“Why are you so all-fired anxious for us to get together? We’ve only been here three weeks.”
“On account of you’ve been without too long. Arthur needs a mother and you need a wife. Tell me I’m wrong.”
That, he couldn’t do.
* * *
After her wild Saturday, and all the teasing on Sunday, Moriah was plenty ready to be back in the classroom on Monday. She looked at the students, sitting in three rows at the desks the school board had bought last year. To her, they were like seeds, hungry for water and nutrients, from which would grow a sturdy tree. Learning was the water and love was the nutrient. A good schoolteacher provided both, for her students were the most important thing in her life.
This, she had never questioned, but now she saw Tex’s features in Arthur, and recognized the wanderlust he described in Jeff.
“Miss Jensen,” little Lori Nafsinger said, “are we going to have a lesson? Or is this study time?”
Moriah blinked and struggled to bring her thoughts back to her job instead of Tex, who invaded her concentration at the most inconvenient times.
“We’re reading a story today and after we’re done, we’ll discuss it. Pay attention for tomorrow you’ll be writing an essay, front and back, on the story—its plot, characters, moral, and how the moral applies to you. Each student will read the number of paragraphs of your grade, so if you’re in third grade, you’ll read three paragraphs.”
Arthur raised his hand and when she called on him, he said, “But Miss Jensen, I can’t read these big words yet.”
“I’ll help you sound them out. You’re quite good at your sounds so I’m sure you can read a paragraph.”
He managed to get through the first paragraph with quite a bit of help, although he surprised her by pronouncing all the names correctly.
“My pa reads these stories to me.”
“He does?”
“Uh huh. He says that fairytales are lessons and that I can learn how to be a real man from them.”
Somehow Tex’s evaluation of the stories didn’t surprise her, but still, Arthur’s statement did shock her a bit, for she didn’t think he’d say it in class.
“Your father is correct. However, life isn’t like a fairytale, and if we don’t work hard and make the right decisions, we won’t have a happy ending. That’s why we should always take at least two looks at every opportunity that arises.”
“But sometimes you make the right decision and it turns out bad in the end. Like my mama. I don’t remember her but Grandma said she was pretty. Pa married her and he was sad when she died.”
“So fairytales don’t always work out. I’m sure we can all cite an example.”
“But Pa said we can be happy anyway, just him and me. And we are. And now we have Wilbur and you and Mrs. Jensen, plus Pa’s taming a horse for me, so we get a happy ending after all.”
She couldn’t think of a single thing to say, but the children needed to know that life could be rocky. How to go about that without spoiling their dreams, she didn’t know.
“All right, class, get out your slates. We’ll do our arithmetic before the bell rings.”
Chapter 16
Moriah wrote the first arithmetic problem on the board. Just as she turned toward the class, the girls screamed and either ran or jumped on top of their desks. The boys hollered and those near the door scrambled out. Then she saw what all the commotion was about.
A snake had slithered into the room. She couldn’t tell if it was a king or a rattler, but her heart thumped too loud for her to even think.
Wilbur started honking just outside the door, which instigated Prince’s frantic barking. Arthur was the closest to the snake but he just sat there and stared.
“Arthur, jump up on your desk. Now!” When he didn’t move, she yelled. “Arthur! On your desk!”
“If I move, it might come after me,” the boy said in a shaky voice.
The snake slithered closer to Arthur. Moriah grabbed her yardstick. Maybe she could poke the snake and distract it. She inched closer, her stomach roiling and her heart in her throat, for she was scared to death of slithery creatures, most especially snakes.
The McWhirter girls sobbed, Lori squeaked and curled up in a ball on her desk. Jeff and Forrest had already left. Unfortunately, the door creaked shut instead of staying open like it usually did.
Moriah knew if she poked the snake, it might coil and strike. Or it could go near one of the other children. She doubted if she could dispatch it. Her one recourse would be to somehow capture it—if not with a box, then with her body. She might die but Arthur would live—and he had something to live for. Moriah had already made a hash of her life.
