“It wasn’t me,” insisted Shea, “but you should know she’s been asking questions about all the men without wives who have children. I think she’s look-in’ for a husband.”
“And that is your business because?” Teagan stared him down.
“Teagan,” Quinn piped up. “No one wants to see you hurt. We can see every time you look at her that you love her still.”
Sullivan stepped forward. “I ate one piece.”
Donnell stepped forward. “I ate one piece.”
Murphy nodded. “Me too.”
Fitzpatrick smiled. “It was superb.”
Angus shook his head. “We were just trying to help you.”
“Yea, it was for you, Teagan,” Rafferty commented.
“It’s still not right. What if I let all the steers you rounded up go? What if I scattered them and a whole day’s work was ruined?”
“Not the same thing,” Quinn objected.
Teagan narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “Where is she?”
“I saw her go into the house and waited for her to come running out yellin’ at us, but she didn’t,” Shea said.
“Gemma?” Teagan called. He went up the steps and walked into her room. Her dress was in tatters on her bed. What in the world? Picking up a couple of the pieces, he realized her dress had been torn apart. Had she done this? He remembered the glow in her cheeks as she’d sewn the dress. He grabbed up the remnants, carried them down the stairs, and threw them on the dining table.
Shea whistled. “She must have been mad!”
“Did you see anyone else around the house?” Teagan asked.
“No, just us,” denied Shea. “She was happy when she sewed. I bet it looked real good on her too.”
Teagan glared at the rest of his brothers. “Shea is the only one around here who talks?”
Quinn handed Teagan his hat. “Come on. Let’s go find her.”
In short order, they saddled their horses and rode to the Maguire house. Teagan sighed in disappointment when they found the place empty. He took his hat off and hit it against his thigh. “Doesn’t she know she’s in danger? I don’t mind helping her—I want to help her—but she doesn’t seem to want my help.”
“I know she was looking forward to the barn raising. But she was asking about all the men who had lost their wives. Why, I don’t know. If she wanted to marry, she could have her pick of men.”
Teagan shook his head. “Not after what Richard Parks did. Even though Gemma didn’t know he was already married, society blames the woman. It doesn’t matter that he’s a no-good scoundrel. All that matters is Gemma lived as his wife and the marriage wasn’t legal. It’s not fair to her, it’s just the way things are. I don’t know when she’s telling the truth or lying to me. She said her father had a gun pointed at my head the day I proposed and if she hadn’t refused me and made sure I’d never come around again, he planned to pull the trigger. Quinn, our families had been close at one time. I don’t understand. I always thought it understood we’d marry. I’d loved her since forever.”
“I remember something going on, and it was all hushed up. It had something to do with Brogan, but I can’t begin to imagine what. I remember an argument I heard after Ma died and it was heated. I left as soon as I heard Brogan’s name. I just didn’t want to know. Ma always treated him differently.”
“Did she? I never noticed.”
Quinn smiled. “Of course not. With you being the oldest you were basking in being the favorite of both Ma and Pa.”
“Well the favorite had more chores than anyone else.” Teagan released a wry laugh. “I could never get away with anything but the rest of you were just boys being boys. I often wished I was one of the younger ones. I would have liked to have played.”
“You know how to play chess.” Quinn chuckled.
“I know our ranch is big, but I wouldn’t say we were high society or anything, yet father raised me to be or think I was better than others.” He grinned. “I can run the ranch and play chess. It doesn’t seem to be a very long list of accomplishments.”
“Big enough, Teagan, big enough.”
“Where do you think she is?”
“I’ve been thinking on that. Who cut up her dress? I can’t imagine she did it, not if she planned to find a husband. Dolly has the day off, so we don’t know who was in and out of the house but if a stranger was around, we’d have known about it. She probably has other dresses she can wear. She was sewing a blue one too, I think.”
