Deborah Camp

by To Seduce andDefend

  “Nothing mostly,” Zach said with a quirk of his lips. “And he seems to be mighty good at it.”

  “So he won’t be a problem,” Jennie said with a smile of relief. “That’s good.”

  Zach held up one hand. “I didn’t say that. He is Luna’s way of staking her claim on that land. She’s making money off it by leasing it to a neighbor as grazing land.”

  “When you get the land for us, can you force her to give us the money she has made off our land?”

  Zach shook his head and chuckled. “You’re getting way ahead of yourself.”

  Jennie puffed out a sigh of frustration. “Things seem to be going very slowly. I thought when you invited me here that you had something important to tell me.” Since Zach was studying his clasped hands, Jennie looked toward the other people in the room. Bert was bent over her embroidery and Adam seemed to be engrossed in the shadows playing across the ceiling.

  “I would like to snap my fingers and have Luna sign the deed over to you,” Zach said, demonstrating by rubbing his middle finger across his thumb. “But it’s going to take time. She’s stubborn and the law is on her side for now. I looked over the court documents and they all seem to be in order. I even asked around about your husband’s behavior and …”

  “And what?” Jennie asked, turning sideways to see him wince. “What behavior?”

  Zach wagged his head to downplay the importance of what he was about to say. “Just that he enjoyed Luna’s company. Nobody was surprised when they got married.”

  Cold reality splashed through Jennie’s veins and she shivered. Had she ever really known Charles? “I see.”

  “I know that’s hard to hear —.”

  “Yes, and it has been even harder to believe,” Jennie admitted, hearing the husky tone in her voice, roughened by the tide of her emotions. “I’ve seen the pitying looks of people who come into the dry goods store. It seems that everyone knows about my philandering husband and that I was ignorant about the whole, ugly affair. What they don’t understand is that the man they knew or heard about was not the man I loved.”

  “Townsfolk haven’t been rude to you, have they?” Bert asked, sitting forward in the rocker, her face set in lines of worry. “They haven’t been spouting off?”

  “No, nothing like that. People, actually, have been respectful and kind.” She swallowed and forced a smile to her lips. “But they know about Charles and Luna and why I have come to Guthrie, It makes me uncomfortable.”

  “Keep in mind that there are many women here who are your kindred spirits.” Adam’s eyes glimmered with kindness behind his glasses.

  “I know, but I don’t think any of them had husbands who divorced them, married someone else, and then returned to them with nary a word about it.” The bolt of anger that blasted through her took her by surprise. She stared at her tightly clasped hands and wished Charles was standing before her so that she could shake some sense into him. Alarmed at her thoughts, her gaze bounced up to collide with Zach’s. He was frowning slightly and concern glinted in his eyes. She had the distinct feeling that he had almost read her mind.

  “I want to see the land,” she said, suddenly feeling a desperate urge to do something, to make something happen. Anger flashed through her again when Zach shook his head. “And why not?” she demanded.

  “Parks isn’t one to be trifled with and —.”

  “I have no intention of trifling with him or even speaking to him. I want to see the property and the house.”

  “I will take you there, but I don’t want you going there without me. Do I make myself clear on this?”

  “Are you issuing me orders, Counselor Warner?” she asked, archly.

  He settled back on the settee and slanted his left ankle across his right knee. “I’m trying to keep you out of harm’s way, Mrs. Hastings.” His blue eyes sparked briefly in the dimly lighted room. “Parks could be dangerous. You shouldn’t travel to that property alone.”

  She glanced around and saw that Adam and Bert both wore expressions of concern and she surrendered. “Okay, fine. But I am curious about it. Is the house very large?”

  “It’s small, but plenty big for you and Oliver. The place isn’t too far from town and it is good grazing land. I think Hastings made a good purchase.”

  She smiled, her imagination weaving a scene of her and Oliver sitting by a warm fire in their own parlor and playing a game of dominos. She blinked away the image and felt moisture on her lashes. “It’s nearly Oliver’s bedtime. I should be going.”

