Justin shrugged, pantomiming being shy.
“Oh, there’s no use pretending to be modest. You were wonderful, and you know it,” Mrs. Brown remonstrated. “Can you imagine, Jane—what if Mr. Sorenson and Mrs. Perry both sang at the orphans’ fundraiser this fall? They’d raise more money than we’ve ever seen before.”
“That would be very nice, but we shouldn’t pressure Mr. Sorenson into doing something he might not want to do,” Mrs. Henderson replied. “After all, he might not want to stay in Topeka that long. Maybe he’ll want to return home after he’s finished his lessons with Mrs. Perry.”
“I hope not,” Mrs. Brown said, shaking her head and glancing at Justin. “I’d like to see him settle down here. There’s the most darling little house in my neighborhood that’s just gone up for sale, and we could keep him quite busy with events and so forth. Oh! Imagine the solos he could sing for us at church!”
“All that would be wonderful, but we can’t plan his life for him.” Mrs. Henderson shook her finger at her friend. “He has ideas of his own, I’m sure. We can’t pressure him one way or the other.”
“Ideas of his own? What sorts of ideas?” Mrs. Brown turned to Justin, and he was glad to be included in the conversation and not just spoken about. “What plans do you have for your future, Mr. Sorenson?”
He shook his head, smiling. Good gracious, they were quite the pair. “I’ll let you know when I know,” he whispered. “But I do like Topeka.”
“Do you see that?” Mrs. Brown said triumphantly. “He likes Topeka. Perhaps he doesn’t mind my meddling quite so much.”
“Or perhaps he’s being polite,” Mrs. Henderson said.
Justin shook his head. “I like it.”
Mrs. Brown sat back and folded her hands on her lap. “There you have it—there you have it. I’ve always been an excellent judge of character, and I knew the moment I laid eyes on this young man that he would be a wonderful fit for our town.”
“In order for him to fit anywhere, he needs to be healthy and strong, so we should probably go and let him get some rest,” Mrs. Henderson said. The two ladies stood, and Justin got to his feet as well. “We wish you the very best, Mr. Sorenson, and if you need anything, please do let us know.”
He nodded, then followed them to the door and held it while they exited. They chatted all the way down the walk and to the fence, then let out an exclamation of surprise when a buggy pulled up in front of the hotel. When they stopped to speak to the driver, he could see that it was Kitty, and he grinned even wider.
She spoke with the ladies for a moment, then stepped down from the buggy and came up the walk. “Hello,” she called out. “I’ve come to spirit you away. Are you up for an outing?”
An outing sounded wonderful. He nodded vigorously.
“Good. I’m taking you home with me and letting you play with my little sisters. It’s not for the faint of heart, just to warn you.”
She waited for him in the lobby while he grabbed his hat from upstairs, and then he handed her the basket from his grandmotherly visitors.
“I can’t possibly eat so much jam,” he whispered.
She peered inside the basket and laughed. “Yes, you’ve definitely been welcomed into Topeka society. Once you’ve been given jam, you’re a member of the family, so to speak.”
They climbed into the buggy, and Kitty gave the lines a flick. She was still smiling, but Justin could tell something was bothering her. The noise of the wheels crunching the road beneath them and the sound of the horses’ hooves would make it impossible for her to hear him if he whispered, so he touched her arm and gave her an inquisitive look, then put on an exaggeratedly sad face. He hoped she’d understand that he was asking her what was wrong.
She didn’t reply at first and he thought she hadn’t understood him, but then she started to talk. “It’s a complex situation, really. My father works for an investment company, and he travels from place to place visiting the sites of possible investments to see if they’re viable. For instance, someone might decide they’d like a loan to buy a ranch. My father will travel out there to look over the land and see if he thinks it would make a good ranch, and then he negotiates a deal if he thinks the investment would be sound. He’s gone quite a lot of the time, but he always tells us where he’ll be.”
