by Lois Richer
“It’s a wonderful game,” Grady contradicted, tugging her close. “I had a wonderful time with your family. But some moments were more memorable than others.” He pulled her head down and kissed her softly. “Thank you.”
“For what?” She stared at him curiously.
“For helping me feel like one of the family. I like your sisters and their husbands, Margaret Mary.” His arms rested around her waist. “They’re real people.”
“That was evident by the amount of food they consumed. That huge bowl of potato salad Mom brought is completely gone. Ditto Matt’s steaks and Ron’s burgers.”
“Did Steve really make that dessert?” Grady watched her nod. “It’s hard to believe a man with that many degrees can do all that stuff. There’s obviously more to a radiologist than meets the eye.”
Maggie frowned severely. “That joke is growing very old,” she warned him. “Find something new.”
“This is new.” He tugged her a little closer. “I can’t remember the last time I had the pleasure of kissing you in private.” He did it again just to make sure he hadn’t lost the knack.
“And I guess that’s going to have to last you for a while,” she whispered, pulling away. “Here come the troops again.”
Grady tugged on his shirt just as the door flew open and Katy popped her bright head in. “Aren’t you and Grady ever coming out, Mom? The fire’s just going good.” She spied the bag of marshmallows on the table and snatched them up before racing away. “Hurry!”
“Maggie?” Grady watched as the woman he loved rinsed her hands. He dried them carefully and then slipped the ring he’d found days ago onto her finger. “Please marry me? Soon?”
She stared at the wide gold band with its brilliantly glittering sapphire and the ring of diamonds that surrounded it. As he watched, tears formed at the corners of her eyes.
“Oh, Grady,” she whispered, throwing her arms around his neck. “Why did you have to pick today?”
“Because it’s been such a wonderful day.” He smiled, wiping away her tears. “And because I couldn’t carry that around in my shirt pocket any more. I love you, beautiful Maggie. I want to marry you. I bought the ring because it reminds me of your eyes.” He had a sudden thought. “If you want something else, we can always exchange it.” She started crying harder and sudden doubt assailed him. “Maggie?”
“I will marry you, Grady. Soon,” she blubbered. He handed her a tissue and waited till she’d mopped up her face. “I love you, too. But just for tonight, could this be our secret? Just between you and me?”
It wasn’t what he wanted to hear, Grady admitted. He wanted her to be as pleased as he was. To shout it so the whole world could hear. But she hadn’t said no. Maggie McCarthy had said she wanted to marry him and that was what he wanted most of all, wasn’t it?
“Sweetheart,” he whispered, holding her tenderly. “We can do anything you want. I love you, and no matter what, I’ll always be here. Count on that. Okay?” She nodded and he kissed her one last time before enfolding her left hand in his and walking back out to her family.
As they sat far into the night, singing old-fashioned songs around the campfire and toasting marshmallows golden brown, Grady held on to Maggie’s hand and thought how lucky he was to be included in this big, boisterous family. The older kids tented in the front yard. The younger ones lay fast asleep in their parents’ arms.
It was so exactly what he’d dreamed of for so long, he couldn’t help but whisper a prayer of thanks. And when Matt led out in the doxology, Grady willingly sang along.
“God from whom all blessings flow,” Herman repeated, snuggling up against his wife. “We have a caring God, don’t we, my dear.”
Kayleen pressed her head against her husband’s shoulder and sighed. “Too big, too kind, too wonderful to understand,” she agreed happily and then got to her feet as a baby cried out, shattering the solitude. “And I think it’s time we went home.” She pressed a kiss against Maggie’s cheek and hugged Grady. “Thank you, my dears. We had a wonderful time.”
Grady stood and watched everyone leave, holding Maggie protectively at his side. He waited while Katy and Keeley bid them good-night and went quietly up to bed. He even waited while Maggie fussed with the toys left lying around and dishes not yet put away. Grady stifled the small voice that asked why she hadn’t told her parents or shown anyone the ring and concentrated on the here and now.
