Redemption Page 9

  “RACHEL IS GOING to make me a dress,” Alicia said. They were at the front door, watching as Cord’s surrey moved from in front of the house. Jason leaned on the fence, watching them head out of sight.

  “I’ll give you money for the material,” Jake told her quickly. “Or else just put it on my credit at the general store.”

  “No.” One word sliced between them, and Jake jerked his head back to look up at her.

  “Why the hell not?”

  “Please don’t curse at me,” she said stiffly. “I was taught not to use such language. And my reasons for buying my own wedding dress should be obvious, even to you.”

  “Well, obviously they aren’t. I have a running bill at the store, and you have the right to use my credit.”

  “I’m not your wife yet, Jake. And until I am, I’ll provide for my own needs. No one will say I’ve married you for what you can give me.”

  He was silent, and then he nodded. “All right. I can understand your thinking. As to the other, I’m sorry I insulted you with my language. I’ll try to clean it up.”

  She looked down at him in surprise. “Is this Jake McPherson I’m talking to? Where did all this sweetness and light come from?”

  “Maybe I’m pleased that my brother will stand up for me at our wedding, and I’ll be just one less responsibility for him to worry about. You may not be marrying me for what I can give you, Alicia, but I fear my motives are not altogether pure.”

  She frowned. “And what does that mean?”

  “Having you in my life will free Cord up from the visits he’s felt obliged to make, checking up on me and seeing to things I haven’t been able to take care of.”

  “Are you sure he feels an obligation to look after you, Jake?” she asked. “Did you ever consider that maybe he loves you and enjoys spending time with you?”

  Jake shrugged diffidently. “Maybe, to a point. Nonetheless, having you here to do the shopping and banking, and just dealing with the everyday household business will make my life a hell—” He stopped suddenly and grinned.

  “See there? I’ll have to work hard at the language thing, Alicia. Anyway, you know what I mean, I hope. I’m planning on taking shameful advantage of you…and your good nature.” The last was spoken with a touch of sarcasm.

  “I’m nice every once in a while,” she told him, pleased that he was becoming comfortable with their decision. That was the bottom line, she thought. They should enter this marriage with the right attitude, knowing and understanding what each stood to gain.

  She moved into the parlor and heard Jake’s chair following her. Choosing a seat on the couch, she waited until he drew near and then spoke quietly.

  “I want to ask you about something,” she said, having decided on the spur of the moment that she’d put this encounter off long enough. “I don’t know much about your life before three years ago, but I’ve heard talk in town. I’d rather hear the details from you, Jake.”

  “Like what?” He bristled. There was no other word for it. Had he been a dog, his hackles would have been standing on end.

  “I was afraid you’d take offense, but I think I need to know about your life before Rena died. More to the point, I think I deserve to know. I’ll feel as if I’m in the dark if folks begin to speak to me about it, and I haven’t an idea what they’re talking about.”

  “That’s easily solved. Just tell anyone who quizzes you that it’s none of their damn business. And that’s one cuss word I’ll not apologize for,” he said forcefully. “My life before you met me is the past. We won’t dwell on it, and I don’t want to discuss it.”

  “Is that your final word on the subject?” she asked, rising from the couch and smoothing her skirt. “If so, I think we have a problem. We’ll discuss it another time, when I’ve had a chance to make up my mind about this.”

  “Wait, Alicia,” he called as she headed for the parlor door. He reached out and snagged her skirt, holding fast to the material he grasped. “I won’t let you walk out on me this way. You seem to think I’ll give in if you make threats, and trust me, sweetheart, I won’t.”

  She stiffened. “Don’t call me that. I’m not your sweetheart. You had one of those in your life already. I’ve accepted the fact that I’ll be a poor substitute for Rena. Don’t insult me by using that term so loosely and with such sarcasm.”

  He released her, carefully brushing her skirt as if to remove the wrinkles he’d put there. “For that you have my abject apology, Alicia. Go on home. We’ll talk later.”

