Rylan nodded thoughtfully before saying, "I don't think it can be too bad, or Jessie wouldn't have him working there."
"Oh, that's true."
Danny, who had found his father's ear, continued to poke at it, but Rylan's eyes were on his wife.
"Are you worried?"
"A little. I mean, I know them both in such different capacities. I don't know Seth well, but even if he'd been living here longer, I have no past with him. Jessie and I have a good friendship, but it doesn't include Seth at all."
Rylan found himself thankful that he'd been able to come home early. He worked part-time at the livery for Pete Stillwell. He should have worked until closing, but Pete had shown up and said he could leave anytime. He'd stopped and talked to Jeanette, but that had taken less than ten minutes. Once home he'd cleaned up and gone to the kitchen to take Danny off Bri's hands and found his wife looking tense.
"When I asked Jessie and the girls to join us tonight, we even spoke about the fact that Seth would also be here to eat. She was fine with it, but now I'm suddenly afraid of making them both uncomfortable."
"I can understand your hesitancy, but this is still a good idea. Jessie and the girls have been coming and going since we got married, and
127Seth would not expect us to change our habits on hospitality because he was staying here."
"That's true," Bri agreed with a nod, her shoulders relaxing.
"Gently, Danny," Rylan said to his son when he pulled a little too hard on the big man's lobe. "And we'll just take our cue from them," Rylan continued. "If it seems uncomfortable, we'll know what not to do in the future."
Bri's eyes met his and she nodded. Rylan winked at her and went to the living room. Danny had taken all the books off one of the shelves. Rylan was sure Bri hadn't noticed, and that suited him just fine. It gave him a chance to teach his little son to put the shelf to rights before their guests arrived.
Seth ended up walking with Jessie and the girls to the Jarvik home. He hadn't planned one way or the other, but he was done, and they were ready to go. Clancy skipped along beside him, talking all the while, but Hannah was a little quieter.
"Are you all right, Hannah?" Seth asked when they were almost there. She had been silent the entire walk.
"Yes."
Seth didn't press her further, but he felt Jessie's eyes on him. Maybe it was normal for Hannah to fall quiet, but he didn't know her well enough to gauge if all was well. Before he could think of a way to ask, they were at the house.
"How did you two meet?" Bri asked quietly after dinner. The adults were still at the kitchen table, but the girls had taken Danny into the living room to play.
"This is where I found myself out of money" Seth said.
"Where had you been?" Bri asked.
128"I had been living in Kingdon, but I was on my way to Texas. I was planning to pass through Token Creek, but someone lifted my money when I fell asleep on the train, and I was broke."
, "I wondered for a long time if that story was true," Jessie said, her mind going back.
"What story?" Rylan asked, not sure.
"The one about your money being stolen. I thought it was a line for sympathy."
Seth smiled a little but didn't comment. Bri had another question. "How did you find out about it, Jessie?"
"He came in looking for a job."
"Why the mercantile?"
"I was well and truly without a cent to my name, but I was also a man, and when I saw a beautiful blonde in a purple dress sweeping the boardwalk in front of the mercantile, I went that way."
Even Jessie had to smile over this.
"Why were you headed to Texas?" Rylan asked.
"My brother lives there, and he had been asking me to come. I had just lost my home in Kingdon and saw no reason to stick around any longer."
The questions might have continued, but Danny and the girls suddenly joined them. Danny made a beeline for Seth, handing him his favorite wooden block.
"Thank you, Danny," Seth said, lifting the baby onto his lap and kissing his small brow. Clancy had come very close, and Seth, without thinking, reached and stroked down her soft, blonde curls.
No one at the table thought anything of this, save Jessie. She watched Seth's hands and his tenderness with Danny, as well as with their daughter, and felt such an ache inside she didn't know what to do. She managed to keep her feelings well hidden, but only until the evening wrapped up. Even before Seth had a chance to offer, she had quietly asked him to walk them back to the store.
129Can you walk us home?Seth agreed without hesitation, but there was no comfort in the act. It was clear that Jessie was bothered about something, and it was with a good deal of dread that he walked his family to the rear door of the store.
"Go on up now, girls," Jessie directed when she'd unlocked the door. "Get ready for bed. I'll be right up."
The girls wanted to know what she was going to do, but she stopped them with a stern voice. "That's enough! Now tell Seth goodnight and go get ready for bed. And I'd better not find you sitting at the top of the stairs."
The girls obeyed, but not without a lot of eye rolling and complaining. Jessie ignored them, waiting only until they were out of earshot to speak to Seth.
"Was all of what you told me true? Did you really work for a man and hurt people?"
"Yes," Seth said quietly, wondering where this had come from. "What made you think of that?"
"It's just not who you ever were, Seth. I can't think why you would make such a thing up, but I can't imagine it."
Seth could hear the anger in her voice and understood why she would feel that way. How did he explain what a different person he had been while he was away?
"And then tonight!" Jessie went on. "You held Danny so gently, but you never even saw Clancy at that age. I can't stand the thought right now. It just makes me so angry with you!"
Seth didn't know what to say. It was all true, but it was also in the past. And he didn't know how to fix that.
