Liberty Ranch

by Temperance Johnson

  She knew she would have to walk back over there and get her. She didn't know how Andrew always handled her when she acted like this. It drove Katrina nuts. She looked back at Mabel who had watched her gaze.

  Mabel looked at her in a way that indicated she understood. "It's hard understanding them. You are not always sure what to do," Mabel told her.

  Katrina nodded. "Izzy seems so much better than me. She is so patient and kind. I feel so lost in my own home."

  "Like the children have taken it over." Mabel smiled a little. "You just have to set what your home will be and make sure nothing comes between you and your man. It will not help the girls if they know you two are at odds."

  Katrina's face crumbled. How could Mabel guess that she was not on the best of terms with Andrew? She must not be hiding it well. She didn't want others knowing she was having a hard time in her marriage. She had never had a hard time before. Spending time with Mabel made her want Ellen here more than ever before. Why wasn't she here to show her what she should do with Andrew? Ellen would know what to do, how to get Andrew to open up. She would know how to handle the girls better. She would be more like Izzy, patient and strong.

  Not knowing what to say, she looked back at Francesca to find Francesca’s back against the tree with the boy’s body pressed against her, kissing her. His hands held her tightly against him. Her arms were around his neck as she kissed him back.

  Katrina stood up and started over there, and Mabel followed. She passed Izzy, who noticed and kept Sara at her side. Before she got over there, Timmy walked up to them and pulled the boy away from her. He stepped between them, his hands in a fist, ready to throw one. "How dare you touch her like that, Joe Taylor? Francesca is a precious, priceless ruby who needs to be treated with respect."

  Joe swore. "You are talking about that who..."

  Joe didn't get the word out when Timmy punched him right in the mouth, knocking him to the ground.

  Katrina came over to take Francesca's hand and lead her away, but Francesca just stared at Timmy and stayed there. "How could you?!" she asked in a quiet, angry voice.

  Joe stood back up, wiping his lip.

  Mabel walked between them and stared at Joe. "That is enough, Joe Taylor. Go home and I better never see you doing this again with any girl. Do you understand me, young man?" She said it with such an authoritative voice that few people would mess with her. "Cause if you ever do this again, you’ll be fighting her father, not my son."

  Joe stepped back and bobbed his head. "Yes, ma'am." Then he left without looking at anyone.

  Katrina yelled, "What were you thinking, Fran? What you did was so wrong."

  Francesca ignored Katrina and stared at Timmy in shock. She tried to step closer to him, but Katrina held her back. She stood there and yelled, "How could you do that, Timmy Alexander? What Joe says is true." She stated it like she didn't care.

  Katrina looked to see the church members and some town people gathered and watching. Sara’s face was hot with anger and shame. Her face was hard. Katrina had to look farther to see Carlissa was still playing with her friends on the other side of the church.

  Timmy walked up to Francesca. "No, he is a liar! A bad boy. He is wrong about you. You are a valuable treasure. You are a beloved child of God."

  Francesca stared at him in shock. Her mouth dropped open. For once she had no words. No smart comeback.

  Katrina looked in shock. She wanted to take this boy home because he had gotten Francesca to be quiet. "Timmy is right," she mumbled, then kept hold of her hand and led her to the wagon.

  Izzy had an arm around Sara, who still looked scared, but now she was red in the face, her hands in a fist.

  Katrina looked to Gloria and asked her if she could go get Carlissa, who had thankfully missed all this for once. Her eyes looked hard at Francesca, she couldn't help it. She could have ruined their name by admitting to being a whore. She could lose it all. What would they think of Andrew? She knew what could become of their reputation. She had lived in that reputation for decades in Alabama. It scared her to live that way here.

  Katrina put an arm around Sara's waist and led her away. This day couldn't get any worse. "Sara, you are a good girl. You are my daughter. The church will think the same thing I do, that you are a beautiful sweet child."

  Sara glared at her with scared eyes. "You can't really believe that, Ma." She moved her arms to show the biggest gossipers of town. Both of them knew this would be around town by tomorrow morning.

