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“Mostly nonsense.” He steered the automobile into the combined traffic of horses and buggies and other motorcars.
Ellie raised her eyebrows. “Indeed. Why would you say that?”
He did not miss her flare of temper. “Women will never get the vote. And if they do, they’ll vote the way their husbands tell them to.” He settled himself in his seat, staring straight ahead.
“Stop this automobile!” Ellie shouted.
Max pushed hard on the brake and turned to her. “What?”
“I refuse to ride in an automobile with a man who has such backward ideas. Let me out.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I can’t let you out here. It’s dark; you’re a woman.” He started forward again.
“A woman!” She sputtered. “Stop this vehicle at once and let me out!”
Again he came to an abrupt stop. Someone behind him sounded a horn, and a buggy driver swore in his direction as he circled around.
Ellie opened the door and hopped out. “My boardinghouse is only two blocks from here. I will walk. Good night, Mr. Colbert.” She slammed the door and started off, then returned and nodded in the direction of the back seat. “Mr. Hoover. It was a pleasure.”
Max turned to Dennis in the back seat, pushing his goggles to his forehead. “What did I say? Isn’t she a woman?”
Chapter 4
The following Sunday, Ellie entered the First Methodist Church, Bible in hand. Usually Rose accompanied her, but this morning her friend remained home to nurse a cold and decided not to attend.
A sense of peace descended on her as the heavy oak door swished closed. Familiar smells only a church held assailed her nostrils. Candles flickered in the sanctuary, casting a glow over the area. Women from the church had spent all day Saturday decorating the church and the hall, since today the congregation would enjoy their Christmas luncheon.
Ellie strolled down the center aisle. She stopped to chat with friends and admire new babies. Helen Spencer, waving at her from the third row, caught her attention. Ellie signaled back and hurried toward her.
“Did you drop off your potluck casserole?” Helen shifted to allow Ellie to slide in next to her.
“Yes, it was nice of Mrs. Beamer to let me use her kitchen. She’s very fussy about it.”
“What did you bring?” Helen asked.
Ellie leaned over to whisper, “I’m not a great cook, but I remembered my Aunt Tori made this potato and ham thing. I got the recipe from her last week, and I’m pretty sure I got it right.”
“I made a tuna fish casserole. Mother tried to make it for me, but I shooed her out of the kitchen. Honestly, I don’t know how I’ll ever learn to cook if she’s always standing over my shoulder.”
“I don’t care if I ever learn to cook.” Ellie chuckled.
“Unless you had someone special to cook for.” Helen winked at her as they stood when the pastor entered the sanctuary. Ellie turned when nudged from the side as Mr. Colbert and another man moved into their pew. Her eyes narrowed as Mr. Colbert smiled at her and then nodded to Helen.
Helen’s eyebrows rose, and she glanced at Ellie. They both faced forward and joined in the hymn the congregation had already begun. What is this man up to? Although she saw Mr. Colbert at church just about every Sunday, he usually sat near the back and mostly ignored her.
After the disaster at the Women’s Rights meeting, he’d avoided her, and she him. She’d conducted her meeting with the Christmas Basket group of students on Thursday, and he’d ignored that as well. Now here he sat in her pew, singing from his hymnal, all relaxed, like he stood next to her every Sunday.
She peeked at him from under her eyelashes. He was certainly easy on the eyes. Tall, broad shouldered, with long legs. His neatly combed pitch-black hair made her fingers itch to mess it up. Although early in the morning, she could already see he would need another shave before supper. She casually leaned over an inch and sniffed. Bay rum and something spicy.
He glanced at her, his piercing blue eyes meeting hers. A slight smile edged his lips, and she almost swallowed her tongue. An arrogant, supercilious Max Colbert she could deal with. Not this Max Colbert who smiled and made her insides go all squishy. She cleared her throat and sat as the preacher began the service.
Whatever sermon Pastor Graves delivered went completely over Ellie’s head. She fidgeted and squirmed in her seat so much Helen cast her a questioning look. Then she held herself stiffly to keep from leaning against Mr. Colbert’s jacket and rubbing her cheek against the soft wool. What in heaven’s name was wrong with her? This man was the bane of her existence. Her enemy. He stood for all the things she fought against. She heaved a sigh of relief when the service ended.
“You will be joining the rest of the congregation for our Annual Christmas Party, will you not, Miss Henderson?” Max looked down at her from his impressive height.
“Of course,” she snapped, still annoyed with herself for her reaction to his presence.
Max stepped out of the pew and moved back to allow her and Helen to exit. The four strolled along with the rest of the crowd, greeting the pastor as they left the church.
