by Tess Oliver
“Lumber,” Gideon grunted. “It figures. How is that little dream of yours coming? I haven’t been out there in months.”
“I think even you might be impressed, brother. Already got the brick wall for the foundation set.” My brothers and I had inherited ten acres a good half mile from our home. Ole Roy had bought it as an investment with the notion that someday he’d have a big house built on the land. It never happened. But the parcel had great views of the mountains, and it was quiet and far back from the road. It was the perfect setting for a house.
I opened the door and stepped out. The canal always smelled of a mixture of stale water and barge oil.
The man in the cap was aged by weather and life on the river, but he was probably not more than thirty. “Are you Jarrett?”
“That’s me.” I shook his hand. Three stacks of one-by-six fir planks, the base flooring for my project, lined one side of the barge. “It’s all here?”
“You can count them if you’d like. I’m docked for the rest of the afternoon.”
“No, looks right to me.” I walked back to the truck. One crate of whiskey remained in the bed. I pulled it out and carried it back to the barge.
“And I thought that one was for us,” Gideon called from the truck.
I lowered the crate onto the deck and glanced back to Gideon. “You going to sit there and suck on that expensive cigar or are you going to get your ass out here to help carry this lumber?”
Chapter 10
Charli
The voice coming from the main tent made me cringe. I picked up my pace. But I wasn’t fast enough. The man’s pointy face was shaded by his hat, and his small dark eyes skewered me like a tasty kabob from beneath the brim. Two of his minions stepped out behind him. They looked like giant slabs of clay, with no thoughts of their own, just waiting for the boss’s next order.
“Ahh, the lovely Enchantress.” Everything about the man was so smarmy, it made my teeth hurt.
“You’ll have to excuse me.” I tried to sidle past, but somehow, he’d managed to convince himself that it was all right to touch me. His cold fingers took hold of my wrist.
I glared down at his hand. “Please let go.” I lifted my face to his and stared directly at him. No flinching. It was obvious the man wasn’t use to that. A wicked grin kicked up on his face. He slowly peeled away his fingers.
“Tough girl, eh? That just makes you more enticing.” He stepped closer. Again, I kept my scowl steely hard. His shaving powder had a harsh, bitter scent that went well with the rest of him. The only inconsistency was a spicy, almost sweet, fragrance seemingly coming from his hair grease. It was almost a comical addition to his otherwise vile demeanor. “Your stepfather and I are partners now, so you should get used to seeing me around.”
“That’ll be like getting used to a having a rattlesnake lurking around.” I spoke through gritted teeth, but he was undeterred. My obvious distaste of him only seemed to heighten his interest.
“Your stepfather’s success in this deal might just depend on you getting used to having a venomous snake around then, because I always get what I want.”
His words sent a shiver along my spine, but I stood solid like stone. He made a point of scanning me from head to toe and punctuated his lascivious inspection with a small flick of his tongue, adding weight to the snake comparison.
“And, my beautiful Enchantress, I want you.” With that, he and his clay bodyguards walked away.
Emma came bustling out of our tent, still trying to tame back her curls with a sparkly gold clip. Everyone was in a lighter mood because the carnival was shut down for a day. Even though there was plenty to do, it felt like a holiday. “This humidity is making me crazy.” She had her small velvet satchel on her wrist. “I’m going to look for some kind of cream for my hair. Rose wants a bar of soap.” Emma stopped in front of me and sucked in a much need breath. “Preferably Yardley’s lavender.” She grinned. “Rose is really sweet on that big man she met. I’m so excited for her, aren’t you?”
I was more of a realist than a romantic when it came to men, especially compared to Emma. It was rare for Emma to take note of anyone’s feelings but her own, but she apparently sensed my worry.
“Oh no, miss dark cloud. Don’t spoil this.” She scurried after me still fussing with her thick curls as I headed to the car. Buck owned a 1910 model T roadster that he loved too much to part with. He had it hauled along with the ticket wagon in the back of the box trucks from place to place. It came in handy for small trips to get supplies, like today when Emma and I had decided to run off and pick up a few sundries. “Rose is walking around the tent humming and smiling.”
