Once in a Blue Moon (37 page)

Melissa swallowed,
emotion boiling within her. “Didn’t she take you in? Was she cruel
to you?”

“More cruel than you
could ever imagine.”

From what Melissa had
heard, everyone seemed to have liked Louisa. “But how? What could
she do to you? It’s not like you were a young girl, unable to
defend yourself. And since I’m the one wearing her clothes, she
must have been a small woman. Surely there was no physical abuse.
What happened?”

The widow’s lips
tightened. She opened her mouth. Closed it again. She seemed to be
having some sort of internal struggle.

Melissa realized the
widow hadn’t had anyone to talk to about this; she probably never
had. She wanted to tell Melissa, and Melissa was dying to know.
“What? What happened?”

Suddenly, the widow’s
eyes widened, she sucked in a breath, turned away and waved a hand
in the air. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this.”

Melissa’s mouth parted.
The woman couldn’t stop there! Melissa wanted to know what
happened! Perhaps if she set the widow’s mind at rest, she’d
continue the story. “Look, you don’t need to worry that I’ll tell
anyone, and it’s not like you’re the only one with secrets.”

Melissa took a deep
breath. “My family is from the future. We traveled through time to
get here. Sully is my husband’s ancestor; his grandfather, a few
generations back.”

Melissa waved a hand in
the air. “So you see? Now we’ve both got something on each other.
You were once a woman who did what she needed to do to survive, and
I’m as loony as a cuckoo bird. Now tell me what happened with
Louisa?”

The widow stared at
Melissa and slowly her expression turned to anger. “You traveled
through time? What are you talking about? Are you mocking me?”

Melissa widened her
eyes. “No! Not at all! We were outside during a blue moon and we
got sent here to this time. That’s why we showed up here with no
clothes other than what we were wearing. That’s why we had no
possessions with us. We’re related to Sully; my husband and
children are anyway.”

The widow stared at her
blankly.

Melissa felt like an
idiot. What had seemed like a good idea a moment ago seemed pretty
stupid now. “I can see I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Since Sully only has
one child, and the rumors are he’s dead, your story isn’t just
unlikely, it’s impossible.”

Melissa took a deep
breath. She might as well finish the tale. “No, it’s true. Sully’s
son comes back to this area in the next few years with a wife and
children. He ends up settling in town, going into business. He
paints landscapes as a hobby. We have one hanging in our house back
home. He keeps the land he inherited from his dad. It gets passed
down for a few generations until we build a home on it.”

After a long pause the
widow said, “I see. Forgive me if I have a hard time believing
you.”

Melissa felt like a
fool. What had possessed her to say anything? “That’s okay. I
understand. I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”

“Convince me.”

Melissa blinked, unsure
what the woman wanted from her. She was probably just giving her
more rope to hang herself with. She lifted a shoulder. Perhaps she
owed it to her. “You knew Sully when he was younger. Do Richard or
the kids resemble him or Louisa? Or their son?”

The widow stared at
Melissa. She slowly sank down onto the chair opposite and shook her
head.

“No? Well, let me see.
Do I seem like the type of person who would wear clothes like
these? I’m thirty-five years old. Don’t you think I would have
acquired a wardrobe by now?”

“Your clothes could
have been stolen. I’ve always assumed they were,” she stated. But
her voice was weak. Perhaps Melissa was convincing her after
all.

“Doesn’t our speech
seem strange to you? More informal?”

“You’re from back
east.”

Melissa shook her head.
“No, we’re not. We’re from right here, only we lived more than 100
years in the future; in a California so changed you can’t even
imagine it. Cars, airplanes, inventions...”

Melissa sighed. “Well,
forget it. You’ll just have to take my word for it. Sully’s son is
not dead. He’s in Europe, learning how to paint or something.
Richard is his long-lost relative, and I’m not as insane as you
think I am.”

Tears welled in the
widow’s eyes. She bent over, her hands to her face.

Melissa’s mouth fell
open, and her stomach clenched. She couldn’t believe she’d driven
this strong woman to tears. “You know, I’ll never tell a soul about
your...past. Your secret is safe with me. Besides, if I said a
word, you could tell everyone I’m certifiable, right?”

