Handsome Widower’s Second Chance

by Elliee Atkinson

  He'd expected to get sympathetic looks from those around him. Not the ones he was getting, as though he really were at fault. He drank the rest of the beer, turned around, and set the glass on the table.

  “Gimme another one, Sam. Just one more before I’m on my way.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “All right, Adam.” Sam refilled the glass and set it in front of him. “After this, you might wanna go find Mark. I’m sure he’ll want to…” Sam looked up over Adam’s shoulder. “Well, speak of the devil.”

  Adam turned to see Mark standing at the doors to the saloon. When he spotted Adam, Mark’s eyebrows lifted and he made a beeline to the bar. “Adam! What are you doing in here?”

  Adam laughed. “Just thought I’d have a beer before coming to find you. Or I was thinking about going to the lumber mill or seeing my father-in-law.”

  “You wanna steer clear of Chuck when you’re drunk, Adam. He don’t want to see you that way.”

  “I’m not drunk.”

  “You got plenty drunk last night and you’re back in here less than twenty-four hours later? You may not feel it but you’re probably drunk.”

  Mark slid onto the stool next to him, gesturing to Sam for a beer. Sam gave him a nod and turned away. “So have you seen Nate today?” Mark asked, turning to look at his friend.

  Adam nodded. “Yeah, he came by this morning.” He related the story of the morning to Mark, whose eyes grew wider as the story went on. Adam tried to keep it short and to the point, not one to drag out anything. Mark was shaking his head when Adam finished.

  “I know everyone is telling you that people grieve in their own way, Adam. But this blame thing he’s got for you has got to go. He doesn’t realize the damage he’s doing. This is a time for everyone in the family to pull together, not break apart.”

  Adam nodded again. “Yeah, I agree with you.”

  “You’ve got a plan in mind to take care of this?”

  Adam looked surprised. “A plan? No. I don’t have a plan. What can I do? I can’t change the man’s mind. I can talk to him all I want but I get the feeling I might just end up getting punched again. He doesn’t hear what I have to say.”

  “He came by this morning to apologize. That must mean something. It must mean he at least cares about you and doesn’t want to fight with you.”

  “That may be so, but how he reacted to Missy being there was… well, frankly, uncalled for. He tried to get my kids to go with him, Mark! That’s… that’s not acceptable to me. No one is going to take my kids away. Not him or Alice or anybody.”

  “Alice? Is she mad at you, too? Surely not.” Mark scowled.

  “No, no. She has not been anything but kind to me since this happened. I guess my point in all of this is that if Alice can be forgiving, why can’t Nate?”

  “You’ve got nothing to be forgiven for,” Mark cried out. “Nothing! You shouldn’t have to beg for comfort. They should be comforting you and you should be comforting them.”

  “It just doesn’t seem to be going that way, though,” Adam hated the whining, self-pitying way his words were coming out.

  “So no plan, eh. Well, you’ll at least need to figure out what you’re going to do for help with the kids. You can’t be there with them all the time and they need to be cared for. They gotta have a mother to help them out. Especially Riley.”

  Adam nodded. “I am definitely thinking about that, too.”

  “Just be careful it’s not Missy you’re asking for help too often. That won’t calm Nate down and it will start rumors around town. I can see by the looks you’re getting that something is already circulating. You want me to find out what it is?”

  Adam picked up his glass and held it in front of his lips. He shrugged as if he didn’t care. However, unfortunately, he did.

  CHAPTER TEN

  ALICE IN DANGER

  ALICE IN DANGER

  Alice set the picnic basket on the counter and began to empty it of its contents. She set the tea container and the two cups in the wash basin and tossed the ham and bread scraps into the refuse bin. She used a wet cloth to wipe down the counters and a broom to sweep up the dust that had gathered on the wooden kitchen floor. That was one thing she’d learned about living in Arizona. Dust seemed to gather on everything so quickly. It had to be swept and wiped down two or three times a day, especially during hot or windy days. She brushed the dirt off into the refuse bin and lifted it up to take it outside to dump.

