Jack joined Webb at the front of the smoldering jail. “Webb, take Frank to the boardinghouse and we’ll stay there with him tonight.” Even though Frank hadn’t taken off, Jack wasn’t going to take any chances. He was positive Frank had an ulterior motive for helping out with the fire, he just didn’t know what it was yet. “Frank, are any of your friends in town?”
“I ain’t seen anybody from that jail cell.” Frank saw Reb standing a few feet from him. He figured Reb and Corbin set the fire in an effort to spring him from jail. No one in Whispering Pines knew Reb, and Frank wanted to send a message to his men, so he upped his volume so Reb could hear what he had to say. “If any of my boys were in town, I’m sure they’d know by now that we are going back to Denver tomorrow, thanks to my father-in-law. So you see, Sheriff, there’d be no need for them to break me out of jail. When we get to Denver I’m sure the judge will straighten everything out.”
Jack glanced at the people in the street to see if anyone seemed interested in his conversation. He had a feeling Frank was sending a message when he loudly bragged about his father-in-law. “Just so you know, Frank, if we are ambushed, I’ll shoot you first.”
Frank laughed. “If my boys were here, Sheriff, I’d tell them to wait for me in Denver. I’ll see them by tomorrow night, and I’ll be free as a bird.”
“Take him on to the boardinghouse, Webb.” The mood he was in, Jack felt like punching Frank just for the heck of it. He whistled for his horse and led him to the mercantile, where Webb had placed his belongings. Next to his valise, Webb had stacked his rifles and pistols he’d managed to save. Addie approached him as he was loading the items on his horse.
“I’m sorry about your house.”
Jack turned to look at her. “Webb saved a few things.”
“Jack!”
Jack turned to see Clarissa hurrying down the sidewalk, and when she reached him she nearly vaulted into his arms. “I just heard your house burned down. You poor thing. You are going to stay with us, and I will hear no argument from you.”
Addie wanted to scream at Clarissa’s timing. She was like a homing pigeon where Jack was concerned, always landing in his arms. And naturally, she was perfectly groomed, looking as lovely as ever in her blue wool coat, while Addie’s dress was covered with water and grime from her efforts in the water line. She hadn’t even grabbed her coat when she’d hurriedly left the school to help with the fire. Now that the fire was out, she was shivering, but she didn’t know if it was from anger or the cold.
Jack extricated himself from Clarissa’s arms. “I have to stay at the boardinghouse with my prisoner.”
“Webb can do that. I insist you stay the night with us.”
Addie waited for Jack to refuse again, but he didn’t say another word. She figured he was probably pondering the idea. She wondered if he’d bathed in Clarissa’s kitchen.
Prescott walked up to stand beside Addie. “It looks like I’ll be staying at the orphanage now that the hotel is gone.”
Clarissa glanced at Prescott, and thinking he looked like a man of means, said, “I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met.”
Before Addie introduced them, Jack spoke up. “Clarissa, this is Miss Langtry’s fiancé.”
Clarissa’s eyes darted to Addie. “I didn’t realize you are engaged.”
“We haven’t formally announced it as yet,” Prescott said before Addie thought of a civil response.
“No, we have not.” Addie felt like saying there would be nothing to announce, but she didn’t want to embarrass Prescott.
“Congratulations in advance,” Clarissa said to Prescott. She turned back to Jack, and looped her arm through his. “You look exhausted. Why don’t you come home with me now and you can relax before dinner.”
“I have a lot to do here, Clarissa. Tell your father I will see him later.” Jack wanted to cancel his dinner date, but since Addie was standing there with her fiancé, he wasn’t about to change plans. She hadn’t bothered to mention the true nature of her relationship with Prescott, so he took some pleasure in letting her stew about Clarissa.
“Jack, you know you would be welcome at Morgan’s,” Addie said sweetly. The thought that he might spend the night at Clarissa’s made her see red. She didn’t know why it was so upsetting to her, but it was.
