“I think I might know,” he said, still chuckling as he wagged a finger at me. “I have half a mind to take you over my knee.”
I ducked my head, blushing yet again. Joshua had never spanked me, or even really hinted at it except in play. The idea of being put over the thighs I’d just been dreaming of… of having my bottom bared for his eyes to see… his hard, strong hand colliding with my tender flesh… it was enough to make any woman blush.
“Don’t worry, my desert rose,” he said, twining his fingers in mine. “I’ll leave that business to your pa, for the time bein’.”
His words made an excited shiver run through me, a reminder that in a short time I wouldn’t spend every moment I was with him dreading the passing of time that brought him closer to leaving. One day, I would be able to touch him if I wanted to and to see him saddle up to leave knowing that he would be coming back to me.
* * *
I stood by his horse as Joshua mounted her. I was smiling up at him, forcing myself to keep my disappointment from showing.
For all my effort, I think he must have known anyhow, because he leaned down and kissed me quickly. “Soon, my Maggie, my desert rose.”
I took a deep breath, inhaling his sweet, manly scent and giving him a more genuine smile. I loved when he called me by the name he’d given me. “When will you speak with Pa?”
“By the end of the week. Until then, keep it between just us two, hmm?”
I nodded obediently. “‘Course. I’ll… see you soon.”
With his irresistible rakish grin, he tipped his hat and was off. I stood watching him until he’d disappeared from sight, leaving only a cloud of red dust behind. The sun had already begun to slide down behind the clouds by the time I made myself walk into the house. My brothers would be home soon and Mama would want help in the kitchen.
I opened the back door and slipped in quietly, but Mama wasn’t in the kitchen. In fact, the light wasn’t on, nor was anything cooking as far as I could tell. I was about to call out to them when the sound of muffled voices caught my attention. One of them was Wesley’s, which surprised me; normally this time of day he was still in the fields. Whatever could they be whispering about?
I knew I should let them know I was home, but my curiosity got the best of me and instead, I pressed my body against the kitchen wall, straining to make out what they were talking about in lowered voices in the parlor. I would have peeked around the corner if I wasn’t so worried about getting caught. If there was one thing Pa didn’t like, it was sneaking. If I was found out, I knew we’d make a trip to the woodshed.
“You’re sure about this, son?”
“I’m tellin’ ya, Pa, it’s being whispered about all over town. People are sayin’ he got the Harris girl in the family way. Her parents are madder than an old wet hen.”
“Well, I should say so!”
I pressed myself tighter against the wall, trying to breathe in and out slowly. If I’d been worried before, knowing Mama was in there made me even more skittish. I’d always thought my ma had unnatural hearing and the gift to see through walls. She seemed built to ferret out my misdeeds with amazing ease. I worried my lip between my teeth; I just knew if she looked my way, the wall would melt to reveal me standing there and listening in.
Just tell them you’re home, I thought. Just call out howdy and no one will know.
But I couldn’t. Not until I had some idea who they were talking about. I’d never hear otherwise, because Mama didn’t hold to her daughter listening to gossip.
“Now, Kathleen—”
“Any woman would be upset, that’s all I’m sayin’.”
“This is a mighty big accusation, Wes. You know that, don’t you?”
“I’m not accusing him of anything, Pa. I just thought you’d want to know what folks was sayin’.”
“Well, now, I appreciate that. Do you think your sister has gotten wind of this?”
I inhaled sharply and then clamped a hand over my mouth. I stood frozen, waiting for one of them to seek out the noise. I was only able to relax when their talk continued on.
“I don’t see how she could’ve gotten wind of it.”
“Alright, well, if you hear something else you let me know. Don’t be mentionin’ any of this to your sister. She’ll only make herself sick worryin’.”
“I won’t, Pa.”
As I heard the jangling of a pair of boots walking past the kitchen, I wondered what Pa didn’t want me to know, exactly. That the Harris girl was going to have a baby? Why would he care? It didn’t have much to do with me that I could tell.
