head. “I wanted to go home.”
“Home was better than this?”
She laughed. “No. Home was a falling-down shack in the worst part of town. We took in boarders there, too, to make ends meet. But home was familiar.”
“Well, Doreena will be jealous,” he said, coming back to his point. “She’s used to better than the little house I’m renting.”
Jane fished a sheet out of the rinse water and sent it through the ringer again. “She won’t care about the house,” she said, smiling at him as she caught the wet sheet in the basket.
Adam followed her to the clothesline and helped her spread the sheet over it. The wire sagged from the weight, making it possible for him to see Jane over it. “What makes you think she won’t care about the house?”
“She won’t if she loves you.”
Her eyes had locked with his, and he was struck by how pretty she was, with her big brown eyes so warm, her lips parted in a gentle smile. Gradually her eyes widened and the smile faded. He was touched by how vulnerable she looked in the instant before she turned away.
At that same instant he wanted to swear. Doreena wasn’t between them as firmly as he had hoped, even when they were talking about her. But the sheet was. It flipped up and slapped at him, making him back away. He watched Jane from a distancefor a moment, feeling a need to apologize but unsure for what.
“I ought to get back,” he said, finally. “I forgot to put the note on the door.”
She turned and smiled. “See you at dinner, then.”
After the easy dismissal, he walked across her yard and his and entered through his back door. For some odd reason he couldn’t imagine Doreena following him.
Jane watched Adam leave and let the forced smile fade. If she believed her grandmother, which she thought she did, she should be warning Doreena away, not feeling jealous. More evidence that she wasn’t thinking clearly.
But how could she when he looked at her the way he had? And what had he read in her face? Her weakness wasn’t her loneliness. Her weakness was Adam Hart. And it was possible that he knew it.
Over the next several days, Jane threw herself into her housecleaning. Adam sat next to her at meals twice a day but he never stayed to help. She made sure of that. When he offered, she told him she had some other task she needed to do before she started the dishes. Eventually, he quit offering.
After a few cold days that changed the leaves to gold and brown, the weather turned warm again, making it possible for Jane to continue airing out curtains and bedding.
Adam was seeing more patients now, she noticed.Not that she was watching his house. He lived right next door. She couldn’t help but notice.
He stopped by nearly every day with questions about one family or another, sometimes because they were patients, but usually because they had asked to be considered as homes for the orphans. Jane was always busy with the cleaning, and he always pitched in for a few minutes.
Since the school term wouldn’t start until November, Jane still had an occasional small visitor. Suzy Gibbons skipped in during one of Adam’s visits. Jane was on a ladder removing the parlor curtains, and Adam was trying to convince her to let him take her place.
“Whatcha doin’, Aunt Jane?” queried the youngster.
“Aunt Jane is trying to break her neck,” Adam answered.
“Why you wanna break your neck?”
“Adam,” Jane scolded, forgetting for a moment that she should speak to him no more than necessary, “don’t lie to little girls.”
She tried to ignore Adam’s laugh as she released the rod from its bracket and let the curtains fall to the floor. “I need to clean-the curtains,” she said as she backed down the ladder.
“Did you get jelly on ‘em?”
There was Adam’s laugh again. “No, they’re just dusty,” she answered, trying to ignore him completely.
Suzy scowled at the curtains, then shrugged offthe dust as unimportant. “I came to see if you
“Home was better than this?”
She laughed. “No. Home was a falling-down shack in the worst part of town. We took in boarders there, too, to make ends meet. But home was familiar.”
“Well, Doreena will be jealous,” he said, coming back to his point. “She’s used to better than the little house I’m renting.”
Jane fished a sheet out of the rinse water and sent it through the ringer again. “She won’t care about the house,” she said, smiling at him as she caught the wet sheet in the basket.
Adam followed her to the clothesline and helped her spread the sheet over it. The wire sagged from the weight, making it possible for him to see Jane over it. “What makes you think she won’t care about the house?”
“She won’t if she loves you.”
Her eyes had locked with his, and he was struck by how pretty she was, with her big brown eyes so warm, her lips parted in a gentle smile. Gradually her eyes widened and the smile faded. He was touched by how vulnerable she looked in the instant before she turned away.
At that same instant he wanted to swear. Doreena wasn’t between them as firmly as he had hoped, even when they were talking about her. But the sheet was. It flipped up and slapped at him, making him back away. He watched Jane from a distancefor a moment, feeling a need to apologize but unsure for what.
“I ought to get back,” he said, finally. “I forgot to put the note on the door.”
She turned and smiled. “See you at dinner, then.”
After the easy dismissal, he walked across her yard and his and entered through his back door. For some odd reason he couldn’t imagine Doreena following him.
Jane watched Adam leave and let the forced smile fade. If she believed her grandmother, which she thought she did, she should be warning Doreena away, not feeling jealous. More evidence that she wasn’t thinking clearly.
But how could she when he looked at her the way he had? And what had he read in her face? Her weakness wasn’t her loneliness. Her weakness was Adam Hart. And it was possible that he knew it.
Over the next several days, Jane threw herself into her housecleaning. Adam sat next to her at meals twice a day but he never stayed to help. She made sure of that. When he offered, she told him she had some other task she needed to do before she started the dishes. Eventually, he quit offering.
After a few cold days that changed the leaves to gold and brown, the weather turned warm again, making it possible for Jane to continue airing out curtains and bedding.
Adam was seeing more patients now, she noticed.Not that she was watching his house. He lived right next door. She couldn’t help but notice.
He stopped by nearly every day with questions about one family or another, sometimes because they were patients, but usually because they had asked to be considered as homes for the orphans. Jane was always busy with the cleaning, and he always pitched in for a few minutes.
Since the school term wouldn’t start until November, Jane still had an occasional small visitor. Suzy Gibbons skipped in during one of Adam’s visits. Jane was on a ladder removing the parlor curtains, and Adam was trying to convince her to let him take her place.
“Whatcha doin’, Aunt Jane?” queried the youngster.
“Aunt Jane is trying to break her neck,” Adam answered.
“Why you wanna break your neck?”
“Adam,” Jane scolded, forgetting for a moment that she should speak to him no more than necessary, “don’t lie to little girls.”
She tried to ignore Adam’s laugh as she released the rod from its bracket and let the curtains fall to the floor. “I need to clean-the curtains,” she said as she backed down the ladder.
“Did you get jelly on ‘em?”
There was Adam’s laugh again. “No, they’re just dusty,” she answered, trying to ignore him completely.
Suzy scowled at the curtains, then shrugged offthe dust as unimportant. “I came to see if you
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