by Jodi Thomas
Too late. She had seen him in his altogether. That hadn’t happened since he was twelve years old and she’d caught him diving naked in Crawdad Creek on a dare.
“How is he?” Noah asked, hurrying to the armoire to choose a fresh shirt and denims. He decided to wait till patients started arriving to add his usual work clothes of string tie and vest. Apparently, no one was waiting in the parlor to be seen or Mrs. Lassiter would have informed him already.
“He? Meaning your father or Amigo?”
“Both, I guess. But tell me about Dad first.”
Noah heard something shift across the floor; then a croaky grunt followed as she obviously stretched to reach something higher than her four-foot-two stature allowed.
“When are you going to move these frames down so I can reach them?” she complained. “Nobody shorter than six feet can read them anyway. You need a woman in this house to set things right.”
He finished combing his hair and stepped out into the hallway. Sure enough, there she stood tiptoe on a foot stool, round as she was tall, trying to dust medical certificates that needed to be hung lower. He just hadn’t had the time. Noah reached over and took the dust cloth from her hand and helped her down the step. “I don’t need a woman around here,” he teased, dusting the frames. “I’ve got the best housekeeper in Texas.”
“Darn right you do.” She pointed to a spot he’d missed. “But you need a woman to teach you things I can’t, young man.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that.” He flashed a grin that usually charmed any female except her. “I’ve seen you dance with the best of them.”
“You bet I can. And speaking of which, you’d best get to deciding which of the town petticoats you’re going to ask to Belle’s dance. I heard there’s some kind of twitter among them over who you’ll be courting for the night.” Mrs. Lassiter shook a finger at him. “And don’t go thinking I’ll get you off the hook this time, young man. I’ve already told Thurgood I’ll save all my dances for him, not his son, who has no better sense than to escort an old heifer like me instead of one of those pretty fillies. Wait till I tell him you were butt naked this—”
“Don’t, Hannah.” Noah rarely used her first name, out of respect for her long service to his parents and then to him. When he did forget to honor her so, it made him feel like a boy in trouble for doing something foolish again. He handed her back the dust cloth. “He already thinks I’m irresponsible. Telling him will only make him unhappier at me. And I promise, I’ll figure out who I’ll escort as soon as I know if I can actually attend the dance.”
“You want to talk about it?” She stood there with her hands on her hips, looking stern but caring, as only Hannah Lassiter could do.
“You know I never decide anything until I’m sure I’m not needed elsewhere,” he said evasively, knowing full well that she was talking about his trouble with his father and not his duty to patients who might prevent him from attending the dance.
“Don’t twist your tongue at me, young man. You know very well what I mean.” She might be short in height but she issued tall orders for the truth.
Mrs. Lassiter had been a part of Noah’s life ever since he could remember. At twelve when he’d lost his mother to influenza, it had been Hannah Lassiter’s arms that had comforted him. His father had been too caught up in the role of grieving widower and doctor to realize that Noah had needed him. A doctor was supposed to understand death, to accept it as part of the pattern of life. Noah had needed to share his grief with his father, but Thurgood Powell had been the stalwart, stoic widower, the image of professional emotional control. The only break in that armor Noah had ever seen was when his father was in the company of the woman who had sustained them both since that tragic time—Hannah Lassiter. She had become the protector of emotions his father entrusted to no one but her.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Noah finally answered, knowing he was lying but preferring not to persuade her to take his side in the private matter that had arisen between him and his father four years ago. If she learned it from his parent, that was one thing. But Noah meant to keep the family troubles to himself.
“You two are so much alike, you could’ve hatched from the same egg.” Mrs. Lassiter looked around as if she were searching for something. “Ahh, there it is.”
She grabbed her cup of coffee from a bookcase where she had set it. Taking a sip, she waddled into the parlor. “Since you aren’t going to tell me about what set the teakettle to steaming between you, you might as well come see about your fussy feathered friend.”
His housekeeper plopped down on the settee and began to drink her coffee. She looked up over the cup rim, one dark brow arching upward as he waited for her to take off the cloth that covered the birdcage. “What? Do you think I’m going to mess with him today with you home? My bird sitting is finished until you have to leave again. I did not hire on to scoop up after that messy little magpie.”
Happy chirps came from beneath the cloth that allowed his pet to sleep easier.
“Magpie? Amigo?” Noah lifted the cloth to discover a healthier, fuller-feathered lovebird chirping at him. “My goodness, how you’ve grown, little buddy. You’re twice the size you were when I left. And your feathers aren’t molting anymore.” He faced his housekeeper. “What have you been feeding him?”
“Noah Powell! Open your eyes and take a better look at those squatty legs. How many do you see?”
“No-ah-Pow. No-ah-Pow. Smch-smch-smch.”
Startled by the chirpy chatter, Noah peered harder to make sure his eyes were actually seeing what he had counted and his ears certain of what he had heard. “Four. He’s grown legs and a voice since I’ve been gone.”
“Two of those legs belong to a friend and she’s got a mouth on her, that one.”
