by Lilah Rivers
Her eyes betrayed her, but Tabitha didn’t see it. David realized that Clementine was in grave danger and that Tabitha truly believed that he loved her.
“Oh, right. Of course,” he said.
Tabitha looked at him with dreamy eyes. As if she thought he hung the stars himself.
“Tabitha, why would you think that this is the way to handle it? Do you really believe that you have to hurt Miss Clementine in order to be with me?” he asked.
The last thing David wanted to do was lie to Tabitha, so he did his best to tread carefully with his words. He would make no promises or commitments, no false professions. But that could not outright tell her that he believed her to be crazy or he would be putting Clementine at risk.
Clementine had worded her statement much the same. Not a lie, but still playing into Tabitha’s mentality that there was something between herself and David. It was a decent enough strategy until they could come up with something else.
“David, this is what is best for us. I can see that your heart is moving towards her and I can’t allow that to happen; surely you understand,” Tabitha said.
“Tabitha, no matter what you think we have, you cannot hurt someone for it. In fact, if you do hurt Miss Clementine, you can be assured that I will have nothing to do with you,” David said, knowing that part at least was the honest truth.
Tabitha frowned, as if she was trapped.
“You care more for her life than our love?” Tabitha asked.
“I care about right and wrong. If you hurt her, that is wrong. I cannot allow it and you may rest assured that I will never love you if you do anything to put Miss Clementine in harm’s way,” David said.
Tabitha looked between the two of them and he wondered what could have driven her to this. What had happened in her life that had led to this moment?
“I just don’t think she fits in our plan,” Tabitha said, her voice confused.
David dismounted, thinking that Tabitha was calm enough not to attack him or Clementine at the moment and it was safe for him to not be on the horse.
“Tabitha, there are a lot of things that don’t fit together, but sometimes you might be surprised when things do come together,” he said.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
David paused, trying to consider an analogy.
“Have you ever eaten honey-baked apples?” he asked.
“Yes, of course,” Tabitha replied.
Clementine’s face showed the faintest hint of a smile.
“It’s one of my favorite things to eat,” David said. “Last week, someone at the ranch heard about that and made them for dessert.”
David tried not to look at Clementine, afraid that Tabitha would make the connection that he was talking about her.
“You see, this person was trying to do something really nice for me. So they made the apples. But when I saw them, I was pretty alarmed. Growing up, I only ever had honey-baked apples with those two ingredients. Just an apple, cut in half and drizzled in honey, and then baked. Nothing more,” he said.
“That is exactly how I have had them,” Tabitha said.
“Well, this person has eaten them differently. Can you imagine that they have always eaten them with orange squeezed over the top? So there’s a bit of citrus flavor in there? How strange!” he exclaimed.
“Why would they do that? That would ruin it,” Tabitha said, as if truly angered.
“Exactly! So you can imagine my surprise when I took a bite and found that it was actually quite delicious,” David said, much to Tabitha’s surprise.
Clementine bit her lip to keep from smiling and he had to hold his gaze on Tabitha rather than giving the woman he loved even a moments’ glance.
“I can’t imagine that,” Tabitha said.
“What I mean to say is that sometimes, and forgive the analogy, but sometimes we think that a particular ingredient won’t be good for us. But maybe, just maybe, we will be surprised,” he said.
“You mean her?” Tabitha asked.
“Exactly. I think, despite appearances, Miss Clementine might be good for the town,” he said, as cautiously as possible.
Tabitha winced.
“Now, as much as I would like for the two of you to be friends, I understand if that’s not your bag,” he said. “But I would really appreciate it if you would leave her alone so that you don’t get into any trouble.”
Tabitha appeared to be considering his proposal, but David was still nervous that she might turn around and express that she didn’t rightly care what he thought.
“I—I just don’t know what to do,” Tabitha said.
“Then let me help you,” he offered.
“But you just want me to leave her alone,” Tabitha said.
“I do. Because I think it’s best for us all if you do. Tabitha, I don’t want to get angry at you, but I will be very upset if you hurt Miss Clementine,” he said.
“I know, but don’t you think we should protect ourselves?” Tabitha asked.
