A Dry Creek Courtship. Janet Tronstad

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СКАЧАТЬ triumphantly as he held out his hand to help her stand.

      Edith took his hand graciously. “If my car breaks down, I’ll just get someone to fix it. You don’t need to worry.”

      Charley snorted, but he didn’t say anything else as they walked toward the door of the Dry Creek Café. Linda Enger, the owner of the café, had put a sign over her small restaurant a few months ago. The café had a fifties look to it, with black-and-white linoleum on the floor and memorabilia hanging on the walls. She even displayed a guitar that belonged to her new husband, singing legend Duane Enger. He went on tour periodically and Linda loved to boast about where he was playing.

      Edith could hear someone in the kitchen when they entered the café, but there were no other customers. She was glad for that just in case her conversation with Charley got more candid than she planned.

      “How about here?” Charley asked as he led her to a table by the far wall.

      Edith nodded.

      There were two menus on the table, standing upright between the napkin holder and the salt and pepper shakers, but no one in Dry Creek ever looked at them. Everyone knew the regular items and if there was something special on the menu, Linda would let them know.

      Linda brought out coffee for Charley and tea for Edith before she even asked what they wanted.

      “Maybe some buttered toast,” Edith said when Linda took their order.

      “Biscuits for me if you have any,” Charley added.

      Linda went back to the kitchen.

      Edith curved her hands around the hot cup. “I’m glad you wanted to stop. I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

      “Yeah?”

      Edith nodded and took a deep breath. “I’ve been wondering what you think about digging up old troubles.”

      “You mean like debts that aren’t paid?”

      “No, things that people did that were wrong, but happened a long time ago. Is there any reason to talk about it now?”

      Charley looked a little surprised. “I don’t know. I’d say it depends. Was anyone hurt?”

      Edith nodded. “But it was a family matter.”

      Charley took a sip of his coffee. “Well, maybe it needs to be talked about in the family then.”

      “Oh, I don’t know if there’s any point to that. Doris June doesn’t even—” Edith stopped. She hadn’t meant to tell Charley it was her family she was discussing.

      “Well,” Charley said, clearing his throat. “I know Doris June loves you and she’d probably forgive you anything. Is this something you did as a mother when she was little?”

      “Of course not, I was a good mother.”

      “I’m sure you were. I can’t think of what else would be worth discussing at this stage of things though.”

      Edith could see she wouldn’t get any good advice out of Charley this way. He couldn’t help her unless she told him everything. She took a deep breath and looked over to be sure the kitchen door was still closed. “It was about Harold.” She leaned over the table and whispered, “He had an affair.”

      “He what?” Charley had started to lift his cup for another sip, but he put it back down and coffee sloshed over the saucer. “Harold?”

      Edith nodded. “And I’m not sure, but Elmer might know about it.”

      “Elmer, too?”

      “Well, I don’t know that Elmer was having an affair. I just know that Harold had one that winter in Billings.”

      “Ah,” Charley said as he mopped up the coffee with his napkin. “I thought something was different with him when he came back.”

      Edith felt relieved. After all these years, the secret was out. She’d told someone besides that pastor who had died years ago. And, Charley hadn’t looked at her in horror. He’d been surprised, yes, but he didn’t look as if he was sitting there asking himself what she’d done wrong to drive Harold into the arms of another woman.

      “Her name was Jasmine,” Edith said.

      “Never heard of her,” Charley replied as he picked up his coffee cup again.

      “She wants to meet me,” Edith added.

      “What?” Charley set his cup down again without taking a drink.

      “Well, not really me. She wrote to Harold asking to talk to him and, since he’s dead, I said I’d—”

      “I can’t think of what she can say now to make what happened back then better,” Charley said. A muscle twitched along his jaw. “Hasn’t she done enough damage?”

      Edith felt warmed by his indignation on her behalf. She never lacked for a champion when Charley was around.

      “I keep wondering if maybe she wants to apologize or something.”

      Charley just stared at her. “After all these years?”

      Edith shrugged. “They have all kinds of programs where people apologize for things they did in the past, like in Alcoholics Anonymous. The more I think about it, the more I think that has to be it.”

      Edith looked at Charley. In those early years on the farm, she had always thought Charley had an average face. Her Harold had been the handsomest man around Dry Creek, with his thick black hair and clear blue eyes. In contrast, Charley had looked very ordinary with his sandy hair and moss-green eyes. Even if he had a moustache, a woman’s gaze would slide right over Charley in a crowd. But that’s because, Edith realized, most people didn’t look at the bones in his face. Charley’s whole face showed his strength. His jaw was firm. His cheekbones were set high. His hair was graying now, but he was clearly ready to take her part in any trouble she had.

      “You’re a good friend,” Edith said. “A good friend.”

      Charley knew he should smile. He forced his lips into making an attempt. It was a sad day though when a woman looked at him as directly as Edith had and all she had in mind was friendship.

      “We go back a long way,” Charley said.

      He wondered how Edith could still be so in love with Harold after all the man had done. It was true he had been a charmer, but he’d been gone a long time. Charley finally understood why she had been unhappy in those days long ago. She’d never said anything to his wife; he was sure of that. But she’d no doubt been miserable. How could Edith have been so loyal to a man who was unfaithful to her?

      It was because she was a saint, Charley decided. Harold hadn’t deserved her, that much was certain. Here she was still trying to protect his memory. If Harold were alive, Charley would have had some words with him behind a barn somewhere.

      Not that it would help the woman sitting across the table from him.

      “If СКАЧАТЬ