Sam didn’t say anything about her choice of clothing when he picked her up for their dinner engagement, but Belinda was certain he noticed she wasn’t wearing the simple black sheath he’d suggested.
To be fair, she had gotten it out of the closet and considered it, but she just didn’t feel like being so somber. This was summer in the Ozarks. Bright color was everywhere. Most people had a myriad of beautiful flowers in their yards, or filling planter boxes, or cascading over the sides of baskets hung in the shade of old-fashioned covered porches like hers. Some gardeners, Eloise included, had all three. And a lush vegetable garden, to boot.
Besides, the black sheath was a terrible choice for hot, muggy weather, and today’s temperature had been particularly high. Belinda figured it was bad enough that she had to wear panty hose. She wasn’t about to purposely make herself even more uncomfortable.
That line of reasoning had led her to pick out a pale pink sleeveless dress with a short, open-knit jacket in a darker rose. The outfit was far from businesslike. It was, however, pretty. And cool. It also set off the reddish glint in her hair, and she felt good wearing it. That was the most important thing.
When they arrived at the Whitaker mansion, she was doubly glad she’d dressed lightly. Sam parked beneath an enormous walnut tree that grew next to the driveway, but the temperature was still uncomfortably high, even in the shade.
“Whew!” Belinda fanned herself with her hand as she climbed out of the car. “I’m afraid working in an air-conditioned office has spoiled me.”
“Yeah. Me, too.” Sam used his folded handkerchief to blot beads of perspiration from his forehead. He took her elbow, urging her toward the elaborate, once regal porch. “Come on. Let’s get inside before we melt.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever gone in the front door here,” she said candidly. “When I was little, Gram used to bring me by to visit Miss Prudence all the time. I’d usually sit on the back porch and eat her homemade sugar cookies while she and Gram talked.”
Sam was already banging the brass knocker. “That’s nice. But you need to remember this is not a social call. Keep your mind on the reason we’re here.”
“To get the Whitaker sisters to sell the place to you and your partners. I know.” She made a face at him. “Don’t you think it’s about time you told me what your plans are?”
“When I’m ready.” Sam raised his arm to rap again just as the door swung open.
Belinda watched his countenance rapidly darken. Her gaze instinctively followed his. The humid air became cloying. Nearly unbreathable. When Paul smiled at her, she felt suddenly faint.
“Come in, come in,” Paul said, stepping out of the way. “Glad you could make it.”
Sam shook his hand. Belinda refrained. By using Sam as a buffer, she was able to enter the house gracefully while still managing to avoid Paul’s touch. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice the slight.
Acting the affable host, Paul led the way into the formal parlor. High ceilings helped cool the room by giving the rising warmer air a place to go. Portable electric fans were strategically placed to stir the cooler air below.
The Whitaker sisters were seated together on the brocade settee. An older man Belinda didn’t recognize was the sixth person in the room. Paul introduced him as Milton Boggs, a friend from Harrison, but Belinda suspected there was an ulterior motive for his presence. Evidently, Sam felt that way, too, because he eyed the thin, balding man with suspicion.
“So, what brings you to Serenity?” Sam asked him as they politely shook hands.
Boggs shrugged casually. “Not much. It is nice to get away once in awhile. See the sights. Serenity is a lovely town. You must be thankful you chose to bring your medical practice here.”
“I am. I intend to spend the rest of my life here.” He drew Belinda closer to his side. “You know. Settle down. Get married. Raise a family.”
She stiffened. Glanced at Paul. Nothing in his expression indicated that Sam’s declaration had upset him. Either he truly didn’t care or he was very good at masking his feelings. Maybe both.
Sam escorted her to a chair across the room and stood beside it like a sentry on guard duty. Looking for some way to relieve the tension, Belinda noticed the items on the tea cart and smiled at Prudence. “I was just telling Sam about your wonderful sugar cookies. I see you’ve made some.”
“Yes. Mayor Smith phoned and said he was going to be late so I decided to serve these while we wait. Sister made the lemonade. Would you like a glass?”
“Yes, please.”
Patience put ice cubes into a tumbler and filled it with lemonade. Before Sam had a chance to offer to fetch it for her, Paul had taken on the task. He also put two cookies on a napkin, then delivered everything with a polite smile. “Here you go. How about you, Doc? Lemonade?”
