Love Finds You in Groom, Texas (12 page)

Still, today, as he watched Emily slide into the position of naturalborn leader, he couldn’t help but smile at her ability to whip young Willy into shape. That youngster needed to be whipped into shape. He was too much like his father already, with his bullying ways.

Yes, perhaps a thrashing from a girl in a green cotton dress would be just the ticket to take him down a notch or two. And while that was happening, Jake would distract himself by offering a certain beautiful lady a cup of cold punch. Hopefully she wouldn’t turn him down.

Chapter Nine

We’ve all heard the adage that one rotten apple can spoil the whole bunch. The same is true with people. One sour old codger can ruin a perfectly good family function. But here in the Texas Panhandle, we work hard to turn sour apples into tasty pies or hot apple cider. In other words, we do our best to live with even those who are as stubborn as mules. Perhaps our years in working the land have taught us to be more patient. Or maybe we’re just friendlier because of our peaceful surroundings. Sure, there will always be folks with bitter dispositions. Maybe you’ve had a neighbor or two like that. But here in Texas, we’re quick to turn the other cheek. A-course, if that doesn’t work, we give those sour old souls a swift kick in the backside and send ’em packing. —
“Tex” Morgan, reporting for the
Panhandle Primer

When the church social came to an end, Emily and Kate laughed and talked all the way back to O’Farrell’s Honor. Anne wanted to join in the fun but found herself completely exhausted. She couldn’t stop yawning. Must have something to do with her lack of sleep last night. Well, that and the scrumptious food Maggie had served up for lunch. Nothing like a full belly to cause one to long for her pillow.

“Looks like someone needs a nap when we get home,” Maggie said. “Sounds good.” She covered her mouth as she echoed Anne’s yawn. “I could use a little catnap myself. Let’s all make a pact that we won’t get out of bed until we’ve slept a couple of hours. Agreed?”

“But I don’t want to sleep. I want to see the ranch.” Kate pouted.

“Me too,” Emily said. “I need to go exploring.”

“I’ll tell you what….” Jake leaned forward, looking back and forth between the girls. “Let’s let the other ladies sleep and I’ll give you a tour of the property. How does that sound?”

“Wonderful!” Emily clasped her hands together. “Can I bring my writing tablet?”

“Of course.”

“Are you sure you can handle these two alone?” Anne asked.

“I think so.” He gave her a playful wink, which caused her heart to flutter. Hmm. Suddenly she didn’t feel like taking a nap at all. Maybe she could explore the ranch with her younger sisters and Jake.

No, the more she thought about it, the more she realized she needed her beauty sleep. When they arrived at the house, Anne made her way to her bedroom, changed into her nightgown, and collapsed into bed. When she awoke, shimmers of red and orange danced through the window. Had she really slept that long? She rose and listened at the door to see if she could hear any noise from beyond it. Yes. Kate’s giggles, coming from the parlor, along with Jake’s happy-go-lucky voice, singing some sort of song.

And the smells! Mmm. What was that? Smelled like roasted chicken. Anne quickly changed into a dress, paused to glance at her reflection in the mirror, then pulled her hair up. She tried to fuss with it a bit longer than usual to get it to look more sophisticated—like Amaryllis’s—but in the end, she let the long black locks flow freely. Maybe tomorrow she could take care of it.

She entered the parlor, and Jake looked her way. Anne couldn’t help but notice his smile as he took her in. “Well, hello, sleepyhead!”

“Annie, you’re up!” Kate rose and rushed her way. “Jake’s been entertaining me with songs while Emily writes her story.”

“Did you nap at all?” Anne asked, running her fingers through Kate’s messy hair.

“No, but I saw the goats…and some pigs and lots and lots and lots of cows. Oh, they were big, Annie. Great big cows with…” She looked at Jake. “Antlers?”

“Horns. They’re called horns.”

“Horns.” Kate beamed. “And some of the cows mooed at me. Really loud.” Her eyes grew wide and she shivered. “I ran across the pasture and stepped in something stinky, so Jake made me wash my feet before coming in the house.”

