by Kit Morgan
“That’s one of my favorites,” he said without taking his eyes off of her.
“Is it?”
“Can you cook?”
Adele stiffened. “Um… not as well as your sister can.” Oh, what a coward she was!
“I’m sure my sisters wouldn’t mind showing you a few things. They’re always showing each other stuff when it comes to cooking and sewing. Do you sew much?”
Her eyes widened. “A little.” This morning, she didn’t add.
“Well, there’s always plenty of mending to be done around a ranch. The ranch hands do most of their own, of course …”
Yes – yes, he was leaning toward her! Was she doing the same? Her hips hit the edge of the table. “Well, eh … that’s a relief.”
“The other womenfolk think so too.”
Gwen entered the room with the children in tow. “There you are, Percy – we’ve been waiting for you. Go ahead and have a seat.”
Adele and Percy each grabbed a chair and sat, still gazing at each other. Gwen caught it and, with a knowing smile, went back into the kitchen. She returned with a pot of stew and her husband. They both studied the couple as Gwen got the children seated.
“How long’ve they been like this?” Walton blurted.
Percy jumped in his chair. “Huh? Like what?”
Walton laughed. “Never mind.” As soon as everyone was settled, he bowed his head, said a quick blessing over the food and after the amens, reached for the stewpot. “Bart and Bonnie are back.”
Percy’s head shot up at the remark. “So soon? When did they get in?”
“Just now. I asked them to come join us for supper.”
Gwen peeked inside the stew pot. “I’m glad I made plenty.”
Percy picked up his plate and pulled the pot away from her. Walton glared at him as he dished up some stew, and was about to comment when Percy set the plate in front of Adele with one hand and took her plate with the other. “Would you like a biscuit?” he asked her.
She stared at him in as much disbelief as the others. “Why … yes, thank you.”
Percy plucked a biscuit out of the bowl and set it on her plate. “Gwen makes excellent biscuits. I’m sure you’ll like them.”
“Yes, you told me before. Besides, I watched her …”
“Butter?”
“Oh. Uh … don’t mind if I do.”
Walton, Gwen and the children, their forks poised in mid-air, watched them go back and forth. Walton looked as if he couldn’t decide whether to smile or groan.
Adele caught his look and figured this must not be the Percy they knew. Which made her wonder: did they know something she didn’t? Well, obviously they would – they’d all known Percy for years, while she’d only met him yesterday ... “Thank you,” she told him as he set the butter crock in front of her, her voice barely above a whisper.
“You’re welcome,” he said, just as softly, then cleared his throat.
Walton looked at Gwen, Percy, then Adele. “I had Hank take your satchel over to Percy’s place.”
Adele jerked, and looked at him open-mouthed. “You … you did what?”
Percy’s head came around slowly as if he had to fight to take his eyes off of Adele.
“Huh?”
Walton smiled in triumph. “You really should be spending tonight with your husband.”
It took a moment, but Adele and Percy suddenly caught on at the same time. “What?!” they cried in unison.
Gwen put her face in her hands. “Oh Walton …,” she mumbled, shaking her head. “What were you thinking?”
Walton’s grin grew even broader. “I just said what I was thinking, dear. Since they’re husband and wife, they oughta stay in the same cabin with each other. It worked for us, didn’t it?”
Percy almost choked even though he hadn’t taken a bite of food yet. “But … but …”
“No buts!” Walton interjected. “Yer married! And by golly, yer gonna live as married folks do!”
“Good Lord!” Adele gasped. “What do you mean? What are you suggesting?”
“I’m suggesting letting nature take its course!”
“Oh good grief,” Gwen groaned and peeked at Walton through her fingers.
“What happened to what you said earlier this afternoon?” Adele asked weakly.
“What did he say this afternoon?!” Percy demanded. “Walton! What are you doing?”
“What sort of man wants his wife sleeping in another man’s house?” Walton asked.
Gwen took her face out of her hands, reached for a biscuit and put it on Savannah’s plate. “Sometimes I wonder why I’m still married to you,” she muttered darkly.