  She left then, waving a farewell at Jason as he played hopscotch with a neighbor girl in front of the house. “I’ll see you in the morning, Miss Alicia,” he called out, and then, in a softer voice, he said to his friend, “Miss Alicia and my pa are gonna get married next Saturday. She’s gonna live in our house from now on.”

  “Don’t count on that too much,” Alicia murmured under her breath as she stepped up her pace. One good thing about being tall was that she marched along rapidly when the spirit moved her. This evening she felt the need for action. If she were a child she’d be running right now, away from her angry exchange with Jake. If she exerted herself with a brisk walk, maybe she’d be tired enough so that she might actually sleep tonight.

  Somehow that prospect didn’t seem likely, she thought. Jake McPherson was a stubborn man, she’d known that from the beginning. If he wouldn’t talk to her, she’d go over his head. One way or another, she’d find out what she needed to know.

  In one corner of his parlor sat a grand piano, covered with dusty sheets and taking up a large part of the room. Unless she missed her guess, Jake was determined never to touch the keys again. A tragedy in itself, if what she’d heard about him was true. Catherine’s mother had shown her a poster advertising Jacob McPherson’s debut concert in Green Rapids eleven years ago.

  Any man who played well enough to perform in front of the whole town must be talented, she’d decided. Somehow, his love for music must be regenerated. How it was to come about, she had no idea, but she hadn’t been called obstinate and bullheaded by her father for nothing. If Jake married her, he might as well know right off that she planned to bring some purpose to his life.

  “I’M GOING TO ASK YOU for your help, Rachel.” She’d thought it over, and approaching her would-be sister-in-law seemed like the best path to take. Rachel looked up from her sewing machine and arched an eyebrow at Alicia, nodding serenely.

  “What do you want to know?” she asked. “Let me tell you right off that I’ve been waiting for you to begin asking questions. And I don’t mind providing answers. I wouldn’t do anything in the world to hurt Cord’s brother. He’s been my brother, too, for a long time now, and I love him dearly. But the man is like a wounded bear, and he’s needed somebody to pull the thorn out of his paw for a long time.”

  “That story was about a lion, not a bear,” Alicia said with droll humor. “Since you’ve managed to read my mind, I’ll only ask one thing of you. Tell me about the piano in the parlor and about his training. What he’s capable of.”

  “That would take a while,” Rachel said, lifting the skirt of Alicia’s dress to check the stitches. She held it before her, shaking it and then turning it so that the sleeves were before her. “I just have to hem these by hand and we’ll be done,” she said. “You’re going to look lovely, Alicia.”

  “Pretty is as pretty does, my mama used to say. What do you suppose that means?”

  Rachel shrugged. “Probably not much. We’ve already had this discussion, anyway. Jake likes the way you look, and that’s all that matters.”

  “You think so?” She cleared her throat, hoping to disguise the wistful note she’d inadvertently allowed to creep into her voice. “He thinks I’m efficient and capable and will make a good mother for Jason. Let’s not pretend this is a love match, Rachel.”

  “I didn’t mean that it was. I don’t think anyone falls in love that quickly. But I do think that, given time, you’re going to be very happy with Jake
. I’ll remind you of this conversation one day,” she said with a smile. Leaning forward, she touched Alicia’s hand. “I like you, my friend, more than I’d thought possible. I’m hoping we’ll be sisters in every way there is.”

  “Oh, please, don’t make me blubber,” Alicia said, feeling tears of gratitude well up. “I’m not a sentimental woman, but that sort of talk will turn on the water-works if you’re not careful.”

  “A few tears never hurt anybody,” Rachel said, threading her needle with care. She looked over at the kitchen range. “Why don’t you put my irons on the front of the stove, and you can press this when I’m finished.”

  “All right.” Alicia rose and did as she was asked. The dress was beautiful, rose-colored and nicely fitted across the bodice. Her waist was defined by the lines of the pattern Rachel had used, and at first Alicia had felt uncomfortable at the accentuated display of her womanly shape.

  “You have good lines,” Rachel had said firmly. “I believe in showing off your good points.”

