Love on the Line - Deeanne Gist [72]
“Georgie Gail,” Luke answered, without hesitation.
The boy whistled. “Best of luck with her. She’s not one to give her favor easily.”
“That a fact?” Honey Dew shifted her weight beneath him.
“Yep.” Fred removed his hat, revealing a severely receded hairline for one so young. “Plenty tried when she first arrived last year, but she rebuffed every-a-one of ’em.”
Several yards back, two more men came around the bend, the glow of a cigarette briefly flashing. Neither had a tree.
Luke tipped his hat to the boys. “I guess I better get started, then. Sounds like I’ve got my work cut out for me.”
“Don’t ya need an ax?” the boy pulling the wagon asked.
Luke looked at his empty hands. “I guess I do.”
Fred offered his. “Hall’s the name. I live on Jackson Street.”
“Luke Palmer and I’m much obliged. I’ll return it first thing.”
“Take your time.”
Tipping his hat, Luke lay the ax across his lap and nudged Honey Dew forward.
The boys continued on, the discarded bottles clinking in their wake. It took only a moment for Luke to recognize Duane’s skinny silhouette and Necker’s more muscular one.
“There ya are,” Duane said. “We been lookin’ all over fer ya.”
Over the past month, Luke had spent every spare moment available with them, hunting, fishing, and visiting the saloons. In order to avoid drinking, he’d splattered himself with gin before going out and carried his own flask filled with water.
“Well, I’ve been looking for you, too.” A waft of cigarette smoke touched Luke’s nose. “You scouting around for Mai trees?”
Necker shook his head. “I got me a wife now. No need to deliver dead trees decorated with a bunch of paper streamers to her.”
Grinning, Duane took a swig from a beer in his hand. “Did I hear right, Luke? Ya thinkin’ ta put a Mai tree at the switchboard operator’s window?”
Honey Dew gave a quiet nicker.
Luke stroked her neck. “I’m thinking on it.”
“Well, ain’t that a coincidence?” Sliding a hand in his pocket, Duane rocked on his heels.
“Coincidence?” Luke kept his voice casual.
“Why, sure. Miss Georgie’s place is where we’re headed, too.”
Honey Dew stepped backward in reaction to Luke’s sudden tensing. He pulled her still. “You fellows plan on giving me a little competition?”
“Nah,” Duane said. “We ain’t leaving somethin’, so much as we are takin’ somethin’. Ain’t that right, Necker?”
Necker kept his own counsel.
“What’re you taking?” Luke asked.
Duane looked at his feet, then over at Necker.
After one last pull, Necker flicked the cigarette to the ground. “The float them bird ladies made fer tomorrow’s parade.”
“Why?”
Duane took a long drink, then scraped his sleeve across his mouth. “Some of us don’t like the uproar she’s causing over our birds. Heard tell she’s sending our women’s signatures to that bird society she belongs to. The same society what instigated them new bird laws in Tennessee.”
Luke adjusted the ax on his lap. “I hadn’t heard that.”
“Well, it’s true and I don’t know why you’d wanna be with a woman like that.”
Necker tipped his hat back. “Now, Duane, you’ve seen our little operator. I don’t think it takes much imagination to figure what Palmer here wants with her.”
Duane gave a low laugh. “Yeah, I guess even I could forget about her birds long enough to amuse myself with her.”
Throwing his leg over the horse, Luke dismounted, gripping the ax. “I don’t like sharing, Duane.”
Duane tapped his beer bottle against his leg. “That a fact? Well, maybe when you’re done with her, ya can let me know.”
Luke ground his teeth. “I wouldn’t count on it.”
With a bark of laughter, Duane clapped him on the back. “Oh, ya got it bad, brother, ain’t ya?”
Before he could respond, Duane pointed to Honey Dew with his beer bottle. “Hey, Neck, if we use his horse, we won’t have to go round up one of our own.”
“I’m not sure he’d be interested in comin’ along, Duane, him making claims on Miss Georgie and all.”
Luke forced himself to shrug. He was unsure of what their reaction would be when they discovered the float missing, but whatever it was, he wanted to be there when it happened.