Jody narrowed her eyes and glared at him. “It would have been the courteous thing to do, especially once you knew I planned to buy it.”
“I was going to tell you the night I took you to dinner, but then we argued, and the time never seemed right. I do apologize. I probably should have told you the day of the box social when I accidentally bought your dinner, but—”
Jody held up her hand. “Wait! You mean you never planned to buy my box?”
“Uh … no. It was an accident. I was waving a paper in the air, and the parson mistook it for a bid. That said, I’m most delighted I did purchase your dinner. I enjoyed the meal and my time with you very much.”
She didn’t want Aaron being nice to her or his voice softening when he talked about their time together. Jody stared into the eyes that reminded her of coffee and could read his sincerity. For a fraction of a second, she was tempted to forgive him. She knew for sure that was what the Lord wanted her to do.
Perhaps this was just an honest mistake, but now Aaron knew how much she wanted that land, and he was still going ahead with his plans.
Well … she had other plans. And she was sure Aaron Garrett wouldn’t like them.
Jody smiled and looked around the partially dismantled mercantile where she and her friends were staging a protest. She could only imagine Aaron’s expression of surprise and frustration when he and the crew returned from their dinner break and found the women camped out in the middle of their work area. She chuckled to herself at her ingenuity. Surely Aaron would see how determined she was and would sell the land to the board.
“Jody, I have to tell you this is the most outlandish idea you’ve ever come up with.” Elaine settled into the rocking chair that she’d borrowed from her husband’s office. “If I hadn’t planned to work on these squares for a quilt for Autumn, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to join you.” Her gaze landed on the doctor’s office across the street. “I just don’t know what Dan will say about this when he returns from the Johnson ranch.”
“I agree. This is a crazy idea, but you inspired me, Jody, when you came out to the ranch yesterday, begging for my help.” India lowered her cumbersome body into the chair Jody had scrounged from the orphanage. “I left Joshua a note, but when he gets back to the house, he’ll be livid. Ever since I started showing, he’s been so bossy, wanting to keep me close to home. I’m about to go stir-crazy. I needed a good mission to concentrate on.” She flashed an ornery grin.
Elaine shook her head and focused on stitching two fabric squares together. “He’s only trying to watch out for you, India.”
“I know, and I love him for it, in spite of the fact that it sometimes frustrates me.” She fanned herself with a cardboard advertisement for the funeral home in neighboring Baxter Bluff.
Jody glanced across the street at the café, feeling both guilty for coercing her friends to stage this protest and glad that they’d so willingly come to her side to help the orphans. Delicious odors emanated from the café, reminding her that she’d skipped breakfast, and now the dinner hour was quickly passing. Perhaps once the ladies were settled, she’d ask Etta to fix a tray for them.
India squinted and pointed down the road. “Here comes Anika.”
Anika was struggling to carry a side chair Jody recognized as coming from Mr. Jacobson’s office. Jody stepped out from under the shade of the mercantile and hurried to help her. Anika handed the heavy chair to Jody. “I have a surprise. Be right back.”
Her friend’s skirts swished as she hurried away. Jody hoisted the chair over a small stack of boards pulled from the building and set it next to India’s.
“Where’s she off to in such a hurry?” India asked.
Jody shrugged. “Said she had a surprise.”
Simon Fitzgerald, the banker, slowed his steps as he passed in front of the old store and gawked at them. “Just what are you ladies doing?”
Jody stared back. “We’re declaring a protest to stop Mr. Garrett from building a hotel here. Everyone knows this is our land, and we’re not giving it up without a fight.”
Mr. Fitzgerald chuckled and shook his head. “Miss McMillan, I fear you’re starting something here you won’t be able to finish. Mr. Garrett is one determined man.”
Jody crossed her arms and hiked her chin, ready for battle. “Well, he doesn’t know what he’s up against.”
