Just Above a Whisper by Lori Wick Page B

Doc had been first on her list. Reese made herself shake off the sadness and went ahead to Mrs. Greenlowe’s.
    To Reese’s utter astonishment, that lady was not around. She was always at home! Reese looked all over the house and yard but came up empty. The Muldoons lived closest to the bank, and Reese was beginning to wish she’d started there. At the same moment that she came to this conclusion, she decided to let the Tucker Mills grapevine spread the word about her freedom and new job. She would simply wait for people to ask her about it, confident that it would happen sooner than later.

     
    Troy went back to the house about midmorning. He had a stack of papers in his satchel and had told Mr. Leffler that he would be at home if needed. Troy found Conner in the study working over the desk, but the younger man seemed pale and quieter then usual.
    “Any word from Mr. Jenness?” Conner asked, making room on the desk for Troy to work and spread out the papers.
    “No.”
    “I hope he didn’t wander off and collapse somewhere. Even if he’s guilty of something, we don’t want that.”
    “Mr. Leffler had not heard or seen a thing. I did get to speak to Reese, however.”
    “What did she say?”
    “At first she didn’t understand, and then when it sank in, she was overwhelmed.”
    “I can imagine. Did she accept your offer to work here?”
    “In a heartbeat. She’s already planning to set up accounts around town today.”
    Conner’s brows rose in admiration. “You certainly picked the right person, Troy.”
    “According to Leffler, she had no help on this house. And she did it in just over a week. Now, we might find that she can’t cook a thing, but we’ll take that as it comes.”
    “What’s she like?”
    “Early twenties, I would guess. She’s tall and redheaded. Too thin. Quiet and unassuming. I can tell she’s used to being invisible.”
    Conner nodded, and Troy finally asked about him.
    “I have a headache,” Conner admitted. “I suspect it’s tied to being here again. I’m experiencing more emotions than I’d planned.”
    “Are you sleeping?”
    “I did the first night, but not last night.”
    “Did you go see Douglas Muldoon this morning?”
    “No, I changed my mind about that. I know he has children, and this head pain could mean something else. I decided not to risk spreading a possible illness.”
    These details out of the way, the men went to work. Conner had a mind for numbers that was astounding, whereas Troy liked words. Reports were read, numbers were checked, and a good bit of ground was covered before the two decided it was time to break for dinner.
    Troy had something on his mind while they worked but couldn’t quite recall it. Not until he glanced around the room and noticed the bookshelves did he think to explain to Conner the way Mr. Jenness had set up the alcove.
    “He had the bookshelves blocking the view of the desk, like a wall?” Conner clarified.
    “That’s right.”
    “Did he say why?”
    “We never got to that.”
    Conner only shook his head. If Mr. Jenness was in fact an innocent man, he was going about showing it in all the wrong ways.

     
    Jace came in from evening chores, his mind distracted with his thoughts. Not until he’d washed up did he realize that tea was ready to go on the table but the house was quiet. Jace thought he would find his wife upstairs, but as soon as he started that way, he spotted her bent over the desk in the corner of the parlor.
    “There you are,” Jace commented.
    Maddie turned to receive his kiss.
    “I’m just finishing a letter to your sister and was absorbed.”
    “Did you seal it?”
    “Not yet.”
    “I’ll add a bit,” Jace offered and took Maddie’s place at the desk. He wrote and told her he wished it was the time of year he could be away from the farm but a visit would have to wait. In the midst of this, he stopped and looked at his wife.
    “Did you tell her about the baby?”
    “No. Why don’t