by Lori Wick
"Then why did you stay away five years?" 'It's finally on the table,' Jeff thought. 'The question I've been wanting to ask for years.'
"You may not agree with me, Jeff, but I honestly believe I was in Jenner all those years because that was exactly where God wanted me.'" Jeff looked uncertain but kept silent.
"You can't believe how many times I planned to come home, but something always detained me. When I first arrived in Jenner I dreaded having to come back and face all the kids at school. My aunt was really sensitive to that
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and wrote, without my knowing, to ask if I could stay until Christmas. My folks said yes. Well, the studies were very different from what I'd been taught, and everyone felt it was best that I finish the year.
"By the following summer I'd made some wonderful friends and again my departure was put off. Then it was time for school to start and I was so torn I was miserable. You see, I still hadn't changed at all physically and I so wanted to come back-"
Bobbie stopped as all the pain she felt that summer crowded in upon her. She remembered the desperate desire to see her folks and the kids at school, but wanting also to mature and return looking like a young woman instead of a little girl.
Jeff was careful to keep his emotions off hi face, but the look in Bobbie's eyes was almost more than he could handle. His hand clenched where it lay on his knee beneath the table, in an effort to keep from reaching for her.
'nyway," Bobbie went on softly, "I told myself, one more year. But by the end of the next school year I'd begun work at the shipping office and my presence became necessary. The passage of time ceased to exist. I was needed and leaving was nearly out of the question.
"There was one time when I was ready to go. My bags were packed and I was going to catch the morning stage, but my Uncle Jasper got very sick in the night and again---" Bobbie shrugged and Jeff nodded in understanding.
"I did want to tell you, though, how much your note meant to me. When I first left I hoped you were suffering as much as I was, but I soon saw that there was no living with bitterness. It eats at you until there's nothing left of the original person and I knew that would be the worst thing I could do.
"The hardest part about being away was knowing that everyone knew. It was also hard not to hear from anyone. I realize, Jeff, that you weren't the only one involved that day, but I never heard a word from any of the other kids. Pastor and Mrs. Keller wrote, and so did you, but other than my family--"
"Not even Angie?" Jeff remembered how close the two girls were.
"She wrote but she never mentioned the lagoon. I think she felt that was best, but it's like having your mother die and everyone trying to pretend it never happened. I wish Angie hadn't moved up north so I could talk with her about it. I mean, I didn't need her or anyone else to belabor the point, but a word or two of understanding would have been welcome."
"I'm surprised no one else wrote," Jeff replied, "and now that I look back on it, I wish I'd written more than once. I thought about you an awful lot and I wished we'd kept in touch."
"Tell me something, Jeff. What's become of Richard Black? My mother kept me as up-to-date as she could, but she never mentioned Richard."
"His family moved out of the area about a year later. I don't know where they are now."
Bobbie nodded and then took Jeff completely off-guard. "Okay, Jeffrey, row it's your turn. Tell me what happened with that whole outing at the lagoon."
Jeff looked shocked and then decidedly uncomfortable, but Bobbie just sat and watched him. He knew she deserved to know the truth, but he couldn't stand the thought of hurting her. He couldn't see any way out of it, so he looked her in the eye and started in.
"In those days I was seriously infatuated with Sylvia. So was Richard. I wasn't sure where I stood with her, and
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when Pastor Keller came to see me with the idea of the guys asking the girls to the boating, I grabbed at it with purely selfish motives. I planned on asking Sylvia.
Jll six of us guys came here, and it didn't take very long for everyone to see that two of us wanted to take Sylvia. That left an extra girl, and that girl was you." Jeff
stopped because he was feeling a little sick inside. "Go on, Jeff. Remember, I did ask."
He took a deep breath and studied the face across from him. Bobbie became more attractive to him every day. But it wasn't just her looks. There was something won derful and special about her to which Jeff was terribly drawn. Right now he could see she was trying to cover the vulnerability she was feeling inside, and once again he wanted to hold her.
