Runaway, p.17
Runaway, page 17
“Naw, we just thought Ma might have enough dinner cooked for two more,” Eben said with a laugh. “Louise here is always hungry.”
The water splashed into the trough and Will ducked his head beneath the flow, scrubbing at his face, then washing his hands quickly with a bit of soap. He stood up, long fingers combing through his dark hair, and headed for the house.
“How come no one came to church this morning?” Eben asked him quietly, eyeing the screen door. “Is Ma all right? Where’s Maggie?”
“Ma’s fine and Maggie’s out back, lookin’ at the mares and their babies. We ended up with seventeen foals, did you know that?”
“No, haven’t had time to come by lately, what with spring planting.” Eben shuffled his feet. “Uh, look, Will. I heard tell in church that Josie came home. Mr. Hogan’s boy said he brought her out here in a wagon. Said she didn’t have any baggage, and she looked pretty poorly.”
“She’s here, Eben.” Will glanced at the kitchen window. “Probably watchin’ us from behind the curtain.”
“Well, why in hell didn’t somebody tell us? I’ll bet Samuel doesn’t know either, does he?” He took the steps with his long-legged stride, leaving Louise wide-eyed and abandoned.
“Josie?” He was in the kitchen as he called his sister’s name and then there was silence, except for the soft sound of a woman’s tears.
“Josie never did cry very quietly,” Will told Louise, snatching his hat from his head and swatting it against his leg. “Might’s well come on in, Louise.”
His hand between her shoulders, he opened the screen door and followed her across the threshold. Eben had his hands full, what with Josie crying on his shoulder and both Clara and Cassie looking on vigilantly.
“I’m sorry, Eben, it’s just so good to see you,” Josie managed between sobbing and blowing her nose on the white handkerchief her brother offered.
“I sure am glad you’re not sad about it, Jo, or we’d both be floating away,” Eben said, his voice more cheerful than the somber look in his eyes. He held her away, scanning her slender form. “You need a little fattening up, sis.”
“Well, I’ve been here four days, and between Ma and Cassie, they’ve been feeding me at least six times a day,” she said with a catch in her voice. “I ought to be looking like that fat old sow out in the pigsty any day now.”
“Not much chance of that,” Clara scoffed. “She’s still too spare for Cassie’s dresses, and Lord knows there sure ain’t much to that young’un.”
“Well, it appears Cassie’ll soon be needin’ new ones,” Will said with a knowing look at his wife. “She won’t be fitting into hers much longer. Maybe Ma can take them in and pass them along to Josie.”
Eben looked at Louise and winked. His arm fell from Josie’s waist and he moved to where his wife waited by the doorway. “Would Cassie by chance have the same problem we do?” he asked in a loud whisper, his mouth fully a foot from her ear.
Louise blushed again, her elbow jabbing without a trace of pity into her husband’s ribs.
“Oof…” he grunted. “What’d you do that for, Lou?”
“You don’t have to tell everybody so soon,” she scolded. “Being in the family way’s sort of a private thing.”
Eben looked around the kitchen, lifting his brows in feigned surprise. “Well, it sure enough looks like we’re surrounded by family here, sweetie. And I didn’t hear Cassie fussin’ at Will when he told her news right out loud.”
“She’s going to fuss at him later on,” Cassie put in, glaring at Will for Eben’s benefit. Her mouth wobbled as she frowned her best at him, and then she chuckled, eyeing Louise’s waistline. “I don’t see where Louise is going to need any new clothes for a while, Eben. If anybody gets new clothes, I think it ought to be Josie. She’ll have to eat hearty for a while before she can wear mine.”
“I found a couple of things in Maggie’s room I left here, and they’ll do me,” Josie said, her tears a thing of the past. Her eyes darted to Will as if she sought some sign from that direction. “I wouldn’t think of taking Cassie’s new things.”
Will cleared his throat in a noisy fashion, looking at Cassie— as if for approval, if she knew anything about it. “I was just teasin’, Jo. I thought we might take a trip to town when we take Ma’s eggs in this week and pick up a dress or two for you.”
