Love Blooms in Winter (24 page)

“Lil! That’s a terrible thing to say. You know Jake and I are—”

“Nothing! That’s what you and Jake are to each other. He don’t look at you with that sparkle in his eye any more than you look at him that way. Who are the two of you kidding? A blind man could see y’all aren’t in love. He’s just your bad habit.”

“Lil, don’t you be saying those things. I love Jake and we’re going to get married. You know we are, so stop talking about us like that.”

“Okay. Because you’re my friend and always will be, I’ll shut up.” Lil lowered her feet and leaned forward in the chair. “Now, tell me where Tom is. You know, the man you’re not interested in.”

Mae knew Lil well, so she chose not to respond further to her teasing. If she said anything more, Lil would keep on about it all day, and she wasn’t in the mood. “Early this morning the supply train was waiting for Tom just before the accident site, where the track is still intact. He was the first man out there, and he had to come back to tell Dale so he could hurry the men along.”

Mae wouldn’t dare tell Lil that she had been able to chat with Tom over her first cup of coffee—with the sun just peeking over the horizon—and that for her the day had begun beautifully. She closed the box lid. “Now that the site is clear of the wreckage, the crew has started the repairs. It shouldn’t be but a few days before the train is running to the depot again.”

In a way the thought pleased her. On the one hand, it meant that Tom could go back to his work in Chicago, but on the other hand a nagging sense of emptiness filled her when she thought about his leaving. But that would be for the best because Jake had started to make accusations. He’d found her and Tom together too many times in what he called “questionable situations.”

Lil cracked another peanut. “Heard you and the boss got in a snowball fight yesterday.”

Her friend’s statement brought back last night’s argument with Jake. He had openly accused her of being attracted to the railroad man. She presented her best argument, but even she realized her words rang hollow.

She needed to change the subject. “Did you hear about the dogs falling through the ice?”

“Yeah.” Lil tossed a shell in the direction of a wicker basket. “Twelve and Fourteen? I heard Curtis saved the day.” Reaching for a tin box, she searched in it until she found a red button and stuck it in her overall pocket.

“Please. Help yourself to anything you need,” Mae said dryly, deliberately picking up the credit book and dutifully recording an additional four cents on her friend’s account.

Closing the book, she eased around Lil and the puddle on the floor and stepped out of the cage. Mrs. Pryor had brought in five dozen eggs earlier, and she had yet to put them on the counter. “Jeremy was beside himself when the dogs fell through the ice, but Tom solved the problem. He was quite helpful.”

“I’m sure he was. Unlike Jake.”

“Tom was there at the time, Lil. Jake wasn’t. Well, he was, but he didn’t do anything.”

“Doesn’t surprise me. He’s never there. He hates those dogs.”

“Yes, but he loves my brother, and he would have helped.”

“Not if it meant getting dirty.”

Lil knew Jake too well, and unfortunately so did Mae.

For some reason she felt as though she’d known Tom Curtis all of her life too. Her mind skipped to the coming evening when Jake would be over. Last night he’d insisted on seeing her, even though they hadn’t been able to have their regularly scheduled dinners together since she had started staying in Dale’s quarters. She assumed she’d be in for another stern lecture on “proper etiquette.”

She understood that discovering one’s intended playing in the snow with another man would be disconcerting for someone with Jake’s conservative nature. She had already explained and apologized for her insensitive actions and didn’t want to go through it again, but Jake had given her that look, the one that said he didn’t believe a word she said. A headache bloomed at the base of her neck. The telegraph machine beat a rat-a-tat-tat and she moved to accept the message.

“Who’s gittin’ a telegram?” Lil asked.

Mae motioned for her friend to keep quiet. She wrote as the erratic beats came in, copying the message twice. When the machine fell silent, she turned toward Lil. “It’s for Tom—from the railroad.”

Lil shelled another nut. “I knew it couldn’t be for anyone from around here.” She brushed empty shells off her lap. “When was the last time anyone in Dwadlo got a telegram?”

“Hmm…” Mae returned to the counter. “I don’t know. Probably a couple of years ago when Mr. Anderson’s mother passed.”

“Oh, yeah. That came all the way from Philly, didn’t it?”

Nodding, Mae put the last of the eggs on display, her mind on the recent wire. The railroad wanted the track finished by Wednesday of next week—just seven days from now. Tom would be leaving shortly after that. His earlier words flashed through her mind: “
There’s a whole big world out there.
” Until she’d met him, she hadn’t thought much about what she might be missing, but it didn’t matter anyway. Her life was here, and it always would be.

Lil stood and stepped out of the cage and said, “Want to eat supper at the café tonight?”

“I’d love to, but since I’ve been at Dale’s, I haven’t had dinner with Jake, and he’s coming here tonight.”

“I forgot. This is Thursday.”

“Yes. His regular night.” Sighing, she remembered that Dale was low on baking soda. Jeremy would make biscuits, even though Jake favored white bread. She often wondered if Jeremy liked to play with the lawyer’s mind by purposely irritating him.

“Well.” Lil stretched. “Guess I’ll mosey on out to the work site and pester Fisk awhile.”

Shaking her head, Mae smiled. “You two do love to annoy each other.”

“Yep. It’s the only fun I get anymore.”

The front door opened, and Mae turned to see Joanne Small’s mother walk into the store.

“Hello, ma’am. What brings you out this morning?” Mae knew the reason, but she had to be polite to the woman. She’d been in twice since the accident to check on the herring shipment.

“Is the track repaired?” The full-bodied woman paused before the counter.

