Jace had finally caught on to the routine. After dinner, Doyle would invite Woody to look at something in the store or barn. Jace knew Doyle enjoyed very few outings these days, and was glad that Woody could be around for a small distraction.
Today, however, Jace wanted to get Maddie out of the house on his own. He had nothing to offer in the barn or store but suggested a walk. To his surprise, she accepted.
It had rained in the night, so things smelled fresh and a little wet. Jace walked along the road, town to his right side and trees to his left, and Maddie just a few feet away.
“Did you make that pie today?” Jace asked.
“No, that one was Cathy’s.”
“It was certainly good.”
“Yes, it was,” Maddie had to agree, turning her head a bit to look up at Jace’s face. He was seven to eight inches taller than she was, with broad shoulders and a solid build. But her favorite thing about his looks was the way his blond hair fell over his forehead. For a moment Maddie experienced that feeling again, the one that had taken her by surprise on more than one occasion. The one she felt a desperate need to push away. For a moment panic filled her as she asked herself why she had agreed to this walk.
Jace chose that moment to turn and look at Maddie. He caught her staring at him before she had a chance to look away. This alone was enough to strengthen her resolve.
“You need to know, Jace,” Maddie burst out without warning, “that I think all men are liars and cheats.”
Jace had to stop after this announcement. For the moment he could do nothing else. He looked at Maddie, surprise filling him when he saw her frowning face, but he didn’t speak.
Maddie looked right back at him, stunned that he wasn’t angry with her. Indeed, his face looked as calm as ever.
“I thought it only fair that I tell you,” Maddie said, slightly calmer.
“All men?” Jace checked.
“Yes.”
“Doyle Shephard?”
“Well, no,” Maddie backed off a bit, her fierce expression gone.
“The Reverend Mr. Sullins?”
“No, not him either, but all young men,” she said, lifting her chin in defiance.
“Jace Randall?” that man asked quietly.
“Yes,” Maddie managed, but her tone wasn’t as certain.
“So your uncle allowed you to go for a walk with a man who’s a liar and a cheat?”
“Well, men don’t think of these things,” Maddie explained logically. “Men don’t treat each other that way, only women.”
“Do women lie and cheat?”
“Not very often, and certainly not like men do.”
“I didn’t realize taking a walk with you could be such an education.”
“If you’re going to make sport of me, Jace Randall, I think the walk is over.”
“But I wasn’t making sport. I was just commenting. I thought the most we’d talk about would be the weather. I’m glad I was wrong.”
Maddie stood in indecision. He hadn’t sounded as though he was mocking her, but she had been very insulting and wouldn’t have blamed him. Maddie studied his face a bit more. He certainly looked sincere.
“So you still want to walk with me, even though I told you how I feel?”
“Certainly. You’re entitled to your opinion. That is, if you’re willing to continue walking with a liar and a cheat.”
Hearing again how she sounded, Maddie didn’t comment but slowly began to move when Jace turned and began to walk. He moved slowly as well, wondering what he could say next. She was wrong. All men were not liars and cheats, and women could certainly be worse, but he wasn’t going to persuade her—at least not with words.
“Is it nice to be back in Tucker Mills, or do you miss Boston too much?”
“Um, well, I do miss the family in Boston, but I love Tucker Mills.”
“It’s a good place to live.”
Maddie’s head was turned so she could look at Jace. His eyes were on the road, but Maddie could not stop staring at him. Had they really just disagreed and now were conversing normally?
“Watch that stick,” Jace warned, and Maddie looked down in time. She sidestepped a thin branch in the road.
All at once that feeling flooded Maddie again. Jace’s kindness and solicitude were leading her into a dangerous place. She had to get back to the house. She had to get away.
“I think I need to go home,” Maddie announced, much more breathless than the walk merited.
“I’ll walk you back,” Jace offered.
“You don’t have to,” Maddie said, sounding panicked.
“Well,” Jace said slowly, wishing he knew what was going on, “I’d like to walk you back, and on top of that, my uncle is still at the house.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
Maddie started back, Jace in step beside her, but he could not stay quiet.
“Did I say something, Maddie? Are you upset with me?”
“No, I just need to get back.”
She walked swiftly, Jace keeping up. Once at the back door, Maddie stopped and looked at Jace, her expression regretful.
“I do thank you for asking me on a walk. I’m sorry I wasn’t very good company.”
“I enjoyed it, Maddie,” Jace stated honestly. “I hope you’ll feel better soon.”
The eyes that looked up at him told him she wasn’t sure about what she’d done, but the panic was there as well. Jace followed Maddie slowly into the house, and as he expected, his uncle was ready to leave a short time later.
“Did you kiss her?” Woody waited until the farm was in sight and they had plenty of privacy.
Jace didn’t answer.
“Well, did you?”
“Why have you never married?” Jace asked.
“Who says I haven’t?”
Jace’s mouth opened on this. “Have you?”
“No, too cantankerous and greedy.”
“You’re not the least greedy.”
