Handsome Widower’s Second Chance

by Elliee Atkinson

  “You don’t need to do that.”

  “I don’t mind, Adam. Please allow me to help you. I want you and the kids to be happy. Well, to make things easier for you, I guess, not to make you happy. I mean…”

  “I know what you mean.” Adam mumbled. His eyes were closing and his words barely made it out of his mouth. He felt weak, tired, and drunk. “But you don’t have to stay. I can handle things.”

  Missy looked at him for a moment and then shook her head. She stood up and took hold of the blankets at the top of the bed. “Lift up, Adam. Here, let me help you get your shoes off first. Come on now. Let me help you.”

  Adam grunted and groaned but allowed her to remove his boots and tuck him into bed. Once he was settled in, she leaned over and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. “Now you just get some rest, Adam. I’m going to stay; I’ll sleep in the loft with Riley. It will be comforting to them if I’m here in the morning. You won’t be in proper shape to help them with breakfast and getting them ready to go to the schoolhouse.”

  Adam murmured something but he was too weak to argue with her. He could see she was amused by his state because of the small smile on her lips. “Thank you, Missy.” He said, finally giving in.

  “You’re welcome, Adam. Go to sleep. You’ll be fighting a mighty headache in the morning.”

  “I’ll drink some more,” Adam joked. “That should help.”

  Missy giggled. “All right now, you cad. Go to sleep.”

  She backed out of the room, taking the lantern she’d brought in the room with her. She held it up closer to her face so that she could see him once more before she left the room. His eyes were nearly closed but he noticed the deep look of sympathy on her face.

  He closed his eyes, breathed a deep sigh, and was asleep within seconds.

  Adam woke up a few hours later to the smell of coffee and eggs. The coffee smelled delicious. The eggs turned his stomach. He turned over on his side and dry heaved a few times before sucking in a deep breath and pressing the palms of his hands into his eyes. Missy was right about the headache. He was still half-drunk and wanted nothing more than to make the feeling go away.

  “Never doin’ that again,” he murmured, struggling to find the strength to pull himself out of bed. He trudged out into the main room, where his children sat at the small round table in the middle of the room. Both looked up at him.

  “Good morning, Daddy!” Riley said in a voice loud enough to pierce through Adam’s head. He groaned and put his hand to his forehead.

  “Good morning, precious,” he responded.

  “Daddy, you were snoring soooo loooouuuddd.” Riley shook her head, laughing, drawing out the words to make more of an impact.

  “You were rattling the walls, Papa!” Max agreed with his sister, a wide smile on his face. “We thought there was a stampede of elephants.”

  Adam raised his eyebrows. “I’m glad my snoring amused you so.”

  “It’s what woke us up!” Max laughed. “We didn’t need Missy to do it.”

  “I’m glad she stayed, Daddy. You look rough. I don’t think you want eggs, do ya?” Riley’s blue eyes sparkled at her father. Adam reached over and ran his hand over her long blond waves.

  “No, as a matter of fact, I don’t, sweetheart. How did you get so smart?”

  “It’s because of momma,” Riley responded in a proud voice. “She was the smartest lady on the planet!”

  Fresh tears stung the back of Adam’s eyes but he refused to let them out in front of the children. He patted Riley’s head and nodded. “And now you’re the smartest lady on the planet.” His voice was soft with love. Riley beamed at him.

  “She’s not as smart as the teacher.” Max said, sticking out his tongue at his little sister.

  “Says you!” Riley retorted.

  “Yeah, says me!”

  “Stop it, kids. I…” Adam massaged his forehead. “I have a headache. Be merciful on your papa this morning, okay?”

  “Did you get blind, wasted drunk, Daddy?” Riley asked. He stopped rubbing his forehead and stared at her.

  “What made you say that? Where did you hear those words?”

  Riley shrugged her shoulders and gazed at him innocently. “At momma’s… at the church, I heard an old lady say she wouldn’t be surprised if you got blind wasted drunk every night for a month.”

  “Oh really?”

