He saw relief fill Mary’s elegant features. It made his heart jump to know he’d been able to help her.
“I would really love that,” Mary said. “I can’t get the sandbags on my horse. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that when I left. I… I guess I was kind of in a panic.”
Philip nodded. “That’s understandable. Look at what you were dealing with. And all alone, too. You shouldn’t have to deal with that. Not even your house.” He shook his head, wondering if her friend knew it got like that when it rained.
“So you will help me?” Her voice sounded so innocent. He smiled at her.
“Of course. I said I would. I offered and I always keep my word. Let’s find Mike and see what he’s got left for us.”
“I had a lot of my things set over there by the fireplace. Mike said he would set aside at least three bags for me for when I leave.” She eyed him as if he had all the answers when she asked, “I can trust him at his word, can’t I, Philip? Some men don’t take kindly to doin’ favors for women.”
Philip felt sad for Mary. Someone had made her feel pretty bad about herself along the way. He wished he knew how to repair that damage, to let her know how special and beautiful and wonderful she really was.
But he couldn’t say anything. Not just yet. Right now, she might not believe him. She might call him a liar and smack his face.
“Come on, I know where Mike is.” Mary gestured over her shoulder after turning away from him. She hurried toward the back on the other side of the room, where a hallway led to several more rooms. She heard the buzzing of voices when she passed the half-open doors. There were people jammed in the supply closet, the store office, where Mike was and the janitorial room.
Mike saw Mary coming through the window to his office. He stood up and came around the desk, pushing past a man hovering there like a rabid dog.
“Mary! Philip! Oh, Philip, I’m so glad to see you.” Mike was pumping Philip’s hand like he hadn’t seen him in ten years. “I need your help, Philip. Please.”
Philip nodded. I’d be glad to help but you gotta do something for me, too.”
Mike looked surprised, his eyes flicking to Mary and back.
“What’s that?”
“You gotta load me up with the supplies I ask for and let me pay for this lady’s supplies, too.”
Mike grinned from ear to ear. “I ain’t gonna stop you from buying Miss Ross’s supplies.”
Mary looked surprised and like she wanted to protest but Philip shook his head. He was having none of that and he wouldn’t hesitate to let her know it.
Chapter 27
They made it out of there in record time. When Philip asked what Mike wanted him to do in return, he simply asked that the crowd be controlled and comforted.
“They’ll listen to you, Philip. You’re everyone’s friend.”
Philip was flattered and knew he was blushing despite himself. He hadn’t expected to be complimented in front of Mary. He couldn’t help glancing at her face to see if she was impressed. His heart did a flip when he saw an admiring look on her face.
“Didn’t know I had such a good reputation,” he quipped. “When did that happen?”
“I think it was that front-page article on the theater group.” Mike leaned in with a sudden grin on his face. “Heard a lot of ladies in here talking about that. Saying how you were finally coming into your own, printing papers worth reading. Nothin’ but good things to say about you. So please, if you’ll just say a few words to everybody for me?”
Philip blinked, his mind a sudden blank. He had no control over the weather. How was he supposed to comfort anyone?
“You don’t gotta say much,” Mike went on in a pleading voice. “Just tell everybody that you came in through it and it’s not that bad.”
Philip sighed with resignation. He could think of something to say. He was a writer, after all.
He was proud of himself for thinking up what he said and the reaction of the townsfolk lingered in his mind as he rode away from the store with Mary by his side and a wagon full of supplies.
It wasn’t really anything he’d said, though. He wanted to take the credit and was happy the people responded to him the way they did but he wasn’t the one who made the sky clear up just a little and the rain to slack off.
As soon as Philip had stepped out into the shopping area, he noticed the change in the sky outside. He announced loudly that the weather was clearing and if anyone had already purchased their goods, it was the best time to skedaddle on home before the sky broke open again.
It was a miracle straight from Heaven that when people started to file out, there was even a little ray of sunshine out in the road.
He and Mary, with Mike’s help, gathered the supplies they needed and headed out just as quickly. He wanted to take advantage of the weather break, too.
“I hope the house isn’t too flooded,” Mary said in a worried voice. He wanted to reassure her but there was no way he could possibly know the condition of her friend’s house.
“We’re gonna do our best, Mary. Don’t you worry now.”
