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“You could just wear one of the dresses my
mother made you,” Caleb said, eying her as she worked and swore
under her breath on occasion.

“A tent! That’s fine for working around the
house or the garden, but not for a dinner party.”

“You work around the house?” His sarcastic
tone was impossible to miss, but in the excitement of a
get-together, she let it slide past with nothing more than a dirty
look.

“I already put your clothes in the bathroom.
People will be here soon. You might want to get ready,” she
said.

He was lying on the bed, swinging his legs
off the side and the springs squeaked rhythmically. “Caleb! Stop
that! Your parents might think–”

“What?” He twisted his head to look at her
and asked, “That we might be having sex? No. No, we can’t have them
suspecting that.” He stared at the ceiling, the rhythmic squeak
continuing. “A young, married couple, in love for the most part,
no, we can’t allow them to think it’s possible that we could ever
or would ever.” He craned to look at her again. “Say, have you
managed to convince them that Junior there is a product of
immaculate conception?” He focused on the ceiling again, and she
stared at his head with wide eyes. “Yeah,” he said with a short,
hard laugh. She stood up with some effort, tossed her dress aside,
and confronted him at the foot of the bed cautiously.

“What do you mean, Caleb?” Her voice was
quiet despite her anger.

“Nothing.” He stood up quickly. “I’m going to
get dressed,” he said numbly as he passed her. A long, thin arm
grabbed his as he passed.

“What did you mean?” she repeated, this time
her voice shaking slightly. He rolled his eyes, clearly out of
patience.

“It’s ridiculous for you to put on airs. But
don’t worry, Ahna, there’s no way they’re going to get the idea
that we sleep together . . . . because we don’t.” He jerked his arm
away from her grasp and left the room. She followed him down the
hall, not sure herself if she were on the verge of tears or
rage.

“Not that, Caleb. The other thing you said.
About being ‘for the most part’ in love.” She stood in the doorway
of the bathroom so that he was unable to shut the door. “What is
that supposed to mean?” she pressed. “For the most part?”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he said
roughly. He sighed heavily and avoided her eyes.

“Yes, you did. Is that how you really feel?”
He silently lathered his face. She cleared her throat to remind him
she was still there, waiting.

“Look, I don’t want to get into anything
before dinner. Maybe we can talk later or something.” His tone was
so indifferent that it stung.

She retreated but decided to stand her ground
with an insistent but soft tone when she turned back. “No. I want
to know what you meant. If that’s really how you feel.”

“You don’t want to know how I really feel,”
he said, his voice low and hostile. His gaze was void of any
feeling at all. He shaved hastily while she stared at the floor,
waiting, hoping he would say something. His silence was maddening
as he changed; however, sensing something was very, very wrong, she
hesitated to pressure him. He passed by her, his shoulder brushing
hers and stomped downstairs just in time to greet guests.

“Hey, guys, how are you all? Come in. Sit
down,” he called out from the steps.

Arianna swallowed hard, refusing to cry and
waste perfectly good makeup. She would smile through dinner and get
things straight with Caleb later. She finished her dress quickly
and joined the others downstairs, surprised to see a larger than
expected crowd.

She smiled from one unfamiliar face to
another as Ethel introduced her daughter-in-law to several friends
and neighbors. The families, some compiled of three generations,
swelled the house with chatter and laughter. Arianna shook hands
and glanced at her husband occasionally, who was absorbed in
catching up with his parents’ older friends and their children,
most of whom appeared to be his age.

Another knock at the door was barely heard
over the buzz. Aryl, closest to the door, opened it and stepped
aside. As they filed in, Aryl cast Jonathan a look, and then his
eyes touched on Caleb before closing the door.

An older couple greeted Ethel and Hubert,
nodded and waved politely to Caleb, although their faces looked
slightly strained. A young woman with tawny hair that fell in long
curls on her shoulders and dark eyes stepped into view from behind
them. She slipped her coat off her tiny frame and Ethel gave the
girl a long embrace.

Aryl made his way over to Jonathan quickly.
“Well, this should be interesting,” he said out of the side of his
mouth.

“Indeed.” Jonathan could barely suppress the
smirk as he sipped his drink.

