And to top it all off, how she felt really didn’t matter. Because she’d already agreed and Ebenezer would be here any minute with her new houseguest. “What have I gotten myself into . . .” she muttered.
Jessalyn refolded the letter and slid it back into its place amongst the others, when a telltale knock sounded at her door.
She opened it to see two men laughing together on her porch. One was the familiar figure of Ebenezer Carson, black hair combed close to his head, touched here and there with gray, the satin of his vest giving off a muted shine in the morning sun.
The second man was a new face. This had to be him. He stood slightly off-kilter, a pack slung over one shoulder. Laughter lines creased his tanned skin. When he took a breath and opened his eyes, Jessalyn saw they were a deep blue. The man seemed less like a weary traveler seeking refuge from the heat, and more like some sort of cheerful denizen of the desert who was taking a break to cajole with humankind.
Jessalyn blinked away such a strange thought and gave her best effort at a smile to the two men.
“Good morning, Jessalyn!” Ebenezer said. “It is my distinguished pleasure to introduce you to Samuel Brooks. Samuel, meet Jessalyn Joy.”
The man, Samuel Brooks, tipped his hat with his free hand. “Ma’am.”
“Hello,” Jessalyn answered.
“I do hate to dash, but there’s a meeting I must attend back at Town Hall. I trust you two can take it from here. Ah, Jessalyn, Sam does have a horse. We took the liberty of hitching him ‘round back near your birch tree. That all right?”
Ebenezer had stepped off the porch and was making to leave. This might be her final chance to protest this whole ludicrous arrangement, but she was already outpaced. “Uh, yes. Fine,” was all she managed to say.
Ebenezer clapped his hands together. “Wonderful. Then I’ll be off. Sam, I expect to hear more of that story when next we meet.”
“Certainly, sir.” The men shared knowing smiles.
“Welcome to Three Willows, son. We’re glad to have you.” And he was gone. Jessalyn couldn’t help watching him go. Maybe there was still a chance that he’d turn back. Maybe this all would go away.
A throat-clearing sound brought Jessalyn’s attention back to the man who was looking at her with an expectant eyebrow raised. She’d been quiet for too long. “Right,” she said. “Please come in.”
Samuel Brooks dipped his head like a gentleman and crossed the threshold into her home. He removed his hat and ran a hand through his slightly wavy light brown hair. Something about the way he moved bothered Jessalyn. He stepped smoothly, effortlessly, without any of the hesitation one would expect to read in a stranger entering uncharted territory. Yet he was already looking past her, at the space he had been assigned to live in, and he seemed comfortable. He filled it up, like water pouring from pitcher to glass, easily taking shape as if he was always meant to be there. Jessalyn felt her lips tighten. She straightened her spine, the way she commanded her students’ attention. He still had about two inches on her. Damn. Opportunities, Jessa. Opportunities.
“This is the house,” she said, gesturing to their surroundings. “You’ll take the spare room, just over here, beneath the stairs. You’re welcome to use any of the common spaces. You are responsible for your own meals and washing.” While she spoke, Samuel Brooks followed along, but was mostly looking at her. She fought back an urge to roll her shoulders again. “Rent will be due on the first of the month. If you have any questions about the town, I will do my best to answer them. Regarding work, there are many ranches that are always looking for extra hands. I’d be happy to put in a word for you, if you like.” Jessalyn reached the end of the speech she had prepared for this morning.
Samuel Brooks took a moment, then said, “I’m sorry, this is overwhelming. I feel like this entire town is bending over backward to curry favor with a man they just met.”
From his demeanor of comfort, Jessalyn hadn’t expected this sort of a reaction at all. “We like to be hospitable here in Three Willows. Anyone who comes here ought to feel welcome. We’re glad to have you,” she said, echoing Ebenezer’s token greeting.
Samuel’s mouth turned up in a crooked grin. “You know, it’s gotta be the third or fourth time someone has said that to me. But coming from you, it doesn’t seem like there’s an ounce of truth in it.”