“I don’t know about this, John—”
“People gossip, Kat. You know that. I wouldn’t worry yourself over it.”
“It has to be more than that! Wesley is a good, smart boy; if he didn’t think it worth mentioning, he would have kept it to himself.”
“I’m glad he passed on the talk, but until we have some sort of proof of what he’s saying—”
“What kind of proof? Do you want to sit by idle until the Harris girl’s wearing the bustle wrong and bearing his child?”
I was more startled by the sharp tone she used than by what she was saying. I’d never heard Mama talk to Pa in that tone of voice before and wouldn’t have thought it possible.
“Watch your tone, woman,” he growled at her. I heard the sound of a loud smack, and winced, knowing my mother must be doing the very same. “I’m glad Wes gave us the news, but just because some bored biddies in town are gossiping don’t make him guilty.”
“What are we going to do?” she asked in a more subdued tone. “We can’t have our daughter consorting with a man who—”
“We don’t know he’s done anything wrong. You want to break up their courtship over some tall tale?”
“Don’t you think she has a right to know?”
I could hardly move or find room to draw breath—my chest felt heavy and tight. I couldn’t see why they’d have cause to call off our courting; especially now that we were going to be married. The things they were saying… my head spun just thinking about it. There was no way he could have strayed in the way they suggested, I knew that for sure and certain. Joshua wouldn’t do that to me. Besides, he’d never even spoken to the Harris girl, far as I knew.
“I don’t see that she does. Why worry her without cause? This idle talk will die down and Maggie will be able to carry on.”
“But John, might be—”
“The discussion is over for now, darlin’.” As sweet as his tone was, it was equally firm. “If things change, we’ll talk it over, but until such a time, you’re goin’ to keep quiet on the matter until this all blows over.”
I couldn’t see their faces, but I could picture them perfectly in my mind’s eye. I knew my mother’s head would be bowed in supplication and that my father would have stepped closer, covering her hand with his own. My parents had a wonderfully loving marriage, one that I’d always wanted for myself. The kind of marriage that I had thought I would have with Joshua. But with the things they were saying—
At that moment, the back door swung open and my other brother, Trent, came in, noisily stamping his feet. I tried to melt against the wall, but it was no use—Trent spied me straight away. If he was puzzled over why I was standing there hiding, his face didn’t show it.
If it had been Wesley who’d caught me out eavesdropping, he would have turned me over to my father’s justice without thinking twice. He wasn’t mean-spirited, he just had very clear ideas of right and wrong and didn’t hesitate to enforce them. He was a miniature version of our pa in that way. Trent, by and by, was made of the same ilk. He was just as moral, but not so rigid, which was why I sat still as a stone, waiting to see what he would decide to do.
With another glance in my direction, Trent stripped his gloves off one by one before walking toward the parlor. “I’m home! Howdy, Mama. Maggie should be coming in behind me shortly.”
I let my breath out slowly, sinking to the floor.
I took a moment to get my bearings and push the questions I had aside for the time being. There would be time to think on it later. Silently, I thanked my angel of a brother before I made my way to the back door, which I opened and closed shut with a thud. “Mama!” I called out, hoping no one could hear the tremor in my voice. “I’m back!”
* * *
I had to get to him. I had to see Joshua and get him to explain. Was there even anything to explain? Maybe Pa had been right—maybe it was just gossips creating their own entertainment. Maybe…
But there was that small, niggling doubt that explained away every maybe my mind could create. It seemed louder than all of my other thoughts combined; it pounded alongside my pulse, whispering guilty, guilty, guilty until I thought I’d go mad. I had to have answers and I had to have them now.
Just then, Wesley walked in the door and I stopped my pacing to look at him. I watched him for a long minute, wanting to ask him so badly it hurt. I could tell I was making him uncomfortable.
“Howdy, Mags. You alright?”
