Page 48 of Taming Lady Temperance

Chapter

22

Noreen enjoyed a bit of celebrity status at church the following morning. Several people she knew only in passing made a point to speak to her either before or after services to comment on the parade. Positive comments! A couple of ladies even asked about how to join the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. It felt a bit like walking through a dream. One from which Noreen was in no hurry to wake.

Besides the one tense moment with Mr. Templeton, the day had been a rousing success. Not even Taggert and his beer-drinking cronies had upset her for long. Brother Cowan’s booming voice had echoed off the side wall of the saloon as he sermonized briefly on the merits of sober living before leading them in a beautiful time of prayer on behalf of those who struggle to resist liquor’s lure, for their families, and for the health of the community as a whole. By the time he’d finished, even a couple of the men who’d been holding signs at Taggert’s had snuck into the back of the crowd, hats in hand.

Seeds had been planted. She prayed God would bring them to fruition, that there might be a harvest of righteousness in Albany, Texas.

Not only had her parade gone better than she’d dared imagine, but afterward she’d enjoyed a wonderful night with Luella. Sharing cookies and cocoa had made her feel ten years younger, as had the bedtime whispering that had lasted until nearly midnight. The most treasured time, however, had been when they’d clasped hands and prayed for Luella’s father and both of their families. Noreen had even managed to squeeze out a couple of grudging prayers on behalf of Milton Taggert. She couldn’t claim any great level of altruism in the act, but she liked to think that James, and maybe even the Lord, would have been pleased with the effort.

Swinging a basket filled with fresh biscuits and two jars of preserves, Noreen walked up Walnut on her way to the jailhouse. James had volunteered to supply a half-dozen eggs and a slab of bacon for their simple, breakfast-themed supper that evening. She’d had a lovely luncheon with Jane and her parents after services but had been looking forward to her time with James all afternoon. Partly because she wanted to seek his opinion on how to go about getting a local-option law on the ballot to outlaw the sale of liquor in Albany, but mostly because she just enjoyed spending time in his company.

His ready smile and easy laughter acted like a happy contagion. The more she exposed herself to him, the easier her own smiles came. Not only did time in his company temporarily relieve her of her burdens, but when she picked them back up, they never failed to feel lighter. As if he’d taken some of the weight away when she hadn’t been looking. Or maybe his theory about joy making a person stronger had some merit.

The jailhouse came into view and, with it, the handsome deputy with his smile on display as he stood in the doorway, lazily leaning a hip against the jamb. Her pulse picked up its pace at the sight, as did her feet. With her gaze focused ahead of her, she didn’t see the young boy running in her direction until he darted in front of her, nearly tripping her in the process. A gasp whooshed out of her as she drew up short before plowing him in the head with her basket.

“You Miss Noreen?” The boy’s chest heaved as if he’d run a fair distance. He couldn’t be more than nine or ten, and the frightened look in his eyes immediately dissolved the scold forming on her tongue.

“I am.” Her heartbeat took on a painful edge.

“Teacher said to show you this and tell you to get to the schoolhouse right away.” He thrust a crumpled piece of fabric toward her.

The edges of the scrap opened as she took it from him. Was that blood? A red stain in the center of the white handkerchief clenched her belly with dread. Then she spotted the flowers. Dear Lord, Martha! But, no, the initials by the forget-me-nots started with an L not an M. Luella!

“James!” Noreen started to run toward the jailhouse, then remembered the boy. She stopped and turned back to him. “Run and fetch the doctor.”

“My brother’s already doin’ that. Miss Evans was helping Matty and me with our reading lessons when Lu showed up all busted.” The boy’s eyes shone with unshed tears.

Noreen bent down and cupped the little man’s shoulder. “You did well. Thank you for finding me.”

The boy shrugged and scrubbed at his eyes as if to erase the evidence of how the crisis had shaken him. “Weren’t hard. Everyone knows you eat supper with the deputy on Sundays.”

“Noreen?”

Speaking of the deputy . . . Noreen straightened and met James’s concerned gaze. Craving steadiness in a world quickly spinning out of her control, she reached out to him, her arms trembling. He immediately clasped her elbows, offering support as she pressed one hand against his chest.

“It’s Luella. She’s been hurt. She’s at the schoolhouse.”

His face hardened, not in anger, but in readiness for whatever trouble awaited. “Then let’s go.”

She nodded, his stability infusing her with much-needed calm.

James acknowledged the boy, patting the youngster’s back. “Thanks for fetching us, Toby. Get on home now.”

Toby nodded but didn’t move. “I’m pretty sure her pa’s the one that done it. This ain’t the first time Lu’s showed up at school with a bruise, and I heard tell Mr. Templeton was good and riled after the parade yesterday.”

Lord, have mercy. Noreen clutched James’s forearm. Was she responsible for this?

“Thanks, Toby.” James hugged her hand against his side. “I’ll be sure to have a talk with him.”

Talk. She knew all about those talks. The local law had talked with her father a few times, too. Never did any good. Even if there was evidence of abuse, the law wouldn’t do anything about it unless someone pressed charges. That someone being the abuser’s wife. A wife who’d vowed loyalty to her husband before God and who likely feared retaliation should she speak out against him. Society considered men to be the rulers of their households, and whatever happened behind closed doors a private matter. As a minor, Luella wouldn’t be allowed to press charges herself, even if she wanted to, which she likely didn’t, knowing Lu’s tender heart. The helplessness Noreen had vowed never to surrender to again crashed into her chest like a runaway locomotive.

“Noreen? You all right?” James’s gentle voice pulled her out of her spiraling thoughts.

“Fine.” Not really, but she’d pretend to be for Luella’s sake. “Let’s go.”

Still carrying the basket of biscuits, she hiked up her skirt with her other hand and ran to the schoolhouse. James loped along at her side, his sheltering presence both a comfort and a fuel that kept her moving forward.