“Yes, they are. After dinner, they went into Mea Ann and Wilt’s parlor.”
Ty raised an eyebrow. “You fed them?”
“Of course. It was time to eat, and I wasn’t going to have everyone eating and not invite them to eat, too.” She chuckled. “Didn’t surprise me when Mrs. Poindexter accepted, but I was a little taken aback when Mr. Poindexter did. He seemed to enjoy it, too.”
“Nobody could help but enjoy your food, Chapa.”
“Thank you, Xenia. Now, why don’t we go into the parlor and let your parents know you’re back? They’ve been waiting for you to return.”
“Thank you, Chapa.” She bit her lip and her heart began to race.
Ty took her hand as they followed Chapa through the door that connected to the parlor. She felt his squeeze, and it relaxed her a little.
Xenia knew her voice shook as she said, “Hello, Mother. Father.”
Clara jumped up, handed Johnny to Mea Ann, and hurried toward them with outstretched arms. “Xenia, dear. I’m so happy to see you. I was afraid you had run away.”
“It’s good to see you, too, Mother.”
Franklin stood. “I’m glad you’re finally here, Xenia. Now, it’s time get your things together so we can get out of here. I want to get back to town before dark.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I came here—”
Clara interrupted him. “He thought he was going to come out to this ranch and scoop you girls up and head back to Virginia. Then, he found out Mea Ann was married and has no plans to return home with us. He finally realizes there is no way he can convince her to leave her husband and that precious baby, so he’s waited here to insist you come with us.”
“I’m not going back to Virginia with you, Mother.”
“And why not?” Franklin bellowed.
“There’s no need to yell, Franklin.” Clara looked at him. “I’m sure Xenia will change her mind.”
“No, I won’t, Mother. You see, Mea Ann isn’t the only one married. I’d like for you to meet my husband, Tyler Eldridge. We all call him Ty.”
Clara glared at her. “Did you and Mea Ann both get married last night?”
“No, Mother. Ty and I were married today.”
“Oh, Xenia!” Mea Ann jumped up and ran to her sister. “Are you telling the truth?”
“I sure am. Ty has the license in his pocket. It’s all legal and everything.”
Wilt moved across the room and slapped Ty on the back. “So you actually did it?”
Ty nodded. “I sure did.”
“No. This can’t be happening.” Franklin grabbed his head.
“Pay no attention to him, Ty.” Clara reached out her hand. “Though I have to admit I’m surprised by your news, I’m glad to meet you.”
“I’m glad to meet you, too, Mrs. Poindexter.”
“Please. I’ve already settled with Wilt to call me Clara, and I expect you to do the same thing.”
“I’m honored, ma’am.”
“I’m telling you, girls, I don’t think I’ve ever met men any more polite than these two.”
Franklin dropped back into the rocking chair and added nothing to the conversation, but Xenia knew he wasn’t through with his objections. She didn’t know what he’d try to do, but it would be something—and it would be coming soon.
She was right.
There was a lull in the conversation and Franklin stood. “Well, since your marriage only took place today, there will be no problem in getting it annulled. We’ll go into town and see a lawyer. I assume there is a lawyer in this little town. If you can even call it that.”
“There will be no annulment of my marriage.” Ty glared at the man.
“I don’t see that you have any say in the matter. Xenia is my daughter, and she’ll do as I tell her to do. And I say she’ll have an annulment by the end of tomorrow.”
“No, Father. I will not.”
“Listen, daughter.” He turned and glared at her. “I don’t want to embarrass you, but it was too late to insist on Mea Ann giving up her husband. After all, they spent the night together. But you haven’t had your wedding night yet, so there is no problem.”
“Sir—”
“Keep out of this, Eldridge.”
“May I speak?” Xenia had heard all she wanted to hear. She had no intention of letting her father bully her or disrespect Ty. When everyone just looked at her, she went on. “On the way home from the preacher’s house, Ty took me by the most beautiful little cove near a creek. It was so romantic.”
