fight?”
“You could say that.”
“He’s just mad ’cause you talked to Tanner. Did he really give Tanner a black eye?”
“Yeah, he really did.” Kate gave her head a little shake as she looked down at Lorena.
“Poor Tanner.” Lorena made a sad face.
“He’ll live through it,” Kate said. “If I were you, I wouldn’t waste too much time worrying about Mr. Tanner. He can take care of himself or I miss my guess.”
“Why’d he let Carl hit him then?”
“Maybe he caught him by surprise.” A lot of things were catching Kate by surprise, so why not everybody else?
“You going to make up?” Lorena asked. “You and Carl.”
“I don’t know. Maybe not.” Actually she did know. She breathed out a sigh. “Probably not.”
“Good.” Lorena tightened her lips together and gave a curt little nod.
“Good?” Kate frowned down at her. “I thought you liked Carl.”
Lorena shrugged her shoulders. “He’s okay. But did you hear him trying to sing this afternoon? He was awful. You don’t want to marry somebody who can’t sing.”
“You silly goose,” Kate said, but she couldn’t keep from laughing as she flipped her hand through Lorena’s curly hair. The laugh freed up something inside her and let Carl’s angry words fade into the background of her mind. She wouldn’t worry about what everybody was saying. She’d only worry about whether they could sing.
“I mean it.” Lorena had a serious look on her face.
“What about Evie and Mike? He can’t sing a lick.”
“True,” Lorena said a little regretfully. “But Evie doesn’t care that much about singing anyway. And Mike preaches, so that makes up for not singing, don’t you think?”
“I have no idea. You’re the one doing this thinking, but I’m thinking love might matter more than singing ability.”
“Love songs are the best.” Lorena put her hands together up under her chin and got a dreamy look.
“I guess when you start getting stuck on boys, we’ll have to get them to audition. You monkey.” Kate poked her in the ribs to make her giggle. “Come on. Mama’s peeking out the door wondering where we are.”
Halfway across the yard, Lorena said, “Do you think Tanner can sing?”
“Who knows? But it doesn’t matter. He’s way too old for you.”
“Not for you.”
“I don’t need you matchmaking for me, young lady. I can find my own fellows.”
“But he was fun. Didn’t you think so?”
“I bet he can’t sing,” Kate said, just to bother Lorena.
“He might be able to sing.” Lorena sounded hopeful, then wistful. “You think we’ll ever see him again?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not.”
“I wish we would,” Lorena said. “Don’t you?”
“Maybe he’ll come back in ten years looking for you. By then, you’ll be all grown up and so beautiful he wouldn’t be able to resist you.” She put her arm around the little girl’s shoulders and gave her a hug as they climbed the porch steps. “And he’ll have taken singing lessons.”
“He’ll come back before then. He’ll come looking for you.”
Kate laughed, but the idea of seeing Jay Tanner didn’t sound so bad. Instead a little thrill tickled through her.
She had to be out of her mind. Completely.
9
J ay liked painting the boards on the old house. Back and forth. Dip the brush in the paint and swipe it against the wood. Back and forth. No thought required. His mind was free to wander anywhere. To wherever he’d left off reading before they’d hauled off to Mrs. Harrelson’s house that morning. To the cities in the headlines in yesterday’s newspapers that Victor Merritt brought to Graham Lindell each day.
Not that Jay wanted to think too much about the headlines. Bombs exploding. Planes going down. Russians under siege. People dying. President Roosevelt kept promising to keep them out of the war, but he’d put troops in Greenland. Factories were turning out tanks for the Allied troops. Men were being drafted. Seemed
“You could say that.”
“He’s just mad ’cause you talked to Tanner. Did he really give Tanner a black eye?”
“Yeah, he really did.” Kate gave her head a little shake as she looked down at Lorena.
“Poor Tanner.” Lorena made a sad face.
“He’ll live through it,” Kate said. “If I were you, I wouldn’t waste too much time worrying about Mr. Tanner. He can take care of himself or I miss my guess.”
“Why’d he let Carl hit him then?”
“Maybe he caught him by surprise.” A lot of things were catching Kate by surprise, so why not everybody else?
“You going to make up?” Lorena asked. “You and Carl.”
“I don’t know. Maybe not.” Actually she did know. She breathed out a sigh. “Probably not.”
“Good.” Lorena tightened her lips together and gave a curt little nod.
“Good?” Kate frowned down at her. “I thought you liked Carl.”
Lorena shrugged her shoulders. “He’s okay. But did you hear him trying to sing this afternoon? He was awful. You don’t want to marry somebody who can’t sing.”
“You silly goose,” Kate said, but she couldn’t keep from laughing as she flipped her hand through Lorena’s curly hair. The laugh freed up something inside her and let Carl’s angry words fade into the background of her mind. She wouldn’t worry about what everybody was saying. She’d only worry about whether they could sing.
“I mean it.” Lorena had a serious look on her face.
“What about Evie and Mike? He can’t sing a lick.”
“True,” Lorena said a little regretfully. “But Evie doesn’t care that much about singing anyway. And Mike preaches, so that makes up for not singing, don’t you think?”
“I have no idea. You’re the one doing this thinking, but I’m thinking love might matter more than singing ability.”
“Love songs are the best.” Lorena put her hands together up under her chin and got a dreamy look.
“I guess when you start getting stuck on boys, we’ll have to get them to audition. You monkey.” Kate poked her in the ribs to make her giggle. “Come on. Mama’s peeking out the door wondering where we are.”
Halfway across the yard, Lorena said, “Do you think Tanner can sing?”
“Who knows? But it doesn’t matter. He’s way too old for you.”
“Not for you.”
“I don’t need you matchmaking for me, young lady. I can find my own fellows.”
“But he was fun. Didn’t you think so?”
“I bet he can’t sing,” Kate said, just to bother Lorena.
“He might be able to sing.” Lorena sounded hopeful, then wistful. “You think we’ll ever see him again?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not.”
“I wish we would,” Lorena said. “Don’t you?”
“Maybe he’ll come back in ten years looking for you. By then, you’ll be all grown up and so beautiful he wouldn’t be able to resist you.” She put her arm around the little girl’s shoulders and gave her a hug as they climbed the porch steps. “And he’ll have taken singing lessons.”
“He’ll come back before then. He’ll come looking for you.”
Kate laughed, but the idea of seeing Jay Tanner didn’t sound so bad. Instead a little thrill tickled through her.
She had to be out of her mind. Completely.
9
J ay liked painting the boards on the old house. Back and forth. Dip the brush in the paint and swipe it against the wood. Back and forth. No thought required. His mind was free to wander anywhere. To wherever he’d left off reading before they’d hauled off to Mrs. Harrelson’s house that morning. To the cities in the headlines in yesterday’s newspapers that Victor Merritt brought to Graham Lindell each day.
Not that Jay wanted to think too much about the headlines. Bombs exploding. Planes going down. Russians under siege. People dying. President Roosevelt kept promising to keep them out of the war, but he’d put troops in Greenland. Factories were turning out tanks for the Allied troops. Men were being drafted. Seemed
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