Jessalyn stiffened. She did not appreciate being analyzed. “Did you need my help at all with your bags, or . . .?” If Samuel Brooks was the sort of man who needed a clear boundary set, she was more than happy to do that.
Yet, still, he grinned. “No, I’m all right. Again, thank you, uh . . . Jessalyn, was it?”
“Ah—”
“Do you prefer ‘Lyn’ ?”
“No, I think—”
“Or just ‘Jessa’ ?”
Jessalyn flinched. No one had ever shortened her name as a sign of endearment until she’d met Amos. She’d never been dear to anyone until she met Amos. Hearing that nickname come from another man’s mouth sent chills up her spine. She hated hearing it. “I think ‘Mister Brooks’ and ‘Miss Joy’ will suit us for the time being,” she said coldly.
“That right?”
Was there nothing she could say that would wipe the smile off this man’s face? “It’s the name I’m most used to hearing. I’m ‘Miss Joy’ to my students.”
Samuel stuck a hand in his pocket and leaned back. “Right, right. The good mayor mentioned you were the schoolteacher.” He chuckled, shaking his head at the floor.
“Something funny?”
“I was just remembering my teacher. Missus Hughes. Old, crotchety woman, armed with a ruler at all times.” He set his pack down and nearly doubled over, shaking his fist in a pantomime of brandishing a ruler, then laughed again at his own impression. Straightening up, he said, “Maybe if I’d had something as nice to look at as you, I would have paid more attention in class.”
Jessalyn stared at the man in a mixture of shock, horror, and anger. Did he think at all about the words that left his mouth? Was he such a free spirit that he imagined he was liberated of all consequences? Perhaps his days in the desert burnt away his knowledge of manners. “Mister Brooks—”
“I really wish you’d call me Sam.”
“Mister Brooks!” Jessalyn was nearly shouting. Shouting at a stranger in the middle of her own house. Ridiculous. “Do you require anything else from me at the moment? If not, I’d like to resume my work.”
“Just one last thing.”
“And that is?”
“An answer.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Why the sudden desire to take on boarders?” Samuel asked. “Are you so hard up for money in this paradise town of yours?”
“I don’t think that’s any of your business, Mister Brooks.”
“Isn’t it?” Samuel spun in a slow circle, taking in the house again. “Young woman, whole house to herself? How am I to know I’m not being set up? Maybe I’m lodging with the Black Widow of Three Willows and tomorrow morning will find me with my throat cut and my pockets emptied.” He lifted his hands and wiggled them like spider legs.
“I am doing you a favor—”
“You’re doing me a service. There’s a difference. I am paying you, you know. You have to see how suspicious this looks.”
This man was a clown. A rude clown. Heat rose in Jessalyn’s chest as she listened to him. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go.
Amos wouldn’t have fought back. A hospitable lady of town wouldn’t have fought back. But Jessalyn couldn’t stop herself. “No more suspicious than a man who moves to a town with nothing but a horse and a name and manages to sweet talk his way into my home.”
Samuel narrowed his eyes, the grin drifting to one side, sly. “You don’t trust me.”
“I do not know you, Mister Brooks.”
“Well, there’ll be plenty of time to remedy that.”
That was it. “
I think not,” Jessalyn said in her strongest reprimanding tone. “Mister Brooks, I have acquiesced to providing a roof for your head, but this does not entitle you to a window into my personal life. We are not friends. We are not even familiar. Keep your distance.” With that, she flew up the stairs to her own room and slammed the door.
A low whistle echoed throughout the house.
7
Jessalyn dabbed at her forehead sweat with her sleeve. There was nothing more brutal than July heat in Three Willows. She wove her way through the narrower streets of the town’s center, heading to the north side where the Templetons resided.
She hadn’t left her room at all the previous night. Samuel Brooks could have robbed her blind and made off like a thief and she wouldn’t have cared. Anything to avoid speaking to him. Luckily, she had several errands to run around town that day that would keep her away from her house. It was Saturday, leaving her day clear of teaching. She’d been by the church to drop off her sermon edits with Roger. Next was returning the basket Lilah had used to bring her food.