  “Of course.” Zach stood and offered his hand to her as she rose from the sofa.

  “Thanks again for your hospitality,” she said, turning to Adam and Bertha.

  “It was our pleasure,” Bert said, setting aside her embroidery hoop and pushing up from the rocker. “Next time I want you to bring Oliver with you.”

  “Absolutely,” Adam agreed as he stood. He placed a hand on Zach’s shoulder. “See you tomorrow.”

  “I have court until the afternoon,” Zach reminded him as he ushered Jennie toward the front door.

  “Another divorce, another dollar,” Adam chanted, then gulped and turned red when he realized what he’d said in front of a client. “I mean … I shouldn’t have —.”

  Jennie smiled and laid a hand on his sleeve. “No harm done. Good night.”

  After she was settled beside Zach in the buggy and they were jostling along the street, she gathered her shawl closer around her. “I suppose that dealing with so many marriages that have gone wrong would make one a bit jaded.”

  “A bit.”

  There was something in his tone that made her look away from the city’s buildings and squint against the darkness to better see his face. Shadows hid his features from her. “Have you ever been married?”

  His shoulders shook in a silent laugh. “Not on your life.”

  “Have you ever been in love?”

  He turned his face toward her and his eyes glistened in the darkness like starlight on a still pond. “Hundreds of times.”

  She looked away from him to hide her disappointment. They had turned onto a main thoroughfare and he guided the horse and buggy to one side of the road. “You are joking with me now.”

  “Am I?”

  “No one falls in love hundreds of times.”

  “I beg to differ. Every time I’m with a beautiful woman, I fall head over heels.”

  For an instant, she wanted to throttle him. Was he truly that dense, that cavalier to believe that the shooting star of lust was equal to the enduring sun of true love? Her pique of anger subsided, replaced by pity when she realized that he was only partly teasing her.

  “You have never been in love,” she said. The buggy passed under a streetlight, giving her a glimpse of his smiling face. “Otherwise, you would not say such a foolish thing.”

  “I’m a student of human nature, and from my studies, I believe love is the same as other emotions, such as anger, happiness, despair, and joy. It comes and goes.”

  “You’re wrong. Love can be everlasting.” She spotted the outline of the boarding house ahead of them.

  “Anything is possible.” He gave a quick shrug. “And many things are improbable.”

  She opened her mouth to argue, then thought better of it. What was it to her if he clung to his cold ideas of what can exist between a man and a woman? She mirrored his shrug and flashed him a smile. “I embrace the possibilities in life, Zachary Warner, which is why I believe you will find a way to move me and my son onto the land my husband bought for us.”

  She thought she heard him suck in a quick breath, but she couldn’t be sure. He jerked on the reins, stopping the horse in its tracks and making the buggy lurch.

  “Oh!” Jennie gripped the side of the buggy to keep from toppling forward.

  “Sorry.” He wrapped the reins around the brake and jumped down from the buggy. He was around to her side in the blink of an eye.

  Jennie took his proffered hand and stepped down
to the ground. Light spilled from several windows in the boarding house. A couple of people sat in the rockers on the front porch, obviously watching them. Jennie eased her hand from Zach’s, feeling conspicuous even in the twilight and shadows.

  “Good night,” she said, barely above a whisper.

  He dipped his head and touched the fingers of one hand to the brim of his hat. “I’ll be in touch.”

  She walked along the pathway that led to the front porch, glancing once over her shoulder to see him turn the buggy around in the street and head back the way they had come. She wondered where he lived in town.

  Gloria Philpot and her mother, Adella Carter, sat in the rocking chairs. “Was that Zach Warner?” Mrs. Carter asked in her creaky voice.

  “Yes. He’s my attorney. Do you know him, Mrs. Carter?”

  She nodded and grinned. “He’s easy on the eyes.”

  “Mama!” Gloria tapped her mother playfully on the forearm. “You are a mess, you are!”

  “You think he’s pretty, too,” Mrs. Carter said. “Don’t say you don’t. Just about every female in town likes the looks of him.”