"I need some time to think," Jessie said. "Don't come in tomorrow. I need to think."
"All right," Seth agreed, his heart constricting with pain.
He watched Jessie move toward the door and thought she looked tired and discouraged. Her shoulders were bent a little and she looked beaten down, not a look that was usual for her.
"Wait, Jessie." Seth stopped her. "Why don't you take the day off
130tomorrow. That way you'll really have time to think. I'll watch the store, even the girls if you want, and you can have the day to yourself"
Jessie's first thought was to refuse, but something stopped her. She couldn't say that Seth was not experienced enough because he was. In the two days he'd worked, he'd asked her only one question, and it was so insignificant that it hadn't really mattered.
"You can think about it," Seth offered, not sure why he didn't just wait for her to answer. "I can check with you in the morning."
"All right," Jessie agreed, slipping inside without another word.
Seth stood for a while at the door, the sky growing dark fast. When he did turn for Rylan and Bri's, he made the walk back very slowly.
It took some doing to get the girls in bed and settled down. They were wound up from their time with Danny and just wanted to keep talking about him. Jessie finally got them calmed and for a while sat in the living room with one lantern burning.
Her thoughts could not settle on any one thing as her mind went over the evening. She saw the way Rylan treated Bri. It was nothing new to her, but with Seth back in town, it was hard to watch. There had been a time when she had been that happy with Seth, but then the fights had begun. She knew that Rylan and Bri had been married for a while now, and she had never seen them quarrel or be unhappy with each other.
Jessie had a sudden desire to see the girls. Taking the lantern with her, she slipped into the bedroom and looked down at them while they slept. For a moment she wanted life as it had been before Seth returned, but then she remembered
Seth with Clancy that night. She saw his hand on her hair and the way she leaned close and looked up at him, her little eyes alight with pleasure just to be near him. Hannah had been the same. Already both girls were more drawn to him than Rylan, and it had just been a few days.
You can stay, Seth Redding,Jessie's heart whispered inside of her,but only for the girls. Only because they need you.
131Jessie's needs were not on her mind at the moment, but she was being prayed for right then. Seth had gone to his room as soon as he arrived back, lay across the bed, and begun to pray. He didn't know exactly what he'd seen in his wife's face tonight, but Seth knew she needed a Savior. He didn't pray for himself or for the girls, just for Jessie.
For almost two hours he asked God to save Jessie, to open her eyes and soften her heart to her need. When he did rise to ready himself for bed, his heart khew peace. The peace did not hold a guarantee that God would say yes to his prayer, but he knew that Jessie's salvation was out of his hands and he had done all he could by casting his heavy heart on God.
"We're going somewhere today," Jessie told the girls at breakfast. "Where?" they asked, both rather quiet in light of this revelation. "Somewhere fun."
"What about the store?" Hannah asked.
"Seth is going to keep the store. The three of us are taking the day off."
"Can't Seth come with us?" Clancy asked.
"No," Jessie said, having anticipated this. "Someone has to mind the store, and he volunteered."
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see. Now finish your breakfasts. We'll be going as soon as Seth arrives."
Thankfully the girls were almost done eating because almost nothing else went in their mouths. They speculated with each other and continued to ask their mother about the destination, but she would not answer them.
Jessie gave them instructions about cleaning the table and their hands and faces before slipping downstairs early. She hoped Seth would be a little early, so it was satisfying to open the door and find him in one of the rockers. The questioning, almost vulnerable look on his face as he
132stood and came her way was a little hard on her heart, but she made herself stick to business.
"The girls and I will be taking the day off"
"All right," Seth agreed, adopting her formal tone.
"We'll be back at closing, but probably not before then."
Seth nodded and waited for any special instructions she might have. He half-expected to be reminded about not moving things around, but Jessie said nothing. Seth, however, had a question.
"Should I assume you want me to check with you each day about work, or should I just plan on working?"
"You can just come to work," Jessie said, her voice slightly more friendly.
"I'll plan on that."
Seth would have taken his coat off and rolled up his sleeves, but Jessie
was staring at him. He stood still, knowing she had more to say but
certain they would be interrupted at any moment. He was wrong. "You shouldn't have left," she said, almost in a whisper. "No, I shouldn't have. I'm sorry, Jess."
He hadn't called her Jess yet, and certainly not in that tone that used to melt her heart. At the moment it was almost too much for her.
"Maybe I shouldn't have come back," Seth made himself add. "Maybe it's going to be too hard for you."
Jessie shook her head. "I'll get used to it, and the girls do need you, Seth. I mean that."
"I'll do all I can to help you, Jessie. It was never my intent to make things hard or to make you miserable."
Jessie was nodding when the girls arrived.
"We're going somewhere with Mama!" they tried to tell him, each girl talking over the top of the other as well as finishing each other's sentences.
"How fun." Seth got excited with them, seeing the smile on Jessie's face as she watched them. He hunkered down to their level before asking, "Where are you going?"
"We don't know."
133"A mystery," Seth said slowly. "That is fun."
"We want you to come," Hannah said.
"I'm sure I would enjoy it, but someone has to mind the store." "Can you do it by yourself?" Hannah asked.