  Alicia had given in to Rachel’s superior knowledge as far as fashion was concerned. If the woman said the dress was becoming to her, she’d just have to take her word for it. Alicia’s own sense of style was sadly lacking, a fact she had admitted to herself years ago.

  She set up the ironing board, and was soon at work pressing the dress. Rachel sat watching, chatting quietly. “Jake spent years at the conservatory in New York City, played in concert halls and was an acclaimed success,” she said. “Then the war came along. His father had a fit when he put on a uniform and picked up a gun. He’d already bought the piano for Jake’s use and had it installed in the parlor here.”

  “But Jake couldn’t play it afterward, could he?” Alicia asked. “Not without having a foot to touch the pedals.”

  “That’s the wonderful part of this story,” Rachel said. “A piano tuner came one day, a blind fellow, old and wise. He told the blacksmith how to fit the piano with wires that connected with the pedal. Then they built a pedal that could be used by Jake’s right knee. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked.

  “I’ll never forget the morning he first sat down and played.” She shivered as if the memory was one that brought a thrill to her very being. “After his marriage to Lorena he worked for the opera company, making arrangements for touring companies to visit Green Rapids, setting up concerts for various artists. It brought some culture to this town, something we’ve lacked ever since Rena died.”

  “Then Jake withdrew,” Alicia murmured, holding her iron in the air as she whispered the words.

  “Yes.” Rachel’s eyes filled with tears. “Rena would hate it if she knew that Jake buried his music in the grave that day in the cemetery. I think he was so angry, he just determined never again to gain any pleasure from the instrument he loved. And he hasn’t. He just sat and brooded. Until you came along.”

  “He still broods a bit,” Alicia said. “He’s a difficult man.”

  “But you love him, don’t you?” Rachel asked softly.

  Alicia shot her a surprised look. “I hope it doesn’t show. I’ll never tell him. I wouldn’t put him under that sort of obligation.”

  “I’ll never tell,” Rachel said firmly, lifting her hand to make an X over her breast. “Hope to die if I tell a lie,” she intoned with a smile.

  “I haven’t allowed myself to even think about it, not till this minute,” Alicia said. “I know what I’m risking in this marriage, Rachel, but I know it’s the right thing for all of us. Especially Jason. He needs a mother as much as any little boy I’ve ever seen in my life. I think I can fill the bill.”

  “I know you can,” Rachel told her. “Your presence in that house will work a miracle. Maybe not this week or even this year, but someday, down the line, things will do a complete turnaround for you and Jake. You’ll be glad you took the chance.”

  “I’m getting a little nervous,” Alicia said. “The big day is only forty-eight hours away. I know there isn’t much preparation to do, just final cleaning in the parlor, and a meal to put together. I’ve hired a lady in town to help me. She’s cleaned floors, and together we washed every window in the house. I found some pretty new curtains for the parlor. They let in all the light, and Jake hasn’t complained about them.”

  “I doubt he will,” Rachel said bluntly. “He’s appreciative of everything you’ve done. He may not say so, but I can’t even begin to describe to you the difference in the man. It’s almost like he has a new lease on life.”

  “Well, he’s not very happy with me right now,” Alicia said. “We aren’t talking, to tell you the truth. I asked him about the past, about what he was like before Rena died, and he threw a fit.”

  “That sounds like Jake,” Rachel said, laughing and shaking her head. “The first time I ever saw him he scared me half to death. He was wild and woolly and ranted at me like a madman.”

  “That sounds familiar. You must be acquainted with the sign on his door that dared anyone to rap on it?”

  “It was effective, you have to admit that. How did you have the nerve to get past it?”

  “I’ve always had more guts than brains, my mama used to say. In fact, I took it down one day and put it in the trash bin, and he hasn’t mentioned it. I suspect he thought he’d do well to pretend he didn’t notice it was missing.”

  Alicia looked down at the watch she wore pinned to her dress front and sighed. “It’s past time for me to leave. It’ll be dark by the time I get back to town as it is.”

  “Well, get going, then. I’ll have Sam bring your buggy up to the house for you.”

