Chapter Twenty- Four

"Patience is not simply the ability to wait -

it's how we behave while we're waiting."

~Joyce Meyer

Jack walked down Main Street from the saloon to the stable. His mind was processing the events of the day so far. He was very worried about his mother. She was behaving very strangely. Then, there was the troubling matter of her not approving of his relationship with Elizabeth. Though he'd racked his brain, he could not think of a reason for his mother's disapproval. He shoved those thoughts to the back of his mind and, instead, contemplated Trevoy's troubles at the saloon. He thought about what he'dlearned about Edmond Allen. Jack had suspicions about him, especially after Allen's quick moves to stop Wiley during the poker game fight the other night. That gut feeling about Allen had led Jack to send a telegram to headquarters earlier that day. He hadn't heard from his superiors, yet, but he was sure he would soon. He was certain that Allen was indeed a source of trouble.

As he rounded the corner to the barn, voices behind the barn caught his attention. He slowly and noiselessly made his way around the perimeter of the barn. When he reached the back corner, he pressed his body against the side of the barn and peered around the corner. He was surprised to see Allen helping a young woman down from a horse. The two were laughing and talking, though Jack couldn't quite discern their conversation. The young woman turned around and Jack recognized her as Mary Alice Calhoun. He was not happy to see Mary Alice in the company of such a man of questionable character.

Allen guided the horse into the storage shed behind the barn. Jack continued watching until, after several minutes, Allen emerged from the shed. He offered his arm to Mary Alice and they walked around the other side of the barn.

As soon as they were out of sight, Jack crossed to the shed. He opened the door and the horse turned toward him and emitted a low nicker. "Easy boy," Jack soothed as he moved around the horse in the limited space of the shed. He surveyed the interior of the shed and his eyes fell on the saddle. Then, as he spotted the saddle blanket, his eyes widened and his mouth drew into a frown. He turned and quickly made his way out of the shed. He walked swiftly down Main Street to the Mercantile and climbed the stairs. As he opened the door, he was greeted by Mrs. Ramsey.

"Oh, well hello, Constable!" she said as she walked through the door and stopped. "I was hoping to have lunch with your mother, but I haven't seen her lately. She hasn't gone home already, has she?"

"No, ma'am," Jack answered. "She's... ah... she's just been very busy. She was a substitute teacher for Eliz... Miss Thatcher, today."

"Oh! I hadn't heard. I expect my Bradley will tell the Mayor and I all about it over dinner tonight. Please convey to your mother my continued invitation to lunch."

"Of course," Jack agreed before Dottie turned away and walked down the stairs of the Mercantile. Jack headed inside the Mercantile and was relieved to find that only Wendell Backus was inside with Yost. "Afternoon, Wendell," he called to Backus, who was studying the canned goods.

"Afternoon, Constable," Wendell replied and returned to his shopping.

"What can I do for you, Constable?" Yost inquired.

Jack stepped to the counter and asked, "Have you received any answer to my telegram?"

Yost shook his head. "Not yet, I'm afraid."

Jack frowned.

"Are you still thinking that new man is trouble?" Yost asked.

Jack shot him a reproachful look. "Remember, Ned, I warned you to be discreet. At this point, it is only a suspicion. Nothing more."

Yost nodded. "Of course," he agreed. "But has something else happened?"'

Backus joined them at the counter and began to set his purchases on the countertop.

"Just please let me know as soon as a telegram arrives," Jack told him as he turned to leave. He nodded to Backus and headed to the door.

"What was that all about?" he heard Backus ask Yost. Jack slowed his steps, curious to hear Yost's reply.

"Oh, nothing. Constable's just waiting for a message from his supervisors." Then, he changed the subject. "That's quite a bit of food for you, Wendell. Or is some of this for Mrs. Weaver and her boys?"

"Now that's really none of your business now is it, Ned? You just ring it up and I'll handle the rest," Backus told him.

Jack smiled and shook his head as he exited the Mercantile. From the Mercantile porch, he looked down Main Street. The sun was setting quickly and people were hurrying to get home for suppertime. Then, he spotted Elizabeth sitting on the porch of the café. His smile widened and he walked towards her.

When he got closer, he realized that her eyes were closed and it appeared that she was napping. He smiled mischievously and moved slowly up the stairs to the porch, trying not to make a sound. He slid on to the bench next to her and leaned over to tickle her chin.

She gasped and croaked out, "Stop!" Then, as her eyes focused on Jack, she smiled.

"Well, you have some voice. Not much, but some," he observed.

"I know," she concurred, her voice sounding a lot like Backus' or Gowen's low, hoarse voices.

"Maybe you should keep resting your voice," he suggested. "It's good that you can talk, such as it is, but we want your full, sweet voice back as soon as possible."

She agreed, nodding her head and became silent. She looked at him expectantly and he realized he had to fill the silence.

"What do you know about Mary Alice Calhoun?" he asked her.

Elizabeth's face changed into a questioning expression. "She finished school last year," she managed to whisper. "I think she and Bo are sweet on each other."

"Bo?" Jack asked, surprised since he'd just seen her with Allen.

Elizabeth nodded. Jack stared out toward the street as his mind tried to sort out everything. Elizabeth watched him, noting that he was slowly working his jaw muscles while he was deep in thought. She smiled as she enjoyed taking a few minutes to study him. When he hadn't said anything in several minutes, she reached for his shoulder. His head swiveled back around to face her and his face broke into a smile. "Sorry," he told her. "Just thinking."

Elizabeth nodded and smiled back at him. Then, she coughed and cleared her throat. Jack's smile faded as concern filled his face. "You better go back inside. You need to take care," he told her as he took her by the elbow and guided her to stand.

Elizabeth allowed him to direct her back into the café. Once inside, he lead her to the kitchen table. "Would you like some tea?" he asked.

"Sick of it!" she told him, her voice even lower than before.

"Okay, I need to go because your voice is getting worse from trying to talk with me. And I have some work to do," he told her.

She nodded and looked up at him. His eyes met hers and they held their gaze for a few moments. Then, Jack leaned in to kiss her and she placed two fingers on his lips, stopping him. His eyes widened with surprise. "No!" she whispered and pointed to her throat. "Contagious," she cautioned.

He laughed sharply. "You're right," he agreed, but then he leaned in again, surprising her. She pulled away, so he missed her lips and kissed her neck instead.

"Jack!" she squeaked out as he straightened up.

"It would've been worth it," he assured her through a wide grin. "But I'll take what I can," he teased and headed out of the café.