"We hid in the barn to draw straws, which tells you how ashamed we felt, but we were too selfish to let that stop us." There was no reason to go over what happened at the lagoon; they both knew it well, so Jeff skipped ahead to when he dropped off Bobbie.
"I went straight home after I left your house and waited for my folks. They weren't long in coming and they knew everything. The church has matured since then, but unfortunately the gossip was pretty rampant. To say that my folks were upset would be a gross under statement. I've never seen my mother like that, but I had no one to blame but myself.
"I came the next day to see you, but you'd already gone. My dad went the next day to see Richard and Sylvia because I'd told him everything. He was very upset over the way you were treated at the lagoon. He talked with them privately and then left it up to them to tell their parents. I honestly thought they'd written
you." Jeff paused for a moment in thought, remember ing that at least Sylvia said she had sent a letter.
'Anyway, Pastor called all of us together to apologize too. He felt responsible. It just never occurred to him that there would be a problem; they were really trying to give us a special day."
Bobbie and Jeff stared at each other in silence. "I'm sorry, Bobbie," Jeff finally said.
"I'm sorry too, Jeffrey, for the years of hurt and scars. I don't harbor any bitterness in my heart, and I hope no one else does either, but it was time for me to hear the entire story. For that I thank you."
Bobbie slid her hand across the table and Jeff took it. There was nothing romantic about the gesture; it was a friend reaching out to another friend in comfort and caring.
Not long afterward Jeff drove Bobbie home in the wagon. Their conversation moved to Cleve again, and Bobbie said some things that disturbed Jeff tremen dously, but he was in no position to offer advice to anyone on her romantic life. It seemed as though his own was in a constant state of turmoil.
Of course, he wasn't really sure that he would term his relationship with Sylvia romantic, but why it wasn't was a question that plagued Jeff until he fell asleep that night.
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twenty-one
Sylvia was in her best winter dress for her evening out with Jeff. She had worked for hours on her hair after lying down for a full two hours to rest her eyes. Her dress was a deep sapphire that highlighted her eyes to their best. The nap was to ensure that her eyes were clear and not puffy or red.
Jeff was in a suit and Sylvia was very pleased that he had dressed up for her. He was, she admitted, quite the best-looking man she had ever seen. None of the rich men back East could compare with left Taylor's tall, broad-shouldered physique. And if that wasn't enough, he had the most wonderful face. Very masculine, yet boyish when he smiled or laughed. His brown hair was a bit wavy and always shining with health.
Sylvia's head was raised proudly as she slipped her arm into Jeff's for the walk across the crowded dining room. They were given a table for two by a window. It wasn't really private, but the angle at which it was set and a large potted plant made it feel a little more remote. Sylvia had stopped earlier to reserve the table she wanted, and since Jeff was unaware of this, it confused him as to
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why the woman taking their order kept grinning at him as though they harbored a secret.
"So tell me," Sylvia said as soon as t
he woman walked away, "how did your evening go last night?"
"It was fine," Jeff answered easily. "We were able to discuss everything from five years ago, and I'll tell you, Sylvia, we needed that."
"In what way?" Sylvia always felt a little tense when the summer at the lagoon was mentioned, but Jeff's comment intrigued her.
"Well, Bobbie didn't know everything and naturally she wanted to, and I needed to know why she stayed away all those years. There was no anger or bitterness in either of us, but it felt good to get everything out on the table."
"Well, I'm glad to hear that. She and I cleared things
up long ago. I wrote to her when she was in Jenner." "You did? Did you mail the letter?"
"Well, of course I mailed it." Sylvia laughed as though Jeff was trying to be funny. "Bobbie wrote back, too."
Sylvia chatted on but she had lost Jeff. Why in the world was Sylvia lying? He wasn't sure how much of the conversation he had missed when he began listening again.