The buggy slowed to turn a corner, and she maneuvered it expertly. “My mother is experiencing some health problems, and I wired my father to let him know, but he’s not at the hotel where he told us he’d be. Justin, I don’t know what to think. It’s likely just a misunderstanding and he’ll get back with me soon, but . . . it’s been a while since he came home, and he was in such a rush to get back out on the road, and . . . I can’t help but wonder if maybe he likes doing without us. Maybe . . . what if . . .”
Justin reached over and brushed away the tear that had just trickled down her cheek. What a terrible time to be without a voice. Of course he had no way of knowing what was going on with her father, but he desperately wanted to say something, anything that would be comforting.
“I know I’m being silly, but I’m so worried about my mother, and she needs him right now. He’s always responded when we’ve sent him messages before—why now, when we need him more than ever?”
Justin motioned for her to pull the buggy over to the side of the road. It was impossible to carry on a conversation like this, and he couldn’t let her continue to share her heart with so little response from him. As soon as she’d found a good place to bring the buggy to halt, he slid over and put his arm around her shoulders.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “This must be so hard.”
“Yes, it really is. And of course I’m not going to say anything to Mother—not yet. She doesn’t need to have that placed on her. She’s already dealing with so much.”
“You’re dealing with a lot too,” Justin whispered. “You’re taking care of her . . . who’s taking care of you?”
She turned to him with eyes brimming. “I . . .”
“Let me, Kitty. Let me take care of you.”
He practically held his breath as he waited for her response. He ached to kiss her, but he knew that wasn’t his right. There would be a time and a place, but not then. Only when she was ready.
After making him wait far too long, she said, “I’m not supposed to sit in buggies with young men. It’s against the rules of our house.”
“Then we’d better drive on, but I’m going to ask again, Kitty. This is your fair warning.”
He slid back into his spot, and she flicked the reins again. He couldn’t imagine what she was going through, and his proposals were coming at a bad time. He couldn’t help it, though—he had to speak. He had to tell her how he felt. The words would not stay bottled up, even when he didn’t have a proper voice to deliver them.
The Clark house was a bit of chaos when they arrived. Geordie was chasing two little girls around the yard, who in turn were chasing a puppy, and Kitty’s jaw dropped as she brought the buggy to a halt.
“Geordie Clark, where did you get that puppy, and can you possibly take it back right this minute?”
“Sorry, can’t. Mr. Jones came by and said he was going to drown it if he couldn’t find a home for it.” Geordie shielded his eyes against the sun and squinted into the buggy. “Hi there, Justin.”
Justin raised a hand in greeting.
“He was going to drown it? He said that?” Kitty’s eyes burned with fury.
“Sure did. He said he’d started with six, but he’d found homes for the rest and this was the last one.”
She shook her head. “Well, I can’t say that I’m happy about it, but I suppose we have a puppy. And you’re heading back to college in a week and will leave us to take care of it . . .”
Geordie grinned. “Sorry.”
“Well, you don’t look sorry.” Kitty hopped to the ground without waiting for anyone to help her. “I’ve brought Justin to spend the rest of the day with us, and he’s donated some jam to
the cause.” She thrust the basket into Geordie’s hands. “And I need to speak with you in a minute.”
He gave a nod, and she led the way into the house. “Mother, keep Justin company for a moment while I put the buggy away, would you?”
Mrs. Clark greeted him warmly, even though she did seem surprised to have him there, and Justin wondered if Kitty had told her that she was bringing him home. As they chatted, he was reminded of her fiery spirit, and he could see where Kitty got her temperament. And the two little girls? Little firecrackers, both of them. They ran around his legs until he was worried he wouldn’t be able to take a step without crushing one of them.
“You’ll get used to them after a while,” Mrs. Clark told him. “Won’t you come sit down?”
She asked him cordial questions about his home back in Vermont, listening carefully so he wouldn’t have to repeat himself, until Kitty came back inside. Then she stood up, but Kitty waved her back down.
