Her Heart's Desire NH2 Read online

  He almost said he’d wait forever for her but then thought better of it. There was no need to let her know how eager he was to see her. Perhaps Sally was right. Maybe Ethel Mae picked up on his excitement and it made him less attractive to her.

  She sat next to him, and her shawl slipped over her shoulder. Adjusting it, she rested against the back of the swing and smiled. “How are you doing?”

  “Fine. I’m fine.” He cleared his throat. “How are you?”

  “Oh, I’m doing well, thanks.”

  He nodded and smiled, not sure of what to say now that she was here. It was hard to concentrate on anything but how pretty she was. Her dark hair was pulled back into a twist at the nape of her neck, and he couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to kiss the spot beneath her ear. He’d overheard one of the men say that women loved that kind of thing, and quite frankly, he thought he’d enjoy it as well. Of course, he’d love to kiss Ethel Mae anywhere. If he married her, he could take off her clothes and… His face flushed. Perhaps he should keep his thoughts away from kissing and such.

  Taking a deep breath, he said, “It’s a pleasant evening. With the sunset and cool temperature. You know, not too hot or cold. Just right.” Rick hid the desire to wince. He didn’t exactly sound smooth or charming. Probably not like Larry or Samuel, especially Samuel if she preferred him to Larry. Once again, he wondered who these two men were.

  “Yes, it is a pleasant evening,” Ethel Mae replied. “It’s the kind of evening a person should sit on the porch and watch the sun go down.”

  He nodded and tapped his fingers on the arm of the swing. This wasn’t going as well as he hoped. He needed to come up with something to discuss. And he’d better do it quick, considering the way she covered her mouth and yawned. “Did you have a good day?” he asked.

  “Oh yes! It was wonderful.”

  Encouraged by her enthusiasm, he relaxed. “What happened?”

  “Oh, I—” She stopped, her eyes wide, and let out an uneasy chuckle. “Nothing. It was just a good day.”

  He frowned. What wasn’t she telling him?

  “Did your day go well?” she quickly asked, as if she wished to change topics right away.

  Blinking, he wondered if he should press her on what happened but decided it wouldn’t be good to show his uncertainty. As he traced the edge of the arm of the swing with his fingers, he said, “I had a good day. There was this hearing that I presided over, and while I was listening to the defendant’s side, there was a law that I knew applied to the case. I couldn’t remember what it was, which doesn’t often happen. So when we went into recess, I went to one of the law books and—” When he noticed that she seemed unusually interested in her fingernails, he softly laughed. “I’m sorry. This must be boring you.”

  Her head snapped in his direction. “What? Oh, no. You’re not boring me. I find your job very interesting.” She yawned and pressed a hand to her chest. “Sorry. I was up late last night and didn’t get a chance to rest today. What were you saying?”

  Rick’s smile faltered. “Nothing. Actually, it is boring unless you happen to be a judge or a lawyer or…” He shrugged, not sure who else would enjoy the story of how he figured out the plaintiff was lying. After a moment of awkward silence, he continued, “I was wondering if you might be available on Saturday.”

  “Saturday? This Saturday?”

  “Yes, this Saturday.”

  “Oh. Well, uh, I have something to do that day.” She offered an apologetic smile.

  He wondered if she was going to see Larry or Samuel but couldn’t ask. Instead, he ventured, “Can I see you Sunday afternoon?”

  “I don’t know. Sally will be here that day. If you don’t mind that she’s here, you can come over.”

  His initial thought was disappointment that he wouldn’t get to spend time with just her, perhaps going for a walk in the park or enjoying a picnic. Neither sounded as interesting with her friend there. However, maybe this was just the thing he needed. Her friend might know Larry and Samuel, and maybe he should ask her how trying to make Ethel Mae jealous would work.

  Vivian ran out the front door and yelled loud enough for the entire block to hear, “Ethel Mae, Ma needs your help!” Then, just as fast as she appeared, she disappeared back into the house.

  With another smile, Ethel Mae stood up. “I’m sorry our time has been cut short.”

  “Yes,” he replied, glancing at the sun which still had yet to go past the horizon. So much for looking at the stars with her. “It seems like I just got here.”

