“If we do this, I want you to have plenty of protection. I’ll have someone with me,” Dusty said.
“Do you have anyone in mind?”
“Yes, the best man I know for such a job.”
“Ethan Bredlow?”
“Wade Simmer.”
“No!” Jesse stood suddenly. “I’ll not do it if you have him.”
“Don’t get all riled up. I’ll ask Ethan.”
“All right. Martha wants to leave at the end of next week. That will give me time to get an item in the paper and to spread the word. The way the people in this town gossip, every person within forty miles will know that I’ll be spending a few days with Mrs. Pennybrook,” Jesse spat out the words contemptuously.
The girl had been hurt and hurt badly. Dusty didn’t know the reason for her breakup with Wade, but both of them were suffering. As he stood in the doorway and watched Jesse leave, his mind was busy with a plan. He would ask Ethan Bredlow to keep watch with him, as he had told Jesse he would do. And he’d also ask Wade, who would be mad as hell when he found out Jesse was going to be used as bait to catch The Looker.
On the following Friday morning, Jesse packed a small bag and headed uptown. That morning she’d had a lengthy session with her father.
“Jesse, I wish you wouldn’t do this. Every woman who has admitted to being visited has said the man carries a knife.”
“I’ll be all right. If The Looker comes, the marshal and Ethan will be there.”
“I had a long talk with Dusty. He said he and Ethan would be in an adjoining room, not twenty feet away. That may be too far if the man intends to hurt you.”
“He hasn’t hurt any of the women yet.”
“Don’t resist him, whatever you do.”
“Don’t worry, Papa—”
“Jesse—” Pauline stood in the doorway. “Be careful. He may decide to do more than look.”
“He might not even show up. I’ve got to be going.” She kissed her father on the forehead. “Don’t worry, Papa,” she said again.
Pauline walked with her to the door. “Part of me hopes you catch him, and part of me hopes he doesn’t show up.”
Jesse laughed. “He may not want to look at my old disfigured body.”
“Old? You’re not as old as some he’s looked at.”
“Yeah, but they didn’t have a breast with a side drawn in with a puckered scar. Maybe he’ll want to see it.”
Pauline watched her friend walk down the street. Her reddish-brown hair was coiled neatly at the nape of her neck, her shoulders were squared and her chin raised. Jesse had changed since she had been abandoned by Wade, and Ethan was sure that misery was eating the man alive. Pauline hadn’t laid eyes on Wade since she and Ethan had gone to the train station to see him and Jody off to Tuskegee. He had looked hollow-eyed and gaunt even then.
Jesse stepped onto the boardwalk that ran the length of the business district. She passed the newspaper office and waved to Ethan through the window. Proceeding on, she entered the mercantile. Pat Efthim was seated in a chair behind the counter.
“You’re looking chipper,” Jesse said by way of a greeting.
“If this baby doesn’t come soon, I’ll be as big as a cow,” Pat said with a little laugh. “Dick can hardly wait. You’d think that this was the only baby ever to come into the world.”
“He’ll probably decide to meet his parents in the middle of the night, and Dick will run all the way to our house,” Jesse said teasingly.
“I hope not. I’d hate having to disturb the doctor’s rest.”
“He’s used to it. Send someone right away. He hates coming in at the last minute.”
“I hear you’re staying with Mrs. Pennybrook for a few days.”
“Her daughter told Papa that she was worried about leaving her mother alone, and Papa asked me to stay with her. It’ll be a nice vacation. I can catch up on my reading.”
“Be careful.” Pat gripped Jesse’s hand. “Lock all the windows and doors.”
“I will.”
The jingle of the bell on the screen door sounded.
“Mrs. Harper,” Pat whispered. “She comes in to check prices so she can compare with the prices in their store.”
Jesse waited, thinking she would slip out the door when Mrs. Harper went to the back of the store. She wasn’t that lucky.
“Jesse, dear. I didn’t see you at first. We’re all so glad you’ve recovered from your terrible… ordeal.”
“—And come to my senses, huh, Mrs. Harper?”