  Katrina kissed her forehead. "Let's go home, baby. We can talk later." She kept her in a side hug like she normally did when they walked.

  IZZY TOOK FRANCESCA'S arm. "We will walk home, Kat."

  Katrina looked at Francesca and then Izzy and nodded. "All right." Katrina looked back at Francesca. "We will talk at home, young lady." She watched Izzy and Francesca walk away.

  Katrina’s eyes met Mabel’s, whose expression said she would be by this week to talk. She almost cried. Katrina knew she had messed up today more than once.

  She knew what Francesca had just done would get to the ears of Pastor Peter. He would no doubt be by, telling them how to parent properly. Andrew had told her he was surprised he hadn't come yet. She hoped Andrew was home by the time he came over. She wasn't in the mood to deal with a self-centered, self-righteous pastor, as Ellen often called them.

  Chapter 23

  Izzy walked home, ignoring Francesca who followed. She could not believe Francesca had done that. Francesca caught up with her and folded her arms, acting like a spoiled child who got caught in the cookie jar. "So why don’t you just get on with it and tell me how I am a bad girl for kissin’ Joe!" Francesca told her.

  Izzy could say that was more than kissing. Both were way too close. She knew how that could go bad fast. "I ain't going to scold you. Kat and Andrew will when he gets back."

  Francesca unfolded her arms. "You ain't. Then why did you ask to walk home with me?"

  Izzy shrugged. "I needed to get you away from Sara. You might be all right with boys, but you really freaked her out."

  "Everything scares Sara. I can't help it." She didn’t seem to care.

  Izzy stopped in the road. She turned to face Francesca, her eyes narrowed. "What do you think? What we do affects others. Do you want Sara to be kissin’ boys like that, or maybe going farther?"

  Francesca frowned. "No, but I wouldn't do anything with him. Joe is a good boy."

  Izzy shook her head and started walking. "Kisses like that can lead to more, quickly!"

  "So what? To do things like your brother did. I hear he didn’t even kiss his wife till their weddin’ day!" Francesca said, as if Cole was crazy.

  Izzy cocked her head. "Somethin’ like that wouldn't be bad. I wish Jesse and I did it more like them. They are a sweet couple, and I think some of it was because they got emotionally close first and not physically."

  Francesca stopped walking and swore, glaring at Izzy. "That might be great for them. But I have nothing to give a man. Everything I had got taken by hundreds of men. Not a couple, but hundreds. I have nuthin’ to give my husband. They took everythin’, my kiss, my touch, everythin’ I have done. I have nothin’ left. I am nothing to a man. So I don't have your brother's power to not touch. What does it matter? I can get none of that back."

  Izzy froze. What Francesca had just said was why she had let Jesse’s kiss go farther with her. What did it matter? She had nothing to give Jesse that hadn't been taken. She took Francesca by the shoulders. "That is not true. You have a lot to give. You have your personality and talents. What they took from you was not your choice and a good man will know that. It was their filth that took from you, not yours. God will take that pain away and make you a new person." She let her go. "A good man will love you for who you are."

  Francesca didn't soften. "Jesse doesn't know about you! What if he did? What would it matter if I gave Joe what every man wants?" She added like Izzy didn't know what she was talking about. "Sex."

&
nbsp; Izzy got in her face. "I know the world says sex outside of marriage is fine. They just say give in and have fun, don't think about what will happen after. God forbids two people to burn in sin. God did not just forbid it because He wanted to make rules. He had our best interests, and He knew how we give into temptation." Izzy faced her until Francesca's back was against a tree, having her full attention. "Giving in to sex before marriage is not the answer. You will wonder if the man wanted you for you or your body. You will also wonder, can I ever trust him after being married? He broke his commitment to you before marriage, why not after? Sex and children belong in a union called marriage for good reasons."

