The family stood at the edge of the pasture and watched the plane take off. Wesley circled the farm, dipped the wings and waved his red scarf. Then he shot almost straight up and rolled the plane over. They all caught their breaths. Evan laughed when Julie put her hands over her ears. He told them that the roll was just a sample of the stunts Wesley performed at the air shows.
During the noon meal, Joe had brought up the subject of taking the kids to watch Jack play ball and asked Jethro if he could take them in the car.
Before Jethro could open his mouth, Birdie said, “Jethro, you promised to take me and Elsie to Spring Lake to watch the dancing.”
“I did? Well, I guess I had forgotten about it.”
“Oh, you! You’ve just got too much on your mind, what with supporting this big family and all. Can’t they go in the wagon?”
“Don’t worry about it, Mrs. Stuart, we’ll get there,” Joe said politely. Then, to his father, “Things look different from up in an airplane, don’t they, Pa?”
“They sure do. I hadn’t realized the river had so many turns in it and I could see from one side of the town to the other.”
“I sure would like to learn to fly one of those things,” Jack said.
“You’ll have to finish school first.”
“Jethro Jones!” Birdie expelled a heavy breath. “You went up in that rickety little old airplane? Why, it was old as the hills! It probably got all used up in the war. In Memphis they throw those things away. Oh, I’m glad I didn’t know. I would have fainted dead away knowing that you were way up there.”
Julie’s eyes went from Jack to Joe to her father. Jack was trying not to laugh, Joe’s face was expressionless, but his eyes twinkled at her, and her father looked down. He appeared to be embarrassed.
Birdie had given Elsie a large helping of pudding and the girl had eaten only the raisins out of it, leaving the rest to be thrown out to the pigs. Julie had caught Jason looking pointedly at his father to see if he would remark on it. When he said nothing, Jason had looked at him, his face tight, almost as if he faced an enemy.
My little brother is losing respect for our father and it makes me sad.
Julie had held her breath for fear something would be said about her going out with Evan. She didn’t want her outing discussed by Birdie. She had been truly glad when the meal was over.
When Evan arrived, Birdie, in a thin, flowered dress and Elsie, dressed all in white, were seated in the swing on the front porch. Evan drove around to the back, where Jill stood holding tightly to Joy to keep her from running in front of the car.
Jethro came out onto the back porch in time to see Joy running to Evan and saw him scooping her up in his arms. Jill was laughing, something she never did in the house anymore. Jason, with a rope on Sidney, hurried to greet Evan. Joe and Jack stopped playing catch and joined the group.
A lump came up in Jethro’s throat. He clenched his fists. Was he losing the love of his family because of his friendship with Birdie?
Julie came out of the house.
“Sis,” Jethro said before she stepped off the porch. “Keep an eye on Jill like I told you.”
Julie turned to look at him. Today she had felt sorry for him standing alone at the edge of the field, and now she almost disliked him for being so stupid as to let Birdie Stuart plant such evil thoughts in his mind.
“Papa, do you really think that the only reason a man would be interested in going out with me is so that he could be near my young sister? If you think that, it’s not very flattering to me.”
“I can’t help worrying, knowing how Walter is around women.”
“Evan isn’t like Walter,” Julie retorted angrily. “If you’re worried about Evan having an interest in Jill, I think you should talk to him about it. Better yet, Mrs. Stuart should give Evan her reasons for thinking such a thing.”
“Birdie has seen the sorry side of life and knows such things go on.”
“I, too, know such things go on, but that doesn’t mean that Evan is guilty.”
“Come on, Julie,” Jack called. “I don’t want to be late.”
“Don’t worry, Papa.” Julie stepped off the porch. “Go on and have a good time with your … lady friend and Elsie. Joe and I will see that no harm comes to Jill, from Evan or anyone else, if we can help it.”
Jethro went through the house and was on the front porch when the car passed. The kids waved and he waved back, then went to sit down beside Birdie in the swing.
“I know that you’re worried about Jill, Jethro, dear. I hope and pray that nothing happens to rob her of her innocence.”
“On what do you base your suspicions about Evan, Birdie?”
“Several things. I know men, Jethro. Heavens, I’ve had to ward them off all my life.”
“What exactly did Evan do to arouse your suspicion?”
“Well, I didn’t want to say anything, but … at one of the ball games, I was at the water bucket and caught him staring at Jill. He said not a word to me until Jill went around the house and was out of sight. He was breathing hard—you know, like a man in …in lust—and, Jethro, an embarrassing lump appeared, ah … you know where. I grabbed Elsie and hurried back to be with the other women.
“After that I watched him, and believe me, Jethro, he couldn’t take his eyes off Jill.” Birdie dragged air into her lungs and sighed deeply. “I hated to tell you this but felt it was my duty. As the mother of a young girl, I would want to know if a man old enough to be her father was lusting after her.”
Jethro didn’t say anything for a long while. His mind was going in ten different directions.
“When are we goin’, Mama? I want an ice-cream cone.”
“Just be patient, sugar.”
“I’ll bring the car around.” Jethro went through the house feeling empty and a little sick.
* * *
Julie got into the car and moved close to Evan to make room for Jack. His smiling eyes traveled over her face as she tucked her shoulder behind his. She was terribly aware of the warm solid body next to hers. His close scrutiny suddenly made it difficult to breathe.
