The Sound of Rain Read online

  Judd began to feel the light dawning. He was still confused, though, since he was pretty sure Pete didn’t actually have a case. Could there be more to the situation than he knew?

  They were almost to the front door when it flew open and Larkin burst in. “Daddy, am I late? Mother and I got to talking and I—” She froze when she saw Judd, and he thought her cheeks, already rosy from the fresh air outside, turned a shade pinker.

  “Larkin.” He didn’t trust himself to say more than her name. And even that might have been too bold. He should have called her “Miss Heyward.”

  “Mother’s ill. I came back to help take care of her.” The words rushed out of her.

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” He glanced at Mr. Heyward, who looked from one to the other of them, then snapped his fingers.

  “Say, Judd, I was planning to take my daughter to lunch, but something’s come up. Why don’t you see to her?”

  Judd tried to keep his jaw from scraping the floor. “I’d best be getting back to work,” he said, glancing at Larkin. Did she look disappointed?

  “Nonsense. I’ll let Chuck know not to expect you back until later this afternoon.” He elbowed Judd. “If at all.”

  Judd half expected him to wink, but thankfully he didn’t. He just leaned over, gave Larkin a peck on the cheek, and said, “I’ll see you at home this evening.” Then he left them standing there staring at each other.

  Larkin was the first to recover. “I’m sorry Daddy stuck you with me like that.” She spoke softly, presumably so her father wouldn’t hear. “There’s no need for you to take me to lunch if you don’t want to.”

  “I . . .” Judd meant to say something, but he lost it as soon as he opened his mouth. The smell of motor oil wafted up to him. He waved at his stained shirt. “I’ve been working on an old truck. I’m really not fit to be seen in public.” He thought to add especially with a girl like you, but his tongue froze up again.

  “Is that all? By the look on your face, I was afraid Daddy had assigned you something awful in taking me out.”

  “No, no, I’d be honored to take you to lunch,” he said, looking down again, “if I was fit.”

  Larkin’s laughter sounded like a church bell pealing. “I know just the thing.” She looped her hand through his arm and tugged him out to the parking lot where her car was parked next to his truck.

  She headed for the truck, and Judd wished he’d cleaned it out that weekend. He was a reasonably tidy man, but his work gloves were lying on the bench seat, a thermos and lunch sack sat on the floorboards, and some tools rattled around loose. Somehow he had the presence of mind to reach out and open the door before she could. She scooted in and shoved his junk aside like she was used to it. Judd pictured Ben’s rattletrap of a truck and supposed she was. He went around and climbed behind the wheel, finally looking her full in the face.

  “Where to?”

  She smiled and gave him directions.

  Chapter

  29

  Larkin thought her father would probably have a heart attack if he knew she knew about the diner where working men gathered for “meat and three” each lunch hour. She’d discovered it when a patient at the hospital practically begged her to go and bring him back fried pork chops. She’d gone for him several times while he was recovering from awful burns down his left leg, and the owner, who was also the cook, had gotten to know her.

  She walked in with Judd, craning her neck to see if Mason was working the grill. He was and spotted her immediately.

  “Well, bless my soul if it ain’t Larkin Heyward. Don’t tell me Jackson’s back in the hospital?”

  “No sir, haven’t seen him in months. This time I’ve brought you a mountain man to feed.” She tugged Judd forward. “This is Judd Markley, down from West Virginia. He’s working for Daddy and he’s powerful hungry.”

  Judd looked like he was going to protest but held his peace.

  Mason came out from behind the counter and shook Judd’s hand. “Missing your mama’s cookin’, are ya?” He didn’t wait for an answer, but waved them into a corner booth. “Food, and plenty of it, comin’ right up.”

  Judd slid onto the cracked Naugahyde, his stomach rumbling as his nose tried to sort out all the wonderful smells, including seared meat, baked bread, and all things fried. A waitress appeared and set tall glasses of iced tea in front of them, then hurried away.

  “Don’t we need to order?” Judd asked.