She gave him a grateful look and gripped his arm tightly with both of hers. She was pressing her cheek against his arm. Knowing she was so close made him feel like a big, strong warrior protecting his fair maiden. Despite the dire situation, he wished the moment would last longer. Soon enough, she would release him from her frightened grip and he would feel cold and alone again.
Till the next time, he thought. He wasn’t going to let a good thing like this go away. He saw only good things in his future if he stuck with Mary. She was a go-getter, unlike any of the other women he’d known.
This was why he wasn’t married at 32. He was meant to wait for the right one. She may be 12 years his junior but they were on the same mental plane and had other things in common. She would do nothing but benefit his life by being in it. He certainly wanted to be worth her time and effort, as well.
He wondered if she would be anxious meeting his parents. He certainly was feeling a small amount of anxiety himself.
He pulled the wagon up as close to the front porch as he could. He looked over to see Mary had already gotten in the back and was putting boxes over onto the bench seat. He could just jump down and take them right in.
“I’ll help,” she said quickly, picking up a box and handing it directly to him. “Come on, let’s get it inside before the rain comes back.”
Philip looked up at the sky. The clouds were thick and rumbling by but he couldn’t feel as much moisture in the air. “I don’t think it’s going to for a bit. But yes, let’s hurry. I know ma and pa are probably worried about me.”
He felt a pang of regret, knowing Mary didn’t have either of her parents. He chided himself for saying something thoughtless in front of her. She didn’t have anyone to worry about her. He loved his parents and could only imagine how she must feel not having them with her.
He grabbed another box and jumped down from the wagon. He turned around, grabbed a third box and ran up the porch steps skillfully.
Once he was under the porch roof, Philip put the boxes on the ground and returned to the wagon.
She handed down a burlap sack filled with fruits and vegetables, most likely. Philip hadn’t hand packed every bag. Mary could read and followed the list, just like he did.
“Don’t put your supplies up here, now,” he remarked, coming back a third time for more.
She shook her head. “That should be it right there.”
Philip lifted his arms to her. “Time for my favorite package to come down.”
Mary stopped and stared at him, her features curious and surprised. He hoped he hadn’t overstepped his bounds. She moved into his arms and he swung her down from the wagon, setting her on the ground gently.
They gazed into each other’s eyes. He wondered what she was thinking. The moment only lasted a few seconds but Philip had never felt such a warm feeling of affection before in his life. He had to make her his.
Whatever it took. She had to be his.
“Let’s get these inside,” he finally broke the moment, not wanting to but having to. They would get sick standing outside in such weather.
She nodded and turned away from him to go up the stairs. Just as he’d expected, he felt a little cold without her close to him, clinging on to him.
She bolted up the stairs with surprising speed and Philip hurried to catch up. She gathered three or four boxes in her hands and stepped toward the door, which Philip went in front of her to open.
Mary didn’t seem at all shy about taking the boxes in. Did she realize she was in Old Man Jenkins’ house? He wondered with amusement.
He followed behind her and stopped her in the large foyer. She wasn’t moving further than the first few feet into the house anyway. It looked like she’d suddenly realized she’d barged in.
“W… where are your parents?” she asked with trepidation.
“I’m sure they’re around here somewhere. Let’s bring the rest in before we disturb them.”
Mary nodded and was back out the door, grabbing another few boxes and bringing them inside. Philip got the ones that remained and closed the door behind him. He looked around.
“I don’t know where my folks are.” He was mystified but didn’t want Mary to see it. The house was so still, as if they weren’t there at all. It was quiet; silent, in fact.
He blinked, looking around him. He should have known Mary was too smart to fool because she pulled her eyebrows together and gave him a curious look.
“What’s wrong?” Her voice was alarmed. She darted her eyes all around the room, as if she could spot something out of place.
He shook his head, knowing he couldn’t hide anything from her.
“I… I’m just not used to the quiet. My parents are… kind of excitable.”
He almost laughed out loud at the skeptical look on Mary’s face. She did know she was in the home of Old Man Jenkins. She might be surprised to see how the man was when he was around his family.
“Ma!” Philip yelled out, seeing Mary visibly jump. He gave her a sheepish look. “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
She shook her head, laughing. “It’s all right,” she said.
“Pa!” Philip couldn’t help laughing when Mary jumped again.
She laughed with him, much to his relief.
He turned away from her and looked at the doors down the hallway. There were two on the left and one on the right. The one on the right opened up and his parents emerged from the cellar.