“Fine,” I lied, hoping he didn’t see what it had cost me to say it. “Listen, I was thinking of going into town.”
“Really? What for?”
“I want to see Joshua,” I told him, looking directly into his eyes.
His unease was clear the moment the words left my mouth. “Aw, well…” He dragged a toe across the floor, avoiding my eyes. “I don’t know, Mags. I’ve got a lot of work to do…”
“I wasn’t asking you to come,” I replied, his evasive manner confirming everything I’d heard.
“Now, wait a minute, you shouldn’t go off by yourself.”
“Why would that be?” I asked, with a syrupy sweet smile. I had to admit, it was kind of fun watching my normally in-control brother squirm.
“Ah, because I wouldn’t want anything to, uh, happen to you, that’s all.”
“Well, I thank you kindly for your concern, but I’ll have Joshua to protect me.” I turned to leave, hoping he’d stop me and tell me what was going on.
“Wait, Mags.”
“Hmm?” I asked without turning to face him.
“You know you need to let Pa know where you’re going. Go on and ask him and I’ll ready the buggy.”
I nodded dutifully and turned to do as he’d asked. It wasn’t what I’d been hoping for, but it would have to do. Perhaps he intended to tell me on the ride to town. Pa was just as evasive and skeptical of my going until I told him Wesley would be with me. Only then did he grant his permission to go.
If I’d expected Wesley to open up and confide what he’d heard in me, I was sadly mistaken. I didn’t know why I would be surprised; everyone knew that warm, brotherly talks weren’t like him. In fact, for the first few miles not so much as a word passed between us. I kept my hands folded in my lap, being torn between wanting to spur the horses on faster and wondering if we should turn back. For all I knew, Joshua might not even be in town and I didn’t have a mind to ride out to his house. His ma had never taken a liking to me, even though I’d known her since I was a child.
What would I say? I wondered. What if he took one look at me and thought I’d come because I thought him guilty? What if that was what I thought? I could feel the doubt hovering on the edge of every thought, waiting for a chance to have its say.
“Nice weather,” Wesley spoke up.
I shot him a glance and grinned. It was an old joke we shared. It never failed that the day we were planning on going to town the weather was dismal; today was no exception. The clouds hung low and were an ominous gray. The air was windless and stiff, as though the world was tense and waiting for some atrocity to strike. Maybe one already had—that was what I intended to find out. “You don’t say.”
“We could still go back,” he continued in our usual habit, though I thought I detected a more serious note this time.
“I don’t see why we should.” I left it at that and Wesley had no reply to offer. We rode in silence; the only sound was the horses’ hoofs pounding the dirt road as they trotted.
Wesley cleared his throat loudly until I’d turned to him. “The measure of it, Mags, is that some people are saying things. About Joshua. And I’d rather—”
“I know.” I was so relieved to have it out in the open between us, I didn’t let him finish. I’d spoken so softly I didn’t expect him to have heard me but I could tell by the way his body stiffened that he had.
“You do? How’d that come about?”
I worried my lip between my teeth, unsure how much to say. “I overheard you tellin’ Pa,” I admitted.
He gave me a sharp look. “Well, you could have said somethin’! Here I’ve been tryin’ to tiptoe around you and—”
“I didn’t hear much.” I took a deep, quavering breath. “And do you think it’s…”
“I don’t know, Maggie,” he said, his voice gentler.
I closed my eyes against the tears that threatened every time I thought about it. “I hope not.”
“What is it you hope to do, Maggie?”
It wasn’t until he asked that I realized I hadn’t the faintest notion of what I intended to say if we saw Joshua. What could I say? The only thing that sprang to my mind each time I thought of it was why. Why were they accusing him? Why wouldn’t he have told me? Why? As soon as what followed, I would find something to do to keep busy, not wanting to think about it.
“I have to tell ya, Mags, I don’t think Pa’s goin’ to be pleased that we came out here, knowing—”
“Then he should have told me himself,” I asserted.
