Her Heart's Desire NH2 Page 4

  Sally’s eyes widened. She had no idea her friend could put on the charm when she wanted to.

  “Nonsense,” Rick said, waving his hand as if he didn’t care what Ethel Mae thought. “I think it’s a good idea to pay you a visit so I can put the faces with the names.”

  Still unsure if he intended to do that for real, Sally nodded. “It is.” Turning her gaze to her friend, she shrugged. “And how else do you expect him to understand just how troublesome Tom and Joel can be? Some things have to be observed to be understood, and when it comes to those two, you have to see it to believe it.”

  “It sounds intriguing. When would be a good time to visit you and your family?”

  Sally studied him. He seemed sincere in coming out to her place. But how could she know for sure? “Um… I suppose it depends on when you aren’t working. It should be soon. We’ll start planting corn soon, and once planting season starts, things get busy.”

  Ethel Mae winked at her, indicating that she thought Sally was brilliant.

  Sally breathed a sigh of relief when she realized Rick was too busy looking at her to notice Ethel Mae’s secret message.

  “If it’s imperative I get out there before next month, then will Saturday be alright?” Rick asked.

  “Saturday? This upcoming Saturday?” Sally responded, immediately kicking herself for saying something that stupid because it was obvious he didn’t mean another one.

  “It is the last Saturday before May.” His lips turned up into a smile and his eyes twinkled when he added, “Unless you mean next year. Then I suppose we have more Saturdays to work with.”

  Sally laughed at his joke. It was nice to know he had a sense of humor. “I suppose we could try for next year, but who knows if my brothers will be pulling their usual stunts by then? Our best chance to catch them at their worst is sooner rather than later,” she teased.

  “I better go this Saturday then. You’ll have to give me directions.”

  Glancing at Ethel Mae who smiled at her in encouragement, Sally said, “I’ll do that.”

  “Great. I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

  She smiled as if she believed he was going to actually show up at her house.

  Ethel Mae adjusted her blouse so that it wasn’t so disheveled and cleared her throat. “Rick, I hope you won’t mind coming by here again. It suddenly occurred to me how much we have to discuss.”

  “Has it?” Rick asked, not seeming the least bit interested in what she just said.

  Sally chewed her cookie and thought both Rick and Ethel Mae were excellent actors. She was trying to play her part, but it was hard to know if she was as convincing as they were.

  “Oh yes,” her friend said, not missing a beat. “I’d like to hear more about your job. Didn’t you say something happened during one of your court hearings that required you to look something up?”

  He furrowed his eyebrows. “Did I?”

  “You mentioned it on Thursday.”

  “Hmm… Thursday. I’ve been to so many places this week. I came here?”

  “You did. We sat on the porch swing.”

  He stared at his glass of lemonade for a long moment and then snapped his fingers. “Oh, right! I remember now. The evening was quite remarkable.” Smiling at Sally, he continued, “You would have loved the sunset, and the weather was perfect. It’s too bad you weren’t there to share the evening with me.”

  Sally sighed with longing. How she wished he meant those words!

  “Maybe Saturday, the weather will be good, and we can enjoy the sunset together,” he continued.

  At this point, Sally thought he might be laying it on a little too thick. She understood what he was doing and why, but she figured enough was enough, especially since this Saturday supper wasn’t likely going to happen. She swallowed her cookie and took a drink of her lemonade. “Yes, that will be nice. I enjoy the sunrise and sunset.” Clearing her throat, she continued, “I’d like to know the court hearing that Ethel Mae referred to just a moment ago. Did something interesting happen while you were presiding over a case this week?”

  “Oh, that.” He shrugged. “I’d probably bore you both. It’s not that interesting, now that I think about it.”

  Sally nudged his arm, wanting to know more about his job since it’d give her more insight into who he was. “Please tell us about it, Rick.”

  “Well, if you’re sure.” He glanced from Sally to her friend.

  “Yes, we are.” Sally leaned forward and waited to hear what he had to say.