“Geordie and I will get lunch on the table, Mother. You two sit and visit.”
Justin knew Kitty wanted to speak with Geordie, so he was more than happy to stay in the parlor with Mrs. Clark and the girls. He also wanted to use this opportunity to get to know the family better—the family he hoped he would someday call his own.
Chapter Sixteen
Kitty tugged Geordie into the kitchen, then spoke to him in a low voice. “The telegram I sent Father last night was undeliverable. The hotel said he checked out a couple of days ago.”
Geordie frowned. “He did? But that doesn’t make any sense.”
“I know. Mrs. Head is sending another telegram to the hotel where he’s supposed to be next week. Maybe he finished up early and decided to move on, and we’ll hear from him soon.”
“Is that likely? I mean, has he ever done that before?”
“Not that I’m aware of.” Kitty glanced toward the parlor to make sure everything was still under control in there. Whenever the twins were awake, it was a project for the whole family. “What do you think, Geordie? Father wouldn’t . . . he wouldn’t abandon us, would he?”
Geordie put his arm around Kitty and gave her a quick squeeze. “He wouldn’t, Kitty—I’m absolutely sure of it. Where’s your usual optimism? He’ll turn up with a perfectly reasonable explanation, and everything will make sense. In the meantime, let’s focus on Grandmother’s birthday party, and I do believe you have a guest today.”
“Yes, I do. You’re right—I should keep busy and not worry. Father’s a grown man and he can see to himself, and I’m sure it will straighten itself out.”
“It will. So, how are you planning to entertain Justin today?”
Kitty smiled. “I’m actually testing him a bit, to be honest. I want to see how he does with the girls. If a man doesn’t interact well with children, he’s not the man for me—and dogs. He must interact well with dogs, but only because they too are innocent creatures, and the way you treat an innocent creature is a measure of your character.” She shook her finger at Geordie. “I’m still not happy that we have a puppy now, but the fact that you took it in tells me a lot about you.”
“Good things, I hope.”
“Of course! You have a compassionate soul, Geordie—a true soul, even though you like to hide behind your bravado.”
“If you’d seen the look the puppy gave me, you would have done the same thing.”
“Oh, I’m sure I would have too. Who could send a puppy to its death?”
Kitty gave her brother another smile, then began preparing lunch. She unpacked the jam from the basket Justin had given her and was happy to see the variety—she and her mother hadn’t made any recently, and they were down to just strawberry. She loved strawberry, but the other flavors made for a nice change. Geordie went about setting the table and slicing the bread, doing a nice job of it, she had to admit.
Justin had mentioned something about soft food in passing, so she pulled out the ingredients for a custard. She’d top it with a dollop of jam—that would make it extra nice. He’d need something besides just a custard, though, and she found some beef broth she could serve him. It was far from the most exciting meal, but it should be soothing to his throat.
The whole time they were eating, Kitty found herself conscious of everything—her breathing, which sounded too loud; Justin’s nearness, which was both comforting and nerve-racking, and her mother’s deep sigh as she faced a plate of meat and spinach.
“This just seems so heavy,” she said. “This much meat . . . it’s a man’s meal.”
“Dr. Wayment wrote everything down for me, Mother,” Kitty told her. “That’s exactly how much he wants you to have. Just do the best you can, and if you can’t eat it all now, you can have some now and some later. The important thing is to get you well.”
Evangeline nodded, picked up her fork, and began to eat, all the while looking like she was undergoing some sort of punishment. For someone who didn’t eat a lot of meat, being asked to consume large quantities would be rather difficult, and Kitty felt sorry for her mother. She felt even sorrier, though, at the idea of her mother not recovering, so she would do whatever she could to help.
With the girls down for their naps and the lunch dishes cleared away, Kitty led Justin outside and to the backyard, where a wooden bench would give them a nice view of the surrounding orchards. “How are you feeling?” she asked as they took their seats.