  She stepped out into the heat and crossed to the corner of the back porch where the large wooden box was stored. The refuse was typically left in the box to make into mulch at a later date.

  She heard voices as she approached the refuse bin, recognizing one as Nathan’s. She stopped in her tracks, perking up her ears to listen to the conversation. She’d been eavesdropping on Nathan since they were children and didn’t mind doing it to him now.

  “He’s got to be taught a lesson,” Nathan’s words infuriated Alice the longer she listened.

  “What do you mean? He didn’t do anything wrong.”

  Alice assumed Nathan was standing around the corner of the house, near the shade trees or under them if he was smart, with a few friends. The two voices that responded to Nathan belonged to his friends, Carl and David. She had known them since they were all very small. Carl and David were younger than Nathan and looked up to him. It didn’t matter what Nathan said, Carl and David eventually went along with him, whether they agreed or not.

  When Carl had responded to Nathan, saying Adam had done nothing wrong, Nathan snorted.

  “He was an irresponsible husband. Now he’s shackin’ up with the seamstress. It’s almost like he was waiting for Holly to die so he could jump in it with this other woman. I wouldn’t be surprised if they carried on before Holly died. Maybe he set something up to make sure she died so he could be free.”

  Lies! Alice nearly dropped the refuse bucket in her frustrated surprise. How could her brother ever think such a thing about Adam? It was ridiculous and unfounded. She was shaking and set the bin down as quietly as possible to clench her hands together. She continued listening, wishing she had the courage to go around the corner of the house and confront Nathan with his utter lies.

  “Adam ain’t that kind of man,” Alice was relieved to hear David standing up to Nathan on Adam’s defense.

  “Yeah, they loved each other. You could see it. I always wished I had someone that would love me the way she loved him.”

  “She may have loved him, but he wasn’t worth it. Why, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he was trying to get Alice now that Holly is gone. They’re practically twins, you know. Look just like one another, even if she’s five or more years younger than him.”

  Nathan’s friends laughed. Alice closed her eyes in her fury. She took a step forward but drew in a deep breath and held it for a moment, standing still. She clenched her fists at her sides.

  “It ain’t funny!” Nathan cried out, making his friends stop their laughter abruptly.

  “Sorry, Nate. Was just picturing him trying to get Alice to act like Holly.”

  “He wouldn’t need to try anything. They are a lot alike. I can’t have him around her.”

  “I don’t know you’ll be able to control her, Nate. Alice is headstrong and determined. If she wants something, she’s going to get it. Not saying she’d want Adam. After all, he did pretty much kill Holly, didn’t he?”

  “He did kill her. He didn’t do anything to prevent her death. That makes him responsible.”

  Alice took another step forward. She was losing control of her temper. However, if she did go around the corner and confront Nathan, what good would it do? What would it accomplish? He’d be angrier with Adam, he’d be mad at her and he would probably insist that she never speak to Adam again.

  Well, she wasn’t going to let Nathan get away with his bad behavior. Adam didn’t deserve it. She would spend as much time as she wanted to with
him and Nathan couldn’t stop her. She leaned over, picked up the bin and carried it to the edge of the porch. She could see Nathan and his friends once she got to the bin. She lifted the lid and dumped the trash into the larger bin.

  Nathan, who was standing with his back against the large tree, his two friends in front facing him, looked up at her. “Alice!” He called out. She didn’t trust his voice. It sounded mysterious, as if he had a plan he wasn’t going to share with anyone.

  She lifted one hand and was going to turn away when she heard, “Oy! Come on over, peacock.”

  Peacock. A name Nathan had picked out himself to call her when they were small children.

  “No time!” She called back, not wanting to stir up any trouble. “I have much to do.”

  “Yeah, sewing and needlework and embroidery and cooking and cleaning, right?” Nathan teased, waving at her. “Come on over, peacock, we got questions for you.”

