Read Online Just Above a Whisper by Lori Wick - Free Book Online

don’t want his attentions. Help me not be amusing or too fun. He seems to be drawn to that. I think he’s lonely and needs You, Lord. Help him search in the right places.”
    Reese went on to pray for the church family and the people of Tucker Mills, especially folks she knew personally, like Mrs. Greenlowe and the Jenness family. She confessed the irritation she felt with Mr. Jenness, but that did not come easily. Just the thought of him made her tense and upset.
    Reese sat very still, working to control her emotions, but she was having little success. She finally climbed into bed, using just a sheet on this warm night, and planned to speak to Douglas or Alison about the Jenness family. Mr. Jenness reminded her of her powerlessness with Mr. Zantow, and right now Reese’s heart couldn’t take it. With both men on her mind, she fell asleep in agitation.

     
    “Return to my house” were the only words Mr. Jenness said the next morning. Reese assumed her days would look like this for a time and hoped Mrs. Jenness would not be quite so surprised.
    She wasn’t surprised, but neither did she look happy. Reese was shown through the kitchen and into the buttery where she was asked to churn butter. Everything was prepared; she was not to touch more than the handle and to call for Mrs. Jenness when the butter was ready. Reese was working steadily along until she was joined by Gerald.
    “I thought I heard you humming,” he began, and Reese wished she’d kept quiet. “Swimming in the pond again today?”
    “Something like that,” Reese said, working to be careful with her words.
    “How long will this take?”
    “I wouldn’t think very long.”
    Gerald fell silent, but Reese knew she was being watched. She would have asked Gerald to leave the room had she known that his mother was standing outside the door in the kitchen, listening to every word.
    “You got a boyfriend?” Gerald tried.
    “That’s none of your business,” Reese said firmly.
    “You can tell me.”
    “I’m sorry, Gerald, but I don’t wish to discuss private matters.”
    “Is your hair soft?”
    “That’s another private matter, Gerald.”
    Reese had kept her eyes on her work, but she was aware when Gerald moved toward her.
    “Don’t touch me, Gerald.” She held his eyes and slanted away from him. “I don’t want you to.”
    Her eyes and tone were just stern enough that Gerald stopped, looking uncertain and frustrated all at the same time. At the same moment, they both heard a noise in the other room, where Lillie, shaking like a leaf, pretended she’d just come into the kitchen.
    “Where is that boy?” she muttered a bit loudly, going to the door that led outside and opening it a bit. “Gerald, are you out here?”
    Reese didn’t begin breathing again until Gerald sighed in annoyance and walked from the buttery.

 
    Five
    “Go ahead and mix that dough, Reese,” Lillie made herself say. She hated having this woman working with their food, but she was desperate. She would keep Reese busy in the kitchen until Gerald was close enough to hear their conversation.
    It took longer than she had hoped. Gerald clearly wanted to be alone in the kitchen with Reese. Lillie saw him come into view several times, but when he spotted his mother, he would go swiftly on his way.
    For many reasons, Lillie did not want this woman in the house, but in all fairness, Reese knew how to behave. Her manner was docile, and she had said nothing in the buttery to encourage Gerald. Lillie had even given her a little more dinner today, thinking about how thin she was and wondering whether Mr. Zantow had fed the woman properly.
    “I’ve been meaning to ask you, Reese,” Lillie said as soon as she realized Gerald had parked himself in the small sitting room off the kitchen, giving him a view of Reese. “How old are you?”
    “I’m 22.”
    “And you’ve been an indentured servant for how long?”
    “More than four years.”
    “And how long do you have to