“I’m fine,” he whispered. “Thank you for lunch.”
“I’m sorry it was so boring. When your throat’s better, I’ll have to make you something a little more impressive. I’m not the best cook in the world, but Mother’s been showing me some things, and it’s been quite a while since I’ve poisoned anyone.”
“That’s good to know.” Justin reached over and took her hand. His touch was tentative at first, but then he gave her fingers a little squeeze, and tingles raced up her arm. She knew he was waiting for her to reply to what he’d said earlier in the buggy—how he wanted to be the one to take care of her.
“Justin,” she said after a long moment had passed, “I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said. And about what I said—about me being flawed. And then I started to wonder why I was thinking so much. I’m an impetuous person, you see, and I’ve never spent a lot of time reasoning things through, but in this case, I suppose I thought I had to. I’ve been told over and over again that I’m careless and I need to be more thoughtful with my decisions, and this is one decision I definitely want to get right.”
He nodded. “I understand.”
She continued as though he hadn’t spoken, knowing that she’d lose her courage if she didn’t get it all out now. “The thing is . . . I didn’t need to think about the answer because I’ve known it all along. You and I—we’re meant to be together. There’s no doubt in my mind about it—I only doubted my instincts because my instincts are so illogical at times. Miriam and Trudy are the careful, thoughtful ones—I’m the funny friend who keeps them from being overly serious while not being serious enough myself. What I’m saying is . . . Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He opened his mouth to reply, but she held up a hand. “I’ll marry you, but not right away. There are some things in my family that need to be resolved first, like my mother’s health, whatever’s going on with my father, getting the twins through this very energetic stage. Once I feel that those things are under control and don’t need my constant supervision, I will gladly marry you.”
He nodded again, then grinned. “Just knowing it’s a yes makes it easier to wait.”
“You may have to wait to marry me, but you don’t have to wait to kiss me—unless it would strain your vocal cords,” she said. “I wouldn’t want the wrath of Mrs. Perry descending upon me.”
“No, it’s not pleasant.” He traced her jawline with the tip of his finger, causing another trail of tingles to zip through her. “No one forbade me to kiss you, so I have to assume it’s all right.”
“As long as you don’t sing while you do it?”
“That’s my guess.” He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her a little closer, then cupped her cheek with his other hand. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, studying her eyes.
“I was going to reply, ‘So are you,’ but that would have sounded odd, even though it’s true.” His touch, his nearness—her heart was pounding so wildly, she almost thought it would leap out of her chest and go bounding across the grass like the puppy they’d put in the shed before lunch.
He stroked her lips with his thumb, and then he lowered his mouth to hers. Their heights were so complementary that her head nestled right into the hollow of his shoulder, and she could have stayed that way forever. All too soon, though, he broke the kiss and looked into her eyes again.
“I’ll wait as long as you need me to,” he whispered. “You’re worth whatever it takes.”
“I’m very glad to hear that,” she replied. “Now, kiss me again—I was rather enjoying it.”
Mrs. Perry eyed Justin carefully when he arrived at her house Wednesday morning. “You’ve done absolutely everything Dr. Wayment told you to do?”
“Yes,” Justin said softly, “and he examined me this morning and said I was ready to resume training.”
She clasped her hands in front of her. “I won’t waste time lecturing you again—I know you’ve learned your lesson, and you won’t make the same mistake. I’ll just remind you that we’re going to start off slowly like we did before, increasing a bit each day.”
He nodded. “Thank you.”
They walked over to the piano, and she played some simple scales. As he warmed up, Justin was overcome with emotion at hearing his voice yet again. He’d come so close to losing it twice now—what would his life be like without music? He couldn’t face the possibility, and he vowed yet again to take better care of himself and to realize that his actions had very real consequences.
Mrs. Perry stopped playing and looked at him thoughtfully. “Are you all right?”
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