Tenderness

by Dorothy Garlock

  “In other words, now you’re willing to take the risk that someday I’ll regret marrying you.”

  “I want you so much I’d cut off my right arm if I thought it would bring you back to me.”

  Tears spilled from Jesse’s eyes and ran down her cheeks. “Oh, Wade—”

  “I want to take you to my home, show it to you, and you can decide if you want to live there with me. I was going to take you there the day you were shot.”

  “I’ve seen your house.”

  “Not all of it. Please—”

  The look of longing in his eyes melted all her resistance.

  “Oh, dog-gone-it!” she exclaimed, trying not to cry. “Get out of here so I can get dressed.”

  The sun was up and shining brightly when the buggy from the livery pulled into the yard behind Wade’s house. He hadn’t touched Jesse since he had helped her into the buggy. Nor had they talked very much.

  “Here we are,” he said, his voice strained with uncertainty. He alighted from the buggy and tied the horse to a ring in a fence post. By the time he came to help Jesse down she was already on the ground. He took her elbow and led her toward the house.

  Wade opened the door and they stepped into the kitchen. The first thing Jesse saw was a huge bouquet of honeysuckle in a pitcher on the table that was covered with a new white oilcloth. The room was clean as a pin from the freshly washed curtains on the windows to the shining lamp chimneys to the stove that appeared to be newly blackened. The fireplace was cleaned, and on the mantle shelf was a small crock filled with wildflowers.

  Jesse turned her shining face to his. “It’s cozy and… beautiful.”

  “I spent the last week cleaning. I had to do something or… go out of my mind,” he admitted sheepishly. He opened a door next to the stove. “This is the pantry. The cellar entrance is outside, but I plan to put a door in here and steps going down so you… so a person could get to the cellar without going outside. We have a tank that catches rainwater to use for washing, but the drinking water is pumped up from the spring.”

  He led her to the parlor. At one end of the room was an upholstered parlor suite. The high-backed couch and chairs were covered with Turkish silk fabric. The set looked so out of place that Jesse wanted to smile. At the other end of the room was a combination bookcase and desk. On the floor was a rust-colored woven carpet in a scroll design.

  “I bought the furniture for Granny while on one of my trips home,” Wade said by way of apology. “I don’t think she liked it much. I don’t like it either.”

  “I’ll admit the room needs lightening up.”

  “I can build another house,” he said quickly.

  “No!” She turned and looked at his worried face. “Your ancestors built this house, lived here, loved here and died here. It’s part of your heritage.”

  “But if you don’t like it—”

  “I like it.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “I’m sure. Don’t worry about your home not being good enough. It’s a wonderful home. It looks as if it grew here with the trees.”

  “I want to show you something.” With his hand in the small of her back he guided her to a door tucked under the stairway. He pushed open the door and stood back for her to enter.

  Jesse’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, Wade—”

  The small room had been converted into a miniature of the surgery at home. It contained a rolltop desk, a tall glass-fronted cabinet for medicine and even a sink with a pump. In the center of the room was a small examination table and on the desk were several medical books.

  “You don’t like it? You’d rather have picked the things out yourself?” Wade’s heart dropped like a stone.

  “No! No! It’s perfect. I just don’t understand how you managed to get all… this.”

  “I wired a friend in Chattanooga. He wired someone in Atlanta and the things came in on the train. I did some humping to get it ready by the time you were to come to the store to vaccinate. It’s what I wanted to show you that day.”

  “I’ve always dreamed of a little surgery of my own where I could help people in need.”

  “I’m going to make a door where that window is so folks can come in from the outside. It would keep them from traipsing through the house.”

  “You’ve thought of everything.”

  “I want to show you the upstairs.” He held out his hand and she put hers into it.

  They stepped up into a center hall. On one side was a large room and on the other two smaller roms. Wade led her into the large room. Jesse paused and gazed with admiration at the furnishings. The head of the bed reached almost to the ceiling. The walnut wood was polished to a high gloss. The matching washstand and dresser were handsomely carved to match the headboard of the bed. A free-standing, beveled glass mirror stood against one wall and a roomy wardrobe against the other. On the washstand were a china pitcher and bowl. Lamps with ornate shades completed the furnishings.

  Wade moved behind Jesse and put his arms around her. When she offered no resistance, he pulled her back against him.

  “This will be our room if you marry me,” he whispered, kissing her ear. “This is where we’ll share our dreams and make our babies.”

  Jesse turned in his arms. “When did you buy all this? It’s new, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it’s new. I… I bought it for us. I wanted to buy a set for Granny, but she didn’t want it.”

  “I bet she loved you a lot.”

  “I think she did.”

  “I love you a lot too,” Jesse whispered, her eyes on his mouth. “Don’t ever, ever leave me again.”

  A groan of relief came bubbling up out of him. “You mean it? You forgive me?”

  “I mean it with all my heart. Even if you had never come back to me, I would still have loved you for as long as I lived. Oh, Wade, I thought I’d the of grief, and I wanted my love for you to die, but it wouldn’t. It was there gnawing a hole in my heart.”