Percy was still staring at him in shock. Finally he turned to Adele and noticed that she and Gwen were waiting for him to say something. “Ah… well…”
“Ya are married, after all,” Walton concluded as he buttered a biscuit. “If it was good enough for the rest of us, Percy, it should be good enough for you.”
Percy gripped the table, his face reddening.
Adele stiffened. Was she about to see the old Percy come out?
“Walton,” he said through clenched teeth, “Adele and I will work this out our own way. Stop trying to force us together!”
“I ain’t forcing ya together,” Walton said calmly. “I’m just doing what’s proper.”
“Mama?” asked little Savannah.
Gwen looked at the child as if relieved someone else was talking. “Yes, sweetheart?”
“Is Uncle Pehrcy merwheed?”
Gwen’s eyes flicked between Percy and her husband. “Er … yes, he is.”
The child looked at Adele. “Don’t you wanna be my aunt? How come you don’t sweep at Pehrcy’s?”
Adele blushed crimson and swallowed hard. “Maybe you ought to ask your Uncle Percy.” Her eyes met his and she knew she was challenging him, backing him into a corner. She just hoped he didn’t come out fighting.
But Percy relaxed under her gaze. He took a deep breath, let it out slowly, then looked at Savannah. “Don’t worry, princess. She’ll sleep at my house tonight.”
The child smiled. “Good, or a pweacher-man might come to the ranch and yell at ya.”
That’s right,” Walton agreed. “Yer Uncle Percy has to live up to his responsibilities …” He tailed off as he noticed Gwen’s look of warning, one that said don’t push it any harder, husband, or you might be sleeping at Percy’s tonight.
But by now Savannah was busy with her biscuit and didn’t notice. Percy was glaring daggers at Walton. And Adele felt like she was about to faint. Truth be told, she thought, it might be better if she did. Then maybe they’d carry her up to her room and leave her be.
Ten
Percy fought a smirk as he watched Adele pale, then sink an inch in her chair. He wondered if she noticed she’d done it.
Bart and Bonnie came into the house and he greeted them, but never took his eyes off Adele as she straightened up again and forced a smile. He hadn’t known her long, but had learned a lot about her through simple observation. Most notably, she was easy to observe as, besides being beautiful, she wore her emotions on her sleeve. Undoubtedly, she was a horrible liar – she’d have to work hard to get anything past him.
On the flip side, he suspected she still didn’t know him well. If anything, she was probably still worried as to when he was going to get the annulment.
Bart began to talk about his and Bonnie’s short trip, but Percy’s eyes gravitated back to his wife. Wife – the word was strange yet comforting, and he pondered the emotions it prompted. But did he really want a wife? Or did he want what Bart was talking about: the freedom to take off and explore the world around him whenever he wanted?
And yet … when Bart took off on an adventure, he usually took Bonnie with him. They even had a child, and it didn’t tie them down – Gwen looked after Jedediah while they were away.
Percy now looked at Adele with renewed interest. If Bart could take his wife, couldn�
��t he? Granted, his older sister Bonnie was cut from a different sort of cloth – she was bold, gutsy and knew how to stand up for herself, even fight if need be. Adele … well, he wasn’t even sure she knew how to ride a horse. But then, Bonnie hadn’t always been the Great Outdoorswoman – and now she could ride and shoot as well as some of the men. If she could do it, why not Adele?
“And how about you, Adele?” Bart was asking. “Did you enjoy your first day on the ranch?”
Percy watched Adele shake herself and stare at his brother-in-law. “Y-yes, very well, thank you,” she sputtered.
Bart narrowed his eyes as they flicked around the table at everyone. “Really? What did you do all day?”
“We did mending, baked bread and biscuits and made stew,” Gwen said matter-of-factly. “Then your brother saw fit to announce that Adele was to sleep with Percy tonight.”
Bonnie was just taking a drink of water; she sprayed it all over her plate. She coughed as Bart patted her on the back. “What?” she finally blurted.
