Redemption (7 page)

Jake smiled in remembrance, and for the first time the pain of loss was dulled by memory. Jason chewed and swallowed, then reached for the glass of milk Alicia had poured for him. It left a white moustache on his upper lip and he blithely ignored its presence. “Can I go?” he asked.

“Please may I be excused,” Jake said, correcting him. “Yes, you may, and wipe your mouth, please.”

Impatience ruled the boy’s life, Jake thought, as Jason did as he was told and left the kitchen to go into the backyard. “He does have manners,” he told Alicia. “It’s just that sometimes he forgets.”

“He’s only a boy,” she said, and he thought her eyes softened as she watched Jason’s slight figure trot across the yard. “Will you tell him? Or shall I?”

“I’ll tell him tonight,” he said. “I doubt he’d protest, but I want to hear his opinion without you being there to blunt his response.” He frowned. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. It seems I must learn to watch my tongue with you.”

“I wouldn’t recognize you if you were unfailingly polite,” she murmured, and he thought her eyes gleamed with mischief. She rose then and cleared the table, her movements womanly and sure as she handled
the dishes and managed all the small tasks inherent in cleaning up after a meal.

Perhaps it would be difficult to adjust to a woman in the house. Sure, he’d suffered the presence of housekeepers over the past years; but this was entirely different. Once Alicia walked through that front door on their wedding day, she would not be leaving in a snit if things didn’t go just the way she thought they should. Alicia Merriweather was not a woman to give her word and then go back on it. If she said she’d marry him and be a mother to his child, that’s exactly what she’d do.

There might be some arguments, with sharp words spoken between them. But she wouldn’t back away from a quarrel, if he knew the woman at all. And she wouldn’t give in if she thought she was in the right.

He could deal with that.

“I
DON’T WANT
some other woman hanging around here!” Jake said harshly. “I told you I wanted you to be in charge of my household. Now you tell me you’re going to hire a woman to clean for us. Why can’t you do that? It’s what wives do, as far as my memory serves me.”

Alicia had known this would cause a problem, but it was an issue on which she decided to take a stand. “I can’t take care of this big house and teach school, too,” she said firmly.

“Then quit the damn school-teaching and stay home like other women do.”

“I signed a contract for this year,” she told him, aware that his anger was fast heading to the boiling point. “When I give my word, I keep it.”

“When you marry me, you’ll be giving your word, too. How do you plan to keep those vows if you’re running off every morning to the schoolhouse?”

“I wasn’t aware that you needed a woman around to wipe your nose all day, Jake,” she said. “You’re an adult male, fully capable of tending to yourself for six hours while I’m out of the house. And on two of those days, I’ll have a capable woman here to do the heavy work and she can tote and carry for you if need be.”

“I don’t want a
capable
woman to look after me. I want you.” Then he halted, his face ruddy with a combination of anger and, unless she missed her guess, a good bit of embarrassment. He ducked his head. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

“You have that line down pat,” she returned. “I suspect I’ll hear it repeated any number of times in the future.”

“That may well be,” he announced, spinning his chair in a half circle and rolling out of the kitchen. Her heart sang with the knowledge that the man enjoyed her presence. Perhaps not as a woman, but certainly as an adversary, one he respected.

She went back to her task, putting the finishing touches on Sunday dinner. Fried chicken to please Jason, mashed potatoes at Jake’s request. She lifted her chin. He’d just have to get over his anger. A promise was a promise. Whether it was made to the school board or to a fiancé, it carried the same weight so far as she was concerned.

She whipped the potatoes with the masher, pouring in a dollop of cream and watching as a chunk of butter melted before her eyes. The chicken was in the warming oven and fresh corn on the cob sat in a small roaster on the back of the stove, staying hot. She’d found a pint jar of Rachel’s applesauce in the pantry, and wished she might thank the woman in person for making things a little easier in this household.

Thanks in part to Rachel’s stack of food, Alicia had not shopped for Jake’s kitchen yet, and knew with certainty that the first time she did so she would be under the scrutiny of the townsfolk. Her name would be mud if anyone caught on to the fact that she was spending so much time here as it was. The wedding had better be planned quickly. She ceased her preparations and went off in search of the man who’d taken flight from her presence.

He wouldn’t have gone far. The front porch was his boundary line, and she doubted he’d have gone out there without a good reason. The parlor seemed the
most likely spot, and it was there she headed. The doors were open wide, but the room was empty. The dining room was dark and silent with no trace of Jake. That left the library, the room at the back of the house. His room—a room into which she had not ventured.

The door was closed and she rapped on it sharply. “Jake?”