The widow started to
weep, softly at first, then louder as the seconds passed and sobs
jerked her body.

Guilt burned through
Melissa and she pressed a fist to her mouth. She lowered her hand
and inhaled sharply. “So you took a lover in your husband’s
absence. Big deal. I congratulate you on your survival instincts.
No one ever needs to know. Everything is fine. Your reputation is
safe. I won’t tell a soul, I promise.”

The woman cried harder
still.

Melissa reached out a
trembling hand then pulled back again. Perhaps the widow needed
some alone time? Melissa nodded. Yes, that was it. Good idea. Why
hadn’t she thought of it sooner? Melissa stood. “Well, I’ll just
let myself out.”

Melissa walked to the
front door, wrenched it opened, closed it softly behind her and
practically ran from the ranch house. When would she learn to keep
her big mouth shut?

The kerosene lantern
glowed brightly on the kitchen table, illuminating the small room,
buzzing slightly and leaving a faintly acrid smell in the warm
air.

Melissa lifted a hand
to rub the back of her neck, trying to relieve some of the tension.
The day had lasted forever and she was glad it was over; glad it
was bedtime. If she had her way, she’d be asleep within the next
twenty minutes, and would quickly forget this particular day ever
happened.

She took a dry towel,
pulled back one of the kitchen chairs and wiped it quickly,
spilling a few breadcrumbs onto the darkness of the floor. She
quickly wiped the other three chairs, straightened them, folded the
towel and set it on the shelf beside the canned goods. She’d sweep
in the morning when she could see better.

As much as she’d tried
not to dwell on the earlier ugliness, at the end of the day, she
still felt ashamed and stupid. Why had she ever tried to blackmail
the widow? Why had she tried to convince her they were time
travelers? What was the matter with her? She was glad they were
leaving soon. Their departure from this place couldn’t come quickly
enough.

She climbed the ladder
to the loft and kissed a sleeping Jeremy and a groggy Jessica
goodnight, then climbed down again to once more straighten the
already clean cabin, before she went into the bedroom.

Richard came up behind
her, put his arms around her and drew her against him. “You’ve been
quiet tonight. Are you all right?”

She sighed. “Richard,
how many days until we leave?”

He thought a moment.
“Twenty-four. Did something happen today?”

Melissa lifted her
hands to keep him where he was, closed her eyes and leaned against
him, enjoying his embrace. “I just want to go home. I’m getting
antsy.”

“Is there anything you
want to talk about?”

Melissa gripped his
arms, hugging him to her. Did she want to tell Richard about her
stupidity? Probably not. “It’s nothing. I just spoke to the widow
today and she told me a little about her life before she came to
California. She was quite poor. I just feel sorry for her, I guess,
for what she had to go through; being destitute and alone in the
world. Maybe it reminded me of my childhood.”

She
blinked. Where the heck had that come from? She bit her lip,
considering that perhaps it was the truth. The widow’s story of
destitution and her desperate situation
had
reminded Melissa of her
childhood. It was one more thing she didn’t wanted to face on this
day.

Richard’s arms
tightened around her. “You’ve never said too much about when you
were a kid, but from the little you have, I know you had a hard
time.”

Suddenly, out of
nowhere, tears burned her eyes and she turned and pressed her face
into Richard’s chest and started to sob.

Richard handed her a
folded handkerchief and simply held her.

She sobbed for the
confused and helpless little girl she’d been. She sobbed for the
widow and the pain she endured. She sobbed because she was ashamed
of the way she’d tried to blackmail a woman who’d worked hard to
overcome her own difficulties.

The storm lasted a good
ten minutes before Melissa finally pulled away, worn out. She wiped
her eyes, blew her nose, and settled back against Richard’s chest,
exhausted.

Richard rubbed her
back. “All right?”

Melissa nodded, feeling
foolish.

“Do you want to talk
about it?”

