by B. J. McMinn
“Feeling better?” When no answer was forthcoming, Margaret held out a dress for her to slip over her head so she could measure the necessary alterations. Quiet thing, Margaret mused. Oh well, Jason wasn’t much of a talker, either.
She measured, pinned, and adjusted until she achieved the desired results, then cautiously helped the girl out of the dress to avoid poking her with a pin. Margaret held out a thin –the thinnest she could find–nightgown for her to wear. The nightgown fell to the floor and draped around her curves like a second skin. Margaret held out the large robe. It fell off her shoulders exposing the thin nightgown beneath. Mmm…. Seductive. Just the look she wanted. Picking up a brush, she combed the girl’s long tresses, wanting the red color to shine and glisten in the candlelight.
“Ready?” she asked. “I’m sure Jason has supper ready by now and the children are most likely up and driving him crazy.” Margaret surveyed her creation with a critical eye. Yes, the robe was just large enough to tempt and tantalize without being obvious.
The girl glanced down at her nightclothes, then up to Margaret’s face. Apprehension filled her eyes. Margaret almost felt guilty. Almost, but not quite.
“You’re fine dear. It’s just family, and after supper you can go right back to bed.” With that settled Margaret pushed, cajoled, and shoved the reluctant girl out of the room.
As she suspected, Tyler stood beside Jason bombarding him with questions. Jason turned to put food on the hot pads on the table and had to sidestep Emma who crawled under the table to get away from Janey. Janey dropped down on all fours and scooted in beside her.
“Come on children let’s take our places at the table.” She snatched Emma up and Janey clutched at Margaret’s skirt to raise herself from the floor.
Jason took his seat at the end of the table. She placed Tyler to his left, knowing he would demand most of his uncle’s attention, taking it away from Emma on his right. She insisted the ‘girl’ take the seat, which she, Margaret, regularly occupied next to Emma. Janey sat beside Tyler. She slid into the chair opposite the end of Jason, which offered her a perfect view of him and their guest.
Emma sat on a large pan in a chair with a drying towel tied around her middle. The baby needed constant attention to make sure she didn’t slide out, and to help her eat. Margaret wanted to see how the girl would react to the child. If they failed to respond to one another, she would have to abandon her idea.
She sat back and waited for the entertainment to begin.
Jason bowed his head, said grace, then passed bowls of food around the table. He helped himself to several spoons of whipped potatoes, placed some on Emma’s plate, and then passed it to the ‘girl’. The poor girl tried to hold the loose robe together at the neck with one hand and grasp the bowl with the other. Margaret nearly choked on her laughter when their fingers touched, and Jason well nigh dropped the bowl. Modesty forgotten, the girl grabbed the bowl with both hands to keep it air borne, which left her bodice to gap wide open. Jason gulped, and Margaret suppressed a hearty chuckle. Jason couldn’t take his eyes off the front of the girl’s bodice where the thin nightgown revealed a deep cleavage and outlined her full bosom.
The poor dear looked mortified when she realized the direction of Jason’s glazed stare. When she had a secure grip on the bowl, she clutched the robe tighter and passed Margaret the potatoes.
Oh, this was such fun watching Jason squirm like a worm at the end of a fishing line, and it was only going to get better, or worse, whichever point of view you were looking at it from.
As the meal progressed, Margaret chattered about life on the ranch, the children, and their antics, and pretended to be oblivious to Jason’s grunts and the girl’s muteness.
Margaret studied the would-be-bride as she silently helped Emma with her peas. She wiped Emma’s little chin free of food, that had oozed from of her mouth, when she grinned. The baby didn’t easily take to strangers, but she didn’t appear to be afraid of this one.
Jason stared at their guest and something intense flared in his eyes. Did he hope to get another glimpse inside the bodice the girl clutched tight? As for the girl, she peered out the corner of her eye at Jason without moving her head.
Neat trick, that.
The one time their gazes collided, the air sizzled with so much heat Margaret jumped up from the table so fast she startled everyone. It was either that or let the amusement show in her face, and that would never do. She grabbed a damp cloth and cleaned Emma’s hands and face.