Mary halted in place, her eyes on his large framed father.
“There you are, Philip! I was so worried about you while you were gone,” his mother said, jogging to him and giving him a quick hug. Mary looked stunned when the woman moved to give her a hug as well.
“It’s good to see you, Miss Ross!” Mrs. Jenkins said, her lilting voice concerned. She looked directly at Mary, who had to drop her eyes. Philip was surprised to see how deep her blush was. She looked like they had been caught in a compromising position. “I hope our Philip has offered to help you out during this storm.”
Mary nodded. “Yes, he has, so graciously, Mrs. Jenkins. Thank you. I hope bringing your supplies to you makes up for his kindness and yours for allowing him to venture out in this to help a virtual stranger.”
Mrs. Jenkins scoffed. “My darling, there is nothing strange about you! You’re the schoolteacher! You have a fine reputation!”
Mary finally smiled. “Thank you, Mrs. Jenkins.”
Philip was proud of his mother. His father, on the other hand, looked grumpy. More than grumpy. He looked angry.
Philip knew he was stepping on thin ice when he said, “What’s wrong, Pa? Anything I can do to help?”
“It’s the damn cellar, son.” Philip was relieved his father was angry about something that had nothing to do with him and wasn’t his fault. “Got two or three inches of water down there in some spots and I’m thinking the foundation isn’t as solid as we were led to believe.”
Philip grunted. “Well, that’s discouraging news. What are you gonna do?”
His father shook his head, his face collapsing just a little more as worry swept over him. Philip moved his eyes to Mary. He needed to stay and help his father fix the cellar, or at least find the source of the water leakage and stop it up. But he had promised Mary he would help her with her problem.
She seemed to understand what he was thinking just by looking at him. She shook her head.
“You go ahead; I’ll find my way home. If you don’t mind if I borrow the wagon and…”
“Absolutely not, young lady,” Mr. Jenkins roared. The sound of his order made both Mary and Philip clamp their mouths shut and stare at him. “I am a grown man and can work on my problem on my own, at least for now. Philip will take you home, Miss Ross, and attend to whatever emergency could have happened. He will return to us once he knows you’re safe and sound from the weather.”
Philip could tell how surprised Mary was. It made him want to laugh.
Chapter 28
Mary felt her foot sink into the carpet as soon as she stepped in the door. Her heart sank but she tried to remind herself that she hadn’t noticed the flooding water until after the carpet was already soaked. So her makeshift ramp to direct the water elsewhere had probably worked a little bit. But by the time she got back, the wind had shifted the wood out of place so it was streaming around it and still making its way into the house.
She kicked one of the boards out of the way, letting out a bit of frustration.
“It’s okay, Mary,” Philip said behind her, carrying several boxes of her supplies. She glanced over her shoulder to see him surveying the scene. She saw that he was impressed and it made her feel a little better. “It was a really good idea,” he added, smiling at her. “You’ve got a great head on your shoulders.”
Mary tingled, her eyes lighting up when he looked at her. Everything he said sounded so wonderful to her, even if it had nothing to do with anything. He could have told her the sky was green and she’d be looking for a partial rainbow or some way to justify the claim.
Her logical, adult side told her to stop acting so silly. Getting lost in a man could only lead to one thing – disaster. No matter how she felt, she needed to keep her head on her shoulders. She needed to think.
Now Philip was in the home she’d made for herself, temporary but cozy – other than the soaked foyer floor.
As soon as they went in, Philip stepped carefully over the soaked carpet, mumbling to himself under his breath. When she inquired what he was muttering about, he shook his head. “Just making assessments, you know. What’s needed, how much it will cost to repair. I don’t think you’re looking at anything major here.”
Mary’s eyebrows shot up into her blond bangs and she tilted her head to the side. “I didn’t know you knew anything about construction.”
Philip shrugged. “It’s just knowledge passed along to me from my pa. I’ve never worked in that industry in my life. I’ve always wanted to do what I’m doing. That’s why I’m gonna keep doing it.”
“Well, we need a good newspaper man, Philip,” Mary said to encourage him. “And I’m very glad it’s you.” She wanted to go on. Someday soon she would tell him how she really felt. She’d open her heart to him and give it to him afterwards. She didn’t want anyone else claiming her heart. It was his already. He just needed to claim it.
His Rainbow After the Rain Page 17