She held Hortence in her arms as her daughter cried. When she had gone limp after having fallen asleep in her mother’s arms, Leticia laid her down on her bed, pulling the throw blanket around her. She tiptoed from the room, leaving the door ajar.
She walked downstairs, smiling as she saw Alistair pouring boiling water into a teakettle. “I never realized you could make tea.”
Alistair’s answering smile faded when he saw the residual torment and anger in her eyes. “What happened?”
She sat at the table and reached for his hand, ignoring the steeping tea and cookies. “Hortence suffered more than I realized. She cried herself to sleep.” She took a deep breath. “I should have known that the townsfolk’s venom would extend to her, but I had hoped that they would show more decency than to attack a child.”
“What did they say?” Alistair asked, his grip tightening on hers.
“That she was not lovable because of her red hair. That it was ugly. That she came from the devil and was evil and that was why I did not want her as my daughter.” She held a hand to her mouth as she bit back further words and a sob.
“Idiots,” Alistair rasped. “Can they no’ ken what such words will do to a child?” His tormented gaze met hers. “I’m sorry.”
She looked at him helplessly. “It’s all my fault. If I’d had the strength to divorce him, to ensure he could never be in our lives, then this would never have happened.”
He swiped at her cheeks and smiled at her tenderly. “Ye must forgive yerself, Lettie. Ye did what ye thought was best. Ye couldna have kent what would happen.” He paused. “Hortence will only know love and acceptance from now on. Ye do ken that?”
She nodded. “Yes. Somehow your sister heard the rumors. She must have, because she made the most beautiful afghan for Hortence.” At Alistair’s quizzical frown, she said, “It’s in all the colors of red that shine in Hortence’s hair when lit by the sun. She made a masterpiece to show Hortence how beautiful red can be.”
Alistair smiled. “How lovely of her. She’s taken a shine to our Hortence. An’ Sorcha can be fierce. I fear for anyone who’s caught speakin’ against my Little Bug.”
Leticia smiled and took a deep breath. “I should prepare supper and unpack.”
He rose with her and shook his head. “No need to cook tonight. Annabelle is coming by with supper for us. She thought ye’d not have time to travel to the Merc and purchase supplies.” He held out his hand. “I’ll help ye settle in upstairs.”
She followed him upstairs, pausing as she entered their room. “What?” she gasped. On their bed was a beautiful quilt, made of scraps of cloth from old clothes she had thought lost. She spun to stare at Alistair. “Who made us such a quilt?” she whispered.
“I thought these were destroyed in the wash,” Alistair whispered as he fingered a piece of cloth from a shirt and then another.
“This was a nearly threadbare dress. It went missing one day when out on the line. I thought it had blown away,” Leticia murmured about the faded blue cloth she traced. “Would Sorcha have done this?”
“Aye, and Annabelle. She mightn’t be good at sewin’, but ye can see where she attempted to help.” He fingered uneven stitches and shared a smile with his wife. “This is the surprise Sorcha teased me about.”
“Didn’t Ewan say he had left us a surprise?” she murmured as she entered the room, and Alistair shut the door behind them.
Alistair chuckled. “Aye. He’d decorated the room in flowers and candles, with rose petals on the bed. Seems he’d read about such things in a novel.” He smiled as Leticia sighed. “He cleaned it all away the day after the first wedding ceremony. Cailean told me what he had done last night when we were chatting.”
“Oh, poor Ewan. To have gone to all that trouble for no reason.” She ducked her head.
“I ken he doesna mind, no’ now that we’re married.”
“I had a surprise for you too,” she whispered as she blushed red. At his inquisitive stare, she dropped her gaze before taking a deep breath and meeting his gaze. “I had bought something special for our wedding night. A special nightdress.”
He groaned and kissed her. “I hope ye did no’ toss it in the rubbish.” When her flush intensified, he gave a satisfied grunt. “Surprise me some night, wife.” They shared a long smile.
After a moment Leticia ran a hand over his shoulder before she moved to unpack her small bag. She opened the closet and stood still. “I’d forgotten,” she whispered.
