THE JUDGE'S DAUGHTER

In prayer-like attitude, he sat behind his broad-brimmed gray hat taking a now-and-then peek over it. A slight, quarter-view of the man’s face and one end of a mustache came and went as the couple laughed and talked, much engaged in the joy of their own company.

Lowering his hat, Frank looked straight into the yellow-haired lady’s flashing green eyes: discouragingly gorgeous. As pretty as his mother was, Fanny stood wan beside this olive-skinned thing who was so completely absorbed in his alleged father. She flashed coquettish green eyes and caressed words with the slow movement of her tongue over round, sensuous red lips. Frank’s insides became jelly. He didn’t lip read, and if he did, he wasn’t sure he could handle her words. Her green eyes turned on him with bold glances. Never had he seen anything so appealing and beautiful. Then it struck him: she was a woman in love . . . or was she for hire? He hoped the latter.

A waiter blocked her view of Frank, giving him the opportunity to scrutinize the back of this fabled man’s golden head. So absorbed, he was not aware the waiter had moved and left him to the wile of her aggressive, catlike eyes. Impulsively, he flickered a wink as he would to a young pretty girl who might have cornered him and just as quickly straightened his scarlet face. She returned a lingering smile and said something to his alleged father then nodded toward Frank. He turned and faced the young cadet. Frank’s ears burned. He dropped his eyes to survive the lengthy moment, breathed through his mouth and hoped it would settle a wild pounding heart.

He felt less than stupid.

Frank knew this man was looking at him, so he brought the water glass up to his hot face and hid behind it. The trick was idiotic. His mama was to blame. Had she come with him, as was planned, a simple introduction would have saved him.

Something had to be said to this man, now staring at him, but Frank was blank. Hey you, you’re my father . . . who would claim one so behaving? Control, Cadet Britton! Oh, double woe!

He put the hat in a chair and stared at his plate. This extreme awkwardness identified itself with the girl he left in the Arcadia Valley who had kissed him unprovoked and made his ears burn...like now. Awkward was the only miserable word to fit both situations; however, his instincts pulled him through that first kiss in Arcadia Valley. He had no instincts for meeting a father the first time.

When he could stand it no longer, he looked up and into the eyes of the tall, heavy-shouldered man leaving his chair. Frank closed his eyes and didn’t intend to open them.

A deep, rich voice said, “Young man. Can I help you?”

Frank squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head vigorously.

“Is something wrong?”

Getting up, his long feet flipped his chair into a bouncing clatter on the hardwood floor. Seemingly amused, the man picked it up. Frank grabbed the hat to his chest and stood at attention, trembling and speechless. He looked squarely into the whimsical face of this legendary man, put the hat under his left arm and prepared for a salute before he caught himself and gripped the warm friendly hand extended to him.