Jessalyn pushed open the small gate of the fence that encircled the Templeton property. A peal of laughter snapped her attention to the front yard. Caleb and Calvin, the twin brothers, were running rings around a tree, trying to catch each other. At six years old, they were still too young to attend school, but Jessalyn knew of their antics from Lilah. Emmy, the youngest, just a toddler, sat next to Lilah on the front porch, happily chewing on her own hand. Lilah reached over and gently tugged it out of her mouth.
Suddenly, Caleb tripped and fell face first, lying spreadeagled in the grass. “Lilah!” Calvin called out. “Caleb fell!”
“Is he bleeding?” Lilah called back.
“No!”
“All right, walk it off.”
Jessalyn laughed as the boy flipped over onto his back, kicking up his legs like an overturned turtle.
“Miss Joy!” Lilah sprang up from her seat on the porch and yelled out, addressing her siblings. “I’m gonna talk to Miss Joy for a spell! Caleb, keep an eye on your feet, and don’t even think about trying to climb that tree when I’m not looking. Calvin, you, too. And don’t let Emmy wander off the porch!”
The twins shouted back their affirmation that they’d heard her and kept running.
“What brings you here?” Lilah asked.
Jessalyn held out the basket. “I just came by to return this.”
“You didn’t have to do that. I could have picked it up when I came by for my next lesson.”
“I know,” Jessalyn said, “but I was nearby anyway. It seems as though you’re plenty busy.”
“We always do a big dinner on Saturdays. Mama and Grace are inside cooking, and I’m keeping the kids out of the house,” Lilah said. As the middle Templeton daughter, Lilah was most often strapped with caretaking duties while her older sister, Grace, assisted Margaret with other domestic tasks.
Jessalyn glanced at the children, taking stock. “Where’s Charlie?”
Lilah’s face fell slightly. “Today’s the day Papa decided Charlie should start learning some of the ranch work. He’s out there with Papa, Granddad, and Jule.”
The Templetons ran one of the most profitable cattle ranches in Three Willows. Teaching Charlie the family business was inevitable. “Isn’t he a bit young?”
Lilah frowned. “I thought so, too, but Papa says it’s time. I can’t go out there to help too much these days, since I have to look after the little ones.” Jessalyn could easily read on Lilah’s face which task she preferred. “They should be back pretty soon, actually. I want to hear how it went. Charlie doesn’t like horses very much, so . . .”
Out of all the Templeton siblings, Jessalyn had always thought that Lilah and Charlie were the closest. They were both good students. Lilah took special care with him, making sure he wasn’t bullied and training him to be just as skilled a reader as she was.
“How are things at your place?” Lilah asked, changing the subject.
For a moment, Jessalyn considered confiding in Lilah. She could tell her that things were spiraling out of control since she’d been pressured by the mayor into housing a very rude stranger. But no, she couldn’t burden the girl. “Oh, just fine,” she said. “Quiet. Not like it is here.”
Lilah snorted. “If you ever want some more noise, I’d be happy to lend you some kids.”
As if on cue, two more young girls came tumbling up the path, joining Calvin and Caleb in their race around the tree. Jessalyn turned and saw a tall, thin man closing the gate behind him. She recognized him as Jule, the eldest Templeton son.
“Jule!” Lilah said, waving.
“Nice to see you, Miss Joy,” said Jule. Jessalyn nodded in return. He reached out and vigorously mussed his sister’s hair. “Lilah.”
“Cut it out!” Lilah said, batting his hands away.
“You joining us for dinner, Miss Joy?” asked Jule.
“No, I just came by for a quick visit.”
“Well, you know, you’re always welcome. I’m sure this one would be thrilled,” he said, patting Lilah’s head again. “She talks about you and your lessons non-stop. When she isn’t buried in one of your books.”
“I’m the lucky one who gets to teach a student like her,” Jessalyn said.
“Smart as a whip. I’ve known that since you were a baby,” said Jule, beaming down at his sister. “You’re going to blow them out of the water in college.”
Lilah lowered her voice. “If you could help me convince Mama, I’d be mighty grateful.”