  “It’s Jake’s buggy, you know,” Alicia told her. “He’d had it stored at the livery stable and told me I might as well use it. He sent Jason to the livery and gave orders that he wanted to buy a new mare to pull it. Then gave me the whole kit and caboodle. He said it was a wedding present.”

  “What did you get for him?” Rachel asked, rising and going toward the back door.

  “I’ll decide that tomorrow. I don’t know what to choose. I’m going to the general store in the morning.”

  “Did he get you a ring?”

  Alicia nodded. “He sent a note to the jewelry store—you know, that new little place by the bank. Directed the man come to the house with a whole assortment of rings, and he chose one for me.” She blushed and smiled, remembering. “Actually he had me pick it out. Said I’d be the one wearing it, and I’d better find one I liked, since I’d have it on my finger for a long time.”

  “Sounds like a man with a plan,” Rachel said.

  The buggy was brought from the barn, and once Alicia had folded her dress with care and placed it beside her on the seat, she was ready to leave. Impetuously, she hugged Rachel and listened to her voice whisper words Alicia had never thought to hear from another woman.

  “I love you, sister of mine.” Rachel reached to brush back a wisp of hair that had fallen against Alicia’s cheek. “Be happy.”

  Her natural reserve almost kept her from replying, but she’d learned over the past weeks to let down her guard, and now she did so, gladly and freely.

  “I love you, too, Rachel. Thank you.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “WHAT’S THIS I HEAR about a wedding?” Mr. Harris leaned over the counter toward Alicia, his voice booming. “Minister’s wife said tomorrow’s the big day.”

  The eyes of several women turned in her direction and Alicia froze where she stood. After a moment she gathered her nerve to speak. “That’s right, Mr. Harris. I’ll be the new Mrs. Jacob McPherson by this time on Saturday.”

  That was enough to set tongues into action all over the store, and the ensuing flurry of conversation brought a smile to Alicia’s lips. From behind her, one of her students tugged at her skirt. “Ma’am?” the child said, gaining her teacher’s attention. “Ain’t you gonna be our teacher anymore?”

  The murmurs of the store patrons stopped dead as Alicia bent to answer the little girl. “Of course I’m going to be your teacher,
Beatrice. Did you think I could just leave all my children to fend for themselves? I’ll be your teacher for the rest of the school year.”

  The girl hugged Alicia impetuously. “My mama said you was gonna have your hands full just keepin’ Jason in line, without taking care of a whole schoolhouse full of children.”

  Alicia laughed, wondering if the “mama” in question was the lady with crimson cheeks, standing just to her right. “Jason and I get along very well,” she assured the child.

  “It’ll be the boy’s pa she’ll have to contend with,” another lady offered, shooting a pitying glance at Alicia, who had now become the center of attention.

  “I get along nicely with Mr. McPherson, too,” Alicia said sharply in her best schoolteacher voice. She surreptitiously crossed her fingers at the gravity of her fib. Although she supposed it could be said that getting along didn’t always mean agreeing on every subject.

  “You got a new dress for the big day?” Mr. Harris asked. “If not, I’ll warrant I can help you find something.”

  Alicia shook her head. “Rachel McPherson made me a dress this week. It’s really quite lovely.”

  “How about a new pair of shoes? Maybe a pretty nightgown?” Mr. Harris was persistent, and his questions made Alicia blush furiously.

  “I have shoes enough,” she said. “And—” she glanced around at the women who were now actually circling her “—I don’t think I need another nightgown. I already own several.”

  Enough was enough, Alicia decided firmly. “Actually, I’m here to find something appropriate for Mr. McPherson—for a wedding gift.” She looked at all the ladies in turn. “Perhaps one of you ladies has a suggestions for me?” she asked smiling sweetly.

  As do all women when asked for their advice, the ladies warmed to the subject and, in turn, to Alicia. “How about a pocket watch?” one asked.

  “Maybe a book of poetry?” said another, to which Alicia almost laughed aloud. Visualizing Jake reading a book of poetry was an exercise in disbelief.