“I think between the pies and the dress, the barn raising is spoiled for her. I wonder when the last time she had a bit of fun was?” Teagan looked at the horizon. “It sounded as though she was on her own for a while dealing with soldiers that came by. I’m thankful she wasn’t harmed. I have to say it was right smart to build a new root cellar and grow a garden away from the house.”
“Did she mention what direction the garden is?” Quinn cocked his left brow.
Hope blossomed in Teagan’s heart. “No, but I bet we can find her tracks. Good thinking, Quinn.”
The both got off their horses and searched the ground at the forest edges.
“Over here!” Quinn called.
“We must leave the horses.” Teagan said as he took Sandy and led him to a stall in the barn. Quinn did the same.
They followed the tracks, and it wasn’t long before they saw the garden. It was rather big and freshly weeded. It took a minute or two to find the door to the root cellar. Tall grass grew all around it hiding it from view. Very clever.
They stood next to the door. “Do we knock?” Quinn asked with a nervous chuckle.
“I suppose so.” Teagan flashed him a smile before he bent over and knocked on the door in the ground. “It’s Teagan and Quinn, Gemma.”
The door slowly pushed up. She looked as though she’d been crying, and his heart went out to her.
“I’m glad we found you,” Quinn told her. “I’ll just leave you two to talk. I have a lot of work to do, and I’m behind.” Then he walked away before they had a chance to respond.
Her eyes were big, and she looked bewildered.
“This is a great place you have here.”
“Don’t tease me. I’ve had enough for one day.” She crossed her arms around her waist.
“Can I see?”
“The cellar?”
“Yes, the cellar.”
“Follow me. Careful where you step. Someone has been digging in here. Probably Richard. He never came here with me. I didn’t even think he knew where to look.” She led the way into the damp smelling dugout.
“This is much bigger than I imagined. It must have taken you a long while to dig it.”
Shrugging her shoulder, she gave him a hint of a smile. “When it’s a life or death situation, you’d be surprised how quickly you can accomplish things.”
It was deep enough that he could stand up straight. There was plenty of dug up dirt. He saw her one tattered blanket and a lantern. There was food preserved in jars, staples such as flour and cornmeal stored in barrels. “You spent plenty of nights here.” It was a statement not a question.
She nodded. “I can lock it from inside.”
“Why didn’t you come here when you saw your house was empty?”
“I wanted to catch whoever had done it.
“Makes sense.” He inspected her in the lamp light. Her eyes were red and puffy. Her nose was red and there was a look of defeat about her. “I’m sorry about what happened at the house. The boys ate the pie pieces so you wouldn’t have pies to give to widowers.”
Confusion flashed in her eyes. “That makes no sense.”
Teagan shrugged. “Seems they think we’re meant to be together. I think they thought they were helping me. I explained it in cattle terms, so they’d understand how much work you did and how they ruined it. I’m sorry.”
“I was furious then hurt, but I figured I’d bring pre-cut pies. There will be one less, but I think it would have been fine. Then I went ups
tairs to make sure my dress was free of wrinkles. Did you see it? The dress?” Tears glistened in her eyes.
Heaving a sigh, Teagan gave a nod. “When I was looking for you, I found the dress. No one admitted to doing it. It would have looked right pretty on you, and I know you put a lot of time into making it.”
“And the bonnet,” she whispered as she sat down on the bed she’d made down there. “My world is being upended again, and it kills me to admit it, but I don’t feel strong enough to fight my way back again. It’s been one mistake after another, one bad decision after another, and I’m left with no one I can turn to. You’ve been very kind to me, and I thank you, but it’s not your job to look after me. Teagan, you should be married with children by now. Your life should be rich with the love of a good woman, and I’m surprised you’re not courting anyone. You have a good future ahead of you and you need to take a chance on it.”
He sat next to her and waited for her to move away, but she didn’t. “I’m doing what I want to do. I’m making the ranch one of the best in the state. I have all my brothers and I didn’t think we’d all come through the war. I want a wife and children one day, but I don’t think I’m ready to look just yet. Why are you looking for a widower to marry?”
