Second Chance Suitor Read online

  “Mama mustache kiss.”

  Oh, Lord. The tightness in her chest returned in a flash. Maddie couldn’t remember a time when she had wavered so quickly between stress and relief and back again.

  Bill laughed. “I guess I need to shave, huh, Tess?”

  She pointed to the house. “Mama mustache kiss,” she said again.

  Bill cocked his head to the side and his brow furrowed slightly. “What does that mean?” he asked, glancing over at Maddie.

  “I don’t—I couldn’t say,” she muttered, though she knew that her face had probably gone red. She could feel the heat building, and she realized too late that her hand had gone to her throat to fiddle with the top button, as if to undo it. She drilled a hole in the ground with her gaze.

  Bill remained silent for a long minute. “Maddie, anything else happen while I was gone?” he finally asked. His voice was evenly balanced, like that of a man who already knew the answer to his own question.

  “Eastman was here,” she blurted, and finally looked him in the eye. “He found out you were gone and came over trying to convince me to leave you.”

  “Did you kiss him?”

  “No, of course not,” she said. “I mean, not exactly. I tried to make him leave, but he forced his way in and he kissed me. I didn’t want him to.”

  Now it was Bill’s turn to let his gaze fall away. His voice was softer than normal, as if he feared

  both the question and the answer. “Anything else happen when he was here?”

  “Absolutely not. First chance I had, I grabbed the shotgun, and that was the end of things.”

  He kicked at the dirt. “You weren’t going to tell me about it, were you?”

  “I, uh…no, I wasn’t.”

  Bill slid his hat up a bit and rubbed his forehead, then pulled the brim low again. “Tess, come here, honey,” he said, heading for the wagon. “I brought you a little present.”

  “I just didn’t want you to get upset,” Maddie said, following after him. “Nothing happened that I couldn’t handle.”

  It was as if she hadn’t said a thing. Bill reached up under the driver’s seat for his bag and dug around inside for a bit, finally producing a small green box. He turned and dropped to one knee in front of Tess. “Do you know what’s in here?”

  She shook her head.

  “A butterfly. Want to see it?” He slowly opened the lid of the box, and sure enough, there was a butterfly inside: made of gold, with a wingspread the breadth of his thumb, fastened to a chain.

  “Budfly!”

  A hint of a smile returned to Bill’s face, crinkling his eyes as he fastened the chain around her neck. It was made more difficult by the fact that Tess was literally jumping for joy.

  “That’s really beautiful,” Maddie said. “You must have spent a lot on it.”

  “Not really. I just had them melt down the gold flakes I was saving.”

  “Well, that’s very nice. She loves it.” Maddie watched Tess run to the fence to show her necklace to the chickens, then turned back to Bill. “Are you hungry? I can—”

  “I have work to do,” he said, turning to unhitch the wagon. “I have to feed and water the horse, and if I don’t clean that hog right away, it’s just gonna rot in the sun.”

  “Oh…yes, of course,” she said. “But if you want to take a quick break—”

  “I’d best get to it,” he said, taking the nag by the halter and heading down to the creek.

  Maddie watched him go, wishing that he would turn and come back to talk to her. Wishing that she could take back the previous few minutes and go back to when she’d been in his arms. Wishing that she had just told him everything from the beginning. You’d think I’d have learned by now that it’s best to just get everything out there, she thought. But you’d be wrong.

  All that afternoon she watched as Tess played outside and Bill did his chores. He butchered the hog there in the pen, keeping his eyes on his work the whole time. If he did sneak any looks at Maddie, they went unnoticed; she felt very nearly invisible while he was kneeling there at the hog’s side. At one point, however, he did wave her over, and she hurried out to the pen. Finally, she thought, expecting that he was finally ready to start talking to her again.

  He stood up with his slimy, bloody saw in one hand and a fatty pig leg in the other. The flesh glistened in the sunlight.

  “Take this,” he said, handing her the leg. “We can have that for dinner.” Then, without another word, he dropped to his knees and resumed cutting.

  She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly changed her mind. Between the fact that he was up to his elbows in pig guts and the fact that he clearly wasn’t in the mood for conversation, it seemed like a good idea to wait to talk to him. She returned to the house, pig leg in hand, and began making supper.

  From time to time, she glanced out the window to see his progress. She saw him finish butchering the hog, salt the pork, repair the fence wire, inspect the henhouses, and feed and water the chickens. The sun was at the horizon when he finally finished his chores, approached the house and began a fire in the pit outside.

  Maddie went out to watch. “Tess is in bed already,” she said, once the flames had caught. “She was pretty well tuckered out after the excitement this morning.”

  “I bet.”

  “Are you hungry? I figured we’d eat together.”