“I don’t want to be any trouble,” Josie said quietly.
Cassie stepped to her side. “You’re not a bit of bother, so don’t say that again, you hear?” With a cautioning look at Will, she continued. “Will just hasn’t had time to go into town this week. He’s been planning on buying you some new clothes since you got here.”
And if that was a lie, she’d just go right ahead and commit what Will thought was a mortal sin, for Josie’s benefit. But Will apparently was willing to forgive her words of appeasement, and he nodded his agreement.
“Well, at least for a couple of days,” he amended, with a glance at Cassie’s wary expression.
“When’s your baby coming?” Louise asked eagerly, stepping closer to Cassie.
“First of January, Will says,” Cassie answered.
“Will says?” Eben repeated, one eyebrow lifting in mocking query. “You the expert around here, big brother?”
“I’m going to beat you by a month or so,” Louise said quietly, ignoring her husband. “I figure around Thanksgiving time.” Her smile was brilliant as she touched Cassie’s arm. “I’ve been wanting to come over and get to know you better, Cassie. That one day we were here, we didn’t have much time to talk, and you were having a hard time just figuring out who everyone was. But Eben’s been so busy with the new calves and planting and I’ve had four clutches of new chicks hatch.”
“We’ll make time, Louise,” Cassie assured her, her spirits soaring as she stood between the two women who had become her sisters the day she married Will. There was a lot to be said for family, she decided. “Did you ever know Josie?” she asked, reaching to pull Will’s sister closer.
Louise nodded. “We used to go to school in town together. I was a couple of years behind Josie, but I always thought she was so lucky to live in the same house as Eben.”
“Well, you sure got your wish, didn’t you, honey?” Eben said, grinning at his wife. He turned to Josie. “You home for good, Jo? Where’s that husband of yours?”
Josie looked stricken, her eyes seeking Will’s, as if for guidance.
He met her gaze and nodded. “Let’s go on out to the barn, Eben. Got a problem with one of the colts, a sore on his leg I can’t seem to get healed up.”
Eben grinned at the women grouped by the stove. “It’s kinda crowded in here, anyway, Will. These ladies need room to get dinner on the table, and we sure wouldn’t want to hold them up.”
The two men went out the door and across the yard, heads together as they talked, their broad shoulders looking identical, their longs legs eating up the distance to the barn.
“Eben looks good,” Josie said, blowing her nose once more on her brother’s handkerchief.
“Oh, Josie, it’s so wonderful that you’re home,” Louise said, reaching for her own hug of greeting. “Eben really missed you, you know.”
“Where is he?” Eben asked without preamble, his usually cheerful face dark with concern and the beginning of anger as he strode beside his brother.
“Damned if I know,” Will answered. “Probably a good thing he’s not handy or I’d be tempted to go gunnin’ for him.”
“That bad?” Eben asked.
“He faked a wedding, conned Josie into believing a friend of his was a judge.”
“When did she find out?” Eben stopped in the barn door and looked toward the house.
“About the time he decided he didn’t need her hangin’ around anymore. Told her to skedaddle and walked away.”
“She looks pretty puny.”
Will nodded. “I was sore at her, leavin’ Maggie here last year and takin’ off like she did. But Ma reminded me I didn’t have much to brag about myself, and by the time Cassie got done with me, I’d pretty much gotten over fussin’ about it. Just had to blow off a little steam, I guess.”
“She can come to us if there isn’t room here, Will,” Eben offered with alacrity. “We’ve got an extra bedroom and Louise would be glad of the help.”
“No, I doubt Cassie and Ma would let her go. They’ve been hoverin’ over her like a newborn calf this week. And Maggie’s at home here. She doesn’t even mention Bennett Percival.”
“I’d like to get my hands on that bastard,” Eben growled.
“I get first crack,” Will announced. “You’ll have to get in line.”
“Not if I see him first,” Many Fingers said from the first stall. Backing from its depths, he closed the door behind him and nodded greetings at Eben.
“The man doesn’t stand a chance,” Will muttered. “Especially once Samuel finds out about the stunt he pulled.”
