“You’re always the one to coax him to talk. If he truly wanted to court you, he would visit you more often, find excuses to be in your company.” With those hurtful words, her mother finished her sweeping and carried the broom into the back.
With two jobs, did he have the time? Her shoulders slumped. She set her cleaning rag aside and thrust her arms into her coat sleeves. Her hat in place, she pulled on her gloves and retrieved the umbrella she’d used earlier. “I’ll be on my way, Mother,” she called out, leaving before her mother could protest. She always protested whenever Mattie attended a suffrage meeting.
She headed out into the light drizzle, her mind still whirling. Jack could make time if he really wished to see her. Was her mother right? Should she give up on him?
No, she wasn’t ready to settle for anyone other than Jack. She’d cared for him for far too long to give up without a fight. Perhaps she’d been too subtle in her attempts to gain his notice. Should she confess her feelings to him?
Her stomach roiled at the thought. Would he reject her? Sometimes she swore she caught something akin to desire in his eyes, and yet she doubted he would admit to having any romantic sentiments for her. Something held him back. She released a long exhale. Or she was seeing what she wished to see. How would she know for sure?
If only they could spend more time together, enough time for her to discern his thoughts. Maybe she could ride along with him on his deliveries. Her father would allow her time away from the store. Then again, Jack would never accept her help, and what other excuse could she use to join him?
Then what? He was also a firefighter. He lived at the fire station with his father. In fact, from what she understood, only the two of them resided there, while the rest of their crew lived with their families and rushed to the station whenever the local church bells rang in the intervals indicating a fire. What if she offered to help in some way at the station? She could clean. Hmm. No. Jack acted as the fire station steward. He was paid to clean the equipment and the station. Again, he wouldn’t accept her help. If only she were a firefighter too. Surely then she’d have an excuse to see Jack on a regular basis. But there were no female firefighters, at least not in Boston.
She’d read of women firefighters in a couple of other cities though, so why not here? As an advocate for social reform, shouldn’t she strive to break through barriers such as this? She was a suffragist for heaven’s sake. Would Susan B. Anthony or Lucy Stone be deterred from doing something few women had been allowed to do before? No, they wouldn’t, and neither would she.
Firefighters did good in the world, just like she attempted to do through social work whenever she had the chance. Becoming a firefighter was actually a perfect fit with her interests. Why not give it a try? This could be her final attempt to secure a future with Jack, and if it came to naught? She heaved a sigh. Well, she wouldn’t let it come to naught.
Jack raked a brush over the mare’s coat. “You’ve worked hard, girl,” he crooned.
Last night, the horses had pulled the engine to the scene of a fire and back. They both deserved extra attention today.
Too bad grooming horses was such a mindless activity. It did nothing to keep his thoughts off tomorrow. Duncan Mercantile received their weekly delivery every Friday. As usual, a combination of dread and anticipation warred within him. Mattie never failed to be in her family’s store on delivery day. Seeing her was always a blessing and a curse. Every time he saw her, he drank in the sight and then regretted it for days after.
They would never share anything but friendship no matter how much he longed for more. A familiar pang of guilt gnawed away at his insides. After what he’d done, or rather what he’d failed to do, he’d never forgive himself. Sam had died because of him, his gentle and kind younger brother who had loved Mattie until his dying breath.
Gah! He should ask another driver to switch routes with him. He swore beneath his breath. Why did the idea of another driver making deliveries at the Duncans’ chafe so much? He was such a fool.
“What’s the horse’s name?” a familiar female voice asked.
Jerked from his thoughts, Jack turned toward the sound. The woman he couldn’t seem to keep from his mind stood outside the stall, a sweet smile on her face. That beautiful smile blinded him for almost a full minute before he came to his senses. “Mattie, what are you doing here?”
Her brows rose. “Didn’t your father tell you? I’m to become a volunteer firefighter.”
Impossible. “Are you joking?” If so, he failed to see the humor.
“Of course not.” She raised her chin. “Are you saying you don’t think I’m capable of fighting fires?”
He took in her slender form, her ruffled dress with its narrow skirt and bustle, the prim hat perched on her intricately styled, dark-brown hair, and the kid gloves adorning her hands as was proper for a middle-class miss. He couldn’t imagine this woman battling a fire. She’d likely be useless to the team. Worse, she’d be putting herself and others at risk by her very presence. He set down the brush and walked away from her. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
She trailed behind him. “Because I’m a woman?”
He climbed the stairs. One flight, then two. He knew better than to answer. She was an equal rights advocate. She was also the most stubborn person he’d ever met. Only the engine company foreman could rectify this situation. “Mattie, you must realize how unusual this is.”
“Unusual, yes. Yet here I am.”
At the top of the stairs, he knocked on his father’s door.
“Enter,” his father responded from the other side.
Jack turned the knob and stepped inside the large room designated as both his father’s office and living quarters. Jack gestured toward Mattie, who stood right behind him. “What is the meaning of this?”
Mattie smiled brightly. “Hello, Mr. Taylor.”
The foreman rose from his desk. “Mattie, you’re here. I hadn’t expected you so soon.”
Jack nearly groaned. The foreman’s words didn’t bode well.
“It slipped my mind to tell you, Jack.” The foreman nodded in Mattie’s direction. “Mattie is a new recruit. I’d like you to show her the station and help train her in.”
His jaw dropped. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am perfectly serious.”
“But—”
The foreman cleared his throat. “Mattie, would you mind giving us a few minutes?”
“Of course.”
Jack waited until Mattie left the room and closed the door before he burst out, “What’s going on here?”
“Her father approached me last week, asking for a favor. Mattie is convinced she can become a capable firefighter.”
“Her father approves?” Was the man out of his head?
“He believes once she realizes how unsuited she is to the job, she’ll give up on the idea.”
Jack took a deep breath. Finally this situation was making some sense. “Then my role is to show her how difficult the job can be.”
“In essence, yes.”
Like he had all the time in the world to waste on training someone who would eventually quit. “I still don’t like this.”