Small Town Girl by Ann H. Gabhart Page A

inches and looked out toward the back fence as though watching one of those balls fly into the sky.
    Jay followed Aunt Hattie’s gaze, so he didn’t see the look Kate shot at him or the little shake of her head. He asked, “He still hitting the long balls now?”
    “Could be up in paradise. The Good Book says things will be finer than we can imagine when we get up to them other shores. I figure that means we’s gonna get to do things we enjoys, don’t you?” Aunt Hattie turned back to her doctoring. “And you don’t have to be worrying, Kate, I ain’t mindin’ talking about my Bo. It’s a good thing, not a bad thing to be able to say my boy’s name and to brag on him some. He’s done been gone these many years. Lost him in France in the war.”
    “I’m sorry, Aunt Hattie.” Jay looked genuinely sorry as he put his hand overtop the wrinkled hand probing his cheek.
    The man was good at grabbing hands, but Aunt Hattie didn’t look as if she minded. Kate couldn’t honestly say she had minded either. But she should have minded. She shouldn’t have let him think he could charm her as easily as a little girl or an old woman. Then again, she wouldn’t have thought Aunt Hattie would be easy to charm. She generally saw through anybody’s pretenses. She never let Kate get away with the first thing around her.
    But now it was past time to get everybody back on track. The sun would be sinking below the horizon soon, and JayTanner needed to be on his way to wherever his wanderlust took him next. That thought gave her an unhappy twinge, but she ignored it. “You want me to wrap this ice in a towel? I’m sure Mr. Tanner is anxious to get on the road.”
    Jay winced a little at her words. “I thought we were on a first-name basis, Kate.”
    Kate acted like she didn’t hear him as she slid her eyes over to Aunt Hattie. “I can make an ice pack for him to hold on his cheek while he’s driving.”
    Aunt Hattie looked at Kate with her eyebrows lifted, then back at Jay. “You as anxious to be on the road, Mr. Tanner, as it appears Kate here thinks you is?”
    “Come on, you two. Mr. Tanner was my daddy. I answer to Jay or simply Tanner if Jay won’t fit your tongue right.” His smile was back, sparkling the charm out on Aunt Hattie. “As to moving on, I’ve had the offer of work here, so being between jobs, I thought I might just settle in for a week or two. I figure President Roosevelt is going to catch up with me with a draft notice anytime now. Might as well enjoy a little sunshine here in Rosey Corner first.”
    He shot a grin up toward Kate. A kid’s grin. The kind of grin Tori used to give Kate after she’d talked her into going fishing. A pleased and somehow hopeful look, like she was sure this time Kate would at last start thinking fishing was as much fun as she did. Kate thought it better not to think about what Jay was hoping she’d decide was fun, but that didn’t keep her heart from doing a funny bounce and her lips from tingling.
    Aunt Hattie wrapped the ice in the towel and held it to Jay’s jaw. “Pastor Mike hire you on to help him in his preaching job?”
    Jay laughed out loud and then groaned a little as he touched his cheek. “I gotta remember not to laugh, but me doing any kind of preaching is pretty funny.”
    “You thinkin’ the Lord can’t use you?” Aunt Hattie stood back and put her hands on her hips again to give him a fierce stare.
    “I’m thinking he wouldn’t want to. I’m not good enough for that.”
    “Ain’t none of us good enough. We’s all broken vessels that the Lord can make whole to do whatever he intends us to do.” Aunt Hattie narrowed her eyes on him. “You just keep in mind, Jay Tanner, that the Lord can hit a mighty straight lick with a mighty crooked stick.”
    Jay shifted a little uneasily on the bench, as though finally at a loss for words. Kate almost felt sorry for him. She’d been in his spot often enough, pinned down by Aunt Hattie’s sharp eyes