"Sundays...after church..." One had to keep up appearances, after all, Jonah wasn't in any hurry to agitate the Big Man, he'd done enough of that already! "Or before, I suppose, although that would be very early...or late, as the case may be."
"Either suits me, I never go to church. It reminds me too much of my husband. He... oooh!..." Jonah had accidentally touched her in a sensitive spot. "... he was a man of the cloth."
Doctor Danforth filled Hettie in on the composition of the Town Council with whom she would have to negotiate to get licenced. Such a talk was a little beyond Mrs Adams' capabilities.
"Well, I do know that Mr. Alders owns the lumber mill, a decent businessman. And Harriet Mercer is a fine woman, an attorney." He glanced up from his perusings, over her skirts. "Pettigrew I'm not terribly familiar with, and I'd advise you to steer clear of any Steelegrave, save for the daughter, Miss Leah."
"You mean there are two women on the Town Council?! Oh, that's all we damn-well need!" huffed Hettie. "A couple of dried up old spinsters who'll resent the fellers of the town from having any fun that they've not been able to have themselves in their miserable lives!" she rolled her eyes. "Mind you, sometimes we get the dried up spinsters coming to us, if they're frustrated enough." she smiled wickedly.
He ducked back down, ever so gently probing through soft pink pleasures again. "Although, I'm certain the Steelegrave men will appreciate the services you offer."
"Yeah, I bet they... ooooh! ... I bet... ooooh! Say doc, are you doing that on purpose?! Cause it's starting to get me frisky!" she asked, peering down at the top of his curly black haired head.
Moving back, he patted her thigh. "All good here! Be wary of the Steelegrave men, they may try to look for a way to participate in the profits."
"They'll have to get past our backer first, and I don't think he's scared of any kind of graves." she said, unconcerned. She went to put her legs together and pull her skirts down, but first decided it was worth checking: "Oh, have you finished with me like this? I mean: 'will there be anything else, Sir?' As your Mrs Armintrout might say."
"Only one lady, Miz Mercer," Jonah corrected, "but you are right, she is of good moral fiber, and may very well object." Even if the venture was approved, there was likely to be plenty of opposition, spearheaded by Granny Miggins, a force of nature, and God help those poor ladies if that happened!
"Of course, the promise of taxes to the town coffers will help, too, to give you favor." Leaning back, he looked up at her, letting down his guard for a moment to just see the woman there, pretty and alluring...available...
Mrs Armentrout? Well, that took the wind out of his sails and put a damper on any amorous notions that may have been brewing!
"I'm done with my business." He stood with a smile. "If you are interested, I can put on some tea."
"Only one lady, Miz Mercer," Jonah corrected, "but you are right, she is of good moral fiber, and may very well object." Even if the venture was approved, there was likely to be plenty of opposition, spearheaded by Granny Miggins, a force of nature, and God help those poor ladies if that happened!
"Bitch!" muttered Hettie under her breath.
There was talk of Taxes and Mrs Armentrout, neither, it seemed very appealing. She climbed off the examination table and pulled her skirt and petticoats down.
"I'm done with my business." He stood with a smile. "If you are interested, I can put on some tea."
"Oh, yes please, that'd be delightful!" Hettie beamed, retrieving her drawers from the back of the chair and seating herself down on it. Hmm, if she was going to be here a while longer, she might not bother putting them on again quite yet. She was getting rather mixed signals from the good doctor.
She took a stab in the dark.
"So, tell me about Miss Steelgrave. I hear a lot of bad talk about the family, but is she the 'exception that proves the rule' as they say?" she asked genially, smirking to herself as she wondered what Mrs Armentrout would think of serving tea to a lady who was holding her pantalettes neatly folded in her lap. She was mischievous that way.
Jonah escorted Hettie down the hall way to the kitchen, where there was a table that had six mis-matched chairs around it. A kettle was set on the stove, and there was a plate of crescent-shapped cookies sprinkled with powdered sugar. Jonah held a chair out for Hettie.
"Sit, please." While he didn't fancy himself much of a host, he still knew to set out sugar and cream for guests, and he poured them both tea and set one cup, on a saucer, in front of her.
"Leah..." he started as he sat across from her, "Miss Steelegrave is a very driven young lady, focused and very smart...she knows what she wants and how to take it."
It occurred to him that he might sound overly passionate about Leah, but it was not more than admiration...right?
"She's spearheading the new hospital, and wants to open an orphanage as well. And she's fighting every step of the way. People despise her because of her name, and her family despises her because she is defying them."
"Sit, please." While he didn't fancy himself much of a host, he still knew to set out sugar and cream for guests, and he poured them both tea and set one cup, on a saucer, in front of her.
Hettie threw her split-drawers nonchalantly over the back of the kitchen chair and sat on it, she'd rather hoped that the prudish looking trout who'd let her in would be making the tea: she liked being waited on by respectable women. The chair creaked under her as she positioned her fashionably rotund derriere on its polished surface.