He laughed out loud as he crossed the street and entered the café at the same time the three men Aaron had hired moseyed out. They crossed the street, their voices getting louder the nearer they came. Suddenly, one glanced at Jody and grabbed one of his cohorts by the arm. Jody braced herself for another skirmish.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” John Simmons, a local carpenter and the tallest of the three, stepped forward, hands on his hips. “Get out of there before you get hurt.”
“We’re not leaving. And that’s that.”
John glanced at his coworkers, then back at her. “We don’t get paid if we don’t work.”
Jody shrugged and stood her ground. “I’m sorry, but we’re staying put.”
John motioned to Clay Stuart. “You and Sam go work out back for a while. I’ll go tell Mr. Garrett we got us a problem.”
The two workers disappeared behind the back of the mercantile, while John spun around and headed back to the café. A moment later, Jody could hear pounding coming from behind the building. She heaved a sigh and readied herself to face Aaron.
“Whatever you have there, Anika, sure smells good.” Elaine stood to help Anika with the crate she carried.
“Oh, what is it?” India asked.
Anika smiled and lifted her head as regally as a queen. “I thought since we were going to sit out here, we might as well try to raise some additional funds for the orphanage while winning people over to our way of thinking.” She lifted a towel and revealed a platter of sugar cookies and a dozen muffins. “We’ll have a bake sale.”
India clapped her hands together. “What a wonderful idea. I’m famished. I need to sample some of those cookies.”
They all laughed in unison.
“You’re always hungry,” Jody said, smiling at her friend.
“Well, I am eating for two.”
“True.” Anika placed the basket on what used to be the store’s counter. “Now all we need is a table of some kind.”
“Here.” Jody crossed the room and picked up the end of a board. “We can use these.”
“Good idea.” Anika hoisted up the other end, and they placed the board on two crates, blocking the open doorway. They added another plank, then set out the items for sale.
Anika straightened and looked at Jody. “You do realize we’re trespassing on private property. We could get in a lot of trouble.”
“I don’t believe Mr. Garrett is the type of man to press charges. I just hope he’ll see reason.”
Anika looked Jody squarely in the eyes. “You don’t know what type of man he is. You’ve only just met him a few days ago. Or is there something you’re not telling us?”
Jody glanced away. How could she explain her feelings? She was more attracted to Aaron than she’d been to any man she could ever recall meeting, but they were practically enemies now. Or would be soon. A measure of doubt niggled at her. This morning she’d been so certain of her plan, but now … perhaps they should just call off the protest.
“Oh, I see.” Anika’s lips twisted up in a wry grin.
“See what?” Elaine looked around as if she’d missed something.
Anika sashayed over to where India and Elaine were sitting. “She likes him.”
“Who?” India furrowed her brows.
“Jody likes Mr. Garrett.”
“I do not.” Jody stomped to the middle of the room. “Don’t go telling tales, Anika.”
“But you see, it’s not a tale. The truth is written all over your face and in your fervent denial.”
Jody turned away and stared at the café door, her friends’ soft chuckles
echoing behind her. It wasn’t true. It couldn’t be. Perhaps she admired Aaron’s fine looks and citified bearing and manners, but that was all. Wasn’t it? She couldn’t afford to like him.
Jody leaned against a pillar and sighed, wondering again if she was making a mistake. Had she once more plowed ahead without seeking God’s guidance?
Yesterday she’d been so sure of her plans. So sure the protest would stop the work on the mercantile. But it hadn’t.
She heard a loud crash out back, and the whole building shimmied. Jody swallowed and peeked at her friends to see if they’d felt it, too. None of them seemed concerned, and their happy chatter continued. They were probably planning how to matchmake her and Aaron.
Jody sighed. She’d prayed about what to do and had thought of the protest, but had that been only her idea and not the Lord’s?
Peering over her shoulder again, she saw Stanley Becket looking over the baked goods. He selected several items, then handed Anika some coins. She turned and smiled, lifting her hand in the air. The coins in her fist jingled.
More money for the orphanage, but what did it matter now?