  “Yes, Daddy. But she didn’t say it in a mean way. You look like you’re mad. You’re not mad at me for saying that, are you, Daddy? Did I use a swear word?”

  “No, baby, you didn’t. It’s okay. I guess… I guess that would be a typical reaction for some people. But I don’t drink much so…”

  Riley nodded, still staring at him. “That’s what she said, Daddy. That you don’t go to the saloon but if you did, she wouldn’t be surprised and you would end up blind wasted drunk for a month.”

  “All right, that’s enough.” Missy came through the doorway from the kitchen, carrying a large mug of steaming hot coffee. She set the mug down in front of Adam. “Don’t tease your papa for going to the saloon and snoring loud enough to bring the roof down.” She winked at Adam and he grinned at her. “I don’t suppose you want any eggs or bread this morning.”

  “No thanks. Just the coffee for now. I’ve got to get to the mill and put in some kind of appearance or George will have my head.”

  Missy shook her head. “He’s already been by. Sam told him you were there till late last night and that you’d been drinking so not to expect you this morning.”

  Adam grunted. “George ain’t gonna like that.”

  “He didn’t seem upset to me. He seemed very understanding.”

  “He’s a hard-nosed guy. Won’t let me get away with that too many times before he’ll give me the sack.”

  “I didn’t think he was that type of man,” Missy disappeared in the kitchen again and came out with another cup of coffee for herself. She sat at the table and took a sip, looking at the man and his children one by one.

  Adam blinked a few times and drank some of his coffee, trying to clear his head. Missy had taken Holly’s seat and looked very comfortable in it. He, however, was very uncomfortable with it. Missy was a friend from church and no more. He hoped she was not expecting to move in on his family life, now that Holly was no longer there. The last thing he was interested in was another relationship. It had been a week. It would be quite some time before he would even think about being with another woman, if ever. At that moment in time, he knew he was perfectly content raising the children alone. He would not find another Holly. He didn’t even want to try.

  A knock at the door made the four of them look at it. Adam stood up, pushing his chair back. He walked to the door and opened it, peeking out into the bright sun. He lifted one hand and shielded his eyes, forcing them to adjust to the bright outdoors.

  “Hey, Adam.” It was Nathan.

  CHAPTER SIX

  NATHAN JUMPS TO CONCLUSIONS

  NATHAN JUMPS TO CONCLUSIONS

  As soon as he saw his face, Adam remembered the altercation the night before. He instinctively lifted one hand and rubbed the sore spot on the side of his head.

  “What do you want, Nate?” He tried not to let his voice betray his feelings. He didn’t want to see Nathan. He didn’t want to talk to him. “I thought you were gonna put some space between us for a little while.”

  “I wanted to come and apologize, Adam. I didn’t mean to hit ya last night or attack ya like I did. I drank too much. Probably shouldn’t have done that.”

  Adam shook his head. “Yeah, it was the wrong time, I guess. I haven’t been drunk in years. I barely remember it. I got the pain today though.”

  Nathan nodded. Adam couldn’t help thinking the excuse of drinking didn’t justify Nathan’s actions though. In his heart, he must truly believe Adam was responsible for Holly’s death. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have come out the way it did.

  He’d always had a solid relationship with Holly�
�s family. He thought he knew them well. He wondered if her parents felt the same way Nathan did.

  “I’m real sorry about that, Adam. I shouldn’t have…”

  He stopped when Missy came around Adam and handed him his coffee cup. “Good morning, Nathan.” Adam could hear the disapproval in her voice and knew Nathan would be able to hear it, too. He looked at his brother-in-law. Nathan’s lips turned down into a frown. His brows came together and he stared at Missy for a prolonged moment. Then he turned them to Adam.

  “Didn’t take you long, did it?” he growled.

  Adam’s heart jumped and he felt the heat of anger slicing through him. He narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about, Nathan?”