“Is that what I smell?” Anne laughed and glanced down at her sister’s bare feet. “I thought for a minute there I was imagining something.”

“No, it’s not your imagination.” Jake chuckled. “But that reminds me—we left her shoes to air out on the fence. I’ll go see if they’re dry.”

“Gracious. Have I really been sleeping long enough for her shoes to dry?” Anne shook her head.

“You have.” His beautiful eyes locked onto hers. “We were starting to think you were going to sleep clean through the night. Glad you didn’t.” He gave her a little wink and her heart fluttered again.

“Me—me too.”

Jake flashed one last glance her way before heading to the door. Anne settled on the sofa next to Kate. “So, you had a good afternoon?”

“Mm-hmm. It’s so fun here, Annie. I ran and ran and ran. And Emily got a thousand ideas for her story. You should have heard her talking about it. She’s so funny.”

“No doubt.” Anne leaned back against the sofa. “Tell me all about it.”

Kate proceeded to do just that, but in the middle of her humorous tale a knock sounded at the door.

“Would someone get that, please?” Maggie’s voice sounded from the kitchen. “I’m up to my eyeballs chopping onions and can’t touch anything.”

“I will,” Anne quickly responded, rising and making her way to the door. As she pulled it open, her gaze fell on an unfamiliar couple around Maggie’s age. The woman stood a bit taller than the man, though not in a stately way. She did have an air of superiority about her, though. The sour expression on the woman’s face made Anne wonder if perhaps she’d been eating pickles. The man gave her a curt nod, introduced himself as Leo, and eased his way past her into the house, muttering something about needing a cup of coffee.

“So you’re the interloper, then.” The woman stared at Anne for a moment and then sighed. “I told Maggie that taking in vagabonds was a risk, but would she listen to me? No. Then again, she never listens to me.”

Anne did her best not to respond to the woman’s brusque words. Instead, she plastered on a smile and said, “Ah. you must be Maggie’s sister. Nice to meet you.”

“Humph. Wish I could say the same. I’ll let you know right off the bat that I don’t believe you should be here, and I plan to tell Maggie so, just as soon as I can grab her by the ear.”

“Oh, well, I…” How did one go about responding to something so awful? Anne felt the sting of tears in her eyes but willed herself not to let this awful woman see that she’d been hurt by her words.

“That sister of mine rarely takes my advice. But then again, she was always this way, even as a child.” Bets pursed her lips.

Maggie entered the room, wiping her hands on her apron. “I was always
what
way, Betsy Ann? Happy-go-lucky and carefree?”

“You know what I mean.” The woman crossed her arms at her chest. “Stubborn and headstrong. And you’ve never changed. Not one iota.”

“What’s the point in changing when you’re so near to perfect as you already are?” Maggie popped the woman on the bottom, causing her to gasp.

“Maggie, how dare you…”

“Stop being such a sour old thing, Bets.” Maggie laughed, and then her expression grew more serious. “It doesn’t sit well on you.”

Thankfully Jake entered the room then, distracting them all. Even more distracting was the smell of the shoes in his hand.

“What is that offensive odor?” Bets pinched her nose and began to fan herself with her hand. She glanced at the shoes and clucked her tongue. “Honestly. This is the price you pay for having youngsters around. They’re dirty.”

“No, it’s the cow’s fault!” Kate walked straight up to Bets with an angry look on her face. “I’m not dirty.”

“You’re a child. That’s all I have to say about it.” Bets’s icy look drove Kate to hide behind Anne’s skirts and sent a shiver across the room. Anne could almost feel it.

“We missed you at church this morning, Aunt Bets,” Jake said. He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, dangling the shoes a bit too close to her face for her liking. She slapped them away.

“Humph.” She dropped down onto the sofa. “I woke up with a headache. Likely because your uncle Leo snored all night long. He’s going to be the death of me yet.”

Leo rolled his eyes. “Got any coffee in that kitchen of yours, Maggie?”

“You know i do. Go on in and fetch yourself a cup.”

He disappeared into the kitchen, muttering all the way.