“I know, Emma. And I’m not a dark cloud.” I turned the crank on the car. It took several tries before the sickly sounding motor fired up. I hopped into the driver’s seat. “But you should know better than anyone, that finding love in this nomad lifestyle only leads to heartbreak.”
Emma blinked at me, her big blue eyes were like saucers. “My god, you’ve fallen for that sugary looking rum runner, haven’t you?”
Apparently, I’d greatly underestimated Emma’s ability to read people’s emotions. I was sure I’d been keeping up a good, stalwart facade about it all. “I haven’t fallen for him. Not in the way you fall for men, Emma.” I regretted the words the second they slipped past my flapping lips.
She crossed her arms angrily and sat back hard against the seat. “That’s right. Emma just follows around every man she meets with starry eyes and pouty lips.”
“Forgive me, Em. Sometimes I just blather on without thinking.”
She pursed her lips. I knew she was going to stay angry at least until we reached the store. Emma had perfected the silent pout. But she came out of her moods quickly.
I remembered the route we’d taken that day when I’d given Jackson a ride on Gypsy. Mabel’s store seemed to be the only one for miles. I hoped she stocked some of the essentials we needed.
It seemed like a much shorter journey by automobile than by horseback, even if my traveling partner the first time had been far more entertaining than the silently brooding woman next to me. There were no cars in front of the store. It looked more like a ramshackle house that a book character might come across in the clearing of a magical forest than a general store. The owner looked a bit storybook-like herself with her perfect red apple cheeks and candy colored hair.
A friendly grin split her round face in two as she looked up from her receipt ledger. “How are you girls today? Y’all are from the traveling carnival, aren’t ya?”
“Yes we are. How are you this morning?” I asked.
“Right as rain, dearest. Right as rain.” A laugh burst from her mouth, temporarily inflating her already round cheeks. “Never have figured out what that means, but it sounds so darn poetic, doesn’t it?” She waved off her comment. “Ach, I’m rambling on like a loon. My son would be rolling his eyes. He’s one of those bookish men. Loves my apple pie but hates it when I babble on like a country hoyden.” She placed her hand over mouth for a quick second. “What is with me? I brewed a pot of coffee this morning that was so black it could have been used to tar the road. It has me flitting around like a hummingbird and chattering like a parrot.” She closed up her ledger. “Enough, Mabel, you’ll scare them off,” she told herself. “What can I help you girls find?” She walked around the counter. The front of it was a long line of glass display windows. Shaving kits and lustrous silver razors lined the top two shelves. Toiletries like cold cream and soap finished off the next two. The top of the counter was lined with red and blue boxes of Wrigley’s spearmint chewing gum, Peter’s chocolate candy bars and decorative gift boxes of salt water taffy.
“We need some toothpaste, and do you happen to have Yardley’s lavender soap?” I asked.
Her mound of light brown hair wobbled in its loose set of pins as she inclined her head for us to follow. Her ample hips nearly filled the narrow aisle. “I only have Palmolive soap. But I have several brands
of toothpaste,” she said proudly. “Do you need a toothbrush as well?” She glanced back at me and then stopped. “Why, you’re that pretty girl who rode up on the horse the other day. You were with Jackson, and he bought you a cold ginger ale,” she recited the afternoon’s events as if I hadn’t actually been present.
Emma raised a perfectly tweezed brow at me. “Is that so?”
“Yes, that was truly a cold drink too. You must have a remarkable icebox.”
Mabel winked and elbowed Emma conspiratorially as if they’d known each other a long time. “You see how smoothly she switched topics from Jackson to my remarkable icebox.” She laughed. “That’s all right. I don’t blame you. That Jackson Jarrett works his way into every girl’s heart.” She pressed her hand against her large breast. “He can even make me blush with his sweet talking ways and handsome smile. His pa was well loved too. Jackson takes after Ole Roy a lot. There are just some people who have that ability, I suppose. That power to capture everyone’s attention. But you’d know that.” She patted my arm. “You look like you’ve got that power too.” She looked at Emma. “And you too,” she said with less enthusiasm, and Emma looked rightly insulted. “That boy has just never been the same since Ella died.” She looked at me, and saw I had no idea what she was talking about. She placed her hand on my arm. “Ella and Jackson had been sweethearts since they were young teens. She drowned in the river, and Jackson was there. Saw the whole thing. Ella’s pa nearly killed Jackson. Poor boy, he was so heartbroken, he never got serious about any other girl.” She contradicted the solemn conversation with an ill-timed laugh. “I declare I cannot stop flapping my jaws this morning. That’s the last time I make the coffee so strong.”
