have you found a lawyer yet?”

  “Interviewed a few from Atlanta. I’ve got to finish the house before I have enough money for a retainer, and that’s going to be at least a couple of months.”

  “I’m sorry to hear it’s taking so long.”

  Beau was startled to realize he wasn’t. The longer it took to repair the house, the more time he got to spend with… He frowned. “How’s the old man doing?”

  “You should come by and see for yourself.”

  “I’ve been busy.” Or had he filled his days up to the brim to keep from making a trip to the county jail?

  Mack gave him a friendly smack on the back. “You know, you’re not like him, Beau.”

  Beau glared at him. “I know that.”

  “Do you?” Mack answered. “I’m not sure about that, but I do know one thing. If you don’t face your dad, you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life.”

  Beau stared into the outfield. Was Mack right? Would he regret not facing the man who had caused him so much pain? Oh, he’d thought about such a meeting, but in his imagination, things had ended with his fist firmly planted in the center of his father’s face. Beau gritted his teeth, waiting for the roar of anger to race out of control through his veins, but it never came. For now, it was best to leave things between him and his father as they were.

  “Just think on it, will ya?”

  Beau smacked his glove with his curled-up fist. “I’m praying on it, too.”

  “Anything that can get you on your knees is a blessing,” Mack threw over his shoulder as he walked toward the dugout.

  Was that true? Beau followed him as far as the infield. Was he supposed to feel blessed by his time in a prison camp? But if he hadn’t been captured, he would have never made his decision for the Lord, never known the meaning of true freedom through God.

  In all things, give thanks.

  Thank You, Lord, for all You’ve done for me and all You have planned for me now and in the future. Beau lifted his head, catching a quick look toward the
bleachers before centering his attention on one woman on the far side of the first base line.

  Edie.

  Warmth flowed through him, an awareness he’d tried hard to fight but lost. She gave him a shy smile that robbed him of his breath, making him feel like he had just taken a line drive to the ribs. Then she took her place next to Maggie.

  “I can’t even count the number of men that woman’s turned down an invitation to come to our game with. Well, at least we know how to get her here now.” Mack threw his arm around Beau’s shoulder. “We’ll just make sure you’re on the guest list.”

  “Just play ball, okay?” Beau strolled over to his position at first base, taking one last look in the stands, a smile playing on his lips. So Edie had never been to a ball game with Mack. Though he knew it shouldn’t, that knowledge satisfied a primitive part of his masculine pride.

  Beau crouched down, waiting for Mack to throw the ball to the first hitter. At least the game would keep Edie occupied and away from the danger of her phone-line project. At the crack of the bat, Beau charged toward first and caught the ball just as the batter crossed the base.

  As he stepped on the bag, Beau couldn’t help looking toward the stands. Standing, Edie clapped, her bright smile lighting up his heart like the stars lit up the night sky. He didn’t deserve her friendship, but she had given it to him freely.

  Then why did he suddenly want so much more?

  * * *

  Edie tightened her fingers around the wooden boards, barely able to keep herself from flying out of her seat in the bleachers. It was the top of the ninth, and the Bombers had a one-run lead, but not for long if the runners on first and third had anything to say about it.

  “I wonder who’s up next?” Maggie asked from her perch beside her.

  “I’m not sure.” Edie watched the dugout, then softly gasped as Beau stepped out into the batting circle.

  Maggie gave her a knowing look then turned her attention back to the field. “I have a feeling this game is about to get interesting.”

  “I’d just settle for a base hit,” Edie replied, watching as Beau took a few swings. The man cut a handsome figure in his ball cap and rolled-up jeans. The muscles in his arms clenched and flexed as he tested the weight of two bats before finally settling on one.

  “With his knee, I’m thinking the only way he’s going to get around those bases is a home run!”

  Good gracious, his knee! She’d plumb forgot about it until Maggie mentioned it! Edie held her breath, watching for a limp or any weakness in his legs as Beau stepped into the batter’s box. He glanced back at the stands, his gaze roaming the numbers of people before finally coming to rest on her. He didn’t smile, only looked at her, and with a wink turned and faced the pitcher, bringing the bat to his shoulder.

  A nervousness she’d never felt for anyone else welled up inside her. Edie drew in a deep breath. She’d realized in recent days she only wanted the best for Beau.

  Even if it meant walking away from him.

  Edie shut her eyes against the thought. She should have come up with an excuse when Beau had asked her to the game. Overtime in the drafting room. Extra shift at the hospital. Plague. It would have been easier on her heart. But the thought of Beau being right outside her window had tugged at her, pulling her away from her desk and out into the afternoon sunshine.

  It’d felt like forever since she’d told Beau about her father and the danger she faced from the Bund. Her heart fluttered at the memory of being held in his strong embrace, her senses filled with the smell of aftershave and Beau. She hadn’t felt so safe since before the war, before her father had turned against all she held dear. Beau hadn’t run at the truth of her life. Instead he was standing by her, offering her shelter, a place to hide beneath his watchful eye.

  In that moment, despite all her precautions, she’d fallen in love with him.

  “Strike one!”

  Maggie’s hand came to rest on her arm. “Are you okay?”

  Edie nodded, her head bobbing up and down. Who was she trying to convince, Maggie or herself? “Of course I am. I’m just a little bit caught up in the game, that’s all.”