“If you don’t quit interrupting me, Maggie Swift, I’m goin’ to turn this buggy around and ride for home.”
“Yes, sir,” I replied, not troubling to hide my smirk. Same old bossy Wesley, no matter what the circumstance. I’d never thought I’d see the day where it would be a comfort to know that some things never changed.
He grinned at me as though I’d spoken the words aloud. “Don’t think you can forget your manners jus’ because Joshua is in a bind.”
I nodded at the gentle reproof. “What do you think is going to happen, Wes?”
“Aw, Maggie,” he sighed, snapping the reins harder. “I don’t rightly know. If it comes to it, I suppose…” It looked like he was going to add something, but he stopped short.
“What is it?”
He cut me a glance then faced the road, his lips pinched together. I didn’t think he was going to say anything more and was on the verge of pressing him when he said, “Lydia’s brother isn’t too happy ‘bout this mess she’s in. I hear tell he believes her story about Joshua.”
I winced at the news. I’d known Patrick Harris just as long as I’d known Joshua and he didn’t take this kind of insult very well. That was how he’d see it: an insult to his sister, to his family. Why, if Pat believed the rumors to be true, there was no telling what would happen. I wanted to talk to him about it, but my throat closed up, tight with fear. Oh, this was turning out to be a very messy business indeed.
“Here we are,” Wesley announced, pulling the horses to a stop. “Let me tie ‘em up and I’ll—” He stopped dead as I climbed out of the buggy and scowled at me when my feet hit the ground. “Maggie Swift, do you not listen to anyone?”
“I suppose you’d like a little visit with Mr. Park?” I suggested, giving him a sly smile. Wesley spent more and more time at the mercantile and though I couldn’t get him to cotton to it, I suspected he was more interested in the shopkeeper’s daughter than the dry goods.
“If you think I’m leavin’ you by yourself, you’re more foolhardy than—”
“Shhh!” I hissed. I could already see eyes turning in our direction, and I suspected it wasn’t for the pretty blue dress I wore.
“What did I say about you interruptin’?” he asked, jumping down and grabbing my arm. “There’s enough talk goin’ round already and I’m not goin’ to see your foolishness add to it. I’m goin’ with you or you’re not goin’ at all.”
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Not for the first time in my life, I wished I was strong enough to pull away from him, but I knew it was useless to try to fight him. He meant what he said and nothing would change his mind. He kept my arm in his as we strolled past the shops. When I spied Joshua leaning against the wall of the feed store, I tried to yank away from Wesley, but he only tightened his grip.
“Wes, he’s—”
“Do you want to give these old birds something more to sing about? You can’t go racin’ over there like some tottie!”
I glared at him, but he met my eyes without flinching. I stamped my foot impatiently, only to have Wesley pinch my arm.
“Stop it, Maggie. Don’t go causin’ a scene.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, without meaning it.
His dark eyes flashed at me. “Behave yourself or we can go right on home.”
“But then you wouldn’t get to stop in and see Libby Park!” I snapped, feeling ridiculous for arguing with him as my beau stood not ten feet away, but unable to stop myself.
“Fine, have it your way.” He pivoted around, dragging me around with him and began to walk toward the buggy.
“Wait!” I whispered in a hiss, but he didn’t slow an inch. I swallowed my pride—it tasted bitter going down my throat—and said what he was waiting to hear. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again, I promise.”
He spared me a glance. “Alright,” he agreed, though the tight line of his mouth didn’t lessen any, nor the stiff set of his shoulders. “Let’s go over and say howdy.”
The world stilled as we walked toward Joshua. The normal sounds of town seemed to fade until I no longer heard the laughter of men or the cries of children. Even the sound of droning gossip seemed to soften. The minute I’d laid eyes on him, I knew that what they were saying just couldn’t be true. It just couldn’t. All I needed was the warmth of his arms around me, and all my doubts would disappear as though they’d never been.
Maggie Meets Her Match Page 2