He curved his arms around her slim shoulders and lower back, pulling her closer. Somewhere in the back of his brain he remembered they stood on the street, in front of her house. Her reputation would be ruined if anyone saw them. He pulled back and ran his knuckles down her cheek. “I’m sorry. Not for kissing you, but for not picking a more private place.”
Heidi’s breath came in gasps, but he didn’t think her problem stemmed from asthma. He arranged the scarf over her mouth to cover her kiss-swollen lips. “Is your breathing okay?”
She nodded, staring at him wide-eyed. He took her arm and they proceeded up the steps to the front door. “Good night,” Heidi whispered before she turned to enter the house. He watched the door close, leaving him feeling as if a cloud had floated in front of the sun.
****
Thankfully, Mrs. Wilson had retired for the night, leaving a small lamp burning in the hall to light the way to the stairs. Heidi slowly pulled off her gloves, unwound the scarf and shrugged out of her coat. The confusion with all the people at the Cochran house didn’t compare to her current bewilderment. Now that Michael had kissed her twice, what did it mean?
Clarence had never kissed her in such a way, and Clarence was her betrothed. Or at least he thought they were still betrothed. She really had to straighten that out with him. Plain and simple. She had no intention of marrying Clarence Manfred. If no other man would have her—and right her heart would accept only one—then she would become like Ellie, and fight for women’s rights, and attend meetings, and have lots and lots of friends.
But what if she could have what she really wanted? Michael. As her husband, her friend, her lover. Even though no one heard her thoughts, she still felt the heat rise in her face, at the idea of Michael as her lover. Clarence had made clear his lack of interest in her that way. But if Michael’s kiss indicated anything, perhaps she wasn’t so unappealing after all.
She picked up the lamp and carried it to her room. The mess of dresses still lay scattered on the floor, over the only chair, and on the bed. Wearily, she picked them up and hung them in the closet.
Even though she hadn’t been plagued with breathing problems all day, fatigue dragged her down. She splashed her face with the now cold water in the bowl on her dresser, and reaching for a towel, dried off. Next she undid her hair, brushed it, and re-braided the curls into a loose plait hanging down her back.
Her soft cotton nightgown felt good against her skin, touching parts of her body she’d never been aware of before. Parts that seemed to come alive with Michael’s kiss. Her mother had never addressed what happened between a man and a woman in the marriage bed, because whatever mystery surrounded the occurrence would not be for her. At least not with Clarence, anyway.
Her fingers gently touched her nipple, and she jerked when a strange sensation raced from the tip of her finger to her woman’s core. She hurried into bed and pulled the covers up to her shoulders, and turned on her side, her hands together under her cheek.
Tomorrow being Sunday, she would not have to spend the day in the store with Michael, unsure how to act. Again she came back to her initial question. Why did he kiss her again?
Chapter Ten
On Sunday morning, Clarence sat on the edge of the hotel bed, his aching head resting in his hands. Why did he drink so much whiskey last night? Tiny men with hammers had taken up residence in his head, and the inside of his mouth reminded him of a wad of old, smelly cotton. His eyes stung, his stomach churned, but above all else he burned with hatred for Michael Henderson.
By the time he’d awoken yesterday, after his altercation with Henderson in the bar Friday night, the pharmacy had already closed. Why would they only be open half a day on Saturday? Once again, he found himself stuck in the miserable town of Guthrie with no idea of his fiancée’s whereabouts.
After a bath and shave at the bathhouse, he’d gotten something to eat and then headed to the Blue Belle Saloon.
The barbs he’d received from the men who’d been a witness to his disgrace the night before had been bad enough. Until several of Miss Lizzy’s girls had cheerfully informed him his nemesis had given his favorite whore money to leave town. She’d been packed, and on the train within hours.