  “Are you sure? You just went a bit pale there for a second.”

  “It’s nothing. Probably just the heat.”

  But Maggie had never been one to be swayed from her objective. “Are you sure?”

  Edie hesitated. This woman had been her friend through thick and thin, had been with her when Edie couldn’t keep the secret surrounding her family anymore, though she didn’t share the danger she faced from the Bund. “I told Beau about my father.”

  Maggie leaned toward her, glancing around, lowering her voice so that no one heard their conversation. “What did he say?”

  “Nothing much,” Edie answered in a whisper. “Mainly, he listened.”

  “Really.”

  Why did Maggie sound so surprised? “To be honest, he was more upset when I asked him to help me convince Mr. Cantrell to string phone lines out to Gertie’s house.”

  “Well, that I can understand. He just wanted to make sure you stayed safe.”

  Edie glanced down at the man at home plate. A few weeks ago, she wouldn’t have agreed with Maggie, but now, knowing how it felt to be in Beau’s arms, to know the comfort of his protective nature, she knew it to be true. “I know.”

  Maggie turned her attention back to the game. “You’re in love with him.”

  Edie’s heart slammed against her chest. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me.” Still watching the game, Maggie grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. “You love Beau, and I think it’s wonderful.”

  Edie mashed her lips together. What would Maggie think if the Bund caught up with her and Beau, in his need to protect her, ended up hurt, or worse? She refused to let her thoughts go there, just the idea of such a thing twisting like a spike through her heart.

  “Strike two!”

  The floorboards swayed beneath Edie’s feet as Maggie jumped up beside her. “Come on, Beau! Knock it out of the park!”

  “Sweetheart,” Wesley called out from his place at third base. “Isn’t it part of the engagement agreement that you cheer for your fiancé’s team?”

  Her friend’s face broke out into a smile. “Someone has to keep up the morale of our local policemen after you blasted that triple a couple of innings ago.”

  The crowd broke into laughter around Edie, and after a few seconds, she couldn’t help but join in. That was what was so neat about the town of Marietta, the feeling of community she’d picked up since the moment she’d crossed into the city’s limits. Of neighbors enjoying each other’s company, of being there for one another in good times and in bad. Oh, it had its problems—every town did, but it was easy to overlook them because Marietta was home.

  POP!

  The crack of the ball against wood drew Edie’s attention to the field. Beau had dropped his bat, his eyes riveted to the chain-link fence in center field as he made a slow trot down the first base line. Edie looked up, searching the cloudless sky before finally catching sight of the ball as it sailed into a nest of oaks beyond the metal barrier.

  The wooden bleachers dipped and swayed like waves on Lake Michigan as people around her jumped up and down, the air exploding in a roar of appreciation. Beau rounded third, glancing up at the stands until his eyes locked with hers. Edie’s heart beat against her ribs in a wild rhythm, her mouth suddenly dry as the faint white cloud of chalk floating along the third base line. Then, as though he thought better of it, Beau lowered his gaze toward home plate.

  She loved him. Despite trying her best to keep her heart safe, he’d snuck around her barriers, protecting her when most people would have abandoned her, earning her trust. Edie smiled to herself. Beau even shared her love of baseball.

  “You want a pop?”

  “Huh?” Edie blinked, glancing over at her friend.

  “A soda. Water, something cold to drink.” Maggie pumped the paper fan she’d bro
ught from home, the image of Jesus standing at the door waving back and forth. “It’s hot enough to fry bacon on the sidewalk—that is, if bacon wasn’t being rationed. All I can say is heaven help us in August.”

  The next player hit a fly ball to the right fielder for the last out of the inning. Edie stood. “You want anything else at the concession stand?”

  Her friend’s auburn hair bounced in red-gold waves against the stark white of her shirt as she shook her head. “I can go with you.”

  “And possibly miss Wesley’s next at bat?” She shook her head. “Not on your life.”

  “Well, no.” Maggie grimaced. “I hate putting you out like that.”

  After all the kindnesses Maggie and her family had done for her in the past year, nothing they could have ever asked would have been too much for Edie. “It’s settled. I’ll be right back.”

  Edie gingerly stepped around the two teenage girls sitting directly in front of them, zigzagging her way down, the wood boards beneath her giving a little with each step. Late stragglers, probably workers just clocking out of their shift, watched from the end of the bleachers, putting the cares of the war aside for the moment to enjoy a baseball game.

  With everything that has breath, praise the Lord!

  Edie frowned as she fell into line behind two men she recognized from the plant floor. Had she been so busy worrying about what the future might hold, she’d forgotten to praise God for what He was doing in her life now? Hadn’t the Lord taken care of all her needs, given her professional opportunities once thought impossible for women? And what about her friends? He’d blessed her with them, too.

  Her gaze slid to first base where Beau stood. Could she praise God for a love that would in all likelihood leave her heartbroken for the rest of her life?

  “Did you hear the government is opening another one of those prisoner-of-war camps up at Fort Oglethorpe?” The sharp-toned question from the man behind Edie sliced through her haze of emotions.

  “How many does that make in the state now? Four? Five?” another lower voice behind her replied. “Who are they aiming at putting in this one?”