by Lori Wick
Jessie, completely unaware of Patience’s thoughts, helped her with her order, loaded her basket, and sent her on her way. Not until she was done did she begin to wonder what had happened to Seth. He had been gone a long time, and she was ready to check on Hannah.
186She had decided to give him a few more minutes when he came down. Clancy was leading the way, and of course she entered the room talking.
“When do I get my new school dress?”
“How is Hannah?” Jessie asked, ignoring the question.
“She’s sleeping,” the little girl replied.
Jessie looked to Seth, who nodded.
“How was she doing?”
“She was still pretty warm but wanting to talk. Did you want to head back up?”
“I think I will. I’ll come back in a bit so you can have dinner.” “It smelled good,” Seth told her.
“Chicken and dumplings.”
Seth’s eyes went to Jessie’s, but she would not look at him. On his part, Seth could not look away. Was there a slight softening in his wife? Was she a little less formal and strained with him? In light of her questions from the night before, this made no sense, but he was seeing something different
“Chicken and dumplings?” Clancy could not help but hear. “The wet ones?”
“You will try them,” Jessie said in a voice that meant business, but Clancy’s face told them she was not thrilled.
Jessie went on her way, Clancy at her heels, talking all the while about dumplings and school dresses. Seth had to laugh. If that little girl had anything to do with it, she would find a way to get out of eating those dumplings. Seth knew one thing, however: Clancy was strong, but Jessie was stronger. It would be interesting to see how the meal ended.
187
BRI STOOD AT THEedge of the livery and watched her husband work. He hadn’t seen her yet, and since a livery could be very unsafe for a woman in a long skirt, she kept her distance until he noticed.
When he did, it was worth it. Rylan Jaryik froze at the unexpected sight of his wife and stared. Moving deliberately, he set his tools down and wiped his hands. Not willing to rush, the big man walked slowly to the other end of the livery, his eyes on her all the while. Bri was blushing by the time he stopped in front of her, causing him to smile.
“Well, now,” he said softly. “This is a nice surprise.”
“Heather said she needed to get out of the house and came to watch Danny.”
“I’ll have to thank her.”
Bri smiled up at him, looking as pleased as she felt. Rylan bent to kiss her, careful not to touch her with anything but his lips.
“What are you up to?” Rylan asked, having already read the situation.
“Well, since I suddenly have a bit of time, I thought I might walk down to Willow Street and see if I know anyone.”
“No,” Rylan said without hesitation and with no heat.
“Just for a few minutes,” Bri tried again.
188Rylan shook his head in denial and also chagrin. Willow Street was the area where Token Creek’s most disreputable citizens lived. When she first moved to Token Creek, Bri had not been able to find an apartment and lived on Willow Street. It was not without some serious mishaps, but it had led to three different women turning their lives over to Jesus Christ, all of whom left lifestyles of prostitution. Two of them had left town to start over or return to family. The other was working for the foundry office, met with Bri each week, and never missed a Sunday morning with the church family.
“I haven’t been down there for months,” Bri tried this time. “And you’re working.”
“Why don’t we go this evening when I’m done,” Rylan said, not able to flat-out deny her.
“Heather won’t be with Danny then.”
“We’ll take Danny up to Jeanette’s. You know one of them will be free to look after him, and even if they’re all busy, Becky will want him.”
Bri smiled in pleasure, and Rylan leaned to kiss her again.
“What am I going to do with you?” he said, remembering well her desire to help others while taking little thought to her own needs and safety.
“I don’t know.” Bri gave her standard answer, her tone always saying something else.
They kissed goodbye, and Rylan stepped outside long enough to watch her walk on her way. Her condition was beginning to be obvious, but other than her waist expanding, she looked very much like she had the day he’d first seen her. Rylan smiled with the memory.
ezvlozrs,
Heather had not forgotten her conversation with Nate, but when he arrived at the shop within an hour of its opening on Wednesday, she was surprised. She was also pleased. She had thought about him a good deal the last few days and realized how kind he had been on Sunday.
189”Good morning,” Jeanette greeted the town’s sheriff, noticing a shirt in his hands.
“Good morning, ladies. Can one of you look at this shirt and tell me if it can be fixed?”
“Certainly,” Jeanette said, working not to hand it directly to Heather. That woman had stayed at the sewing machine but turned to see Nate. She was not looking strained, but she didn’t seem to be full of words either.
Nate waited only for Jeanette to take the shirt before he turned to address Heather.
“How are you today?”
“I’m doing well. How are you?”
“I’m fine. I can tell that August is over. It feels like fall out there this morning.”
“I wore a sweater,” Heather said in agreement.
“This one?” Nate asked, pointing to the one on the back of her chair.
“Oh, yes. I forgot I hung it there.”
“Did you make it?”
Heather nodded and smiled. “A neighbor taught me how to knit when I was still in my teens.”
Nate could not imagine making something like that with his own hands, so for a moment he ran out of words.