His stomach knotted. Given Heidi’s naivety, the halfwit girl would imagine in no time that Henderson was some sort of god. A rescuer of women, a protector of the weak. The thought almost pushed him over the edge, and throw up the contents of his already suffering stomach. If he didn’t force her away from here and that blasted store, his entire future could be in jeopardy.
She may have been elusive up till now, but Heidi Lester never missed Sunday worship. As much as it pained him, he needed to gather his strength, to stand, wash up, dress, and head to church. He glanced at his timepiece. If he hurried, he could probably catch the Lesters and his mother before they left the hotel, and be viewed as the ever faithful fiancé joining them for Services.
Mr. Lester slapped him on the back as he approached them in the lobby of the hotel. “Manfred, good to see you, boy. We missed you last night, wanted to invite you to dinner with us, but you’d already left your room.”
Clarence felt his brain slam against his skull. And the pain!
“Are you all right, Clarence? You look like you’re getting sick.” His mother rested her palm on his forehead like he was a boy.
He yanked his head away. “I’m fine.”
She rose on her toes and examined his face. “You’ve been in a fight.”
Both Lesters turned at her words and studied him.
“No. Of course I wasn’t in a fight, Mother. I got up during the night and walked into the dresser in the dark.” He grabbed her arm before she could say any more, and escorted her to Mr. Lester’s rented buggy.
He would ensure his fiancée paid for all the misery she’d brought him. On the ride to church, his mother chatted on and on about some stupid play, and just in case he didn’t hear every boring word out of her mouth, she kept nudging him in the side as she spoke. His headache had blown into epic proportions and the buggy ride churned his stomach like a small ship batted around in a sea storm.
Eventually they reached the church, and Clarence hopped out before the buggy barely stopped. He turned to help his mother down while she still gabbed on about something else. Too bad it was generally frowned upon to shake one’s mother until her teeth rattled.
“Look, there’s Heidi.” Mrs. Lester hurried away from the group and joined her daughter at the entrance to the church. The women hugged and Mrs. Lester held her at arms-length to run her gaze over the girl. She beamed with maternal love and pride. Clarence wanted to grab Heidi by the hair and drag her back to Oklahoma City. Instead, he planted a smile on his face as he approached mother and daughter.
He took Heidi’s hand and kissed it. “My dear, such a pleasure to see you.” As he released her hand, he noticed the absence of her engagement ring. Anger turned the sour stomach into a blazing furnace. What did the missing ring mean?
Mr. Lester took his daughter into his arms and hugged her while Mrs. Manfred patted her on the shoulder. They all acted like she’d returned from the dead. The girl had done nothing but upset everyone’s life and create a nuisance for him.
“Are you getting enough to eat, dear?” Mrs. Lester frowned. “I think you’ve lost weight.”
“No, Mother. In fact I attended a birthday party yesterday, and ate so much I’m still full.”
“A birthday party?” Clarence smiled through a clenched jaw.
“Yes.” She turned to her parents. “We should move inside. The service will begin shortly.”
A damn birthday party. She wasn’t in town long enough to know anyone, except Henderson. Had it been his birthday? Did he and Heidi go out on the town, drinking champagne and celebrating?
They took their places in a pew and removed gloves, unbuttoned coats, and picked up hymnals. Through some fast maneuvering, he’d managed to sit on the end, with Heidi next to him. He took her hand in hi
s and leaned close to her ear. “Where is your engagement ring, dearest?”
Heidi shook her head and pointed forward where the preacher stepped into the sanctuary, and the organist began playing Amazing Grace. The rest of the service proved long and boring. He itched to grab Heidi and pull her outside and demand to know what was going on. He needed to straighten a few things out with her before he left later today.
The service finally came to an end and they joined the line shuffling forward to speak with the pastor and exit the church.
Bright sunlight hurt his burning eyes when he stepped outside. Mrs. Lester immediately took her daughter’s arm, and heads together, walked toward the buggy.
“Wait!” Clarence caught up to them. “Heidi, I would like to spend the day with you since I must return to Oklahoma City later today.”
