“Oh, I hope not!” The distress in Julie’s voice wiped the smile from Jack’s face.
“I’m not a baby anymore, Julie.”
“I know, but—it’s hard to think of the family breaking up.”
“Ah, Sis … it’s so damn unfair. You’ve been stuck here taking care of us and haven’t had a chance to go anywhere, do anything or meet anyone.”
Julie was surprised that her happy-go-lucky brother had such serious thoughts.
“I might be forced to, if Papa remarries and his new wife doesn’t want me around.”
“He’d not stand still and let her run you off!”
“She could make it so unpleasant for me that I’d want to go.”
“Joe and I would have something to say about that. If it happened, I’d get a job and take care of you. You’d not just up and leave, would you?”
“Not unless I had someplace to go. I’d take Joy and Jason. They were so little when Mama died. It would be hard on them to be left. I’d hate leaving Jill.”
“Pop wouldn’t want you to leave.”
“His first concern would be for the woman he married. But maybe we’re worrying for nothing.”
“Lord, if he gets it in his head to marry someone, I hope it isn’t that Stuart woman.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I’ve heard plenty about her from This and That. This told me that she don’t know beans from bull-foot about anything and complains that she isn’t used to working in the garden and washing fruit jars in a tub or clothes on a rub board. The boys don’t like her much.”
“She knew her brother lived on a farm. Surely she was aware that the work on a farm never ends.”
“I don’t think she planned on workin’ for her keep. Mrs. Humphrey is tryin’ to team her up with Evan.” Jack stuck his finger in the fudge, then into his mouth. “She invited him to supper, and they’ve taken pies and pickled beets over to him. Mrs. Stuart even offered to mend his clothes. Joe teased Evan and asked him how come he hadn’t taken the bait.”
“What did Evan say?”
“He laughed and said that when the time came, he’d pick his own woman. Evan’s too smart to be taken in by a pie and a jar of pickled beets.” Jack lifted the spoon from the fudge. “Is this about ready to pour in the platter?”
“After I put in the vanilla, give it another dozen strokes to mix it in.” Julie watched the spoon slice through the rapidly thickening candy. “Now hold the skillet over the platter and I’ll scrape it out.”
The iron skillet was heavy. Jack had to use both hands.
While Julie smoothed the thick dark fudge with a wet knife, Jack licked the spoon, then scraped the skillet.
“This is good. Want a bite?”
“I’ll lick the knife. Humm … it is good.”
“Smells good.”
Julie turned at the sound of Joe’s voice to see him in the doorway. Evan Johnson was behind him, his eyes on her as her tongue swept the chocolate from the knife.
“Jack and I …made fudge.”
“Pop said you were going to the revival meeting.” Joe ran his finger along the edge of the platter, then put a dab of fudge in his mouth.
“Well, I didn’t. Keep your dirty fingers out of the fudge. Come in, Mr. Johnson. Joe, where are your manners?”
“Lost ’em a long time ago, little sister.” Joe stood a head taller than Julie and liked to refer to her as his
little
sister. “When will this be ready to eat?”
Julie swatted his hand. “I said, keep your dirty fingers out of the candy. It’ll be ready in a little bit.” She poured water from the teakettle into the skillet to have something to do. Good Lord, her hair was hanging down her back and she had fudge on her face.
Evan had caught her licking a knife!
He must really think she was a backwoods clod.
What Evan was thinking was that she was as pretty and as fresh and as natural as any woman he’d seen for a long time … probably ever. Not in London or Paris or in New York, where the women wore bobbed hair and skirts just to their knees, had he seen a sweeter-looking or a more desirable woman. Julie Jones was a woman as women were meant to be. The realization hit him with the force of a fist on his chin: Here on this rocky farm on the edge of town was a treasure, a real honest-to-God treasure.
“Evan and I were going to play a couple games of checkers while everyone was gone,” Joe said while washing his hands. “With you two here, we could play a couple hands of pitch. Course it’d be a runaway, ’cause you’re both lousy players.”
Deep in his own thoughts, Evan vaguely heard what Joe was saying. Since meeting Julie on the road and seeing her at the ball game, he had been thinking about her a lot. Today he coaxed more information about her from her unsuspecting brother. She didn’t have a steady beau, in fact no beau at all. What was the matter with the men around here? He had not seen another woman worth looking at twice since coming back to Fertile.
Knowing that Evan’s eyes were still on her, Julie felt her cheeks grow warm. She became suddenly and uncomfortably aware of the faded gingham dress she wore, but she couldn’t do anything about it now. He would think that she was primping for him if she did anything about her hair. Julie was careful to keep her features deceptively calm, masking her swirling thoughts.
“I suppose you think that you and Evan will team up against me and Julie.” Jack gave a vigorous shake of his head. “Not fair. You and Julie against me and Evan.”
“That’s not fair! Evan’s the best player. He can have Julie.”
Julie turned with her hands on her hips. “Thank you, brothers mine, for the confidence. I can remember when Papa and I skunked you two. Three games out of three, and you didn’t even come close to winning any of them.”
“That was because I was sick with a cold and couldn’t think straight and you tallied the score.” Joe clapped his hand down on Julie’s shoulder. Over her head he winked at Evan.
“I’ve not said that I’ll play,” Julie replied haughtily, with her chin tilted so that she appeared to look down her nose at her brother. “Besides … how dare you give me away like … like an old shoe.”