“What the hell does that have to do with anything?”
“Father, I don’t want to embarrass myself, as you say, but did you know a blanket on the soft mossy ground works as well as a feather bed?”
She could almost feel all eyes on her, and she didn’t want to look at any of them because she knew what they were thinking. But for some reason, she automatically sought out Ty. He had one of those half grins on his face that made the pit of her stomach do summersaults, and his eyes twinkled as they looked into hers. What did he think of her announcement? Was he going to expose her lie?
He slid his arms around her shoulders and turned his head toward Franklin. “As my wife says, sir, it’s too late to think about annulling our marriage. Of course, I would have never permitted you to do such a thing in the first place. I don’t know what your views are on marriage, but I was brought up to believe that when a man makes his vows to a woman in front of God, there is no going back.”
“Well, I—”
“Accept it, Franklin. Our daughters are married. Maybe not to husbands that you would choose, but these are fine men. They will be happy with them.”
“But, Clara, what about the folks back home? What are we going to tell them?” He looked like a defeated man.
“We’ll tell them the truth. Our daughters met these prosperous ranchers who happened to be cousins and they fell immediately in love with them. We can even tell them we were here for the weddings.”
“But we didn’t see either of them get married.”
“We can pretend we did. Now, relax, dear. I want to spend a little more time with my new family members. It would behoove you to get to know them, too. You never know—if the men see you as a good husband and father, maybe they will bring the girls to visit us in Virginia one day.”
****
Ty looked over at Wilt as they pitched hay to the horses. “I know they asked us for some time, but do you think we did the right thing by leaving the girls with their parents?”
“I don’t see why not. Chapa is there. She’ll come get us if we’re needed.”
“But she’s in the kitchen. Do you think she can hear what’s going on?”
Wilt chuckled. “You know Aunt Chapa as well as I do. She could hear a snow flake hit the window in a blizzard.”
“You’re right about that.” Ty pushed his hat back. “Do you think Clare Poindexter was right when she said her husband had finally decided he wasn’t going to talk either of their daughters into going home with him?”
“I believe so. Mrs. Poindexter is a smart woman.”
“You know we don’t live the kind of life they’re used to. Do you wonder why they were so set against going back east?”
“I don’t have to wonder, Ty. I know without a doubt that Mea Ann loves me and wants to spend the rest of her life with me. I’m sure Xenia feels the same about you.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“Hell, Wilt. She’s a white woman. You know good and well no white woman—”
“Damn it, Ty.” Wilt threw down the last handful of hay and grabbed Ty by his shirt collar. “How long are you going to whine about white women?”
When Ty started to speak, Wilt interrupted him. “Shut up and listen. I’m not through. Sure, I agree with you, Verna McGill was a money grabbing whore who filled your head with those lies about white women—but I thought you were too smart to swallow her rantings.”
>
When Ty started to say something, Wilt interrupted again. “I said, I’m not through. I never intended to tell you this, but now I think it’s time you know the truth. After you refused to break up the family fortune and take Verna away to California where she thought she could get all your money in her name, she came to me. It didn’t matter to her that I was still grieving the loss of my wife. Verna offered me herself and as she said, the best loving I’d ever have if I’d run away and marry her. When I told her I was just as much Indian as you were, she said she only told you she objected to your Indian blood because she knew you would keep pursuing her, otherwise. She said she left because you were so stubborn and wouldn’t share what would rightfully be hers if she married you. She didn’t figure you’d ever change, but she said she didn’t think I’d be so selfish.”
Ty’s eyes blazed. “You’re lying.”
Wilt shook his head. “Have I ever lied to you, cousin?”
Though it began to ebb, Ty still felt some of the anger that his cousin’s words had stirred up in him. “Then why the hell haven’t you told me this before?”
“Why should I? I figured it’d hurt you, and besides, there has been no white woman in your life until you met Xenia. Now, I think it’s time you accept the fact the woman loves you—and even if you’re too stubborn to admit it, you love her, too. White or Indian blood has nothing to do with the facts.”
