“Try to rest, Mr. Mitchell,” Lydia said, holding her sleeping baby.
“Where is he?” Jake ignored her and stood up. The back of his head stung.
“Here’s some pain medicine for the headache,” she offered.
He swallowed the pills without bothering to drink the water she offered.
Ralph was talking to two cops. “I found him lying in the entry way of the house. I was fixing the closet in one of the bedrooms upstairs when I heard him calling for me. Lydia was asleep with the baby. I ran downstairs and saw George Leroy hit him on the back of the head. The other man, who I didn’t recognize, ran out the front door with George.”
“The other man was Brian Silverman. He helped my father steal jewelry in Michigan,” Jake added as he walked up to them. “I had no idea George was here.”
“That’s because he came in through the window in the den. The door to the den was open and when I went to investigate, the window was open. Apparently, he intended to leave through the window.”
“Do you know what he was looking for?” the cop asked.
“It was probably Brian Silverman’s confession,” Jake answered.
“Brian Silverman, the wanted man?” the other cop wondered.
“I didn’t recognize him right away. He had blond hair and a beard in the picture but he had dark hair and was clean shaven when he came to me as Daniel Riley.”
“You say you have his confession?”
He nodded. “It’s in the safe in my den. My father sent it to me. Brian wrote out everything he did.”
The cops followed him to the den where he removed the painting from the wall and opened the safe. He took the envelope out and the folder with his father’s will and letter. He showed them everything he had.
“The sender of these items is Mr. William Barnett. He’s the same person who’s been missing for almost a week,” a cop noted. “We’ve been told he was on a train heading to this town. He got on the train in Michigan but never made it here. His luggage is still at the station.”
“He could have been coming here. When I got married to Sue, there was a clause in our contract that said Mr. Barnett was supposed to visit us for one week to make sure we were living in the same house.” Everyone in town already knew the arrangement between him and Sue, so he didn’t have to explain it.
“Or he could have been warning you that Brian was coming.” The cop shrugged. “Either way, we’re searching for him from Michigan to here. Do you have any idea where he might be?”
“No, I don’t.” Jake shook his head.
“This written confession and picture of Brian on the Wanted poster is all we need,” the other cop said. “We’ll have an artist draw a picture of how he looks now. You say he has dark hair and no beard?”
Jake nodded.
“Very well.” He handed the evidence to his partner. “Mr. Mitchell, I would advise you to leave town for a few days. We haven’t caught Brian Silverman or George Leroy yet, and based on the fact that they broke into your house, it’s safe to assume they will come back. We will post a couple of police officers to watch your house while you are gone. Now that we know who we’re looking for, it should make our job easier.”
“Do you have anywhere to go?” the other cop asked.
“Yes.” He wanted to see Sue anyway. This would just speed up the process of that happening. He turned to Ralph and Lydia who looked stunned. “You two should probably go somewhere too. I will notify you when I come back.”
“We’ll be at my mother’s then,” Lydia replied.
Ralph followed her and their son out of the room.
“I advise you to take anything you don’t want to lose,” the cop said. “We’ll do our best to guard the house, but there’s no telling how many men are involved in this.”
“I understand.”
After the police left, he took all of the contents out of his safe and put them into a briefcase he kept in his desk drawer. Then he packed his suitcase. He went into Sue’s room to see if there was anything she might find valuable in there. He was surprised by her simple belongings. Has she spent any of the money I gave her on anything but her family? She really was content with reading a good book. He saw the programs from the symphony and the play on her night stand next to the book she had been reading. She had thrown a couple of her farm clothes into her suitcase and left. He saw the necklace and earrings he had given her for their wedding day. He decided to take those since they represented the beginning of their life together. There’s no way I’m letting her go.
When he reached the front door, Ralph was waiting for him. “I sent for Mr. Reynolds, sir. He should be by shortly.”
“Thank you, Ralph. Well, at least you can look at this as a paid vacation.” He put on his coat and hat.
“Sir, you forgot to freshen up. Your suit and hair are untidy.”
“Oh. I didn’t think about it. I suppose I have time to change and comb my hair.” So he did and returned. “Is this better?”
He smiled. “More like your old self, sir.”
Henry pulled up with his buggy. “I’ll see you in a few days then.” He said goodbye to Lydia and the baby before he left.
“Someone broke into your home?” Henry asked, shocked.
“Brian Silverman and George Leroy.”
“George Leroy?”
“I’m as surprised as you are. I don’t know how he’s involved with all of this but he is. I’ve been instructed by the cops to get out of town for a few days. Will you take me to the Lewis farm?”
He nodded. “I can do that, sir.”
“And I need to stop by Mr. Monroe’s house before I go. I have to explain the situation to him so he knows to take over my duties at the bank.”
“I will do that too.”
Before Jake entered the buggy, he turned back to him. “I almost forgot. The publisher likes your work. He’s going to contact you in a day or two and discuss the terms of putting your poems into a book.”
Henry’s eyes lit up. “I had no idea they were that good.”