  They clung to each other for a long time before they kissed.

  “Oh, love, I thought I could give you up to save you the humiliation you’ve endured because of me.”

  At that moment Jesse realized what love truly was—a desire to do whatever was necessary to protect the one you cared about. She looked deep into Wade’s eyes and saw aching tenderness there.

  “I was never for an instant humiliated,” she told him. “I was proud to be with you. I want more than anything in the world to be with you for the rest of my life.”

  “I am what I am, love. I can never be anything else. But I’ll love you, cherish you, and protect you with my life,” he vowed, his voice thick and sultry.

  He kissed her then; a hungry kiss, a kiss of explosive passion held back too long. His mouth covered hers; hers bloomed beneath his. He felt surrender in the taste of her warm, sweet mouth, heard it in the low wordless sounds she uttered as she strained against him. His hands moved up her sides to the soft swell of the sides of her breasts. He felt her splayed hands on his back, holding him tightly to her. He lifted his head to look into her glazed eyes and at her swollen lips wet from his kiss.

  Their passion was almost out of control. He couldn’t get enough of her sweetness. Their kisses were deep, yet they both wanted more. His hand moved between them, unbuttoned her shirtwaist and slipped under her chemise to cup a soft bare breast. He could feel her heart knocking against his palm. A little sound came from her throat; a little growl of female pleasure.

  She was so open, so loving, and as innocent as a babe in her wanton movements against him. His extended member was pressed tightly to her soft belly and he felt as if he would explode at any moment. With all the will power he still possessed, he pulled a little away from her and stared down at her wet lips and passion-glazed eyes.

  “Please, Wade—”

  “Please, what?” he asked in a strangled whisper. He felt as if he could hold back no longer. The heat in his loins was becoming unbearable.

  “I want to be
with you… in the bed,” she whispered back, her fingers stroking his cheeks.

  “Oh, love, do you know what you’re saying? I swore I’d never take you out of wedlock.”

  “You want me… like that, don’t you?”

  “I want you so bad it’s killing me, but I can wait until we’re married.”

  “You don’t have to wait. I want you as much as you want me. Make me yours and… let me make you mine.”

  For an answer he caught her close and his mouth sought hers in demanding possession. She moaned against his mouth, trembling with emotion.

  He raised his lips and murmured, “My love, my sweet love. I was afraid I’d driven you away from me forever.”

  He lifted her and carried her to the bed, placed her gently on it, sank down beside her and gathered her in his arms.

  “You don’t have to—”

  “—I want you. Love me, Wade.”

  “I will, sweetheart,” he whispered tenderly in her ear and kissed her so gently that her whole body cried out for him.

  She never knew how it happened, but first her shirtwaist and skirt were off, then her chemise was pulled down exposing her bare breasts. Wade kissed and nuzzled the breast with the deep puckered scar.

  “Does this hurt you?” he whispered.

  “No. I love it. I love you—”

  His hand found the drawstring of her bloomers. His lips moved up to hers and he whispered against them.

  “These will have to come off.”

  Jesse lifted her hips so he could dispose of the barrier. When his fingers found the moistness between her legs, a little whimper of pleasure escaped her lips. He quickly removed his clothing, lay down beside her and pressed her naked body to his.

  It was all so sweet. Wade was considerate and gentle. The stroking of his hands on her flesh sent waves of pure pleasure up and down her spine. Then her loins were cradling him. Her low cries of delight mingled with his as he entered her sweet, hot depths. There was a moment of pain. He groaned when she flinched, and held himself still. When the pain passed, Jesse gave him every inch of herself.

  Nothing mattered except the need for him that blazed crazily in her brain. Her arms clutched him frantically as his mouth moved from hers to her pulsing throat, kissing the soft skin. His breathing came fast and irregularly and his powerful heart thudded against her breast as his movements quickened. He whispered softly, words that were muffled as he kissed her eager lips.

  “Oh, love… Oh, love—How could I have thought I could live without you?”

  The violent force of Jesse’s feelings took her beyond reason, beyond herself. Her fingers curled tightly into his thick dark hair. How wonderful this is! How wonderful he is! Over the singing in her blood she heard sounds of Wade’s smothered groans as if they came from a great distance. Her joy rose to intolerable heights, and then she was conscious of nothing but her own sensations. Feverishly, she clung to Wade as he poured himself into her. When she came slowly back to awareness, she found that his dark, damp head rested on her shoulder.

  After a while his breathing slowed and his heart became quieter. Her fingers combed through his hair. She felt warm and lazy, her arms holding him as they would a tired child. He turned to his side and she snuggled against him, rejoicing in the thought that she would be sleeping in his arms, in this bed, for the rest of her life.

  “Can you stay all day?” Wade’s arms held her tightly to him. “I don’t think I can let you go even for a day, an hour, a minute.”

  “If I stay, will we do again… what we just did?” She laughed when a look of surprise crossed his face before it was transformed by a huge smile.

  “Again and again and… again.”

  “Then I’ll stay.”