Jack looked at her, trying to figure out what was going through her mind. He noticed she didn’t invite him to stay at her house. Maybe she wanted to be alone with Prescott. He reminded himself that Granny would be there too. But last night Granny didn’t hear the commotion going on in the kitchen, and he’d been as naked as a jaybird. Granny would have had a conniption fit if she’d walked in on that scene.
A frown passed over Clarissa’s perfect features. “Jack has no reason to go all the way out there when he’s welcome in our home. And he would be closer should there be trouble in town.” Clarissa turned her attention on Prescott and smiled. “I’m certain your fiancée would like some time alone with you.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Jack’s cheek. “I must get home to get everything ready for you tonight. See you about six.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Adler,” Clarissa said before walking away.
Addie noticed Clarissa walked away without saying a word to her. That was just fine with her. Granted, Clarissa was pretty, but in her case Granny was right, beauty was skin deep. Rude went all the way to the bone.
“I saw Davey earlier,” Jack said.
“Did you give him his Bible?”
“Yes. But he didn’t seem to care one way or the other. He’s not happy.”
“The boy will adjust. We need to give them time,” Prescott said.
Addie felt like crying. It seemed like everything was falling apart since she’d returned to Whispering Pines. “I wish time would solve the problem.” She had a feeling time wasn’t what was needed. Davey and the girls needed love, and lots of it.
Chapter Eighteen
As promised, Jack was at Clarissa’s door exactly at six o’clock, totally exhausted. He hadn’t slept the prior night, and his day had been nonstop. He hoped his head didn’t drop in his plate during dinner. Knowing he was riding out early in the morning with Morgan to take Frank to Denver, his plan tonight was to find out what Clarissa’s father wanted, have a meal, and get back to the boardinghouse as quickly as possible. With any luck, he might get a few hours of shut-eye.
Clarissa was smiling when she opened the door. “Right on time. Come on in the kitchen with me.”
Jack removed his hat and walked inside. The house was filled with mouthwatering aromas from whatever she’d been cooking. “Something smells good.”
“Please sit down, I was just finishing,” Clarissa said, pointing to the chair where he usually sat when he dined at their home.
Jack sat and looked at the table. There were only two plates on the table. He had a bad feeling about that.
“Would you like some coffee?”
“That sounds good.” Maybe a strong cup of coffee would keep him awake through dinner.
As Clarissa poured the coffee, she placed her hand on his shoulder and leaned into his arm.
Jack had a feeling he was in dangerous territory. “Where’s your father?”
“He isn’t here.” She walked across the kitchen and picked up two large bowls from the counter and brought them back to the table. “We will be alone tonight.”
“I thought he wanted to talk with me.”
Clarissa sat next to him and picked up a platter of ham and passed it to him. “I wanted to be alone with you tonight.”
Jack didn’t know if he wanted to ask why she wanted to be alone. He had a feeling he knew what her answer would be. He slapped a ham steak on his plate.
“We are never alone,” Clarissa said.
“Maybe because it’s not proper and could ruin your reputation if people found out we were alone in your house. Does your father even know I’m here?”
“Yes, I told him
we could never have a private conversation and we had things to discuss.”
Uh-oh. Trouble was coming. He picked up the bowl of mashed potatoes and scooped out a considerable portion onto his plate. He was hungry and he wanted to eat, not talk. He especially didn’t want to talk about what he knew she had on her mind. He shoveled a huge bite of food in his mouth.
“Don’t you think it’s time we had a serious conversation?”
Jack chewed—slowly.
Clarissa passed him a plate of cornbread. “We’ve seen each other for over two years now.”
Jack took two pieces of cornbread and added them to his plate. He took another bite, since she didn’t seem to care if he was engaged in the conversation.