“Don’t underestimate yourself, Henry. You’re a talented writer.” Jake sat in the buggy and set his suitcase and briefcase on the seat across from him. He couldn’t wait to see Sue. When Henry pulled up to Justin’s house, Jake noted that his dinner party was still going strong. He got out of the buggy before Henry could open the door. “I’ll be right back. There’s no need to get the door for me.” He didn’t want to stay there any longer than he had to. He rang the doorbell.
One of Justin’s servants answered the door. “Good evening, Mr. Mitchell. Is Mr. Monroe expecting you?”
“No. I’m here for business. I will be going shortly, so I’ll keep my hat and coat on.”
“As you wish, sir.” The butler closed the door.
Jake heard laughter from the parlor on the right where all the men were gathered around a table and laughing. The women were gathered in the other parlor. Jake walked to the parlor on the right. He recognized all of the men there. They were all of Sue’s suitors. He paused as he listened to them.
“And then Jake said she was as flat as a board,” Mr. Unger told them. “Mr. Frank and I saw her standing there but were too shocked to warn him. She came up behind him and dumped a bowl of pudding on his head!”
The men laughed.
“We bolted after that,” Mr. Frank added. “There was no way we wanted to stick around for that storm.”
“So what should we plan next?” Justin asked.
“Every time we send flowers, Jake throws them out before she finds them,” Mr. Bower said. “I think that method is working well. It seems to be getting under his skin. Let’s send flowers from all of us next time. That should make him insane.”
“We can even have them delivered when we know for sure she’s there.”
“But it won’t make much of a difference if she sees them. In fact, it’s pointless to go to her at all. Whenever we approach her at work, it’s the same thing. ‘I’m rather fond of Mr
. Mitchell. I don’t think you should be talking to me this way.’ The real fun is messing with him.”
“She’s a loyal woman alright,” Justin agreed. “I wonder how long it’s going to take before Jake admits he wants to keep her around?”
“How about tonight?” Jake spoke up.
The men gasped and looked up from the table.
“What are you doing here?” Mr. Blacksmith asked.
“You never attend dinner parties,” Justin added.
“So all this time, none of you really wanted to court Sue after the annulment?” Jake wondered.
“Well, at first a couple of us did,” Mr. Blacksmith admitted. “But as soon as we realized how happy you two were together, it became more of a game to get you to acknowledge that you love her.”
“We didn’t want you to stick to bachelorhood all of your life,” Mr. Martin agreed. “We were afraid if you didn’t see how attractive she was to other men, you wouldn’t find her attractive yourself. We saw that she was a good woman who would treat you right, and after all the times you helped us at the bank, it was the least we could do for you.”
Mr. Unger grinned. “It also provided amusement. It was fun to see what antic you would come up with next in order to get rid of us.”
Mr. Blacksmith shuddered. “But feeding us her cooking was cruel.”
“The fruit salad was acceptable,” Mr. Gordon said.
“I made that while she changed into one of her old dresses,” Jake said.
“The poor woman tried so hard to make us a good meal but we couldn’t stomach it.” Mr. Unger chuckled. “But you ate everything she gave you.”
“Because I love her.”
“It’s about time you admitted it!” Justin cheered. “Now we can stop going after her.”
“And if anyone dares to do anything like this again, I’ll send her to your house with one of her homemade dishes.”
“Oh, we don’t want to come between you two,” Mr. Unger replied. “We want you two to stay together.”
Jake shook his head. “Is this what you do at these dinner parties? Try to trap some poor unsuspecting bachelor into staying married?”
“No. Sometimes we actually discuss business. Care to join us?”
“No. I’m going to find Sue and make her mine for good. But, I do have some serious business to discuss with you, Justin.”
Justin noticed the serious tone in his voice so he nodded and walked to the side of the room while the other men talked. After Jake described the situation with Brian and George, Justin said he would take over the presidential responsibilities while Jake hid out at the Lewis farm.
Justin smiled. “Go get her, Jake. She loves you.”
“Now you can scheme against someone else,” Jake laughed. He couldn’t believe it. Sue was right. He did have some friends after all.
Chapter Eighteen
Sue held baby Kevin in her arms. She sat next to Gloria on the couch in her parents’ parlor. Kevin was born the previous evening, and he had already won the hearts of his family. She smiled at the baby who was content to lay awake in her arms. It was nice to hold him. For the first time in her life, she allowed herself to entertain the notion that she might hold her own child one day. She sighed. She missed Jake more than she thought she would. It was easy to put him out of her mind while she was busy getting Gloria ready for the birth and cleaning up afterwards. The doctor came to deliver the baby, announced that everyone was doing well, and left. She was happy for Gloria and Jeremiah who looked proud to finally be parents. She knew that this baby was a miracle for them after having suffered through four losses.
Gloria beamed. “I can’t believe he’s actually here. It’s so wonderful to hold him after praying so long for his safe arrival.”
“It is,” Sue agreed. “He’s going to be one spoiled child with doting grandparents and aunts and uncles. So it’s up to you and Jeremiah to do the hard work of disciplining him because I don’t have the heart to tell him no.”
“Thank you for praying with me. Your support has been the thing that got me through this pregnancy as well as I did.”