“I’ll take her.” Jason stuffed his last bite of food into his mouth, scooted back from the table, and held out his hands. Emma gave a happy squeal and leaped into her father’s arms.
Sitting in his favorite chair, with Emma on his lap and Tyler and Janey on the floor, Jason read them a story. Margaret was amazed he could keep the lines straight as many times as he glanced up at the girl who had risen to help with the dishes.
As much as Margaret wanted her to stay, the girl appeared ready to drop, exhaustion written all over her pale face.
“Here now, you let me clean this mess,” she told her mute companion. “You go on to bed, and I’ll see you in the morning.” A silent protest sparkled in her green eyes, and she shook her head. Margaret patted her shoulder. “You’ll feel like doing more in a few days.” Margaret ushered her toward her bedroom.
The children were asleep by the time she set the kitchen to rights. They always dozed off faster when Jason read to them. He carried each to their beds and joined Margaret at the table for a cup of coffee.
“You didn’t ask the girl very many questions at supper, in fact, I don’t remember a one. Did you find out all you needed to know?” Margaret teased.
“What do you mean by that?”
Had his cheeks turned pink?
“Oh, nothing.” This was better than she could have hoped for. Jason was attracted to the girl. Many marriages began with necessity, more often than love. She and John were two of the lucky ones. But, she felt in her heart that her bother and the girl could be as lucky if they’d just tried.
“Well I couldn’t get a word in edgewise, you jabbered so much,” Jason grumbled.
“You can talk to her all you want to tomorrow. I’m tired. I think I’ll go to bed. Goodnight. See you in the morning.” Margaret stepped closer, kissed his cheek and left, silently chuckling at the wary look on his face.
CHAPTER 10
Jade leaned against the closed door and felt like the most-wicked person on earth. Margaret had been so nice to her, and all Jade could do was stare at her handsome husband. Dark hair coiled around his ears and the nape of his neck, and she wanted to run her fingers through the ebony strands to straighten the curled ends. His face was lean, nose thin, and a hint of dimples in each cheek when he smiled. Sensuous lips curved into a smile often: each time one child or the other drew his attention by their antics, he laughed. Dark, thick eyebrows slashed across his strong forehead, while long, dark lashes outlined his deep, blue eyes, eyes the color of a bright summer sky. He had the type of face that would grow more distinguished with the passage of time.
Each time his gaze had met hers, her whole body had overreacted. Pressure from within had squeezed the air from her lungs and left no room for her pounding heart in the constricted space. When he’d touched her hand, she’d felt as if lightning had sizzled across her nerve endings then settled in the hollow spot low in her stomach.
Taking off the robe, she threw it across the end of the bed and sank onto the soft mattress. Could she be the kind of wanton woman who lured husbands away from their wives? She didn’t want to believe she was, but what did she really know about herself. Her mind was as blank as a clean sheet of paper.
And poor Margaret, had she noticed how often the loose bodice of the robe had snagged her husband’s attention. Jade pinched her lips into a tight line. Perhaps he was a philanderer. All evening, Margaret had tried to suppress an amused smile as if she were use to her husband’s wandering eye, but had every
confidence he would never act on his interest.
At least, the children were well behaved, and the baby, Emma, was so sweet. Her hand drifted down to her taut stomach swollen with her child. Was her child the results of a liaison with another woman’s husband, a lover, or a husband of her own? Sometimes the vivid image of a young, blond-haired, man would coax its way into the murky edges of her memory, only to dissipate before she recognized him. Who was he? Where was he? Most of all, what was he to her? Brother? Lover? Husband? Her gaze fell to her bare hand clenched in the soft folds of her borrowed gown. No ring and no white line to indicate she’d ever worn one.
Shadows gathered in the room as she contemplated the mystery of her past. Crawling into bed, she pulled the covers up and tucked them firmly beneath her chin. Not from the cold, but to ward off the darkness that stole over her while she slept.
