Just Above a Whisper Read Online Free PDF Page B

to do so would give a false impression of their relationship. She had discussed her decision with Doc MacKay and Douglas, and they both agreed that it was a wise one.
    But Reese was in the house. She greeted people who came in the door and thanked them when they spoke kind words. What she hadn’t expected was the outpouring of good wishes directed toward herself.
    You’ve deserved better all these years, Reese .
    He didn’t know how good he had it .
    You’re a good girl, Reese .
    I hope whatever you do now, you’ll be happy .
    And on it went for more than an hour. The townsfolk came, said very little about Mr. Zantow, save how good he was at his craft, and then turned their attention to Reese, whom they thought so much of.
    When it was time for the coffin—one that Mr. Zantow himself had made—to be loaded onto the wagon that would go to the cemetery, Reese found herself mostly surrounded by her church family. Mrs. Greenlowe was also in attendance, as were Jace and Maddie Randall.
    The Reverend Mr. Sullins, who held Sunday services in the Commons Meetinghouse, had come to read a passage of Scripture. He talked about Mr. Zantow a little, even mentioning some things that Reese did not know.
    No one lingered at the gravesite. When the reading was done, Reese threw a handful of dirt on top of the coffin, her heart sad that his life had ended so abruptly and with little interest in godly things.
    The Peternell family was waiting nearby. They asked Reese to join them for dinner. Reese was all too glad to accept. She walked back to town with them, glad that for the moment she didn’t have to return to the house.

     
    “Can we set up an appointment with you?” Jace asked of Douglas. They had left the cemetery and were headed for town. Jace and Maddie had brought a buggy into town, but they’d left it at the Zantow house.
    “Certainly,” Douglas replied. “What time is good for you?”
    “We wanted you to tell us that. I’ve been stopping by with little regard for your schedule and family. Even talking to you today, when a man’s just been buried …” Jace halted, clearly uncomfortable to go on.
    “You haven’t been disruptive at all,” Douglas reassured him. “I can meet with you right now if you like.”
    “Join us for dinner,” Alison put in, walking beside her spouse, his hand holding hers.
    “Are you sure?” Maddie checked.
    “Yes, please come.”
    Jace looked down into his wife’s face. He didn’t want to go another day with questions burning through him, and from what he knew of the Muldoons, they wouldn’t mind having them again. The Randalls thanked them for the offer and returned to the Zantow house only to move their buggy to the Muldoons. They ended up staying for several hours.

     
    Mr. Victor Jenness had seen better times. He was not an old man, but neither was he young or in the best of health. And since he managed the bank and was not at the counter daily dealing with bank patrons, he was often able to hide this.
    However, he did know what went on all over town, and news of Mr. Zantow’s demise reached his ears even before the bells rang. It was for this reason that he sent for Reese the very day after Mr. Zantow was interred.
    Reese was at home when a young man came with a missive for her, a small bit of paper folded in half, asking her to present herself to Mr. Jenness, the bank manager, as soon as she could arrange it.
    Reese had no reason to delay. She had assumed the house would be sold and had been doing some extra cleaning, but as soon as she brushed her hair and washed her face and hands, she left for the bank. She wasn’t nervous, but curiosity propelled her straight to the building, where she stepped inside and found Mr. Leffler, the bank teller. He smiled at Reese and greeted her by name. Reese had no money in the bank, but errands she had run for Mr. Zantow over the years had brought her to this building on many occasions, where she always found Mr. Leffler extremely