  He nodded. Maddie went in for the platter of pork steaks she had fried, and they ate under the darkening sky. The air was cooler now in the evenings, but still on the pleasant side. They wouldn’t be enjoying weather like this much longer. Tonight it felt wasted anyway.

  He ate like a man whose sole job was to clean his plate; Bill gave the meal his full attention, whether it was due to being famished, or simply not wanting to talk, or a little of both. Maddie, on the other hand, found it difficult to work up any appetite and simply pushed the meat around on her plate.

  “I can’t take this anymore,” she finally said. “If you’re upset with me, fine. Let’s just have it out, then. I can’t take this silence.”

  “Who said I was upset with you?”

  “Well, you just spent your first afternoon home out there with a dead pig, instead of with your wife,” she said. “It seemed pretty clear to me.”

  His features softened slightly. “I’m angry with Eastman, not with you,” he said. “If I’ve been too quiet, it’s because I can’t stop thinking about it.”

  “Well, I wish you would,” she said. “I didn’t want him to touch me in the first place,” she said. “And I tried to get him to leave, honest.”

  “I know you did. I’m proud of you,” he said. “I just wish I could have seen the look on his face when you pulled out that shotgun.”

  Maddie allowed herself a small smile. “He wasn’t happy, that’s for sure.”

  Bill snorted. “You probably cost him a new pair of drawers.” A smirk flared up and then quickly died away. “I’m just not happy that you were going to keep all this to yourself.”

  She reached across the table for his hand. “I didn’t want you to think that I was hiding anything worse,” she said. “But you’re right, I should have told you everything in the first place. It won’t happen again.”

  He looked at her for a long time. The flames in the fire pit were reflected in his eyes, though at first that was the only sign of warmth in his gaze. Ever since he’d learned about the mustache kiss, he’d been looking at her like a stranger would. Finally, though, he squeezed her hand and his smile returned, just like she’d become accustomed to.

  “I brought a little something for you too,” he said, getting to his feet. “Stay here.” She watched as he went inside and returned in a moment with his hands clasped in front of him. “Close your eyes.”

  She did as he asked and heard the scuffle of his boots in the dirt as he stepped behind her chair. In a moment she felt something settle into place above her breastbone as Bill fastened a necklace on her, the chain cold against her skin.
>
  “All right, you can look now.”

  She turned her head down and saw a golden heart gleaming—glowing, almost—in the firelight. It was polished as smooth as glass, and heavy for its size. “Bill, this must have cost you a fortune.”

  “It’s worth a lot,” he said. “But it’s actually from that nugget I found. Tess said it looked like a heart, remember? I just had them shape it up and smooth it out a little.”

  “It’s beautiful. Nobody’s ever given me anything like this before.” She clasped it in her hand and held it against her chest. Two hearts together, she thought. One he gave to me, and one that I’ll give to him. If I haven’t already.

  “Well, I’m glad you like it. I actually have one more surprise for the both of you, but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow for that one.” He was overcome by a sudden yawn.

  “You probably want to turn in, huh?”

  “The thought did cross my mind,” he said. “It’s been a heck of a long day. Long week, actually.”

  She stood and let herself be enveloped in his arms. “Get some rest, then,” she said, giving him a kiss.

  He was evidently too tired to argue. He simply nodded and went inside, while Maddie cleared the table and cleaned up in the kitchen. By the time she was finished, a last glance outside showed that the fire had died and the stars had come out in force. She bolted the door and went to her room. Time for me to turn in too. The excitement of having Bill home again had given her a lift for several hours, but now at the end of the day, she felt the fatigue in her bones.

  Once she was settled in bed, Tess at her side, Maddie reached for the heart pendant. She had thought about removing it for the night, but decided that she wanted to feel it close against her in the dark. The metal was warm now, strong and solid in her hand as she clasped it. He gave me his heart, she thought, and suddenly everything became clear. The thought hit her so strongly that she sat bolt upright in bed. My husband gave me his heart, and he still spends his nights alone. What am I doing here?

  She had told him that she wanted to wait to share his bed, that she needed to get to know him better. Since then, she had gotten to know how thoughtful he was. She had gotten to know how he cared for Tess. How he excelled as a provider and how he excelled as a protector. And, it had to be said, how he kissed. Even now, the memory of his lips on her skin made her yearn for more. I think I know all I need to now.

  She carefully rolled out of bed, leaving Tess bundled under the comforter, and quietly went down the hall to his room.

  “Bill?”

  There was no answer. She went inside, stepping quietly, and leaned over to peer at him. It had only been a few minutes, but he was already dead to the world.

  He’s exhausted. She leaned over and placed a kiss on his cheek, just above his scar. “Sleep well,” she murmured. “It can wait one more day.”

