This Loving Land - Dorothy Garlock [69]
Raccoon let the chair he had tilted against the wall come down with a thump.
“How you be, Jesse?” He got up and held out his hand.
“Fine, Raccoon, just fine.”
Raccoon settled back down in his chair, wide awake now, and curious as to why Jesse would ride over when all the talk was going on at the other place. He didn’t have to wait long.
“Jack said you were keeping Mrs. Bratcher and the young’uns company. I thought I’d ride over and give you a break till Jack gets here.” Jesse didn’t add that he had overheard a certain conversation between Jack and Bulldog.
“Ah . . . well . . .” Raccoon said, and a silence followed. In that silence, it suddenly occurred to him that Jesse had come to call on Sadie. “That’s real good of ya, Jesse. I am a mite stoved up. I’ll jist wander on over to the Keep, then, and turn in. It’s been good ta see ya again, Jesse.”
“It’s been good to see you, Raccoon. Looks like those clouds up there are stirring up a storm.”
“Yup, sure do. But we need the rain.”
Events were happening so fast that Sadie’s head was spinning. She wanted Raccoon to go and she wanted him to stay. What she really wanted was for her crazy heart to settle down so she could gather her thoughts into some kind of order before she made a fool of herself.
“Thanks for staying, Raccoon. I told Jack that we’d be all right, but he wouldn’t hear of it. I’m making doughnuts tomorrow. Come on over and get a batch.”
“Wal, I reckon I’ll be here if’n I have to swim fer it. And it looks like I jist might hafta. It looks like it’s a rainin’ pitch-forks up in the hills yonder, and if’n it is, that creek thar will rise quicker’n greased lightning.”
Not a word was spoken between the two left on the veranda until after Raccoon had splashed across the creek. Sadie’s tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth and she kept her eyes on the clouds that were rolling in now, and on the brief forks of lightning that were growing brighter.
“Storm coming up,” Jesse said. “Acts like a bad one.”
A backlash of lightning showed momentarily against the overhead blackness, and in that instant Sadie turned her eyes toward him. He was looking at her with deep intensity. She flushed and caught her lower lip between her teeth to stop its trembling.
“You afraid of storms?” The voice that beat against her eardrums was the well-remembered one from the brief encounter under the cottonwood tree.
“Not of storms. I’m scared of cyclones, though.” Her voice, coming out of the tightness in her throat, sounded better than she expected, so she added, “I was in a bad one once.”
Lightning now flashed almost continuously, lighting up the sky weirdly. The bulging clouds were lower and the wind had commenced to stir. Sadie felt detached from the approaching storm. The enchantment of being alone with Jesse Thurston consumed her.
“I didn’t come just to bring candy.” His voice seemed very near. “I wanted to see how you were doing.”
“I’m doin’ fine.”
“Still glad you came here?”
“Yes. Only . . .”
“Only . . . what?” Jesse asked. She had known he would, drat it.
“Nothin’. I don’t know why I said it.”
“I like to think of you being here.” He said the words quietly, and she peered at him in the darkness, trying to see the expression on his face. At that moment, a dazzling flash lit up the area, followed instantly by utter darkness and a tremendous clap of thunder that left Sadie with her hands over her ears.
“Oh . . . the kids will wake up and be scared!”
Jesse went to the end of the porch and scanned the sky. Without warning, the wind swept through and a few big drops of rain hurled down, plopping on the stone floor. Sadie dashed to pull the flower box, that was full to overflowing with bright marigold blooms, up against the house. Jesse came to help her.
“I’ll put my horse in the shed.”
“You better hurry up, or you’ll get a soakin’.”
Jesse took off at a run, and Sadie watched the wind tearing at his hair and remembered to pick up the hat he’d left lying on the chair. Her heart was singing as she went into