Marrying An Older Man Part 2

Caroline beamed, while behind her, Jesse cleared his throat. "You haven't even heard about her system yet," he pointed out to his mother.

"Oh, that doesn't matter," Caroline said quickly. "This is your mother's house, naturally she'll want things dorie her way."

"Not at all," Sarah said firmly. "I have a very open mind, I a.s.sure you." She started to rise, and Jesse rushed to help her. Caroline literally heard her joints creak. Standing once more, Sarah took a deep breath and briskly said, "We'll discuss mis system of yours while we're preparing lunch."

"Now?" Caroline said. "You want me to start now?"

"Unless you prefer another arrangement."

"No!" Caroline bounded out of her chair, too delighted to contain her laughter. "Thank you, Mrs. Wagner! You won't regret this, I promise!"

"Now, now," the older woman chided gently, "no formality. Call me Sarah, I insist"

Impulsively Caroline hugged her. She glanced up, catching a look of troubled speculation on Jesse's face. Immediately Caroline backed off. "Did you have something else in mind? Perhaps you'd like to interview a few more candidates?"

Jesse shrugged as if it was of no concern to him whatsoever. "Mother knows what's she's doing. I was just thinking about this room-and-board thing." He immediately turned to his mother, explaining, "Miss, uh, Caroline asked earlier i there might be a possibility of room and board as part of the salary."

"Oh," Sarah began. "Well, we could always-"

"Maybe later," Jesse said, looking at Caroline. "If and when it's necessary." Again, he explained to his mother, "Caroline's concerned because her landlady is dunking about selling the duplex they're sharing."

"Yes," Caroline said, "the thing is, it's an older home that was converted into a duplex, and the landlady feels that a new owner may want it as a single-family dwelling again, but it hasn't even gone on the market yet, so there's no immediate concern."

"Well, let's wait and see then," Sarah said encouragingly. "But I don't want you to worry now. I'm sure that when the moment comes, there will be no problem."

"Thank you," Caroline said, smiling warmly at the other woman. "Now let's get that lunch on. Can I borrow an ap.r.o.n?"

She pretended not to notice when Jesse left the room and then returned a moment later with the newspaper, yet she remained acutely aware of him as he sat calmly at one end of the table, slowly turning through the pages. She found it difficult to believe had nothing more pressing to do than sit there reading with tech less man an hour away. Didn't he trust her enough to leave her alone with his mother? Apparently she would have to a.s.sure him again that she would make no mention of his former relations.h.i.+p with Nancy. She was really too busy to worry about it, though.

Sarah had stewed a chicken the day before, and Caroline's first job was to debone it and cut the meat into bite-sized chunks for soup while Sarah painstakingly cleaned vegetables. She was having a very difficult time with a paring knife. After a while, Jess folded his paper and suggested that he could try his hand at the vegetables. Sarah smiled to herself.

"Thank you, dear, but we're doing fine. You really don't have to hover."

Jesse grumbled something unintelligible, got up, stretched and said he had a couple things to do in the office. When he had gone, Sarah sent Caroline a speaking look.

"He tries to help, but there are hardly any vegetables left when he's through with them."

Caroline chuckled. "Well, at least he's willing to help. That's more than a great many men."

"Oh, my, yes," Sarah said, adding in a more strident tone, "his father isn't nearly so understanding."

Caroline said nothing to that, but as she had finished with the chicken, she washed her hands and took over the paring knife, freeing Sarah to mix together a batch of biscuits. From the corner of her eye, Caroline watched Sarah put together the dry ingredients and prepare to sift them. She hesitated only a moment before suggesting that half a teaspoon of cream of tartar would give the biscuits a crisp crust just made for dunking in soup.

"Now that makes perfect sense," Sarah said, reaching into the cabinet "I wonder why I didn't think of it before."

Beaming, Caroline began putting together the soup. It was simmering fragrantly when Jesse wandered in again.

"Everything okay in here?"

She lifted both eyebrows at him, wondering if he expected her to injure his mother in some way, perhaps splash her with scalding water, mistake her for a vegetable? He seemed to realize belatedly how the question had sounded. Coloring slightly, he looked straight at her and said, "Mother can't reach the dishes on the top shelves."

"I can," Caroline said. "I'm over five feet, you know. In fact, I'm-"

"Five-five, yeah, I got that," he said, clearly amused. To his mother he said, "Looks like I'll not be needed around here anymore." With that, he flipped a kind of salute, turned, and strolled easily from the room.

Laughing, Sarah put her hands to her hips. "What on earth has gotten into him?"

Caroline shrugged. "Maybe he just needs a little time to get used to having another woman around the house."