Claire and Ava noticed Arianna standing alone
against the wall and made their way across the parlor to her. They
asked her a few questions, but it was apparent that she was
completely tuning them out. Her eyes were fixed on Caleb and, more
specifically, the tension in his posture when the small woman
approached him. They smiled awkwardly, aware of several of the
older generation’s eyes on them. Arianna squinted, unsuccessfully
willing herself the ability to read lips. When she set out to
interrupt them, Ethel touched her arm.

“Would you be a dear and help me in the
kitchen, Ahna?”

Caleb was now smiling down at his old
acquaintance. “I really need to talk to–”

“Oh, it'll only take a few moments.” Ethel
took her arm insistently and led her to the kitchen. Claire and Ava
shared a look of confusion and set out for their husbands, who
appeared to be making a wager.

“All right, Jon. What’s going on here?”

“Nothing, um, just talking about the game
next week.” Jonathan stuffed a bill back in his pocket and
grinned.

“You’re a horrible liar.” Ava crossed her
arms and glared at him.

“I’m not sure I should stir the pot, love.”
He stole a glance at Aryl, who shook his head in agreement.

“Is she an old flame?” Claire edged up to
Aryl, hugging his arm while batting her eyes.

“Oh, no. You’re not getting anything out of
me.”

She pouted and said, “This isn’t fair. You
guys know what’s going on, and you’re deliberately keeping us in
the dark.”

“Yes. Yes, we are.” Jonathan smiled. The
women wore indignant expressions. He rolled his eyes and slipped an
arm around Ava. “Look. If we tell you what’s going on, or what we
think is going on, then you two are going to scurry into the
kitchen and fall over each other telling Arianna, who will cause a
gigantic scene, to be sure, and may very well possibly end up going
into premature labor. We’re keeping the baby and Arianna’s best
interests in mind here. It'll come out in good time.”

“Just tell us her name,” Claire begged.

“Rachael. That’s all you’re getting.” Aryl
was insistent, and they didn’t pressure for more. They did,
however, watch the two in the corner, analyzing every smile, glance
and laugh carefully and whispered in conference with each other
frequently.

Ethel announced that dinner was ready and
slowly everyone migrated to the dining room where the food was set
out buffet style to accommodate the crowd. Chairs were set against
the walls, as well as extra seats brought in from the barn. Folks
filled their plates and marveled at Ethel’s enormous spread of
food. Jonathan was put to work with carving the ham. When Caleb
held his plate out, Rachael standing close by, Jonathan leaned in
close as he served a slice on his plate.

“The funny thing is, you don’t even look
scared,” he whispered, his teasing grin fading as he met Caleb’s
undaunted expression.

“Why should I be?” he asked and moved along,
not waiting for an answer. A boy tugged on Jonathan’s sleeve while
his eyes followed Caleb in disbelief.

“Oh. Here ya’ go, buddy.” After serving the
boy, he looked back to Rachael standing next to Caleb, smiling up
at him as he pointed to different dishes. Jonathan saw no sign of
Arianna. No sign of Ava or Claire either, for that matter. They
were standing inside the kitchen, peering into the dining room
every few minutes.

“Well, I don’t understand why you don’t just
walk right up to them and introduce yourself,” Claire said.

“I shouldn’t have to,” Arianna grumbled and
busied herself with menial tasks in the kitchen.

The women entered the dining room when the
crowd had thinned. Arianna saw Caleb sitting on a sofa, his plate
on his knee and Rachael sat just a few seats away, talking, and
smiling comfortably.

“There’s no way I can go in there now,” she
seethed.

“Why not? Look, the seat next to him just
opened up. Walk in and sit down beside him. He’ll be forced to
introduce you.” Ava nudged her shoulder, encouraging her. Arianna
walked to the wide, arched entrance to the parlor but halted when
Rachael moved to the open seat next to Caleb. She spun around,
visibly boiling.

“Ava!” she ordered. “Go in there right now
and tell him I need to speak to him in the kitchen.” She banged her
plate down, stomped away to the kitchen and plopped herself in a
chair to wait.

Ava sighed resentfully, but made her way
through the crowd toward Caleb. She stepped over someone’s legs and
felt a stab of pain as she remembered the last gathering at Maura’s
house. Her letters had become more infrequent now, and Ava worried
she was beginning to forget her.

