Wolf Creek Widow (Wolf Creek, Arkansas Book 4) (15 page)

“Your mother just left,” Libby said.

Nita looked over at Meg. “So that’s what’s wrong.”

Meg gave her an apologetic smile. “Gabe told me she was in town, and I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to ruin your day. I’m hoping we can avoid her.”

“This day is our treat,” Nita said. “I’m not going to allow anyone to spoil it.”

Meg sighed. “You don’t know my mother.”

Chapter Twelve

“C
ome on,” Libby said, deftly changing the subject. “There are a couple of books over here I think you might like.”

“I’ll keep an eye on Teddy and Lucy,” Nita offered.

“Just put Lucy down and let her roam. There isn’t much in here for her to get into.”

Libby led Meg to the far end of the room. When they reached the spot where the books for Meg were shelved, she said, “I’m so sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” Meg assured her. “I can deal with my mother. I’ve had a lot of experience.”

“I’m sure you can.”

They spent the next several minutes discussing the merits of some titles Meg might enjoy. She finally settled on
Vanity Fair
for herself and
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
to read to Teddy.

“Something’s bothering you,” Libby said, once Meg had made her decisions. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“You may be the only person who can help.”

Libby looked at her with raised eyebrows.

Meg took a deep breath to work up her nerve and plunged in. “I’m worried, Mrs. Granville.”

“Libby,” she corrected her gently. “What are you worried about?”

“My children’s futures.”

“That’s normal,” Libby said. “All mothers worry about that to some extent.”

Meg shook her head. “It isn’t the everyday getting by that worries me—there’s nothing wrong with struggling to make ends meet—but I’m so afraid that Teddy will grow up to be like his father. How do I keep that from happening? I want him to be a good man, not one filled with hate, and anger and dishonesty and...and cruelty. I—I hoped that since our circumstances were similar, you might be able to tell me how to keep that from happening. Your boys turned out just fine, even though they lived with their father for so many years.”

To Meg’s surprise, tears sprang into Libby’s eyes. “Oh, Meg,” she breathed. “I see now why you thought I might be able to help you, and you’re right. Lucas Gentry and Elton Thomerson might have been two peas in a pod. I was devastated when Lucas forced me to leave Caleb and Gabe with him. I prayed over the same fears you’re going through every day for twenty years, and the only assurance I had that they weren’t like Lucas was an occasional letter from one of the hired hands or a note from a friend.”

Libby gave a sad shake of her head. “I’m afraid I can’t offer you any help, but you do have an advantage I didn’t. You’re still able to be a mother to your children and influence them every single day.”

“You’re right,” Meg said. “I’m glad for that, but I’ve made some bad choices.”

“We’ve all made some bad choices,” Libby told her with a wry smile.

“How do I stop Lucy from making the same mistake you and I made?” she asked the older woman. “I want her to be smarter than I was. I want her to know when a man is lying to her, and if she does choose poorly, I want her to be strong enough to walk away without looking back, no matter what people might say about her. How can I do that? How can I keep her from being like me, or like my mother, for that matter?”

After a lengthy pause, Libby said, “I don’t think there are any guarantees when it comes to bringing up children. It’s unfortunate, but making mistakes is how we gain wisdom.”

Meg thought of her mother’s life. From the time she began to understand what was going on in her house, she’d prayed not to be like Georgina and had tried her best to emulate her aunt. She said that to Libby.

“I suspect that all we
can
do is discourage the bad things we see and encourage the good, the way your aunt Serena has done with you. You made a mistake, Meg. That’s different from choosing a life of wrongdoing.”

“I know, but I still worry.”

“Of course you do. That’s what mothers do best. And we can also be good examples.” Her quick smile caused little crinkles to fan out at the corners of her dark eyes. “Children do watch and imitate what we do, you know—good or bad.”

Meg thought of how Teddy had started taking on the way Ace stood and tried to help him with whatever project he was working on.

“I’m convinced that the most important thing we can do is bring them up to love the Lord and pray and trust that He will be with us and them. Even then, sometimes they can go astray. But it’s possible that people who grow up in terrible circumstances can become wonderful people, too. Like you.”

She gave Meg a gentle smile. “Yes, it was a mistake to marry Elton, just as it was a mistake for me to marry Lucas. No one I know blames you for your husband’s wrongdoings, Meg, and they certainly don’t blame you for your mother’s. In fact, it seems that almost everyone in town has great admiration for you.”