  She laughed. “Time flies when you’re having fun, doesn’t it? Well, I must go in and help my mother. If you wish, you may come by around two on Sunday.”

  “I’ll be here.”

  She said good-night and slipped into the house.

  Shoulders slumped, he turned away from the front door and headed down the porch steps.

  Chapter Three

  On Sunday, Sally turned from the mirror that was over the dresser in Ethel Mae’s bedroom to look at her friend. “Larry and Samuel are your other two suitors?”

  “Well,” Ethel Mae began, “Samuel isn’t really a suitor. He’s supposed to be the one I’m most interested in because he’s been visiting Miss Keating.”

  Sally’s eyes lit up with understanding. “I see what you’re doing. This way Rick will assume you prefer men who are interested in other women.”

  “Exactly.”

  “How did you come up with the names Larry and Samuel?” she asked, turning back to the mirror to make sure her hair was in place. The blonde waves fell gently against her face and down past her shoulders. She pinched her cheeks so they’d be a nice shade of pink.

  “I based them off characters I read in a book,” her friend replied as she adjusted the broach around Sally’s neck so it was straight. “There. That’s better.”

  Taking a deep breath, Sally asked, “How do I look?”

  “Beautiful. And how do I look?” She spun around in her old blue dress and shook her head so that more strands of her hair fell out of her bun.

  “Like you’ve been spending all morning scrubbing floors.”

  “Good!” She examined her reflection in the mirror. “Do you think I can do anything else to look horrid?”

  With a sigh, Sally offered her a sympathetic smile. “I’m afraid you’re still lovely. I doubt Rick will turn his eyes in my direction.”

  “You’re lovely, too, Sally.”

  “By the way he couldn’t take his eyes off of you last time, I don’t think he noticed.”

  Her friend bit her lower lip and tapped her finger to her chin. “I must think of a way to get him looking in your direction. Your mother’s idea of bringing him out to supper at your place is a good one. I won’t be there, and he’ll have no choice but to look at you.”

  Sally grimaced. “Only if my brothers don’t ruin things for me. They teased me something awful when I took an interest in Michael a year ago.”

  “To be fair, Michael had a tendency to wheeze when he laughed.”

  Unable to stop her lips from turning up, Sally added, “And he twitched a bit when he was around dogs. I never understood that one. He wasn’t allergic to them.”

  “Oh, you’re better off without him anyway. Clara can have him, wheezing and twitching and nail biting and all the things he did.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. It was actually cute at times. But you’re right. I’m better off with Rick.”

  “That’s right, you are. And when you marry him, I’ll be the first in line to congratulate you.”

  Vivian opened the door and burst into the bedroom. “Rick’s here! Do you want me to tell him that Larry or Samuel came by earlier?”

  “No, I think he got the message when he was here on Thursday,” Ethel Mae told her sister.

  Vivian sighed in disappointment.

  Noting the girl’s enthusiasm for her part in their scheme, Sally snapped her fingers. “I know! You can tell Rick that Larry was a
sking me about your sister.”

  Eyes lighting up, the girl ran out of the room.

  Ethel Mae shook her head but smiled. “You’re positively awful.”

  Sally shrugged. “Why not make him think Larry is hoping to make you jealous, too? You made Samuel and Larry up, so I might as well use them to my advantage.”

  “I wish I could be with you and Rick when you give him advice about winning me over, but I know this must be done behind my back because I’m not supposed to be aware of what’s going on.”

  “Come on. I want to see him!” She hurried to the door and glanced back at her friend who shook her head once again so her hair was worse than before. “Are you ready?”

  “No. But is that a surprise?”

  “I suppose not. If a man came to visit me and I wasn’t interested, I’d dread it, too.”

  “I hope our plan works.” She stepped up to Sally and motioned down the hallway. “I want him to see you first.”

  Sally nodded and strolled down the hall, hoping her excitement at seeing Rick again wasn’t too apparent. It was one thing for her friend and Vivian to know how much she wanted him, but he must not know. She wanted him to think marrying her was his idea, and if she played her cards right, he would. As soon as she reached the parlor where Vivian sat across from him, she paused and peaked around the doorway. Ethel Mae slowed behind her, and Sally motioned for her to listen to them.

