A Changed Agent (15 page)

Chapter Thirteen

“No. Honestly, I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”

Elsie bent over to pick up the empty laundry basket. She needed to get the children’s laundry washed and hung out before the morning got away from her.

“Why did he come by?”

“He wants that envelope I told you about. I’ll get it when I’m at my parents’ house tomorrow, and then he can have it back.” Looking past him, she saw the pile of supplies he’d been carrying lying in the grass.

Following her gaze, he said, “I’m going to put up some swings for the kids.”

“Will! That’s wonderful. Harry and Minnie, did you hear that? Your uncle is going to be putting up some swings for you!”

Rounding up the children, Will said, “Come on, I could use your help.”

While Elsie went around the side of the house to wash the rest of the laundry, Will let Harry help him by handing him the tools he needed to get the project started. Winking at Minnie, he said, “You can let me know if I get the swings hanging straight.”

As he worked, he thought about Virgil Jensen. Not at all what he expected from a man Elsie had been prepared to spend the rest of her life with. His clothes were tattered and worn. Though Virgil had clearly tried to wash up, Will had noticed smudges of dirt on the man’s neck, cutting a groove along the inside of his shirt collar.

Something didn’t sit right about the way the man had shifted from one foot to the other, his eyes darting from Will back to Elsie. And the tingling sensation at the base of Will’s neck, the same one that had saved him many a time, had come back with a vengeance the minute he’d spotted good ole Virgil in the yard.

Even Elsie and the children had appeared on guard.

“Uncle Will?”

“What?”

“You really gonna climb this tree?”

The three of them were standing underneath an old oak tree where Will planned to hang the swings. Its long, thick branches spread wide over the front yard. In a few weeks the leaves would fill in and shade the walkway and porch in coolness, protecting them from the summer heat.

Holding the lengths of rope in his hands, Will eyed a thick branch protruding from the center of the tree. “Yup.”

Craning his neck, Harry peered up. “That’s really high. You might fall.”

Will followed Harry’s gaze. It really wasn’t any higher than ten feet. He imagined to a small child the distance seemed mighty high. “I’ll be fine,” he said as he found a foothold in the large tree trunk.

Carefully he pulled himself up into the V of the tree, the place where the branches grew outward. Shimmying across the first sturdy branch he came to, Will stopped halfway out on the limb. Pushing himself up into a sitting position, he dropped the first swing over the side. Then he tied the thick ropes into place. From his perch he realized he could see all the way down Heartston’s main street.

Since it was Saturday, the town was bustling with people hurrying to do their errands. A line of customers spilled out onto the sidewalk in front of Amy’s bake shop, and the door to the post office opened and closed every few minutes with people picking up their weekly mail delivery. A gentle breeze carried the tinny sounds of the out-of-tune saloon piano. The swinging doors pushed open and out staggered Elsie’s former beau.

“Well, I’ll be . . .” Will’s voice trailed off. He heard Elsie call and quickly turned his attention to her.

“William Benton! You better pay attention to what you’re doing!”

Looking down at her standing there with her hands planted firmly on her hips, with strands of her dark hair dancing in the breeze, he thought she was the prettiest sight he’d ever laid eyes upon.

After tying the last of the knots, he shimmied down the branch and, resting his foot in the V of the tree trunk, hopped down to join her. The children ran to their swings, clearly delighted by his handiwork. He stepped closer to Elsie and, seeing her fidgeting with her hair, found himself unable to resist the urge to touch the silken strand she struggled with. Reaching out his hand, he took the lock from between her fingers and gently tucked it behind her ear.

Her lips parted as she stilled. Looking down into her magnificent violet eyes, their color bringing to mind the wonders of springtime, he saw them darken. A light blush rode high on her cheekbones.

Behind them laughter spilled from the children. Bees droned along the length of the forsythia hedge. The plant’s thin branches blossomed with buttercup-yellow flowers. Off in the distance the piercing train whistle echoed off the mountains. All Will could think about was Elsie’s pretty mouth. He move to stand toe to toe with her.

And all those sounds faded into the background until the only thing he heard was her soft intake of breath. Bending his head, he touched her mouth with his. She tasted like warm honey. Her lips pressed against his. Wrapping his arms around her, Will gently drew her into him. To his utter surprise and delight, their kiss deepened until he felt Elsie’s hands pressing against his chest.

Lifting his head, he waited for her recriminations. But again she surprised him.

“That was . . .” Her words trailed away.

“Nice.” He finished for her. He watched as the blush on her face deepened. But she held his gaze steady, searching his face. Hoping to find what, he didn’t know. She laid her hand gently alongside his cheek. Her fingertips felt cool against the heat of his weather-worn skin.

He heard the steam spraying from the train engine as it pulled to a stop at the station, the sound an intrusion bringing him back to reality. To him their kiss had seemed like an eternity, when in fact it had only been a moment in time. He wondered what Elsie was thinking.

“Will, you shouldn’t have kissed me.”

“Why not?”

“We’re out here in the open. What would the neighbors think if they saw us?”

“I’m sorry. The next time I kiss you, I’ll make sure we’re inside away from all those prying eyes.” Because one thing was for sure, Will would be kissing her again.

He saw a spark of mischief in her eyes, but she turned her attention to the twins. Harry was trying to teach Minnie how to pump her legs to move the swing on her own.

With Elsie leading the way, they went to help Harry.

Minnie clung to the ropes as Harry pushed her. She seemed irritated by his efforts, her mouth screwed up in a tight line of frustration.

Elsie took the empty swing, placing her backside snuggly on the flat wooden seat. “Minnie, watch me.”

