Sudden Storms (3 page)

Jolee watched as her brother straightened his stance and looked down at the girl. Looking to Jolee he said, “I suppose she does get awful tired of my belly achin’.” Then he turned back to the girl. “But from here on out you be right upfront with us about everything.”

“I’ll leave in the mornin’,” the girl stated, standing and making to move past him.

Paxton caught her arm. “Hold on there, proud little Patty,” he said. “I still got this rope in my hand. If Jo wants ya to stay, she means it. We got an extra room off in the back across from mine. You can stay in there. Maybe I’m a bit old-fashioned, but I don’t believe in women toughin’ the elements more’n necessary.”

“Pax…you’re as subtle as a thundercloud,” Jolee sighed, slapping his hand so he released the girl. “Now, you’re gonna stay on here and help me out. I’ve got green beans and peas comin’ up in a week or two, and I can’t put ’em all up myself.” Jolee took one of the young woman’s hands in her own and squeezed it. “You’ll stay and keep me company…won’t ya, Rivers?”

The girl looked quickly at Paxton, who was already sauntering off to go back to bed. “I really don’t think I should stay. I just…” she began.

“You’ll stay,” Jolee stated.

Rivers looked back at her and smiled. “I have to earn my keep,” she insisted.

Jolee laughed. “Oh, you will! Don’t worry about that.” Then linking her arm through Rivers’s, Jolee led her back to the spare bedroom.

CHAPTER THREE

“It seemed safer that way,” Rivers explained, answering Jolee’s question.

“My daddy was a traveler. I’ve been riding trains with him for about two years. He passed on a couple of months back,” Rivers answered.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Jolee sympathized. “Your mama’s dead too, then?”

“Yes. I lived with my mother’s parents until two years ago. Then daddy came and took me with him. He said I was old enough to fend for myself if something should happen to him.”

“Sounds mighty excitin’!” Jolee lifted the bacon out of the skillet and, taking the bowl from Rivers, poured the eggs into the fresh, hot bacon grease. “Hoppin’ trains and all. You must’ve had some excitin’ adventures.”

“I suppose,” Rivers admitted.

“Well, Jo…how’s our little bull manure shoveler this mornin’?” Paxton asked as he sauntered into the kitchen, snapping his suspenders into place over his bare torso.

Rivers was feeling a bit more courageous in that moment. Bravely, she turned to face the man. She had no intention of letting him get away with such a mocking remark. “I’m just fine, thank you, Mr. Gray,” she remarked. “In fact,” she continued as she set a plate piled with griddlecakes on the table and motioned with her head for him to sit down, “I feel like I could put up with just about anyone today.” Somehow, knowing they knew the truth about her had renewed Rivers’s confidence in her independence during the night.

“No, Paxton. Though I wish I could,” Jolee winked at Rivers. “You and I will have to escape to somewhere or another tonight, Rivers. Once a month Paxton and all his smelly men friends get together on a Saturday night and play cards. Now mind you…I don’t let them gamble anything worth much…they use buttons or chore favors or somethin’. But they’re plum irritatin’, so I usually hide out somewhere.”

“My friends don’t smell any worse than yours do,” the man mumbled.

Rivers couldn’t help but admit inwardly that even as grumpy as he seemed to be, he was so handsome it didn’t matter. It was difficult not to constantly gawk at him.

Then he addressed Rivers. “You oughta get Jo to lend ya a dress or somethin’ to wear ’fore the boys get here. Maybe one of ’em will think you’re worth lookin’ at, and ya can get yerself married and be taken care of.”

Jolee scowled at her brother, handing Rivers the glass of milk she had intended for him.

Rivers took a deep breath. Turning to Paxton she asked, “Do you think so? Do you really think one of them won’t care that I’m so helpless and dumb? Do you really think one of them will find me acceptably pretty enough, maybe?”

Paxton looked up at her, his eyes narrowing. “Could be. I wouldn’t go bettin’ my life on it, but ya never can tell. Some men are taken in easy-like by a young female. Whether or not she’s a beauty.”

Rivers was furiously hot with anger. She had not a shred of tolerance at his talking down to her. And in the next moment, she simply poured the cup full of milk into his lap.

Slamming the empty cup down on the table in front of him, she shouted, “How dare you? First of all, I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself! I don’t need some smelly old man to do it for me! And second…if your friends are as brutal and arrogant as you are…what woman on earth with any sense in her head would want one?”

Paxton stood up very slowly. “Jolee,” he began calmly, “your little lyin’ pail of pig slop just poured milk in my lap.”

Rivers was instantly intimidated. He stood so tall and strong before her. The muscles in his arms and chest tensed, overemphasizing each powerful curve. Jolee simply put her hand over her mouth and tried to stifle her laughter.

Paxton glared at Rivers. “You poured milk in my lap,” he informed her.

“You…you deserved it,” she choked out.

Then, in the next moment, as he picked her up and tossed her over one shoulder, she began squealing and beating on his back. Her efforts were useless, however.

“Paxton! Paxton Gray! You put that girl down, do you hear me?” Jolee cried, following as Paxton strode toward the kitchen door.