  He shifted and shrugged. “Alright. I was listening to the plaintiff and defendant giving their testimonies, and the plaintiff said something that struck me as odd. So, during the recess, I checked one of my law books. I found a law that was passed ten years ago that contradicted what he was saying. From this, I was able to deduce that he was lying.”

  Unsure of how much he could discuss about court hearings, she asked, “Are you allowed to say what the case or the law was about?”

  As he opened his mouth to answer, Vivian ran into the room, her face red and her hands on her hips. “Ethel Mae, you better tell Ada to get her brother away from me.”

  Sitting up straight, Ethel Mae’s eyes grew wide. “What did Hugh do this time?”

  “He said I was pretty,” Vivian said, her tone indicating that it should be obvious to anyone why being called pretty was a horrible thing.

  Ethel Mae chuckled. “That’s a compliment.”

  “Then he can compliment someone else, and you can tell Ada that next time you see her.”

  Sally laughed and held out a cookie for Vivian to eat. As she took it, Sally said, “There’s no harm in a boy telling a girl she’s pretty.”

  “You don’t know Hugh.” She bit into the cookie and sighed. “He is worse than other boys. Not that I like boys, because I don’t. They’re all yucky.”

  Rick’s eyebrows rose in interest. “They’re all yucky?”

  Vivian shrugged. “I don’t think of you as a boy in the way Hugh is a boy. You’re just here to court my sister. There’s a big difference.”

  Noticing Rick’s embarrassment, Sally handed Vivian a couple more cookies and said, “In the future, try to avoid Hugh as much as possible.”

  “I’ll try, but it’s not easy when he lives down the street. I really think he looks out the window just so he can be outside whenever I leave the house,” Vivian replied.

  Sally laughed. “That’s ridiculous. If he’s out when you are, it’s a coincidence.”

  “I’ll talk to Ada later today,” Ethel Mae told her sister.

  “Good,” Vivian replied before she took her cookies and left the room.

  Looking at Rick and Sally, Ethel Mae gave them a wry grin. “I’m afraid Vivian and Hugh will always have problems. But never mind them. What were we talking about when she barged in here?”

  “Rick was about to tell us about how he discovered a law that told him the plaintiff was lying,” Sally replied, turning her attention back to him. “Can you tell us what the case was about?”

  As Rick told them what he could about the court hearing, Sally sat back and got comfortable so she could enjoy the rest of his visit.

  Chapter Four

  The afternoon passed much too fast for Sally’s liking. As the three stood around the front door to say good-bye, Rick turned to Sally. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”

  Surprised, Sally glanced at Ethel Mae whose eyes grew wide. Clearing her throat so her voice wouldn’t betray her excitement, Sally agreed and grabbed her hat. “I’ll be back shortly,” she told her friend as she followed him out the front door.

  “Would you like to go for a walk?” he asked.

  This was a good sign. He wanted to speak to her for longer than a couple minutes. Stopping herself from cheering, she smiled, counted to three, and nodded. There. She was calm. He wouldn’t know how much his words affected her. She joined him down the porch steps and turned with him down the street. “What’s on your mind?”
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  “Well, I wondered what you thought about what happened in the parlor. Did I do alright?”

  “Alright?” she asked, wondering what he meant.

  “By pretending to be interested in you.”

  “Oh.” Forcing a pleasant smile on her face to mask her disappointment, she added, “Of course. You did a real good job. Anyone would believe you were genuinely interested in me.” And that wasn’t a lie either. He was, without a doubt, a good actor.

  “I think I overdid it a bit, though.”

  She shrugged and clasped her hands behind her back. “Not to the point where Ethel Mae noticed. Did you see how she seemed more interested in you today than she was last time?”

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, I did.”

  “Then the plan is working. We should keep it up.”

  “I agree. So, how do I get to your family’s farm?”

  Her eyes grew wide. “I thought you only told Ethel Mae that to make her jealous.”