Julie looked up to see Evan staring at her intently. A muscle stood out in the hard plane of his cheek and his mouth was grim. Then, in the flash of an eye, he smiled. His expression changed drastically. His smiling eyes caught hers and held them captive. She couldn’t have looked away if the house had been on fire.
“Shall we take on these two scamps? They’ll lose, and I’ve got a pile of wood over at my place that needs working up. It wouldn’t take them more than a couple of days with me cracking the whip.”
“How about if they wash dishes here for a week?”
“Wait a dadgummed minute,” Joe said heatedly. “What do we get if we win?”
Still smiling at Evan, Julie said, “You won’t.”
“Bull-foot!” Jack dropped a deck of cards on the table, sat down and began to shuffle them. “Let’s show ’em, Joe.”
“Yeah. Our little sis is gettin’ a mite too feisty. We’ll put her back in her place.”
Evan watched Julie as she teased with her brothers. She looked younger with her hair down. Joe had said that she was two years older than his eighteen years.
“I’ll play, but I’ll keep score.” Julie looped her hair behind her ears and sat down. “I don’t trust either of you.”
Joe passed the tablet to Julie. “You think we’d
cheat
? Jack, our little sister thinks we’d cheat.”
“Cuts me to the quick that she’d think that,” Jack said and dealt the cards.
Julie snorted. “The only thing that cuts you to the quick is missing a meal.” She threw away two cards. “Give me two.”
“One,” Evan said when his turn came to bid.
The hand ended with Evan taking all five tricks.
“What do you think now, little brothers?” Julie crowed.
Jack overbid and was set on the next hand.
Julie and Evan won the first game. Joe and Jack won the next game and wanted to quit while they were even. Evan and Julie insisted on playing another game, which they won.
“We won two games out of three!” Julie looked across at Evan. His smile matched hers. “We showed them, didn’t we?” She was breathless, excited and felt young and giddy.
“We sure did. Do you think they should have any of the fudge?”
“If I don’t give them a little, they’ll not be fit to live with for a month.” Julie brought the platter to the table and cut the candy in squares.
“You’re sure doing a lot of crowing. It’ll be different next time,” Joe said, reaching toward the platter. “I was just getting warmed up.”
“Company first.” Julie swatted his hand with the flat of the knife and pushed the plate across to Evan.
Evan couldn’t recall having spent a more enjoyable evening and he hated to see it end. He watched Julie and listened to her good-natured banter with her brothers. There was a great deal of affection between them. Not having had a sibling, Evan couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy.
“Take another piece, everyone, then I’m putting it away so there’ll be some for the kids.” Julie wrapped a cloth around the platter and was placing it on a shelf when she heard Sidney’s bark, then the sound of a car. “Papa’s back.”
The car came to a stop and a little later turned around in the yard and headed back down the lane. Jill came across the porch and into the kitchen. Jason was close behind. Never one to hide her feelings, Jill had a mutinous look on her face.
“Have a good time?” Julie asked.
“No.”
“No?” Julie quirked a brow at her sister’s grumpiness. “Wasn’t Ruby May there?”
“She was there.”
“Where did Papa go?”
“To take
her
home.” Jill slumped down in a kitchen chair. “Her and her whiny … brat.”
Evan sat back, watching the family. Julie’s wide mouth, its lower lip fuller and softer than the upper one, turned down at the corners, told him that she was less than happy at the news her sister had imparted. The grin had left Jack’s face, and Joe had turned his head to watch his older sister.
“Would a piece of fudge cheer you up?” Julie brought the platter from the shelf. “Jason, honey, come have some.”
“I didn’t even get to sit in front with Papa.”
“You got to sit in front on the way to town.” Julie put her arm around the boy and drew him to the table. He leaned his head against her for a moment.
“No, he didn’t,” Jill blurted. “When we got to the Humphreys’ he had to get in back with me and the four Humphrey kids. Mrs. Stuart got in front with her … brat.”
“Didn’t Mrs. Humphrey go?”
“They went in the wagon so the kids could ride to town in the car.”
“Well, let’s not be grumpy about it. Tomorrow is Sunday. Maybe Papa will take us for a ride.”
“I don’t like her. She never said one word to me or Jason. Papa treated her like she was … Queen of the May.” Jill popped a piece of fudge in her mouth. “He helped her get in the car and lifted the brat up to sit by her. I don’t like her,” Jill said again.
“It isn’t important whether you like her or not. Papa was just giving her a ride.”
A quick spate of words broke from Jill’s lips. “If you believe that … then there’s a cow sitting out in the oak tree chirping like a robin.”
“Don’t talk with your mouth full.” Julie stood still, head tilted back, arms folded. She looked at her sister with a mixture of exasperation and desperation.
“Evan was their first choice,” Jill continued with the brashness of youth. “He was too smart to be taken in. I thought Papa was smarter, too. He’s not thinkin’ straight or he’d not—”
“Watch your mouth, Jill,” Joe said sharply.
“I’m not saying anything that isn’t true, am I, Mr. Johnson?”
Julie darted a glance at Evan. His narrowed gaze was on her. His eyes held a combination of sharp intelligence and quiet strength. Embarrassment reddened her cheeks. He turned his head slightly toward Jill.