“We don’t need any protection, Tabitha,” David said. “If anything, what I felt for you before has only grown stronger.”
It was true. He had not trusted her before. He had been uncomfortable around her before. And all of that had grown stronger.
Of course, David didn’t mind Tabitha thinking his feelings were of a very different nature. He was hardly going to correct her.
He was tempted to ask her about the barn fire, to learn if she really had been the one to cause that or if it had been an accident after all. Seeing her now, standing by Clementine, he felt certain.
It had been a warning. A warning or maybe even a hope that something might happen to Clementine in the fire. Perhaps Tabitha had known that Clementine would come and try to help.
He wondered what her intentions had been, if it had indeed been her that had done it. And yet, now was certainly not the right time to go and ask. Now was the time that he had to be very clever.
For a very long moment, they all remained still. David didn’t know what was going to happen, but he knew that this was a moment in which Tabitha would either calm down or make a decision that would ruin all their lives.
Chapter 27
Clementine observed David as he was so patient and calm with Tabitha. She was deeply impressed by his behavior and how he tried to sooth the woman without claiming to love her or have any feelings at all.
He spoke with so much compassion; enough that Clementine realized that it was not entirely an act. He really did care about Tabitha and her well-being. Although it was nothing even remotely like love, he did feel for her with some sort of hope that she would be all right.
It was comforting to watch him with Tabitha, and Clementine felt as though there might be peace yet to come. She hoped as much.
“Tabitha,” David began, with a great deal of caution.
Tabitha looked at him with curiosity and a dangerous love in her eyes. Clementine silently observed, waiting still for what might take place and what her fate would be.
“Tabitha, it appears that you do not trust men very well. What is it about me that you love and why is it that you are so frightened to lose me?” he asked her outright.
Tabitha’s shoulders sagged and she bit her lip.
“I love you because you make me happier than anyone ever has. Happier than Hank did for sure. I love you more than I loved him. I even love you more than I ever loved my husband,” she said.
Clementine’s mouth dropped open at the shocking revelation.
Tabitha was married? She had a husband out there somewhere? Had he passed away? Why wasn’t she with him?
For a moment, Clementine even questioned if it was reality. After all, Tabitha appeared to struggle to know what was real and what was not. What if she had made the whole thing up or had imagined him? She was desperate to know the truth.
But David spoke up in his calm way. He still had the eyes of compassion and appeared very peaceful.
“I didn’t know t
hat you were married,” he said with empathy.
Tabitha looked off into the distance, her eyes sad and forlorn.
“Well, I guess I’m not anymore. I mean, maybe I am, but it doesn’t mean anything,” she said.
“What do you mean by that?” David asked.
Tabitha turned her eyes back to him and Clementine saw that she was no longer the crazy woman holding her hostage, but rather a wounded lady in love.
“I mean that he has not honored our marriage commitment. He ran off with another woman. I don’t know where he is or if he is even still alive,” she said, her entire posture shifting to defeat.
David cautiously, tenderly, placed a hand upon one of her crossed arms.
“That must have been very painful for you,” he said, still maintaining a distance from her.
“It was. I moved to his town after my parents had arranged for us to marry. He had asked them to marry me. I didn’t even like him at first, but he tried really hard and then my mother and father convinced me to marry him. After that…I fell in love,” she said, as if it was a burdensome confession.
“And then he betrayed you?” David asked.
Clementine watched as Tabitha nodded, tears filling her eyes.
It was definitely true. With Tabitha’s imagined love affairs, she was harsh and determined. This was a broken heart. This was a woman who had accepted her abandonment.
Tabitha was still hurting from the man that had convinced her to love him before he left her behind. Clementine felt terrible for her and understood now that it had been this trauma that had caused her to cling to any man with whom she deemed the possibility of a romance.
“So he left you behind to pick up the pieces? And now you want to find a man who will not do the same?” David asked.
She nodded again.
Finally, Clementine was beginning to feel safe. David was not only distracting Tabitha, but he was helping her to come to terms with the thing that had hurt her so badly.