He lounged on the bed with his legs stretched out, feet dangling over the side so as not to dirty the new quilt. “What, love?”
“All the clothes I’d already moved here. I’d forgotten they were here, waiting for me.” She rubbed at a tear as she looked at a new dress Sorcha had made her before the wedding. “I was to wear this on our honeymoon.”
Alistair laughed. “We’ve already had all the time away we can afford while in Helena.” He saw her running her fingertips over her clothes. “Why did ye no’ come here to get the clothes that were rightfully yers?”
She shrugged and moved to empty her bag. “I did. Once. A few days after I moved in at Annabelle’s.” She took a deep breath, and she faced away from him as she worked. “I was advised by Sheriff Sampson that, if I entered your house, anything I removed could constitute theft. I never came back here again. Not until that night you found me here, trying to let go of my dreams for us.”
He rolled until he was on the other side of the bed and nearer to her. He gripped her hand and tugged until she faced him. “I canna lie an’ say I wouldna have acted like a fool and railed at ye for enterin’ the house. I didna enter it again until today. I couldna.” His eyes gleamed with regret. “I couldna return here without ye.” He shook his head. “I hate I was such a fool. I didna consider what my pride cost ye.”
She shook her head as a few tears fell. “We hurt each other, Alistair. I will not deny that you hurt me. Your absence hurt Hortence.” She sat and faced him. “I don’t want the past to continue to intrude on our present and future. We are together again. Josiah will never come between us because you had enough faith in me to hire Warren.” She attempted a watery smile. “Can we agree that we both were hurt, but that we will try not to focus on it?”
He nodded, leaning forward to kiss her. “Aye, my love. Aye. But nothin’ ye say or do will take away my regret for actin’ like a jealous fool.”
She smiled, her fingers tracing the grooves of his face. “I love you, Alistair MacKinnon.”
Her words lifted the concern in his eyes, and he smiled fully. “And I love ye, my beloved wife, Leticia MacKinnon.” He settled back against the pillows as Leticia rose to continue her work.
The following morning, Leticia left Hortence with Annabelle and Sorcha at the bakery and walked to the General Store. She had waved off everyone’s concerns about her venturing to the store alone, although she suspected Annabelle saw through Leticia’s forced calm. However, Leticia was determined to face one of Bear Grass Springs’s worst gossips and critics head-on.
The bell over the door sang, and she squared her shoulders as a group of women congregated near the linens turned to see who had entered. Their glares before they spurned any form of greeting from her signaled she was far from forgiven. She walked to the glass counter and met Tobias’s derisive gaze.
“Hello, Mr. Sutton,” she murmured as she set her empty basket on the floor and placed her list on the countertop. After a few moments, where he merely raised an eyebrow and refused to respond to her greeting, she said, “I would like to have this order filled.”
He glanced at the other women in the room and shook his head. “I have no reason to serve a woman like you.”
Leticia stiffened. “Is that so? Would you prefer if I took my custom to the new upstart setting up shop across the street from the Boudoir? Would you prefer if I spoke with Annabelle, advising her that the MacKinnons should no longer shop here? I’m certain your aunt and uncle would be interested to know how y
ou treat a returning customer and to see if they would obtain better rates at the new business.”
“Quiet your jabberin’,” he snapped as the gaggle of women leaned in their direction to overhear their conversation. “I offer the best prices in town. Everyone knows that.”
Leticia laughed at his boast. “That is what you proclaim. However, I find it remarkable how the rate you charge depends upon the standing of each particular woman’s husband in town. Or the lack of a husband.” Her gaze turned flinty as she glared at him. “My husband, Alistair MacKinnon, will be disappointed to hear of your treatment of me today.”
“Now no need to be hasty,” Tobias said as he slapped his hand over her list before she could grab it and depart. “I’m certain this is a minor disagreement.”