Nothing stirred. No sound of wheels rolling across the floor. No protesting snarl from an angry man unwilling to be disturbed.

“Jake? I want to talk to you.” Her voice grew firmer, her own irritation growing as he ignored her words. “If you don’t come out here right now, I’m going to pitch this whole dinner out the back door and make such a fuss the neighbors will think you’ve taken leave of your senses.” It was an idle threat, but perhaps he might believe her.

Ah! Now the wheels rolled across the floor, and now the handle turned and the door opened in front of her. “You know damn well you’re too thrifty to toss food to the stray dogs of the neighborhood,” he told her. “My money paid for that chicken and I plan on eating it whether you like it or not.”

She suppressed a smile, difficult as it was. Jake was hungry, and willing to bluff his way back into her good graces. “Then get yourself back out in the kitchen,” she said crisply. “I’ll call Jason in.”

They ate well, Jake enjoying the chicken as he had on the other occasion she’d cooked it for him. Jason was grinning from cheek to cheek, so delighted with the idea of Miss Alicia moving into his house he could barely restrain himself from spreading the news to the neighborhood. He’d been warned not to let the cat out of the bag until plans were made, but the effort was stretching his resolve to its limits.

“Are you gonna sleep in my Pa’s room?” he asked, reaching for his third piece of chicken.

Alicia halted the movement of her fork, feeling a flush rise, knowing she looked the very picture of confusion. “I don’t know. I hadn’t thought about that.”

“No, Alicia will have one of the rooms upstairs,” Jake answered smoothly.

He’d
apparently thought out this part of it, she decided, for his reply was quick and to the point. “You can help her choose which one she wants,” he continued, never looking in her direction. “Maybe the one at the back of the house. Your mama always said it got the best breeze through the window.”

“There ain’t a big bed in there,” Jason said. “Just that little, bitty thing. It’s not any bigger than mine. I think Miss Alicia will need one like yours, Pa.” The boy gave her a measuring glance and then he nodded. “Maybe we can move the one from the other bedroom back in there for her.”

“I’m sure whatever is available will be just fine,” she said, knowing discomfort such as she’d never felt in her life. The idea of her sleeping arrangement being discussed by father and son absolutely took the cake. “I’ll go upstairs and figure something out.” And as if that were the last word to be spoken on the subject, she shot a glare that included both of them.

She thought Jake looked relieved; Jason was oblivious to her mood and agreeable to whatever was decided.

The staircase was wide, with an oak banister and spindles that cried out for a dust cloth. The runner that fit the center of the steps was a nondescript color, no doubt due to the dirt Jason had ground into it over the past months. He had no interest in wiping his shoes at the door, and Alicia added it to her list of rules to be instigated.

The three rooms upstairs were spacious. The back bedroom had four windows looking out to the south and west. Alicia stood inside the door and surveyed the quarters. She slowly realized, as she looked down at the floorboards, that she was standing directly over Jake’s room. Her bed would be almost atop his!

The idea of sleeping in the same house as Jake began to take on new meaning. He would note the sound of the mattress and springs squeaking every time she rolled over at night! Her footsteps would be
discernible when she crossed the floor, and her every move would be open to his hearing.

On top of that, she would be obliged to dress as soon as she arose. No more lollygagging around in her wrapper while she fixed her breakfast. It would not be proper to appear in the kitchen without being fully clothed.

You’re going to be his wife, and you can do whatever you please in this house
. The words resounded in her head, as if they’d been spoken aloud. She looked behind her, but, of course, there was no one there. Jason was in the yard, Jake in the parlor, and she was alone.

From outdoors the birds sang and children’s laughter rang out. Here in this room, there was only the peace of acceptance. How or why it should be, Alicia didn’t know. Only that it was true. Tears streaked her cheeks as she stood stock-still in the middle of the room; her hands were folded before her, almost as if she had paused to pray.

She shook her head. Such foolishness. Her handkerchief was large, white and handy in her pocket. Mopping her tears with brisk movements, she walked to the nearest window, bent and lifted it, opening it wide to the breeze Jake had promised would be hers. He’d been right, she thought. The wind from the west blew stronger the higher from the ground you climbed, and the open window on the second floor seemed to beckon it within.

There was a dresser, a large wardrobe and a night-stand. All anyone could need for comfort. A rocking chair sat by the window, and she wondered if some mother, sometime or another had sat there in the middle of the night, holding a nursing infant to her breast. Shaking herself from the meanderings of her mind, she opened dresser drawers, finding them empty. Jake said the house had come to them furnished, and they’d only ever used Jason’s room and the airing cupboard for storage.

