As Time Goes By (The Californians 2) (16 page)

"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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twenty-two

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.

He looked strangely out of place under the white lacy coverlet, but Bobbie didn't feel like laughing. Her eyes flooded with tears as she looked at his bandaged head and wished she could stay and hold his hand for awhile. But his mother was here and that was best. She knew if it that had been her son in that bed, nothing could take her away.

The night was a long one for May. Jeff rested comfortably but May only dozed in the chair. Maryanne checked on her twice and even made coffee about 3:00 A.M.

Bill was at the house before 7:00 to check on his wife and son. He insisted that May let Gilbert take her home to sleep.

"But I want to be here when Dr. Grade comes." "I'll stay. You're about to collapse."

Rigg knocked on the door just then and Bill was relieved. Rigg would be able to get May home better than Gilbert. But it was not to be. May was adamant and Bill knew he was going to have to see to the job himself. After a long discussion, it was decided that Gil would open the shipping office. Rigg needed to get to the mercantile and Bill would take his wife home.

Bobbie was very compassionate with Mrs. Taylor's plight but she did look utterly drained. Offering to stay with Jeff until someone came to relieve her, Bobbie found herself at Jeff's bedside a few minutes later. She carefully opened the curtains over the two windows in

her room, since it was a cloudy day, and sat in the chair with her Bible.

Certain that someone was beating him in the head with a sledgehammer, Jeff's hand came up to push the pain away, but all he encountered was a cloth of some sort and more pain.

A small, warm hand grasped the hand he had put on his head and held it on the edge of the mattress. Jeff told himself to look at the owner of the hand, but his body

wouldn't obey.

"Morn?"

"No, it's me, Bobbie."

Jeff didn't speak again but maneuvered his hand until his fingers were linked with those of Bobbie's. The act brought fresh tears to Bobbie's eyes and a prayer to her heart.

'This is my friend, Lord, and he's hurt. It's been so nice to have Jeff for a friend. Please take away his hurt. Please ease the pain in his head and side. Help him to know that You're right here in the room with him, and to know Your comfort. Help him to remember who did this, Lord, so they can be brought to the law.

'Please comfort his family, especially May. Help her to get some rest today. Thank You for the special family that they are, and thank You too for sending Troy home the short way so he could find Jeff.'

Bobbie felt much better after giving Jeff over to God. She was a doer, and it was hard not to be able to do something for Jeff's pain. And then the Lord reminded her that she
could
do something--in fact she already had done something: She had prayed.

Jeff wanted a drink about 20 minutes later and Bobbie found out what an inexperienced nurse she was. He did

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get some in his mouth but he also got some in his ear and down the side of his neck.

"I'm sorr3 Jeff." Bobbie was not very happy with herself, but Jeff peeked at her from one slitted eye and managed a small smile.

're you trying to drown me?"

"I think so," Bobbie said as she carefully mopped his