Sarah measured her with a speculative look. "You could be right about that."

Caroline merely smiled and looked around her. -'Now, what else did you have hi mind?"

"You can cut the biscuits and get down the noodles for the soup," Sarah said, all business again, "while I get the salad makings from the refrigerator. Then we'll pop that peach cobbler in the freezer into the oven. These boys love peach cobbler."

"Sounds like 'these boys' eat pretty well," Caroline said.

"I get no complaints," Sarah said, "but it will sure be easier with you here."

"That's the idea."

Quickly, companionably, the two women put together the meal, but inevitably what Sarah started, Caroline finished. Finally, Sarah sat down at the table in disgust, holding her hands out before her. "I'm the next thing to a cripple."

Caroline dried her hands and slipped onto the edge of the seat closest to Sarah. A glance told her everything she needed to know. "You're in pain, aren't you?"

Tears gathered in Sarah's eyes as she nodded. Caroline got to her feet again. "Aspirin?"

Sarah swallowed and nodded again. "On my bedside table, upstairs, first door on your right." :- "I'll be right back."

Caroline ran lightly down the hall and up the stairs, turning to her right on the landing. A door opened off either side of the stairwell, and a narrower set of stairs at the back of the landing led, supposedly, to the attic. The door to the bedroom that Caroline sought stood open, so she hurried inside and took a look around. A four-poster bed stood dead center of the far wall, taking pa good deal of s.p.a.ce, but the many windows with their light, filmy covers gave the room an open, airy feel* just as the ma.s.sive fireplace in one corner warmed it. A triple dresser stood next to the door, a mirror above it. An antique pants press and small slipper chair occupied a corner, along with a rusty old trunk left open to reveal a stack of colorful quilts. Two mirrored doors opened off of one wall. Caroline glimpsed the sheen of tile beneath one of them. Undoubtedly it opened into a private bath. The other was probably a closet. She turned her attention back to the bed, more specifically, the matching tables flanking it, and spied the aspirin bottle on the far side between the Victorian-style lamp and a pair of reading gla.s.ses atop a hardback book.

Bottle in hand, she swung out onto the enclosed landing and came face-to-face with Jesse, who stood in the door across the way. Caroline showed him the aspirin bottle in her hand. He signed and leaned a shoulder against the door frame.

"She's in pain much more often than she'll admit."

"I've seen the signs."

He nodded. "I've tried to help, but I'm pretty limited in the kitchen. About all I can do is fetch and carry, and that's not really what she needs."

So that's why he was hanging around, in case his mother needed him. Caroline smiled, feeling deeply satisfied. "Don't worry about that anymore. I can do just about anything that needs doing, and if not, I know who to call on."

He looked down at his toes. "I appreciate that."

"I'll take care of her," she promised. "From now on, I'm her hands."

"I just hope she'll let you do more than she'll let me do."

"She will. You'll see."

He nodded. She waited a moment longer, expecting him to say something more, something, perhaps, about how she should keep I her silence concerning Nancy. Instead he said, "If she's needing that aspirin, you'd better get it to her."

"Right." She swung around the newel post and quickly descended the stairs. When she got back to the kitchen, Sarah was taking dishes down from the cabinet one at a time. "I'll do that," Caroline said. "You take your aspirin." She twisted off the cap and placed the bottle on the cabinet, then got down a gla.s.s and filled it with water. She and Sarah traded places. "How many settings?"

"Six, including you."

Caroline looked over her shoulder in shock. "Oh, I don't have to eat with everyone else. I can always-"

"Don't be silly," Sarah said, having swallowed her aspirin. "The hands eat two meals a day with the family. You will, too. Now set those dishes right here on this table, and I'll get the flatware. We take breakfast and lunch in the kitchen, dinner in the dining room. The men will want coffee, and they'll be bringing in thermoses, too, so we'll pour what's left in the pot into a keeper and put that on the table while we brew another pot."

"Sounds like you need two coffeemakers," Caroline said.

"We used to have two, but one gave out I've been meaning to buy another."

"I can take care of that for you, if you want."

"Would you? What a wonderful help you are!"

"No problem."

"I'll get the trivet. We'll sit the soup pot right on the table when the men get here. Stays hotter that way. The biscuits we'll just have to wrap in hot towels."

"Do you have a Crock-Pot?"

Sarah blinked at her. "Yes, actually, I do."

"Makes a great bread wanner."

"Now why didn't I think of that? You're so smart."

Caroline laughed. "If this place was as drafty as my place is, you'd hit on it sooner or later!"