“No, thanks.”
Belinda had to concentrate hard to keep her hand from trembling as she took the glass and cookies from Paul. It helped that he was looking at Sam instead of at her. She perched on the edge of the chair, napkin in her lap, and smiled woodenly.
“You look a bit peaked,” Patience observed. “Are you feeling all right?”
“I’m fine.” Belinda wasn’t about to admit she hadn’t felt light-headed until she’d encountered Paul again. She took a sip of lemonade and peered at him over the rim of the frosty glass. He looked so cool, so unruffled. His slacks were pressed, his shirt was crisp and white and his smile was enigmatic.
She pulled a face, disgusted with herself for paying so much attention to him. Being attracted to Paul Randall in the first place, in spite of herself, then being thrust into such close proximity to him, was liable to make this one of the most difficult evenings she’d ever spent.
“Oh, dear,” Prudence said, noting the change in Belinda’s expression. “Sister didn’t forget to add sugar again, did she?”
Paul answered for her. “No, Aunt Pru. I tasted the lemonade. It’s perfect, as usual.” A knowing grin spread across his face. “I think Ms. Carnes may be reliving the little problem she had in your kitchen yesterday.”
“I had? And what do you mean, little problem?” Belinda bristled. “That was a full-blown disaster, and you know it.”
“I have to agree with you there,” he gibed. “I wish I’d thought to grab my camera and snap a picture of you.”
The image that immediately flashed into Belinda’s mind was one of Paul, staring at her photo and dreaming, just as she’d often done with an old high school picture of him.
Paul saw a softening of her expression, a glassy shimmer in her lovely blue eyes, and he wondered what she was thinking. Whatever it was, he didn’t think it was wise to ask. Especially not in front of Sam. Instead, he said, “Sure. I might need that kind of solid evidence for blackmail some day.”
Belinda made another disgusted face. “What would you charge me with? Breaking and entering?”
“Nope. Just breaking…jar breaking.” He started to chuckle. “And maybe butter smearing, if I could find a legal precedent for it.”
Belinda was relieved when the mayor finally arrived and everyone gathered in the formal dining room. Its flowered wallpaper was faded, and the drapes were a bit frayed at the hem, but it was still easy to envision how elegant the room had once looked. Unless she missed her guess, the mahogany table and chairs were Chippendale.
The caterers had set up their silver serving dishes on a massive matching sideboard and were standing beside it, waiting to begin.
“This is beautiful,” Belinda told the elderly sisters as she admired the lavishly set table. “I didn’t know you had such fancy china and crystal.”
“The silverware was Mother’s,” Patience said proudly. “And she helped me collect the china for my hope chest. The stemware was our aunt Nettie’s.”
“Yes,” Prudence agreed. “She willed it to both of us and we hated to split up the set, so I gave my half to Sister.”
“Not that it made one whit of difference,” Patience observed, beginning to pout. “Since neither one of us ever left home, it’s stayed right here, anyway.”
“Oh, and I suppose that’s my fault? Nobody told you you couldn’t leave.”
Belinda had never known the sisters to act so openly antagonistic. Of course she usually saw them separately, especially since Grandma Eloise was closer friends with Prudence. Unsure of what to say next, she looked to Paul. It was obvious that he, too, was surprised by their mutual outburst.
“Well,” Paul offered, his voice calm and even, “neither of you will have the problem for much longer, once you sell the house.”
“That’s another thing,” Prudence said stiffly. “I don’t care what my sister decides to do or where she wants to go. I’ve given the matter a lot of thought and I’m perfectly content right here. I’m not leaving.”
“It’s those stupid cats of hers,” Patience explained. “She’s afraid they won’t be happy anywhere else.” She huffed and plunked down into the chair Paul had pulled out for her. “Sister never did have the sense God gave a goat when it came to dumb animals.”
“Oh? Well, at least my animals can be trusted to never turn on me. Not like some people I might mention.”
“You wouldn’t know a friend if she came up and bit you,” Patience argued.
“My friends don’t bite.”
“You know very well what I meant,” her sister countered. “If you’d get out once in a while you might actually enjoy yourself the way I do.”