'nd while we're on the subject of Bobbie, there's something I think you should consider, Jeff." Sylvia's voice had dropped and her face was a picture of compassion. "You know you spend a lot of time with her, and you want to be careful that you don't lead her on in any way. I mean, you wouldn't want to hurt her like you did before and--" Again Sylvia prattled on and Jeff could only stare at her.
"I'm not saying that you can't be friends, but you are very attractive, Jeff, and let's face it, Bobbie isn't used to
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having men pay attention to her. You understand that it's her I'm thinking of."
Their food arrived at that moment and Jeff was spared from making a reply. He found himself praying and asking God to show him what to do. Sylvia was lying through her teeth and Jeff knew that if he called her on it they would have a huge argument right here in the hotel.
Jeff drew a sigh of relief when the topic changed to Sylvia's family. She didn't have a good thing to say about them, and for the first time Jeff wondered how much of what she was sharing was true.
Jeff didn't remember very much about the meal or even what he had eaten, but an hour later they were walking toward Sylvia's buggy. Jeff was fairly quiet until
he saw that Sylvia was not headed toward his house. "I have to work tomorrow, Sylvia."
"You have time for a little drive, Jeff. Sometimes I think you're an old man."
Jeff fell silent under the attack, but began to feel increasingly nervous, when he saw where Sylvia was taking them. They headed to a very quiet area of town that he had never visited at night. It was always talked about when he was a kid because it was said to be the place where teens in town went to be alone.
Sylvia pulled the horse to a stop beneath a huge willow tree. She turned to look at Jeff but he kept his eyes forward. There was a three-quarter moon and Jeff was
well aware of the way it bounced off Sylvia's hair. "Jeff?"
"'What?" Jeff almost snapped at her as he tried to gain control of his emotions.
"Why don't we get out and walk around a bit?"
"Good idea." Jeff jumped at the idea in an attempt to put some space between them. Sylvia had pressed up against him in a way that was most distracting, and he couldn't get out of the buggy fast enough. He didn't help Sylvia step down because he didn't want to get that close, and he could once again feel her eyes on him.
Jeff was just standing and looking off into the darkss
when he again felt Sylvia at his side.
"Look at me, Jeff."
Jeff complied and knew instantly that it was a mistake. Sylvia's eyes were filled with entreaty, and Jeff couldn't look away. When he didn't, she moved her hand to cup the back of his neck. Not until she had brought Jeff's head down and kissed him did he react. He stepped backward so hastily that he almost pulled Sylvia over.
Her voice revealed her hurt when she called his name in the darkness, but if Jeff opened his mouth right now, he knew he would be sick to his stomach. He had thought about kissing Sylvia, after all she was beautiful, but something inside him had frozen when he felt her lips on his own.
"Jeff." Sylvia's voice was no longer hurt. She was angrymfurious, to be exact. She knew very well that Jeff had been waiting years to kiss her, and now she had practically thrown herself at him and instead of the passionate embrace she had imagined, he had stepped away.
"I'm sorry, Sylvia." Jeff's voice was hoarse. "This is moving a little too fast here."
"Is that right?" Sylvia's voice betrayed her anger, and Jeff's own temper came to the fore.
"Yes, it is," Jeff snapped right back at her, the inner turmoil of emotions emerging in one livid burst; he felt like he could drive his fist into the tree behind him.
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Jeff watched as Sylvia stomped her way back to the buggy and then began to follow slowly. But he was about five steps too late. Sylvia slapped the reins and the buggy began to move away.
"Hey!" Jeff shouted. "'Sylvia, get back here!" But the angry blonde kept right on going. Jeff stood for just a moment before he set off for home. He took the shortest route, across open lots and behind buildings, some deserted. It wasn't the safest, but he was wearing his good shoes, and if he went the long way around he knew they would be killing him by the time he walked into his own yard.
That, along with the fact that he found he had a raging headache. The only place he wanted to be right now was in bed, and as quickly as possible.