She placed her hand on his arm. “I don’t want to wait too long to get married, and be like that Langtry woman. Look at her, she’s well past her prime, and I’ll be surprised if that Mr. Adler really marries her. Can you blame me for thinking she’d given birth to those children? That’s how women look after they’ve been married for years, given birth several times, and no longer care about their appearance. Of course, I would never let myself go like that.”
Jack gulped down his bite. He wasn’t about to let her talk about Addie with such disrespect. “Addie’s a beautiful woman, inside and out.”
Clarissa laughed. “Beautiful? Surely you are teasing.”
Jack gave her a steady look. “No, I’m not teasing. She’s a beautiful woman, and she has the kindest heart I’ve ever seen.”
“She’s fat!” Clarissa’s voice was near screeching level.
Jack raised his brow at her. “She’s not fat—she has nice curves.” He was reminded of how he liked the way Addie’s curves felt when she was in his arms.
“Hmph, you may call it curves, I call it fat.” Clarissa took a bite of food and was silent for a few minutes.
Jack had always thought Clarissa was a pretty woman, but the more he was around her, the less he liked her.
“As I was saying before, since we’ve been seeing each other for two years, I’d like to know what I can expect in the future. I haven’t been accepting offers from other men.”
Jack tried counting the number of times he’d actually had dinner at her home over the last two years. As best he could recall, it wasn’t that many times. And he’d invited her and her father to dinner at the restaurant a few times so he wouldn’t feel indebted to her. “I have never told you not to see other men.”
“I just thought we had an agreement.” Clarissa placed her hand on his arm. “Don’t you think it’s time we made plans?”
Suddenly, he lost his appetite and sat back in his chair. Dinner was over. In the past, he might have thought he would become more serious about Clarissa one day, but now he realized he would never feel that way about her. “What kind of plans do you have in mind?”
“Marriage plans.”
Jack wasn’t a man to beat around the bush. “Clarissa, I have no intention of marrying for a long time. I think you should accept other offers if that is what’s on your mind.”
“What are you waiting for? Do you think you will find someone more suitable than me?”
Jack thought she actually seemed stunned that he wasn’t jumping at the chance to marry her. “I am not waiting for anything. I just don’t want to get married right now.”
“Is it that Langtry woman? Are you involved with her?”
“I think you heard she is engaged.” Jack realized it wasn’t by his choice that he wasn’t involved with Addie. It was hers. When he’d kissed her he hadn’t known she was taken.
“Then why have you wasted my time if you have no intention of marrying? There are many men who would appreciate what I have to offer, and I’ve spent my time waiting for you.”
Jack wasn’t going to insult her by saying he’d accepted the dinner invitations to have a chance to talk with her father. He really liked the man, and didn’t often have a chance to spend time with him. “I had no intentions of wasting your time, nor did I intend to keep you from accepting other offers from men more inclined to marry.” He stood, and said, “Thank you for dinner, but I think it’s time I left.”
Clarissa led him to the front door, and when Jack reached for his hat on the foyer table, she placed her hand over his. “I hope you take some time to think about this, Jack. I think you will realize what you are about to lose.”
Jack settled his hat on his head and looked at her. He knew he wouldn’t feel one ounce of regret when he walked out that door. “You shouldn’t wait around any longer for me.” Once he was out the door, Clarissa slammed it behind him.
* * *
Addie was busy when they arrived at the farm, getting the tub in the house and carrying water so the girls could have their baths before dinner. Granny was in the kitchen preparing the meal, and she didn’t know what Prescott was doing. When Jack stayed the night, he always pitched in and helped with the chores. She hadn’t forgotten that he’d carried her tub and water for her. Prescott didn’t offer to do a thing. He was too accustomed to servants doing everything for him. She was walking from the kitchen carrying a pail of water when Prescott came down the stairs.
“Addie, I’d like to speak with you.”
“I’m afraid now is not a good time. I’m taking water upstairs so the girls can get their baths before dinner.”
“After dinner then,” he said to her back.