“A girl?” Noah looked a little closer. That’s when he noticed how one of the lovebird’s wings was definitely fuller on its right side. The smaller set of legs below hinted that the second bird was tucked under the wing of the bigger bird. The one thing he did know about the species was that the female was usually larger than the male. “Amigo, buddy? Is that you under there?”
Amigo’s eye peered from beneath the wing where he was being cuddled and repeated part of what the bigger bird had said. “No-ah-Pow.”
“Would you listen to that!” Noah could hardly contain his excitement. Amigo was actually saying something. “Whoever she is, she’s taught him to speak.”
“Love will do that to you.” Mrs. Lassiter took another sip of coffee before adding, “Say and do things you never thought would come out of your own mouth.”
“Where did she come from?” Noah searched his housekeeper’s face and tried to read her expression. She was keeping something from him. Her brown eyes twinkled with definite amusement, as if she knew a secret he didn’t. He’d seen that same look many times on his previous birthdays when she surprised him with gifts or when she knew something that would please him and kept him in suspense about it until she thought he was ready to burst. He told her plenty of times that he planned to get his pet a mate. Maybe the peddler had stopped by town. “Did you buy her for me?”
“And add more work for me? No way. I’m not making myself housekeeper to anybody’s ark, not even for you, Noah Powell. That she-bird flew in while you were gone. I told you one of these days that something fresher than air would come flying in that window if you kept leaving it open.” Mrs. Lassiter took another sip of coffee, then announced, “She belongs to one of the Brown sisters.”
Since he shared his housekeeper with the Browns and his father, the woman ought to know of what she spoke. If so, then why hadn’t she just taken the bird back home? He could sense she was waiting for him to ask her why she didn’t. Maybe he would play the game a little and see what the minx was up to. “How long has she been here?”
“More than a week. How long have you been gone?”
“A day or two more than that. I’m not sure. I lost track of time. Wasn’t
sure the Boatright twins were going to make it.”
“They okay?”
“They are now.”
“How are the Boatrights?”
“Mom and Pop are just fine now that the twins are.”
“Good. Maybe they’ll take some time to enjoy these two before adding to the clan.”
Noah nodded, knowing her criticism was a product of once having been widowed and left childless long before Noah ever knew her. He didn’t want her dwelling on those sad times, so he steered the conversation back to Amigo’s new friend. “You don’t think the Browns are worried over the whereabouts of their bird?”
“Oh, I know for a fact that JoEmma has searched high and low, make that high, for Gabby. She’s even posted a note on the community board offering a reward for her return. She really would like to have her back. Angelina, not so much, I’m thinking.”
Now he knew for certain Mrs. Lassiter had some scheme up her sleeve. She had deliberately not returned the bird. She adored the Brown sisters and wouldn’t cause either worry on purpose. “Gabby, you say?” he repeated. “That’s the bird’s name?”
“Gabriella Funny Feathers Brown, off icially. Gabby, for short, and because the name pretty much suits her. You’ll find out for yourself in a few days.”
“All right,” Noah conceded, “you’ve won. You’ve got me curious as to what you might be up to. If you didn’t mean for the bird to stay, you would have already taken her back home. So, since cleaning up after one bird seems to put a burr under your saddle, why did you decide to bird-sit for two?”
“Did I tell you that you are a bright boy, Noah Powell? Always have been. Let’s see if you can be a smart man and figure this one out for yourself.”
The twinkle in her eyes seemed to intensify as he studied her and tried to make sense of her taunt.
“Okay,” he accepted the challenge. “You knew I wanted a mate for Amigo.”
“True.”
“You knew you could always take Gabby home.”
“Again, you’re right.”
“You saw that she made Amigo happy.”
“And healthier. His feathers are sprucing up fine.” Mrs. Lassiter added, “I do have a heart, you know.”
“You also have some other purpose.” Noah tried to think as his housekeeper might; then it finally dawned on him. “You want me to take her home.”
“Way to hang in there, partner.” Mrs. Lassiter’s compliment ended with a laugh. “I knew there was a lick or two of common sense still left somewhere in that college-educated brain of yours.”
“But you see the Browns every day.” He argued the point.
“And you don’t,” she stressed.
There it was—her reason. Mrs. Lassiter was not only playing matchmaker to a pair of lovebirds, but also trying to bring him and one of the Brown sisters together. She’d tried to marry him off for years now, afraid he would end up a confirmed bachelor. Now she’d apparently set her bonnet to marrying him off to one of the Browns. But which one?
“I’m sure they’re going to welcome me with open arms, especially when they know I’ve kept their bird for how long now?” he asked.
“Eight days.”
“Couldn’t you have simply taken Amigo to their house and let the two birds get to know each other there?” Noah could imagine the younger sister’s worry over losing a favorite pet. Being wheelchair bound, she suffered limitations others didn’t and that would make every relationship that gave her companionship even more precious. With the older sister, the bird might be a replacement of affection for the parents they had lost to the train accident two years ago. No matter how much this helped Amigo, Noah had no right to keep the female from its truthful owner. “I’ll go to the Browns immediately.”
“That might mean giving up Amigo,” Mrs. Lassiter warned him. “They might want the birds to stay paired, at their house.”
