No. She’d made it clear what she wanted.
Ha. You didn’t believe it when she said it, and you don’t believe it now. Maybe so, but there’s no other explanation.
He rolled his neck to release the tension. That didn’t work, and nothing would until he came to grips with what would happen tomorrow.
“Mr. Henderson, where did you say the hand lotion is?” The nasally voice of his new employee, John Monroe, grated on his nerves. The man would never work out. He hadn’t caught on like Heidi had. But then, no one could replace Heidi.
His customers no longer asked about her. After the first few times he growled at them, they kept their questions to themselves, and never spoke of her again.
If only he could so easily erase her from his mind. Everywhere he looked, he saw her. Behind the counter, wrapping a package as she chatted with a young mother. Bent over, alongside the cash register, tongue clamped between her teeth, as she figured the bank deposit. Joking with a blushing young boy as she mixed his soda, or her lush mouth curved in a smile as she held the penny candy jar for a young child, as he selected his treat.
But most of all, he remembered how she felt in his arms as she stared at him with sparkling blue eyes. How her curls always escaped her bun, falling around her neck, bouncing as she flitted from one part of the store to another.
He slammed his hand down, startling the two customers and his employee. “Sorry,” he muttered.
This had to stop. His mental health depended on him accepting Heidi’s decision, and going on with his life, as he’d always planned after Alice’s betrayal. He needed to spend more time with his nephew, Rachel’s son Zander. The poor boy had no father, Billy having died of influenza when his son was but a baby.
His duty rested with his family.
He checked his watch once more. An entire ten minutes had past. “Let’s close for lunch.” Michael strode past John and headed to the door. After locking up, and flipping the sign over, he grabbed his jacket from the hook in the back and headed for the coffee shop.
The noise from the busy café greeted him as he entered the restaurant. Honey waved at him from across the room where she placed dishes, overflowing with the daily special of fish cakes, in front of two men.
Honey had tried unsuccessfully to pull more information out of him about Heidi, but after a few rebuffs, she dropped it much like his customers had.
She headed in his direction, where he sat at the counter. “Special today, Michael?”
He nodded and took a sip from the glass of water she’d placed in front of him. “It smells good, and looks like it’s going fast.”
“Don’t you worry. I always save enough for my favorite customers.” She slipped a pencil into the bun coiled at her nape, and winked before turning to push open the kitchen door. For an instant before the heavy wooden door swung closed, he had a glimpse of a flushed Mrs. Bonner dishing up fish cakes and mashed potatoes, then sliding the plates across the counter for waitresses to pick up.
He checked his watch again. Fifteen minutes since the last time he’d checked. At least he thought so. Several times today he glanced at the timepiece, and never registered what he’d seen. He rubbed his forehead with thumb and index finger. A sense of anxiety, the need to do something about Heidi, washed over him. He pushed the thought away. Despite what his brain nudged him to do, his heart couldn’t survive another hit. Better to finish the day out, and pretend the world wasn’t ending tomorrow.
He ate slowly, reading the newspaper he’d brought with him, proud of the fact he only checked the time twice. The food satisfied his stomach, the flavor as wonderful as ever, but nothing filled the gaping hole in his heart. After taking the last sip of his cooling coffee, he grabbed his check, then attempted to smile at the clerk as he paid his bill.
Michael headed to the store. He loosened the buttons of his jacket, shrugged out of it, then hooked it on his finger to hang over his shoulder. The early spring day had turned warm, with a promise of many more pleasant days to come. Shopkeepers in rolled-up shirtsleeves swept the space in front of their stores, calling a hello to each other.
His long legs ate up the space between the coffee shop and the end of the block. He turned the corner, then hesitated before he hurried toward the store. A woman stood in front of the door, her back to him, tapping her foot. As he got closer, he sensed familiarity. Something about the tilt of her head, as she glanced in both directions, rang a bell.