“I think I can fix this, Nate,” Jeanette spoke up. “Are you in a hurry?”
“No. I can’t even remember when I did that, but it’s not a very old shirt, and I thought it might be worth fixing.”
Jeanette had handed it to Heather, who inspected the tear.
“The fabric is like new,” Heather agreed. “I think if we take the pocket off and then fix the hole, we can shift the pocket and hide just about all the seams underneath.”
Nate had taken that opportunity to move a little closer. Heather looked up and smiled at him.
“I would appreciate it,” he said quietly, looking back at Heather and wondering how anyone could be so sweet.
190”We’ll let you know as soon as it’s done.”
“Thank you. Heather,” Nate made himself add, “if I came by after supper on Friday night, would you have time to go on a walk with me?”
“I would have time, yes,” Heather said.
“Is six-thirty too early?”
“No.”
“I’ll see you then.”
Heather nodded, and Nate bid the ladies goodbye. The shop was quiet on his exit. Heather didn’t say anything. She sat and stared at the wall in front of the sewing machine, and Jeanette stared at her.
“Are you all right?” Jeanette asked after a long silence.
“I think so.”
“Are you a little afraid?”
“A little. A man’s never asked me on a walk.”
“Never, Heather?”
Heather shook her head no.
“You’ve never been out alone with a man?” Jeanette had to ask it another way.
“Never,” Heather said simply. “I told you, Jeanette. I’m not the type of woman that men fall for.”
“Until now.”
Heather laughed at her tone and the way Jeanette’s eyebrows rose so high. She went back to sewing with her mind only half on the job.
As the week moved on and Seth went through the daily routine, he found a letter from his brother in the mail. He had kept the last letter he received in this merca
ntile a secret from his wife. He did not plan to make that mistake again. He slipped it into his pocket. Over supper that evening or in plain view in the living room, he would bring it out and read it. He was still working on the post when Rylan walked in.
“Hello, stranger,” the bigger man greeted.
191”Hello, yourself. It’s good to see you.”
“I was hoping you’d feel that way,” Rylan said.
Seth laughed before asking why.
“It’s occurred to me that with you living at my house, we had plenty of time to talk. I think we need to keep meeting together.”
Seth felt relief flood through him. He had so many questions, and much as he enjoyed being with Jessie and the girls, he missed Rylan’s calm presence each evening. It had never once occurred to him to ask Rylan if they could meet together.
With all these thoughts running through his mind, Seth simply said, “I would like that”
“Should we try to pick a time or just take each week as it comes?” Rylan asked.
“I think I’d prefer a set time.”
“I can manage Monday nights or just about any morning.”
Seth had to think about this. He would not have considered a morning meeting had Rylan not mentioned it. They bandied about the time and day, and before Rylan left, the two men had a plan.
When the store was busy, Seth and Jessie were rarely in the same place at the same time, but this Thursday things were a bit quiet. Jessie said she was behind on her orders and spent most of her time at the table in the storeroom poring over catalogs. Seth was not very busy out front, which led him to the storeroom off and on all day. It was for this reason that he knew the exact moment something was wrong. He heard a gasp and then a shuffle and went toward the table.
“Jessie?” Seth said, finding her kneeling on the worktable.
“I think there was a mouse,” she whispered, her eyes on the spot.
“Where?” Seth asked, having been through this many years before. His remarkably independent, confident wife was afraid of mice.
“Right there by the rice sacks.”
Seth went that way and began to dislodge things. Not only did he
192not find a mouse, he found no signs of one. He knew it was still too warm for them to be indoors but didn’t mention that. He moved and checked everything in the area, Jessie watching him all the while.
“Nothing, Jess,” Seth said, going back to her. In the past he might have teased her a little, but not today.
“You’re sure?”
“I checked,” he stated calmly, his eyes watching her.
It took Jessie a moment to become convinced, and when she looked away from the spot, she found Seth’s eyes on hers. It took some seconds to read his look, and then Jessie remembered with him. He used to sit on this table, effectively dropping the difference in their heights, and hold her in his arms and kiss her. It was in the early days, before fights and before Hannah, and the memory was sweet.
Seth made himself look away from Jessie, but much to his chagrin he spotted a box of women’s undergarments. His mind didn’t need much prompting. His gaze swung back to his wife.
“Do you still wear camisoles?” he asked quietly.
“Yes,” Jessie whispered.
“With ribbons?”
Jessie could only nod, and Seth’s eyes closed. He took a moment to compose himself and then spoke without looking at her.
“Are you all right about mice now?”
“Yes,” Jessie said, even going so far as to get off the table and sit down again, watching her husband all the while. This was the reason she knew he did little more than nod before taking himself back out front to the store.
“What’s that?” Clancy asked that evening when she found Seth in the living room with the letter. Hannah had been invited to Deena Rothman’s house, and she was still not home.
“This is a letter from my brother.”
“You have a brother?”
193”Yes. His name is Eliot. He lives in Texas.”