  Izzy leaned her hand above Francesca's head, breathing hard. "You will always wonder if he married you because of your body or guilt." She softened her voice. "Marriage can be a wonderful thing. I have seen it with people around me. But it takes work and patience and not giving into everything you want. Wait for the best, Fran. If you give yourself to God's hand, He will bring a man you can't imagine. He has so many plans for you, you’ve just gotta let him." Izzy gave her an amused look. "Remember, no scolding." Moving away, exhausted from more than just the heat of the day. "Let’s get home. I need some iced tea."

  Francesca caught up. "You mean iced sweet tea."

  Izzy grinned and put an arm around Francesca's shoulders. "Is there another kind?"

  Francesca shook her head. "Nope." They walked for a bit in silence, then Francesca spoke like she didn't want to say it but like it didn't matter. "I have thought of going back to the saloon."

  This didn't surprise Izzy. It was the only way Francesca knew love. "When you feel like leavin’, talk to Katrina or Andrew right away."

  "Katrina would freak out if I told her my feelings!" Francesca stepped away. "Andrew doesn't love me. Not really. He doesn't show it like others have."

  Izzy stopped Francesca by taking Francesca’s arms. She tried to meet her eyes, but she kept looking away. "Andrew loves you. He is showing you love by not doing what anyone else has done. He is showing you what a father's love is. It is not what you experienced before." She paused. Bad-mouthing her abusers would not help, even if she felt like it. She had yelled and ranted about them. Her favorite thing to say about them was God had a special place in Hell for those monsters. "Andrew is kind, patient, and shows you what healthy love is. Those bad men were not showing you love the right way." She added, "Katrina will be just fine if you talk to her."

  Francesca met her eyes, glaring. "I can talk to you about it because we are made from the same cloth. It will be no time till they realize who I am and then tire of me."

  Izzy shook her head. "That will not happen! Ever!" She lowered her voice. "But you have to believe that in time. It has to be your choice to believe them." She knew it was hard to believe that because if the town ever found out what she had been, they would treat her and anyone around her like an outcast. She had scolded several pastors for not welcoming former prostitutes or child slaves in their church. She told them if they knew how these victims had lived, they would have a little more compassion. It normally didn't help. Juan Jose had opened many of the pastor's eyes. She put her arm back around Francesca’s shoulder and started walking home. "You have to let it go, retrain how you think about love, especially a father's love."

  "Did you feel loved by your pa after you came home?" Francesca asked.

  Izzy gave her a rough laugh. "No, he hit me six months after coming home. It shocked me, I thought he had changed. He hadn't hit us in years. He beat Cole up and we left soon after. I came here and Cole went to work with the Starrys in Alabama. I got a father figure through my cousin. And Cole was always there. Cole is a lot like Andrew. They are made from the same cloth." Growing tired from the heat and emotions, choosing a lighter subject. "We could have a tea party with lots of sugar with the girls. The men will be gone for a bit still."

  Francesca shrugged. "Kat is still mad. She probably won't want to."

  "You could try givin’ in and obeyin’." Izzy winked at her.

  Francesca moved back and gave her an amused look. "Now what fun is in that." She gave her a sassy look. "So this tea party, let's invite all the boys in town."

  Izzy tried to playfully smack her, but she took off. Good thing Izzy was a good runner.

  "MA, CAN I TAKE WHISPER up on the north pasture to look for the new foal?" Sara asked from the kitchen door.

  Izzy had let her go up there before, so Katrina didn't see why not. She nodded. "Let me pack you a snack to take with you." She got out some salted pork and cheese, then a slice of bread and wrapped it in a towel. "Put this in your saddlebag, hon." She kissed her forehead, then handed her the bag and the canteen.

  Sara nodded silently.

  A few moments later, Carlissa walked into the kitchen looking very mad. Her hair was all full of hay, and she had water running down her face. "What happened to you, sweetie?" Katrina asked.

  Carlissa put her hands out like she had done nothing to deserve this. "Fran dumped me with water when she was watering Poppy, Mama."

  Katrina nodded, trying not to laugh at her pouty lips. She was just so cute when she did that, so much younger than she was. She was good at getting sympathy. "Did Francesca water Poppy and Poder?"