  “Oh yes, Larry really wanted to speak with Sally,” Vivian said. “Too bad you didn’t talk to her first, but Sally hasn’t made up her mind yet on whether she’ll help Larry or not. You’d better make your move soon. My sister will believe one man is interested in Sally, but I don’t think she’ll believe two are.”

  Sally’s jaw dropped and she looked at Ethel Mae who held her hand over her mouth so no one could hear her laugh. Sally knew that Vivian was trying to get Rick to take Sally up on her offer to make Ethel Mae jealous, but the way she worded that sentence made it sound like Sally didn’t do well with men.

  “I better go before they catch us talking,” Vivian told him in a whisper that was loud enough for Sally and Ethel Mae to hear. “I’m rooting for you, Rick.”

  As soon as Sally saw Vivian stand up, she took a deep breath and entered the parlor with a smile on her face. “Hello, Rick.”

  “Hello, Sally,” he said, standing up, his gaze going straight from Sally to her friend. “Hello, Ethel Mae.”

  Sally resisted the urge to look at Ethel Mae with a “see what I mean about him being unable to draw his attention from you” message.

  “Hello, Rick,” Ethel Mae said with a half-hearted smile. “Vivian, why don’t you help me get some refreshments?”

  “Sure,” Vivian replied with too much enthusiasm for a ten-year-old who was just asked to do a chore. “I love helping out my wonderful sister who everyone comes to see!”

  Since Rick wasn’t looking in Sally’s direction, Sally mouthed the words, “That’s enough,” to Vivian.

  Vivian shrugged and skipped out of the parlor.

  “Why don’t you two sit down and talk?” Ethel Mae told Rick and Sally. “I’ll be back with lemonade and cookies.”

  Sally nodded and sat on the couch, fully expecting that Rick would sit across from her as he’d done before when she last saw him, but this time he sat beside her. She tried to hide her pleasure that he chose to sit so close to her. Taking a deep breath to settle her excitement, she asked, “How are you doing, Rick?”

  “Fine.” Before she could say anything else, he whispered, “Do you know someone named Larry or Samuel?”

  “I’ve met Larry, but I’ve only heard of Samuel.” She made a mental note to tell her friend all of this after he left. It wouldn’t be good if their stories didn’t match up.

  “What is Larry like?”

  “Didn’t Vivian tell you?” she asked, just in case Vivian slipped something in she needed to know.

  “No. She just told me Larry is interested in Ethel Mae.”

  “Well, it’s true. He is.” She waited for a moment before adding, “However, I think she’d do better to choose you.”

  “You do?”

  “Well, yes. You seem more amiable. I mean, Larry is fine, but I don’t feel as comfortable with him. You are like a friend.” She hated to think of him as a friend, but she thought it would ease him into things better if she referred to him as such. “And if you marry Ethel Mae, then it’d be best if she married someone who could be a friend to me, don’t you agree?”

  “Oh, of course. My mother didn’t care much for one of my father’s friends, and it made life a bit difficult.” She thought to press him further, but he continued, “So, yes. It’s important that we get along as well. That’s why I hesitated to take you up on your offer to make your friend jealous. The last thing I’d ever want to do is create problems.”

  “You see, that’s why I think we could be friends.” And eventually more. “You consider what’s best for everyone.”

  He studied the floor for a moment. “It still doesn’t make much sense that Ethel Mae should prefer Samuel when he seems to like someone else more, but you said that’s how Ethel Mae is and her sister says the same thing. If I want to marry her, then I’d be foolish to neglect your offer to help me, if you’re still offering?”

  “Yes. I am.”

  Ethel Mae and Vivian came into the room, one carrying a tray of lemonade and glasses while the other carried a plate of cookies and cloth napkins. Rick and Sally stood up, and Sally helped Ethel Mae pour the lemonade into their glasses.

  “Thank you, Vivian,” Ethel Mae said. “You may play with your friends now.”