Noah didn’t like the thought of giving up Amigo, but if it was best for the birds, then he would. Maybe the sisters would allow him to visit or maybe keep one of the offspring, if some came along. Noah eyed the happy couple. A sudden sense of sadness at his own possible loss made him look away. It was only the thought of Amigo’s gain that made him set his mind to do what he must. “It’s the right thing to do.”
“Who knows?” Mrs. Lassiter interjected. “Maybe they’ll want you to keep the pair. Or even better, want you to stay with him.”
“Why would they?” He ignored her teasing and focused on Amigo’s possible future. He had no qualms about adding Gabby to his household, but if the sisters had come to love their pet as much as he did Amigo, then he couldn’t imagine them willing to give her up.
“This is where the birds fell in love.” Mrs. Lassiter set her coffee cup down and stood. “Where they feel comfortable in getting to know each other. Talking to each other. That plays a big part in bringing and keeping couples together.”
“Let’s just hope the Browns agree with you and will be comfortable with discussing that as a possibility once they know how long we’ve kept her away from them.” Noah grabbed the birdcage and the night cloth to cover it. “Will you carry the birds while I get Amigo’s feed and other toys?”
“Sure.” She half rolled to her feet and took the cage. “It’s on the way to Thurgood’s and I’m finished here anyway. But I won’t have time to stay and talk.”
“Of course you won’t.” He grabbed the bow that held her apron in place and gave it a playful jerk, setting it free from around her ample waist. “You just had enough time to get me into this mess.”
Chapter 4
“Girls, it’s me. I just stopped by to bring you a surprise!”
JoEmma heard their housekeeper’s voice and wondered what kind of surprise the woman considered great enough to alter her usual routine of cleaning Dr. Powell’s home then heading immediately to the elder Powell’s house to do the same. She usually didn’t return home to the Browns, where she maintained living quarters, until much later in the day. Hannah Lassiter never let anything, including rain or snow, keep her from those obligations.
Everyone in the county suspected Hannah and Thurgood Powell were sweet on each other, but no one dared talk about it in front of the pair. The couple seemed to want everyone to think their relationship was purely employer and employee, but few were fooled. The surprise must be something extraordinary to make Hannah delay going to Thurgood’s.
“I’m in the green room, Hannah,” JoEmma called to her from the room filled with a variety of plants and projects she was working on. “Give me just a minute to wipe my hands. I was potting some flowers for Mrs. Kimble. Her joints are acting up again and I told her that I’d get this done and back before she closes up the mercantile.”
She only had a couple more pots to complete so it would be a good time to take a break and see what had caused the excitement in Hannah’s voice.
“Hurry, girl. You’ve got a guest.”
A guest? Some surprise. JoEmma rolled her eyes heavenward and let out a deep sigh. She wasn’t dressed for receiving guests and she didn’t have that much time to offer anyone if she intended to meet Mrs. Kimble’s time request concerning the pots. It would take her a while to maneuver over the rutted road and balance a tray of pots on her lap. “Ask Angelina to come down and hold the fort for me. She’s upstairs trying on her new dress for Belle’s party. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Realizing their guest was probably hearing every word, JoEmma decided she needed to offer better manners than the ones she was extending at the moment. “Welcome, whoever you are. You just caught me at an awkward time. I’ll be right there.”
“Angelina, hurry down, honey. There’s a man to see you,” Hannah announced.
A man? That would certainly bring her sister running and would give JoEmma ample time to finish the other two pots. Angelina would appreciate time to flirt and show off the dress.
Instead of hurrying, JoEmma returned to the work at hand and began to whistle as she completed her ta
sk.
A trill of birdsong echoed from the parlor, whistling back at her.
Startled, JoEmma whispered, “Gabby?”
Hope leapt in her heart as she pressed her lips together and whistled the special command she had taught the lovebird.
A flurry of rainbow-colored feathers flew toward her, and then the bird roosted on her left shoulder.
“Smch-smch-smch.”
“Funny Feathers! It is you.” JoEmma pressed her cheek against the lovebird. Relief washed through her and threatened to fill her eyes with tears. “Where have you been, little lady? I’ve missed you.”
“I’m afraid she’s been holed up at my house,” a deep voice echoed from behind JoEmma.
JoEmma’s eyes flashed open as she turned to catch sight of Noah Powell standing in the doorway of her workroom. She wasn’t sure if the world suddenly spun around because she’d turned so swiftly or if the sight of his handsome face had somehow set her atilt.
There he stood. Six feet two inches of dark hair, eyes the color of the Texas sky on its clearest day, and a smile that warmed her so deeply that she was grateful she was sitting rather than standing because the heat weakened her knees and raced to the tips of her smallest toes. But it was the image of a boy in overalls that swam before her eyes now. A boy who hadn’t cared that the other boys had laughed at him for picking her up from the school step where she’d fallen and skinned a knee. He’d lifted her up into his ten-year-old arms and carried her home, with the others making fun of him all the way there. Noah Powell had been her hero ever since.
She dusted her hands against her own overalls and realized, for the first time, why she loved wearing the clothes. Because Noah had.