Her feet were light on the stairs as she made her way back down. “The back bedroom will do nicely,” she told Jake. “It’s large and well lit, and a nice breeze blows through. You were right.”

“Well, mark that one down,” he said with a lifted eyebrow. “Jake was right once today, at least.” He cast her a measuring look.

“You’re being sarcastic at my expense,” she admonished him. And then she sobered. “Will we be able to get along? Neither of us is a simple soul, Jake. We’re both headstrong, I fear. You more than I, probably, but I’m afraid we’ll bump heads often.”

“It’ll do you good to have someone disagree with you on occasion,” he said. “I think you’re used to having your own way, Miss Schoolteacher.”

“Aren’t you one to talk,” she answered. “Mr. Agreeable, himself.”

He laughed aloud. Jake McPherson laughed at himself and by his amusement invited her to join him. And she did.

“W
HAT THE HELL BROUGHT
all this on?” Cord McPherson’s voice boomed from the parlor, and in the kitchen Rachel and Alicia halted supper preparations to listen.

“He’s angry,” Rachel said, to which Alicia nodded agreeably.

“I’d say he’s related to Jake. Sounds just like him.”

“What do you suppose he’s hollering about?” Rachel frowned. “He’s usually pretty laid-back when it comes to Jake.” She smiled. “As a matter of fact, he’s generally pretty easy to get along with.”

“You wouldn’t be prejudiced, would you?” Alicia asked.

Rachel had arrived half an hour previously, her youngsters in tow. Melody and Matthew were eleven and nine, as different as any brother and sister could be, but both well liked by Alicia and the roomful of students she taught. Rachel had pitched right in, joining forces to finish preparing the meal Alicia had begun. It was an auspicious occasion, one Jake had planned
over the past two days, once he’d decided it was time to announce his wedding plans.

“Should we do this together?” Alicia had asked, and been promptly given a firm shake of Jake’s head.

“I think I need to be alone with him. Cord’s going to think it’s a spur-of-the-moment idea, and I’ll probably catch hell from him. You’d think he was nurse-maid or something, the way he tries to look after me. I can almost guarantee he’ll be upset because I didn’t discuss this whole thing with him first.”

“I think he wants to protect you, Jake. Maybe he thinks I’m after your money and looking for a soft place to land. And so far as this being a spur-of-the-moment idea…well, it is, you know,” she’d conceded.

“There are many reasons why I might consider you as a wife, Alicia,” he’d said tartly. “I think you’re intelligent, quite attractive and certainly you’ll be a good mother to Jason.”

“I’m attractive?”

He’d grinned. “Yeah, sometimes you’re downright pretty, in fact.”

“Well, that’s a switch,” she’d said curtly.

“I’m serious,” he’d said quietly. “You have lovely skin, beautiful eyes and we’ve talked before about your hair.” She felt his scrutiny warm her through her clothing. She drew in a quick breath when he touched her hand. “I find you an attractive woman, Alicia.”

She’d felt the heat of his body, knew a moment of confusion as his hand lent the warmth of his body to hers. She’d tried to shake off the sudden attraction she felt for him.

“What are they talking about?” Rachel asked, bringing Alicia back to the present. “Do you know?”

Alicia nodded, then pointed to a chair. “You might want to sit down while you hear this,” she said with a wry grin. Rachel did as she was bid, and Alicia drew in a deep breath. “Jake and I are going to be married next Saturday. We’ve already asked the minister to have the ceremony here, and Jake wants you and Cord to join us.”

“Married.” The single word fell from Rachel’s lips like a stone. She sat up straighter. “You’re going to be married? When did you decide this? I wasn’t even aware that you and Jake were acquainted until yesterday when we got the invitation to come to town today for supper.” She looked askance at Alicia. “Are you really sure this is a good idea? Jake is a wonderful man, of course, but he’s awfully temperamental, you know.”

“I know,” Alicia said serenely. “I’ve felt the full force of his temper more than once. He’s also moody and stubborn.”

“Well, it
sounds
as if we’re talking about the same man,” Rachel said agreeably.

A rumble of voices came from behind the closed
parlor doors. It seemed the two men were at least holding things down to a dull roar, Alicia thought with a smile. That Jake would triumph in this was not in doubt. If he couldn’t persuade Cord to accept his marriage, he’d just go on without the other man’s approval.

“You’re sure?” Rachel asked quietly.

Alicia allowed her feelings to show, not entirely, but she knew her smile gave a clue to the other woman that this was a choice she had made gladly. “I have the chance to raise Jason as my own,” she said. “I’d thought never to be married, Rachel. I’m outspoken and independent and…different than most of the other ladies in town. I’m far from you, as well.”