Leticia took a deep breath as she stared at him. “Is it minor when you exclude my daughter from the half-penny treat, informing her that little girls like her should know better than to enter your store?” She raised her chin. “Is it minor when you spread false, hurtful rumors about me in an attempt to force me from town?” She leaned forward, ignoring the fact that the group of women had sidled closer to them. “Is it minor when you join together with Mrs. Jameson in an attempt to force Alistair to marry her daughter?”
He held up his hands to ward off her verbal barrage. “Now there’s no proof to anything you say.”
“Actually there is, Tobias,” one of the women in the group said, her mouth turned down in displeasure. “My daughter was there when you treated Hortence abominably.”
“And we all heard the rumors. We knew they couldn’t have come solely from Mrs. Jameson,” another said.
A third leaned forward and tapped a finger on the countertop. “Do you really change your prices depending on who places the order?”
“Ladies, ladies,” he sputtered, “this is nonsense invented by a spiteful woman we all know to be a liar. Her failed wedding proved it of her.”
The mother shook her head. “No, that ceremony only showed she had bad judgment. And that she’d been foolish not to divorce the man.”
The women talked among themselves, although, from the snippets Leticia heard, they condemned Tobias and saw her in a new light. While she might not yet be absolved of all her misdeeds, these influential women would speak of her in a more positive light after leaving the store.
“She’s probably lying about being married!” Tobias sputtered.
Leticia laughed as the women looked at her. “Not that a wedding ring proves anything, but Alistair MacKinnon and I were properly married by a preacher in Helena. Mr. Clark witnessed the ceremony.”
“Seems unusual to have the wedding away from his family,” a woman muttered.
“We wanted there to be no doubt when we returned to Bear Grass Springs.” She smiled at the women who studied her.
“She has that contented look,” one muttered, provoking Leticia to flush fiercely.
Leticia turned to Tobias. “I hope you will fill my order?” Her gaze flicked to the list under his hand. She smiled as he glowered at her.
“Don’t think a reception will make the townsfolk forgive you,” he snapped as he lifted the list to examine it.
“A reception!” the women exclaimed. “Oh, we love any reason to celebrate and dance.”
“And we hope that Annabelle will bake a cake. We were rudely denied your cake at your first ceremony.”
Leticia sputtered out a laugh. “I believe that was because there was no wedding.” She shook her head at the women. “I hope you understand I meant no harm. I taught your children with all the expertise available to me. And I’ve loved being a part of this community.”
The mother patted Leticia’s hand. “I know. Hopefully all will come to understand why you acted as you did and have their faith restored in you. You did what you had to in order to survive and to keep your daughter safe. As mothers, we can commiserate.”
After a few more moments, the women left, and Leticia remained with Tobias.
“You believe yourself to be so cunning,” he rasped.
She shook her head. “No, I don’t. I merely want the people in this town to know the truth. And not just about me. About everyone here.” She leaned forward as though imparting a great secret. “You preside over your store like a little king, and you believe you have the right to pass judgment on those who enter it. Either by your treatment or by the prices you charge.” She paused and took a deep breath. “But you don’t. You have no idea what each patron is struggling with.”
“You will never understand me.”
She laughed. “You’re right. I won’t, and I must admit that does not sadden me. However, I fear that someday your misdeeds will come back to haunt you.” She met his irate gaze. “I’ll return in a few hours to collect my items.” She spun on her heel and walked with her head high out of the store.
Chapter 18
Alistair stood inside the livery, his hands hung over a stall as he watched John work. By the time Alistair had arrived this morning, water had been hauled in to each stall and over half the stalls had been mucked out. For the first time since opening the livery with Cailean four years ago, Alistair had spare time. Cailean had gone to speak with Warren, so Alistair was alone with John in the livery.
He frowned as John sweet-talked his horse, Brindle. “Dinna fall in love with her. She’s mine, lad.”
John looked up, his black eyes fathomless and impossible to read. He gave Brindle a final pat and moved to enter another stall.
“Nae, come here,” Alistair said, pointing to the stools he and Cailean always sat on for their chats. “Seems we’ll need a third.” He watched as John sat, his body ready to bound up and away at a moment’s notice. “Relax,” Alistair said with a shake of his head “’Tis my second day back. We should discuss this partnership a little.”