“Not now—now that I’ve figured out that it’s all going to stay here.”
Jace wasn’t sure what to say.
“So tell me,” Woody prompted.
“I hope you know that I never let anyone ask me the questions you get away with,” Jace told him straight out.
Woody grinned and said with satisfaction, “You kissed her.”
“As a matter of fact, I didn’t,” Jace said, his voice telling Woody this was serious. “It’s going to take more time than I expected.”
The remainder of the ride into the farmyard and to the barn was made in near silence. Woody offered to settle the team, something he hadn’t done since Jace arrived. Jace thanked him and went inside. He was full of questions with no single answer in sight. For the moment, having time alone in his room was just what he wanted.
“Are you all right?” Doyle asked, opening Maddie’s door enough to show his face.
“Yes.”
“You sound sad.”
“Maybe I am, Doyle, but it’s nothing that anyone here has done. I just needed to come home from the walk.”
“Jace didn’t do anything?”
“No, nothing like that.”
“Okay,” Doyle said, respecting her privacy. “Do you want Cathy to call you for tea?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Doyle shut the door, and Maddie lay down on the bed. It wasn’t fair that the treatment of a man who hadn’t deserved her love should color her world for all time, but it was turning out that way. Jace’s face swam into her mind. She pushed it away. Right now she pushed everything away. Some days it was the only way she could survive.
“Jace, what you have to understand about Maddie is that she’s been hurt.”
“By whom?”
Jace had come to town midweek and found Cathy alone in the store.
“A man in Boston. She was in love, and he didn’t tell her he was married.”
Jace nodded calmly, but his mind was racing. This made sense. It explained quite a bit.
r /> “When was this?”
“A long time ago—maybe about a year after she left.”
“So that would have made her what, 19?”
“Eighteen.”
“And there’s been no one in all this time?”
“No.”
They both heard Maddie coming down the stairs from the storage rooms and into the office. Cathy went to the office door to see whether she’d found what she went for, and Jace exited the way he’d come. He’d not arrived with much on his list—it was getting harder to come up with things—and right now he just wanted to keep thinking. He couldn’t do that around Maddie, and Cathy couldn’t tell him any more.
Jace made his way back to the farm, wishing there was some way Maddie would talk to him about what happened to her. He wasn’t the type to play games with a woman. For all of Eden’s claims that he had no head around women, he’d never used a girl or spent time with someone he hadn’t truly cared for.
He had told Woody that this was going to take more time than he expected. Jace was torn between not wanting Doyle to be sick, and fearing that Maddie would return to Boston before he could persuade her that he was not playing games with her heart.
Six
Woody did not come to the breakfast table Thursday morning. He usually beat Jace downstairs, but not so this day. Jace waited only a short time before checking with Clara.
“Did Woody head outside already?”
“I haven’t seen him.”
Jace weighed his options. He had never invaded the privacy of his uncle’s bedroom, but that didn’t mean he shouldn’t if his health was in question. No matter how well and hearty he seemed most days, Woody Randall was not at his best.
Jace went to the stairway, vaguely aware that Clara followed. She didn’t follow Jace into the room after Jace knocked but lingered in the hall.
“Woody?” Jace spoke softly, easing himself quietly inside.
“Yeah,” Woody answered with a distinct morning growl.
“Are you all right?”
“My chest hurts.”
“I’ll go for Doc MacKay.”
“No. He’ll just tell me what I already know. I just want to rest.”
“Okay,” Jace said, but he lingered in indecision. “Do you want anything?”
“Some water.”
Jace used the pitcher in the room and poured him a glass. Clara had come in by then. She stood at the foot of the bed. A slight wringing of her hands was the only indication she was distressed.
“How’s that?”
“Good. I’m just going to sleep for a while, and then I’ll join you in the south field.”
“It’s already raining. I’m just headed to work on the wagon wheel in the barn, so you stay put.”
“How heavy do the skies look?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll check back with you.”
Woody only raised his hand and turned on his side to get comfortable. Jace and Clara cleared the room, but both felt a little lost. Jace stood outside the closed door for a long time, Clara at the top of the stairs.
“I’m going to make his favorite bread,” Clara said.
Jace went to her and kept his voice low. “I’m going to run into town just to talk with Doc MacKay. If he confirms what Woody said, I’ll come back without him. I’ll let you know when I get back.”
Clara nodded, and Jace wasted no time in saddling a horse to be on his way. It was a wet ride, but he barely noticed. He wasn’t ready to lose his uncle—he’d known that all along—but the current pounding of his heart only accentuated that fact.
Woody expected to fall back to sleep almost immediately. He shifted in bed a few times but still wasn’t tired enough to drop off. He usually slept well in the night, and last night had been no exception. Clearly his body had had enough rest.
Swinging his legs over the bed, he slowly sat up. He wasn’t sure if he imagined it or not, but he thought his chest might be feeling better. Not sure what to think, he decided that lying around never helped anyone. After drinking the water that was left, he got up and shaved.
