Just Above a Whisper (35 page)

“Would you like a piece of cake? It’s chocolate.”

“Just one?” he asked in a way that so reminded her of Conner that Reese had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

“I’ll bring it to you,” Reese offered, her way of telling Dalton he could go to the dining room and eat. He took the hint but was calling for her before she could even get a knife out. Reese went to the door.

“I’d like to ask you a huge favor,” Dalton began. “Would you sit down?”

Reese wanted to decline but instead took a seat by the wall.

“Here.” Dalton stood and pulled out the chair across from him. “Sit here, Reese.”

In silence, Reese did as she was told, slightly overwhelmed by how relaxed and friendly he was.

“Douglas Muldoon and I go way back. He’s the one who wrote about your situation.”

Dalton could have gone on, but the look on Reese’s face stopped him.

“Reese?” he said with slight impatience. “Doesn’t anyone tell you anything?”

Thinking he was upset with her, Reese only shrugged.

“Honestly, Conner,” he went on, cutting meat into smaller pieces and talking to the men who were not there. “Troy, what were you thinking? And Dooner!”

Reese only watched him, trying to take in his eccentric behavior as well as this new but significant bit of information.

“Anyway,” he continued, getting back to business, “I would like to have the Muldoon family come for dinner on Sunday, but that means more work for you tomorrow. I want you to join us as well, but will you have enough time and energy to take care of it?”

“Certainly,” Reese replied, giving her standard reply, her mind on other things.

“Are you sure? Is there someone who could help you?”

“It’ll be fine.” She forced her mind back to the moment. “What would you like to have?”

“Anything. They have how many children, five?”

“Yes, but one is still a baby.”

“All right. Well, actually, I’d best check with them before I ask you to do all that work. I’ll do that before I stop by the bank.”

Reese nodded, thinking she might have met someone with her energy level. She thought he was finished with her then and began to rise, but he kept on talking between bites.

“I’ve just realized that you might not be able to buy meat on such short notice. Does someone in Tucker Mills have something readily available?”

“Yes. I was thinking beef or pork, and both can be purchased right now,” Reese was pleased to say, but her mind was more on the stop she needed to make as soon as she was done for the day.

Dalton finished his meal without Reese even noticing and sat looking at her. Reese looked back, not catching on.

“Did you say there was chocolate cake?” he finally asked.

Grinning like a schoolboy when Reese laughed a little, he stayed in his place and waited for the cake to arrive. It was a very large piece, and Reese had all she could do not to laugh again when he looked so pleased.

“Did you need anything else?” she asked.

“No, Reese, but thank you. I’ve taken enough of your time.”

Reese only smiled and went back to work, a little bit glad that Conner and Dalton were so different. She didn’t know if having a tornado in the house was something she could manage on a daily basis.

Dalton was busy in the next hour. He finished his cake, found the Muldoon home and settled those plans, went back to the big house to inform Reese, and then headed to the bank. He’d not told anyone he was coming and couldn’t hide the satisfaction he felt when he stepped in the door, knowing that both Conner and Troy would be surprised.

Dalton walked into the bank building and, much as he had done at the house, stood and took it in. That was when Troy spotted him.

“Well, now,” the older man said good-naturedly. “Look who’s come to Tucker Mills.”

Dalton had to laugh. Troy came out to shake his hand, and as soon as Conner was close enough, Dalton gave him a great hug. In the next few moments he was introduced to Mr. Leffler before the three bankers sat in the alcove to talk.

“How is Jamie?” was the first thing Conner wanted to know.

“Very well. She’s not back to full strength, but she’s on her way.”

“That’s great news,” the younger brother said sincerely.

“How long will you stay?” Troy asked.

“For a week,” Dalton committed. “I thought about just coming for the weekend but realized it wasn’t enough. We’re having Dooner and the family over for dinner on Sunday, by the way.”

“How are we managing that?” Conner asked, knowing none of them knew how to cook for a crowd.

“Reese is handling it.”

“You’ve met Reese?”

“She fed me dinner. It was delicious.”

“And you know she’s willing to handle a Sunday dinner?”

“Certainly,” Dalton spoke with confidence. “She’ll join us, of course.”

“Of course,” Conner echoed, shaking his head a little.

Dalton didn’t appear to notice, and when Mr. Leffler sought Conner’s assistance a few minutes later, Dalton was able to tell Troy what was really on his mind.

“He’s got to marry her.”