  Alice reluctantly left the bin behind and walked closer to where the men were standing. She didn’t like the way Carl and David were eyeing her. She’d always felt uncomfortable about being alone in the presence of either one of these men. They had no respect. They were cowpunchers, always dirty and tarrying with the prostitutes in Wickenburg on a near nightly basis. Alice didn’t like them and neither did her parents. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop Nathan from wasting time with them.

  It had gotten so distressful at one point that Caroline and Chuck had told Nathan if he didn’t stop wasting his hard-earned money in the saloon, they would have to ask him to leave the house and find a residence of his own. He’d stayed at the inn because of it but lingered there only a month before breaking ties with the cowboys and coming back home.

  Still, it was obvious Nathan was going back to his old habits and spending time with these ruffians was part of that. It distressed Alice. Holly wouldn’t like it. She would have to remind Nathan of that.

  Alice stopped several feet away from the men, crossed her arms over her chest and glared at them. “What are you doing out here, Nate? Shouldn’t you be working?”

  “We’re taking a break,” Nate responded, in a voice that told Alice he had been drinking whiskey. The men fairly reeked of the liquor they’d been consuming. She pictured it seeping from their pores and it made her want to run away from them. They were vile and disgusting men. She didn’t want her brother to end up like that. “What are you doing?”

  “I was taking out the rubbish. Someone has to, you know. I noticed you left a lot of your own mess in the kitchen. You should clean up after yourself, Nathan.”

  “Oh, sounds like your sister is becoming your mama, Nate,” Carl said, grinning at David with a mouth only half full of teeth. He turned to her. “You wanna be my mama, Ally? Come on now, give your baby a kiss.” He came closer to her and she took a step back, cringing. He grabbed her around the waist and planted a wet, slimy kiss on her lips. She squealed and pushed him away, lifting the apron she’d put on to clean off her mouth.

  “Go away! Leave me alone.”

  “Aww, I don’t think your sis likes me much, Nate.”

  “Nah, don’t touch her, Carl. You’re not her type.” Nathan came to her defense weakly, without much conviction. As expected, Carl didn’t take him very seriously. He moved to grab Alice again and she turned away in revulsion.

  “Leave me alone, Carl.” She could hear David and Nathan laughing. She felt Carl’s hands grab at the strings of her apron and hopped out of his reach. She spun around angrily, staring at her brother. “Nathan! Tell your friends to leave me alone.”

  Nathan lifted one hand and waved it at Carl. “Leave her alone, Carl. She don’t want you.”

  Unconvinced, Carl turned his grin back to Alice. “Oh, I think I can convince her otherwise. Come on, girl, you know you’ll like it. Come on…”

  Alice screamed in frustration and took off back toward the house. Her heart was pounding. She was sure Carl was on her heels and would catch her and throw her to the ground, doing only God knows what to her. Nathan would be no help. She leapt up the three steps onto the porch, taking them in one and almost stumbling. Her arms flailed but she managed to stay on her feet. She was sure she felt Carl’s hand grab on to her heel, nearly pulling off her shoe. She could hear Nathan and David still laughing.

  With tears streaming from her eyes, she grabbed the back door and yanked it open. She went through quickly and dared to look over her shoulder to see if Carl had followed her. Her breath was coming and going in quick, sharp gasps. The door closed only halfway behind her but she didn’t see Carl there. She stopped and tried to calm her beating heart. She put one hand on her chest and tried to stop crying. Her mother and father would hear about this.

  The sorrow of having to tell their parents that her brother had not stood up for her or protected her stabbed at Alice’s heart. After just losing their sister, it appeared she was now going to lose her brother, too. He should have stood up for her and made Carl leave her alone.

  When the door was pushed open and Carl stood in the doorway, blocking the sunlight and grinning from ear to ear, she nearly broke down again. She looked around, eventually grabbing a heavy cast iron pan from the stove that was so heavy she almost dropped it. She had to use both hands to hold on to it. She held it out in front of her like a sword.

  “Now, now, little missy, you don’t wanna hurt me, do you?”

  “Stay away from me, Carl. Just stay away from me. Nathan! Nathan!” She knew she was calling her brother’s name with no hope of help from him. The whiskey had turned him into another monster, just like his friends. Carl took a step closer to her.

