Read Online The Shining Badge by Gilbert Morris - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Gilbert Morris
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but very gently instead of roughly as he usually did.
He hugged her, and then he stepped back and took her hands. “I hope it’s a girl just like you.”
Humor bubbled up and mixed with joy in Hannah, and she laughed aloud. “Maybe it’ll be triplets.”
“Wait a minute, now,” Clint said, pretending to be alarmed. “That’s too much of a good thing. Tell you what. Let’s start out slow and just have one little girl. Then if we like her, we’ll have a boy. And come to think of it, I have three young ones to practice on now. So by the time our baby gets here, I’ll know all about it.”
Hannah leaned into his arms again, laid her face against his chest, and hugged him fiercely. She felt a joy that only a woman can know who has long been hungry for love and has finally found it.
****
Clay Varek looked up from the floor he was mopping, sniffed, and with a groan, wheeled and ran to the stove. The stew was boiling over, and when he touched the pot handle, he burned his hand. Quickly he grabbed a towel and picked up the pot. The stew dribbled onto the stove and sent an odor of burned meat throughout the kitchen.
“Blast it!” He put it down on the tile trivet and began to clean up the mess, scraping the excess from the top of the cook stove. The smell permeated the kitchen, and wiping his hands with disgust, he picked up the coffeepot and poured some coffee into a white cup with a missing handle. Sitting down, he stared across the room and thought for a moment about how much better the place looked. He had taken the house without seeing it because the rent had been cheap, but when he had seen it, he understood why. It had been uninhabited for years and had a terrible odor. It had been used and misused by visiting tramps, and most of the windows were broken out and animals had taken up residence inside.
Varek well knew that housekeeping was not his strong point, but he had plunged in with a vigor that marked everything hedid. He had attacked the house in sections, cleaning out one bedroom and setting it up for himself with a bed for Jamie in the same room. Then he had launched the main crusade, which was to clean up the kitchen. He was thankful enough that there was some indoor plumbing, although he’d had to replace the well pump, and having electricity brought to the house had been a major expense.
As he sat there thinking of chores to do, he realized that he was weary. He was a strong man, but he had not known how hard housekeeping was until it all fell on him. The cooking, the washing, what ironing was done, cleaning the house inside and making repairs outside kept him busy from early morning until night.
A sudden creaking sound startled him, and he whirled quickly, his hand going to his belt. The gun was not there as he was accustomed to, and when he saw that it was merely the screen door moved by the wind, he relaxed and took a sip of coffee. “You’ve gotta stop being so edgy.” He spoke the words aloud, and the sound of his own voice seemed to startle him. He forced himself to be still, and then as he finished his coffee, he heard Jamie crying. He got up and went to the bedroom, moving over to the half bed he had fixed for her. Her face was flushed, he saw, and when he put his hand on her forehead, he was startled at how high her fever was.
“I don’t feel good,” Jamie whimpered.
Varek made up his mind immediately. “I expect we’d better take you to see the doctor.” She was wearing few clothes, for she had been hot, and there was no fan in the room. He put a dress on her, slipped her shoes on, and then left the house. He put her inside the used Chevrolet, but when he tried to start it, he found the battery was dead.
He sat there frustrated, then shook his head. “Come on, Jamie, we’ll have to walk.”
“All the way?” the child asked. Her face was very flushed, and fear touched Clay. He knew little about children, especially about childhood diseases. “It’ll be all right,” he
He hugged her, and then he stepped back and took her hands. “I hope it’s a girl just like you.”
Humor bubbled up and mixed with joy in Hannah, and she laughed aloud. “Maybe it’ll be triplets.”
“Wait a minute, now,” Clint said, pretending to be alarmed. “That’s too much of a good thing. Tell you what. Let’s start out slow and just have one little girl. Then if we like her, we’ll have a boy. And come to think of it, I have three young ones to practice on now. So by the time our baby gets here, I’ll know all about it.”
Hannah leaned into his arms again, laid her face against his chest, and hugged him fiercely. She felt a joy that only a woman can know who has long been hungry for love and has finally found it.
****
Clay Varek looked up from the floor he was mopping, sniffed, and with a groan, wheeled and ran to the stove. The stew was boiling over, and when he touched the pot handle, he burned his hand. Quickly he grabbed a towel and picked up the pot. The stew dribbled onto the stove and sent an odor of burned meat throughout the kitchen.
“Blast it!” He put it down on the tile trivet and began to clean up the mess, scraping the excess from the top of the cook stove. The smell permeated the kitchen, and wiping his hands with disgust, he picked up the coffeepot and poured some coffee into a white cup with a missing handle. Sitting down, he stared across the room and thought for a moment about how much better the place looked. He had taken the house without seeing it because the rent had been cheap, but when he had seen it, he understood why. It had been uninhabited for years and had a terrible odor. It had been used and misused by visiting tramps, and most of the windows were broken out and animals had taken up residence inside.
Varek well knew that housekeeping was not his strong point, but he had plunged in with a vigor that marked everything hedid. He had attacked the house in sections, cleaning out one bedroom and setting it up for himself with a bed for Jamie in the same room. Then he had launched the main crusade, which was to clean up the kitchen. He was thankful enough that there was some indoor plumbing, although he’d had to replace the well pump, and having electricity brought to the house had been a major expense.
As he sat there thinking of chores to do, he realized that he was weary. He was a strong man, but he had not known how hard housekeeping was until it all fell on him. The cooking, the washing, what ironing was done, cleaning the house inside and making repairs outside kept him busy from early morning until night.
A sudden creaking sound startled him, and he whirled quickly, his hand going to his belt. The gun was not there as he was accustomed to, and when he saw that it was merely the screen door moved by the wind, he relaxed and took a sip of coffee. “You’ve gotta stop being so edgy.” He spoke the words aloud, and the sound of his own voice seemed to startle him. He forced himself to be still, and then as he finished his coffee, he heard Jamie crying. He got up and went to the bedroom, moving over to the half bed he had fixed for her. Her face was flushed, he saw, and when he put his hand on her forehead, he was startled at how high her fever was.
“I don’t feel good,” Jamie whimpered.
Varek made up his mind immediately. “I expect we’d better take you to see the doctor.” She was wearing few clothes, for she had been hot, and there was no fan in the room. He put a dress on her, slipped her shoes on, and then left the house. He put her inside the used Chevrolet, but when he tried to start it, he found the battery was dead.
He sat there frustrated, then shook his head. “Come on, Jamie, we’ll have to walk.”
“All the way?” the child asked. Her face was very flushed, and fear touched Clay. He knew little about children, especially about childhood diseases. “It’ll be all right,” he
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