“I wish my pa was here,” Arthur whimpered. “He always saves me just like in the stories.”
Moriah wished Tex were here, too. “He’s working on your new house.” She wanted to keep Arthur distracted but she kept a careful eye on the snake, too. “He’s making the last window.”
“I won’t need no window if that snake bites me.” A tear trailed down his chubby cheek. “It won’t because my pa won’t let it, but I wish he’d hurry.”
“Sometimes we have to take care of things ourselves.” She made up her mind—the best thing to do would be to try to get the snake to move toward the front of the schoolroom. Closer to her. Farther from the children.
She inched forward, bent slightly, and whapped the snake on the side of his head. He hissed at her, and with all the resolve she could muster on her shaky legs, she left the yardstick there and poked him more, hoping the snake would attack it and slither toward her.
The good news was that it did.
The bad news was that it did.
She hopped onto her chair. All the honking, barking, screaming, and crying grew faint in the back of her mind as she focused on the lethal reptile. He picked a poor place to visit.
“Arthur, jump up on your desk now!”
The snake’s head darted this way and that, then toward her. It crawled her direction, within striking distance.
Moriah fervently hoped her boots, petticoats, and long skirts would provide at least a modicum of protection—if her heart didn’t jump out of her chest first. Lightheaded and faint, she backed up until she was leaning against the blackboard. But at least she had the snake’s attention.
When she had the wherewithal to get words out, she half-shrieked, “Children, get out of the building now!”
Little boots pounded on the floor, but she didn’t see the students leave for she was fixated on the snake. Then a louder footfall came, and a chop. She squeezed her eyes shut.
“Gotcha!”
With her hands over her face, she peeked through her fingers to see Tex wrangling with the body, and a little wooden box by his feet. He flung the snake body out the door, took off his gloves, and tossed them on a chair.
Moriah couldn’t move—she’d been so scared and tense for such a long time that it seemed her body forgot how. And she still felt faint.
The next thing she knew, Tex held her close to his warm, strong chest. He made her feel safe. Tears welled in her eyes but she did her best to hold them back because she needed to be brave for the children—and for Tex, too. She hugged him tight—calm in his arms. He felt so... right.
“You’ll be fine, Moriah.” He petted her hair. “Take all the time you want.”
She wanted him to hold her forever, and leaned her cheek on his shoulder.
“See?” Arthur exclaimed. “I told you Pa always made a happy ending. Fairytales really are true.”
Then, no matter how hard she tried to stop them, tears flowed down her cheeks.
Happy tears.
* * *
Tex wrapped his arm around Moriah’s waist and picked her up. “I’ll stay with you as long as you want me to, but we need to leave the building.”
She nodded and buried her face in his chest. He’d wanted her to do that for a long time and it calmed him some, for he’d been terrified both f
or his son and the woman who had stolen his heart.
He carried her outside and stood her on the ground, brushing his lips across her cheek as he did so—and wished he could kiss her again and again, only better, but this wasn’t the time. Moriah blushed but didn’t pull away.
The students cheered and applauded. Wilbur flapped his way to her and rubbed his head on her skirt but didn’t try to get between Tex and Moriah as he had done in the past.
Arthur ran to them and hugged them both. “Pa, you slew the dragon!” Then the boy knelt and hugged Wilbur, too.
Tex’s first thought was that he’d much rather have gone up against a dragon. He ruffled his son’s hair. “A man does what needs to be done, even if he’s afraid.” Scared half out of his wits, more like it. His body was still ready to fight even though the threat was gone.
Cy and Jonas showed up armed with a gunny sack and a pitchfork.
Cy held the bag, ready to capture the varmint. “Forrest and Jeff ran to the store and told us about the school’s visitor. Is everyone safe?”
“Miss Jensen and Mr. Dillon saved us all just like a handsome prince in the stories,” little Lori said. “I’m so glad, for we were dreadful scared.”