“They’re married – why shouldn’t they?” Walton asked innocently.
Bart looked cautiously at Adele. “So you’ve decided to stay?”
She closed her eyes and looked like she was trying not to cry.
For some reason, the sight hurt – and Percy knew that if it was hurting him, it must be hurting her too. “Yes,” he said, his voice firm. “She’s staying.”
Adele’s eyes slammed open. She looked at him first in shock, then joy.
“Well … glad to hear it,” Bart said. He looked around the table, a wide smile on his face. “This calls for a celebration.”
“Celebration?” Percy mumbled. Oh good grief, what did I just do? Had he just said he was staying married? Well, he hadn’t said that exactly, but he’d certainly implied it. He looked at Adele, who was still gawking at him starry-eyed, and began to waffle. “That is to say, eh, where else could she go …”
Bonnie’s glare drilled into him. “Percival Jonathan Blue, either you remain married to this poor girl or you let her go. All this flabbling about isn’t good for either of you.”
Adele looked down the table at her and nodded in thanks.
“She’s still staying in his cabin tonight,” Walton stated between bites of stew.
Bart’s mouth dropped open. “Walt! They’re not –”
“Yes, they are!” Walton countered.
Bonnie gaped at him. “But you can’t possibly expect –”
“Oh for Heaven’s sake, will you people stop?!” Adele shouted.
The whole table went silent. Walton was so shocked, he dropped his spoon, and it fell into his plate with a plop.
“Yes, Percy and I are married. But the way you people tricked him into it is … reprehensible! And while I’m grateful you brought me out here, it was apparently under false pretenses, with which I’m not too thrilled. So maybe he doesn’t want us to stay married. Well, if he doesn’t, then he doesn’t and we’ll get an annulment and I’ll …” She began to wind down. “… I’ll manage. Somehow. Somewhere.” She looked at Percy, her eyes wide and filling with tears. “Somewhere else, I guess ...”
Percy recognized her outburst was his fault. He needed to make a decision and make it fast, so they could both go on with their lives, together or separately. The problem was, he still didn’t know if they’d suit, and Walton insisting they live in the same cabin was no help. If they weren’t going to stay married, it wasn’t proper; if they were, it was still too sudden.
Worse yet, if she stayed with Percy for long and they decided they didn’t suit, how would that look? What if they found a husband for her, then he got to talking with a ranch hand who just happened to mention that she’d spent the first four or five days there sleeping in Percy’s cabin with Percy? Even if nothing had happened, her reputation would never recover – he well knew how gossip could spread. She might never be able to find a husband after that ...
“Adele could stay with us tonight,” Bonnie volunteered.
Everyone looked at her, especially Adele, whose face was a mixture of relief and something Percy could not identify. She looked between him and Bonnie, her eyes finally coming to settle on Walton. “May I make up my own mind where I’m to sleep?”
Walton, still recovering from the shock of Adele’s rant, nodded jerkily. “Of course.”
Adele’s stared at the table a moment, then looked up at Percy. “If he’s willing … I’d like to stay with my husband tonight.”
*
Now it was Percy’s turn to gape. What? She wanted to stay with him tonight? Well … if propriety was needed, he could just sleep outside while she used his bed. The weather was nice, and that would give them some time to get to know each other better. But was that what she wanted? Or was she forcing the issue, taking Walton’s tactic for her own ends?
Heck, if he’d known that marriage would be this complicated, not only would he have let Mr. Missouri go through with his plan, but he’d have followed it up by running away from the ranch and becoming a hermit!
He looked at her. Her green eyes sparkled with challenge. The look excited him – she had more spunk than he’d given her credit for. “Are you sure you want to do that?”
Adele squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. “Yes, I am.”
Percy sat and tried not to gulp. She was pretty, especially when her “dander was up,” as Walton would say. He quickly began to rethink the situation. “This might not be a good idea,” he replied cautiously. “What if …?”
“I insist she stay with Bart and mOUCH!” Bonnie stated, followed by, “Honey, what did you kick me for?!”