“No, ma’am, but they’re working on it. I believe it will be in plenty of time for Joanne’s wedding.”

“Are you certain?”

Mae understood the woman’s concern. “I can’t promise, Mrs. Small, but the work is coming along nicely. Supplies have arrived, and it should only take a few days to lay temporary track.”

“A few days? That’s all the time I have.” The woman glanced around the store and then back at Mae. “I haven’t slept a wink since the train derailed.” She drew a handkerchief to her mouth. “Oh, for the days when weddings were a simple occasion. When a man and a woman took vows before their family and just a few friends. Joanne’s guest list grows every day.”

Mae reached out and patted Mrs. Small’s hand. “I know you’re concerned, but the herring will arrive on time. Go home and try to rest.” She gave her a brave smile. “I’ll send Jeremy to let you know the minute the track is finished.”

“Thank you, dear. I know I’m a bit of a pest, but this wedding has me all aflutter.”

“I understand. It will work out. You’ll see.”

“Thank you, dear,” she said again. Mrs. Small walked toward the door and then turned. “You will send Jeremy the moment the train is running?”

“The very moment. I promise.” Mae sighed when the woman pulled the door closed. “Poor thing. She’s making herself sick with worry.”

“What if the fish don’t get here?” Lil pitched another shell and missed the can.

“Pick that up. If the herring doesn’t arrive, Joanne’s big day will still go on. It wouldn’t be the end of the world to have the wedding without it.” Mae walked over to where Lil stood.

“I’ve never heard of a wedding with herring. Have you?” Lil dropped more peanut shells on the floor.

“You know Joanne. She likes things fancy. Are you going?”

“Where?”

“To the wedding.”

“I don’t like them shindigs. Besides, I use herring as bait. I don’t eat it.”

“It’s considered a delicacy.”

“It’s bait. Just because Joanne’s papa has enough money to burn a wet mule don’t mean that I’m gonna take a bath in rose water, put on a dress, and force bait down my throat.”

“Don’t blow your corset. I was only asking.” Mae changed the subject. “You must have been proud of Esau.”

Lil’s face beamed like a proud mama’s. “He’s a dandy. I bet Pauline was coming out of her skin watchin’ my elephant work and knowing I’d outbid her on the animal.”

“I didn’t notice.” She’d been too focused on Tom—according to Jake. “The last thing Pauline needs is an elephant.” An elephant to worry about in addition to the stray dogs and cats would surely have sent Tom over the edge. “What would Pauline do with an elephant when she can’t care for the animals she has?”

“Why, she could put him in the new pen you and Tom are buildin’.”

Mae groaned at Lil’s statement. She should be used to the way word spread in Dwadlo. Turning a cynical eye on her, she said, “Weren’t you on your way to annoy Fisk?”

“Well…yeah, that’s where I’m headed.” Tipping her battered hat, Lil grinned. “When you get a free evening, let’s eat supper at the café—once you get your man problems figured out. Fisk eats there every night. I wanna see the look on his face when I walk in.”

“You’re hopeless. Fisk is a good man, and he’s still obviously grieving for his wife.”

“Maybe if he’d open his stubborn eyes, he’d notice there are other women around who might treat him as good.”

Mae turned. “Why, Lil Jenkins. You actually like the man.”

“I do not.” She shoved her hands in her pockets. “And don’t you be spreadin’ that around.”

Grinning, Mae shook her head. “And all this time you’ve had me convinced you thought the blacksmith was cow droppings.”

“I never said that.”

“You’ve implied it a hundred times—”

“Can we change the subject? I’m getting sick to my stomach.”

“Because you’ve eaten too many nuts.”

“Because my best friend is a nut. Can you go to supper or not?”

Mae raised her eyebrows. “Not tonight. Jake, remember?”

“Oh, right. Mr. Wonderful.”

T
he scent of baking biscuits filled the store as Mae hung the “Closed” sign. She’d seen Jake’s buggy pass a while ago, but last-minute customers had detained her. He would be displeased that she wasn’t there to greet him when he arrived at Dale’s quarters.

“Hello!” she called cheerily when she brushed past Jeremy and headed for the small living area. Jake was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace. No doubt his mind was on something other than the beef stew simmering on the stove.

“Good evening, Jake. Sorry I’m late.” She leaned toward him to give him a peck on the cheek, but he moved his head away from her before she touched him. He stopped pacing and stared at her.

“It’s ten after.” He showed her his pocket watch and tapped the face. “I said six o’clock, Mae. That does not mean ten after six. It means six o’clock.”

Mae silently growled inside, but she didn’t dare show Jake she hated being treated like an errant child. “Mrs. Wetlock ran low on salt, so she came in right at closing. Then another telegram came in for Tom. I had to write it down and would have had to deliver it, but thankfully Mrs. Wetlock offered to take it to him on her way home. So I could have been even later.”

He paused to focus on her, glaring. “Is that right?”

She wilted beneath his harsh scrutiny. The mere mention of Tom’s name caused a ruddy tint to creep up his neck. His eyes hardened, and she recognized the impatient glint all too well. She was puzzled. Being late was no reason for him to get this angry.

“Can’t Mr. Curtis fetch his own wires? Why should someone have to deliver them?”

“He wasn’t aware he had a message, and because it was from the railroad, I thought he’d need to read it right away.” She gently placed her hand on his arm. “Let’s eat. Something smells glorious.”

Ordinarily a good meal distracted him, but not tonight. He pulled his arm away from her touch. “I don’t believe you understand how it looks when you spend time alone with another man.”