Chapter Fourteen
Jeremiah gave the reins a flick, and Maximilian, his horse, moved out.
“Whooee!” Leigh exclaimed. “I’ve never been in a buggy.”
She held on to her hat, as if it would fly off her head, but truthfully, Jeremiah had set a slow pace.
“No, I imagine you have not,” he said with a smile. “You do have a hatpin in your hat, do you not?”
She smiled and lowered her hands. “I do. Mrs. Jackson gave me one, but you know that I’m not used to wearing hats.”
“I promise we shall not race for Orting. You are used to seat belts in automobiles—you call them cars, I believe.”
“Another Tanya-ism?” Leigh asked.
Jeremiah swung his head to look at Leigh, who averted her face in embarrassment.
“I beg your pardon?” he asked, returning his attention to the road as they turned to head up the hill leading out of Kaskade.
“Nothing,” Leigh muttered. She really didn’t understand why the mythical Tanya got under her nerves, but Leigh couldn’t deny that she did.
The ascent toward what would become the Kapowsin Highway was a gradual incline, not the steep grade it was in her time. In the future, the two-lane highway bypassed the lake and boat launch area with barely time for a glance through the thick trees at the mystical water.
Leigh hoped that Jeremiah would ignore her comment as he concentrated on maneuvering the horse up onto the main road leading toward Orting. To see it as a rutted dirt road instead of an asphalted highway was surreal, but then everything had been to date.
A large three-story white building farther up a hill to the left couldn’t fail to catch her attention. It stood near the church.
“What is that building?”
“That is the school. It is a fine building, is it not?”
“Very grand for this small town. Funny! I never realized the building was there!”
“No? Tan—” He paused. “I was told that the foundation and steps leading to the school are still there in your time, albeit moss and vine covered.”
“Really? I’ll have to look.” Leigh didn’t miss Jeremiah had been about to mention Tanya again.
He turned to look at her. “You mean when you return?”
“Yes, of course. That’s what I meant. When I get back.”
“Of course,” he repeated.
The buggy rolled on along the road with Kaskade in full view. Few trees stood to hide the lake. Leigh was surprised at the size of the town. It seemed as if there were dozens of buildings, from houses to shacks, stores to the church, recognizable by its spire.
“What a thriving little metropolis,” Leigh murmured.
Logs floated at the east end of the lake near a large warehouse-style building that she assumed was the timber mill.
“I enjoy it,” Jeremiah said.
He waved at a couple driving a wagon coming from the opposite direction. Several children filled the back of the wagon, along with what looked like crates of fruits.
“That is the Hunsucker family. They come in from Orting weekly and supply the mercantile in town.”
Leigh nodded. They rolled on until they turned left on a road sooner than Leigh expected.
“Don’t we parallel the Puyallup River?” she asked. “The highway goes along the river heading north. At least it does in my time.”
“No, that is the long way. This is the Orting-Southern road. It’s a direct road to Orting, perhaps not as scenic but much faster.”
“Oh! I’ve been on this road. It wanders through the hills above the river.”
“Yes, it is elevated above the river valley. Very convenient when the river floods and overspills the other road.”
“I’ll bet.”
“Now then. What is a ‘Tanya-ism’?”
Leigh swallowed hard and turned away to look at the rolling hills of green grass on either side of the road.
“I’m sorry. I was being rude,” she said without looking at him.
“Was it rude? I could not tell. I do not know what an ‘ism’ is.”
“Truism, altruism, fascism, pacifism, you know. A philosophy. I can’t really define it.”
“Ah! The suffix. Yes, I am familiar with it now. I did not understand it in the context of Tanya-ism.”
“I was being snarky.”
“Yet again another term I do not understand.”
“Sarcastic,” Leigh said. “I am sorry.”
“I acknowledge your apology but still do not understand the need for it. Were you suggesting that Tanya had a philosophy? How could you know that?”
“No, it was just a reference to—” Leigh swallowed hard. “It’s just that you often mention Tanya and what Tanya said.”
“Yes?”
“So I said ‘Tanya-ism.’ And I said I was sorry.”
“You were suggesting that I quote Tanya too often?”
Leigh shook her head. “Look, can we just drop this? I was rude, and I have apologized.”
“If the subject makes you uncomfortable, then certainly we may drop it. I am not offended, however. Tanya might be, but I am not. I think it rather amusing, to tell you the truth. Are there Leigh-isms to be heard?”
Leigh laughed outright. “Oh, I’m sure there are.”
“For instance?”
Leigh shrugged, still smiling. “I don’t know. Hmmm, let’s see. What was I just thinking about today? I had a philosophy of sorts. ‘Love means loss. Loss means pain.’” She looked over at Jeremiah.
He drew in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh.
“No good?” she asked.
“It is dark.”
“I know.”
“I do believe that loss brings pain, but does love always mean loss?”