The small kernel of anxiety he’d experienced in the coffee shop, spread from his stomach upward, until his heart pounded. His brain refused to acknowledge what his eyes saw. Practically at a run, he skidded to a stop, and joined her in front of his store.
“Mrs. Lester, what are you doing here? Is Heidi all right?”
Mrs. Lester smirked. “I’m afraid not, Michael. Heidi is about to commit the worst mistake of her life, and you’re the only one who can save her from this disaster.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Bright silk gowns lay on chairs, the bed, the small desk, and on top of a large portmanteau. Gloria stood in the middle of the disarray, dressed in a petticoat and red corset, her breasts testing the limits of the garment’s top. With jewel-adorned fingers resting on her hips, she took a deep breath, and counted the gowns still not packed.
“We’ll only be in Dallas for two weeks.” Clarence smiled at her from where he lounged in the doorway. His sex grew hard watching her graceful body move as she picked up gown after gown, frowning as she tossed another one into the pile.
“I know, darling, but I want to be sure I have enough gowns so I don’t have to wear anything twice.”
“Goodness. We can’t have that, can we?” He pulled a packet from his pants pocket as he strolled toward her. “A messenger just delivered our train tickets.”
She nodded, distracted, as she continued to survey the room, her eyes narrowed, tapping her fingernail against her full lips.
Clarence walked up behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Don’t bring any of them. I’ll buy you all new gowns.” He nuzzled her neck, his hands sliding up to unfasten the top of the corset.
She moaned−a little too quickly perhaps−and leaned into him, rubbing her bottom across his groin. “All new gowns?”
He tweaked her nipples. “All new. And lots of jewelry, and anything else you want.”
She turned in his arms, sliding her hands up his chest to link her fingers behind his neck. “How we will buy new gowns and jewels with your wife tagging along?”
He moved away, annoyed. “Don’t worry about her. She’s used to being alone. I’ve arranged for her to have her own compartment on the train, doors away from ours, and her hotel room is on the floor above us. I’ll accompany her to a few dinners and the theater. Just enough to alleviate any questions from my clients.” He pulled her to his body. “But I don’t want to talk about Heidi. I have other things in mind.”
Gloria placed her hands on his chest, and held him off. “I do feel a little bit guilty.”
He regarded her with raised eyebrows.
“I mean, this trip is her honeymoon.”
Clarence grasped her hands, and moved them to his shoulders, pulling her close again. “Think of it as payback for what she put me through this past month.”
Gloria shrugged, and smiled, as his lips descended on hers.
****
Michael’s legs had turned to lead. Although Mrs. Lester continued to stare at him, he couldn’t move. He couldn’t believe Heidi’s mother stood in front of him the day before her daughter’s wedding. And speaking of a disaster?
“Michael, can we go inside?”
“Ah, yes. Of course.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, I’m just, ah, surprised to see you.”
He unlocked the door as John approached from the opposite direction. Still troubled by Mrs. Lester’s announcement, he strode to the back of the store, and called over his shoulder, “John mind the store, I’ll be in the back.”
Micha
el held the curtain open for Mrs. Lester to pass. “Would you like some tea?”
She pulled her gloves off, and sat at the small table. “Yes, I would, actually. I came straight from the train station.”
His stomach clenched as he fixed the tea, his mind in a whirl. Mrs. Lester filled the time with inane chatter that bombarded his ears, but never made it to his brain.
She took a sip of the warming liquid, and closed her eyes in pleasure. After carefully setting the cup in its saucer, she folded her hands in her lap, and viewed him with narrowed eyes. “Why did you let Heidi leave Guthrie to marry that man?”
Michael’s eyebrows rose. “I thought Heidi’s marriage to Clarence is what you and Mr. Lester wanted?”
“Mr. Lester and I thought Clarence a decent man. A hard worker, who cared for our daughter, and would be a loving husband. We hoped they would enjoy a good life together, and Clarence would handle all of Harold’s businesses and provide well for Heidi.”