Mr. Lester approached Clarence and slapped him on the back. Once again his brain slammed into his skull. “We all want to spend time with Heidi, so I suggest we have a nice dinner at the hotel and visit in the lobby.”
Heidi smiled at the suggestion, and he didn’t imagine the relief in her eyes. Yes, definitely something was going on. No matter, he would find a way to corner her, and demand some answers. If only he didn’t feel so dreadful.
****
Relief flooded her as Heidi resumed the walk with her mother. She scolded herself for not remembering to wear her ring. Of course Clarence would notice its absence first thing. He wouldn’t speak of it in front of her parents, but based on the anger in his eyes, he would definitely try to question her at some point. She wasn’t prepared to face him on the subject yet. Just because she’d decided she didn’t want to marry him, didn’t mean he would be amenable. For some strange reason, he seemed determined to have her as his wife, even though he’d made it clear she would be no wife in truth.
Five people in the buggy made for a tight ride. Heidi, her mother, and Mrs. Manfred were all squashed in the back, while Clarence rode up front with Papa. Mrs. Manfred dominated the conversation, for which Heidi remained grateful, not anxious to once again defend her decision, which she would have to do before long.
The warmth of the blazing stove in the hotel lobby attracted them all like bears to honey after the cold ride from church. Heidi kept herself as far from Clarence as possible without bringing undue attention to herself. Her eyes grew wide as she looked at Clarence’s face for the first time as he spoke to her father. She’d been so busy keeping her eyes downcast to avoid him, she’d never noticed the bruise on his jaw, and high on his cheekbone, right under his eye.
She frowned. Strange. Michael had bruises on his face he refused to talk about. Had the two men been injured at the same time? Her breath hitched. Could they have been fighting each other? No. A ridiculous thought. Merely a coincidence.
They settled into seats at a round table, with Clarence taking the seat to her right. As Heidi looked closer, his appearance shocked her. Not only the injuries to his face, but his skin had a grayish hue, and his eyes were so red, they appeared to be bleeding.
“How is Mr. Henderson’s breathing treatment working for you?” Mrs. Lester inspected her daughter’s face as she spoke, grasping her chin, and moving her head one way, then the other.
“It’s working wonderfully, Mother. I haven’t had an attack in days. Mr. Henderson has me keeping a journal of what I eat and where I go because he said there’s evidence asthma attacks can arise due to allergies to food or plants of some kinds.”
Mr. Lester set his menu down and turned to her. “I don’t understand how a shop keeper would know so much about medicine.”
“He’s not merely a shop keeper, Papa. Michael graduated from the Norman College of Pharmacy. He’s a licensed pharmacist, and knows a great deal about medicines and how each one works. Why, even Dr. Kane consults him on different medications to use for his patients.”
“Michael?” Clarence regarded her with raised eyebrows. “I thought his name was Mr. Henderson.”
Heidi felt the heat rise to her cheeks. “Since we work together every day, we address each other by our given names.”
“I don’t like this situation one bit,” Clarence said with a shake of his head. “As my fiancée, I am against you working in a shop, and I certainly don’t want you calling that man by his given name, nor him calling you by yours.” He glared across the table at Mr. Lester. “I see this as the problem with allowing men and women to work together. They become entirely too familiar, and that’s totally inappropriate.”
All eyes were on Clarence, and silence descended as he ended his rant. He fussed with his shirt collar and examined his menu.
“I certainly understand your objection, Clarence,” Mrs. Lester said, then turned to Heidi. “I think I prefer you reverting back to calling each other by your proper titles.”
There would be more important issues to discuss today. As none of those present would be in a position to hear what she and Michael called each other in the store, Heidi demurred. “Yes, Mother.”
Clarence smiled slightly, apparently happy to have won the battle.
The meal passed pleasantly, Heidi continually on her guard for when the assault would begin to convince her to surrender her ‘adventure’ and head back to Oklahoma City. She’d barely taken one sip of her after dinner coffee when Mrs. Manfred fried the first shot.