  He gave her a wry grin. “Well, I did, but I planned to go out there, too, if that’s alright?”

  “Of course, it’s alright!” She mentally cursed herself for being too eager. That wasn’t a good thing to do. After all, he had to think she was pretending to be interested in him. Clearing her throat, she added, “It’s an excellent idea you had. Brilliant even. This way when you tell her about my family, she’ll know you were really out there.”

  “Yes. I figure she knows them, so if I could come back with some stories regarding the antics of your little brothers, it might give her cause to worry that she could lose me.”

  “It is a good plan,” she replied.

  They reached the end of the block and turned around. “I appreciate that you’re willing to help me instead of Larry.”

  “Oh, think nothing of it.” Considering there was no Larry, it was an easy decision to make.

  “It means a lot to me. I admit it’s an unconventional way of doing things, but I can see it’s working. Ethel Mae actually seemed interested in me today.”

  “That’s because she was.”

  “I know better than to question something that’s working, so if you have any other suggestions, I’ll pay attention.”

  She chuckled. “Now I feel like a teacher.”

  “I’d say in matters of the heart, that might be an accurate statement,” he said in a teasing tone. “So, how do I get to your family’s place?”

  As she gave him the directions, she told herself not to be too excited. He, after all, wasn’t coming out to court her. He was doing this for Ethel Mae. But, she reminded herself there was a good chance he’d be able to spend more time with her, especially if she could get her mother to distract Tom and Joel for a while. Perhaps he might find her more to his liking and dismiss the idea of courting Ethel Mae altogether. Her heart swelled with hope. She’d love nothing more than to have him talk to her about sharing a romantic sunset together and mean it.

  “Is that it?” Rick asked.

  Breaking out of her thoughts, she cleared her throat. “Oh, I’m sorry. My mind wandered off. Where was I?”

  “You said when I come to a four-way break on the trail, I should stop.”

  “Oh yes! Take a right and go out five miles to your left. That’s our house.”

  “It sounds easy to find. What time should I be there?”

  “Well, we have supper at five, so maybe you should come at four? You know, so you can see my brothers in action.” Hopefully, they’d be distracted and leave her and Rick alone to talk in the parlor, but why let him know what she was planning?

  They stopped in front of Ethel Mae’s house and he tipped his hat to her. “Thank you, Sally, and if you ever need a favor, don’t hesitate to ask. I owe you one.”

  With a smile, she said, “You’re welcome.”

  “I look forward to seeing you on Saturday.”

  “I look forward to it, too.”

  As he headed down the street, she sighed. It suddenly occurred to her just how long it was going to be until she could see him again.

  ***

  That Saturday, Sally was on pins and needles as she helped her mother and Jenny get the house ready for Rick. It didn’t help that Joel kept finding a reason to come back into the house while he was supposed to be out working with his brothers and pa. As she wiped down the table in the parlor, Joel took off his boots in the entryway and trudged down the hall.

  Irritated, she followed him to the kitchen where her mother was cutting vegetables to put in with the roast. “Why aren’t you outside?” Sally asked, her hands on her hips.

  Joel rolled his eyes. “I’m thirsty.”

  “Can’t you get some water from the well outside?” she demanded.

  He grimaced. “But there aren’t any clean cups out there. Ma, can I please have a cup of water?”

  Sally groaned. He was loafing on purpose. She just knew it!

  Their mother smiled at Joel. “I’ll be happy to give you a clean cup of water.”

  As their mother turned to grab a cup off one of the shelves, Joel smirked at Sally. Sally rolled her eyes. He was spoiled and knew it, and worse, he milked it for everything it was worth.

  “It’s just a cup of water, Sally,” their mother said as she poured the water from the pitcher. “Then he’ll go right back out and help his pa and brothers, right Joel?”

  “Sure, Ma,” he said, nodding.

  Sally remained skeptical that he really was going to work when he went outside but kept her thoughts to herself. “Just don’t track any dirt through the house. I already swept the floors.”

