Page 38 of The Payback Adventure
Abby glanced around. “I don’t see her, so she must still be meeting with Mr. Jackson.”
Sam scuffed his toe against the concrete. “She’s never going to sell the farm to him.”
The kids had been mumbling about that all morning, but Henry didn’t know the backstory. “Then why is she meeting with him?”
Abby shrugged. “Elisabeth is too nice to say no when he calls.”
Nice? Elisabeth wasn’t nice. Did nice girls kiss as perfectly as she had?
“Maybe Elisabeth wants to marry him,” Caitlin said.
The idea of Elisabeth marrying anyone left Henry feeling strangely unsettled, but then he saw a silver lining that might be a solution to his problem. If Elisabeth were kissing another man, she wouldn’t be kissing him. If she weren’t kissing him, Henry wouldn’t be wondering when he’d get another kiss. He would be able to concentrate on farming and making life better for the Wheelers.
Sure he would. But anything was worth a try, and he was known for his matchmaking ability. “Do you think Elisabeth likes Mr. Jackson?”
“No one likes Mr. Jackson,” Abby said.
“He’s a mean old man,” Sam explained.
Old was a relative term when it came to kids. “How old?”
“Fifty, sixty,” Sam said. “You know, old.”
Oh, thatwastoo old for Elisabeth. An odd feeling of relief stole through Henry, given he'd been thinking about how he wanted her to be interested in someone else so she wouldn’t distract him. Still, playing matchmaker wasn’t such a bad idea. In fact, he tried mustering some enthusiasm. It was a good idea.
Look at his success with his friends. With the right man in the picture, Henry wouldn’t feel so bad about leaving Elisabeth and her family once his month on the farm was up.
What kind of man would be good enough for her?
Someone the opposite of him.
The realization made him feel oddly hollow, but he knew what she needed.
Someone with lots of husband potential who loved kids. Someone who was handy and knew how to farm. And could love her the way she deserved to be loved.
“Can we do something while we wait?” Caitlin asked, sounding bored.
“Mrs. Showalter is having a yard sale.” Abby adjusted her glasses. “It’s only two blocks away.”
Caitlin beamed. “I want to go.”
“Like we need any more junk.” Sam shoved his hands into the pockets of baggy pants. “Or have money to spend.”
Henry remembered Laurel Matthews often found items for her interior decorating business at garage and yard sales, but this was a new experience for him. “I have a little money.” Twenty dollars. Chump change to what he was used to spending. Surely, that could buy something at a yard sale. “Let’s go.”
“If we have to,” Sam said.
At Mrs. Showalter’s house, the kids ran to a table full of toys. Piles and stacks of stuff lay everywhere.
Henry didn’t know where to start. He caught a glimpse of something white sitting on the grass and found a porch swing. The paint was peeling, but it looked sturdy. He checkedthe slats on the back. They were all there, and so were the chains to hang it with. The Wheelers’ porch needed a swing.
Caitlin carried an old, naked baby doll in her arms. A sticker read twenty-five cents. “Can I have this?”
Ink marks covered the doll’s arms and legs. A smiley-face sticker was plastered on the back of the doll’s head. Talk about ugly. Not even a mother could love that hideous thing.
“Are you sure you want that doll?” he asked.
She cradled it against her chest. “I love my baby. Her name is Flower. Isn’t she pretty?”