“That too, dear. We would like for you to come to dinner Sunday after church. Edsel has been so concerned about you.”
“I’m busy this Sunday, Mrs. Harper, and every Sunday for the rest of my life. Tell Edsel he needn’t be concerned for me. He should be concerned for his own reputation. The kids found the dirty magazines he had hidden in the back of his buggy. They’re having a high old time looking at the pictures of naked women.”
Mrs. Harper’s mouth opened and closed, opened and closed, like a fish out of water. She gasped for breath. Jesse, looking her straight in the eyes, felt not a whit of sympathy for the woman.
“I’ve got to be going. Bye, Pat. See you in a day or two.”
Jesse took her leave feeling a little guilty about leaving Pat with the town’s “first lady” as Mrs. Harper liked to be called. She hadn’t meant to tell about the dirty magazines, but the viciousness of the Harper attack on Wade, the snubs she had received when she was keeping company with him, had caused her to want to bring the woman down a notch. The revelation did a mite more than that, Jesse thought. It had shocked her speechless.
A light shone from the front bedroom window of the rambling old house. Jesse moved about the room just as the marshal had told her to do. Wade and Ethan squatted in the bushes in the back of the house until the light was extinguished. When they slipped in the back door, Dusty was waiting for them.
“Any trouble?”
“None,” Ethan said.
“Where is Mrs. Pennybrook?” Wade asked in a whisper.
“She sleeps upstairs,” Dusty replied. “If the guy comes, he’ll come in the front window. I told Jesse to leave it open as we did the side window. It’s too hot to close them anyway. There’s a split in the screen on the front window, and it can be opened easily. If he comes, he’ll pull down the shade and after he blindfolds her, he’ll light the lamp. All we can do is sit tight and wait.”
“How’s Jesse holding up?” Wade’s anxious whisper came out of the darkness.
“Good. She’s got grit. She’s ready for him to come. She doesn’t know you’re here, Wade. She said she’d not do it if you were here.”
Dusty heard an indrawn breath before Wade sank down on the floor just outside the doorway to the room where Jesse was sleeping. Just before dawn he nudged Dusty awake.
“It doesn’t look like the bastard is going to take the bait tonight.”
“We’ll wait a while longer. Jesse said he came to one woman just before daylight.”
They waited until daylight, then left the house one at a time. Dusty was the last to leave. He went into Jesse’s room and gently shook her shoulder.
“I’m not asleep, marshal. He didn’t come.”
“No, but there’s the chance he’ll come tonight. You didn’t get much sleep. It’s daylight. It’s safe to sleep now. I’ll be leaving by the back way. You’re a spunky woman, Jesse. Your pa must be proud of you.”
“You and Ethan will be here tonight?”
“As soon as you turn out your light we’ll slip in the back door. You’re not to worry. One of us will have our ear to the door all night long.”
The next night went by, and, much to the disappointment of those who waited, The Looker didn’t show up.
On Sunday night, the last night Jesse was to stay with Mrs. Pennybrook, Wade, Ethan and the marshal slipped into the house just after dark. They had circled the town on foot and had approached the Pennybrook house from the rear.
“If he doesn’t come tonight, we’ll have to think of another setup,”
Ethan whispered. “He may have gone out of town. How long has it been since he’s looked at a woman?”
“It’s hard to tell. Most women keep it to themselves.” Dusty put his hat on the table and ran his stubby fingers through his hair. “That Jesse is a spunky woman. She’s done the same thing each night—paraded around in her nightdress before she shuts out the light.”
Wade sat on the floor and stretched his long legs out in front of him. Both he and Ethan wore moccasins. Ethan had grinned when he caught Wade eyeing his well-worn, unadorned, knee-high leather boots.
“I’ve had these a long time. They’re good for sneaking about.”
Wade had not really had a close friend other than Ike Spangler and Jody. He liked Ethan. He knew that his lighthearted manner was a cover-up. That was what made him such a valued agent. Ethan was a man of principle and Wade liked that. He and Pauline were in love and planning a life together. If only he and Jesse had been able to. When Wade thought of how sweet and trusting Jesse had been when she had lain in his arms, he felt an acute pain around his heart.
