River Rising by Dorothy Garlock

Author:Dorothy Garlock [Garlock, Dorothy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Western, (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
ISBN: 9780446693943
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2005-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

“YOU DON’T HAVE TO COME IN.”

“I want to. Perhaps there’s something I can do.” Julie got out of the car.

“Do you think I lied about a committee meeting?” Joy’s young face set in lines of resentment.

“I don’t think that at all. I want to offer to help.”

Julie followed Joy into the church. She had an uneasy feeling that Mrs. Poole’s influence was overriding hers. It seemed to her that the woman was taking more than a casual interest in a fifteen-year-old girl.

Mrs. Poole met them at the door and nodded a greeting to Julie.

“Hello, Mrs. Poole. I know you must be busy this last week before the party. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Thank you, but we’ll not be needing any help. Come along, Joy, we’ve been waiting for you.” Coolly dismissing Julie, she put her arm around Joy and drew her to the front pew, where Sammy Davidson sat with Richard Myers.

“I’ll be back by three o’clock, Joy,” Julie called.

“You’d better make it four,” Mrs. Poole said over her shoulder. “We have a lot to do today.”

Julie backed out the door feeling like she’d been slapped in the face with a wet rag. Mrs. Bradbury was coming down the walk with Evelyn. After Evelyn had gone into the church, Julie exchanged a few pleasantries with her mother and headed for her car. The woman placed a hand on Julie’s arm to detain her.

“I’m puzzled about something, Mrs. Johnson. I’d like to talk to you about it.”

“Puzzled? I don’t understand.”

“I’m wondering why Mrs. Poole chose Evelyn and Richard Myers to be on this committee. Evelyn is only ten years old and Richard is eleven. I doubt that they are contributing anything to the planning of the party, but Mrs. Poole wants them at every meeting. All the planning must be falling on Joy and Sammy Davidson. Then again, I think Sammy is also a poor choice. He seldom used to come to church. He attends more often now that he and Joy are friends.”

“I thought that myself at first. But Sammy needs the influence of the young church group. That may be why she chose him.”

“Shirley Poole has made it perfectly clear that she has absolutely no use for anyone who lives in the area along the river. She considers them trash.”

“Some of them may be, but some are good folk trying to make a living like the rest of us.”

“Mrs. Poole hasn’t given any of us the time of day for quite a few years. She seemed to have turned in on herself until just lately when she took an interest in planning the harvest party.”

“She’s been having a lot of committee meetings.”

“I feel sorry for Sammy. Everyone does. But that doesn’t mean I want Evelyn associating with him. Dorie Myers feels the same about Richard. She’s afraid that he will take up some of Sammy’s wild ways.”

“Joy doesn’t seem to think that Sammy is as bad as people make out.”

“She should know, I guess. Evelyn says they spend a lot of time together at school.

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