The banker pulled out a chair at Aaron’s table and sat down without even asking permission. The little hairs on the back of Aaron’s neck stood up. Trouble was brewing; he could feel it.
Had there been a problem getting his money from the bank in Phoenix? He had some working capital on hand but not a lot.
“There’s a hen party going on at your mercantile.” Mr. Fitzgerald motioned to Etta, who came and took his order.
Aaron waited until she left, then leaned forward. “Hen party?”
The banker rumbled a deep belly laugh and nodded. “There’s a quartet of pretty women staking their claim on your property.”
Aaron looked over his shoulder and out the window and saw the flash of a green skirt inside his building, just as John Simmons stomped into the café. Aaron’s heart ricocheted as he recognized Jody’s slim form inside the mercantile. What was that gal up to now?
His scowling crew foreman stopped beside the table, his hands on his hips. “We’ve got trouble, boss.”
Chapter 5
Aaron stood on the boardwalk outside the old store with his hands on his hips, staring at the ground. Just how was he supposed to deal with this situation? He couldn’t exactly stomp in and throw out the four ladies, especially with one being in a delicate way.
He glanced up at the sky. I could use some help here, Lord.
A tiny part of him wanted to laugh at the ridiculous situation. Jody had to know her little hen party wouldn’t get her what she wanted, but in spite of the irritation and inconvenience it caused him, he couldn’t help admiring her gumption.
She saw him staring and crossed her arms, glaring at him as if daring him to confront her. He thought of the scripture in Proverbs: “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” He’d try reasoning with her first.
With the doorway blocked with an array of baked goods on wooden planks, Aaron climbed in a window that had already had the glass removed, then dusted off his hands as he looked around. The women had quite a setup, with chairs, food, and things to occupy them.
“We’re not leaving.” Jody uncrossed her arms and sashayed toward him. “So don’t bother to try making us.”
Aaron sighed. “You do know what you’re doing is against the law?”
When he got no response from Jody, he glanced at the lawyer’s wife. She fidgeted and looked away. She knew he was right.
“Some things are higher than the law.” Jody stared straight at him.
“That’s not for you to decide. I own this land, and you and your friends are trespassing. I could have you arrested.”
Panic widened Jody’s eyes for a moment, and then she glanced at her friends. Obviously they hadn’t considered that factor. The doc’s wife stopped her sewing and dropped her hands into her lap. Mrs. Truesdale glanced at the woman with child.
“That’s not necessary. If you’ll just sell us this property, we’ll gladly leave.” Jody’s lips turned up in a smug smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
Aaron lowered his head and shook it. He reached in his pockets, found some coins, and started jiggling them. Perhaps the best thing would be to sell out. But he didn’t like losing, and deep in his heart, he felt the orphans would be safer and better off in another location. If he gave in now, they’d most likely never get to move.
He blinked. When had Jody’s mission become his?
Behind him he heard the sound of rapidly approaching hoofbeats and turned to see what was happening. People rarely charged into town unless there was an emergency. A cowboy reined his horse to a stop so fast, the poor animal practically sat on his rump. Farther down the road, he could see the doctor’s buggy coming their direction at a fast clip. Perhaps this little showdown would be over more quickly than he’d thought.
The cowboy leapt off his horse with an agility that left Aaron awestruck. He stomped onto the boardwalk and stopped at the blocked front door. His brow was tucked down in a severe scowl.
“India, you’ve done a lot of crazy things, but this one takes the prize. Get your things. We’re going home.” He reached down, snagged a sugar cookie, and bit it almost in half, glaring at Jody the whole time. “You ought to have more concern for your friends than to ask them to participate in such a harebrained stunt.”
Jody walked up to him like a royal queen. “We’re selling those cookies to raise money for the orphans. That will be two bits, please.” She held out her hand.
Aaron didn’t know the man but gave him credit for not punching her. He must have had a lot of self-control, although it looked as if he was at his boiling point.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a handful of change, and dropped it on the table. Several coins spun around before falling down with a clink. Glaring at Jody, he helped himself to two more cookies, then looked across the room. India was on her feet.