“In my experience, it does,” she said.
“Yes, I know.”
“And as we mentioned before, you’ve lost a lot too.”
“My parents certainly. Patients inevitably. I mourn each one.”
“And?” she prodded.
“And?” he repeated.
“Tanya?”
He took his eyes off the road to look at her.
“Yes. Tanya.”
Though Leigh had suspected Jeremiah still mourned the loss of Tanya, her throat tightened at his confirmation. A part of her had wanted him to say “Tanya who?” or “Now that I’ve met you, I can hardly remember Tanya.” Better yet, “You are the only woman I can think about.”
She forced such foolish romantic yearnings from her mind. No, Sam was the only man she would ever love. They had been together so long. One didn’t fall in love in a day or two. That was infatuation, and as long as she recognized it for what it was, she’d be all right. Anyone could become infatuated. Real love, enduring love, came from years of shared experiences.
She was never again going to meet a man that she’d grown up with, a man whom she’d watched mature from teenage boy to manhood. Leigh couldn’t imagine falling in love with a stranger. Jeremiah was a nice man, of that there was no doubt. But she knew nothing about him, about his upbringing, his values, his experiences. Furthermore, he just happened to live in the wrong century.
She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. Handsome as could be in his dark felt derby and blue suit, Jeremiah was every girl’s dream. She wished the best for him and hoped that he would find a woman to marry, that he didn’t turn his back on marriage because one silly female couldn’t see what he had to offer.
Over the rumbling of the wheels and the thud of the horse’s hooves, Leigh heard a shout from behind them. She looked over her shoulder to see a rider trotting toward them. The rare sunshine gleamed on his blond sideburns. He sat tall on his bay horse and raised a hand in greeting.
“Hello there!” Jefferson Lundrum called out.
Leigh raised a hand to wave. “Look, it’s Jefferson Lundrum,” she said with a smile. “I think he wants to say something.”
Jeremiah looked over his shoulder and slowed the buggy. “I have no doubt,” he murmured.
“Hello!” Leigh called out as Jefferson approached. “Are you on your way to Orting?”
Jefferson brought his horse up beside the buggy on Leigh’s side.
“Good morning, Mrs. Peters. Jeremiah!”
“Leigh,” she corrected him.
“Leigh. Yes, I am on my way to Orting. I heard you were going there, and I hoped to catch up to you.”
Jeremiah jerked his head toward Jefferson. “Who told you we were going to Orting?”
“Mrs. Jackson. I stopped by the house this morning to inquire after Leigh, and Mrs. Jackson noted you had left for Orting. I had some business to attend to there, and thought I might as well join you. I hope you do not mind.”
“I don’t mind at all,” Leigh said with a smile. She didn’t know much about Jefferson other than that he was single, but she thought that the girl who married him would be a very lucky miss.
“Good! I will ride alongside you then.”
“Do you feel that the road is wide enough for that?” Jeremiah asked.
“It always has been, my old friend, even when we rode our horses together to Orting as youngsters. Do you remember?”
“Yes, of course we did. I had forgotten. The road seems much more narrow since then.”
“Or you are more cautious,” Jefferson said with a warm laugh. “Do you have business in Orting, or is this a sightseeing tour?”
“We’re going to meet my third and second great-grandmothers!” Leigh said. “I’m only saying that because you know about me.”
“Your great-grandmothers! In Orting?”
“Yes! I’m from Orting. I’m very nervous, but Harry wants to see his daughter and granddaughter, so...”
“What is this about Harry? Do you mean Harry Johnson? I had heard from Katherine that he was convalescing in Jeremiah’s house, a rare occurrence indeed.”
“Harry is my fourth great-grandfather! Isn’t this great? And yes, he’s staying there. He wouldn’t go to the hospital, and Jeremiah offered to take him in. We’re all taking care of him.”
“How fascinating! What a coincidence! Though I suppose not really, not if you are from the area. How is Harry?”
“I wish that he were breathing easier,” Jeremiah said. “He really should be in a hospital.”
“Does this have anything to do with visiting your great-grandmothers, Leigh? Will you tell them who you are? About...” Jefferson nodded over his shoulder in the direction of Kaskade.
“No, I won’t tell them that!” Leigh replied. “I wouldn’t know how to explain it. Does anyone?”
“I have not yet found a way to explain it rationally,” Jeremiah said.
“Nor I,” Jefferson said. “I do not even try. I keep the phenomenon to myself. All who know do, I believe.”
“That’s what I gathered. Yes, my great-grandmothers are Harry’s daughter and granddaughter. It’s all mind boggling really.”
“Mind boggling,” Jeremiah murmured, as if for her ears only. “That sounds quite dramatic. Is that a Leigh-ism?”
“Ha! No, but it ought to be!” Leigh retorted in a whisper. “It’s confusing, and you know it.”