Through the crack in the door that was slightly ajar, Wade could hear the bed springs squeak as Jesse rolled over in the bed.
Jesse love, Jesse love. Not being with you is killing me.
“If you two want to sleep, I’ll keep watch until midnight,” Dusty whispered.
“You go ahead and catch a few winks. I’ve got too much on my mind to sleep.” Wade crossed his legs and leaned back against the wall.
Lord, but he wished the bastard would come. The Harpers were still spreading it about that he was the one. Now that he came to town every day or so to ask the marshal, Ethan or Ike Spangler about Jesse, the rumors were thicker than ever. He didn’t care for himself, but… Jesse, his love, who had acted as if the opinion of the town people didn’t matter, had been hurt because of her association with him. People would be more inclined to forgive her for her indiscretion, if the intruder were caught and it was proved that The Looker was not Wade Simmer.
During the night, Wade had to nudge Dusty. He came awake instantly.
“Nothing has happened,” Wade whispered. “You were snoring.”
“Hellfire. I had forgotten that I snore like a buzz saw. Glad you woke me. I’ll take a turn—”
“Shhh—” Wade put his hand on Dusty’s arm. His sharp ears, used to sorting out the usual sounds from the ones that did not belong, had heard a faint scraping. A few seconds passed and they heard the screen being lifted away from the window. The intruder entered the room silently, then came the sound of the shade being drawn.
“It’s him.” Wade barely breathed the words. He touched Ethan on the shoulder before silently getting to his feet. Ethan was beside him in a second, and the three men waited. Fear for Jesse made Wade’s muscles tighten. His ears strained for the slightest sound.
The man followed his regular pattern. After a gasp from Jesse, they could hear his husky whisper as he talked to her.
“I won’t hurt you. I’m going to take my hand from your eyes and tie a cloth over them. No, don’t fight me. I don’t dare let you see me. Understand? Now don’t be scared and don’t cry out or I’ll have to put a gag in your mouth. I don’t want to do that. I may want to kiss your sweet lips.”
On hearing that, Wade made a move to push open the door. Dusty caught his arm.
“I’m going to tie your hands to the head of the bed. That’s a good girl. I’ve got a knife in my hand. If you don’t behave I’ll have to put my mark on you. You’ve been wanting this. I’ve watched you walking back and forth in your nightdress with the light on. You wanted me to come and look at you. I’ve waited so long to see your pretty breasts. I don’t care that one of them is scarred. I’ll kiss it first. Now be still. I’m going to light the lamp. You’re so pretty and… sweet. I’ve just got to see all of you and… touch you.”
Wade slowly and carefully eased the door open. He slipped through. The man was bent over the bed, his knife at Jesse’s throat ready to cut away her nightdress. Wade crept up behind him, locked an arm around his neck and jerked him away from the bed. Ethan grabbed the hand with the open knife and it fell to the floor.
“Marshal? Ethan?” Jesse cried in a choaked voice. “Untie me. I can’t stand it. Hurry, please.”
Wade spun the man toward Dusty, stuck out his foot and the man sprawled on the floor.
“Jesus!” Dusty exclaimed when he saw the man’s face.
Wade took the knife from Ethan, went to the bed and cut the cloth binding Jesse’s hands. He gathered her in his arms and held her so tight she could scarcely breathe.
The smell of his skin, the familiar strength of his arms and the pounding of his heart told her who it was that held her.
“Wade! Wade, it’s you!”
Wade pulled the blindfold from her eyes and buried his face in the curve of her neck.
“Don’t send me away,” he whispered frantically. “Please. I’m dying inside.”
Frightened, she clung to him, welcoming the protection of his arms. “Take a look at The Looker, Miss Jesse,” Dusty’s voice reached them. “You’d never guess who he is.
Wade lifted his head. Jesse looked into his face and saw the ravages of sleepless nights and restless days. A mist in his eyes made them look like green mountain pools. Jesse felt naked, inside and out, before this man who had rejected her. But she couldn’t seem to pull away. She turned her head to look at the man Dusty was handcuffing.