“Absolutely,” Troy agreed, “but it can’t be rushed. It’s just been a short time, but I think they’re more aware of each other than they realize.”

“His concern about her doing Sunday dinner is a good sign.”

“Yes, it is.”

“How does she do around him? Not still afraid?”

“No,” Troy smiled. “You’ll have to watch them in action, but be subtle. I’m not always able to pull it off, and Conner will ask me what my looks mean.”

Conner was returning, so they changed the topic to affairs of the bank for the rest of the afternoon. The men talked about what Troy and Conner were finding in the accounts, the situation with Mr. Jenness, and the future of the Tucker Mills Bank.

When Reese left the big house on Friday afternoon, she did not go directly home. Dalton’s words still in her head, she made a beeline for the Muldoon house and asked to see Douglas. He came from the study to speak with her in the kitchen, baby Jeffrey already in her arms.

“I just learned that you wrote to Dalton Kingsley about my situation.”

“That’s true, I did,” Douglas admitted. “Did it never come up between the two of us?”

“No, I had no idea.”

Douglas sat down in the kitchen. Alison was working at the table, wondering how her husband would explain.

“I felt terrible pain the day that Mr. Jenness announced the bank would keep your papers,” Douglas started. “I went for a walk to pray and ask God to help me accept this for your life. While I was on the walk, I remembered who owned the bank.

“I go way back with the Kingsley family. Dalton and I were in school together. We hadn’t had much contact in recent years, and I mostly wrote asking for his advice. Without warning, Conner and Troy came to town. Not until I’d heard they were here did I realize my letter had been received and acted upon.”

“And evidently they found the bank’s owning papers as odd as the rest of us did,” Reese figured thoughtfully. “Thank you, Douglas. I had no idea, and as you can imagine, I’m very grateful.”

Douglas only inclined his head modestly as his wife spoke up.

“So what did you think of Dalton?”

Reese smiled. “He’s a kind man, but he and Conner are different. I think I’m glad about that.”

“The only thing larger than Dalton is his personality,” Douglas said fondly, remembering some times from the past.

“We’ll have to get these two talking during dinner on Sunday,” Alison said to Reese, who agreed with a mischievous lift of her brows.

Much as she wanted to sit and hear stories now, Reese made herself leave. After giving the baby a last cuddle, she handed him off and headed for home.

Friday evening at the Greenlowe house was quiet. Both women were in the parlor, Mrs. Greenlowe with handwork in her lap and Reese with her Bible and the book she was reading. When someone knocked on the kitchen door, the landlady was the closest and went to answer it. She was back just a moment later, telling Reese she had a visitor. Reese found Conner on the porch.

“You’re welcome to come in,” Reese invited.

“I don’t wish to intrude on your evening,” Conner replied, but then in his quiet way he got right down to business. “You met Dalton.”

Reese smiled before saying, “Yes, I did.”

“Did the word ‘hurricane’ come to mind?”

“No, it was ‘tornado.’”

Conner smiled. “I’m actually here for a reason. I heard about Dalton’s plans for Sunday and wanted to make sure that was all right with you.”

“Yes, I told him it was.”

“But Dalton can be hard to say no to. Are you sure about Sunday, Reese?”

“It’s fine.”

“And you understand that you’re there to join us, not work?”

This gave Reese pause. “Who will put things on the table and take care of the dishes?”

“Dalton, Troy, and I.”

Reese’s look was so skeptical that Conner’s own brows rose.

“You think we can’t take care of it?” He sounded as outraged as he could manage but still only drew a disbelieving look from Reese.

“Let’s just say,” Reese tried tactfully, her voice having dropped to whispering, “that I’ll be available should you need me.”

Conner had to smile as he studied her. His head tipped to one side when he asked, “Douglas said you’re never tired. It’s true, isn’t it?”

“Of course it’s not true,” Reese said, trying to dismiss the matter.

“Are you tired right now?” Conner pressed her.

“No.”

“Were you tired when you got up this morning?”

“No.” She sounded surprised at the very idea.

Conner was shaking his head in amazement when he thought of something.

“Velma? Is it Velma?”

“No,” Reese said emphatically.

“Verna?”

“No,” Reese repeated.

“Why don’t you just tell me?”

“Because it’s an awful name, and you’re too curious for your own good.”

“I’ll find out,” he teased her, leaning against the porch railing as if he had all night.

“I don’t think so,” she teased back.