“My friends ain’t old or smelly, girl! And it may be that I am a little rough…you’re probably one of them girls who like men with lily white skin, smellin’ of rose water, and wearin’ curls in their hair! Now, in case you ain’t never met one, real men smell like sweat! They’ve got calloused hands and hair that ain’t combed out all nice an’ purty!” All this he bellowed as he opened the kitchen door, furious as he strode out of the house and toward the creek.

Realizing his intentions, Rivers endeavored to struggle harder. “You put me down this minute!” she cried.

“Real men are too tired to go through all that silly courtin’ business! They work from before sun up ’til after it’s long gone! Then they fall into bed too worn out to care if they sat out on the front porch swing sparkin’ a girl that night or not!”

“Paxton! Don’t you do it!” Jolee shouted as she followed him toward the creek.

“I was just tryin’ to be nice to ya in there! I don’t doubt my friends would take one look at you and swear off women for good! And you go and pour my milk in my lap. Well, I figure it’s time ya had another bath!” With that he let her fall bottom first into the creek.

As Rivers sat in the water, the flannel underwear she still wore soaking wet, she looked up at him. She was humiliated, hurt, and angry.

Without further thought of consequences, she reached up, grabbed the waist of his trousers, and, with every ounce of strength in her, yanked him forward. In the next moment, his massive form came crashing down on hers, followed by an enormous splash. He was sitting beside her in the creek.

Rivers stood up, dripping wet, with tears flowing down her cheeks. She tugged at the flannel underwear now clinging wet and heavy to her skin.

“Whether or not I’m pretty and dainty, Mr. Gray…I am a woman! And you should treat me as one! Men like you are one reason I began dressing like a boy! If you don’t want me here, tell me now! I’ll be on my way.”

“She’s a pistol, Jo…I’ll say that for her,” he said. Then he looked to Rivers. “Ain’t a man in this state would dare pull me in the creek, girl! Or dump a cup of milk in my lap, for that matter. I’m sorry if my teasin’ offended ya. You can learn to ignore me, can’t ya?” he asked. “For Jolee’s sake, at least?”

Rivers wiped the tears from her cheeks with the sleeve of her drenched flannels.

“Come on now,” he said, extending a hand toward her. “Give me a hand up, and we’ll be friends.”

Rivers walked back to him. He took her hand as she extended it in an act of truce. But instead of standing to join her, he yanked hard on her arm, causing her to fall forward into the water again. She silently scolded herself for being so utterly gullible.



“Don’t be scared of her, Paxton,” Jolee ventured as she approached her brother in the field later that afternoon.

Paxton hammered fiercely on a nail to hold the barbed wire to the fence post. “What are ya talkin’ about, Jo?” he grumbled, though he knew all too well what was coming.

Paxton chuckled and began hammering once more as he shook his head. “I ain’t fightin’ nothin’, Jo. ’Cept maybe gettin’ milk poured in my lap again.”

“Oh, you’re as stubborn as an old mule, Paxton Gray. You’re usin’ Ruby as an excuse, and ya know it,” Jolee grumbled.

“Ruby ain’t got nothin’ to do with this. That girl in there is trouble, Jo,” he said, raising the hammer and pointing it in the direction of the house. “Trouble, and then some. I can see it.”

“Yes. I’m sure ya can, brother,” Jolee smiled and turned away. “I’ll just bide my time. We’ll see, won’t we?”

When she’d gone, Paxton stopped his hammering again. He rested his arms on the fence post and looked out across the field.

“Ruby,” he said as his eyes narrowed in remembering. He’d sworn to himself she would be the only woman ever to cause him grief. He’d known for several years no one could ever convince him to trust a woman again—with the exception of his sister. He had sincerely thought for a time that he loved Ruby. The consequences of having been wrong were massive, and now he felt a sort of fear rising within him.

This girl—this beautiful brown-eyed girl who had come into their lives. He’d had an instantaneous attraction to her when he’d seen her lying asleep in the barn. What man wouldn’t have? But it was so much more than that. He actually liked her. Or at least he liked something about her. He liked the way she’d poured that milk in his lap. He liked the way she’d looked at him just before she pulled him into the creek.

Nope. Not her. She was trouble and more. Determinedly shaking his head, he resumed the hammering.



“Let’s go out on the front porch for awhile, Rivers,” Jolee suggested as the men sat down at the kitchen table for a game of cards.

Rivers was more than happy to oblige. She had felt so uncomfortable meeting Paxton and Jolee’s friends. They all looked so bewildered when she was introduced, and she knew there was no doubt they would question Paxton about her being there. Furthermore, she knew he would tell them the entire story—how she had shown up on their doorstep dressed up like a boy—how he had thrown her in the tub, found her in the barn and tied her up, carried her in the house, and so forth.

“Ya look so pretty in my dress!” Jolee exclaimed as the porch swing began to rock to and fro. “I don’t think I ever want to wear it again. You just look so perfect in it.”

“You are very sweet, Jolee—very skilled with flattery,” Rivers recognized, smiling and smoothing the pink and white gingham over her lap. “But I do thank you for lending me something to wear after my swim this morning.”