“Please put those disgusting shoes out in the yard,” Bets instructed. “Likely they will have to be buried.”

“You’re going to bury my shoes?”

“You can put them next to Kate’s dolls,” Emily said, entering the parlor from the hallway. “I buried two of them in the yard this afternoon.”

“You buried your dolls?” Bets began to fan herself again then looked Maggie’s way. “What sort of evil child is this?”

“The sort who delights in mischief.” Maggie giggled. “In other words, she’s my kind of girl.”

“Whyever would she bury her sister’s dolls in the yard?” Bets asked.

“Kate said I could,” Emily explained. She dove into a nonsensical explanation of why she’d buried the dolls, but Bets wouldn’t have it. She waved her hands in the air.

“Enough. This is all wearing on my nerves.” She rested against the arm of the sofa and continued fanning herself. “Thank goodness I never had to deal with any children of my own. The good Lord knew I couldn’t take it.”

“I see.” Emily sat on the sofa next to her—a little too close, apparently.

Bets turned and stared down her nose at her. “Well?”

“Well, what?”

“What are you staring at?”

“Oh.” Emily shrugged. “I’m memorizing your features so I can use you as a character in my book. I’ve been looking for someone just like you to add to my story. This is going to be perfect. Just the ticket.”

“Well, for once I hear something sensible come out of your mouth. I should very much like to be used as a heroine in a story.”

“Oh, I’m not needing a heroine. I’m thinking of turning you into a villainous bank robber. With that tight gray bun and all those wrinkles, no one would ever suspect you. You could rob banks all over the country and never go to prison for it.”

“Merciful heavens.” Bets paled.

“It’s going to be great,” Emily said. She moved closer to Bets, her gaze narrowing. “Do you pack a gun, by chance?”

Everyone in the room erupted in laughter.

“Well, I like that,” Bets said when the laughter ended. “Now I’m the brunt of a joke. You are a vicious little thing.”

“You think?” Emily looked at the older woman with a delighted smile. “Thank you very much.”

Anne sighed.

Maggie turned her attention to her sister. “We were concerned when we didn’t see you in church this morning. The reverend and his wife asked about you, of course. They wanted me to let you know they’re praying for you.”

“The reverend would be better served asking his wife to tone down the loud piano playing in church. Her banging on the keys must hurt the Lord’s ears. Just one more reason why I couldn’t stomach going this morning. So much racket. Affects my nerves.”

Maggie gave her a sympathetic look. “I really wish you had a telephone so I could check on you in situations like that. Things would be so much easier.”

Bets ran her hands across her lap, smoothing out her skirt. “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times—I’m not going to have that noisy contraption in my home. I like my peace and quiet.”

Anne caught a glimpse of Leo as he entered the room with a cup of coffee. He released a sigh as he settled into the wooden rocker.

“I just don’t understand the logic of having a telephone in the first place.” Bets began to fan herself once more. “What’s so urgent that you have to find out about it right away? Honestly, you must feel you’re better than your neighbors. Putting on airs.”

If anyone appeared to be putting on airs, it certainly wasn’t Maggie, though Anne would never say so.

Maggie paused, counting to ten in a soft whisper. “Bets, make yourself at home,” she said at last. “Have a cup of coffee while Anne and I finish making supper.”

“I’m glad to see you’ve put that girl to work.” Bets glared at Anne. “The little wayfarer needs to earn her keep. I can’t imagine what made you think it would be all right to bring total strangers into your home. For all you know, she could rob you blind while you’re sleeping. Have you hidden the good silver?”

“Aunt Bets!” This time it was Jake who came to the defense.

Anne bit her lip to keep from spouting off the words that wanted to come out. How dare that awful woman say such a thing! Anne turned on her heel and stormed into the kitchen.

Jake followed behind her. “Anne, I’m so sorry. You can’t listen to anything she says. She’s just a sour old woman who…” He shrugged. “Who knows how to ruin what started out to be a great day.”

Maggie arrived in the kitchen shortly thereafter. She patted her unruly hair. “Anne, don’t pay any mind to Bets. Her bark is worse than her bite.”