Her face flashed over to crimson. “I thought it for the best. Sometimes people in dire need aren’t picky. Plus, I figured they already had children and I wouldn’t be expected to present them with more.”
“Richard hurt you, didn’t he?”
She turned her head away and wrung her hands. “It was me. I’m a failure in that aspect. Yes, he hurt me because I wasn’t teachable, he said. He didn’t hit me, but it hurt too… He stayed out all night and at first, I was relieved. My body needed time to heal. Then I heard about all the women at Bobbie’s Saloon, and it hurt in a different way, but I think it hurt my pride, mostly. Everyone knew, of course, and I was the newlywed who couldn’t keep her husband happy. At least they probably whispered that behind closed doors. I’m not acceptable anymore, so that is why I thought a widower might just need someone to tend to his children.”
Teagan gathered her into his arms and pulled her close until her head lay on his shoulder. She held her body stiff. Her bones were more prominent than they had been before the war, but holding her brought back memories. “What about love?”
“I’ll love the children.”
“I don’t think it’s the same thing.” He kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry for how things worked out for you.”
“Thank you.” She released a choked sob. “I thought I had everything I ever wanted. I loved fiercely and was loved in return. I couldn’t wait to start a family and be the best wife a woman could be.” She sighed. “Sometimes things just aren’t meant to be. That love haunts me and makes me wish for things I can’t have. I keep telling myself to count my blessings and to stop longing for the past. I tried to move on, but I made a mess of it all. I didn’t take enough time to get to know Richard. It never occurred to me to ask if he already had a wife. Once he’s out of my life for good, I’ll start again. We both know I’ll never be able to pay you, so I’ll find a widower. I won’t be your problem any longer. I can work as hard as anyone, and I know ranch work. I think I could be an asset to the right man. I just won’t be able to go to the barn raising and take a gander at the men who might need help. I know I’m no prize, and I don’t want you to feel sorry for me. We were very close once… but that was forever ago.”
It hurt to hear her talk. Didn’t she look in the mirror and see that she was still lovely? Didn’t she know that her goodness shone brightly within her? Mostly she should know that what they had wasn’t forever ago. Now wasn’t the time to tell her that, though. She’d think he only felt pity for her.
“Do you have another dress you could wear to the barn raising? If you’re going to take your time getting to know the widowers, you might as well see them all in one place to compare a bit.” He wanted to bite his tongue. But he needed to get her to trust that he’d never hurt her the way Richard had.
“I do.”
“Then come home with me, and tomorrow we’ll all go to the barn raising. I’m not leaving you here.” He expected her to stiffen, but she sighed instead.
“I suppose that would be for the best but how do I know I still have any dresses left? Your brothers don’t like me and at least one of them must hate me. I just wish…” She sounded deflated.
“What do you wish?”
“I wish that we could go back in time. I’m not sure if I could have done anything that would have made a difference, but… never mind. I was thinking if I told you the truth things might be different, but if I had you’d be dead. My father wasn’t kidding about killing you. You were my best friend, and I missed you so.”
“I missed you too. I was remembering when you named the cow Bennie and I told you it had to be a girl’s name. You didn’t talk to me for over a week. Let’s get back and we’ll check on your clothes. I know my brothers were upset about what happened. But I don’t know a one of them that would have cut up your dress. I’ll check and see if anyone saw anything.”
Chapter Six
Dolly drove the wagon, and all the Kavanagh men rode their horses. Gemma was nervous and so glad Dolly was accompanying her. According to Dolly, she’d never missed a barn raising. She said the dancing was the best part. She was friendly with most of the women, but since she worked for Kavanaghs a few looked down on her a bit.