With great exaggeration, Elsie swung her legs out straight and then pumped them hard back underneath the swing. Her skirts fluttered to and fro in the breeze her movement created. Before long, Elsie was soaring to Will’s height. He caught a glimpse of her silk stockings. Seeing where he was looking, she sucked in her lower lip. He suspected she wanted to keep his prying eyes away, but then he saw that little glint appear in her eyes and her mouth turned upward.

“You try, Minnie.” Elsie slowed her momentum so that Minnie could watch her.

Minnie began to slowly move her legs, and before long, she joined Elsie soaring into the air.

Bringing the swing to a stop, Elsie said, “You did a fine job, Minnie.” She hopped off. “I’ve got to get back to my chores.”

Will walked with her to the house. Casting a sidelong glance toward her, he could see faint lines of fatigue around her eyes. Elsie had been working long hours. He didn’t imagine that teaching all day and then caring for the household and for the children was easy on her. But she never complained. He felt certain she never would. Elsie wasn’t one to lament about things.

Picking up the empty wicker laundry basket, he walked with her to the side yard where the wash bin had been set up. They hadn’t talked about Virgil’s visit yet.

Setting the basket down against the back door stoop, he said, “I want to be here when Virgil comes by tomorrow.”

“Will, while I appreciate your intentions, Virgil is truly harmless.” Taking a pair of dark pants from the wash water, she fed them through the fat rolls of the ringer.

“Just the same. You let me know when he gets here.”

She fed one of Minnie’s dresses through the contraption. “Are you planning on joining us for church services tomorrow?”

Rubbing a hand along the base of his neck, Will wanted to tell her no. But they’d been making some good headway lately, and he didn’t want to risk ruining that by telling her he probably would not be going with them tomorrow. Instead, he offered, “Why don’t you take a break?”

“For land’s sakes, today is the only day I have to get this wash done. And then I have to bake cookies because tomorrow I’m signed up to bring those for after-church refreshments.”

Laying his hand over hers, he forced her to stop fidgeting. “Elsie, you do too much around here as it is. Why not take an hour to rest up a bit?”

“Tomorrow is time enough for a day off.” Turning her back to him, she worked at getting the rest of the wash wrung out.

He was heading around to the wood pile when her words stopped him.

“Will, the kiss . . .”

Folding his arms across his chest, he grinned at her, waiting to hear her thoughts. She sure was fussing with the shirt she held in her hands, twisting it around so much that he didn’t think it would need to go through the wringer. Will stepped closer and, cradling her face in his hands, bent in and kissed her again.

She broke away from his touch. “Will. You need to stop doing that.”

“Doing what?” He liked teasing her.

“Kissing me.”

“Don’t you like it?”

“I do and that’s the problem. I’m here to take care of your house and the children. These kisses complicate that.”

Maybe he’d gone too far or acted too quickly. It didn’t matter because, to him, kissing Elsie felt right. And it had been a long time since anything in his life had felt so right.

“I gave my heart to Virgil and he just left me. I don’t want that to happen again.”

“I’m not Virgil.”

“I know you’re not. But you’ve never settled down, either. Not until you had your niece and nephew handed to you a few months back. Will, I know you were not even considering settling down before then. You came to Heartston for this job. Nothing more. You told me so yourself.”

“A man can change.”

He said those words realizing them to be true. Whether he’d wanted it to or been expecting it, Will’s life had changed over these past months. He’d gone from being a loner to having the responsibility of taking care of Harry and Minnie. And yes, even the stubborn, independent Elsie Mitchell needed him. She may not want to admit it just yet, but he could tell by the way she waited up for him or held supper for him those nights when he had been working late at the lumberyard.

Their lives were becoming intertwined, and when the time came, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to simply walk away. He blinked in surprise. “A man can change.” He repeated those words to himself.

And hadn’t she heard the same tune—“A man can change”—from Virgil? After seeing the desperation in that man earlier today, Elsie didn’t think he would ever change his ways. As for Will, deep in her heart she suspected that there was a lot more to what made up William Benton than he ever let on. If he would open himself to her fully, maybe then she could consider more than just the kisses.

In her heart of hearts she realized she did want more from him. But she didn’t think she could bear the hurt and pain if Will ended up leaving her as Virgil had. Elsie had never been the kind of woman who issued ultimatums, but she was sorely tempted to do so with Will.

“Elsie. Tell me what you’re thinking?”

She took a good hard look into his eyes. He gave her a half smile. But he didn’t fool her. Elsie thought Will was very good at masking his true feelings. She knew he loved Harry and Minnie and recognized that he didn’t give out that feeling freely or easily. She also knew him to be very loyal and a good, hard worker. But that didn’t make it wise for her to give her heart to him.

And yet that was exactly what she found herself wanting to do. She’d grown used to their life here in town. Some days she even found herself daydreaming that they really were a family. And then she’d be reminded of her commitment to the town as its schoolteacher. Or she would look in the mirror and realize that she was no longer considered to be of marrying age. Why would a man like Will want to be with her? Those concerns had been one of the reasons she’d begun to pursue her dreams of travel.

She wanted him to join them in the family pew for church services of his own volition. She didn’t want to be disappointed by his absences at the dinner table anymore. She couldn’t say those words. Instead, she said, “I’m thinking it’s turned out to be a fine day to hang out the wash.”

Narrowing his eyes, he put his hands on his hips. “You’re not thinking that at all.”

“Will. Why do you want to know my feelings? Why is this so important to you now?”

“Because whether or not you or I ever intended it to happen . . . we’ve been making a home here for Harry and Minnie.”

Suddenly she felt like they were living the Bible story where two men are tasked with building houses. One builds his on sand and the other on solid rock. Only the home built on rock could withstand the storm. She feared the “sand” foundation they’d been building their lives upon would never hold up to the storm yet to come.