Free The Shining Badge by Gilbert Morris Page B

positive will. There was fire in this girl that made her lovely, and he found himself drawn to her.
    She turned to face him and said, “Do you think it’s wrong? You think I shouldn’t do it?”
    “That’s up to you.” He got out of the truck then, took Jamie, and leaned over and for a moment studied Jenny’s face. “But you can get hurt doing the right thing—I can tell you that from experience. Thanks for the ride.”
    “I’ll come by and see how Jamie’s doing tomorrow,” she called out after him. Jamie waved over his shoulder, and Jenny waved back, then started the truck. As she drove toward home, she thought about what Varek had said: “A person can get hurt doing the right thing.” A stubbornness rose in her, and she said, “I may get hurt, but I’m going to do what I think is right!”

CHAPTER FIVE
    Promise to a Mother
    Glancing up at the calendar that hung from her bedroom wall, Jenny noted that it was the first day of June. She also noted the year, 1932, and said under her breath, “I despise that calendar!”
    “What’s wrong with it?” Kat asked. She had come in to watch Jenny dress for her date with Luke Dixon. She sat flat on the floor with her arms around Stonewall, who occasionally turned to lick her face. “I think it’s pretty.”
    “It belongs in a garage somewhere. It’s a girlie calendar. The only reason it’s here is because it was free.” The calendar pictured a shapely young woman who was trying to climb over a fence and in the process was exposing more than was appropriate of her lovely legs.
    “Why doesn’t she just jump over the fence?” Kat asked, pulling at Stonewall’s ears. “It’d be easier than gettin’ all caught up on it.”
    “Oh, it’s just a silly calendar. I’m going to get a good one someday. One with a little more decorum.”
    “What’s decorum?”
    Jenny was finishing the process of dressing and said impatiently, “Don’t you ever get tired of asking questions, Kat?”
    “How am I going to learn if I don’t ask questions?”
    “Well, decorum means that a thing fits right in its place. Like you wouldn’t wear a swimming suit to church. That wouldn’t be the proper decorum.”
    “And you wouldn’t wear that dress you got on to goswimming.” Kat found this picture hilarious and laughed, rolling on the floor and pulling the dog down with her.
    Jenny could not help but smile at the pair. Then she stood before the mirror and examined herself critically. Most of her city clothing had been sold to raise money to leave New York, and she had not bought a dress since. She had saved only a few of her nicer dresses, and now she examined the one she was wearing, wondering if it would do for Summerdale, Georgia. The aqua dress was actually a two-piece outfit made up of a matching skirt and jacket. The skirt had an embroidered front and inverted pleats. The loose-fitting jacket had elbow-length sleeves and a low neckline, which revealed the ivory blouse underneath. The black patent-leather shoes she wore were mildly scuffed and seemed too dark to go with such a light-colored dress. She sighed. “It will have to do.”
    Kat said, “You look real pretty, Jenny.”
    “Why, thank you, Kat.” Walking over to Kat, she kissed her on the cheek, ruffled her hair, and then said quickly to the dog, “Get away from me, Stonewall. I don’t want you shedding on my dress.”
    “Jenny, what’s Luke Dixon like?”
    “He’s like a lawyer.”
    “I know that, but what does he look like?”
    “Oh, he’s tall, about six feet, and he’s got blond hair and light blue eyes.”
    “Is he handsome like Doug Fairbanks Jr.?”
    “No, not at all.”
    Kat continued to pepper her with questions concerning her date, and finally she said, “Are you going to let him kiss you good-night when he brings you home?”
    Jenny laughed aloud and shook her head. “I don’t think so. It’s not proper to let a man kiss you on your first date.”
    “Can he kiss you on the second