* * *
By the time dinner was over, Addie was tired, and she had yet to have a bath, which meant making numerous trips up and down the stairs again, emptying water and refilling the tub. No wonder Jack bathed in the kitchen. It made much more sense.
“Could I speak to you in the parlor?” Prescott said when dinner was over.
Addie had totally forgotten Prescott wanted to talk to her. “Of course.” She had a feeling she knew what he wanted to discuss, and she was not enthusiastic to join him. “Let me help Granny with the dishes, and I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Reaching the parlor, the first thing Addie noticed was the fire was about to go out. She grabbed a log and threw it in the hearth. One more thing Jack handled when he was there. Once the fire was flaming again, she pulled a chair closer to the fire to feel the warmth.
Prescott didn’t sit; he paced back and forth beside her. “Addie, I think it’s time we made our relationship official.”
Addie didn’t know what to say to him. The last thing she’d ever expected was for Prescott to show up in Whispering Pines, professing his affection for her and claiming her as his fiancée.
Prescott stopped pacing and turned to face her. “Don’t you have anything to say?”
“By official, what exactly are you asking?”
“I mean become engaged.”
“I’m wondering why you waited until I left Boston to declare your intentions. It seems to me you had sufficient time over the last year to ask for my hand if you were interested.” There, she’d said exactly what was on her mind.
“I guess I wasn’t ready to make my decision before you left.” He walked over and sat on the settee.
No professions of undying love, or that he couldn’t live without her. Not even close. Addie knew this was likely to be the only offer of engagement she might ever receive. For a man asking to spend his life with her, she didn’t think Prescott seemed excited at the prospect. He almost seemed defiant. Was it because she wasn’t jumping at the chance of becoming Mrs. Prescott Adler III? Had he expected her to throw herself at him when he arrived in Whispering Pines? “Why are you ready for marriage now?”
“Mother and Father have decided it is time I wed and have children to continue the family line. I know you care a great deal about children, and I think you would be a good mother.”
She should have known his parents would be making the important decisions in his life. “Would we stay here at the orphanage if we married?”
A look of sheer horror passed over Prescott’s face. “We most certainly would not. I have no inten
tions of staying out here in this uncivilized frontier any longer than necessary. We should become engaged now, and we will leave for Boston immediately. Mother may need several months to plan the wedding, and considering your age, we would not want to wait to start a family.”
This time, the horror was on Addie’s face. She couldn’t imagine Mrs. Prescott planning her wedding. No doubt it would be the social event of the season, but that wasn’t very appealing to Addie. “Would you adopt the girls and Davey?”
“Davey has been adopted. No, I wouldn’t adopt children, we will have our own. The girls will return to the orphanage in Boston. I would permit you to continue seeing them until they are adopted.”
Addie wanted to scream. He would permit her! The unmitigated gall of the man. As if he would have a say in the matter when she chose to see the children. She had no intention of returning the children to the orphanage in Boston. They were happy here, and for the first time they felt they were part of a family. Perhaps not a conventional family with a mother and father, but they had people surrounding them who loved them and cared about their happiness. It was a far cry from the orphanage in Boston. “Prescott, I’m sorry, but I don’t think we suit for marriage.”
Prescott stood again and walked toward her chair. His grim expression clearly conveyed that he hadn’t expected that response. “Why not? We’ve already spent many hours together in Boston, and we seemed to get on very well.”
“For one thing, now that I’m back home, I can’t imagine leaving here again. I love it here, and I love having the children here.”
“But I thought you liked Boston.”
“I like Boston well enough, but I missed home. This is where I belong.” Now that a man had finally said he wanted to marry her, Addie realized it wasn’t as important as she’d once thought. Or was it because the wrong man was asking?
“Does this have anything to do with that sheriff?”
“You met his girlfriend in town. This has nothing to do with him.” Addie told herself that was the truth, even though she knew she would take the memory of Jack’s kisses to her grave.
“I think you should consider your options. If you stay here, you’ll likely never receive another offer of marriage.”
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