Bart gave a single nod in Percy’s direction.
Percy didn’t even notice – he couldn’t take his gaze from Adele. A minute ago she looked as if she was about to burst into a crying fit. Now she reminded him of some ancient war goddess – one who’d just won a major victory. Oh my ..., something in his brain said.
What came out of his mouth was more genteel, as befitting talking to a goddess: “If you’re sure … then I would be honored.”
Adele blushed pink as a lamb’s nose.
Soon enough, supper was over and Gwen had shoved Percy and Adele out the door with a basket of biscuits in her hand. He could hear Bart and Bonnie still bickering over Adele’s choice of sleeping arrangements and whether or not it was proper. He also could hear Walton chuckling and Gwen shooing Savannah up the stairs to bed. Then the door slammed, and he and Adele were alone.
Without looking at the woman at his side, he began to walk in silence to his small cabin, feeling like a man going to the gallows. Any pretense at confidence or control of the situation had evaporated. Thankfully, his place was at the opposite end of the ranch, so that gave him time to recover. Besides, he knew that he’d have to build a fire when he got there. Normally he wouldn’t worry about it, but normally it was just him living there. Now … now he had to take care of her.
“This is where you live?” she asked as they reached the front door.
He looked at her and grimaced. He knew it was likely a far cry from wherever she’d lived in Beckham – and since he hadn’t been prepared for a guest, the inside wasn’t what you’d call neat. “I’m afraid so.”
She studied him in the moonlight. “That bad?”
“I’ve never been married, and I don’t get many visitors, so ...”
“Oh,” she said. That could be taken a lot of different ways.
He decided not to take it at all, just opened the door and ushered her inside. He went to the stove, where he’d left a lantern the night before, and quickly lit it.
He watched Adele look around his cabin. And a cabin it was – one room, with the stove, a table, one chair and a small cot shoved against the opposite wall near the fireplace. Nor was it a big cot – they couldn’t both fit on it if they’d wanted to …
“Looks like I’ll be busy tomorrow,” she said, interrupting his thoughts.
Percy shook himself. “Busy? Doing w
hat?”
“Cleaning,” she replied, as if it should’ve been obvious.
Her matter-of-factness made something in Percy do that funny little crack again. As if his heart was trying to … Lord have mercy, open? There was no other way to describe it. He looked at her, then around the cabin. “It needs more than that, though, doesn’t it? More than what I’ve ever bothered to give it. I’m sorry it’s in such disarray, but I’ve … never had any reason to decorate.”
She nodded in understanding. “I don’t know what Walton was thinking when he insisted that I stay here tonight. It’s not really … ready for two, is it?” Her voice was softer now, with a hint of fear. Or was it something else?
Percy took a step toward her without thinking. “I’m sorry about that.” He looked into her eyes, which even in the dim lamplight appeared bright. “You can have the bed. I’ll sleep outside.”
“Outside? But won’t you freeze?”
“It’s not that cold – I can build myself a fire,” he said as he took another step toward her.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“Sorry for what?” he asked gently. She shivered, and it was all he could do not to take her in his arms to warm her.
“I’m sorry about all of this. Except … well, I’m not sorry I’m here. Anything’s better than being in Beckham with those terrible men.”
Percy stiffened at the mention of what happened to her. “And I’m sorry you went through that.” He moved next to her. “I’d much rather have you here than there any day. Beckham was once a safe, happy place … and now it’s …” He shook his head.
“A living hell,” she finished for him.
“Well put. Miss Miller is going to have to leave soon, for her own safety.”
Adele swallowed hard as she looked up at him. “I heard them talk about her – the men that took me. They don’t like her at all. Where will she go?”
“She’ll come here, most likely. Mrs. Ridgley might too, though she may be too old to travel ...”
“Who is Mrs. Ridgley?”
“She runs a mail-order bride service out of New Orleans. She’s the one that started this whole operation, and got Miss Miller involved along with my brother-in-law’s cousin Jack. He and his wife run a mail-order bride business out in San Francisco.”