“I wouldn’t want to be like you if that was the only choice in the world,” Prudence said, her voice shrill. “All you ever think about is yourself.”
“That’s not true, and you know it!”
Paul tried to call a peaceful halt to the argument by holding up his hands. When that didn’t work, he put two fingers in his mouth and whistled. Everyone froze.
“That’s better,” he said with a tolerant smile. He signaled the caterers to begin serving. “I think we’d better eat. The soup is probably getting cold.”
“We didn’t order soup.” Patience sounded miffed.
Paul laughed softly and shook his head, looking from one of his testy aunts to the other. “I know we didn’t. But if I thought it would quiet you two down, I’d go open a can of the stuff and fix it myself. Now, can we eat in peace? Please?”
“If that’s what you want, dear,” Patience said amiably. Her sister merely nodded in sullen agreement.
How different the two women were, Belinda mused. She’d always thought it would be loads of fun to have a twin. Watching the Whitaker sisters interact was starting to make her thankful she was an only child.
But it would be nice to have somebody else she could feel close to besides Gram, she thought. A contemporary who truly cared and understood her. Someone who belonged to her and she to them. A sense of belonging was one of the things that had blessed her so when she’d given her life to Jesus. No matter where she was or how bad the circumstances seemed to be, He was always there. Always ready to help.
All she had to do was get her pride out of the way, stop being stubborn, and surrender to His will. It sounded like a simple enough act. It wasn’t.
Sometimes, like now, when she was so confused by her rampant feelings that she hardly knew her own name, it was practically inconceivable.
During dinner, Belinda was relieved that Mayor Smith chose to distract everyone by telling tales of Serenity in its early days. She’d heard various versions of his stories often, which was just as well, since she couldn’t have paid close attention if her life had depended upon it. Eating her dinner with Paul seated directly across the table was hard enough. Taking part in a discussion that required the assimilation and processing of unfamiliar information would have been impossible.
“’Course, I was just a boy back then,” the mayor said, “but I do recall the way this place here looked. It was the finest estate in the whole county, maybe even the whole state of Arkansas. Had everything, a big house, fine stables, grand gardens…” He paused to blot perspiration from his balding pate with a folded handkerchief. “It had the best kitchen garden, too. Me and a couple of other boys used to dare each other to swipe watermelons out of it. We used to sneak in from the back side, off of Old Sturkey Road. Nowadays, I’d be lucky to be able to walk that far—” he patted his paunch “—let alone run, totin’ a humongous melon!”
Patience covered her mouth delicately with her napkin and tittered. “You should have seen those boys! I used to hide with Papa and watch from up in the carriage house loft. He got the biggest kick out of it. Especially watching you, Ira.”
The mayor gasped. “He knew?”
“Of course, he did. It was a game to him. That was why Sister and I were always needling you to do it again.”
Belinda had held her tongue as long as she could. “That doesn’t seem like a very good way to raise children. It sounds to me like he was condoning stealing.”
“I suppose it does, these days,” Patience answered, thoughtful. “But back then Papa gave away lots more than our family ate. Everybody knew all they had to do was ask and they could have whatever they needed.”
Looking relieved, the mayor wiped his brow again. “That’s true. Come to think of it, I suppose that’s why my pa never whipped me for doing it. Anyway, I turned out all right, so I guess no harm was done.”
Belinda noticed a mischievous twinkle lighting Patience’s grayish-blue eyes. “Well, I don’t know about that, Ira,” the older woman drawled, “you did become a politician.”
Laughter filled the room. Forgetting herself, Belinda made the mistake of relaxing her guard and looking at Paul.
His eyebrows arched in acknowledgment and challenge. “Just goes to prove you never can tell, doesn’t it?”
Before Belinda could decide how best to respond, Prudence jumped to her feet and grasped the edge of the table. “Stop talking about hiding and spying on people! All of you. It’s not funny, it’s a mean, nasty habit, especially when a person’s own family is involved.” The color drained from her face.
“Aunt Prudence…” Paul was beside her in seconds. “Are you all right?”
“No. I’m not all right,” she wailed. “I just wish… Oh, dear…” When Paul put his arm around her shoulders she hid her face against his chest.