He waited as long as he could and then he grabbed her hand and pulled her back to the fire pit, sinking down onto the blanket that still lay there. He leaned back against the chair and pulled Maggie into the circle of his arms, sighing deeply when she settled against him.
“What was that for?”
“That was a sigh of pure contentment,” he told her seriously. “And when things get rough and you get mad at me and the girls won’t listen, I’m going to remember this perfect evening when you and I got officially engaged. I’m going to think about how we all sat around the fire together and sang songs and I’m going to remember the way you kissed me good-night.”
“I didn’t kiss you good-night,” she replied, frowning, tilting her head to one side to stare at him.
“I know.” He winked at her, watching the glint of awareness light her beautiful eyes from inside. “But I have very high hopes that you will soon. Please?”
He would never tire of that lilting laugh, Grady told himself as she turned and wrapped her arms around him. Not ever.
Chapter Twelve
“Maggie, my love, that is the sweetest smell I’ve inhaled in years. Fresh apple pie!” Maggie watched as Grady closed his eyes and sniffed while curving one arm around her waist. “I can wait just long enough for you to kiss me.”
Maggie complied and saw his eyes widen as he saw the ring he’d given her days ago, now strung on a chain around her neck. She tucked it back into the neckline of her blouse and flushed.
“I don’t want to damage it by getting it full of flour and lard or ruin it when I do work outside,” she told him, turning away to cut a piece of pie. When he didn’t speak, she finally admitted the truth. “And I still don’t want to tell anyone. Not yet.”
“Waiting for a better offer?” he teased, but his laugh didn’t ring quite true.
“No, that’s not it,” she told him seriously. She watched as he took the first bite and then poured two cups of coffee before sitting down in the chair across from him. She added two dollops of cream, which she knew he liked, and then pushed the mug across toward him. “I just want a little time to think everything through, Grady. Is that so wrong of me?”
“No, of course not,” he mumbled. “It’s good to be sure. I guess I just assumed that you were sure about us.”
“I’m sure about loving you.” She fiddled with her cup. “It’s the rest of it that bothers me. I guess I just have to deal with this in my own way, Grady. Please don’t be mad.”
“I’m not mad.” He grinned. “I’m the happiest man on this side of the planet. I’ve got what I always wanted.”
“What’s that?”
“Three gorgeous women. And a slice of the most delicious pie I’ve ever eaten. Life is good.” He leaned back and patted his washboard-flat stomach.
“You’re good for my ego.” Maggie laughed. “But ‘gorgeous’? I’m sure!” She touched the scarf that held her hair off her face and thrust out her stained fingers. “I’ve been fiddling with that auger all morning.”
Grady winced and dropped his dark head into his hands in dismay. “Maggie, I asked you to please leave the machinery to me. I’ll get to it.”
“If we’re going to start swathing this week, it needs to be done,” she reminded him. “I want to at least start out with no breakdowns.” He muttered something about her being the cause of the breakdowns, and Maggie glared at him. “I heard that.”
“I’m sorry.” Grady brushed a kiss across the top of her head in consolation as he took his dishes to the sink. “I’m going to do a round on that barle
y field now. I think it’s about time.”
“But what about the winter wheat in the south quarter? It should be ready, shouldn’t it?”
“Not quite. Besides, I’d like to take it off straight if I can. This crazy weather we’ve been having isn’t reliable enough to leave anything in the swath for very long.” He walked to the door and stopped to look at the pail of crab apples on the counter. “What are you doing with those?”
“Oh, jelly, I suppose, though I don’t know why. We’ll never eat all the stuff I’ve canned and frozen this year. Just look at this.” Maggie opened the pantry doors for him to see row upon row of preserves, jams, jellies and pickles lining the shelves. “That’s a twenty-six-cubic-foot freezer over there and it’s stuffed, too.”
“I happen to love crab apple jelly, just about as much as I love you. Besides, now you’ll be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with a full heart.” He grinned, tugging his gloves out of his pocket.