“Everyone’s fine,” Tex said, with his arm still wrapped around Moriah’s waist. “A little shaken, but no harm done. Except we have some cleaning up to do and I’ll have to repair the hole I put in the floor—the rattler is dead. His head is under the overturned box in the middle of the floor.”
“We’ll take care of it,” Cy said, following Jonus into the schoolhouse.
“Can we go home now?” one of the McWhirter girls asked, with the rest of the students paying close attention to what Miss Jensen would say.
Moriah opened her mouth but didn’t say a word. She clung to Tex, her pale skin and wide eyes giving away her shock.
“School’s dismissed for the day,” Tex called. The kids all cheered. “And I have to make repairs, so tomorrow, too.” They cheered even more.
Moriah pursed her lips and nodded slightly, just enough to let him know she wouldn’t give him any argument.
“Arthur, come along,” Tex said, wanting to get her away from everyone and to the comfort of her own home so she could recover. “I’m taking you and Miss Jensen home.”
But the wagon was in front of Gardners’ Mercantile.
“Moriah?” He touched her cheek to get her attention. “Can you walk to the mercantile with me?” She didn’t answer. “If not, I can ask Jonas to go get the wagon and bring it here.”
Instead of answering, she started walking, holding onto him as tightly as he held her, so he walked along and let her set the pace.
Tex grinned on the inside but didn’t change his somber expression. He’d wanted to hold Moriah from the moment he’d first seen her and her crazy goose. From the very beginning, he knew she had to be a woman of good character to warrant a guard goose, and he’d wondered how he could ever get her to warm up to him.
Maybe this horrible incident would melt the ice around her heart just a little. Something good would surely come of such a horrible incident and he wished she’d not experienced it.
Thank goodness he had to come to town to buy more glue.
* * *
Moriah could not understand what had come over her, for she felt bereft after Tex lifted her onto the wagon seat and he was no longer near. But he had to walk around the wagon to climb into the driver’s seat. Once he did, she scooted closer to him—too close for propriety but she didn’t care. Since he had to use both hands to hold the lines, she rested her hand on his knee. She just needed the tactile knowledge that he was at her side.
Tex didn’t seem to mind and he didn’t acknowledge her forward behavior. He turned his head toward the back of the wagon and said, “Arthur, are you sitting?”
“Yep, and so are Prince and Wilbur.”
“Good, because I’m going to start the wagon moving and I don’t want to bounce anyone off.”
Tex flicked the lines and the team began to walk. “We’ll go a little faster once we get out of town, Moriah, but I don’t want to kick up any dust in front of the stores. You’ll be home with your mother soon.”
Even though the rutted road provided a bumpy ride, and even with the hot sun glaring right through her bonnet, Moriah wasn’t at all anxious to get home. She felt safe and secure sitting close to Tex.
She took a deep breath. “Do you think we could stop by the confectionery?”
“You want to stop at the candy store?” He looked at her as if she were a little off her nut. Maybe she was. She definitely was.
Still gazing straight ahead, she said, “Mrs. Mueller makes delicious candies out of chocolate. Have you had chocolate before?”
“I’ve tasted it—kind of bitter.”
“Not the way Mrs. Mueller makes it—it’s sweet and very delicious. I’ll buy you some.”
“I can pay.”
“No, really, I’d like to buy you a few pieces as a thank you gift.”
“Sugar, no amount of chocolate can thank me as much as you sitting beside me on this wagon. For me, you are heaven on earth.”
Moriah felt her face flushed hot. Should she tell him her thoughts? Yes, she should. He’d been brave enough to save her and then kind enough to hold her, so she owed him her honesty.
“I feel the same, and...”
“And?”
“I’ve felt that way for some time.”
“Well then, I do believe that calls for chocolate!” He steered the team to the side of the street. “Do you want me to go in and buy it or are you coming in as well?”
“I’m going in. You may come with me if you’d like.”
“And me, too?” Arthur asked excitedly.
