If Jesse sensed her sarcasm, he didn't let on. Gabe, on the other hand, looked as cross as a boxed-in bear, and who could blame him? She'd been anything but accommodating, revealing a rebellious attitude for which she now felt guilty.
It was that dratted kiss that did it, she finally ruled in her head, and she had herself to blame for allowing it to happen. Ever since experiencing the tantalizing taste of it, she couldn't get it out of her mind, especially since she had nothing else to compare it to. ON bother! Now, she'd have to wheedle a kiss out of Ralston-a real one-to see if it produced the same kind of reaction in her deepest, innermost parts. Perhaps the next time she saw him....
"What about Billy B? He's goin' to wonder where I am," Jesse mumbled, his words bringing her back to the present.
Gabe shrugged. "I don't know, bud. I suppose Abbie or Maggie will tell him where you are."
"He can come over after school and play. How about that? The school's only four blocks from our house," Hannah said. "Oh, and I heard the teachers are having meetings all day Tuesday, so there's no school. How about I send Abbie over to invite him to spend the day with you?"
This caused a smile. "Goodie!"
After that, the words between them fell away. In the distance, a dog barked, and Dusty responded with a low growl. Gabe made a quick survey of the area as they hurried up the hill, glancing over his shoulder and from side to side, face clouded with uneasiness.
With a pang of guilt, she realized the gravity of the situation, and she put a gloved hand around Jesse's shoulder to tug him close.
With Jesse and Dusty in the fenced-in backyard, Gabe briefly explained to Helena the plan for putting Jesse to work on several minor tasks so he wouldn't grow suspicious about why they stayed away from the store. Helena nodded. "I have plenty of things he can do. Why, there's a whole box of children's books in the attic just waiting to be sorted." She winked at Gabe. "Books from when the girls were this high." She gestured with a flat palm positioned three feet from the floor. "That should take a day or more." She rambled on, listing off a slew of jobs to keep a boy busy-polishing Jacob's shoes and boots, dusting all her knickknacks, organizing canned goods in the cellar, helping her bake cookies and bread for the shutins and elderly, and so on.
"How did I know you would have it all figured out, Helena?" He flashed her a smile, which prompted Helena to fuss over the already perfect bun at the back of her head. Grandmother's bun never fell out as Hannah's did. Even now, Hannah's peripheral vision saw several clumps of red curls cascading down her temples.
"Well, I suppose I'm thinking about that boy's welfare. You're not the only ones whose hearts he's affected. And now that you tell me he might be in danger, why, I'll do whatever I can to help. Besides, it might be nice to have a little boy around the house." She crinkled her brow and dipped her hands into her apron pockets. "'Course, I'm not saying the same for that mongrel of his. He'll have to stay outside."
As if the dog meant to make her pay for her remark, the back door opened, and in he came, dirty paws and all, dashing between Gabe's legs like a streak of lightning.
"Oh, merciful Molly!" Helena declared, even as Dusty darted past her, ran under the table, leaped over a chair, and sprinted through the living room, sniffing everything in sight.
When he made another pass through the parlor room where they were all congregated, Gabe reached for the rambunctious canine but failed. Hannah joined the chase, extending her hand and using her harshest voice. "Dusty! Come here! Stop!"
All to no avail.
"How did-what-shoo! Out! Scat!" Helena ordered in a drill sergeant voice, flinging her arms and turning on her heels in an attempt to keep track of the action.
When Dusty raced into the kitchen, Hannah and Gabe followed, intending to corner him, but he proved cunning by slipping right through Hannah's grasp and running to the stairs, continuing up to investigate the second story.
"Oh, mercy me!" Helena bewailed. "Now he's gone upstairs."
On cue, Jesse walked out of the water closet, his wool coat hanging open as he buttoned up his pants.
"Why'd you let Dusty in?" Gabe asked him, clearly exasperated.
"Don't yell at him," Hannah said.
"I'm not yelling, I'm asking," Gabe said, lowing his volume slightly just the same.
"I had to go-bad."
"You couldn't have left him outside?"