“You and Jeremiah are going to make terrific parents. I know Jeremiah would kill me if he knew I told you this but after Kevin was born and the doctor announced that you and him were healthy, Jeremiah went to another room for a few moments to cry. He was afraid something bad was going to happen. He doesn’t know I saw him but I thought you might like to know how much you and Kevin mean to him.”
Gloria hugged her. “He really does have a good heart underneath it all.” She laughed as Kevin yawned. “I could stare at him all day and never get bored.”
Sue nodded her agreement. “He’s going to be a heartbreaker someday.”
Jeremiah and Luke laughed in another room.
She raised an eyebrow. “Gloria, what is your husband up to now?”
“He mentioned playing some joke on Trevor. They’re always messing with each other.”
“I suppose he’s earned the right to joke around today.”
“It beats being depressed.”
Kevin squirmed in her arms. “Do you want to go back to your mother?” she cooed. “But Aunt Sue doesn’t want to let you go.” He settled down and fell asleep. “We have a great relationship already!”
Gloria giggled.
Trevor yelled in the other room. “Is this supposed to be funny?”
The laughter from Jeremiah and Luke told Sue that their prank had been a success. She shook her head.
Her parents and Patty came in from checking the animals for the night.
“Oh, it looks like Sue’s grown attached to Kevin,” her mother said.
“Can I hold him?” Patty anxiously asked as she sat next to Sue on the couch.
“Sue has always been good with babies and children,” her father added. “You look good holding him. I wouldn’t mind another grandchild.”
Sue sighed. “You’re putting on the pressure too?”
“Can’t blame a father for wanting the best for his little girl.”
“Besides, Jake did seem fond of you when you brought him out here last month,” her mother said. “I can tell when a man is interested in a woman.”
Sue blushed.
There was a knock at the door.
“I’ll get it!” Jeremiah called out, running from an angry Trevor.
Luke trailed behind.
“Do those two ever stop?” Sue chuckled.
“Can I hold him now, Sue?” Patty asked again. “You’ve been hogging him all evening.”
“It’s a good thing I’m the one who feeds him or else I’d never get my chance,” Gloria responded.
“I like holding my nephew. He’s a good looking little boy.” She protested as Patty tried to take him from her arms.
“Maybe it’s time you put down other people’s babies and made one of your own.”
She quickly looked up to see Jake smiling at her. She blushed.
Gloria took Kevin and put him in Patty’s arms.
“I didn’t expect you to come out here,” she finally stated as she stood up.
Her parents grinned at her.
“I came to spend time alone with my wife. If the rest of you will excuse us, it’s time I let her keep me.”
Her blushing got worse as her family laughed.
“It’s about time!” Trevor called out.
He took her hand and led her to the bedroom. “Which one are you in?”
“Uh...” Was he serious? He couldn’t just walk into her family’s house, announce his intention to be intimate with her in front of everyone and take her off to the bedroom to act on it. Could he?
“I’d hate to put Patty out of her room.” He let go of her hand and took her suitcase out of the room and put it in Trevor and Luke’s room. Then he went to get his suitcase and briefcase.
He can’t be serious! She was too horrified and excited to speak.
“Trevor and Luke, you’re sleeping in the parlor again,” he told them
as he came back with his stuff. He set his things next to hers and pushed the beds together.
Trevor and Jeremiah laughed as she stood still, her shock holding her in place. Is he really serious? She knew she had told him that he gave up too easily but she never suspected he would barge into her family’s house and do this.
“Go in there, sis,” Jeremiah whispered. “He can’t do it without you.”
“It’s time you kept him,” Trevor agreed.
Jake threw some clothes at Trevor and Luke. “Go away. It’s time for me to be with my wife. I’ve been waiting for a long time to do this and I’m not waiting another minute.”
“Well, then we’d better scurry,” Trevor replied, laughing.
When she was alone in the hallway, Jake came out, picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. He shut and locked the door, ignoring the laughter coming from her family members who were obviously thrilled that he was going to stay in the family after all.
“I’m surprised at you, Sue,” Jake said. “Are you really at a loss for words?”
“Well, I didn’t think...I mean...I suspected we might...but not like this.” She struggled to clear her head. Her heart pounded with anticipation as her shock began to wear off. She stood against the wall, not sure she could keep standing.
He walked over to her and stood so close to her that their bodies almost touched. “I couldn’t wait another day for you, Sue. You are an amazing woman. You can lasso cattle, fix stable doors, speak your mind without backing down, expertly ride a horse and wear pants while maintaining every ounce of your femininity. You care about others to the point of sacrificing your own desires. You entertain women and children in the library, and you’re a smart woman who loves life and adventure. You are a wonderful companion who has made my trips to the theater and symphony more enjoyable than they’ve ever been. You are a kind and gentle woman who hasn’t been properly appreciated.”
She couldn’t look at him while he talked. His words were wonderful and she had wished for someone to tell her such things for so long.
He gently stroked her cheek with his fingers. “When I first saw you at Leroy’s bank, I was very much aware of how attractive you were. You may have been wearing a bun and an old dress but there was no denying your beauty.”
An Inconvenient Marriage Page 27