“Of course you can come in.” She turned and smiled at the boy who looked so much like his handsome father. “How are you going to pick your candy if you don’t come in?”
Tex set the brake and wrapped the lines around the handle. “You stay right where you are and I’ll come around to hand you down.”
By then, Arthur had already scrambled out of the wagon and barreled into the confectionery with Wilbur and Prince following him.
Five seconds later, Mrs. Mueller chased the goose and the dog out of her shop with a broom. “Aus, aus, aus, dumme goose!” Wilbur flapped his wings and took refuge in the wagon bed. With another swipe of her broom, she bopped a yelping Prince in the hind end and yelled, “Aus, frecher Hund!”
Tex smacked his palm to his forehead. “That boy!”
Moriah laughed. “I think Mrs. Mueller objects to Wilbur and Prince, not Arthur.”
She was beginning to feel like her old self again. Except now Tex knew she admired him. But did she admire him in a romantic way?
Time to stop deluding herself. She adored Tex. But would he let her down like William had done? Did she want to risk her heart again?
Chapter 17
No matter whether he’d slain the dragon—or rattler—or not, the cow needed to be milked and the livestock had to be fed. He pulled the team to a stop in front of the Jensens’ house instead of driving to the barn like he normally did.
Arthur, Wilbur, and Prince scrambled off the wagon and ran into the house. “Grandma, Pa saved Miss Jensen’s life!”
“So much for delivering the big news ourselves. Let’s get you in the house.”
“I wish the trip had been longer.”
He did as well. Really did. “I have work to do, but more to the point, we have some talking to do, so I want to get the chores out of the way early.”
“The cow has to be milked on schedule for maximum production.”
Always the practical one, Moriah was, and he had to chuckle about that. “True, so I’ll save her for last.”
He wanted to kiss her in the worst way, but that would have to wait. If he could be patient with the mustang, he could be patient with her.
When he grasped her by the waist to help her down, she leaned into his hands and w
asn’t hesitant at all. Then when her feet touch the ground, she stepped closer to him. “Thank you, Tex.”
He could feel her breath on his neck. He pulled her closer and she didn’t balk.
Then their mothers ran out on the porch.
“Are you all right?” Edith asked. Then put her hand over her mouth. “Oh.”
Grace winked. “I do believe the two of them are doing just fine.”
“Who knows, we might get some grandchildren out of the deal yet.”
Moriah gasped. “Mother!”
“It’s been too long since I’ve enjoyed the pitter patter of tiny feet, and face it, you haven’t been too cooperative in the matter.”
“I’m a teacher, Mama. A teacher. Teachers don’t marry.”
“We’re all teachers. I taught you how to hold a fork and your papa taught you all kinds of things I wished he wouldn’t have. And we were married.”
“You know what I mean.”
What Tex knew was that Moriah hadn’t left his side during that exchange. He’d have expected her to back away from him with their mothers eagle-eyeing them.
Arthur came out with his cheeks bulging. He chewed and then swallowed hard. “Grandma, can I have a cookie?”
“Sure, there are six in there,” Grace said. “Two of them are for you.”
His eyebrows went up and his lower lip stuck out. “Just two?”
“There should be four left when I go back in the house.”
“Uh, I think Wilbur and Prince need me.”
“It’s nearly time for us to let the lady geese out,” Edith said. “You better go tell him to get ready to run.”
Arthur leapt off the porch and took off for the barn.
“Good thing I didn’t put all the cookies out,” Grace said. “What do you want to bet there are only two or three left?”
After he was out of earshot, Edith said to Moriah, “Why are you home from school so early?”
“We had a mishap. More than a mishap, actually. A rattler managed to get into the schoolhouse. Tex took care of it, but it gave the children and me quite a scare.”
“I need to repair the floor.” Tex began to have high hopes, for Moriah still hadn’t moved out of his arms. “And I’ll have to check for holes and patch them.”
Idaho Fairytale Bride (Rocky Mountain Romances Book 2) Page 10