“Well, you’ve certainly figured it all out, haven’t you?” Rachel said sharply. “In the first place, you have lovely eyes, beautiful hair, smooth skin and a smile that would make any man sit up and take notice. I’d say you have all the right parts. In fact, you have a bosom many women would die to own. You’re not what I’d call petite, but you’re tall, so you carry your weight well.”

Alicia laughed with delight. “You’re a cheering section all by yourself, Rachel. I think I’m going to enjoy having you around.”

“Well, let’s just hope those two in there settle their fuss before they come out here and spoil this celebration we’re about to put on the table,” Rachel said. She tilted her head to one side. “Are you sure you don’t
want to use the dining room? There’s going to be a bunch of us around this table.”

Alicia shook her head. “You obviously haven’t taken a good look at the dining room for a while. It’s full of cobwebs and dust, and dark as a tomb. Once I get the parlor in hand, the dining room will be my next project.”

“And this plan goes into effect on Saturday? That’s not long to get a new dress made.”

“A new dress? Do you suppose I’d better be thinking along those lines, too?” Alicia felt panic strike. “I hate to go shopping. Nothing ever fits.”

“You won’t need to go shopping. I can sew up a storm,” Rachel told her. “We’ll buy some pretty yard goods and I’ll measure you, then you can decide how you want your dress made. It won’t take any time at all to have it ready.”

“You’re sure?” Alicia felt a bit dubious about taking advantage of the other woman, but the offer was too good to refuse.

“It’s decided already,” Rachel said firmly.

“What’s decided?” Cord asked from the doorway. His eyes pinned Alicia where she stood, and she thought his mouth was a bit too firm for friendly conversation. “Jake tells me the two of you are getting married,” he said.

Rachel moved to his side, her hand clutching his
forearm. “Isn’t it wonderful?” Her smile was directed at his face, and for a moment Cord’s expression faltered, softening at his wife’s query. As Alicia watched, Rachel’s fingers gripped Cord’s flesh tightly, and he grinned suddenly.

“All right, sweetheart,” he said agreeably. “I’ll back off.”

She leaned upward, standing on tiptoes to press a kiss against his cheek.

“Is that the best you can do?” he asked beneath his breath. Alicia heard the note in his voice that promised retribution at a future time, and then Rachel laughed.

“You’ll find out,” she said glibly. “Now, the two of you come in here. We’ve got supper about ready to put on the table. Call the children in, Cord. I think Matthew and Jason are teaching Melody the fine art of playing mumblety-peg.”

Cord muttered a word Alicia pretended she hadn’t heard and then looked at Rachel. “His language leaves a lot to be desired some days,” Rachel admitted with a shrug.

“If Melody gets cut, you get to take care of it,” Cord told his wife, and then as his half-grown daughter approached, his eyes lit with pride.

“She’s got him wrapped around her little finger,” Rachel whispered.

“Has not,” Cord responded automatically, and Alicia
suspected this was an ongoing conversation. For just a moment she envied the love these two obviously shared.

“Everything all right?” Jake was at her elbow and he touched her hand, drawing her attention. Sober as a judge, he was, she thought, and in an attempt to relieve his concern, she bent to him, aware of the unique scent of the man she’d promised to wed.

“Fine,” she whispered, her mouth close to his ear. “I like Rachel.”

His fingers clasped her hand and he squeezed it gently. “Good girl.”

She preened. There was no other word for it. Her mouth curved in a smile, her chin lifted proudly, and she returned the pressure of his fingers.

The children storming through the back door caught her attention then, and she moved away from Jake’s chair. “Wipe your feet,” she said, the words automatic as Jason crossed the threshold.

“Yes, ma’am,” he answered, and shot a look that reeked of pride at his cousins.
See? What did I tell you?
The words might as well have been spoken aloud, so obvious was the boy’s message.

“This is your aunt Alicia,” Rachel told her children quietly, drawing them within her arms, one on either side of her. “She and your uncle Jake are to be married.”

“No, Mama,” Matthew said stoutly, ignoring the
second part of his mother’s announcement. “That’s Miss Merriweather. You know that. She’s our teacher.”

Melody looked long and hard at her uncle Jake, then back at Alicia. Her smile was subtle, her expression more adult than child as she nodded her acceptance. “Shall we call you Miss Merriweather in school?” she asked.

“There are only a few days left to worry about it, but I think that might be wise,” Alicia answered. “You don’t mind, do you?”