  Carlissa looked shocked and held out her arms. "Yes, but I am all wet!" she explained, like Katrina hadn't noticed.

  Katrina nodded. "All right, I will deal with Fran in a minute. Why don't you take this towel and dry your hair? After I am done cooking supper, I will brush it." Francesca wasn't normally mean to the girls. Carlissa was probably bugging her. Getting her wet was the only way to get her away. It worked. Though she would have talked to Francesca about that.

  Carlissa stuck her tongue out. "I hate when you brush my hair."

  Katrina ignored the attitude for the moment. When they were alone, she let some stuff slide trying to not fight with her at every moment. She knew it would be a big fight for her hair.

  Carlissa tried to dry her hair and was just making it messier. "My hair is ugly," she declared.

  Katrina looked at her lovingly. "No, I love your red hair with curls. It's getting so long and lovely."

  Carlissa made a disgusted face. Her anger grew as it did.

  "Right now, you look madder than a wet hen," Katrina told her softly as she finished cutting the tomatoes.

  Carlissa was about to answer back with a comeback, but then she shut her mouth and stared at her with a confused look. Then her eyes got wide. "I look like a chicken?"

  Katrina burst out laughing, shaking her head as her girls took everything so literally. "With the hay on your head, you kinda look like a hen, sweetie.” She laughed till Carlissa joined her.

  Carlissa smiled up at her. "When the hens get wet, they look awful mad for sure. Well, I saw the boy bird get just as mad."

  Katrina just laughed away her seriousness. "I was funning with you, Carlissa."

  Francesca walked in. "What, are you trying to explain yet another saying to her?" She smiled a little, knowing how the two younger girls just didn't get most of them.

  Katrina nodded, still smiling. "Yup."

  "When will Izzy be back?" Francesca whined. She didn't like it when Izzy did anything with anyone else. At the moment she was with Annie in town, shopping. Francesca got insanely jealous of her. Katrina couldn't imagine how she’d react when Izzy moved and wouldn't be back for over six months or more. She was trying to bond with Francesca herself.

  "I am not sure. Did you finish your chores?"

  Francesca nodded.

  Before anyone could say anything, there was a knock on the kitchen door. Turning, she knew who it had to be. Almost everyone else went to the front door. "Come on in, Mabel."

  Mabel came in and smiled at the girls. "I brought my granddaughters and Lucy if you girls want to go play." She looked to Katrina to answer.

  "Sure, you girls can go on out," Katrina told them.

  Carlissa looked up and smiled brightly at Mabel. "I like your
grandbabies. They are nice." Then she ran out the door, slamming the screen, with Francesca following.

  Katrina put the stew on to simmer. "Want some coffee?" she asked as she buttered two slices of cinnamon bread.

  "Sure." She took a seat at the table after looking outside.

  Katrina set the plate down and poured coffee for both of them. She took a long sip of coffee. Looking at her older friend, she asked, "How do you do it? Timmy is such a good boy."

  "You're not missing a beat." Mabel grinned. "Timmy came to me as a baby, he didn't have the amount of neglect my other boys had. Though he still has a hard time with losing his tummy ma. He is a Godly young man. Your girls can be the same one day." She took a sip of coffee.

  Katrina looked at her in surprise. "You really think so?"

  Mabel nodded. "Remember, you have only had them with you for a couple of months now. It will take time to heal their wounds. Maybe decades."

  Katrina nodded. "The nightmares are terrible for both of the older girls right now. Before they wake up from their nightmares, it is almost like I can feel what they went through. They never remember what they say, but they cry out for the men to stop." Katrina wiped at a tear. "I hate what they did to them."

  Mabel laid a hand over hers. "I know that feeling well. My boys were hurt by so many. Sometimes they don't remember, but their bodies do."

  "Do you think the town knows what Francesca and Sara were in the past?" She hated to ask, but needed to know. She hadn't been to town since the incident outside the church, and she worried. Andrew said some were talking, but not as bad as Alabama would be. “I thought I heard Maryanne say somethin’ about it.”