Troy bent his head and tenderly kissed Carla. His hand came up and touched the softness of her cheek and
he felt as he always did--that leaving her was torture. "I'll come by tomorrow night." "Can you come for supper?"
"I came for supper last night. Your folks are going to get suspicious. They might suspect that I want to marry you."
The words always made Carla smile, and that smile got her kissed again. With reluctance Troy pushed away from the porch and walked into the night.
The wind had picked up some, so Troy took a shortcut home. He was a couple of blocks away from his house, in a quiet area of town, when he heard a scuffle in the dark. The shadows were deceiving but it appeared to be three
on one.
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"Hey!" Troy shouted as he ran without fear toward the fighting men. His presence frightened away the at tackers and Troy knelt carefully beside the man who had been left on the ground.
His face was turned away from the moonlight, but Troy could see that he was well-dressed and that the side of his head was a bloody mess. He had the shock of his life when he rolled him over and found himself looking into Jeff Taylor's face.
It was by sheer determination that Troy lifted the older man. Troy was huskier but Jeff was taller, and not a featherweight by any means.
"Come on, Jeff," Troy panted, "wake up and help me."
"I don't have anything," Jeff mumbled as Troy got him onto his feet. But the next instant he started to collapse, so Troy drove his shoulder into Jeff's middle and hefted him up onto his right shoulder. The dead weight nearly staggered him, but he pressed on. Troy laid Jeff on the Bradford front porch and threw open the door with a shout to his family.
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The next hour at the Bradford house was like a night mare. Troy was sent to tell the Taylors that Jeff was hurt and at their house. Jake went for the doctor.
The men had carried a semiconscious Jeff up to the first bedroom, which happened to be Bobbie's. Bobbie was by nature a pretty cool customer, but the sight of Jeff covered with blood was almost her undoing. The women stripped him down to his pants before the doctor arrived and then had only a few minutes' wait before the Taylor wagon thundered into the yard.
"The doctor is in with him now," Jake told the anxious family. While they waited Troy filled them in on what he had seen. When he was finished speaking Bill Taylor thanked him.
"'We're just so glad you found him, Troy, and can't thank you enough for bringing him home. Nate, go to
the Riggs' and let them know what happened."
"I'll go," Troy offered. "You need to be here, Nate." The family thanked him again and then Bill went up the stairs to check on his son. Troy was back with Rigg just minutes before the doctor came down.
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"He's got a hard head, May," Dr. Grade said from the stairway, "but someone tried to put a dent in it tonight. I stitched him up. His ribs are pretty bruised too, so I've got him wrapped. He was awake long enough to tell me that his attackers wanted money. He tried to tell them he had almost nothing on him and that's when they got
rough. You can all go up but just stay a few minutes." "Can we take him home?"
"No, don't move him. I'll come by tomorrow and check him again. He's got a concussion, so someone needs to sit with him through the night."
He gave a few more instructions and then Jeff's family mounted the stairs. He awoke when his mother took his hand. May couldn't keep the tears from her eyes when
he tried to smile.
"Hi, Morn."
"Hi, honey." May's voice broke and Bill put his arm around her.
"My head hurts."
"I'm sure it does." Bill spoke quietly and just barely held his own tears. There were a million questions run ning through his mind, but he knew they were going to have to wait.
May was staying the night, so the men in the room told Jeff they would see him later. He was asleep by the time the door closed and wasn't even aware of the way his mother pulled the chair close and sat without taking her eyes from him, thanking God that he was still alive.
May sat almost without moving for nearly an hour before the door opened. It was Bobbie, and she whis pered her apology.
"I'll just be a minute, Mrs. Taylor. I need my night gown and robe."
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"Oh, this is your room," May replied, startled. Now that she took a moment to look around she saw that
everything was decidedly feminine.
"Bobbie, where will you sleep?"
"Troy has two beds in his room. We were caught off-guard or we'd have put Jeff in there." Bobble stopped and looked at the man lying in her bed.