Sarah opened her mouth to comment, but the windowpanes rattled gently as someone opened an outer door, and men heavy footsteps and male voices could be heard coming down the hall. Jesse pounded down the stairs and into the kitchen, taking a place near the window. "Here we go!" Sarah said laughingly. Caroline hurried to get it onto the table.

"Smells great!" Jesse said, pulling bis chair up to the table, jlhe other men came in one by one, after visiting the rest room to wash up. Haney Wagner, Jesse's father and Sarah's husband, iwas^lfte first An older, leaner version of his son, he made it *Vfeis where fcsse came by that thick, wavy hair. Surprisingly, he showed only a little silver at the temples. The elements had taken a toll on his face, but he was one of those men whose crinkles and p.r.o.nounced bone structure only added character. Hale and hardy, he looked younger than his wife by several years.

"h.e.l.lo," Haney said simply, glancing at Caroline as he rolled down his sleeves and headed for the table. A man of few words, obviously.

Sarah made the introductions, then repeated them for the other two men as they came in. Tiger Stevens was a tall, slim blonde about thirty years of age. He wore no rings and no wrist.w.a.tch. His light amber eyes flashed over Caroline with interest, but he said little as he took his place. Handsome Harris was not so circ.u.mspect He was, frankly, a very good-looking young man, as his nickname indicated, with dark brown hair and eyes. A year or two older than Caroline and of average height, he had a weight-lifter's build and a flirt's quick smile.

"My, my," he said, looking Caroline over blatantly, "somebody's been holding out on me." He flashed that smile at her. "Thought I'd met every pretty girl in town."

Caroline curbed the urge to roll her eyes and instead ignored him. She lifted the lid from the soup pot and dunked the ladle. Haney Wagner slid his bowl next to the pot, and she filled it. Handsome lifted his next, but she reached instead for Jesse's.

"Mother, you come sit down now," Jesse said, while Tiger chuckled at Handsome's chagrin.

"Yes, sit down," Caroline echoed. "I'll get the bread. That crock's too heavy for you."

"Now don't fuss over me," Sarah protested, taking her chair. Caroline filled her bowl and then saw to Tiger.

"Guess we know the pecking order," Tiger said to Handsome as he pulled his bowl toward him.

"That's all right I'm a patient man," Handsome said loudly.

Caroline pretended to just then notice him. "Oh, are you ready for soup, Mr. Harris?" She filled his bowl and tamed away.

Seeing her empty place beside Sarah, Harris said, "Aren't you going to sit down?"

Caroline ignored him. Sarah said, "Jesse pa.s.s the salad," the hint of a chuckle in her tone.

Wearing an oven mitt, Caroline carried the crock to the table and reached inside. She placed the first golden brown biscuit on Jesse's plate and the next on Haney's. She pa.s.sed out two more, stripped off the mitt and sat down. Tiger snickered as Handsome gaped. "Oh," Caroline said. She lifted the lid so he could reach inside himself. Handsome grinned as he did so.

"Life has sure got interesting around here," he said.

Caroline looked up and asked, "Jesse, did you have anything else in mind for me this afternoon?"

Tiger laughed. Handsome gusted a heavy sigh. Jesse concentrated on his plate, but Caroline was pretty sure he was smiling. "Mom's the one you should be asking that question."

"I thought we'd look around the house," Sarah said, "get you familiar with things. If there's time before we have to start dinner, we could dust the living room."

"Sounds fine," Caroline said. "By the way, what time should I come in tomorrow morning?"

Sarah looked at Jesse. "What do you think, son?"

Jesse shrugged. "Nine to six makes a full day."

"What about breakfast?" Caroline asked.

"Haney and I just take coffee," Sarah said. "Tiger and Handsome eat before they come in, and Jesse makes his own. He's always up first."

Caroline made a note of that.

Handsome said, "Say, maybe you'd like a ride in to work?"

Caroline looked straight at Jesse and said, "What time would you like dinner?"

Handsome dropped his spoon with a clunk, and Tiger stifled a chuckle with his napkin.

It took Jesse a moment to get his smile under control, but finally he said, "I eat when it's put on the table."

Without preliminary, Sarah answered Caroline's question.

"About five. The men are plenty hungry by then, andkAat^ ;me bulk of the evening free for them. Of course, not everyone always shows up for dinner," she added innocently. "Handsome, : will you be eating in tonight?" r-.- "Yes, ma'am! If Miss Caroline's servin'; I'm eatin'."

Caroline smiled at Jesse. "Will you be eating in tonight, Jesse?"

He shrugged. "I always eat in."

"We all do," Tiger volunteered, "except for Handsome. He has a real busy social life." Handsome kicked him under the table. "Ow!"