“Does he know Jo’s here?” Eben asked.
Will shook his head. “I’ve been busy. Haven’t been off the place all week.”
“I’ll stop by on our way home later and tell him,” Eben offered. “He’ll want to come by and see her.”
The sun was a red ball falling toward the horizon and the house was quiet. Cassie was curled on the sofa with Maggie, reading to her from a storybook, and Will sat at the kitchen table mending a bridle, his mother offering bits and pieces of news as she mixed a batch of bread to rise for morning.
Josie slipped from the front door, walking around the house beneath the tall maple trees that shaded it from the hot sun during the summer months. From where she stood, she could watch the colts frolicking in the pasture, their mothers standing beneath a cluster of trees, noses to the ground as they fed on the new meadow grass.
A movement caught her eye and she glanced past the barn to where a tall figure leaned on the fence, watching the small creatures at play. “He’s about as lonely looking as I feel,” she whispered, a sudden impulse tugging her in his direction. His lean strength, his dark, knowing eyes and the innate knowledge that he was drawn to her led her steps.
Many Fingers watched her approach, his eyes hungry as he gazed his fill. “You like the horses?” he asked, his words urging her closer.
She nodded. “They’ve always been my favorite part of the farm. Ma used to send me out to gather eggs and pull weeds in the garden, but I’d rather have worked with the foals.”
“You want to help with them?” he offered, keeping a respectable distance between himself and Will’s sister.
She nodded eagerly. “Do you think Will would let me?”
Many Fingers smiled at her. “I take care of the horses. I’ll tell Will I need your help.”
“What can I do?” Her voice was eager, her eyes sparkling with anticipation as she moved closer to where he stood.
“We’ll fasten a lead rope on them and you can get them used to being handled. They don’t learn a lot, but they need to know a human touch. Mostly they follow, get used to the rope tugging at them.” He watched her closely, his eyes intent on her graceful movements as she moved along the fence.
“Tomorrow morning?” she asked.
“Right after breakfast, if you don’t have work to do in the house.”
“I’m cooking in the morning, so I can come out as soon as I tend to Maggie. Cassie will clear up.” Her mouth lifted in a smile, her face rosy in the rays of the setting sun. “It’s so good to be home.”
“Your brothers want revenge on the man who hurt you,” Many Fingers said quietly. He watched the light fade from her eyes as she looked at him. “I intend to be the one to defend your honor,” he told her. “If he comes anywhere near, he will answer to me for what he did to you.”
“Why?” It was a barely heard sound, whispered through dry lips, confusion alive on her face as she stepped closer to the man who had befriended her.
“You are the sister of my friend. You are a member of Brave One’s family. I would honor him in this way.”
“You’d defend me because of Will?”
He hesitated, perhaps a moment longer than the question merited. And then he shook his head. “Partly, Josephine. Partly because of you.”
“No one calls me Josephine. I’ve been Josie all my life,” she said. “Did Will tell you that was my name?”
Many Fingers nodded. “He told me. I will call you Josephine.”
Her fingertips rose to brush against the heat in her cheeks as Josie watched Many Fingers turn from her.
His hair loose against his shoulders, the Indian walked to where the horses grazed, melting into the shadows beneath the low-hanging branches of the maple trees. With a lithe movement he was astride one of the mares, and without benefit of bridle, with one hand clutching her mane, he rode the sleek animal in a circle, herding the foals and their mothers to the open barn door.
Josie watched in awe as the horses disappeared into the depths of the barn, only an occasional whinny testifying to their presence within its walls. She walked around the big building to the front door and slid it aside, entering the dimly lit interior.
Down the long aisle Many Fingers moved from stall to stall, closing the doors, his low voice murmuring to the occupants of each stall as he went. His chore complete, he came to where she stood. His dark eyes narrowed as he scanned her slight form, then he lifted one hand to touch her face, his fingers gentle as they cupped her chin.
“You will be my woman, Bright Eyes,” he said quietly.
“You don’t even know me,” Josie said. “I’ve only been here a week.”
