Wolf Creek Widow (Wolf Creek, Arkansas Book 4) (14 page)

Her mind whirled. Something else to consider. Maybe she should give more thought to what both he and Aunt Serena were saying. Maybe she did need more time to recover from her past, time to figure out who she was and what she wanted to do with her life. She was trying to build a future. She couldn’t make any more mistakes.

“It may take years,” Ace was saying, “and until you can stand on your own two feet and know in your heart and your mind that you don’t need a man to take care of you, I’m not sure you’ll be ready for involvement with someone else.”

* * *

Ace was up half the night reliving his conversation with Meg as well as the kiss. It was everything he’d expected, which was why he’d done his level best to nip anything more between them in the bud. A romance between them would never work. She might say she didn’t blame him for Elton’s death, but he wondered if she could ever truly forget it. Was that something she’d bring up every time they got into an argument?

Besides, he had his own reasons. As much as he cared for her and wanted to make her his wife, he couldn’t bear the thought of putting her and those sweet kids in a position where they would be talked about behind their backs, especially after he’d heard Meg tell his mother how much she hated being the subject of everyone’s conversation.

He remembered a talk he’d had with his father once after a particularly nasty incident in the town where they’d lived at the time. Yancy had been heartbroken because Ace and Nita had been the subject of whispers and ridicule. Ace, who had been fourteen or fifteen, had confronted his father.

“Why did you marry her if you knew people would make fun of her—and you?” he’d demanded, getting right up into his father’s face. “Why didn’t you marry an Irish girl?”

Yancy’s handsome face was etched with pain, but he didn’t back down from Ace’s anger. “Because I never met an Irish girl who made me feel the things your mother does,” he said.

“If you just want to get married, it makes little difference whom you choose, but if it’s love you’re looking for, lad, it just happens, usually when you least expect it. I wasn’t looking for love or a wife when I first saw your mother, but from then on, I knew I’d never be happy without her. It was either make her my wife or be miserable the rest of my life.”

“So you decided we should all be miserable.”

“I wasn’t thinking of that. I only thought of us sharing a life together. Yes, it’s been challenging at times, but I have no regrets beyond the fact that you’re the one who suffers most.”

That was the moment that he’d told Ace that the things in life defined you, destroyed you or helped mold you.

Ace’s mother, who had been listening, had added that she had no regrets, either. “Love can soothe a lot of hurts, Asa,” she’d told him. “And if love finds you, you should embrace it and be glad.”

At the time, suffering as only a young person could, their answers seemed selfish. Now he understood what they’d meant, but the difference was that he wasn’t sure he could place that burden on any woman. Ever.

He knew what he needed to do, but decided that it wasn’t something that needed doing at that moment. There were things he had to finish before he bowed out of Meg’s life. He fell asleep wishing things were different, recalling the sound of his blunt challenge to her hanging in the cool night air.

* * *

When Ace woke, a gray dawn was just creeping over the landscape. As he rose and stretched, he heard the shuffle of the horse’s hooves, the muffled snorting of the pig they would slaughter in a couple of weeks and the rustle of chickens in the nearby coop. He glimpsed a barn owl overhead, a ghostly gray silhouette gripping something in its talons.

There was already a light in the kitchen and he figured his mother was up making the morning coffee. Grabbing a rough muslin towel from a stack of his belongings, he walked down the frosty trail to the creek to take a bath in the cold water. Once he was done, wide-awake and shivering, he donned clean clothes and made his way back to the house.

When he passed by the still-glowing embers of the fire, a rush of memories bombarded him. He could feel the warmth of Meg’s slight body pressed so closely to his and the touch of his lips on hers. Gritting his teeth, Ace stomped up onto the porch and stepped through the back door. The aroma of fried chicken made his mouth water. Chicken at breakfast?

His mother and Meg were up and busy. Nita was setting the table and Meg was stirring gravy. They both looked up when he entered the room, but his mother was the only one who offered him a smile of welcome. Meg just looked at him with a combination of hurt and confusion in her eyes.

Ace stared back at her, hoping his own misery didn’t show. Even though his heart was revolting against his will, he was convinced that he was doing the right thing by not encouraging her to believe there could be anything more between them than there already was.

“Kids still asleep?” he asked.