  “I took my boots off,” he protested, pointing to his socks.

  Their mother handed him a cup. “If he makes a mess, I’ll clean it up.” Walking over to Sally, she put her hands on her shoulders and smiled. “I know you’re nervous, but I promise you that Joel will be on his best behavior tonight.” Glancing at him, she added, “Right, Joel?”

  “Of course, I will, Ma. I know it’s time Sally got married, and she won’t unless the man wants to come back.”

  Sighing, Sally whispered, “It’s not Joel I worry about. It’s Joel and Tom.”

  “I’ve already spoken to Tom, and he understands he needs to be on his best behavior, too,” she assured her daughter.

  “You have more faith than I do,” she muttered as she turned and left the kitchen.

  “You make the best water around, Ma,” Joel said as Sally made her way down the hall.

  Sally bit back a reply that no one could “make” water and continued on her way to the parlor. As she finished dusting the furniture, Jenny came in from outside and peered around the doorway.

  “The porch is all clean,” Jenny said.

  Sally smiled. “I know I’m being paranoid, but I want everything to look good when Rick gets here.” She looked at the clock and took a deep breath. “We only have a half hour left.”

  “I don’t mind, Sally. I’m just glad I don’t have to take care of the animals.”

  After a moment’s consideration, Sally pulled out the couch and said, “Let’s get the dust from back here.”

  Even as she chuckled, Jenny brought the broom to the couch and handed her sister the dustpan. “I’ll sweep, you collect. Then when Rick inspects under the couch, he’ll be awed by your housekeeping prowess and ask you to marry him.”

  Amused at her joke, Sally laughed. “If only it was that easy.”

  Sally placed the dustpan on the floor and waited as Jenny swept the dust bunnies her way. Once she was done, Sally took the dustpan outside and dumped the contents on the grass. Heading back inside, she passed Joel who dragged his feet down the porch steps. She swore she’d never seen anyone who was lazier than her youngest brother. What woman was going to want to marry someone who didn’t want to do his part to provide for the household?

  Deciding it wasn’t—thankfully—her problem, she closed the storm door behind her and inspected the parlor. She glanced at Jenny who returned the couch to its proper position. “C
an you think of anything else we should clean?”

  With a shake of her head, Jenny said, “We got everything. The only thing left is to help Ma get supper ready.”

  She handed the dustpan to her sister and hurried to the kitchen to do just that. Helping to prepare the meal proved to pass the time faster than cleaning had, so she was glad for the reprieve from glancing at the clock every minute.

  Her mother chuckled as the half hour came to a close. “I sure hope that boy does marry you because you’ve got it bad.”

  “Got what bad?” Sally asked as she picked up the vase of flowers to put in the middle of the dining room table.

  Mashing the potatoes, she shot her a pointed look. “You know what.”

  Yes, she did, and that might be a problem if Joel and Tom picked up on it. She could only hope that, being male, they wouldn’t take notice of her interest in Rick. After all, how observant could they possibly be? Whenever they played one of their card games in the parlor, she could be in the room, talking to them, and they didn’t notice her until she yelled at them. Then they’d look at her as if they didn’t even know she’d been telling them to do something. Truly, she felt sorry for the women who would end up with them. Their wives could be flagging them down and they probably wouldn’t even realize they were being talked to. So she stood a decent chance that they wouldn’t see how much it meant to her that Rick enjoy this evening. Because if they knew… She shivered. She didn’t even want to think about it.

  As Sally grabbed the plates from the china cabinet, Joel ran into the kitchen. “Someone’s here! I think it’s Rick Johann.”

  Sally’s heart raced and she set the plates on the work table.

  Their mother chuckled. “That’s Rick Johnson.”

  He shrugged. “Anyway, he’s coming up in a buggy, which is strange when you think it’s just him. Shouldn’t he come out on the horse?”

  “He’s a judge, not a farmer,” Sally replied. “I’m sure he’s wearing a suit.”

  Joel narrowed his eyes at her. “How did you know?”