“I have known you since time began.” His fingertips brushed the length of her jaw, then rested on her shoulder for a moment. As if reluctant to release her from his grasp, his hand slid slowly down the length of her arm, their hands touching briefly before he stepped back.
A visible shiver ran through Josie and she caught her breath. “I don’t know what to say to you,” she whispered.
He shook his head. “Say nothing. The time will come. Go to bed. They will wonder where you are.”
“You’re missing having Maggie trail around after you, aren’t you, girl?” Clara’s words jolted Cassie from her reverie and she spun to face Will’s mother.
“Heavens, no!” she said blithely. “She was just lonesome for her mother and I was handy. She needs to catch up on things with Josie.”
Clara looked out the kitchen window to where her daughter and grandchild worked in the garden. Rather, Josie worked and Maggie squatted between the rows of plants and chattered. “You’ve been good for her, Cassie. She’ll come around, once Josie’s been here a while and the newness wears off. It’s like she was starved for her mama’s attention and she’s soakin’ it up as fast as she can.”
“She’s lucky her mama pays her mind the way she does. My mother was always so tired when I was comin’ up. There wasn’t much time for fun and foolishness.”
Clara looked around. “It sounds like she had a hard time making ends meet.”
Cassie nodded, dropping her gaze.
“Where was your pa?”
“I don’t remember him. He died when I was little. I never had a father till she married Remus Chandler. I was almost grown by that time, fourteen years old, I guess.”
“How did you live, Cassie?” Clara’s eyes looked worried as she pressed the issue.
Cassie hesitated, brought face-to-face with the knowledge of her beginnings. All the years of her childhood she’d felt an outcast in the small Texas town where they lived. The children in school ignored her, and even the teacher barely tolerated her presence in the classroom.
The only bright spots in her memory were of the times she’d spent watching Cleta sew throughout the early evening hours after supper, making dresses for the women who worked at the saloon in town. And then, late at night, an occasional visitor would knock at the back door, and from her bedroom Cassie would hear voices, the low tones of a man, her mother’s soft responses.
Until she was fourteen, when Remus Chandler had offered marriage, and Cleta had grasped at the chance for respectability and a better life for her child. That the man was basically a cruel, demanding tyrant had been brought home to mother and daughter very quickly.
“My mother worked at home,” Cassie said finally. She turned to look from the window, aware of Clara’s presence behind her.
“We can’t change things in our past,” Clara said quietly. “But we can choose our future, Cassie. The way Josie is right now. She made some mistakes, foolish mistakes. But she’s doin’ her best to make amends now. I reckon that’s all we can expect from anybody. I suspect your mama just did the best she could, don’t you?”
Cassie nodded, her memories of Cleta dying all mixed together with the early days, when Mama had been young and pretty, before those years with Remus had dulled her beauty and dimmed her laughter.
“There’s worse things than being without a husband, Miz Tolliver,” she said after a moment. “There’s being with the wrong man. I’m glad Josie came home.”
“Don’t you suppose you could call me Clara?” Will’s mother asked.
Cassie turned to her, her heart aching with the memories she had called forth from the deepest recesses of her soul. “Can I call you Mother instead?” she asked hesitantly. “I don’t want to be forward, but I think I’d like…”
“Of course you can, child.” Clara’s voice was firm, her nod a silent affirmation of Cassie’s position in the house. “You’re Will’s wife—that makes you my daughter. Now, why don’t you go take a look and see if we have any early carrots out in the garden. They’d be good in the soup we’re having for dinner.”
“I really like Louise.” Cassie smiled at the memory of her new friend. Sharing drew folks together. Sharing their pregnancies was a certain route to friendship with Eben’s wife, as far as she was concerned.
Will’s feet pressed against the footboard of their bed as he stretched and yawned. Relaxing, he smiled as he turned to her. His hair was rumpled by his pillow, his tanned skin dark against the white sheets, and his lazy grin caused a dimple to form in his cheek. Truly the man was more of a temptation than she could resist, even though she suspected she had tickled his funny bone with her vehement approval of Louise.
