Down from the Cross Read Free Page B

nearly twelve years now.”
    He gave her a slight frown. “Did you take typing or any business courses in high school?”
    “I’m not sure if I took typing or it took me.” She chuckled. “I made terrible grades. That typing teacher was cranky and so demanding I cringed every time she looked at me. Even now, all these years later, just the thought of that pretentious woman makes me shudder. I’ve often thought maybe if I’d had a different teacher, I might have been a better typist. Who knows?”
    Keene rubbed his chin as if in deep thought then strode to the window. Jane watched, waiting for him to make some comment, like her dad had done so many times, telling her she should have knuckled down, learned to type, and forgotten about the arrogant teacher. But he didn’t. After a few minutes, he turned slowly and, keeping his piercing brown-eyed gaze on her, stepped forward. “I think I may have an answer for you.”

two
    Jane stared at him, trying to shake the cobwebs loose from her fuzzy brain.
What answer can he possibly provide to my employment dilemma, other than suggest filing for unemployment benefits? As if I haven’t already thought of that!
    He moved closer to the bed, so near that without any effort at all she could reach out and touch him if she had a mind to. “When you feel like it, I’d like you to come work for me. Until you can find another job,” he added hastily.
    If she had felt like laughing, she would have. “Doing what?”
    He studied her face, looking at her as if he were seeing her for the first time and perhaps already regretting his blurted job offer. “It’s kind of hard to explain.”
    I thought it was too good to be true.
    “I guess you don’t know who I am.”
    She leveled a serious gaze at his handsome face. “You said your name was…”
Did he tell me? I can’t remember.
    “I’d say that’s about enough. I don’t want you tiring my patient.” Mildred nodded toward him in drill sergeant fashion, moving from her place by the door to stand at the foot of the bed, her arms crossed firmly over her ample chest. She gave the man a stern-nurse look.
    “I’m okay, Mildred,” Jane answered, curiosity about his answer to her question getting the better of her clouded judgment.
    He hesitated, but when the woman continued to stand her ground, he continued. “I need someone to stuff envelopes for mailings, do some filing—general office stuff, answer the phone, run errands, and take things to the post office, that sort of thing. Nothing complicated. I’m sure you could do it, and I wouldn’t pressure you. You should be able to drive soon, since it’s your left leg.”
    “I’m not the world’s best typist.”
    He laughed out loud. “I gathered that. I don’t need you to break any speed records on the keyboard.” He hesitated, and she wondered if he was afraid to ask his next question for fear of her answer. “You do know how to work a computer, don’t you?”
    She gave him a smile. “Yes, I’m pretty good on the computer, just not a good typist. One of the men at our church gave me his old computer when he bought a new one, and it has become my hobby. I’m on it, surfing the Net, whenever I can find a spare moment.”
    He appeared relieved. “Good, because I just bought a new one with all the bells and whistles. I’m a novice myself, so I’ll be absolutely no help to you.”
    Now that his offer had finally sunk in, she could hardly believe it. “You’re actually serious? About me coming to work for you?”
    “Absolutely. You need a job and I need an assistant.” His warm and friendly smile was welcome. “I’ll pay you whatever your former job paid you, and once that leg of yours heals, you can take off whatever time you need to apply for a more suitable occupation.”
    Aha! The caveat!
“I may not find a job right away. Jobs in Providence are pretty scarce right now. You do understand that, don’t you?”
    His smile continued to be friendly. “Look,”