“But I haven’t even started on the pumpkins yet! What am I going to do with it all?” Maggie closed the pantry doors automatically as she glanced out at the yellowish-turning-orange vegetables that dotted the garden. “I could make a fortune at the farmer’s market selling only pumpkins!”
“I don’t think so. Everyone around here seems to have lots. I guess you’ll just have to make a whole bunch of pumpkin pies,” he teased, rolling his eyes. “What a hardship! But I’ll face it like a man.”
“Oh, get out of here!” She tossed an oven mitt at him, unable to stop the burst of laughter at his offended look. He advanced menacingly toward her and Maggie retreated. “No, don’t you dare!”
But it seemed Grady O’Toole did dare and within minutes had her doubled over in laughter as his fingers tickled her mercilessly.
“Truce. Truce!” Slipping beyond his reach, Maggie wiped the tears off her cheeks and frowned. “How did you know about that particular weakness of mine, pray tell?”
“I have my sources,” he whispered, advancing close enough to brush his lips against her ear. “Two short but very reliable and informative sources. No, don’t put that…abomination over this gorgeous hair again. It should be illegal to cover such beauty.”
Pleased that he found her attractive, Maggie tucked the scarf into her pocket. “Well, I have to do something with it,” she muttered, blushing. “It’s getting so shaggy.”
“I like your hair long,” Grady murmured, running his fingers through it. “It’s beautiful. And so are you.” He kissed her then. “Enough of this mushy stuff!” His eyes glittered as he set her gently away from him. “I’ve got to get to work. Are you going to be around?”
“Yes, I’m going to start on a new project. Why?” She hated to pull her hands away from his shoulders. She wanted to be held, safe and secure in that gentle embrace, just a little bit longer. Just long enough to shut out the worries that plagued her late at night when she was all alone and couldn’t rush off to another job.
“Because I might need you to bring the truck over. If that barley’s ready, I’ll keep going.” He waited till she nodded, then stepped back and picked up the gloves he’d dropped at her feet. “I love you, Maggie.” With a peck on her nose, he was gone.
“I love you, too,” she murmured. But Grady had left and the words hung in the silence of the kitchen. “There’s no point in fussing about things,” she reminded herself sternly. “The Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Now relax and do your part.”
Maggie carried her coffee into her workroom and set about piecing together her Thanksgiving quilt. She made one every year and then gave it to the church ladies for the silent auction they held to raise Christmas funds for missionaries.
A pumpkin motif seemed appropriate and Maggie set to work planning the pattern, unaware of time until the door slammed open and Katy’s voice echoed through the house. “I’m home.”
“I can see that. How was school?” They talked for several moments before Maggie realized that her older daughter had not come in. “Where’s Keeley?”
“Um, well, you see, that is…” Katy stumbled over the words, her cheeks flushed, eyes downcast. “Keeley sort of had to stay after school.”
“Keeley did?” Maggie stared. “Why?”
“I think she should tell you, Mom. I don’t want to be a tattletale.” Katy walked regally from the room, head held high.
“Since when?” Maggie called, but Katy ignored her, trudging up the stairs with solemn dignity. The telephone pealed out just then, preventing any further conversation.
“Mrs. McCarthy, this is Janice Fortescue. I thought I’d let you know that I’m keeping Keeley after school today.” Maggie listened as the teacher spoke and felt the knot of tension in her shoulders wind ever tighter.
“No, Janice. That’s perfectly fine. If you feel she deserves to then I support you wholeheartedly. I’ll pick her up in half an hour? Thank you.” Maggie hung up the phone automatically. “Katy McCarthy, you get down here right this minute!”
But Katy, it seemed, had snuck out the back door and was nowhere to be found. Maggie scrubbed her hands in the sink, soapy water flying everywhere as she mumbled dire predictions the entire time.
“Maggie?” The radio blared from the kitchen. “Are you there?”
“Yes, I’m here but not for long.” Maggie forced herself to speak calmly and clearly. “I’m on my way into town to get Keeley. She had to stay after school.”
