Gather The Children (Chronicles of the Maca Book 2) (37 page)

“I'm not going. There are other things more important.” His eye narrowed and his mouth set tight.

“And what would be more important?” asked MacDonald mildly.

“The ranch is, Papa. Y'all still haven't recovered, and we'll have to work twice as hard to make up for lost time.”

“Daniel tis there and can remain.”

“He'll go back to Red just as soon as he can. He doesn't care about the ranch like we do. Frankly, he doesn't want to be around us; any of us. Rity will go back too. She much prefers account books and numbers to hard, physical work.”

LouElla was shocked at his disobedience. Her laddie twas the fither and Maca of this skinny male. How dare Lorenz defy him?

MacDonald's shoulders were straightening and his mouth growing harder. “Ye're mither and I have decided.”

“I'm sorry, Mama, Papa, but after we get back from selling the beeves next fall, Antoinette and I will be married.”

He heard the gasped “nein” from his mother and continued on, his voice flat, broking no opposition. “She's agreed to be my wife.”

“Ye are too young to wed. All ye need tis a First Bedding!” LouElla snapped.

Lorenz saw his mother's lips tighten and she started to turn her ire on her mother-in-law. “That is a sin,” Anna glared at her and then turn back to face Lorenz. “Vhy can't du vait at least von year?”

“We've already postponed it for this year. We were able to keep our letters from Red's prying eyes by posting through Rity, and we'll have to wait until Rity's back there to plan more, but we won't delay the wedding again.”

Lorenz noted his father's eyes were starting to bulge, while the huge fists clenching and unclenching. It was time to let them cool off and argue it out among themselves. He spun on his heel and headed back to the carriage house and the horses, grabbing his jacket from the peg by the kitchen door. Outside, he buttoned his jacket against the wind chilling cold. They could talk about schooling all they liked. They weren't fooling him. Schooling was to help him prepare for leaving Earth once Mina was raised and Mama had passed away. He wasn't going anywhere. He was going to marry Antoinette. The thought of her as his wife lightened his mood, and he began to whistle a trail tune.

The End

Mari Collier was born on a farm in Iowa, and has lived in Arizona, Washington, and Southern California. She and her husband, Lanny, met in high school and were married for forty-five years. She is Co-Coordinator of the Desert Writers Guild of Twentynine Palms and serves on the Board of Directors for the Twentynine Palms Historical Society. She has worked as a collector, bookkeeper, receptionist, and Advanced Super Agent for Nintendo of America. Several of her short stories have appeared in print and electronically, plus three anthologies. Twisted Tales From The Desert, Twisted Tales From The Northwest, and Twisted Tales From The Universe. Earthbound is the first of the Chronicles of the Maca series.

Mari Collier's website can be found at http://www.maricollier.com/

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