“Heidi, dear, when will you stop upsetting your mother and return home with us?” The woman rested her chubby hand on top of Heidi’s.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Manfred, but my parents have agreed to allow me a month to prove I can take care of myself, and I still have another two and a half weeks.”
Stay calm. Don’t let her comments bring on an attack. They’d all be convinced I’m weak.
“Actually, Mrs. Manfred, Mr. Lester and I discussed Heidi’s job last night, and we’re willing to let her have her month.” Mrs. Lester patted Heidi’s hand as she addressed the other woman. “We’re close by if anything happens, and getting any desire for freedom out of her system is good before she marries and settles down.”
“Yes. It’s probably best if she gets this out of her system before she becomes my wife.” Clarence jumped right in, apparently happy to re-state his claim.
Mrs. Manfred did not respond well to her mother’s words. Her frown increased, and her chin came up a notch. “Of course, she’s your daughter. However, I’m concerned for Clarence having to come up here by train to visit Heidi. He’s so worried about her being here.”
Heidi turned to Clarence. “It’s not necessary for you to visit. As Mother said, she and Papa are close by.”
“Nonsense. I have the duty as your betrothed to see to your safety. I’m more than happy to visit with you. I may not be able to come during the week, but we can spend our weekends together.”
Sweat beaded her forehead. She could handle Mother and Papa dragging her off to dinner or lunch several times during the week, but the thought of Clarence following her around all weekend scared her to death. As unpleasant as it would be, she needed to break off her engagement with Clarence. After kissing Michael twice now, the thought of Clarence touching her in any way caused shivers to run down her spine.
She may end up an old maid, but after the feelings Michael kindled in her, marriage to Clarence would never do. She’d felt the stirrings of desire, and if she couldn’t have passion in her marriage, she would have no marriage at all.
“Heidi, I would like to walk with you for a bit before I catch my train.” Clarence took her hand.
There wasn’t much point in putting him off any longer. Her parents would certainly think it odd if she refused to spend even a little bit of time with her fiancé.
She smiled in his direction. “Certainly.”
He took her arm and they left the hotel. The air had turned distinctly colder since church that morning. She arranged her scarf around her nose and mouth, and pulled the collar of her coat up.
They walked in silence for a block before Clarence cleared his throat. “H
eidi, where is your engagement ring?”
How brave did she feel? Lie, or break the engagement now? “I…I wanted to talk to you about that.”
His eyes were hard and filled with dislike. “My dear, it’s perfectly all right if you’ve forgotten to wear your ring. I understand such a thing happens. Not to worry. Let’s enjoy our walk in the beautiful afternoon air.”
“Clarence, it’s freezing out.”
He pulled her closer. “I’ll keep you warm.”
Where Michael’s arms around her felt warm and secure, Clarence’s embrace made her uncomfortable. Almost painful, as if he intended to punish her in some way.
After a moment, he added, “I want to speak to you again about my concern with you working all day with that man.”
“Michael? I mean, Mr. Henderson?”
Clarence sighed and squeezed her shoulder. “Yes. I’m afraid his morals aren’t what they should be.”
She turned to him. “What are you talking about? Mr. Henderson is the most upright, moral person I’ve ever met.”
“Did you notice the bruises on my face?”
She nodded.
“How do you suppose I received them?”
When she shrugged, he continued. “Your Mr. Henderson involved himself in a brawl at The Blue Belle Saloon Friday evening, and I was forced to step in to save the poor man he beat up.” He looked down at her, and waved to his face. “You can see my thanks for getting in the middle.”
Heidi’s mouth dried up, and she shook her head. “No. I don’t believe it.” She did see bruises on Michael’s face he refused to discuss. Could Clarence’s story possibly be true?”
A Prescription For Love: An Oklahoma Lovers book Page 9