“It wasn’t like this in the years before the war. A good housekeeper was worth her weight in gold. The wives all helped their husbands and families to make their ranches or farms prosper and they all knew how to be kind and generous to one another. I don’t know if it’s because the town has grown or if we have more women used to being waited on, but it has changed. I pay little attention to it all. I’m happy, and I’m doing what I love. I love all those boys as if they were mine. I’m proud of them most of the time, but that’s the way it is with boys.” She gave a hearty laugh. “Listen to me going on about boys. I know they’re grown men, but to me they will always be my boys.”
“They love you, Dolly. I can see it in their eyes when they look at you. They actually do as you ask. I’ve lived in this community most of my life and it’s true what you’ve said. People lived and let live. We all worshiped together every Sunday. All of us, sinners and those who pretended to not know sin.” Gemma laughed. “Many of the friends I had moved long ago it seems. I’m not sure but I felt a cooling of friendships when I was still in school. Now with the fiasco of my not-real marriage, I’ve felt a coldness close to freezing coming from the townspeople. Thank you for standing by me, Dolly.”
“No thanks needed. I happen to really like you. I bet pre-sliced pie becomes all the rage.” She gave Gemma a sidelong look and laughed. Dolly reached out and patted Gemma’s hand. “I’m upset about this whole business too, but I’m not buying the intruder theory. I expect you’ll be getting an apology soon.”
“I don’t want to cause any trouble.”
“You couldn’t be trouble if you tried. Well, you do have a certain someone in knots, but other than that…”
“Teagan will make sure I’m introduced to widowers today. I think it’s time for me to marry. I need the protection and stability being married will give me.”
“Hasn’t Teagan been protecting you and providing for you? Look all you want, but don’t forget to look at the man closest to you.” Dolly pulled back on the reins, and the wagon stopped.
Teagan was at Gemma’s side in an instant, waiting to help her down. After taking a deep breath she leaned into his welcoming embrace as she put her hands on his broad shoulders. His lingering hands warmed her and frightened her, both.
“You look fetching in blue. I’m glad you came.”
“I do need to get me a husband.”
He frowned. “What exactly is your reasoning for having to marry in such a hurry?”
“Teagan!” shouted one of his brothers. Then the rest of t
he Kavanaghs were all calling to him to get to work.
“Save a dance for me!” he told her.
She watched him walk away. He would break her heart, and she wasn’t sure she could do it again, to either of them. He’d see she wasn’t welcomed in the community and that would change his mind. There were young women gathered and staring openly at the Kavanagh brothers. He’d find a good woman soon.
She hurried to the back of the wagon and began to unload her pies. She drew many strange glances, but she didn’t care. They didn’t have to eat her pie. She had brought her sewing with her in case she was left on her own.
But Dolly was standing with a circle of women and waved at her to join them. She stood straight and tall as she made her way to them. Dolly made room for her and smiled. “This is my friend, Gemma.”
“Gemma what last name are you going by? The fake husband’s last name or your given name?”
Her heart jumped. It was starting already. “Thank you for asking, Jenny. I’m going by Maguire since Mr. Parks tricked me into marriage.”
“It wasn’t a marriage though. You were just living with that man. You never once guessed he had another wife? I would think one would have realized the truth.” Jenny tried to look innocent, but she was certainly flaming the fires.
Gemma put her hand over her heart. “To my everlasting shame, it never occurred to me. I should have waited a bit before getting married. I thought I knew him, but I didn’t know him at all. I was tired of soldiers coming onto my property and of being scared to death. I foolishly thought a husband would fix all that. Most of you know my mother had just died and my father never came home from the war. I scraped by for years to pay off the land and then for money for taxes, but I was proud of the fact that I was able to keep that land. Imagine my distress when I learned that Mr. Parks was a lying, thieving, man who not only brought me incredible shame but ran off after apparently mortgaging all I owned! Then someone emptied my home of all my possessions. They didn’t even leave me my clothes. I didn’t know what I would do, but Dolly and the Kavanaghs welcomed me onto their ranch. I’m not sure what to do next. It’s been an incredibly hard time.”
Teagan: Cowboy Strong: The Kabvanagh Brothers Book One Page 5