"He followed me in." The boy's face looked stricken by Gabe's impatient tone, and it occurred to Hannah how much he looked up to the man.
"He's not to come in the house," Gabe instructed him.
"Would someone please get the dog?" Helena cut in.
Without ado, Jesse walked to the foot of the stairs and looked up. "Dusty!"
Immediately, four feet came bounding back down. At the bottom, the dog's eyes searched Jesse's face expectantly. "Go!" His firm voice and pointed finger proved sufficient. Tail between his legs, Dusty sauntered toward the kitchen, through the pantry, and straight to the back door.
Three pairs of adult eyes watched in awe as the dog succumbed to Jesse's authority.
"My!" Helena exclaimed, raising her hand to her throat. "That was amazing."
"Remarkable," said Hannah.
"How'd you do that?" Gabe asked.
Jesse shrugged, a look of pride replacing his earlier chagrin at Gabe's abruptness. "I guess he knows who's in charge." With that, he retrieved his stocking cap out of his coat pocket, pulled it over his ears, and walked to the door, where Dusty was waiting patiently.
After Jesse closed the door, Helena sniffed. "Well-I suppose it wouldn't hurt for the dog to come inside once in a while-so long as Jesse gives him the occasional bath and makes him behave. He certainly has a fine way with him."
"Grandmother, you've gone soft as a poached egg!" Hannah exclaimed. "Moments ago, a tornado on four legs ran all over your beautiful rugs, and now you're saying he's welcome to come back in!"
"Well, there was that stipulation of keeping him under control, of course."
"Of course."
For the first time, Hannah and Gabe exchanged a glance containing a hint of a smile. No question about it-Helena Kane had fallen prey to Jesse Gant's charms.
Later, while Helena hummed a hymn to herself as she rattled pots and pans in the kitchen sink and Jesse played out back, where Helena could watch him from the window, Hannah held the door for Gabe, warding off a sudden awkwardness at having been left alone with him. Damp and chilly air mingled at her ankles.
"Sorry you have to stay cooped up. I guess I did come off a little ironhanded back there. It's just-I'm concerned for Jesse's safety." He leaned forward, his body half in. `And yours."
The way his voice dipped low caused a warm blush to spread across her cheeks. She held the door in a death grip, as if she expected it to blow away on her. `And I overreacted. Of course, I want what's best for Jesse,"
"I know that," He rubbed his nose with a knuckle and held back a smile. She saw it when he shot a quick glance at a rabbit scampering across the front yard. Arching one of his sandy brows at her, he asked, "You're not still sore at me, then?"
Why did he have to be so charming? She thought about Ralston and his utter lack of magnetism, then quickly berated herself for comparing them. Of course, both were sophisticated in their own realms-Ralston, intellectual and worldtrained; Gabe, pragmatic and worldly-wise. But when it came to adventure and diversion, Ralston fell flat. Why, they'd courted for months, and not once had he even attempted to kiss her on the mouth. Gabe, on the other hand....
"Well?" He'd planted one foot on the lower step, putting their eye levels within close range.
"I was never-sore at you," she fibbed. "Just irritated."
Tossing back his head, he gave a hearty chuckle. "There's a difference?"
Flustered, she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, his gaze following the move. "I mean, you bossing me around like that, giving me what for without my getting a word in edgewise-that irritated me."
H
e grinned, his eyes moving over her face. "Pardon? If I recall, you got plenty of words in edgewise. `What do you mean I can't work? Who's going to unpack the cartons? Papa, tell him. Isn't this extreme? Am I a prisoner?"' In his attempt to mock her, his voice lifted several decibels.
She gave him a playful gut punch. "Oh, stop it. And I didn't say, Am I a prisoner?"'
"Well, something close to it, then," he replied with light laughter.
"And I wasn't nearly that dramatic, either." In spite of herself, a string of giggles bubbled up. "You see why you irritate me?"
When the laughter dissipated, she glanced behind her. The kitchen had grown quiet. As if on signal, Helena announced, "I'm going out back with Jesse. I may as well get to know that mongrel of his." They heard her wrestle with her coat before opening and closing the back door. Outside, a solitary blue jay bellowed a harsh jeer.