“Keeley did? Why?” Grady’s voice reflected her surprise.
“I don’t know, Grady. But I intend to find out. By the way, if you see Katy around, grab her by the seat of her pants and hang on to her. I intend to have a heart-to-heart talk with both of them when I get back. Bye.” She snapped the button down and then pressed it again, anxiety rising. “By the way, how is the barley?”
“Ready to go. That’s why I was calling. But don’t worry, Buster’s here. I’ll get him to drive over and bring the truck. I’m nearly full now. See you later.”
“Yes, all right. I’ll bring supper out at six. Bye.”
“Maggie?”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know how to say this other than to say, don’t jump to conclusions, okay? Let her tell it in her own way.”
“Grady, I’m the girls’ mother! I’ve had ten years of practicing. I think I know how to deal with this.” Upset that he would question her judgment put a harsh tone on her words.
“I know you can. Just calm down, okay? Nothing can be that terrible.” When she didn’t answer, he sighed heavily. “Bye, love.”
“Goodbye.” Maggie grabbed her purse and stormed out of the house. “As if I don’t know how to handle my own children,” she sputtered. “Who does he think he is?”
A tiny inner voice chided her for blaming Grady when all he was trying to do was help. He loved the girls and cared deeply for them. He loved her, too, the voice reminded Maggie.
Then he should trust me to do the right thing. The words rolled round and round inside her head, and suddenly Maggie realized that the same thing applied to her position with God. She was always telling Him what to do and how to do it, when she could and ought to be trusting Him to do the right thing.
“Sorry, Lord,” she murmured, pulling into the school yard. “I’ve goofed again.”
As she walked up the stairs and into the old, musty-smelling building, Maggie ordered herself to be calm and rational. The sight of her daughter, seated at the front of the room, head down as she read from a thick heavy book almost shook that determination, but Maggie held on. Barely.
“Miss Fortescue, Keeley.” Maggie stood in the doorway. “What seems to be the problem?”
“I didn’t mean to hurt her, Mom, really I didn’t!” Keeley dashed into her mother’s arms, sobbing as if her heart was broken.
“Hurt who? Keeley, what is the matter?” Maggie wrapped her arms around her daughter and held her tight, amazed to find the little body shaking.
“Keeley slapped Ginny Patterson. Ginny fell backward a
nd hit her head on the cement curb surrounding the playground. I’m afraid she had to have some stitches.”
“Keeley?” Maggie gaped at the daughter who had always been so quiet and restrained in her emotions. “Will you tell me what happened?”
“I—I s-s-slapped her.” Keeley hiccuped and sniffled. “And I’m glad!”
“Maybe you are,” Maggie muttered angrily. “But regardless of your feelings in the matter, we do not go around slapping people. What happened?” When Keeley didn’t speak, Maggie glanced at the teacher.
“I’m sorry,” Janice said, shrugging her shoulders. “You know as much as I do. Keeley won’t say anymore.”
“Yes, she will,” Maggie muttered, pressing her daughter down in a nearby chair. “And right now, Keeley McCarthy. I want an answer.”
“Ginny’s mean and nasty,” Keeley told them indignantly. “She steals and she lies!”
“That may well be,” Maggie replied, and sat down. “But we’re not going to go around decking every person we don’t happen to personally like, are we?” She watched for the negative shake of Keeley’s blond head. “Now what, exactly, did Ginny steal, and what lies did she tell?”
Maggie returned her daughter’s stare with steely-eyed determination, holding her features in her best mother-the-discipliner look. “Well?”
“She said I was always gonna be an orphan, that nobody would ever want Katy and me for a part of their family.” Keeley sniffed mournfully.
“But you know that isn’t true. You and Katy and I are family. We have each other. You’re not an orphan.” Maggie watched the blond head bend. “What else?”
“Well…” Keeley stalled for time.
“Keeley, I was very busy when Miss Fortescue called. But I took the time to come here because I’m concerned with the way you’ve been acting. You know better than that. Now, what else?”