Why couldn’t she remember? What had stolen her ability to speak? Fear, stark and vivid swept through her. She wasn’t ready to face the reality of what had happened to her. Not yet. She blinked, trying to fight exhaustion. Darkness would claim her if she closed her eyes. Sleep held the haunting memories she couldn’t remember when awake. Terror rippled between her shoulder blades as the dark shadows stole over her.
Her wounded spirit hovered between darkness and light. She longed for the voice. Her hand reached out to search for the warm fingers that had held hers the night before. It was her anchor, her lifeline. She whimpered.
The voice came, and a strong grip curled around her hand as whispers in the night drove her fear away. Taut muscles loosened, her fingers released her death grip on the covers. The soft timbre of the voice soothed her, lulled her, until the darkness held no more specters of a past she couldn’t remember.
Morning light streamed through the window. Arms stretched over her head, Jade yawned. How long had it been since she’d felt this rested. She climbed out of bed and found a newly hemmed dress at the foot. Someone had placed fresh water in the basin. She washed and dressed quickly.
She walked silently into the room. Margaret stood at the sink, humming as she washed dishes. Her husband and children were outside somewhere. Jade could hear childish giggles along with male laughter. His laughter was deep, spontaneous.
Not wanting to disturb the softly murmured hymn, Jade stood quietly and waited for the song to end.
~~~
Margaret turned to wipe off the table. Startled, her hand flew to her chest. The girl stood directly behind her. “My, you gave me a fright.” How do you do that? I never heard a sound.”
To cover her nervous agitation, she became a flurry of activity, pulling out a chair and retrieving a plate full of hot cakes from the stove.
“Well, never mind. Sit down and eat. The others are outside enjoying the sunshine.”
The smile that crossed the girl’s face transformed her into quite a beauty. She was wearing the dress Margaret had laid out for her and her clean coppery red hair was a riotous mass of curls around her face.
The backdoor flew open. Tyler and Janey rushed in babbling about a swing Jason had hung in a tree. Jason stood just inside the door, hand stilled on the door handle, Emma clutched in one arm, and his mouth agape.
Oh. Better and better. “Don’t hover, Jason. Come in and close the door. She just sat down to breakfast.” Margaret tried to ignore the way he appeared glued to the threshold. “You can keep her company while she eats.”
Two sets of eyes swung her way, one with trepidation, the other with a “What are you trying to pull here” glare.
“You can ask all those questions you forgot about last night,” Margaret suggested with a knowing grin.
She lifted Emma from Jason’s arms and took the children to the bedroom for a nap. Moments later, she returned to see a frustrated scowl marring Jason’s face.
“Ok, let’s try again. I’m Jason, this is Margaret.” He pronounced each syllable with great care, his annoyance apparent.
“She knows that.” Margaret frowned. What in heaven’s name was he doing? The poor dear looked ready to bolt from the room in tears. When the girl looked at her, Margaret saw her visibly relax.
Jason gave her a quailing look that said he was in charge of asking the questions. Margaret shrugged and let him continue. Men could be so insensitive and stubborn. Her little brother wasn’t any different. Each question he asked, the girl thwarted by her silence.
Jason swung his piercing stare toward her. She poured a cup of coffee and took a seat at the table.
“Has she talked to you?” A deep frown drew his brows together into a straight line.
“No.” Margaret shrugged.
“Why not?” She could see Jason’s frustration build. The tips of his ears had a slight pink tint. When he became angry, they would turn bright red.
“I guess she didn’t have anything to say.” Margaret continued with evasive answers she knew would irritate Jason.
“Margaret.” His tone held a don’t-add-to-my-frustration warning.
Margaret sipped her coffee and watched the interaction with amusement. No matter what question Jason asked or how he phrased it, the ‘girl’ remained unresponsive.
When their guest finished eating, she scooped up her empty plate to wash in the sink.
“Did you at least find out her name?” He leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms over his chest, and glared at Margaret.
“No.”
“Well, we can’t keep calling her ‘girl’ that’s for sure. What do you call her?” he asked.
“I call her ‘dear’ most times.”
An impish grin touch the ‘girl’s’ lips. Ah, a sense of humor, that’s good. Jason needed laughter in his life.