Finally close to Caleb, Ava leaned down and
whispered in his ear. He waved dismissively at her, and she leaned
to whisper again. He sighed loudly, turned to Rachael and excused
himself.

Ava joined Claire in the dining room as Caleb
walked quickly into the kitchen, closing the door behind him. They
only heard muffled, upset voices initially, which grew louder in a
heated exchange.

Aryl approached them as they huddled by the
door, eavesdropping. “Honestly, ladies,” he said, causing them both
to jump.

“Aryl, if you don’t tell me what’s going on,
I’ll go crazy,” Claire said.

He shook his head slowly and said, “If we
were having trouble of some kind, would you want everyone talking
about it behind our backs?”

“I’m not trying to gossip about it, Aryl. I
want to help,” Claire clarified.

“The best way you can help is to stay out of
it for now. She’ll let you know when you’re needed.”

A loud crash came from the kitchen. A second
later, the back door slammed. Aryl poked his head into the kitchen
and saw Arianna crying into her hands at the breakfast table. He
looked at Claire.

“She might need you now.”

He silently walked through the kitchen and
out the back door to find Caleb. Arianna alternated from sobbing to
furious rage repeatedly, and her incoherent words made it
impossible for Claire and Ava to figure out exactly what had been
said to whom or by whom. Jonathan noticed his friends had
disappeared, so he entered the kitchen, pausing to study each
woman. Claire and Ava were on each side of Arianna, trying to calm
her.

Claire glanced at the back door. “Aryl went
to find him.”

∞∞∞

“What a mess,” Caleb grumbled quietly,
sitting on a hay bale, head in his hands. Aryl leaned against a
beam across from him, hands in his pockets as Jonathan joined them
in the barn.

“Awkward and uncomfortable, yes, but I’m not
sure why this qualifies as a mess.” Jonathan pulled a hay bale to
sit closer to Caleb. “Is Arianna that unreasonable in her current
state that she can’t handle seeing an ex-girlfriend?”

“It’s much more than that.” He ran his hands
from his chin, over his face and through his hair. “A lot
more.”

Aryl eyed him warily. “How much more can
there be?”

Caleb looked ominously at him, then Jonathan
and took a deep breath.

“It was the year before I sold my
grandfather’s farm . . . .”

∞∞∞

“Oh!” Arianna’s crying stopped short with a
gasp as her hands gripped her stomach. A moderately strong
contraction built up quickly then slowly began to subside. She made
a horrified face and whispered to Ava, “Get my mother-in-law.”

Ava turned on her heels and swiftly returned
with Ethel, who instructed them to help her get Arianna up to her
room. The short, tight pain had passed and she walked on her own,
still sniffling with jagged, little breaths from the hard cry.
Ethel helped her lie down and wiped her face with a cool cloth. Ava
and Claire stood back, waiting for instructions and praying she
wasn’t going into labor.

“Should we go get Caleb?” Claire asked.

“Oh, no. This is nothing. Practice pain, most
likely from being so upset.” She returned her eyes to Arianna. “You
really have to try to stay calm, dear.”

“How can I? If you heard the things he said
to me, and then there’s that girl. I can’t stay up here while she’s
down there, trying to–”

“She’s not trying to do anything.” Ethel’s
voice was suddenly cold and defensive of Rachael. “It’s not my
place, Arianna, to say any more than this. Rachael is not trying to
do whatever it is you think. She needed to see Caleb for reasons
that have nothing to do with you. They have something to put to
rest, so to speak. That’s all.” She tucked a blanket around her
middle and left the cloth on her forehead. “Come get me if it
happens again.” She touched Ava’s shoulder on her way out.

∞∞∞

“Why didn’t you ever tell us?” Jonathan sat
stunned, and Aryl hung his head, looking for the right words. Caleb
shrugged.

“I didn’t really want to think about it. And
I didn’t want it getting back to Arianna, although I guess I’ll
have to explain everything now. Can you see why I didn’t want to
come back here? So much has happened while Arianna runs around
oblivious.”

“Then tell her,” Aryl said. “Tell her
everything and while you’re at it, tell her everything else that’s
bothering you, too.”