A Time to Bloom (Leah's Garden #2)(70)

A smile flashed across the young man’s face. “I’ll do that.”

“RJ Easton.” RJ held out his hand.

The young man hesitated an instant, then gripped it warm and firm. “William Washington Thacker.”

RJ pressed William’s hand between both his own. “Welcome to Salton, Mr. Thacker.”

———

The next morning, William Thacker was waiting at the boardinghouse site when RJ arrived, the sun just peeking a sliver of rosy gold above the horizon.

“You’re here early.” RJ greeted him with a nod. Had the young man found any place to stay? He hadn’t thought to ask yesterday. There was a good chance the man had camped out under the stars. “Had breakfast?”

“I ate.” William tipped his hat back and scanned the building. “What’s this to be?”

“A boardinghouse run by a family of sisters who homestead outside of town, the Nielsens. Good folks. You’ll get to know them if you stick around.” RJ cast a glance at Thacker as he unrolled his tool belt for the day.

“Well, that depends.” William took the hammer RJ held out.

“Depends on what?”

William hesitated, then gave a half smile. “On a lot of things. So what needs doin’ today?”

RJ wanted to press but held back. William deserved his privacy. “As you can see, the roof still needs to be finished. Once we have the outside all secure, we’ll begin on the interior. They hope to open in a few weeks.” He rubbed his chin. “Comfortable on a roof?”

“As if I was born there.” William scrambled up the ladder and set to hammering shingles like he’d been on the project from the beginning.

RJ turned to greet the rest of his arriving workers with a lifted spirit. This was a good start to the day.

At noon, he headed over to the church to take a book to Del. Forsythia had asked him to drop it by, seeing as the building site was so close. RJ passed through the scattering of children outside running and hollering in a game of crack-the-whip and mounted the church steps. He knocked, then pushed in the church door.

Del sat bent over her desk at the front of the room, so intent on a book that she didn’t appear to hear him. RJ walked softly up the aisle and cleared his throat.

She startled and looked up, fluttering the pages before her. “RJ—I didn’t hear you.”

“That’s evident.” He quirked a brow. “Studying at noontime, huh? I’ve brought you more material. At least, I think so.”

“Oh, thank you.” She reached for the book eagerly. “Forsythia said she’d send it. It’s a volume of Adam’s. I suppose doctoring requires a higher knowledge of all the sciences, including mathematics.”

“You’re studying higher mathematics?”

“Not by preference.” She gave a rueful laugh. “One of my students loves figures, and he’s already through nearly all that Ray’s Mental Arithmetic can teach. I’m trying to learn more to help him. I tutor him after school some days. But I’m afraid calculations at this level put my brain in such a muddle that I may be more hindrance than help. My sister Lark is so much better at mathematics.” She opened the new volume and flipped through the pages, brow creased.

“May I see?” RJ stepped closer. He’d barely glanced at the book’s cover when carrying out the errand.

She handed him the book.

He opened it, scanned a beginning chapter. “Ah, I remember this from the start of engineering studies.” Memories washed in. “My friends and I used to try to stump one another with equations for fun.”

“For fun?” She stared at him as if he’d dropped in from another continent.

His mouth quirked. “To each his own. I suppose you find wrangling that group of young scamps out in the yard fun?”

A smile touched her lips. “After a fashion. And actually, I should call them in.”

“Well, I’d best get out of the way before they trample me, then.” He closed the book and handed it back. “When do you meet with this boy? Perhaps I could stop by and help.”

“Truly?”

He’d come every day if it meant seeing that kind of light in her eyes. “As long as I can manage it along with the boardinghouse, sure.”

“I’m meeting with him today, and I promised him we could do a bit of figures once we finished working on reading. To him, mathematics is a treat.” She lifted her hands and shook her head.

RJ held back a chuckle. “I’ll stop by before suppertime, then, and see if he’s still here.”

———

RJ ended the day for his men a bit early; they’d made such progress. Thanks in part to the steady work of William Thacker, whom he’d now officially offered a job. So far his presence didn’t seem to be causing any trouble among the men, thankfully.

With an eagerness in his step he couldn’t fully account for, RJ headed to the church and slipped in quietly, not wanting to disturb teacher and student. Del sat next to a young boy, who was pushing toward manhood but still with a child’s slight frame, her snood of pale brown hair bent next to his tousled black head. A few wisps slipped from the snood, catching the last rays of afternoon light from the window.

RJ leaned against the back wall, listening to the boy read aloud. He stumbled slightly over the words.