“Yes,” Meg said, dragging her gaze from his. “I thought I’d wait until breakfast was ready to get them up. They had their baths last night, so it won’t take long to get them ready.”

“No hurry. We have all day.” He went to the shelf hanging on the wall, took down a cup and poured himself some coffee from the big granite pot that sat in the middle of the table.

“I’m not sure all day will be long enough for Teddy,” Nita said. She gestured toward the coffeepot. “That should still be hot. I just moved it from the fire a bit ago.”

“It’ll be fine,” Ace assured her, pulling out a chair.

“I fried some chicken earlier and made some extra biscuits. I thought I’d treat us to some cold sarsaparillas from Gabe’s and we could take it to Jackson’s Grove and have a picnic down by the creek at lunchtime.”

Ah.
That
was why he smelled chicken. “Sounds good,” he said. “I bet Teddy will love it.”

“I hope so.”

“He’s really looking forward to the day,” Meg said without looking up from her chore. “He loves going to the mercantile and looking at all the penny candy. It takes him forever to choose.”

“That’s a mighty big decision for a boy that age,” Nita said, smiling.

“It’s a pretty big decision for boys of any age,” Ace told her and earned a brief laugh.

“What about you, Meg? Do you have a hard time choosing candy?”

“Not really. I’d much rather have a piece of Ellie’s pie, which I’m planning on us all doing this afternoon. I’ve been saving my mending money,” she explained. “After all you’ve done for me the past few weeks, a little treat is the least I can do for the two of you.”

“That isn’t necessary,” Nita said, but Ace knew better than to say anything. Meg Thomerson was a woman with a lot of grit and pride. How else could she have done what she had since her marriage?

“Necessary or not, we’re having pie and coffee. It’s settled.”

Nita looked at Ace and he shrugged. He’d already tangled with the tenacious Meg, and his only option the night before had been to toss out a challenge and retreat.

* * *

Teddy sat next to Nita in the backseat of the wagon, and Meg held Lucy on her lap. Both children seemed content to watch the passing scenery, and Teddy asked a dozen questions about things he saw along the way.

The late October day was autumn perfection. A gentle breeze turned the colorful leaves into a shifting mosaic of glorious reds, rusts, hues of yellow and dark purple. A dove sang its mournful song, promising more rain, and patches of black-eyed Susan and purple aster dotted the swaying knee-high grasses that grew alongside the narrow road. It was a picture-perfect day for the hour-long trip. Meg dreaded winter coming, when she would have to make the twice weekly journey alone in the wet and cold.

Nita, at least, was a good traveling companion. Ace was quiet, speaking only when a comment was directed to him. The ride into town passed quickly, and by the time the buildings of Wolf Creek came into view, Teddy was literally bouncing up and down on the wooden seat.

Knowing that the boy wouldn’t be happy until he got to go to the mercantile, Meg was pleased when Ace looped the rig’s reins around the hitching post. He helped the ladies and children alight near the door and said he was headed to the jail to visit Colt since he wasn’t one for shopping.

Gabe Gentry, the store’s owner, turned when he heard them at the doors. The usual batch of old men sat around the potbellied stove, engrossed in their daily game of checkers. They barely glanced up when the four entered. A blue spatterware coffeepot sat atop the stove, sending out the pleasant aroma of coffee.

“Nita Allen and Meg Thomerson!” Gabe said, coming around the counter where he’d been applying a feather duster with some vigor. He was smiling the smile that had set many a feminine heart aflutter before he’d settled down with Rachel earlier in the year.

Nita greeted him with a soft hello and a smile.

“Hello, Mr. Gentry,” Meg said.

“Call me Gabe.”

“Oh, I couldn’t,” Meg protested.

“Well, I understood from Rachel that you’re her newest friend, and anyone my wife calls a friend usually calls me Gabe.”

“That’s very nice of you,” she said, a bit discombobulated by his sincerity. “I’ll consider it. How’s Rachel?”

“She’s wonderful, but then, everyone knows that. A better question might be how you are. You’re looking very well.”

“It’s been a long rough road,” she told him, “but I’m feeling better every day, thanks to your wife and Nita and Ace.”

“I knew they’d be a blessing to you if you’d let them,” he said.