  “I have a feeling Mason’s already decided what we’re having. Don’t worry, I have yet to eat anything that wasn’t good.” She made a face, keeping a close eye on Judd. “Except the chicken livers.” She tried not to laugh out loud when Judd struggled to hide a look of horror. “Of course, they might be your favorite.”

  “Nooo.” Judd drew the word out. “Can’t say I much care for innards.”

  Larkin giggled and was rewarded by a deepening smile from Judd. When his dimples showed, she felt like she’d won a prize. She could hardly believe she was sitting here across from the man she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the last few weeks. It was almost as though Daddy had engineered it. But of course he hadn’t. Why would he?

  The waitress returned with several plates and some small bowls she somehow managed to carry all at once. She arranged everything in front of them, gave Larkin a pat, and then went to refill coffee cups.

  Larkin watched Judd take in the array of food, thinking she could live on his look of wonder for a week. There was fried chicken, pork chops smothered in gravy, a slice of meatloaf, popcorn shrimp, turnip greens, macaroni and cheese, stewed squash, potato salad, pinto beans, corn bread, and a dish of spiced apples.

  Larkin leaned her head toward the counter where several cakes and pies waited under glass domes. “Don’t forget to save room for dessert.”

  “The smell’s almost enough to satisfy a man,” Judd said, a note of reverence in his voice. He lifted a fork and speared an apple.

  “Wait.” Larkin held up a finger. “Would you say grace?”

  Judd looked at her a moment, set his fork down, and reached for her hand. Larkin felt a thrill as their fingers touched. She bowed her head lest Judd see the emotion in her face.

  “Lord, thank you for this day, this food, and this woman who shares the joy of living wherever she goes. Bless her and guide us both in all that we do. Amen.”

  Larkin felt a lump rise in her throat and took a drink of tea to try to wash it down. “Thank you,” she whispered. Then louder, “Now dig in. We’ll have to eat most of this if we don’t want to hurt Mason’s feelings.”

  Judd wasn’t sure he could do the food justice when all he wanted to do was take in Larkin sitting across from him, practically glowing with . . . what? Contentment maybe? She was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen, and although he couldn’t quite make sense of how he’d come to be sitting opposite her eating more food than some folks back home saw in a week, he was glad to be here.

  “Is your mother’s illness serious?” he asked.

  A shadow passed over Larkin’s face, but she didn’t let it stay. “Mother’s having surgery. I think she’ll be fine, but I wanted to come home and help take care of her.” She laughed lightly. “All that candy-striper training is finally coming in handy.”

  “I’m real sorry to hear she’s sick.” Judd reached for the potato salad. “If there’s any way I can help, I’d be more than glad to.”

  “I don’t know that we need anything at the moment, but I’ll let you know if we do.”

  Somehow, Judd got the feeling she might actually call on him if something came up. It made his heart light. “So you’ll be in town for a while?”

  “Yes. I don’t know how long Mother’s recovery will take, but I’m not going to leave her until she’s well.” Larkin bit into a chicken leg and looked thoughtful. “I wish I could’ve brought Granny Jane with me. I’m thinking she knows how to take care of people.”

  Judd pictured the old woman sitting in her rocking chair, dispens
ing wisdom to anyone who crossed her path. “She’s a treasure,” he said and meant it. He felt a pang at the thought that there was now one more person in his life to care about. After Joe died he’d been determined to distance himself from those he loved and not to let anyone else in. Somehow he’d failed in that and he had the strangest feeling Larkin had something to do with it.

  Larkin leaned back and laid a hand across her belly. “Oh my. I’m not sure I can eat much more of this, but I hate to disappoint Mason.”

  “Well, I’m not done yet.” Judd swirled some shrimp in tartar sauce and popped them in his mouth.

  Larkin watched him eat with a bemused expression on her face. “I missed you while I was gone.”

  Judd thought the food he’d just swallowed might get stuck and kill him. Or at least embarrass him. He gulped some tea. “You did?”

  “Yes. I was pretty determined not to, but . . .”

  Judd held his breath, afraid if he spoke he might interrupt her train of thought.