He stroked her thin back. “This whole business about selling the house has been hard on everybody. You’re probably overtired. If you’ve finished eating, why don’t we let Aunt Patience take you up to your room so you can get some rest?”
“No! Not her,” Prudence cried. “She’s the worst of them all.”
Paul was at a loss. He looked at Sam. “In that case, would you mind checking her out, Doctor? I’ve never seen my aunt act like this, before.”
“Humpf,” Patience said, making a sour face. “I have. Plenty of times. Don’t worry. There’s not a thing wrong with her that gettin’ her own way won’t cure. She just wants to distract us, keep us from talking about the sale of this monstrosity of a house.”
Sam got to his feet. “Well, as far as I’m concerned, she’s been successful. I can’t see any reason to continue negotiations when one of the primary parties to the deal is so unwilling to sell that she’s making herself sick over it.” He rounded the end of the table and reached for Prudence’s wrist, timed her heartbeats, then looked at Paul. “She’s a little overwrought, but her pulse is strong and steady. I can prescribe a mild sedative if you want.”
“I don’t need any pills,” Prudence insisted, sniffling. “I’ll just go lie down for a bit and I’ll be fine.”
Paul hesitated to release her. Instead, he started to guide her from the room. She shook off his touch. “I can manage.” Lifting her misty gaze, she blinked back tears. “I want you to stay right here and be my lawyer, like you promised. Make sure Sister doesn’t pull another one of her dirty tricks and sell my house out from under me.”
“You know she wouldn’t do that, Aunt Pru.”
“Ha!” Prudence glowered at her twin through reddened eyes. “Don’t kid yourself, boy. There are lots of things she’d do, given half a chance. I should know. I’ve spent the last eighty-some years watching her do them.”
Sam took Paul’s place beside Prudence. “I’ll handle this,” he said. “You come, too, Belinda. Miss Whitaker and I are going to go have a little chat, and I want you there. I think you’ll find it interesting.”
“Of course.” Belinda didn’t care for Sam’s overbearing attitude. However, she did want to help calm Prudence down, so she gently cupped the woman’s elbow and followed his orders. He was not at his most likable when he was acting so superior or hinting that there was some cloak-and-dagger plot afoot. She’d much rather he’d have simply said whatever he intended to say and gotten it over with, instead of drawing her away from the others.
Others? Belinda countered silently. You mean Paul Randall, don’t you? Of course she did. He was the reason she didn’t want to leave the party, didn’t want to go up to Prudence’s room with Sam.
Sighing, she sobered. Sam might not realize it, but he’d been wise to take her away from the man she had once loved. The more time she spent with Paul the more she rued the mistakes of the past. The more she wished she could somehow make amends.
Was that why the Lord had brought him back to Serenity? she wondered abruptly. Was she supposed to show him how to forgive all the people, including herself, who had accused him and driven him out of town?
Disgusted, Belinda huffed. Fat chance. You can’t very well teach it if you can’t do it, and she was still furious with Paul. As much as she hated to admit it, she was also holding a grudge against her late father for having stood between them. Which meant she was far from the ideal example of Christian love.
Some peacemaker! God wasn’t going to use her to lead anybody down the path to forgiveness and harmony until she’d mastered the concept herself.
Maybe by the time she was as old as the Whitaker sisters she’d have figured it all out. Then again, maybe it was going to take her even longer.
Lost in thought, Belinda escorted Prudence up the winding staircase to her second-floor bedroom. Sam followed.
“I’m glad you agreed to come up here with us, Miss Whitaker,” Sam said, closing the door behind all three of them. “I’ve been wanting to speak with you in private.”
Prudence snorted in obvious disgust. “Ha! Don’t start tryin’ to sweet-talk me, Sam Barryman. I’m wise to men’s tricks. I may look older than dirt but I’m far from senile. This house is not for sale. Period.”
Back ramrod straight, chin jutting out, she plopped down on the edge of the bed and crossed her arms defensively, looking for all the world like a naughty child who’d been sent to her room for misbehaving.
Sam ambled over to join her. Leaning against the carved post that held up the bed’s canopy, he said, “I don’t want your house, Miss Whitaker.”