“What do you mean?”

Libby reached out and placed a soft hand over Meg’s, the one that clutched the books. “You’re a beautiful, hardworking woman filled with a lot of courage, Meg Thomerson. Don’t forget that. Everyone knows that you love your children, since it’s clear that you take such good care of them and work hard to provide for them.”

Meg pressed her lips together to still their trembling.

“My advice is not to look too far into the future. That can be terrifying. You just concentrate on getting better one day at a time.”

One day at a time. That seemed to be everyone’s approach to her getting better, so it must surely be the best way to approach life. They couldn’t all be wrong, could they?

* * *

Meg stopped by the bank and made her land payment and then made it a point to visit Hattie, to thank her for her continued business during her recuperation. When Meg and her companions stepped through the door of the boardinghouse, they were greeted by a lovely tune. The sheriff’s twelve-year-old daughter, Cilla, was at the upright piano, her fingers moving over the keys with a confidence and skill that could come only from hours of practice. Hattie, who owned the boardinghouse and gave piano lessons to Colt’s daughter, Cilla, sat in a nearby chair, her index finger moving through the air in time with the rhythm, nodding and smiling. She looked up when Meg, Nita and the children stepped through the pocket doors that led from the front hallway to the parlor.

“Why, hello, ladies! What a surprise,” Hattie exclaimed, getting to her feet. Cilla’s fingers stilled on the piano keys, and she turned to look at the newcomers.

Both women said their hellos and Meg’s gaze moved from Hattie to Cilla. “I’m so sorry to interrupt your lesson, Cilla. That was lovely. I don’t know anything about music, but it seems to me that you’ve come a long way in a very short time.”

“Thank you, Miss Meg,” she said with a smile. “That’s what Miss Hattie says. And you didn’t really interrupt. We’re almost finished anyway.”

“What was the song you were playing?”

“One of my pa’s favorites, ‘Lorena.’ His birthday is coming up and I wanted to surprise him, so I’ve been working really hard on it.”

“Well, he’ll be very surprised and pleased, I’m sure.”

“How about some coffee and cookies?” Hattie suggested. “Cilla brought some sugar cookies she made yesterday.”

“Oh, thank you, but I really don’t mean to intrude. I just wanted to stop by and thank you for standing by me while I’ve been on the mend.”

Hattie gave her cackling laugh. “Well, that was no problem. There’s no way I could do all that laundry myself and not be run plumb ragged.”

She held out a hand to Teddy and spoke to Meg. “Now, don’t be silly. Come on into the dining room for that coffee. Teddy here is looking very disappointed, and we can’t have that, can we, young man?”

Smiling, Teddy shook his blond head and placed his hand in hers. Meg glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was an hour before they were supposed to meet Ace. She knew Ace, unlike Elton, wouldn’t be upset if they were a few minutes late. He’d just go in and talk to Gabe while he waited. Meg sighed. It looked as if they had no alternative but to have cookies and coffee, not that it was a hardship in any way.

Cilla joined them, and much to Meg’s surprise, Lucy wanted the young girl to hold her. Though she looked uncomfortable, Cilla obliged, and Lucy promptly grabbed at the pink bow in Cilla’s hair. She looked taken aback, but sighed in resignation.

“I guess I may as well get used to it. I imagine my pa and Miss Allison will be having a couple of these when they get married.”

The three women broke into laughter. “I imagine they will,” Hattie said.

It felt good to laugh, Meg thought. Really good. Maybe this was one of those unexpected blessings she was supposed to look for.

“You may think you won’t like having a new baby brother or sister,” Nita told her, “but I can tell you from experience that even though they may drive you batty from time to time, there’s nothing like being the
big
sister. You can be a help to Allison, and that baby, whether it’s a boy or girl, will think you hung the moon and stars.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Cilla looked pleased and spent the rest of the visit playing with the two children. When it was time to go, Meg and Nita thanked their hostess for the wonderful refreshments and prepared to leave. Hattie and Cilla followed them to the door. Meg was almost to the steps when the young girl called, “I’m so glad you’re all right, Miss Meg. My brother and I have been praying for you.”