  “But that place reminds me of you in so many ways. Those mountains and the people . . . they’re straightforward. What you see is what you get. Goodness knows they’ve made it clear they can get along just fine without me.” She leaned forward. “Except with you . . .”

  Judd cleared his throat, hoping his voice wouldn’t break. “Except what?”

  “Mostly I know where you stand on things—you don’t pretend or try to fool people. But I’m not sure where you stand on . . . well, me.”

  “I’m not sure what you’re asking.”

  “I’m going to go out on a limb here, Judd Markley, and tell you that I like you. A lot. I’m just wondering if maybe you feel the same about me.”

  Judd felt the way he had when the first glimmer of light reached his eyes that day in the mine. Hope bloomed in him, spreading into dry places that he didn’t even know needed watering. He could almost hear Joe laughing at him, struck dumb by a pretty girl saying what she felt. For him.

  “I . . .” He wanted to stand, to kneel at her feet, but he settled for taking her hand where it rested on the tabletop. “I think you’re the most wonderful person I’ve ever met. You’re like sunshine on water. When you went on back to Kentucky, I thought I didn’t have a chance. I thought I’d lost you.” He gulped air. “Do you really . . . could you really care for me?”

  Larkin’s laughter was like the sound of rain on a tin roof at the end of a long, hot day. Judd felt soothed, comforted . . . alive.

  Courting a girl was difficult when that girl was determined to spend every possible moment with her mother as she prepared for and underwent surgery. Judd managed to take Larkin to a movie once—a waste, he thought, since they spent the whole time looking at a screen instead of each other. Then he’d brought flowers and candy the day before Mrs. Heyward’s operation. Five days later, he was itching to see “his girl,” but didn’t want to take her away from her self-designated role as private nurse.

  As he headed for his truck on Friday afternoon, pondering the wisdom of stopping by the Heyward home, Hank caught up to him.

  “Larkin sent word that if you’re free this evening, she is, too.” He tilted his head to one side. “You seeing the boss’s daughter?”

  “Trying to,” Judd said, his heart lighter than it had been all week.

  Hank nodded and pulled out a pocketknife. He started trimming a ragged fingernail. “You think that’s wise?” Before Judd could speak, he hurried to add, “Not that I don’t see why you’d want to. Just wonder how it might affect your employment.”

  “You were there when Mr. Heyward gave me permission to call on her.”

  Hank nodded, folded his knife, and tucked it deep in a pocket. “I’ve seen George Heyward make a hundred offers to all kinds of men. I’ve never seen him come up short in the end. I don’t know what he’s after—I hope it’s nothing more than a good man for his daughter—just thought I’d throw out a word of caution.” He slapped Judd on the shoulder. “Not that you’d heed any man’s warning when someone as special as Larkin is waiting for you to come take her out.” He winked. “If I were you, I’d get cleaned up in record time and get on over there to pick that girl up.” He paused. “Say, you know what she’d like? They have dancing at the Kozy Korner, plus you can get a great steak.”

  Judd nodded. “I’ll think on that.”

  Hank’s eyes flicked to Judd’s leg. “’Course, dancing isn’t for everyone.”

  “Right,” Judd agreed. “I’d best be getting on.”

  Hank shoved his hands in his pockets. “Sure thing. Hope everything works out for you.”

  Judd climbed in the truck thinking about how his leg bothered him less these days. Maybe he would take that girl dancing.

  Larkin wondered if Hank had passed her message on to Judd. Surely he would. He’d never let her down before. She changed into a pale-green sweater set with a tweed skirt and brown pumps. She thought it struck the right chord between dressy and casual. Fastening her ponytail, she wondered if it was too soon to leave Mother alone. She’d come home from the hospital the day before in excellent spirits. The doctor was optimistic that the lump he’d removed was benign, and Mother was healing quickly. Larkin dabbed on some lipstick. It might even be time to go back to Kentucky soon. She felt a stab of sorrow at that. As much as she wanted to get back to work helping Ben, leaving Judd behind didn’t feel right.