  Nathan’s face was turning red. His hands clenched into fists but he kept them at his sides. “Holly is barely in the grave and you’ve got a woman staying here with you. What’s wrong with you?” He put up one large hand and shoved the door open wider. “Max! Riley! Come with me! You don’t need to see this!” He turned his angry eyes back to Adam. “I’m taking the kids to our house. When you decide to…”

  Adam stepped in between Nathan and his children, who hadn’t moved from their seats and were staring at their uncle and father with wide eyes. He flattened his palm toward the children to indicate they should stay where they were. They didn’t budge. “You aren’t taking my children anywhere, Nate. Get off my land. You aren’t in control of me or what my children do.”

  Missy stepped back, a look of shock on her face. She stared at Nathan. “I am not here for Adam, Nathan. I’m here to help with the children.”

  Nathan tried to barrel his way into the house, shoving Adam. Adam stumbled back slightly but held his ground, puffing up his chest, anger making the hangover recede into the back of his mind. “No!” he bellowed. “You aren’t taking my children, Nate. Get out of my house and don’t come back here unless you can say you’re sorry for your rude behavior. And in front of Max and Riley!”

  Nathan snorted, coming nose to nose with Adam. “I can only imagine what you are exposing them to yourself. How could you be such a…”

  “Don’t!” Adam shouted in his face. “Don’t swear in front of my kids. Don’t call me names in front of them. You are their uncle! You should know better than this! Get out of my house!”

  Nathan backed up only slightly, jabbing Adam in the chest with one thick finger. “I’m coming back with the sheriff. We’ll see what he thinks of the way you’re acting.”

  “The way he’s acting?” Missy’s voice was shrill. Adam gave her a warning glance, shaking his head.

  “Stay out of this, whor…”

  “Stop!” Adam called out the word to block out what Nathan was saying. He didn’t want Max and Riley hearing their friend and babysitter called names. “You have lost control of yourself, Nate! Get out of my house! Go home and calm down!” He put both hands up and shoved Nathan back through the open front door. He followed him out, prepared to beat the daylights out of him if he continued trying to take the children with him.

  “Max! Riley! Get out here!” Nathan called out, glaring at Adam.

  “Stay where you are, kids!” Adam called over his shoulder not taking his eyes from his brother-in-law. Missy closed the door behind him, blocking the men from the sight of the children. Adam felt certain she would be in there consoling them until he returned. He took a few steps toward Nathan, ready to fight for his family. Nathan looked like he was gearing up to have a brawl with Adam. It wasn’t what Adam wanted. He felt nothing but sadness at the way events had transpired. They had been close friends. Adam was a member of his wife’s family and had been from the beginning when they were only courting. The sadness was tainted by the anger he felt. His head was still swimming and aching but all he could think was that he wasn’t going to allow his children to be taken away from him.

  “Getting the sheriff down here is only going to frighten Max and Riley. Why do you want them to go through that? Do you think they want to be away from their father, now that their mother is gone?”

  Nathan spat on the ground in front of Adam’s feet. “Don’t mention Holly, Adam, if you know what’s good for you.”

  Adam raised his eyebrows. “Don’t mention my wife? I can and will mention her whenever I please. I loved her more than my own life and would freely give mine to give her back hers.”

  “I wish you could,” Nathan sneered. “I would take that deal right quick.”

  “Yeah, well, it ain’t gonna happen. So don’t get too excited. You go get the sheriff if you want. He’ll tell ya you’re trespassing on my property and that you need to stay off. Don’t threaten me, Nate. I’ve done nothing wrong. I don’t have to justify anything I do to you and you know full well that I got drunk last night for the first time in over ten years, maybe even fifteen.”

  “God’s lookin’ down on you, Adam, and so is Holly. And here you are shackin’ up with a woman from town. She was friends with Holly! She should be ashamed of herself.”

  Adam wanted desperately to make his brother-in-law understand. He shook his head. “Nothing went down between me and Missy. You got it all wrong. I think you might need to think for a minute before you open your mouth and speak vile lies about me. Don’t you go spreading that in town. You’ll damage Missy’s reputation and she doesn’t deserve that.”

  “That woman has to be held accountable for her actions just like you do. You’re gonna pay for doing this to Holly.”

