A Tangled Web by Jane Peart

Author:Jane Peart [Jane Peart]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780310865568
Publisher: Zondervan

TWELVE

Darcy loved everything about Arizona. She enjoyed the mild climate, the extraordinary beauty of the area, the outdoor life it offered. On their days off, she and Clemmie went hiking and sometimes rented horses to ride into the desert. The longer she was here, the more she could imagine living in Arizona forever.

Being a Harvey Girl had broadened her horizons in every way. She was daily coming into contact with interesting people. The hotel guests were sophisticated travelers from cosmopolitan backgrounds. She was learning so much just observing them. Even though the Harvey system prohibited socializing with customers, it was natural to form warm relationships with those one served regularly. Most of the Harvey Girls received social invitations from customers not aware of the rules, Darcy had not found this Harvey code hard to live by. That is, until one morning when a tall young man walked into the restaurant.

Darcy was on the breakfast shift and noticed him at once. Who wouldn’t have? At six foot three he was a towering presence. At the door he removed his wide-brimmed cowboy hat and surveyed the room, then moved with a kind of athletic grace over to the counter and sat down.

In spite of his cowboy appearance, he spoke with an eastern accent as he ordered one of Harvey’s famous cinnamon rolls—always served warm from the oven—and coffee, black.

As she poured his coffee, Darcy had a chance to observe him at close range. His features were strongly molded in a deeply tanned face, his eyes very blue. He wore a blue shirt under a riding jacket of worn tweed with leather elbow patches. He thanked her courteously as she placed his plate before him.

Soon after that first morning, Darcy could almost set her watch by him. Every day as soon as the restaurant opened, he arrived in a fresh shirt, cleanly shaved, his hair combed neatly. For breakfast he always sat at the counter, acknowledging Darcy with a shy smile and a cheerful “Good morning.”

In the evenings he dined in the restaurant alone at a table in Darcy’s station. He was very polite, speaking in a cultured voice and always leaving a large tip.

None of this was lost on Clemmie. She began to tease Darcy about him. “I think he’s sweet on you.”

At first Darcy dismissed that claim. But after two weeks she could not deny it. It was too obvious. She could feel his eyes upon her as she went about her regular duties in the dining room, setting up tables in her station, placing the plates just so, lining up the flatware, arranging the cups and saucers, folding the napkins. The fact that it did not annoy her was surprising. He was always perfectly gentlemanly when he addressed her. It was Clemmie who learned his name from the hotel desk clerk and informed Darcy.

“His name is Ted Shepherd. He’s not a cowboy or a cattleman. He’s from back east. From Maryland, it says on the hotel register.”

“Leave it to you, Clemmie.

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