“I do. I was only teasing.”
“Martha sends her regards,” Jefferson offered. “I was to report back to her about your welfare.”
“Tell her I’m fine,” Leigh said. “That’s nice of her to ask after me.”
“Martha is a very kind woman. It is really my fondest hope that she marries a worthy gentleman someday, but do not tell her I said that. She states she is a confirmed old maid.” Jefferson finished on a laugh.
“Yes, I think she said that, though I would hardly call her an old maid. Not at all,” Leigh said. “And what about you, Jefferson?”
Leigh caught her breath. Had she really asked that?
Jefferson’s fair skin colored, but he laughed good naturedly again.
“I have no intention of settling into bachelorhood, but these things cannot be hurried.”
Jeremiah cleared his throat, and Leigh turned to look at him. He kept his eyes forward, but his lips were pressed together. She wondered if she had been rude. Maybe people didn’t ask about marriage and future plans in the early twentieth century. What did she know? She turned back to Jefferson.
“Anyone in mind?” she asked boldly.
Jefferson looked down at her from his slightly higher position on the horse’s back. His warm smile was very appealing.
“Perhaps.”
“Good gravy!” Jeremiah muttered near her. “Leigh, I did not take you for a flirt.”
Leigh gasped and turned a furious face on Jeremiah. “I beg your pardon,” she whispered. “I’m just being friendly.”
“You are being overly friendly. There is a difference.”
“Shhh,” she admonished. “He’ll hear you!”
“Good. The two of you are very obvious.”
“Obvious?” Leigh mumbled under her breath. “I need to make friends while I’m here. If you don’t mind.”
“Not at all!” Jeremiah ground out. “I am simply saying that your infatuation with Jefferson is quite transparent.”
“So what?” she demanded. Leigh turned to throw Jefferson a smile, hoping he couldn’t hear their whispered conversation. She didn’t think he could, though he wasn’t far.
“Is everything all right?” Jefferson asked.
“Yes, of course,” Leigh said, again giving Jefferson a pleasant smile.
“I hope I am not too forward in asking, but I wondered if I might treat you two to lunch at the café in Orting? I am not certain how long your business will take there, but I would enjoy some company for lunch.”
“That would be very nice! Thank you for asking us,” Leigh said, determined to treat the pleasant man pleasantly. She suspected Jeremiah wouldn’t be thrilled with the idea, but vowed to keep her so-called flirting to a minimum.
“If we have time,” Jeremiah said. “We do not have any idea where your great-grandmothers live yet. It might be some distance from Orting.”
“Well, we have to eat, don’t we?” Leigh asked.
“She has a point there, Jeremiah,” Jefferson said.
“Well, of course, if you insist,” Jeremiah said to Leigh. “We will make arrangements to meet Jefferson at the café.”
“Wonderful!” Jefferson exclaimed. “I would love to help you in your quest. I have some connections in town—an attorney’s office,” Jefferson said. “I might be able to make inquiries for you there. Most attorneys know everyone in town.”
“We are on our way to the post office to make inquiries there,” Jeremiah said. “Thank you though.”
Leigh turned to Jeremiah. “Well, it wouldn’t hurt to have more than one person asking around, would it?”
“I do not see how it could possibly hurt either,” Jefferson agreed.
“Of course,” Jeremiah responded.
“I will go directly to Samuel’s office and inquire after the family. What are their names?”
“Nancy Reid and her daughter, Rosanna,” Leigh said. “Nancy Johnson Reid. I don’t know if Rosanna is married yet or not. Harry didn’t say.
“And they living in Orting,” Leigh added. “That’s what Harry said, but he didn’t know where exactly.”
An empty wagon passed them heading toward Kaskade, several men, with excessively large handlebar mustaches, waving as they passed. Both Jefferson and Jeremiah waved.
“Those are the Olsen brothers,” Jeremiah said. “They probably dropped off a load of fish at the market in Orting this morning.”
Leigh nodded. “Kaskade is such an industrious town, thriving really. I had no idea. I wish that I’d studied more about it before this happened.”
“But you are living what you would have studied, no?” Jefferson asked.
“I guess I am,” Leigh said. “Very clever, Jefferson.”
He laughed.
“Jefferson,” Jeremiah called out. “Do not let us keep you. I know you can reach Orting faster on horseback than the buggy will allow.”
Leigh’s jaw dropped as she stared at Jeremiah. She clamped it shut and caught Jefferson’s broad smile.
“I am perfectly fine riding alongside you. I am not in the way, am I, Jeremiah?”
“No. I only thought you might wish to ride ahead.”
“No, thank you. I am enjoying the company.”
Leigh smiled. Jefferson was absolutely charming. In comparison, Jeremiah had turned into quite a surly companion. The transformation was stark, and she was unsure what had gotten into him. Of course, she really didn’t know him very well, did she?