“Joe and I hatched this up in case he couldn’t use the car to take the kids to the ball game,” Evan confessed.
“When was this?”
“Before I left this noon.”
“Joe, you could have told me and relieved my mind.”
“Sorry, Sis. I didn’t think about it.”
“Can I ride in front sometime? Pl-ease.” Joy, standing behind Evan, put her hands on his shoulders.
“Sometime,” Evan promised. “How about an ice-cream cone?”
“Yeah,” Joy yelled and her small hands circled his neck.
“Evan, you shouldn’t,” Julie said.
“I brought money for all of us.” Joe leaned over the seat and dropped a coin in Julie’s lap. “Jack, can you be a minute or two late?”
“For an ice cream? Sure, if you’re buyin’.”
Evan loved being with this family. He stayed in the car while Joe and Jack went inside the drugstore to get the cones. He understood Joe’s wanting to pay for the treat and teased that he could take them all to the picture show if he was so flush with money.
At each practice the crowds had increased, and tonight half a hundred people milled around the ball field. After the cones were passed around, Evan took a blanket out of the trunk of the car and spread it on the ground in the shade. Jill found her friends and eagerly began to tell about Wesley Marsh and the airplane. Joe spied Thad Taylor and went off with him, talking excitedly about the big event of the day. Joy and Jason sat on the blanket, leaving Julie some time alone with Evan.
“We’re missing another picture show,” he said, his eyes on her face as she licked the cone.
“I don’t mind, if you don’t.”
“Being with you and the kids is treat enough for me.”
Not knowing what to say, she looked out to see ice cream running down Joy’s arm.
“Joy is going to be a mess.”
“I came prepared tonight.” Evan pulled a cloth out of his back pocket. “I’ll wet it at the water cooler and she’ll be as good as new. Hummm …” He leaned close to look into Julie’s face. “I might have to use it on you, too.”
It was at that moment that Julie knew for sure that she had fallen in love with him.
* * *
“Papa’s home,” Jill said as the car approached the house. “I guess they didn’t go to Spring Lake.”
Light glowed from the window of the room Birdie used, and as they stopped beside the porch, they could see Jethro sitting in the porch swing.
“Jack hit a home run, Papa,” Jason said as soon as his feet hit the porch. “You shoulda seen it. Crack! I thought he’d broke the bat.”
“The league will be here for a game next Saturday night and again Sunday afternoon,” Jack announced. “Are you coming, Papa?”
“Of course, I am. I’d not miss seeing you play,” he replied almost gruffly. Jethro rose from the swing and came to the edge of the porch.
Joe stooped to look into the car window. “Have a good time. Don’t worry, Sis. One of us will wash Joy’s feet before we put her to bed.”
Evan moved the car to circle the yard and head back down the lane. Jethro was still standing on the edge of the porch when they passed.
“Is he still suspicious of me?” Evan asked.
“Yes, I’m afraid so.”
“He was cordial today when we went for gas.”
“Papa wouldn’t say anything to you in front of a stranger.”
“If he thinks I’m such a bad fellow, why is he allowing you to go out with me?”
Julie giggled softly, although the subject of the conversation was deadly serious.
“I asked him that, and he said I could take care of myself; but Jill was young, and a man with a glib tongue could turn her head.”
“How, if you’re out in the dark with a man who outweighs you by sixty or seventy pounds, can you take care of yourself?” Evan spoke angrily. “I can’t believe that he’s so completely taken in by Mrs. Stuart that he believes her stories. If he really thought that I was such a monster, he’d not allow me on the place, much less take his daughter out in the car at night.”
“He’s been awfully quiet lately. Jill and I think he may be regretting inviting Mrs. Stuart to come and stay.”
“What are you doing sitting way over there?” Evan asked suddenly and reached for her arm. He gently tugged until she was close beside him. “We’re on a date. Remember? I’ve been looking forward to it all week.”
“So have I.”
“Is there someplace you’d like to go?” They were driving slowly down the main street of Fertile. “We could go back out to Spring Lake.”
“Is that what you want to do?”
“Not especially. I just want to be with you.”
“We can’t keep driving and using up gasoline.”
“I’d like to get out on a country road somewhere and run out of gasoline.” He laughed outright at her puzzled expression.
“Have you done that before?”
“Not on purpose.” Evan drove out of town and took the road along the river. When they reached the bluff above town, he stopped the car. “Shall we sit here for a while?” he asked before he shut off the motor and turned off the headlights.
“It’s pretty up here. I didn’t realize there were so many lights in town.”
Evan turned, facing her, and leaned his back against the door. He lifted her hand and held it in both of his. Julie was intensely aware of him, from the top of her head to the tip of her tingling toes. Her world narrowed suddenly to the small space in the front seat of the car.
“I hadn’t intended to speak so soon, partly due to Jethro’s suspicion of me, but I can’t keep it to myself any longer,” Evan spoke slowly, almost fearfully. “Julie, I’ve fallen in love with you. I’ve never been in love before. I didn’t know what to expect. You’re in my thoughts day and night. I live for the times I’m with you. It doesn’t matter if your family is around or where we are. I just want to be near you.”