“Tabitha, I am dreadfully sorry to hear how he treated you. I really am. You know, even with the way that he behaved, it still doesn’t make it right to come after Miss Clementine. Why don’t we take a nice walk and talk about it some more?” David offered.
Tabitha took a step forward in acknowledgment that she would concede to the suggestion. David didn’t look at Clementine, but signaled from behind his back for her to follow them with the horse’s reins in her hand, quietly tossing her his pocket knife.
She quietly cut the rope and followed just behind. Tabitha did not seem to mind, her thoughts now stuck with the man that she had loved. It was as though she had changed completely, more intent on baring her soul than on hurting Clementine.
David continued to talk to Tabitha and they walked rather slowly as the sun set behind them. It was getting very dark, but at least they had learned of the danger and were now with it, together.
“Can I ask you, Tabitha, about the barn?” David then mentioned.
Clementine was nervous. Tabitha had been sad and peaceful while talking about her husband, but what if this only made her upset again?
“I’m sorry about that,” Tabitha apologized. “I was just really angry when I saw you with…with her,” Tabitha added with a glance over her shoulder at Clementine.
“I understand,” David said.
“I figured it might get your attention. And maybe I had hoped that she would be scared enough to leave,” Tabitha said.
“But someone could have gotten hurt,” David said. “Did you want Miss Clementine to get hurt?”
Tabitha paused, as if considering.
“I didn’t want to hurt anyone. But if she did get hurt, it wouldn’t have been my fault. At least then it would have been an accident in the fire,” she said.
It was not the comforting denial that Clementine had hoped for. So Tabitha really would have been perfectly fine with it if she had died as a result of the flames?
Clementine saw David’s jaw tense up. They both realized that things were not yet totally at peace and that Tabitha still definitely needed to be somewhere that she couldn’t hurt anybody.
“Well, I am glad that it did not come to that,” David said.
Clementine saw how steadily he was trying to breathe and hoped that whatever his plan was, they would be safe. She could see that he was walking towards town, but imagined that it was just so that they would be in public and in view of others in case Tabitha grew violent.
“So, Tabitha, please tell me more about your thoughts and feelings,” David said, as if welcoming her to continue on a topic that was going to make her happier.
“Well, I think we should publicly begin our courtship very soon,” she said.
“Tabitha, you have made me very sad by being so mean to Miss Clementine. I am not sure if a courtship is a good idea,” he said, as if it was her recent behavior that made him wonder.
Clementine noticed that he was speaking to Tabitha with the sort of tone that one might use with a child. He was very quiet and cautious.
They were just entering town when Clementine started to realize what exactly David was planning to do and she could not help but grin at how brilliant it was. Tabitha was entirely distracted, still talking about her dreams of marrying David and how she didn’t think her marriage still counted for anything since her husband had betrayed her.
As they continued to walk, a few other people in town milled about, turning and looking at the three of them with curiosity.
But, finally, they reached their destination. Finally, David stopped in his tracks.
“What is it?” Tabitha asked.
He glanced at Clementine, a slight look to tell her what he needed her to do, and she immediately rushed inside the Sheriff’s station.
“Sheriff!” she called.
She could hear Tabitha outside, squawking about being betrayed and she heard David telling her not to run. It sounded like a commotion, as if other people in town were coming to David’s aid and not letting Tabitha run off.
“What is it? What’s going on?” the Sheriff asked.
“It’s Tabitha. Hurry! She’s outside,” Clementine said, urging him to follow her.
The sheriff came out behind her and Clementine saw that David had Tabitha surrounded with other townsfolk, all wondering what was going on.
“Mr. Brown?” the Sheriff asked. “What’s all this about?”
“Sheriff, Miss Tabitha here was the one that set Mrs. Roberta’s barn ablaze. I just caught her threatening Miss Clementine on the path to the ranch. She was ready to turn violent if things got to that point,” David said.
“You tricked me!” Tabitha screamed.
“Calm down, Tabitha. We are just trying to help you,” David said.
Some of the crowd around them gasped and Clementine saw Reverend St. Claire among them.
“Tabitha?” he questioned, apparently realizing that she was the danger that they had all been afraid of, after all.