Hannah swallowed and shifted positions, hanging tighter to the door, one hand gripping the doorknob, shivering more from his closeness than from the cool air nipping at the hem of her skirts.
Gabe brushed the fingers of his closed hand across her cheek and sobered. "Hannah," he whispered. She stood frozen to the floor and stared at that eye-level button again instead of those appealing blue eyes.
No more kisses, she told herself. None. Not until I square matters with Ralston. Why, it wouldn't be right-or even fair to him, she argued.
Her heart pounded heavily and soared weightlessly at the same time.
She'd always considered herself a loyal and truthful individual, but how were courting one man and kissing another compatible with those character traits?
He stepped closer, but still she kept these thoughts safely hidden, even as his hands gently cupped her face.
"I'm giving you the chance to step back," he muttered, as if reading her thoughts, his head half-bent toward a kiss. Her heart hammered at full tilt.
He expected her to dictate the next move, but as a gentleman, he figured he should take responsibility. Oh, bother.
Leaning forward, he kissed the tip of her nose, then brushed a gentle, velvety kiss across her forehead before journeying downward to kiss both cheeks. Oh, but his lips are soft-much softer than Ralston's, she decided, and savory-yes, that was it-savory, not to mention smooth as polished stones.
Lord God, have mercy on my soul. What's happening to me? I'm not going to swoon, am I? What could be more mortifying? ON I do so hate to swoon. Remind me how to breathe, Lord.
His hands slipped up her arms and tugged her to him, and because of her wobbly stance, she couldn't find the strength to move her legs, so she simply sagged into the warmth of his embrace. Double bother!
"Hannah Grace Kane, what am I going to do with you?" he whispered against her lips.
Ralston never whispered such things, never fanned her face with his breath, never made her skin tingle. Why, he'd never even kissed the tip of her nose! And who would have known such a kiss could feel so lovely?
Repositioning his hands at the hollow of her back, Gabe locked them tight around her, and so she followed suit, her trembling limbs clinging. She tried to say he would be the death of her, but when she parted her lips, he chose that moment to smother her words, if not her breath, with another moist kiss, one that seemed to carry her to places she never knew existed. Ralston never took her anywhere but Culver House!
Warmth rippled through her veins while the kiss lingered, urging her to do her part to make it worthwhile, which only made her heart hammer harder and her senses swim. Ralston never made her senses swim, never made her-Ralston. ON my!
Ralston! Oh, for goodness' sake, what am I doing?
Guilt-ridden and shocked for having yielded to Gabe's kisses-again-Hannah wriggled away from his embrace, reality striking her with astonishing clarity.
"You are a masterful manipulator, a-a proficient persuader!" she accused.
Looking as dazed as someone who'd just been whacked in the gut, he gave his head a stunned shake. "What?" She moved away from him, at which time he invited himself back inside and closed the door. "I am neither of those, Hannah Grace, and, if you'll recall, I gave you plenty of time to stop me."
"Plenty, my sore foot! You barely gave me a chance to think."
A mouthful of air hurtled out of him and he scraped a hand through his hair. "You knew it was coming." He grinned in that crooked, beguiling way. "Face it, Hannah, something's going on between us, and you're having just as hard a time resisting me as I am you."
She dropped her jaw and sucked in a raspy gasp, pulling her shoulders straight as pins. "Wh-I can resist you just fine."
Now he tossed back his head and let the laughter flow.
She saw no humor whatsoever in the situation, and she opened her mouth to tell him so, but a deafening boom-gunfire?-drowned her attempt. He jolted with shock, then immediately leaped into action, snagging her by the arm and pulling her into the kitchen. "Stand there and don't move," he ordered her.
She was inclined to obey. Next, he bolted for the back door, but Grandmother and Jesse rushed inside before he even got there, slamming the door shut after Dusty galloped in behind them.
"It came from that direction," Helena panted, pointing east up Ridge Street.
"Was that a g-gun?" Jesse stammered. "It-it sounded like that time I..." But he left the sentence hanging, his milkwhite face creased in worry.