  “Come on, Ally, you know me. You’ve known me for years. I’m a hard working man. I’m only askin' for a bit of lovin’. What’s so wrong with that?”

  “Not from me, Carl. I’m not one of your ladies. You stay away from me.”

  “You want that husband of your sister’s, don’t you? Nate told us how you been standing up for him. He told us you been givin’ the man lovey eyes. You been doing that a long time, missy? That why she’s dead now?”

  His words cut into Alice whether she liked it or not. Her sweet sister was gone and there was nothing she could do about it. “Stay away from me, Carl! I’m warning you, I’ll hit you with this pan! I might kill you! It’s very heavy!”

  Carl laughed. “You don’t even know how to threaten somebody. You ain’t gonna hit me and even if ya did, you ain’t got the strength to do more than cause a lil’ bump or something. Give me the pan, come on, give it to me and let me show you what a real man looks like. None of that sissy carpentry stuff Adam does. Come on.” He took a few more steps closer.

  Alice was ashamed that her hands were shaking so much. The pan was moving up and down. Her arm muscles were growing weak.

  “Stay away, Carl! Nathan!”

  “Your brother ain’t gonna help you. Come on. Come on.” He used a gentle coaxing voice that made Alice’s stomach turn over. She was afraid she was going to throw up at any moment.

  “Leave me alone! Leave me alone!” Alice backed through the kitchen door into the living room. The front door was behind her and she backed up toward it, still holding the pan out in front of her, waving it slightly in the hopes that Carl would not notice her shaking hands. He just laughed. Soon enough, he would pounce and she would have to go into action. She didn’t know how, but she had to keep him from hurting her. She would beat him senseless if she had to.

  She screamed when he lunged toward her, narrowly dodging getting a cast iron pan to the side of his head. His dirty arms went around her and she found herself on the floor underneath him. He pulled at her dress, ripping the seam of the collar, and exposing her smooth white shoulder. She screamed again and fought him off, pounding on him with her small fists. It made him laugh more.

  “No! No!” She screamed, wriggling about in a weak attempt to get out from under his heavy weight.

  She turned her head to the side when he tried to kiss her again; not noticing when th
e front door was abruptly kicked open and Adam entered the room.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  ADAM TO THE RESCUE

  ADAM TO THE RESCUE

  Suddenly the weight was lifted from her body and she gasped. She pushed up on one elbow, holding her torn dress against her chest. Mark was behind Adam and knelt down to her.

  “Alice!” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. They both watched as Adam tossed Carl across the room into a table, breaking one of the legs.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Adam bellowed, crossing the room to where he’d thrown the smaller man in two steps, reaching down and yanking the man up onto his feet. He shoved Carl backwards, took another step and punched him across the face. Carl lifted his hands in defense.

  “I was jus’ havin’ a little fun, Adam!” He cried out.

  “A little fun??” Adam bumped against Carl with his chest, pressing the man against the wall behind him. “A little fun??”

  Mark helped Alice to her feet and lowered her carefully to sit in one of the chairs by the door.

  “Are you all right?” He asked quietly. She was shaking like a leaf and had paled in fright. She nodded, lifting one hand to instinctively smooth out her disheveled hair. Mark took another look at her and then turned to go to where Adam was holding Carl up against the wall.

  “You’ve lost your mind!” Adam yelled. “This isn’t fun! You don’t treat a lady like that!”

  “I… I…” Carl looked like a weak puppy, his eyes closed and his face turned away from Adam’s. Mark approached from behind and grabbed Adam’s arm. When Adam turned his furious eyes toward his friend, Mark shook his head.

  “Let me handle this, Adam. You help Alice.”

  “I’ll kill him!” Adam retorted. Mark nodded.

  “I know. Go on. Help Alice.”

  The look of gratitude on Carl’s face further infuriated Adam. He lifted his fist to punch the cowboy again but Mark stopped him. “Let me.” He said in a calm voice.