“Margaret.” There was that frustrated tone again.
Jason took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The tension she’d seen building in his shoulders eased. Did he realize she was trying to lighten his mood?
“Well I refuse to call her “dear most times,” Jason teased.
Margaret laughed. The impish grin on the girl’s face grew into a wide smile.
“Jason, she has been through a lot, let’s give her time, okay?” She patted his shoulder as she returned to her chair.
“Okay. But I’m giving her a name. I refuse to call her ‘girl’ again. I thought the name Jade would suit her.”
The girl’s head jerked up, and her gaze collided with Jason’s. Had the name Jade sounded familiar to her?
Margaret gave him a quizzical look. “Why, Jade?”
“Her eyes,” Jason said softly.
Funny she hadn’t noticed the color of the ‘girl’s’ eyes. She wondered when Jason had. One thing for sure, they had captured her brothers attention.
“Jade it is then,” Margaret said cheerfully. Rising from the table, she said, “Jason would you bring some wood in so I can start the noon meal, John will be here soon.” She was anxious to see her husband after this week’s separation.
CHAPTER 11
John? Was he another relative who would ask questions she couldn’t answer? She hoped not. She couldn’t answer the questions she asked herself. One of which was; how she could be so attracted to Margaret’s husband? She studied his long gaited swagger as he went out the backdoor.
The instant affinity she felt for him puzzled her. If she could be this attracted to a near stranger where did that leave her baby’s father, a man she surely cared for.
The blush that stole over her face each time she looked at him was obvious. Surely, it wouldn’t pass any ones attention if they were watching. His proximity left her vulnerable to the riot of emotions clamoring through her. Jade hated to think how hurt Margaret would be if she noticed.
They were a handsome couple, both dark headed, the same blue eyes that they had passed on to each child. A disarming rapport existed between them. They teased and laughed with a familiar ease. She rubbed her temples in confusion. They were an odd pair though. Jade perceived no passion between them. Surely, a marriage should have passion. No
stolen kisses, no display of affection, yet you couldn’t help but see the love and respect they had for one another.
Well it was none of her business. She stood and wandered around the room, refolding afghans, picking up toys, straightening table covers.
Jason returned with an arm full of firewood and dropped it into the wooden box next to the stove. An air of excitement filled the house. Margaret worked in the kitchen with a nervous energy. The children crawled around on the floor chasing Emma, since this was her only form of mobility. Jason paced from the window to the door, opened it, looked down the trail, then shut the door, only to open it again. Jade became very edgy. Who was John that his arrival caused such an upheaval?
Everyone’s head swiveled toward the front of the house at the sound of a wagon. Margaret whipped off her apron, patted her hair several times, and headed for the door. Jason saw her coming, stepped aside, and held the door open for her as she breezed past him. Tyler scurried after her. Jason scooped Emma and Janey up off the floor to wait on the porch. Jade stood behind Jason in the doorway where she could see them greet John.
Jade was extremely aware of Jason’s lanky frame in front of her. Muscles in his wide shoulders twitched beneath his shirt as he held both girls. Tendons bulged on his forearms. Tight pants encased narrow hips and hugged his powerful thighs. The familiar warmth invaded her body along with the guilt over her fascination with Margaret’s husband.
A team of horses halted in front of the house. A man jumped down from the wagon seat and landed lightly on his feet. Not as tall or broad as Jason, nor as handsome, was Jade’s first impression. His dark brown hair fell forward onto his wide forehead, and his hazel eyes sparkled with joy. Laughing, Margaret ran to him. Muscular arms wrapped around her and lifted her up to swing her around. She kissed him on the mouth and hugged him. Here was the passion she found lacking between Jason and Margaret.
She glanced at Jason to see his reaction to this man hugging and kissing his wife. He didn’t seem like a man who would tolerate unseemly behavior from his wife. Yet, he stood smiling, surveying the scene before him, then leaned over to put a squirming Janey down. The child went running toward the couple shrieking with laughter and bumped into Tyler who jumped up and down screaming, “Daddy, Daddy.”