“Why did you faint?” Thoughts of her being with child raced through his mind. Perhaps the reason she ran away? Please God, not with Clarence Manfred.
“I never expected them to find me.” Her voice hitched as she regarded him through tear-filled eyes. “At least not so fast.” She pushed away the hair that had fallen on her forehead, and placed her hands on the table. “I’ll finish out the day.” One lone tear tracked down her cheek.
His insides shifted. She looked so pathetic. So different from the young woman who greeted customers all morning, full of smiles and energy. “Don’t you want to keep your job?” He asked softly, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. Soft and smooth, the skin on her hands remained chilled from her ordeal.
She nodded and bit her lower lip.
“Then why don’t you?”
“Because they won’t let me.” She covered her face with her hands and cried. After a few minutes, she wiped her eyes with the wet handkerchief, and peeked at him from under clumped eyelashes.
“How old are you, Heidi?” His lips turned up in a slight smile.
She tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. “Twenty-three.”
“Then I think you’re old enough to decide for yourself what you want to do.”
She slumped back in the chair. “I know you must think me pathetic, but you don’t understand. Clarence won’t let me. And now, he’ll tell my parents, and they’ll come, and…”
“Heidi.” He stood and leaned against the sink, his arms crossed. “Why don’t you tell me about it? The whole story this time.”
Her voice started off so low, he could barely hear her.
“I told you my breathing sickness kept me from doing the things other kids did. I couldn’t run, climb trees, or jump rope. The restrictions resulted in very few friends and no birthday parties. I never appeared on anyone’s invitation list. And even if I had, Mother and Papa wouldn’t have allowed it anyway.”
She raised her head, staring him in the eye. “Four days ago, I took money I’d saved over the years, bought a train ticket and packed my bag. While my parents attended a church supper, I walked to the station and waited for the train.” Her sweet little nose crinkled as she looked up and grinned. “The excitement almost caused a breathing attack, but I talked to myself, calmed down, and got on the train.”
His eyebrows rose. “Aren’t you a bit concerned your parents may be frantic, wondering what’s happened to you?”
She shook her head. “I left a note sufficiently vague so they wouldn’t be able to track me down. Oh, eventually I’ll write to them. After all, my parents love me.” She sighed, and gave him a sad smile. “They just love me too much at times.”
“And where does Mr. Clarence Manfred fit in?”
She let out a deep breath. “He wants to marry me.”
“So you are engaged?” Why did that thought depress him?
“Yes. But I don’t want to be.” The determination in her face as she raised her chin lifted his spirits. “I want to be my own person, and work at a job like normal people do.”
He smiled at her show of resolve. Perhaps Miss Lester possessed more backbone than what met the eye. For someone so coddled, she certainly had grit to do what she’d done. “Very well. If you intend to keep your job, then we need to lock up and have our lunch.” He offered her his hand. “Then, as a good employee, you will return to the store, and we will finish out the day.” He winked at her. “And I will ban Mr. Manfred and the woman I assume is his mother from the store.”
Heidi returned a full smile. His heart skipped a beat, and warmth rushed through him like sunlight on bare skin. He blew out a deep breath as he helped her into her coat, placed his hand on her lower back, and nudged her toward the door.
***
Heidi buttoned her coat as they passed through the long aisle to the front door. Michael lowered the shade and flipped the sign. Then after locking the door, he escorted her to the coffee shop. Her gaze darted back and forth, but she didn’t see either Clarence or his mother. Not for one minute did she suppose they’d given up. In fact, they were most likely now at the Western Union sending a telegram to her parents in Oklahoma City.
The noise from the coffee shop greeted them as Michael pushed the glass paneled door opened. The cheerful conversation and clink of silverware and dishes reminded her she would eat her meal among the working people of Guthrie. Most tables were filled with diners she assumed to be on their lunch break. Her nose twitched at the mixed scents of ham, cabbage, and beef stew in the air. The mouth-watering aromas and warm air calmed her.
Michael directed them to a small table near the front window, not too far from the warming stove. Heidi ordered the ham and cabbage special with a cup of tea. Michael decided on beef stew and a cup of coffee. After searching all the tables for the familiar faces of Clarence and Mrs. Manfred, and finding them absent, she relaxed.
“How did you come to find yourself engaged to a man you don’t wish to marry?”
Heidi swallowed and wondered how much to tell. Certainly not the humiliating part about her being a totally useless wife. “Mrs. Manfred and my parents have been friends most of my life.” She shrugged. “I guess they assumed we would marry one day.”
“Why?” He took a sip of water. “That doesn’t seem like a good reason to marry, especially in this day and age.”
“Most likely because I never had the opportunity to meet anyone else.” She thanked the waitress who placed the plate in front of her. “Is Honey off today?”