  “Can’t I stay and have lemonade and cookies, too?” Vivian protested, a slight pout on her lips.

  “It’s time for the adults to talk. I’ll save you some for later,” Ethel Mae said. “Besides, it’s a nice day. You should go out and enjoy it. See if Phoebe wants to play dolls.”

  Letting out a loud sigh, Vivian left the parlor.

  “I’m sorry,” Ethel Mae said as she motioned for Rick and Sally to get some cookies. “My sister thinks she’s older than she really is.”

  “She means well,” Sally replied as she sat down with a glass of lemonade in one hand and a napkin with two cookies in the other. “At least she actually helps you. My brothers plan ways to make more work for me.”

  “Surely, you jest,” her friend said.

  “I wish I was.”

  Sally thought Ethel Mae would sit next to her and Rick would sit across from them as he did before, but he sat next to her while Ethel Mae sat in the chair across from them.

  “Tell us more about your brothers,” Rick said, turning toward Sally.

  Sally glanced at Ethel Mae whose eyebrows rose in interest. Sally tried to answer his question, but now that he was devoting his attention to her in an attempt to make her friend jealous, her mind went blank. All she could think of was his dark brown eyes, smooth dark hair, and charming smile. What she truly wanted, more than anything, was for him to kiss her. But it was too soon for that, and who knew if she could convince him to go that far in their scheme until he realized he wanted to be with her instead of her friend.

  Ethel Mae cleared her throat, directing Sally’s thoughts off of Rick’s delightfully sensuous lips. “Sally has four brothers. I believe it’s her younger ones who create the biggest mischief.”

  “Oh?” Rick asked, looking much more interested than Sally knew he actually was.

  Well, she had to hand it to Rick. He was a good actor. Sally took a sip of her lemonade and nodded. “Yes, they do. Specifically, my brothers Tom and Joel are the ones I have to worry about the most. Tom’s seventeen and Joel’s nine. I know the ages are considerably apart, but they tend to work together. Sometimes I think they’d be lost without each other.” Realizing she was rambling, she stopped and drank more lemonade to slow down. “Tell me, Rick, do you have any brothers or sisters?”

  “I had a brother, but he died in infancy,” he softly
replied.

  “I’m sorry,” both Sally and Ethel Mae said at the same time.

  “It happened before I was born, so I never knew him.” He set down his glass and motioned to Sally. “I don’t wish to take away from what you’re saying about your brothers. Two of them are Tom and Joel. Who are the others?”

  Shifting on the couch, Sally forced her mind off of how hard it must have been for his mother to lose a child and cleared her throat. “Yes, well, I have two more. Richard’s already married. He just had twin sons.”

  “Really? That’s nice,” Rick said.

  “Yes. My nephews are adorable.”

  Ethel Mae picked up a cookie and said, “Their names are Mark and Anthony.”

  With a wry grin, Sally added, “Amanda loves history, and if you guessed she named them after Mark Anthony, you’re right. She said she didn’t care much for the affair between him and Cleopatra, but she loved his name. Richard says it’s good she had twins because she kept going back and forth between Mark or Anthony for boy names.”

  “And your other brother?” Rick asked before he finished his cookie.

  “That would be David, and if it weren’t for him, life would be unbearable. He’s fourteen, so he was born between Tom and Joel, and he does a good job of intercepting them on my behalf. Oh, I do have a sister named Jenny. She’s twelve.”

  “That’s a good-sized family.”

  “It never gets boring in the house, that’s for sure,” Sally mused. “Of course, you’d have to go out there sometime if you want to really appreciate how busy things get over there.”

  “I’d love to.”

  Blinking in surprise, she asked, “What?”

  “Go out there to see these brothers and the sister of yours, especially Tom and Joel. It’d be interesting to see what they’re all like.”

  She stared at him to figure out if he was just saying this because they were in front of Ethel Mae or if he really meant it.

  Ethel Mae shifted in her chair and let out a flirtatious giggle. “I don’t think that’s necessary, Rick. All you really need to know about them, Sally can tell you right here.” She tucked a few strands of her unkempt hair behind her ear and shot him a coy look.