  “I just hope he is a good lawyer,” Jennie said, trying to defuse the situation. “Good night, ladies. I must see to my son.” She swept inside and up the stairs to Dottie Dandridge’s room, two doors down from her own. Tapping on the door, she went in when she heard Dottie’s voice.

  Dottie sat in a chair beside a lamp, a book in her hands. She lifted a finger to her lips and pointed to the bed where two little forms were snuggled under the covers. Jennie nodded and stepped further into the large room.

  “Did they wear each other out?” she whispered.

  “They did,” Dottie said with a grin.

  “Thanks for watching him. Shall I add it to your weekly pay?”

  “That will be just fine.”

  Jennie pulled back the covers, gazing down at her son. His lashes looked so long lying against his cheeks. He stirred and she bent and gathered him up into her arms. She kissed his forehead. Dottie handed her his shoes and she mouthed another “thank you” before she carried him to the room they shared.

  “Mama?” Oliver asked sleepily as she laid him on the bed to remove his socks, short pants, and shirt. “What did you eat?”

  “Fried chicken and potatoes. What did you eat?”

  “Beans, cornbread, and hog jowls.”

  “Hog jowls?”

  “They were fried up and real good.”

  “Well, I’m glad you enjoyed them.” She helped him to wiggle under the covers. Leaning over him, she kissed his forehead. “Good night, little man. I love you.”

  “’night, Mama,” he murmured, already falling back to sleep.

  Drifting to the windows, Jennie looked out at the street. Nothing stirred except the breeze in the trees and a cat moving stealthily from one side of the street to the other. She was reminded of the many nights that she had stood by her bedroom window in St. Louis and grieved for her husband. Night after night, she had wept, having presented a brave face during the days. She knew that she had to carry on for Oliver, but she had been unsure how to continue without Charles.

  Finding that land deed had given her a purpose, a direction. Guthrie had become a shining beacon in the dark, dangerous waters that she had been set adrift on.

  She wasn’t sure how she felt about Guthrie now. This is the town where my husband fell in love with another woman, she thought, trying to get used to the reality of it. Something happened to him here that made him reckless, thoughtless, and yes, heartless. Whatever had bewitched him had worn off because he had finally come to his senses and returned to her and Oliver.

  Was Zach right? Did love come and go? Had Charles loved her once, fallen out of love, and then loved her again? Was love as capricious as that?

  Looking over her shoulder at her sleeping son, she knew that love was not fleeting. It could change, yes. Love could deepen, waver, and even wane. But she believed with all of her heart that love didn’t disappear like smoke. Once you truly loved someone, even when the relationship no longer existed, a piece of your heart would be forever claimed by that person.

  She was no longer in love with Charles, but she couldn’t bring herself to hate him or even to wish she had never met him. She had loved him and she believed that he had loved her. Their love had created Oliver.

  Closing her eyes, she sent up a prayer for strength and courage. Tomorrow she would begin her own campaign to right the wrongs that had been done to her and Oliver. She prayed that Zach Warner would find a legal way to overturn Luna’s claim to the land, but she wasn’t going to leave it all up to him.

  She had a plan and she was confident she would get results.

  The café was busy, full of women having tea and biscuits and exchanging bits of news and opinions. It was the perfect place to release a pesky bit of mischief that Jennie hoped would buzz and buzz and eventually wing its way to Luna Lee.

  “Will you try?”

  Jennie blinked and focused her attention on Sarah. “Try what?”

  “To make the navy blue dress more fashionable,” Sarah said, furrowing her brow. “Isn’t that what we were discussing?”

  “Yes, I’m sorry, my thoughts wandered for a moment …the dress … yes, I think a tapered waist instead of that draped skirt and a different neckline are what it needs.”

  “Exactly,” Sarah agreed with a smile. “Modern fashion doesn’t make it to Guthrie often enough. One problem is that dear Rachel simply doesn’t know what to order! She is a sweet woman, but she knows nothing of fashion.” Sarah sipped the hot tea. “I will pay you for your time and talent.”