That was a surprise to Belinda. Curiosity got the better of her. “You don’t? But I thought…”
“You thought what I wanted everybody to think,” Sam said smugly. “Actually, it’s only the vacant property I’m interested in. I couldn’t care less about this old wreck of a house. It’s more of a liability than an asset.”
Belinda stared at Sam, then looked at Prudence. Compared to her present ashen complexion, she hadn’t been a bit pale before. “You…you don’t want my house?”
“No. I don’t. I intend to build a clinic and a small hospital on this site. We all know Serenity desperately needs adequate medical facilities. Think of it. We might even name the place after your family.”
Prudence grew pensive. “I suppose Father would have liked that.” A faraway look filled her eyes. Her voice grew thready. “I always listened to Father. My sister didn’t, but I did. When Father said Eldon wasn’t good enough for me, I sent him away.”
Sam shot a questioning look at Belinda. Confused, she shrugged and said, “This is the first I’ve heard about anything like that, Miss Prudence. Did it happen a long time ago?”
“Long time?” The elderly woman sighed deeply. “Yes. A very long time ago.” Another heart-wrenching sigh. “Eldon loved me. I know he did. If she hadn’t interfered I’m sure I could have convinced Father to give us his blessing.”
Prudence snapped to the present. “Sister can’t be trusted. Never could. That’s why I don’t believe she only wants to sell this place so she can run off and travel. She’s got something else up her sleeve. Well, whatever it is, she’s not going to get away with it.” Her frigid gaze lit on the doctor. “And neither are you, mister.”
None of the guests could help overhearing the loudest of the conversation coming from the floor above. The party broke up when the mayor excused himself and Patience talked Milton Boggs into taking a stroll in the garden with her.
Paul politely walked everyone to the door, then returned to the foot of the staircase and quietly bowed his head to listen. All was quiet. Apparently, Prudence had calmed down. What a shame she was so upset with her sister. He wished he could think of some way to reconcile them.
Belinda started down the stairs. She paused at the landing when she spotted Paul at the bottom. If she hadn’t been on a mercy mission she would have waited until he’d walked away so she wouldn’t have to pass right by him. Unfortunately, any delay was likely to cause Sam to come looking for her, which would only complicate matters.
Steeling herself for the encounter with Paul, she stood tall and announced her presence as she continued to descend. “Miss Prudence is having trouble resting. I’m going out to the car for Sam’s medical bag.”
The sound of Belinda’s voice gave Paul a jolt. His head snapped up. He watched her approach with his heart in his throat. She’d never looked lovelier. Every time he saw her he had the same kind of gut-level reaction, the same kind of thoughts. She was floating down the stairs like a vision from his dreams, coming to him quickly, surely, the way he’d so often fantasized she would.
Her steps slowed as she reached the ground floor. The hand she’d placed on the smooth banister slid to a stop, bumping against his. The contact sent a tingle up her arm that tickled the fine hairs at the back of her neck and made her shiver.
Paul jerked his hand away. “I’ll get the bag for you. Just tell me what it looks like.”
“I’m not sure.” Jiggling the set of car keys in her hand, she smiled. “Sam said it was in the trunk. With luck, there’s only one bag to choose from.”
When Paul reached to take the keys from her, she held them away. “Uh-uh. Sam’s very particular about his car. I’m the only other person allowed to touch it.”
“How special,” Paul taunted. “Does he let you polish it, too?”
“As a matter of fact, we did give it a fresh coat of wax recently. It was one of those balmy evenings a week or so before this heat wave started.”
“That figures.” He couldn’t help smirking. “Want to polish my car? You’re obviously a pro.”
“In your dreams, Randall,” she countered, breezing past him and heading for the front door.
By the time Belinda returned with Sam’s medical bag, Paul was nowhere to be seen. To her dismay, she was terribly disappointed he hadn’t waited for her.
Nevertheless, she whispered, “Thank you, Father. You know better than I do what’s best for me. I just wish…” She broke off. “Never mind, Lord. You rescued me from that man once. I’m not going to put myself in the position where You have to do it again.”
Pausing at the foot of the stairs, her hand on the banister, she waited for the sense of peace she’d grown to expect when she relinquished control of her life to the Lord.
This time, it didn’t come.