"Leah..." he started as he sat across from her, "Miss Steelegrave is a very driven young lady, focused and very smart...she knows what she wants and how to take it."
'Leah' eh? And then the shy substitution of her more proper form of address. Hello! "And what does Miss Steelgrave want?" Hettie asked.
"She's spearheading the new hospital, and wants to open an orphanage as well. And she's fighting every step of the way. People despise her because of her name, and her family despises her because she is defying them."
"She sounds like a formidable woman, I admire her!" Hettie lied. Actually, she sounded like an annoying do-gooder, but Doc Danforth was clearly smitten. "Pity she isn't good looking too, huh? I mean, I'm just imagining she's probably no oil painting: driven women with pure hearts like that usually are cursed with bad looks, unfortunately. It's the wicked ones like me who get the pretty faces." She dug a little deeper.
"Oh, no, she's quite lovely and elega..." Jonah stopped, looking across at Hettie. "Oh, I didn't mean...she's an amazing young woman, but our relationship is strictly business." Wasn't it? And it seemed the more he protested, the more he sounded insincere.
"Really, she's a beautiful young woman, and she'll do well for herself. And when she finds a man to spend her future with, it will be someone far better than I...she deserves that." Yet another clue that he might be smitten with the young lady!
"Oh, no, she's quite lovely and elega..." Jonah stopped, looking across at Hettie. "Oh, I didn't mean...she's an amazing young woman, but our relationship is strictly business." Wasn't it? And it seemed the more he protested, the more he sounded insincere.
"Come on Doc, you don't need to be coy with me, I'm a woman of the world: as you well know from close examination. What's the matter, don't you think she likes ya?" asked Hettie with a slight tease in her voice.
"Really, she's a beautiful young woman, and she'll do well for herself. And when she finds a man to spend her future with, it will be someone far better than I...she deserves that." Yet another clue that he might be smitten with the young lady!
The good-time girl just gave a laugh at Danforth's modesty. "Ha! Tell me Joe, name one feller in this town who's better than you? Or are you just scared of rejection? If she's worth it, you'd take the risk. Otherwise you'll hang around and watch her get swept off her feet by some idiot who's got less to offer than you, but just a whole bunch more gumption. Either that or she'll move away and you'll never see her again. Wouldn't you at least want to know you'd tried?!"
She threw up a hand.
"Oh but sorry, I forgot. You don't don't even like her, it's strictly business."
"Yes, business." Jonah sighed and shook his head. "It can't be more than that, I can't be more than that. You're right, I'll regret it all my days, but if I keep my distance I'm free to leave."
If he was found out...When he was found out, he could pick up and leave before the tar was hot, and Leah would not be any the wiser, nor would her heart be broken.
And of all people here in Kalispell, Hettie would know what he was, or at least what he wasn't. And why in heaven's name he was discussing this with a strumpt? Except that he had to discuss it with someone, and she knew at least some of his sins...
"Besides, the lady has shown no interest in me...beyond business."
"Yes, business." Jonah sighed and shook his head. "It can't be more than that, I can't be more than that. You're right, I'll regret it all my days, but if I keep my distance I'm free to leave."
"Just like Omaha, huh?" asked Hettie. She shook her head. "Well, none of my beeswax, Doc. People in glass houses and all that." she mused.
"Besides, the lady has shown no interest in me...beyond business."
"Oh, like you'd know if she was interested!" laughed the lady of the evening. "Look Doc, don't get big headed on me or anything, but you're a damn good looking feller and the old 'bedside manner's' not so terrible either. But I'm not so sure you'd know if a woman was interested in you in a thousand years, unless she told you so out loud." she gave her opinion.
"Now, If I could see the two of you together, I bet I could tell you whether she's 'getting that old feeling' about you or not." she added, before looking over, wondering where this tea was. "Say, do you need a hand? I mean, no hurry, but 'time is money' you know."
"Look Doc, don't get big headed on me or anything, but you're a damn good looking feller and the old 'bedside manner's' not so terrible either. But I'm not so sure you'd know if a woman was interested in you in a thousand years, unless she told you so out loud." she gave her opinion.
"You are right on that," Jonah admitted with a chuckle. "I know if there is a physical interest!" That, he had no problem with, good tumble was always fun, but anything more emotional, that was a liability.
"Now, If I could see the two of you together, I bet I could tell you whether she's 'getting that old feeling' about you or not." she added, before looking over, wondering where this tea was. "Say, do you need a hand? I mean, no hurry, but 'time is money' you know."
"Oh, no, I have it." He brought a tray to the table that had a teapot, cups, and a little jar of cream. The sugar and cookies were already on the table. He poured tea into cups, then sat across from her. "I'm sorry, I didn't intend for this to become a session for the love-lorn." Who had started that, he didn't remember, and while he wasn't really comfortable with it, part of him wanted to work out how he was feeling about Leah.
"I don't want her to be interested in me, as I said, she needs a good man, without a past." And with a future, he added silently, to himself.