Ike just glared at his brother and snatched the bottle of whiskey off the table, storming out the front door. They heard the sound of hooves taking off in the distance, and Clara sighed in defeat.
“You never have to help them again,” James offered quietly, looking away. His expression was dejected and lost.
She laid a comforting hand on his back between his shoulder blades, unsure of what to say. With the new lawmen in town, someone will end up shot or at the end of a rope. They both knew it, and neither wanted to say it aloud.
“I did it because it was your brother and I couldn’t leave him bleeding like that, James. He was weaving in the saddle and ready to collapse. I’m pretty sure this was not his first choice in coming here.”
“Probably not, but I want to remove that option from his mind in case he is being hunted down. I don’t want him holed up here with you, or Jack, if a gunfight starts… Wait! Where is Jack?”
“My room.”
James walked over and quickly opened the door, swinging up the boy into his arms and smiling lightly as if nothing happened.
“Did you help Clara today?”
“Yes, sir. Wash da’ clothes!”
“Good boy.”
“I need to finish the laundry,” Clara admitted. “I wasn’t expecting any of this to happen.”
“Why don’t I take Jack with me and we’ll go wash up for dinner while you finish. Something smells divine and I don’t want to think about Ike or my brothers any more this evening. I would rather spend time with you both and enjoy the peace you bring here.
“I’d like that,” Clara said with a soft smile.
They sat quietly at the table, picking at their plates. The events of this afternoon hanging between them. She felt torn, knowing that James was upset and a bit guilty for having invited the troublemaker into their home. The minutes ticked by and Jack gave a massive yawn.
“I’ll clean up if you want to wash Jack’s hands and rock him for a bit,” Clara offered. That had become a habit in the last several days that James rocked the little boy and talked to him about his day. He regaled the little boy with stories of what it was like to be on horseback and promised to take him out hunting with him when Jack was older. Today’s story had a different tone to it, Clara realized as she listened to James speak.
“C’mon buddy, its story time,” James invited, sitting down in the rocker. Jack scrambled up and immediately grew quiet, making Clara smile at the rambunctious toddler. With her, Jack was into everything - but when James dealt with him, it was like the two had an unspoken bond.
Men! She thought with a grin.
“Sometimes when you grow up, you have to make hard decisions and decide what is best for you. Do you know what I mean?”
“Pie?”
“No. Not pie. Pie is delicious and an easy decision,” James chuckled lightly, making Clara’s heart flip-flop in her chest at the sound of his amusement. She was glad her secret was safe. She’d made him a pie for dessert to surprise him, and she wanted to show him the first block she’d completed on their quilt.
“I’m talking about hard things that you have to do as a grownup. Sometimes you make a choice knowing that either answer is wrong. Let’s use your choice of pie and what’s another sweet treat you like?”
“Cake!”
“Right,” James said with a smile, rest his cheek on the Jack’s head. His eyes closed, and Clara knew his heart was breaking. Turning back to the basin, she began washing the plates once again, listening.
“If you had to choose between pie or cake, could you? Or would you want both because you love them both dearly?”
Clara drew in her breath at his words. She turned ever so slowly and stared at the two of them, rocking slowly in the chair at the hearth. James had rested his head on the back of the rocking chair and closed his eyes, Jack had climbed up further on her husband, resting his cheek on James’ shoulder and popping his thumb into his mouth.
“How do you choose pie over cake? Or cake over pie? If you love them both, why can’t you have them in your life? What if you realize that the cake makes your tummy hurt, and the pie makes you truly happy beyond words…? Can you turn away the cake the next time you see it?” he asked aloud in a tight voice, a silent tear slipping down his cheek, unheeded.
Clara felt her own eyes burn with unshed tears as she listened to his thoughts spoken aloud, so full of emotion, yet broken down to the barest elements of simplicity for her younger brother.
James was such a good man deep down inside, and he needed to reach out to someone… anyone. The problems with his family had ran deep for a long time and had torn him asunder. It was like watching a festering wound finally being excised.
“I love pie more than anything in the world and the cake… the cake just makes me hurt to watch it do harm. I can't watch it anymore without it breaking my heart.”
“I wike pie too,” Jack said decisively before popping his thumb back into place in his mouth and nuzzling James' shoulder.
“Pie is the best, isn’t it buddy,” he admitted softly, blindly kissing Jack’s red hair. “Thank you for listening.”
“Wuv you,” Jack said in a sleepy voice.
“I love you too, buddy.”
Clara held a soapy rag to her mouth, ignoring the feeling of the dripping water sliding down her arms as she watched the two males she loved the most in the world, bonding together. James opened his eyes and looked at her, nodding silently as he smiled tentatively at her.
“I love you,” she whispered softly. James got to his feet immediately, walking her brother into the bedroom to lie him down for the night. He stepped back into the living area, pulling the door closed behind him.
Clara caught her breath at the intense look on his face only seconds before he crossed the room, pulling her into his arms, soapy rag and all. His lips claimed hers possessively, pouring every bit of feeling into his kiss. All the love, desperation, need, and even remorse he felt, it was like a dam of emotions giving way. James broke the kiss, leaving them both breathing heavy as they tried to draw air into their lungs at the intensity between them.