Ty didn’t say anything, but he stared at Wilt for a moment. His cousin was right. No matter what happened between them, they had never lied to each other. That had kept their friendship strong for all these years. Though it was hard to believe what Wilt had just said, he knew he was telling the truth. All the resentment and hatred he’d held inside because of Verna McGill began to melt away.
Turning, he stomped out of the barn, leaned against the corral fence and pulled out a smoke. He needed to be alone to absorb this revelation. Lighting the cheroot, he looked at the stars as they began to fill the night sky. A beautiful night for a man’s wedding night…
Wilt came out and started toward the house without saying anything else.
“Thank you.” Ty said loud enough for him to hear.
Wilt nodded without turning around.
“Want a smoke?”
This time, Wilt turned and moved to stand beside Ty.
Ty handed him a cheroot and a match. “I’m beginning to feel as if a burden has lifted off not only my shoulders, but off my mind, too.”
“If I’d known it would’ve help you, I’d have told you earlier.”
“Maybe I didn’t need to hear about it earlier.”
The two men stood in silence, smoking until their cigars were short. Finally, Ty dropped his to the ground and mashed it with his boot. “I think it’s time I got inside. I have a wedding night to look forward to.”
“I thought you took care of your wedding night at the creek.”
Ty chuckled. “That’s what Xenia wanted everyone to think. If you recall, she said the ground would make a nice soft bed, but she didn’t say anyone used it.”
“Come to think of it, you’re right. Then why…” Wilt laughed out loud. “Your wife’s a smart woman. She wanted her father to think just what we all did—that you and she had consummated your marriage. She knew if he believed that, he wouldn’t keep pressuring her about an annulment.”
“You got it. Now, I need to get her in our bedroom and take care of business so he won’t begin thinking about her words, figure out the truth, and start hounding her to leave me again.” Ty headed to the house and Wilt followed with a grin on his lips.
Epilogue
It was close to ten when Ty and Wilt rode into the ranch yard. They dismounted in the snow and led their horses into the barn. “Unsaddle your horse and I’ll brush them down. I know you want to get to Mea Ann.”
“She sure was throwing up this morning. I shouldn’t have left her, but she insisted I go.”
“I know. She wanted you at the trial. Now, go on and make sure Chapa has some hot coffee ready when I get in. I’m planning on drinking a cup to warm up, then I’m going to join my wife in our nice warm bed.”
“Thanks, cousin.”
While brushing the horses down, Ty thought about what had happened in Deer Meadow today. He’d rather not have been involved, but when the word first reached town, he couldn’t keep out of it. It started when Sheriff Ferguson sent word to the surrounding towns that Seymour Longstreet was wanted for the murder of a traveling salesman. When he was caught in Tucson, he was arrested and sent back to Deer Meadow. Being an accomplished liar, he swore to the sheriff there he didn’t kill Lou Bullins. He went on to tell a story of how Bullins had tried to hurt Sassy Sue and she’d taken advantage of the fight in the saloon to shoot him. For some reason, they believed him and arrested her. Sassy, who had witnessed the killing, convinced Tim Ferguson she was telling the truth and he let her go. A day later, still irate, she came to the jail with a piece of pumpkin pie for Seymour. His favorite. Seymour died that night. The doctor said he’d been poisoned and Sassy Sue was arrested. Today had been her trial.
The Eldridge cousins were called to testify since they’d bought most of Seymour’s leftovers in the Golden Door, and as far as everyone in town knew, they re-sold it to Hiram’s Blooming Cactus. Neither of them saw the need for their testimony, but when Tim Ferguson mentioned that their wives might add something to the trial, they agreed to come to town as long as the women weren’t called.
Putting the horses in their stalls and giving them some oats, Ty hurried to the house. He was anxious to get inside and warm up. At the back door, he kicked snow off his boots and stepped inside. “Man, it’s a humdinger out there.”