I, too, was wishing that she hadn’t had so much coffee. Her loquacious mood had just darkened my morning. Of course, I was being silly. To Jackson, I was just a temporary diversion from the other girls in town. A new face passing through. That’s all. He hadn’t even taken the time to come see me since our first date. That notion darkened my mood even more. Perhaps I wasn’t even a diversion.
I picked out a toothpaste, and Emma found a shampoo that claimed to be perfect for taming curls. Rose was going to have to go without the lavender fragrance. I walked to the back wall where the red and white soup cans were lined on a shelf. Canned soup was perfect for heating on an outdoor fire.
Emma had returned to the counter to sift through a tray of hairclips Mabel had brought out from the glass case. They were both busy trying to decide which clip suited Emma’s brunette hair, while I busied myself at the back of the store trying to decide if I would prefer vegetable soup to tomato when the front door opened and creaked shut.
“Well, speak of the devil,” Mabel said excitedly.
“Devil? What did I do to deserve that title?”
“Oh please,” Mabel laughed. “What haven’t you done?”
I could only hear his voice, but that was all I needed. It was that deep, mellow sound that I loved, and it fit the rest of him perfectly. I hadn’t realized my hands were trembling until I reached for the soup can, vegetable, I’d decided, was more filling than tomato. I walked up from the back of the store. Jackson’s face turned my direction. I dropped the soup. It rolled across the floor stopping on a sack of potatoes.
Jackson walked over and picked it up. “Vegetable soup? Doesn’t seem like much of a meal for a motorcycle stunt rider.”
That comment grabbed Mabel’s attention. “Motorcycle stunt rider? Do you mean to tell me a pretty little slip of a thing like yourself rides a motorcycle?” Another boisterous laugh, this time accompanied by a shake of her head.
Jackson smiled down at me. “She’s tougher than she looks.” He said the comment to Mabel, but it felt as if we were alone in the conversation. “I was just about to head out to the carnival to see you.”
“Were you?” I asked casually as if I hadn’t been waiting for it. I took the soup can from his hand. “How have you been?” I used my most non-committal tone, like two people just making simple conversation.
“I’ve been fine,” he said almost as a question. He gazed down at me, obviously confused by my cool reception.
“That’s good to hear.” I headed to the counter to pay for my goods. After what Mabel had told me about losing his sweetheart, along with the cold reality that he hadn’t come to the show again after our first date, and the sudden realization that I was disappointed by that, assured me I needed to keep my guard up. This passing fancy had to stay just that.
Jackson pinched off his hat and dropped it on the counter. He swept back his hair with his fingers, and then leaned a forearm on the counter. I forced myself to ignore the fact that he looked incredibly handsome. He watched as Mabel rang me up. Emma was still trying on clips. She picked one up and pressed it against her hair and turned to Jackson for his opinion.
“Very pretty,” he said.
“That’s that then,” she said confidently. “I’ve made my decision. Oh, but then I do like this one with the gold butterfly.”
Mabel glanced over at Jackson before shooting me a sly-eyed look as she handed me the change. “You have a nice day now.”
“Thank you so much for your help. Emma, I’ll wait outside for you.” I didn’t look at Jackson, but I sensed he was looking at me. The earlier hand trembling and the bitter feeling that’d washed over me when Mabel had mentioned his heartbreak were warning signs that I’d already formed an attachment to the man. I just didn’t need that.