Jesse stared speechless with shock, until anger bubbled to the surface.
“Good heavens! Mr. Crane. How could you do such a despicable thing? The people in this town liked you, trusted you.”
The teacher hung his head and wouldn’t look at her.
“I’d like a minute or two alone with him, Dusty, but I’ve been in law enforcement long enough to know you can’t allow it.” Ethan grabbed a handful of hair and lifted Crane’s face. “You miserable bastard. What you’ve done to these women will stay with them for the rest of their lives.”
“I’m… sorry,” James Crane began to cry. “I didn’t hurt them. I just wanted to… look at them.”
“You violated them. You raped them with your eyes, you stupid son of a bitch,” Ethan growled.
“Need any help, Dusty?” Wade asked, his arms still locked around Jesse although she was trying to push away.
“Naw. Come to think on it, maybe I’d better catch the morning mail train and take this bird on down to the county jail. Folks in this town are mad as a hive of stirred-up bees. I’m afraid that when word gets out, they’ll swarm all over him. I might have trouble getting him out of town.”
“I didn’t hurt anyone,” James Crane babbled. “I didn’t hurt anyone.”
“Tell it to the judge,” Dusty said. “I’ll take him down to the jail and go buy a couple of tickets. You two were a big help, but we couldn’t have pulled it off without Jesse. Thanks, girl.”
“I thought sure it was Edsel,” Jesse said, looking over Wade’s shoulder.
“I wouldn’t have minded that at all,” Dusty said with a laugh. “ ’Course I’d have lost my job, but it would have been worth it.”
“Where do you plan to spend the rest of the night?” Ethan asked after Dusty had left with his prisoner.
“I couldn’t talk you into going to the livery and renting a buggy, could I? I’m taking Jesse home… to our house.”
Shocked by Wade’s words, Jesse began to protest.
“No! I’ve got to stay here with Mrs. Pennybrook.”
“Ethan will stay… after he brings the buggy.”
Ethan threw up his hands. “All in the name of love. If I don’t do it, Pauline will have my head in a basket.”
CHAPTER
* 25 *
Jesse pushed against Wade’s chest and his arms fell from around her.
“I told Dusty I didn’t want you here.”
“He told me.�
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“Then why did you come?”
“Because I couldn’t stay away.” Wade stood and looked down at her. “I’ll go in the other room while you get dressed.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you. You didn’t want me. Remember?” Something vulnerable inside her began to withdraw behind the protective screen of anger.
“We’re going someplace where we can talk. You can go in your nightclothes or you can dress. It’s up you. These last few weeks have been pure hell. Longing for you has turned me inside out.”
“You should have thought about that before you… abandoned me.”
“Is that what you think I did?”
“What else? I was weak from loss of blood and… hurting. You could have waited until I was stronger before you… you left me at the mercy of the gossips who delighted in saying I told you so.”
“At the time, I did what I thought was best for you. I saw your friends turn their backs on you. I almost got you killed.”
Jesse was desperately trying to keep her anger alive, or she would cry. Hugging the bedclothes to her, she glared up at him. His dark hair had fallen down on his forehead. He raked it back with spread fingers.
“You didn’t even take the trouble to talk it over with me,” she said, her voice quivering. “You made the decision that affected my life as well as yours. You had no regard for my feelings in the matter at all, only yours.”
“That’s not true. I came to believe that someday you’d regret marrying me. I thought it better that you be hurt a little now—”
“—A little?”
“Yes, I thought you’d get over it quicker. It would be better than having a lifetime of hurt. My mother was a town girl. She despised living in the hills. Life there is much different from what you’re used to. People are different.”
“You don’t know me at all, Wade. I didn’t give my heart lightly. I knew that you were a hill man and that you’d never be happy living in town, especially Boyd Harper’s town. I’m not a young, naive, adolescent girl.” Her eyes glistened with tears. “Is this what you wanted to talk about?”
“Yes, and how empty and miserable I am without you.”
Tenderness Page 29