She took another sip of tea, and raised her head, a slight blush tingeing her cheeks. “We made the error of asking him not to, ah, not to…”
Michael nodded for her continue.
She took a deep breath. “We asked him to refrain from−well−bedding her. We were concerned what a pregnancy would do to her health.”
All the air left Michael’s lungs. Not bed her? His beautiful, vibrant, passionate, woman destined for a celibate marriage, on top of everything else wrong with Clarence?
“Whatever possessed you and Mr. Lester to do such a thing to her?”
She fumbled in her string purse for a handkerchief, and dabbed at her eyes. “You must understand. Heidi’s been sickly and frail all her life.” She raised the cup with shaking hands and took another sip. “Before Heidi was born, Mr. Lester and I had another daughter. Penelope.” She leaned back in her chair, and wiped her eyes again. “Also not a healthy girl.”
Michael covered her hand with his. “Go on.”
“She contracted a cold, and her weak lungs couldn’t fight it. She died within two days.” She regarded him. “Only two years old.”
After taking a deep breath, she continued. “When we had Heidi, and our baby had the same lung weakness, Harold and I panicked. Four years had passed after Penelope died before Heidi arrived. We assumed we would not be blessed with a large family, so we kept Heidi away from other children. In some ways, I guess you could say the poor girl became a prisoner in her own home.” She twisted the handkerchief in her hands. “We felt bearing a child would take her from us, because she wouldn’t survive it.” She glanced at him sideways. “A selfish plan, I know.”
“I can understand your fear.” Michael shook his head. “I can’t imagine burying a child. And then having another child with the same problem.”
“Thank you. You can’t imagine the guilt I’ve gone through over what we did to her.” She raised tear filled eyes to him. “And then she met you, and you found a way to help her. A way our doctor had never mentioned−or probably even knew about.” She fumbled with the cameo pin at her throat. “I wonder if she’ll ever forgive me.”
Mrs. Lester’s breath hitched as she attempted to pull herself together.
An interesting story, and a way for him to further understand their motivation. But she still hadn’t mentioned the purpose of her visit, and what sort of disaster Heidi headed to.
Once she seemed calmer, Michael squeezed her hand. “Why are you here?”
“Oh my goodness.” She jerked her head up, and opened her string purse. “Here I am so busy explaining things to you, I almost forgot the most important thing.”
Michael smiled. He’d learned to deal with Mrs. Lester’s distractions during the short time she worked for him. He would ask her something, and she would digress in a totally different direction, until breathless, she would finally answer. A charming woman, he enjoyed her company, grew to respect her, and admired how fiercely she loved her family.
A small pile grew on the table as she pulled things from her purse. “Ah, here it is!” She held up a folded piece of paper, and shook it open. “Just look at this.”
Michael took the paper from her hand and began to read. His eyes moved back and forth, his outrage growing. Still not sure what the missive meant, and why Mrs. Lester possessed it to begin with, he took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. “What does this all mean?”
Mrs. Lester leaned forward, and tapped her finger on the table. “Clarence Manfred wrote that, and showed it to Heidi. He told her if she didn’t return to Oklahoma City and marry him, he would send that,” she nodded at the sheet, “to the two biggest newspapers in Oklahoma.”
He frowned. “But who would believe this?”
“Do you remember Gloria?” She sat back and huffed.
“You mean the woman with whom we had dinner?”
“The very same.”
He nodded, more baffled than ever.
Mrs. Lester spoke through gritted teeth. “Gloria is Clarence’s mistress.”
Michael dragged his hand down his face. “All right. I’m so confused right now, I can’t think clearly. Can you start from the beginning?”
“First of all, did you know about the Senator’s background?”
“Yeah, we all know. Uncle Jesse never made a secret of his beginnings. In fact, we were always very proud of what he’d accomplished.”
“Gloria worked in a brothel,” she wrinkled her nose, “at the same time your uncle’s mother, um, resided there. Gloria’s the one who told Clarence about the Senator’s background.” She hopped up and paced. “After showing Heidi this,” she waved in the direction of the paper sitting on the table, “he told my daughter his mistress would speak with one of their reporters, naming dates and everything.”