I walked out of the store, nearly feeling sick from it all. I reached the car and hadn’t heard his footsteps behind me. I gasped as his fingers gripped my arm. When Griggs had grabbed me, it had sent a cold chill up my arm. I had the opposite reaction to Jackson’s slightly forceful grasp. I felt the warmth of his fingers on my skin. He turned me around. He looked decidedly less confident than when he’d first walked into the store.
His eyes looked midnight blue in the bright sun. “Are you upset with me?”
“Not at all.” I pushed up what I knew was a forced looking smile.
“Not at all?” he asked, skeptically. “So, if I kiss you right now, you’ll be fine with that?”
I parted my lips to answer, although I wasn’t completely sure of my words. That didn’t matter though, because he quickly made good on his threat and pushed his mouth down over mine. Immediately my knees softened . . . along with my heart. I wrapped my free hand around the back of his neck to bring his mouth harder against mine. So much for keeping my guard up.
Chapter 11
Jackson
Charli was one of those girls you just couldn’t stop looking at. At least I couldn’t stop looking. Every time I saw her, I thought of a fairy tale my ma used to tell us about King Midas turning everything to gold. Charli was gold and copper, like a perfectly sculpted piece of art.
She popped her head out of the tent to hold up two pairs of shoes, her heels from our first date and her more practical black boots. “Since you haven’t told me where we’re going—”
“As much as I love those heels, put on the boots.” She disappeared back between the canvas flaps for a few minutes.
She came out of the tent, just pushing back her long waves under a green cloche hat. Her white dress hung loose around her slim hips. She stopped in front of me and held out her arms. “Do I look all right?” She reached up and tugged on the hat. “Rose lent me this hat. I’m afraid my wardrobe selection is pretty limited. Of course, I could have topped off the ensemble with a motorcycle helmet, but it doesn’t really go with the dress.”
“And that’s what I like about you. You have a dress, that is, by the way, very nice, and you have a motorcycle helmet. Not many women can say that.” There were plenty of carnival workers milling around, but I didn’t care. After the kiss at Mabel’s, I’d been thinking of nothing else other than touching her again.
I took hold of her hand and tipped her chin up to get a better view of her lips under the bucket shaped hat. I kissed her and, as always, she
melted in my arms. She reacted instantly to my touch, soft and willing, and it made me want more of her. I lifted my mouth. Her brown eyes glittered with specks of gold.
“Where are you taking me? I hope not a speakeasy. I think Buck headed over to that place, Breakers, for some poker.” A frown appeared after she spoke the last words.
“Buck likes to gamble?” I asked.
“Unfortunately. Griggs and he have formed this friendship, but I don’t trust that man at all.”
“Smart girl. But I’m sure Buck can take care of himself.” I opened the car door, and she climbed inside.
I cranked the car motor and hopped into the driver’s seat.
“You still haven’t told me where you’re taking me.”
“You’ll see. There’s something I want to show you.” I pulled out onto the road. It was late afternoon, and much of the daylight was thinning into shadows. With the carnival being closed for the day, it was once again quiet on Thatcher Road, the road leading to the empty cornfields. We passed a few cars filled with enthusiastic passengers dressed in glad rags and ready for a day at the carnival, but it wasn’t long before those same cars turned around and rumbled along behind us, the faces in the cars looking much less happy. “I guess you’ve probably had a few cars spinning around in your lot, disappointed that the carnival was closed.”
“We even had one car full of people throw empty soda bottles at the ticket wagon and yell a hurricane of curse words from the windows. They circled around in the dirt, spinning tires and blowing their very obnoxious horn for about five minutes until Hector walked out.” She laughed. “All he had to do was stand there with his glower and his beastly arms crossed over his massive chest, and the driver pushed down the lever and took off in high gear.” She pushed the hem of her dress down over her knee and straightened the hat.
“Who is Hector, and how do I avoid him?”
“Hector is our carnival strongman. He’s actually as sweet as a puppy dog when you get to know him. It’s a different story when he’s in the fight ring. He can make cracker dust out of anyone who dares to challenge him. He’s going to be the star fighter for the amateur fight ring Griggs and Buck are starting. If you’re a gambling man, I’ve got a tip for you. Don’t bet against Hector.”