“Is anyone here?” Jace stood quietly and called to the empty room. He’d let himself in. The shingle hanging over the door announced the residence of Dr. MacKay, and Jace had just assumed he was welcome.
“Is someone there?” a voice called down the stairs.
“Yes.”
“I’ll be right with you.”
Jace waited only until he’d spotted the man who joined him. His own heart was in danger of stopping, so rattled was he about his uncle.
“I don’t think we’ve ever met,” Jace said, the words coming in a rush. “I’m Woody Randall’s nephew.”
“Is Woody all right?”
“I’m not sure. He said his chest hurt, and he didn’t feel like getting up. He said you would only tell him what he already knows, but I wanted to hear that from you.”
“I didn’t catch your name, son,” the kindly old doctor said as he put his hand out.
“Jace Randall, sir,” he replied, shaking the offered hand. “Can you come? Is there a need?”
“I can come, but it will only irritate Woody, and he’s right.” The doctor gave a small smile. “I’ve told him all there is to know.”
Jace nodded, feeling a complete loss for words.
“Is he comfortable?”
“I think so. He wanted to stay in bed, and he wanted some water.”
“Then I think you’re doing fine. Just follow his lead, Jace. Let him tell you what he wants and doesn’t want. And if ever he would want me to come, I will.”
“Thank you,” Jace said, his voice growing a little thick.
The wise doctor nodded, not the least offended when Jace Randall left without saying goodbye. He was glad to have met the younger Randall. It helped the doctor know that Woody was in good hands.
Jace came to a dead halt when he returned to the farm and found Woody at the worktable in the kitchen. That man was reading the newspaper and drinking coffee. He looked a little tired but overall like himself.
“You’re feeling better?” Jace asked, working not to react one way or the other. The man had scared him to death, and it was easy to be irritated about that. At the same time, Jace wanted to send him back to bed.
It came to him that this was Eden’s influence coming out in him. Woody was a grown man. He knew whether or not he needed to rest. Jace’s desire to send Woody back to bed was for his own peace of mind. He didn’t want to worry, and that was more easily accomplished if Woody took things slowly.
“I am better, yes. Did you fix that wheel?” Woody asked, and Jace realized that Clara had not told Woody he’d gone into town.
“No, not yet. I’m going to get a cup of coffee and then get it done.”
Clara all but shoved the mug into Jace’s hands, having prepared it the moment the words were out of his mouth. Their eyes met for a moment, and Jace read worry in her gaze.
“Thanks, Clara,” Jace said, meaning it for much more than the coffee. It was good to have someone else around who cared and worried with him.
“I’ll be in the barn,” Jace said and made his exit. He was certain that Woody would be on his tail, but he was wrong. When he came from the barn for noon dinner—rain still falling— Woody was sound asleep in the rocking chair next to the kitchen fireplace.
“Jace, is Woody all right?” Cathy asked the moment she saw him coming into the store. It was the afternoon of the same day, and Jace had been so antsy that Woody had told him to go courting.
Jace had laughed at the idea but also taken him up on it. It was his second wet ride to town that day, but the store was dry and smelled nice. At any rate, a chance to see Maddie was worth any amount of trouble.
“He’s all right,” Jace assured her. “What made you ask?”
“Doyle saw you going into Doc MacKay’s.”
Jace nodded. “He didn’t go back with me. Woody just needed a little bit of extra rest. He was cantankerous when I left, which I assum
e is a good sign.”
Cathy smiled. “It’s that way with Doyle too. Feisty is good; compliant is scary.”
“Did you ask?” Maddie was suddenly at her aunt’s side, any embarrassment she might have been feeling from their last encounter forgotten in light of Woody’s health.
“Yes, he’s fine,” Cathy told her, and Maddie smiled at Jace.
“We were all worried. I’d better go tell Doyle.”
“Why don’t I go?” Jace offered, hoping to hang around a bit.
“He would enjoy that,” Cathy said, and Jace went back out the front door.
“Cathy,” Maddie asked as soon as Jace was gone, “how did you get to be so close to Jace?”
“It just happened, I guess. When he got into town off the train, he came here looking for directions to the farm. Doyle gave him a small basket of goods, just some soap and a few other items. He made a point to come back and thank Doyle again a few days later, and I met him then.
“I could see that he was slightly overwhelmed by all that Woody had been presenting him, but when he came to the store, it wasn’t because of the mill; it was just a place to visit and maybe buy something. Doyle took to him right off, and I thought he was so adorable that I was always giving him sweets. I probably treated him like a kid, but he didn’t seem to mind.”
Cathy’s story made Maddie think about Jace for a long time. She hadn’t considered how he felt when he’d first come or what a huge position he was attempting to step into. When she’d tried to talk to Doyle about Woody’s dying, he didn’t want to discuss it, but Maddie thought about such things. She worried and pondered what life would be like in Tucker Mills when Woody was gone. And now that she’d met Jace, he figured into her thinking as well.
A few moments later she realized she still needed to sort the special orders that had been delivered that morning and went back to work, glad for something else to distract her thoughts.