Michael slumped in his char. “That bastard.” He looked up quickly. “Sorry.”
Mrs. Lester waved him off. “Tomorrow morning at eleven o’clock, my precious daughter will marry that…monster.” She sat once again. “Do you know he told her he intends to keep Gloria as his mistress after they’re married?” Her lips formed a tight line. “He also told Heidi even though he expected her to marry him, he didn’t even like her!”
Despite the anger boiling his blood, Michael smiled at the red-faced outrage on the woman’s face. “How did you discover all this?”
Mrs. Lester took another sip of tea that had to be cold by now. “I knew from the start something wasn’t right. I know my daughter, and I know how she feels about you.”
Michael’s head snapped up at her words, and his heart jumped. Did she mean what he hoped she did? Could he truly have Heidi in his arms once more? Forever?
“She loves you Michael. And am I wrong in assuming you love her as well?” Her voice softened.
He shook his head. “No, you’re not wrong. In fact, I had intended to speak with your husband, then propose to Heidi the morning she told me she was leaving for Oklahoma City.”
All the memories and pain rushed back. Heidi insisting she would marry Clarence. His gut tightened as anger shot through him.
She reached across the table, and covered his hand. “Heidi is a mess. And a miserable bride. She’s not aware I hear her crying into her pillow every night. I’ve asked her over and over what is wrong, but she refused to tell me. And she’s lost weight she couldn’t afford to lose.”
“I know how she looks.” At Mrs. Lester’s raised eyebrows, he continued. “Ellie caught me yesterday morning, and badgered me after her visit to your home.” He chuckled. “My bratty sister told me the only one who looked worse than me was Heidi.”
“I had hoped Heidi would confide in Ellie. But when your sister announced she meant to return home that same night, and Heidi still looked so sad, I knew nothing had changed.”
“Obviously somehow you uncovered this information. How did you manage that? Did Heidi finally tell you?”
“Yes. But only after I found this paper in one of her drawers.” She raised her chin. “Yes, I snooped. I grew tired of watc
hing my daughter in pain.”
Michael stood and ran his fingers through his hair. “Why didn’t she come to me with it, when Clarence first threatened her?”
“Heidi didn’t want to destroy your uncle, and his family.”
His eyes widened. “What?”
“She believed if this information got out to the newspapers, the Senator’s reputation would be ruined, his career over, and you and the rest of the family would grow to hate her.”
“I don’t believe it. Foolish girl.” Despite everything, he almost laughed. Heidi trying to protect him, and his family. He thought back to his first encounter with her. How she gripped the ‘Help Wanted’ sign in her hands.
His nervous little Heidi had grown into a woman who not only learned to take care of herself, but was willing to sacrifice the rest of her life for him. If he wasn’t so angry with her, he’d almost understand her rationale.
Mrs. Lester brought him out of his musing. “All right, now you know. What do you plan to do?”
Excitement shot through him. Heidi loved him, and he could claim her for his own after all. The dreams he’d beat to death in the past month resurrected themselves. A plan. He needed a plan. “Right now I’m leaving John in charge of the store−God help me−and I’m going to Uncle Jesse’s house.”
“Michael, she gets married tomorrow.” Mrs. Lester chewed on her lip.
“Don’t worry, once I talk to my family, I’ll be on the next train to Oklahoma City. What time did you say the wedding was?”
She gathered her things, and stuffed them into her purse. “Eleven o’clock at the First Methodist Church on Rockwell.”
He reached out and covered her hand. “I’ll need that piece of paper. And don’t worry, I’ll be there in plenty of time. Nothing will stop me.”
“I’m so glad. My heart broke every time I looked at Heidi, seeing her so miserable. Should I tell her tonight she can forget about the wedding tomorrow?”
A Prescription For Love: An Oklahoma Lovers book Page 22