"I think so," Seth said, realizing she would question him for some time on this topic if he let her. He knew a distraction was needed. "I forgot to tell you that you both look very pretty in your dresses today," Seth said, fixing Hannah's collar. "The next time I see you, you can tell me all about what you did. Have a good time today and take good care of your mother."
"She takes care of us," Clancy said, her brow furrowed in sevenyear-old logic.
"Yes, she does, but you can take care of her as well, don't you think?"
The girls didn't know what to do with this. They stared at their father and then looked to Jessie, but she told them only to bid their father goodbye and go wait for her in the rocking chairs out front. Both girls hugged Seth, having no idea the effect this had on him, and then headed out.
"Will you be all right on your own?" Jessie asked him.
"I think so. Have a good time."
Jessie hesitated, not sure how to say what this meant to her. She wasn't altogether happy with his presence, but at the moment this summer day away from the store with the girls was like a dream come true.
"Thanks, Seth,"
"You're welcome."
Jessie slipped away before either of them could speak again. Seth walked out behind her to watch them walk away, wishing he could have known exactly what Jessie had been thinking.
134
"WHERE ARE WE GOING?"Hannah asked for the fifth time. Jessie had planned to ignore her but had suddenly had enough.
"First of all," Jessie said as she stopped walking, forcing the girls to stop with her, "you're going to stop asking questions of me.Anyquestions."
"Why?" Hannah asked.
"That's a question, Hannah. I will answer it, but it will be my last one. I want you to just come along with me and enjoy the day. I have plans, but they might change. Whatever we do, we'll have fun, and that's all you need to know. Do I make myself clear?"
The girls nodded, and Jessie continued down the street. They both wanted to ask questions, and a few did slip out, but Jessie kept them on task. The bank was the first stop and then the livery. The Wheeler women were headed out of town.
"How is this, Mrs. Potts?" Heather asked that lady, presenting the skirt they had finished for her.
"Very nice," Mr. Potts said, fingering the fabric and then taking
135it to the mirror to hold in front of her. She smiled at what she saw, causing Jeanette and Heather to smile as well. The women finished taking care of that lady and seeing her out the door and then went back to work.
Jeanette had not been lying in wait for Heather, but she had thought long and hard about whether or not she should say something. Telling herself not to have Nate on her mind, she tried to open the conversation.
"Heather, have you ever longed for a husband?"
"I have," Heather admitted, "many times."
"Why have you not married, do you think?"
"I think I'm picky, Jeanette."
"In what way?"
"Well, he would have to be just the right one." Heather stopped suddenly with her sewing, her head tipping in thought. "I'm not sure I'm the marrying kind. Men don't seem to notice me."
"What if someone did?"
"Well, I'd certainly be complimented, but he'd have to be just the right one."
"Tell me about the right one."
Heather was all ready to do this, but someone had come to the door. It was a man this time, Jeanette had seen him around town, but they'd not met. He was looking only for prices on shirts and not ready to order anything that day, but by the time he left, it was time for the women to take turns with their dinner breaks. Not until after Heather left to eat dinner did Jeanette remember they hadn't finished their conversation.
The girls had done a pretty good job. It wasn't often that they went to
the bank with their mother, and Jessie didn't think she had ever hired a rig and taken them out. They were wild with excitement as she sent the horse and buggy out of town, and when she turned in under
136the archway that said Holden Ranch, Jessie was sure their screams of delight could be heard all the way back to town.
"Now, girls," Jessie said, slowing the rig and working to get their attention. "I haven't talked with Meg, so I don't know if she has time for company. This might be a very short visit."
The girls barely looked at her, and she knew it was no use. No matter how long they stayed, the girls would want more.
"Well, Jessie!" Meg was suddenly there to greet her, coming from the house, Cathryn on her hip as the buggy pulled up to the porch.
"Hi, Meg," Jessie called back. "Are you up to a little company?"
"Certainly," Meg said before the two hugged. "I'm working on my baking. Come to the kitchen, and we can visit there. Hi, girls."
Hannah and Clancy did greet her but went right back to making Cathryn smile. The five of them trooped indoors to find Savanna waiting, and in very short order the children were playing in the living room, leaving the women on their own in the kitchen.
Seth could not believe how quiet and lonely the store felt. He had been somewhat busy but not moving nonstop, and this made Jessie and the girls' absence all the more pronounced. He also forgot to ask Bri if he could pack something for dinner. Noon came and went, and he was starting to wish he'd eaten a bit more breakfast.
"Hello, Seth," a male voice suddenly said. Seth turned to find that Trace Holden had come in the door.
"Hello, Trace," Seth said, putting out his hand. The men shook before Trace spoke again.
"It's been a while."
"It has, yes. Too long."
A brief silence fell between them before Seth spoke again.
"I hope you're not looking for Jessie. She's not around today." "As a matter of fact, I passed her on the road."
137"Did you?" Seth said with a smile. "Did she say where she was headed?"
"She said it was a surprise, so I assume they were headed toseeMeg."
Seth could not stop his smile. Such a thing never occurred to him, and he knew the girls would love it.