Jessie, who had just claimed one of the living room chairs, was all ears, but Seth didn’t look at her.
“What does he say?”
“Shall I read it to you?” Seth offered.
Clancy nodded and Seth began.
Dear Seth,
I thought of you today and knew it was time to write. I think of you most days, but as you know, I rarely put ink to paper. Nate and I were tlking today, and he was trying to figure out how God could be forever. Do you remember our discussions about that when we were still in Hollywood? I remember how amazed you were. Your mind couldn’t take it in. Nate was the same way today, and for the first time I felt the same thing. It was special. I’m glad it hadn’t happened now. Knowing what I know about the cross and forgiveness makes it even more amazing.
How are you doing? Have you seen your wife and daughters? Cassy and I would like to meet them.
Eliot knows about Clancy?” Jessie cut in softly.
“I wrote to him after I arrived.”
“Before or after we talked?”
“Before.”
“When you didn’t even know if you could stay?”
“Yes. I told him I would write even if I was coming right back on the train.”
“Who is Nate?” Clancy asked.
“My brother’s son. He would be your cousin.”
194Clancy looked at her mother, who nodded, her face inscrutable. The little girl looked back to her father, and Seth had to force his eyes away from Jessie.
“Did you want to hear the rest of the letter?”
“Urn hm,” Clancy said, coming close to look with him as he continued in the same paragraph.
Eliot prays too?” Clancy asked the moment Seth put the letter down.
“Yes, he does.”
These words were no more out of Seth’s mouth when they all heard the banging.
“Clancy, please run down and let Hannah in,” Jessie said, and then added, “and don’t forget to lock the door.”
As soon as Clancy exited the apartment, Seth addressed his wife. “What are we going to do with the fact that I pray and you don’t?” “Do you think it matters all that much?” Jessie asked, not seeing a
problem.
195”Our believing completely different things is going to eventually be an issue. Maybe not for a long time, but eventually.”
“I guess we’ll handle it when it happens,” Jessie said, her mind still on the letter itself. She knew why Seth read it in the living room. He wasn’t trying to hide things, and she found that she appreciated his efforts.
“You’re different,” Jessie said, even as she heard the girls on the stairs.
“Good different or bad different?”
“Good.”
Seth heard the girls as well and had to work not to be frustrated. This was the very thing he wanted to talk to her about, but in a moment they would not be alone. There was nothing slow about Jessie, but Seth wondered about her blindness on some issues. She could see that he had changed but not that their different beliefs were an issue to be addressed now and not later.
“Hey, you,” Jessie was saying to Hannah, who came in with a hug for both her parents.
In the next ten minutes, they heard all about her time at the Rahman home. Clancy pouted from time to time until Seth noticed and told her to be done with that. The younger girl responded fairly well, and as before, Jessie did not seem to mind.
“I think it’s late enough that you two should wash up for bed,” their mother told them.
This was met with loud protests that Seth didn’t remember hearing before. He wasn’t going to put up with it.
“Girls,” he said quietly. He hadn’t been sharp or loud, but they both stopped and looked at him. “I want you to obey your mother without arguing.”
The faces they made were almost as bad, but they went off without a word. Seth got ready for battle with Jessie, and he was even willing to start. The girls had left the bedroom door
open, so he kept his voice low.
“Why do you allow me to do that? Why are you not getting angry at me for stepping in?”
196”I’ve been thinking about that, and I think it’s because of Rylan and Bri.”
“In what way?”
“Rylan always steps in with Danny, and that little boy is the most obedient toddler I’ve ever known.”
Seth was so surprised by this that for a few moments he couldn’t say a word. Was she saying that she wanted him to help? Was she saying she saw value in a father being involved?
“What happened to us, Jessie?” Seth had to ask, his heart aching. “Why did we go from loving each other to fighting all the time?” “I don’t know. You made me so angry”
“What did I do?”
“You wanted to change everything.”
“Would that have been so bad?” Seth asked.
“Not from here-not from this side of things-but at the time I couldn’t cope with it.”
Seth nodded, and for a few moments silence fell between them.
“Are you coming to kiss us?” Hannah called from the bedroom.
Both Seth and Jessie laughed a little but did as they’d done for the past few nights and went to the bedroom to kiss their daughters. It was never a drawn-out affair. Both girls were usually tired, and tonight it was just as fast.
When Jessie shut the door on the girls, Seth stayed on his feet with a question.
“Do you need me to go for a walk tonight?”
“No, but I don’t feel very talkative.”
Seth nodded and sat as far down the sofa as he could, reaching for the newspaper. He had just started on an article when Jessie spoke.
“Were there many women?”
Seth looked her square in the eye and said, “Yes.”
“Right away?” Jessie whispered.
“No, not for a long time.”
“But then a lot?”
197”One other is too many, Jessie, but I did get involved with other women over the years.”
“But not the woman you took?”
“I’m thankful to say she wouldn’t let me touch her.”
“And then you went to jail,” Jessie checked.