Jessalyn glanced at the kitchen window of the Templeton house, behind which Margaret was surely cooking up a frenzy for her family.
“She’ll come ‘round,” Jule said, reaching his arms above his head, stretching out his back. “You don’t mind me adding the girls to your pack, do you? Rose wanted to stop by her folks’ before she came here.”
“No trouble,” said Lilah. They all turned back towards the group of children. The race had given way to another game. Both of Jule’s daughters had their skirts hitched up around their knees and were struggling to find footholds on the trunk of the old tree. Calvin and Caleb cheered them on. Meanwhile, Emmy had rolled off her blanket and was dangling her chubby legs off the edge of the porch.
Jessalyn gulped. In a few years, all five of them would be her students.
“Annabelle! Easter!” Lilah bellowed. “The boys aren’t allowed in that tree and neither are you! You wanna break your neck?” Caught in the act, both girls dropped back to the ground. One of them began theatrically crying. “Don’t you give me those crocodile tears, Annabelle, I taught you how to do that.” The crying ceased. Lilah put her hands on her hips. “Caleb, Calvin, play nice with your cousins. And watch Emmy!”
As the children resumed their play, Lilah turned back to the adults.
Jule’s eyes were wide. “Well, now I know why they always want Grace to babysit instead of you.”
Lilah smacked his arm. “Hush. Did Charlie and Papa come back from the ranch with you?”
Jule’s expression sobered. “Mmhmm. They’re going with Granddad to make a report at Town Hall.”
“Report what?” asked Lilah.
“We lost two more bulls last night.”
Lilah clapped a hand over her mouth.
“That’s terrible,” said Jessalyn. She hadn’t heard any rumors of sickness among the cattle, which sometimes spread in the summer heat. This must have been something else. “Two more? You’ve lost some previously?”
Jule nodded. “Us and most of the other ranches. We used to lose maybe three a year between all of us, which is just natural, but this . . .” he trailed off.
“Was it the same way as before? An attack?”
Jule glanced at Jessalyn. “I’ll spare Miss Joy the details, but yeah. It’s pretty vicious.”
“What could be doing this?” asked Jessalyn.
“Papa thinks it’s some wild animal. Maybe rab
ies are making it do weird things, like kill, but not eat the meat,” Lilah said. “They just leave it there.”
“We’ve started having night watches around the ranch lands, but so far, no one’s seen anything,” said Jule. “My father figured it was time to make a formal report. If anyone can rally the town together to figure this out, it’s Mayor Carson.”
“Of course,” Jessalyn said. Her mind had already formed the image of a sickly coyote, lolling tongue and glowing eyes, staking out the Three Willows’ cattle in the dead of night. Hopefully the mayor would be able to take care of it quickly, if he was done meddling with Jessalyn’s social life.
The front door of the Templeton house swung open and Margaret strode onto the porch. Her apron was spattered with the colors of cooking, and what looked like a potato peeling clung to her graying blonde hair. She surveyed the scene in front of her house. “Jessalyn,” she said shortly.
“Hello, Margaret,” Jessalyn replied.
And that was the end of the conversation. “Jule,” Margaret said to her son, “stop loafing out here in the yard, come inside. Lilah, round up the kids and start getting them washed. There’s plenty to do before dinner.”
“Yes, Mama,” chorused Jule and Lilah. Lilah gave one final wave to Jessalyn before hurrying off to gather the children. With one more nod to Margaret, Jessalyn turned and headed for the gate.
Despite Jule’s insistence, Jessalyn knew that, no, she was not always welcome at the Templeton house.
8
SAMUEL BLINKED IN THE EARLY morning sunlight as he stepped outside. It was his fourth day in Three Willows, second day in Jessalyn Joy’s house. They hadn’t spoken much after their argument upon his arrival. Which, admittedly, had been his fault. Obviously, this Miss Joy wasn’t someone who took well to teasing. The opening she’d left for him during their first conversation had been impossible to resist. Still, the full day of cold shoulder she’d given him seemed a bit much.
Then Came the Thunder Page 4