“I’m sorry to jump ship, but I really do need to go. By the time I get back to the ranch and rest a little while, it will be dinnertime.” She pressed her fist into her back. “Oh, I’ll be so glad when this child comes.”
Jody walked up to her. “You won’t get in trouble, will you?”
India smiled and glanced at her husband. “Oh, you know how overprotective Joshua is. He’s just worried about the baby and me. And probably a bit put out for having to ride to town when he’s so busy with the ranch.”
Jody leaned forward and hugged her friend around the neck. “Thank you for coming. I hope it didn’t tire you out too much.”
India waved a hand in the air. “No, it was wonderful to get to visit with you all, even for a short while. I’ve missed working at the orphanage. Come visit me soon, and let me know how all this pans out.”
India glanced at Aaron with a knowing smile, and it made him wonder just what it was she knew.
The lawyer’s wife removed the cookies and muffins from the planks in front of the door, while the cowboy lifted the boards and set them aside. As India stepped outside, she turned and waved.
“Where’s the buggy?” her husband asked as he helped her down the steps and into the street.
Aaron didn’t hear her answer because the doctor was tramping his way inside. The older woman who’d been sewing stood up. “Uh-oh, looks like I’ve been found out, too.”
The doctor stepped farther into the room and looked around. “Elaine, what’s going on here? I was halfway back to town when I heard about this little soiree. Pete Mayberry stopped me on the road and told me about it. Said he’d bought a couple of muffins from you gals.”
“It’s for a good cause.” The woman gathered up her sewing. “I would appreciate it if you could carry this chair back to your office. I had quite a time getting it over here.”
“Of course, dear.” The doctor rolled his eyes and stepped forward, his hand held out. “I’m Dan Murphy, the town doctor.”
Aaron shook his han
d. “Aaron Garrett. A pleasure to meet you.”
“I’m sorry about this.” Doc Murphy waved his hand in the air. “When these women get together, they can nearly move mountains.”
They shared a chuckle that made Jody scowl. The doc hoisted up the chair and made his way out. As soon as he passed through the doorway, Jody placed a board on two crates, just inside the doorway, probably hoping to keep her last hen from fleeing the coop. Mrs. Truesdale laid out the cookies, then smiled at two men who stopped at the door.
Aaron turned to Jody. “You can’t stay here. You’ve made your point, but now it’s time to go.”
As if she had more to prove, Jody glided over to a rocker and plopped down. “I don’t intend on going anywhere.”
Aaron heaved a sigh and stooped down right in front of her. Jody’s lovely blue-green eyes widened.
“What do you hope to accomplish by this stunt?”
Jody stared at Aaron’s handsome face. She’d expected him to storm in ranting and raving, but when he gently climbed in the window and didn’t even raise his voice, she’d been taken off guard. How does one fight when the other person remains so calm?
She needed to answer him, but the truth was she didn’t know what she’d hoped to accomplish when she had planned this protest. The dismantling hadn’t stopped, and work was still going on out back. There was banging and the squealing of nails being pulled out of wood and the clatter of boards falling to the ground.
She sighed and looked at Aaron, so patient, so close. “I don’t know. I just knew I had to do something.”
He laid his hand on her arm. “This isn’t the way to go about it. You’re getting your friends in trouble with their husbands, and you could get hurt. It’s not safe to be in this building.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I should have told the workers to stop.”
A sliver of guilt worked its way into her conscience. Aaron was a good man, only trying to build a hotel, which the town needed. But the orphans had a greater need. Why couldn’t he see that?
Jody jumped at the sound of a loud bang out back. The building gave a huge shudder and groan, and then the whole back side caved in. Aaron dove forward, shocking her as he covered her body with his. Boards clattered all around them as if an earthquake was in progress. Finally, the noise ceased, leaving behind a cloud of dust that had them all coughing.
Love Is Patient Romance Collection Page 41