  “Wait and see if you think it’s worth any payment,” Jennie said, laughing. “I’m not a professional seamstress, by any stretch of the imagination.” She glanced around at the women seated nearby and was thrilled to see Hettie Abraham within earshot. Hettie was one of the town’s most notorious big-mouths. It was Jennie’s lucky day.

  “How is Oliver doing?”

  “He’s making friends and having fun. I worried so about him and how this move would affect him, but children are resilient. Much more than adults.”

  Sarah nodded. “We could learn something from them. Are you finding your way now? Are you feeling better about leaving all of this unpleasant business for Zachary Warner to sort out for you?”

  “I understand he is serving my best interests. I shouldn’t have called on Luna that day. I’ve been thinking about it and I have no desire to ever see her again.”

  Sarah’s dark brows shot up. “Really?”

  “My grandmother used to tell me, ‘Jennie, if you lie with dogs, you get fleas.’ One look at Luna Lee Bishop and I could tell she was not the kind of person I wanted to associate with. I can only imagine that Charles took to drink and that’s why he found her the least bit attractive. He must have been full of the devil’s brew the day he married her.”

  Sarah glanced around the café nervously. “Dear Jennie, you should lower your voice. Not everyone here knows how to keep one’s confidence and —.”

  “I have nothing to say to that woman and I’m certain she could say nothing of interest to me – nothing that I would believe, anyway. I think she is right not to confront me. I can understand if she is too embarrassed to talk to me about callously taking a father away from a young son. It must be difficult for her to live with herself.”

  “We should go.” Sarah motioned for the waitress as she pulled several coins from her purse. “I don’t want to keep you from your work.”

  Jennie allowed Sarah to escort her quickly from the café. Sarah blew out a sigh as they walked side by side along the wide sidewalk along Division Street.

  “Everyone is not your champion, Jennie. I am, and certainly Zachary Warner is, but others in this town don’t know you and —.”

  “I know what I was doing, Sarah,” Jennie said, glancing sideways at her and giving her a smile. “I wanted the others in the café to hear me – especially Hettie A
braham. It’s an experiment of mine.”

  “If you hope to make Luna your sworn enemy, then you have accomplished it.”

  “She already is my sworn enemy. She has made that quite clear. She intends to pretend that I don’t exist. I have just made it difficult for her to ignore me.”

  Sarah paused and grabbed Jennie by the elbow to stop her. “Why are you forcing her hand? What do you think she can say or do that will help you in any way?”

  “I don’t know. But I think she should have the common decency to speak with me.”

  “If she knows anything that could help you, she won’t tell you,” Sarah said with a shake of her head. “This is an exercise in futility, Jennie, and Luna is not a woman to rile up. She is married to an important man in this town now. She has position and money and that means she can buy herself some friends when she needs them.”

  “I want to talk to her, woman to woman. I want to determine what Charles saw in her, what made him turn his back on me to take up with her.”

  “What difference can that make? It will only open wounds for you. Charles was unfaithful. He’s not the first married man to trounce on his vows and he won’t be the last. The more you hear about his sordid affair, the more tears you will cry. Is that what you want?”

  Several people jostled past them, making Jennie and Sarah squeeze closer to the outside of the buildings. Sarah whispered in Jennie’s ear, “Let it go, dear. Let him go.”

  “I have let him go.” Jennie straightened and began walking briskly toward the dry goods store again. “But what I won’t let go of is my land. I believe Luna is hiding something. If she is an innocent party in it all, she could have told me that. She could have told me that she didn’t know that Charles had a wife and son waiting for him and that she didn’t know that he had divorced me without a word. I would have listened, accepted it, and tried to reason with her that the land was purchased mostly with my money. We surely could have come to a meeting of the minds.”

  “And if I could sprout wings, I could fly to Boston and see my children,” Sarah, stated, dryly. “You have lived in a sheltered world. Luna has not. You are a curious little kitty who has just pulled the tail of a sleeping cougar.”