Gabe glanced over at Teddy, who was slowly inching his way toward a counter, where large jars of brightly colored candy were lined up for display. Gabe winked at Meg and Nita.

“Take your time, Teddy,” he said. “There’s no hurry.” He turned his attention to Lucy. “She’s really growing, Meg. And she’s so pretty. Looks like you.”

Meg felt herself blush to the roots of her hair. “Thank you.”

“We’re all sort of hoping for a girl this time,” Gabe said, reminding them of Rachel’s pregnancy. “Even Danny.” The mention of his son brought a gleam of pride to Gabe’s eyes.

He glanced from Meg to Nita. “So, is there anything special that you need, or did you come in for Teddy to buy candy?”

“Actually, I was hoping you had some shoes in Lucy’s size. She’s grown so fast that she doesn’t have anything to see her through the winter.”

“I bet we can find something,” he said. “Nita, I have some new printed calico that came in last week if you want to look it over.”

“Thanks, Mr. Gentry.”

Gabe shook his head at her continued formality and led Meg to the section of the store that displayed shoes. In the end, Meg chose sturdy brown shoes in a size a little larger than Lucy needed at the moment so that she could wear woolen socks to keep her feet warm and in hopes that she could at least use them until the following spring.

Gabe was down on one knee and lacing up the second shoe when he looked up at Meg. She knew instantly that something was on his mind. Without warning, a frisson of alarm shot through her. She stilled, every sense on alert, as her mind thought of and culled half a dozen possibilities.

“What is it?” she demanded, unable to draw a decent breath for the sudden panic unfurling inside her.

“Your mother and Charlie are in town,” he told her. “I thought you might want to know.”

Dread, so heavy it threatened to suffocate her, rose up inside Meg. “Where are they?”

“I saw them go into Ellie’s earlier, but they headed down the street toward the old newspaper office a bit ago. I guess they wanted to check out the new library.”

Somehow, Meg dredged up something that resembled a laugh. “To my knowledge, Georgina Ferris and Charlie Green have never read a book in their lives.”

Gabe tied Lucy’s shoe and stood. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to ruin your outing, but I thought you might want to know. Maybe you can avoid running into them.”

“I certainly hope so. And thank you, Gabe. I am grateful for the warning.”

She and Nita spent another thirty minutes or more looking over things in the store. Meg knew the older woman suspected that something had happened, but she didn’t want to ruin Nita’s day, so she kept quiet. They walked through the store, taking turns carrying Lucy, marveling over the slipper-shaped tub and the collection of pretty laces and buttons on the dry-goods shelf. Meg ran her hand lovingly over the green-and-white enamel stove. Teddy was fascinated by a carved wooden tool set that he said was “just like Ace’s.”

Meg and Ace had already had a set-to over him letting Teddy call him by his nickname; Ace argued that he was hardly the “Mr. Allen” type. She also knew Teddy was becoming very attached to Ace, and she was already starting to worry about what would happen to the child when Ace left and never came back, which, in light of their devastating conversation the night before, she was convinced would happen sooner rather than later.

“They left the library,” Gabe said with a guilty smile. “So if you plan on going there, now might be a good time.”

Meg smiled back. “I don’t expect you to spy for me, but thank you. I think I’ll pay you for our purchases and we’ll head that way.”

Several minutes later, they entered the new library. The former newspaper office was hardly recognizable. The plaster walls were lined with head-high shelving that was filled with books, more than Meg could imagine anyone owning. The library appeared empty, and Meg was glad, since it meant she could visit without fear of disturbing anyone.

Libby Granville was sitting behind a mahogany desk, a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles perched on her nose, reading a newspaper. She looked up when she heard Teddy say, “That’s a lotta books!”

“Meg! Nita!” Libby cried, getting to her feet and rounding the desk. “What a wonderful surprise!” She hugged each of them in turn.

“I’m returning the books you brought, and I thought I’d get one or two more, if that’s all right.”

“It’s more than all right,” Libby said. “Teddy, there’s a chalkboard over there on the wall. Why don’t you draw us a picture while I show your mother some books she might like?”

Teddy’s eyes lit up with pleasure. “Look, Mama, I’m in school, too,” he announced proudly. No one bothered to correct him.