  With his face buried in her hair, Wade moved his caressing hands down her back to her buttocks and pressed her tightly to him. How he loved the feel of her against him. He inhaled her womanly fragrance and felt as if his heart would burst with love for her.

  “I wish we could marry today. I don’t want to sleep in this bed ever again without you.”

  “How about Sunday? That’s just three days away.”

  “Three whole days. It will seem like three years. I’ll sleep in Jody’s bed until then.”

  Jesse’s happiness shone in her bright eyes and sweetly curved lips. Wade was her life’s mate. She would spend the rest of her life here… with him. They would live here, have their children here, grow old together here.

  “Wade,” she whispered with her lips against his cheek. “I’m so sleepy, but I’m afraid that when I wake up, I’ll find this was all a dream.”

  “Go to sleep, sweetheart.” Holding her tightly in his arms, he kissed her forehead tenderly. Then he lifted her hand and nipped her thumb with his teeth.

  “Why did you do that?”

  “To prove that this is no dream, sweetheart. This is real!”

  EPILOGUE

  Jesse and Wade, together with Pauline and Ethan, were married on a bright Sunday afternoon. It didn’t matter to them that only a handful of wedding guests came to see them take their vows. All the people besides family who mattered were there: the Efthims, the Marshes, Mrs. Klein, Mary Sue and Jeff, Ike and Dusty. A few townspeople who were not connected with the Harpers also came to the church. The Harpers had held a free picnic that day for all the depositors in their bank. It was amusing to Jesse and Wade that it had cost the Harpers a pretty penny to keep people from attending the wedding.

  Wade’s mare, Christmas, had been brought down and hitched to the new buggy that was decorated with streamers, tin cans and old shoes. The buggy was a two-seater. The back seat, designed to be let down so Jesse could transport ill patients to her father, now held Mr. and Mrs. Ethan Bredlow, who were catching the two-clock train to Chattanooga for a brief honeymoon.

  After seeing their friends off, Wade turned the horse toward the hill road knowing that he would have his love close by his side for the rest of his life. He looked at his beautiful bride and his heart almost burst with happiness.

  They lived a long and happy life together, producing three boys and two girls. Jesse was called the “Angel of the Hills” because of her devotion to the health of the community. Jesse and Wade paid tuition for Julie Merfeld to attend nursing school and she worked for Doctor Forbes until he retired.

  Edsel Harper died a young man. He was too stubborn to ask Doctor Forbes for help and died on the train to Knoxville from an infected insect bite. The Harpers were left without an heir. Eventually their estate went to a distant cousin who was as different from Boyd and Roberta as daylight and dark. After a few years, Jesse and Wade moved some of their money closer to home and deposited it in the Harpersville bank, something they had thought they would never do.

  Ethan and Pauline bought out a small newspaper in Frederick and the couples got together often. It bothered Ethan that Louella Lindstrom and Jack Dinsmore were found innocent of any wrongdoing in the death of President McKinley. He still felt that Jack Dinsmore had brought the killer to Buffalo and that Louella Lindstrom knew something or she would have never left Buffalo and taken such care to cover her tracks.

  Susan married a farmer and horse breeder. They built a race track and worked to make it both a profitable venture and a showplace.

  Todd’s stammering disappeared gradually a few years after Wade and Jesse were wed. He went to medical school, but instead of establishing a practice, he chose to teach and give lectures at various colleges.

  Mary Sue and Jeff Stealy, sixteen and seventeen, married as soon as they were out of school. With the help of their parents, they established the first automobile dealership in the county. Dusty, at age seventy, was their first customer. He bought a Ford that was soon to be called the “Tin Lizzy.”

  Jody graduated from Tuskegee Institute with honors. His love of running was replaced by his love of learning. He was passionately interested in gardening and worked with his people to produce food not only for their families, but also to sell. He vis
ited Wade and Jesse at every opportunity and bounced their children on his knee. Wade wanted his children to be comfortable with people of color and when his son asked him why Jody’s skin was black, he replied:

  “Son, God made all of us, but he thought it would be interesting to make some white, some black, some with slant eyes, some small, some tall. But under our skin we’re all the same. Remember that.”

  And he did. It was a beginning.

  DOROTHY GARLOCK

  A writer whose books have appeared on the USA Today bestseller list as well as the New York Times extended list, DOROTHY GARLOCK is renowned for her unique ability to convey the romance and reality of Frontier America. Here she presents one of her most beloved stories, a tale of a town turned against justice, where one woman must dare to defend her man...

  TENDERNESS

  A woman of quiet strength, Jesse Forbes delivers babies and tends the sick in the rural hills of Harpersville, Tennessee. But soon her gentle courage will be called on to save the life of a strong, stubborn rebel named Wade Simmer. Although the powerful Harper family calls him a troublemaker and people whisper about the hanging of his pa, Jesse knows he is unshakably honest and dangerous only to those who dare take what is his. Now the entire town accuses Wade of a crime of perversion and cruelty, forcing Jesse to prove that her love is stronger than lies...and as lasting as the rugged mountains they both call home.

  “A gifted storyteller.”—Chicago Sun-Jimes