John remained silent, waiting for Alistair to speak.
Alistair picked up a piece of hay and ran it through his fingers. “I dinna ken what ye think working with us means, but ye are no’ our drudge. Ye dinna need to have all the work done afore I or Cail arrive.” He shrugged. “’Twas nice not to have to muck out stalls or carry water, but ’tis part of livery work, aye?”
He frowned when John remained quiet. “I’d hoped with yer arrival we could consider expandin’ our animal husbandry business. I’m a decent farrier, but it takes time. With three of us here, there should be time now.”
His frown turned into a glower as John continued to stare at him. “Do ye never speak? Do ye have no opinions of yer own?”
His black eyes gleamed. “I hate bookwork.”
“Aye. Cailean does that.” He waited for John to speak again.
“My name is Bears or Runs from Bears. Not John.” His defiant gaze was challenging, but he relaxed when he saw Alistair nod. “I like soothing the horse that is deemed untamable.”
Alistair smiled. “Ye should have a go with Mr. Tompkins’s cantankerous beast, Brutus. He’s the reason the man’s pantaloons are all patched.” He chuckled as a glimmer of humor shone in Bears’s eyes.
Alistair sobered after a moment. “I’m sorry about yer father’s death. He was a good man.”
Bears nodded.
After a prolonged silence, Alistair cleared his throat. “There is one thing neither I nor Cailean will tolerate.” He spit out the piece of hay between his teeth. “We willna accept others treatin’ ye poorly. If they disrespect ye, we want to ken about it.”
Bears frowned as he cocked his head to one side to study Alistair. “Why? I’ll always be treated differently.”
“In here, ye’re our partner. An’ we stick together.” He nodded as Bears blinked his agreement.
They rose and moved to a stall where Bears had been nursing a sickly horse back to health. Soon they were lost in the world of the livery and horses.
Leticia hummed to herself as she washed dishes after a busy day at the bakery, looking forward to heading home to Alistair and Hortence. Leticia had received word from Al
istair that he would collect the supplies from the Merc and then Hortence from Sorcha’s care. Although Leticia had feared that the locals would shun Annabelle due to Leticia’s presence—even after word had leaked of her marriage to Alistair—business had been brisk at the bakery. Leticia smiled as the back door opened, expecting to see Annabelle returning from her deliveries. Her smile transformed into a frown as Fidelia shut the door behind her. “Annabelle’s not here.” The cold, crisp words were as unwelcoming as she felt.
Fidelia paused a moment before walking to the counter and pulling out a stool to sit. She was drawn and looked thinner than the few times she had spent Sunday dinner with the family a year ago. “I’ll wait.”
Leticia shrugged, although her hands tightly gripped the cloth she had used to dry the bowls. She put away the plates, bowls, and other cooking instruments, ignoring Annabelle’s sister.
“You succeeded,” Fidelia whispered, her voice laced with bitterness. “You escaped your fate.”
Leticia met Fidelia’s outraged gaze. “I don’t understand what you mean. I’m living my fate.”
Fidelia flushed red with her anger. “No, Leticia. You are no better than me. A liar and a cheat and a woman without a reputation. There’s no reason you are here, living with a man who loves you, while I’m stuck in a place like the Boudoir.”
Leticia grasped the dishcloth in an attempt to hide her shaking hands. “I’m sorry your life hasn’t gone as you planned …” Her voice broke as Fidelia grabbed the cloth from her and tugged it away.
“Stop with the meaningless inanities!” She panted out a breath. “I hate you. I will always hate you.”
Leticia stood frozen, her gaze fixed on Fidelia’s. The spell was broken when the back door slammed shut.
“What is this about hate?” Annabelle asked in a soft voice. She grabbed her sister’s arm, preventing her from leaving. “Hello, Dee. I’ve missed you. It’s been too long since I’ve seen you.”
Montana Grit_Bear Grass Springs_Book Two Page 20