  “For Pete’s sake, Nate, I’m not doing anything… we’re not doing anything! I was drunk last night. She was babysitting Max and Riley. She stayed over after helping me get my boots off and lay down in bed. She slept in Riley’s bed, not mine! Where is your mind? Why do you think such horrible things? I thought we were friends!”

  “I guess I didn’t know who you really were. I would never have expected you to do something like this.”

  “I can say the same thing about you, my friend.”

  Nathan shook his head. “I’m not your friend. How can you do this? How can you replace Holly so fast?”

  “I told you, I’m not replacing her! Missy is not my lover! We are friends and she has offered to help me with the children during my grief. You have it all wrong!”

  “I don’t believe you,” Nathan’s voice was so low and deep, Adam could barely hear it.

  Adam rolled his eyes and sighed. “Just go, Nate. Just get off my property. I’ll come and talk to the folks and Alice later on.”

  “I’m going to tell them what you’re doing, Adam. They will be just as disappointed as I am.”

  “You tell them whatever you want, Nate. Everyone knows you. You get mad and you lie about other people. I’ll talk to them. I’m sure I can set the record straight.”

  Nathan snorted, spat on the ground, and turned away from Adam. “You will be proven to be a liar, Adam. Stay away from my family. You are not welcome.”

  Adam watched him leave without saying another word. Nathan would say whatever he wanted to his parents and Alice. There was nothing he could do about it and no way to change Nathan’s mind. He folded his arms across his chest and watched as Nathan put one foot in the stirrups and pushed up to get on his horse. He swung his leg over, clicked his tongue at his horse, and pulled the reins to make it turn. As he galloped away, all Adam could do was stand and watch, his eyes stinging with tears and his heart aching with sorrow.

  He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Missy standing there, looking up at him with wide, sad eyes. “Oh Adam, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble with your family.”

  Adam shook his head. “It’s not your fault, Missy. You couldn’t have prevented this. I am grateful for the help around the house and with the kids. You don’t know how much.”

  “I don’t want any harm to come to any of you. Perhaps I should just go.”

  “You can stay for coffee and breakfast. I’ll take the children in to the schoolhouse.”

  “Are you sure you want to do that? Shouldn’t
you get a little more sleep? You look exhausted and I know you have a headache.”

  “Is it that obvious?”

  “Well, you got hit in the head last night, didn’t you? As well as drunk as can be.” Missy gave him a gentle smile. “Take it easy. I will take them into town for school and perhaps stop to speak to Alice if she’s around there. Sometimes she helps oversee the children as they arrive.”

  Adam nodded. “Yes, Holly used to talk to her for hours in the mornings after the kids started their schooling.”

  “Come back inside and finish your coffee. Do you want some toasted bread? Something to settle in your stomach?”

  Adam followed her back in. “I think that might be okay. Stomach isn’t feeling too good, to be honest.”

  “I’m sure it isn’t.” Missy said over her shoulder, going past the table, where the children were sitting. They had gotten their shoes on and looked expectantly up at their father.

  “Are you okay, Daddy?” Riley asked. “Why is Uncle Nate so mad at you?”

  Adam sat in his chair and leaned forward to tie the strings of his daughter’s bonnet under her chin. “Don’t you worry about it, honey. It’s adult stuff.”

  “I didn’t like how he talked to you, Papa.” Max said. “It wasn’t nice. I never seen him like that before.”

  Adam shook his head. “To be honest with you, son, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him that way either.” Except last night, he thought. He kept that fact to himself. His children certainly didn’t need to be burdened with it. “You two just take yourselves to school and be good little ones for Ms. Berry, all right?”

  “Yes, Daddy.” Riley said, beaming at her father.

  “Papa, we are always good to Ms. Berry. She’s nice!” Max said, jumping to his feet, ready to go out the door.

  “She is, Daddy!” Riley said quickly. “I like her!”

  “I’m glad to hear that. I think she’s a nice teacher, too.”

  “She always tells me I’m really good at reading.” Riley’s soft voice was filled with excitement. “I like it when she tells me to read for the class.”