Melody’s expressive face held a touch of sorrow. “No. Aunt Rena wouldn’t, either. She always wanted everybody she loved to be happy.” As if that solved the whole thing, she turned to the sink to wash her hands for supper.

Cord set aside his disapproval with a wave of his hand as Jake murmured something for his brother’s ears alone. “I know. It’s all right,” he answered, and then held out his hand. Jake took it, and then was obviously stunned when his brother bent low and hugged him instead. “It’s all right,” Cord repeated aloud.

“R
ACHEL IS GOING
to make me a dress,” Alicia said. They were at the front door, watching as Cord’s surrey moved from in front of the house. Jason leaned on the fence, watching them head out of sight.

“I’ll give you money for the material,” Jake told her
quickly. “Or else just put it on my credit at the general store.”

“No.” One word sliced between them, and Jake jerked his head back to look up at her.

“Why the hell not?”

“Please don’t curse at me,” she said stiffly. “I was taught not to use such language. And my reasons for buying my own wedding dress should be obvious, even to you.”

“Well,
obviously
they aren’t. I have a running bill at the store, and you have the right to use my credit.”

“I’m not your wife yet, Jake. And until I am, I’ll provide for my own needs. No one will say I’ve married you for what you can give me.”

He was silent, and then he nodded. “All right. I can understand your thinking. As to the other, I’m sorry I insulted you with my language. I’ll try to clean it up.”

She looked down at him in surprise. “Is this Jake McPherson I’m talking to? Where did all this sweetness and light come from?”

“Maybe I’m pleased that my brother will stand up for me at our wedding, and I’ll be just one less responsibility for him to worry about. You may not be marrying me for what I can give you, Alicia, but I fear my motives are not altogether pure.”

She frowned. “And what does that mean?”

“Having you in my life will free Cord up from the
visits he’s felt obliged to make, checking up on me and seeing to things I haven’t been able to take care of.”

“Are you sure he feels an obligation to look after you, Jake?” she asked. “Did you ever consider that maybe he loves you and enjoys spending time with you?”

Jake shrugged diffidently. “Maybe, to a point. Nonetheless, having you here to do the shopping and banking, and just dealing with the everyday household business will make my life a hell—” He stopped suddenly and grinned.

“See there? I’ll have to work hard at the language thing, Alicia. Anyway, you know what I mean, I hope. I’m planning on taking shameful advantage of you…and your good nature.” The last was spoken with a touch of sarcasm.

“I’m nice every once in a while,” she told him, pleased that he was becoming comfortable with their decision. That was the bottom line, she thought. They should enter this marriage with the right attitude, knowing and understanding what each stood to gain.

She moved into the parlor and heard Jake’s chair following her. Choosing a seat on the couch, she waited until he drew near and then spoke quietly.

“I want to ask you about something,” she said, having decided on the spur of the moment that she’d put this encounter off long enough. “I don’t know much
about your life before three years ago, but I’ve heard talk in town. I’d rather hear the details from you, Jake.”

“Like what?” He bristled. There was no other word for it. Had he been a dog, his hackles would have been standing on end.

“I was afraid you’d take offense, but I think I need to know about your life before Rena died. More to the point, I think I deserve to know. I’ll feel as if I’m in the dark if folks begin to speak to me about it, and I haven’t an idea what they’re talking about.”

“That’s easily solved. Just tell anyone who quizzes you that it’s none of their damn business. And that’s one cuss word I’ll not apologize for,” he said forcefully. “My life before you met me is the past. We won’t dwell on it, and I don’t want to discuss it.”

“Is that your final word on the subject?” she asked, rising from the couch and smoothing her skirt. “If so, I think we have a problem. We’ll discuss it another time, when I’ve had a chance to make up my mind about this.”

“Wait, Alicia,” he called as she headed for the parlor door. He reached out and snagged her skirt, holding fast to the material he grasped. “I won’t let you walk out on me this way. You seem to think I’ll give in if you make threats, and trust me, sweetheart, I won’t.”

She stiffened. “Don’t call me that. I’m not your
sweetheart. You had one of those in your life already. I’ve accepted the fact that I’ll be a poor substitute for Rena. Don’t insult me by using that term so loosely and with such sarcasm.”

He released her, carefully brushing her skirt as if to remove the wrinkles he’d put there. “For that you have my abject apology, Alicia. Go on home. We’ll talk later.”

She left then, waving a farewell at Jason as he played hopscotch with a neighbor girl in front of the house. “I’ll see you in the morning, Miss Alicia,” he called out, and then, in a softer voice, he said to his friend, “Miss Alicia and my pa are gonna get married next Saturday. She’s gonna live in our house from now on.”