Meg felt her throat tighten. There
were
people who cared about her. “Thank you, Cilla. Are you looking forward to the wedding?”

“Yes, ma’am. Miss Allison is going to make me a new dress. She still has no idea who they’re going to get to take her place at school.”

“Well, personally, I think it’s silly that they won’t let married women teach!” Hattie snapped. The spinster boardinghouse owner had never been shy about speaking her mind on any topic.

“Well, maybe things will change one day,” Nita offered.

“Maybe.”

“Hattie, we’ve really enjoyed this,” Meg said. “It was good to see you again. You, too, Cilla. And I want to thank you again, Hattie, for being such a good friend and customer.”

“Oh, pshaw!” Hattie said, waving her arms as if to shoo them off the porch. She looked at Nita. “You send that good-looking boy of yours over before you go. I have some things that need to go back with you.”

Nita smiled. “I will.”

* * *

Sheriff Colt Garrett tipped back his chair, slung his booted feet onto the top of the desk and laced his fingers behind his head, his favorite pose. “So how are things going out at the Thomerson place?”

“Everything’s going well,” Ace said with a slow nod.

“Rachel says things are looking good out there.”

“Meg has been helping me with some cleanup and repairs. It does look a lot better.” He frowned. “I can’t believe Elton let the place go the way he did.”

“Elton had bigger fish to fry,” Colt noted with a dry smile. “How are you and Meg getting along? She was in a pretty sorry state when we found her, and she wasn’t too happy about the idea of having you help her on the farm.”

Ace leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest, resting one ankle on the other knee. “When I first got there, she was like a cornered wild animal—scared and distrustful. She cringed away from me every time I got near her, but lately, she isn’t so jumpy. I think she knows I’m no threat.”

“That is improvement.”

Without any warning, an image of Meg from the night before drifted through Ace’s mind. She hadn’t drawn away from him then, and she hadn’t been the least bit jumpy.

“What?”

Colt’s sharp question brought Ace’s thoughts back to the present. He glared at his friend, who was looking at him with a knowing smile. “What?” he echoed.

Colt’s grin broadened. “You had a sappy look on your face for a minute there.”

“Sappy look?”

“Yeah. Like you’re thinking about something that makes you ridiculously happy.” The tough sheriff actually blushed. “The only reason I recognized it is because I’ve gotten pretty used to seeing it staring back at me in the mirror every morning when I’m thinking about Allison.”

Ace knew exactly where Colt was going with the conversation. “Let me assure you, I wasn’t thinking about Allison,” he quipped back, determined not to let his friend interrogate him the way he did his prisoners.

“Come on, Ace. Tell me what’s going on with you and the Widow Thomerson. I’ve suspected for a long time that you were smitten, and now I have no doubts.”

“You need to mind your own business,” Ace cautioned.

Colt hadn’t gained his reputation as one of the best lawmen in several counties by giving up. “As a concerned friend, it is my business. So what’s going on?”

“Nothing.”

“Liar.”

Ace glared at Colt for several seconds, and seeing that familiar determination in his tawny eyes, he exhaled a loud breath. “I’m in trouble.”

“How so?” Colt asked with a satisfied smile.

“As crazy as it sounds, I think she’s starting to...care for me.”

Colt lowered his chair and rested his forearms on the desktop. “Why do you think that, and why would it be a problem? I know you had to deny how you felt as long as Elton was in the picture, but he’s gone. There’s nothing to stand in the way of you courting her if that’s what you both want.”

Ace didn’t say anything for a moment. He wasn’t used to having anyone to confide in, but he knew that Colt had suffered in the past, just like everyone else. Maybe telling another man his concerns would help him get a different perspective on things.

Instead of easing into the subject, Ace plunged headfirst. “I kissed her last night, and she let me.”

“I’d say that’s a pretty fair indicator that she’s interested,” Colt said with a lift of his sun-bleached eyebrows. “I thought that was what you’d hoped for.”

Ace leaped to his feet and paced the small room. “It was, but I didn’t expect it to happen.”

“I see,” Colt said, but the confusion on his face said that he didn’t see at all. “So if you care for her and she’s learning to trust a man again and seems to care for you, why are you so upset?”

“Because she’s been hurt so badly by Elton, and I’m the first man to come along who’s shown her the way a woman should be treated, and I’m afraid that whatever she thinks she feels is only gratitude.”