“I’m glad you’re back. Xenia was getting worried.”
“I told her I might be a little late.” He hung his hat and duster beside Wilt’s on the peg beside the door. “Has she gone to bed?”
“No. Wouldn’t go until you got home. She’s sitting in the parlor beside the fire. Wilt said you wanted some hot coffee?”
“Sure.”
“Go on in and join her and I’ll bring it to you as soon as it heats up.”
“Thanks, Aunt Chapa.” Ty pushed open the door that led to the parlor and couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face. He’d never seen Xenia look more beautiful. Her soft blonde hair was pulled to one side and hung over her shoulder, and her head was bent. Her smooth skin glowed in the light from the fireplace, and he knew her blue eyes would sparkle with love as they always did when she greeted him, but that was only if she were awake. Tonight, she wasn’t. He let his gaze slide down her body to her protruding belly and smiled broader. She was as excited as he was about the coming birth of their first child in early spring. He almost laughed aloud as he thought about her complaints about being fat and ugly and afraid he might turn to one of the beautiful women that worked at The Blooming Cactus. He hoped he had convinced her that he’d never betray her with another woman, no matter how fat she grew.
And when he’d told her so, he remembered her asking, “Even if I’m just eating too much and not having a baby?”
“Even then.” He’d kissed her and said teasingly, “Of course, you know my wife fits perfectly in my arms and I like her just the way she is.”
“Then I promise to only get fat with your babies. And I will never grow old or wrinkled or feeble or any other way you don’t want me to be.”
He remembered he laughed, pulled her into his arms, and swore he didn’t mind getting old as long as they did it together.
As he watched her now, sitting there, he knew no matter what their future held, he’d love her more every day. In fact, he thought at times his heart would burst with love for her.
She stirred as he stepped into the room. “Oh, Ty. You’re home.” She held out her arms to him.
He moved to her side and knelt. “Afraid I wasn’t coming back?”
She leaned over and kissed his lips. “I always pray you’ll come back. So far, God has
answered my prayers.”
“Barring any unforeseen accident, I’m guessing that will be a prayer God will always answer for you.” He raised himself up and pulled the other rocking chair closer to her. “I’m assuming Wilt has joined Mea Ann.”
“I really don’t know. I haven’t seen him.”
He chuckled. So Wilt had seen Xenia sleeping and had slipped to his section of the house without waking her.
Chapa came in with two cups in her hands. “I brought you coffee and Xenia some tea.”
“Thank you, Aunt Chapa.”
Xenia smiled at her.
“Well, son, Xenia’s too polite to ask, but I’m not, and Wilt was in such a hurry to get to Mea Ann that I didn’t try to talk to him. What went on at the trial?”
“It was no surprise. Sassy Sue was found guilty, but the jury recommended the judge go soft on her.”
“Did he?”
“Yes, honey. He gave her a year in prison with the stipulation that she never return to Deer Meadow.”
Xenia shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I guess it was a fair punishment.”
“It was more than fair. If Longstreet had been a different person, they might have hung her, or put her in prison for life.”
She sighed. “I know my uncle was an unsavory character, but I’m sorry he had to die in such a way. I know poison isn’t an easy death.”
“Please, Xenia. I don’t want you to worry about anything. You need to take care of yourself and our baby.”
“You’re right.” She sipped her tea. “I’ve been thinking about Christmas. I want to have a big tree in this parlor.”
Ty laughed. “Sweetheart, it’s only November. We have Thanksgiving first.”
“Of course, and I want a turkey then. Can we have one?”
“We sure can.” Chapa said. “I’ve already told the men to be on the lookout for a great big fat one.”
“That’s wonderful.”
Chapa nodded. “If you two don’t mind, I think I’ll get myself to bed. It’s snowing hard out there, and I don’t know what we’ll be facing in the morning.”
Xenia’s Renegade Page 26