“Dear Lord, I love you so much,” he admitted with a shaky breath, his eyes searching hers. “I am so grateful to have you as my wife.”
“I love you more than I ever thought I could,” she confessed, reaching up and pulling his head back down towards her. His mouth crushed against hers for several moments until he let out a small laugh against her lips.
“The washrag is cold,” he whispered, grinning tenderly. She saw that her hand had clutched the wet rag against the back of his neck and she was pretty positive it had been dripping down his back.
“I made you a sugar pie for dessert.”
“I think I have the best dessert in my arms right now,” he breathed shakily, tucking her hair behind her ear. Clara shivered delicately at the feelings racing inside of her.
“I wanted to show you the block I made for our quilt.”
“Why don’t I show you where we’ll be using our wedding quilt instead,” he teased, releasing her to take her hand. Clara felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment and anticipation as she realized he was pulling her towards his room.
“I feel so blessed to have married you. Will you join me? Will you be my wife in all ways and let me love you for as long as I am able?”
James’ lips touched hers, once again, as he tugged her into his arms. She was accepting him as her husband, body and soul. A promise between them, an unspoken bond of trust and love, blossoming between the two of them that would last a lifetime.
“Yes,” she agreed.
Epilogue
Two months later.
“Jack! Run and fetch James so we can have dinner. He’s just outside hammering up a few boards on the new addition,” she ordered, trying to hide her secretive smile. Today was Jack’s birthday, and she had made a sugar pie as a treat. She had originally intended to make a small cake, but with having to wait for supplies, the last two t
rips into town had not resulted in being able to find cocoa powder. Instead, she went with what she had—something everyone had enjoyed on that fateful day that was the last time they’d see James’ brother, Ike.
A simple sugar pie.
It was her grandmother’s recipe and something her mother used to make on special occasions. She remembered as a girl being able to crumble all the brown sugar with her fingers, mixing it with the heavy cream into a mushy mess. Jack had enjoyed playing with the mixture as well this morning and the sweet smell filled the house with its sweet scent. She loved how the sugar would bubble and brown along the top, giving it a crispy yet creamy texture. There was no reason at all that they couldn’t celebrate Jack’s birthday with pie instead of cake.
“Oh mercy,” James said grinning, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes in happiness. Her mother had always said the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, and Clara realized it had been one hundred percent true! His stomach and his sweet tooth, she amended mentally with a tender smile.
“I thought we’d have a little something nice for someone’s birthday,” Clara admitted and looked around innocently. “Now, who’s birthday could it be?”
“Jack’s!” the little boy cried, jumping up and down happily.
“So it is, sweet one! So it is!” she agreed, picking him up and kissing him on the cheek. “But we will have dinner together as a family before we dive into the special treat you made today.”
“Jack made pie!”
Laughing, she smiled tenderly at James, silently remembering the last time the pie she’d made had gone untouched. The fire in his eyes told her he was thinking the same thing.
“I love you,” he said boldly, holding her gaze.
“Wuv you, James,” Jack said happily, squirming, and dancing in his chair, unaware that James had been addressing her. James smiled and ruffled the ruddy curls on Jack’s head before kissing Clara on the cheek as she set the table.
“We’ve got so much to celebrate, my little loves,” Clara said tenderly, holding the hot skillet with the corner of her apron as she served up their meal quickly before setting the pan down.
“Jack’s birthday…?” James questioned aloud, handing the boy a package tied up in twine and brown paper. Clara remained quiet due to this unexpected kindness from James. She was touched he’d gotten the little boy a gift. As the paper gave way, she saw the little carved horse emerge in his chubby hands as he held it aloft happily.
“Horsey!”
“Yes sir,” James said happily. “Every boy should have a pretend pony before they get a real one when they are older.”
“James,” she warned lightly, seeing the excitement in Jack’s face. He would be talking about nothing but ponies, cattle, and cowboys for hours on end tonight. He would be a terror to put down to bed once he had a slice of the sugary pie too.
“Let him enjoy his day, sweetheart,” James said congenially, smiling at her. “What else are we celebrating?”
“I just think we should celebrate the need for the extra room to get finished, probably sooner rather than later,” Clara whispered, laying her hand on her waist as she stared knowingly at her husband.
James shot to his feet. He knocked the bench he was sitting on backwards in his excitement. Family meant everything to him and now had been blessed with the chance to have one of their own. He raced to her side, placing his hand tenderly over hers where it rested.
“You mean…”
“Oh yes,” she whispered happily, feeling tears burn at her eyes as she smiled and nodded. “We are going to have a baby.”
A recipe for you…
A Simple Sugar Pie
· One homemade pie crust
· 1 cup of brown sugar
· 1 tablespoon of flour
· nearly a cup of heavy cream
Mix well the well sugar and flour in the prepared pie crust. Add the cream all over the top and mix it with a spoon until all clumps of sugar are gone. Cook until bubbling and brown for an hour at 325 degrees.
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About the Author
Ginny Sterling is a Texas transplant living in Kentucky. She spends her free time (Ha!) writing, quilting, and spending time with her husband and two children. Ginny can be reached on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or via email at [email protected]
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