Melissa shook her head,
sucked in a shuddering breath, and nodded. “It was just hard today,
you know? Talking to the widow. Hearing what she’d suffered. I
guess it brought some of it back.” She took another breath. “The
strange thing was, I walked away thinking I could really learn to
respect the old bat.”

“I’m not surprised.
You’re both strong women. It sounds like you’ve both had some rough
times in your past and flourished despite it. Maybe that’s why the
two of you don’t get along; you are too much alike.”

He paused. “Melissa, is
our lack of money painful to you?”

She thought about it.
Her first reaction was to say yes. It was very painful living here
and being poor. With only the bare essentials, it reminded her very
much of when she’d been a child. But the funny thing was she didn’t
actually feel that way. She turned to look at Richard. “No. It’s
not as bad this time.”

“What’s the
difference?”

“I don’t know.” Maybe
growing up poor hadn’t been the problem so much as growing up
feeling unloved.

She winced inwardly,
wishing she had some control over her thoughts. Intense sadness for
the child she’d been welled within her. She felt grief, not only
for herself, but for her mother who’d been unable to get her life
together. She tightened her arms around Richard and placed her head
on his chest. For a long while she simply stood in his arms while
he rubbed her back.

Finally, he relaxed his
grip and kissed her forehead. “Come on, let’s go to bed.” Taking
her hand, he shut the drape over the bedroom door, helped her into
her nightgown and tucked her into bed.

She didn’t want to feel
this pain; she just wanted to get to work again. It was hard to
think so much when her mind was occupied. She closed her eyes.
Perhaps that was why she always moved so fast and kept her life so
busy. So she wouldn’t feel anything. In the past, she’d been forced
to slow down: to think, and finally to feel. It wasn’t a pleasant
sensation.

Richard took off his
own clothes, blew out the light, slid into bed, and reached over to
take her in his arms. The heat from his body warmed her. “No matter
what happens, we’ll always face it together,” he said softly. “I
love you,” he murmured against her temple, then kissed her, gently
exploring her mouth.

She gave a brief
thought to birth control as a pool of warmth spread through her
insides and she wrapped her arms around Richard and returned his
kiss. She just wanted to forget about today, forget about
everything and lose herself in Richard’s strength.

Melissa reached down
for another piece of wood and set it in the bucket at Jessica’s
feet. “What do you think?” Melissa indicated the woodpile, “will
two more big ones be enough for today?”

Jessica nodded.
“Probably. For sure it’s enough to bake the bread anyway.”

That was true, but
Melissa was more concerned about maintaining the heat in the stove
throughout the day. Keeping the fire banked was easier than
starting it cold, and she didn’t want to make another trip to the
woodpile. Decisions, decisions. “Good morning, ladies. Let me help
you with that.”

Melissa and Jessica
both turned to see Jed Peterson approaching. Surprised to see him,
Melissa glanced around for his two constant companions, but he was
alone. “Thank you, Mr. Peterson.”

Melissa gave up the two
large pieces of wood and Jed retrieved several more, loading up his
bulky arms.

Melissa carried the
bucket, Jessica gathered a few more chunks and the three of them
started back to the cabin.

Jed glanced at her,
then his gaze skittered away. He took a deep breath. “Sure is a
nice day.”

Melissa nodded. “Yes,
it is. I love October. So what brings you out this way?”

Jed swallowed audibly,
and shrugged his big shoulders. “A few cows wandered out my way and
I just thought I’d let the boys know.”

His deep voice broke on
the last word and he swallowed again, obviously nervous.

Melissa stared at his
profile, her brows raising. Was he eating the widow’s cows? Having
a sudden attack of conscience? “That was nice of you.”

They reached the
cabin.

Jed set the wood down
beside the stove, carefully stacking it, taking more time and care
than necessary. “Do you need more wood? ‘Cause I could go and get
some more. I’d be glad to.” He seemed almost desperate.

Melissa shook her head
wondering what was going on. “No, that should do us for today,
thank you. Can I offer you a glass of water or something? Are you
hungry?”

Jed, still on his
knees, looked over at the four pans of rising dough on the table.
“Looks like you’re making bread.”