Gabe crouched beside the boy and rumpled his head of black hair. "Like what?" he asked, his voice uncommonly controlled. "Have you heard gunfire before? When was that, buddy? Can you tell me?"
Rather than respond with words, Jesse threw his arms around Gabe's neck and buried his face in its solid cushion. Gabe put a hand to the back of his head and drew him close. "It's all right," he assured. "Everything's gonna be fine. We'll talk later." Over Jesse's head, Gabe looked from Helena to Hannah.
"Poor lamb," Helena whispered.
Jesse clung for several seconds, but finally Gabe peeled him off, angling him with a steady gaze. "You're going to have to be the man here," he explained, arms on his narrow shoulders. "Can you do that?"
Jesse straightened to his full height and hiccupped a jagged sigh, then gave a slow, solemn nod.
"Good. I knew I could count on you." Then, to Hannah and Helena, he said, "I want everyone upstairs and out of sight. Do not come down until I give the word. Do you understand?"
Helena gave three rapid nods, her face long and serious. "Absolutely. Come on, Jesse." She extended her hand. "I want to show you something."
"What?" he asked, taking the hand she offered, Dusty herding them toward the stairs.
"You do like to read, right?" Helena asked.
"Yeah:
"Well, then you'll be amazed by my book collection,"
Their voices faded as they mounted the stairs.
"What's happening, Gabe?" Hannah asked.
Gabe left her standing in the kitchen and made for the front door, taking out his revolver and checking its cylinder for ammunition. Satisfied, he stuffed it back in its holster. "I don't know, but I'm about to find out." His professional air somehow left her feeling deflated. She wanted the same reassurance he'd just doled out to Jesse.
She moved toward him and looked at his gun. Did he expect to shoot someone? "Go upstairs, Hannah," he issued. "I don't have time to talk."
"But-"
"Go!"
He pushed the door open, paused, then turned and kissed her on the cheek. It held about as much passion as one of Ralston's pecks.
When she didn't budge, he reached up and gave one of her curls a gentle tug. "Listen, Hannah, I don't want to worry about you while I'm trying to sort out who's shooting who, you understand?" The stare-down lasted a few seconds before he dropped the curl and turned around. "Go upstairs."
Leaving her standing there, he pulled the door shut behind him, then looked through the glass at her while pointing at the stairs.
Another gunshot sounded, jolting her body. "Go!" This time, the command held no friendliness.
In haste, she picked up her skirts and dashed across the room, taking two steps at a time up the stairs, just like she used to do when she and her sisters had played hide-and-seek in the big house.
ully aware of his surroundings and having no idea where the shots were fired from, Gabe advanced down the porch steps with caution, his trained mind focused now on nothing but scouting out his environs, attentive to every sight and sound. He wished for his horse, but he'd walked Hannah and Jesse home, so it appeared he had no choice but to walk, which was just as well. This way, he could cut between houses, if need be, and crouch from bush to bush.
Sensing danger, or at least excitement of a different kind, neighborhood dogs barked and howled, interfering with his ability to focus. A black squirrel skittered down a tree and darted across Gabe's path as he headed east on Ridge. Cold air forced him to secure the top button of his coat,
"Lord, please protect this town and guide my steps. I need Your direction right now." This he whispered as he hurried up the pebbled road, hand poised on his revolver. Out of the corner of his eye, he noted several folks peering out their front windows, drawing back the curtains far enough to watch him pass. One block over, he saw a man on horseback. He was about to warn him to back off when the fellow reined his horse into a thicket of trees, disappearing from view.
A squeaking door opened. "Psst! Sheriff!" hissed a voice. It was Herb Horton, who came out in his long underwear and stepped to the edge of his porch.
Gabe approached him. "You best get back inside," he warned.
"If I had my guess, I'd say that was old Bill Elwood shootin' off his gun. I seen the fire wagons go up Fourth a while ago. I was over t' Bill and Evaleen's place last night tryin' to help get a cat out of their tree. 'Fraid I made matters worse, though. Fool thing kept hissin' and goin' higher. Bill's about lost most of his marbles, if you know what I mean, and this cat ain't helped matters,"
Hannah Grace Page 21