  She closed her eyes and whispered a prayer that God would send Judd back to the mountains with her. She opened her eyes when she heard the doorbell. Yes, Judd coming back with her wasn’t so very farfetched. After all, that was his world back there in the hills and hollers.

  Larkin bounced down the stairs to find Judd standing in the entry dressed in slacks and a shirt open at the collar. He was holding a bouquet of carnations and had a hopeful look on his face.

  “These are for your mother,” he said, holding out the flowers.

  Larkin gave him a quick hug and led him into the kitchen where she put the blooms in a vase. “Mother’s napping, but she’s doing ever so much better. These will please her when she wakes up.” She put the arrangement in the middle of the dining room table and then turned to Judd. “I hope it’s not presumptuous of me to invite you to take me out.”

  “I’m glad you did. I wasn’t sure if it was too soon with your mother just getting home.”

  Larkin smiled. “It was her idea. Now, where are we going?”

  Judd’s dimples showed. “Come get in the truck and I’ll show you.”

  Larkin squealed and clapped her hands when Judd escorted her into the Kozy Korner. Steaks sizzled, and couples were already on the dance floor as the jukebox pumped out “Mr. Sandman” by the Chordettes.

  “Oh, dancing! You remembered.”

  “Seems like you dance just walking across the floor. Thought you might like to have some music to go with it.”

  Larkin could barely contain herself as they found a booth and ordered steaks with baked potatoes and salads. As soon as the waitress left, Larkin looked at Judd. “Can we . . . maybe we could squeeze in a dance while we wait for our food?”

  Judd laughed and it sounded like it came from somewhere deep inside where it had been trapped for too long. “Don’t see why not.”

  Larkin charged onto the dance floor, then caught herself. “Do you—do you know how?”

  “Joe loved to dance and showed me a few steps I think I can remember. I’m no Gene Kelly, but I can manage.”

  Beaming, Larkin caught his hand and they danced. Judd was right, he wasn’t going to win any contests, but he was willing and Larkin had a feeling that was significant for him.

  Larkin could have kept going, but after three dances, Judd tugged her back toward the table. “Food’s going to get cold if we don’t go eat it.”

  “Oh, have they brought it already?” Larkin felt breathless, not so much from the dancing as from how perfect the evening felt. She followed Judd back to the table, and this time he took her hand and bowed his head without her as
king.

  “Father, thank you for your many gifts. For Mrs. Heyward being on the mend, for this food, and for the chance to share it with Larkin. Amen.”

  Larkin wasn’t sure she could get any food past the lump in her throat. Judd didn’t say a great deal, but what he did say tended to be exactly right. She blinked moisture from her eyes and dug into her steak, realizing she was hungry enough to eat every bite.

  Judd drove Larkin home, palms sweaty against the steering wheel. He thought the evening had been just about perfect and he wanted to close it out by kissing the angel seated beside him. But the very thought made his heart skip a beat and his vision feel blurry. He swiped a palm on his slacks, hoping she wouldn’t notice.

  He pulled into the driveway and leapt from the truck, practically running around to open her door before she could even think of opening it herself. She smiled and her ponytail swung as she dropped to the ground, her hand securely in his. He tucked those fingers through the crook of his elbow and walked her to the door. Stars twinkled overhead and the moon hung low, as though as eager to see what would happen as he was.

  Larkin set her feet on the bottom step, which still didn’t quite raise her up even with Judd. She turned to him. “I had the loveliest evening. Thank you for taking me dancing.”

  Her eyes danced as prettily as her feet. Judd stopped wondering if it was the right moment and simply leaned in to kiss her perfect, pink lips. She kissed him right back, and Judd thanked the God of second chances for returning her to him.

  She sighed and pulled away as if she were sorry about it. “I’d better go in and check on Mother.” She giggled. “She said she wanted to hear all about our date, but maybe I won’t tell her quite everything.”

  She gave him one more quick kiss before disappearing inside. Judd just stood there for a moment, basking in moonlight and listening to his heart sing.