  Before she closed the door and returned to her room, she took a final look at him as he lay there. The bed was narrow, but there was room enough for her. And tomorrow there would time enough as well.

  Chapter 10

  He would have gladly slept in a bit more than he did. There was a lot to do today, that was true, but then again there was always a lot to do. Resting for another hour or so wasn’t going to make much difference at all, in the end. Nevertheless, he was fighting against habits that had become ingrained after years, and he had learned long ago that the exercise of a habit usually defeated the exercise of a desire. Thus he was up as usual, well before five o’clock, wide awake even if not really rarin’ to go.

  He made his way to the kitchen as quietly as he could and started the pot boiling for some coffee. While he waited, he remembered hearing a story about his grandparents, who had lived on a farm back home in Virginia. Even when they were aged, well beyond the time when they had the need, energy or inclination to go out to work the fields, they remained slaves to the early-waking habit. They chose not to fight it. Instead, they would get up, enjoy breakfast and then go back to bed just as dawn was breaking. Bill smiled at the thought. I have to admit, he thought, that sounds downright luxurious right about now.

  He resisted the temptation to follow in their footprints and instead poured himself a tin mug of coffee, leaving it to cool on the table, then threw on his jacket and grabbed his rifle. The air was chilly, but appropriate for a late September morning, and as he looked to the eastern horizon he could still see no hint of the approaching dawn. All he saw was the grey mist of his breath in the gloom as he walked around the pen.

  The good thing was that once he’d taken care of the hog and the damage it had caused, there hadn’t been too much else to catch up on. The girls had seemingly taken excellent care of the birds while he’d been away. And when you give Maddie a shotgun, she can take excellent care of herself as well. He laughed, startling a rabbit which had been crouched in the grass ahead. Seriously, I would have given half of the cash I made in Omaha just to have seen Eastman’s face after that.

  He checked the fences on all three pens; the wire was taut and strong everywhere he looked. If there were any more pigs out there, they must have decided that enough was enough. The birds had just begun to stir, and the feed pans were still largely full from last night. Everything was in tip-top shape. Even the wagon was loaded and ready to go, since the hog’s intrusion had interrupted yesterday’s deliveries.

  Bill took in a breath of the clean, crisp air and stared at the stars. Even when it seemed like he was surrounded by nothing but pitch black emptiness, a simple glance upwards showed that in fact he was being showered with light.

  Beautiful. This must be what I woke up for, he thought. To notice times like this. Whatever else happens, sometimes things are perfect. Gotta remember that from time to time. He was strong and healthy, married to a beautiful woman with a charming girl. Maddie and Tess were safe and sound, warm in bed, in a home that would protect them all from the coming winter. They didn’t want for a thing and, God willing, they never would. He even had plans for a fun afternoon for them all. Things couldn’t have been better, and he said a quick prayer of thanks there in the darkness. Then he went inside, drank his coffee, and waited for the light.

  ~

  “So what’s this big surprise you mentioned?” Maddie poured a splash of coffee into his cup. Bill had been out making his deliveries when she’d woken up, and they were just finishing a late breakfast.

  “You’ll have to wait and see,” Bill said, just before taking a big bite of toast, slathered with strawberry preserves. “But we need to get going. Tess, are you ready for a fun day?”

  “Yay!” Tess jumped up and down, more than ready for something, though she didn’t know what it was yet.

  “Let me just go and fix my hair,” Maddie said.

  Bill furrowed his brow. “What’s there to fix? You look beautiful.”

  “Of course you’re going to say that,” she said. “You’re my husband. You have to.” She gave him a grin and went to her room. In truth, she did want to put her hair back a bit, which she did while looking at herself in the long mirror that stood in the corner. More importantly, however, she wanted to wear the necklace. She had removed it when getting dressed earlier—there was no reason to chance getting it all scuffed or scratched while she was working in the kitchen—but if they were going to be enjoying an afternoon out of the house together, then she wanted to feel it on her skin.

  When Maddie returned, she found them outside already, with Tess playing as usual in the wagon bed and Bill waiting alongside.

  “Well, I didn’t think it was possible,” he said. “But you’re even prettier than you were already.” He took her into his arms and gave her a quick kiss, then helped her up to the driver’s seat and they were on their way.

  It was a beautiful day to be out. The sky was a perfectly clear shade of sapphire and a breeze washed over them as they rode, making for a pleasant trip. They rode into Lancaster on the main street, passing all the places that had seemed so foreign to her only a few weeks
earlier. The general store, the barber shop, the cooperage; all of these had seemed somewhat imposing when she’d first arrived, but now she was familiar with them. She recognized faces and even remembered a few names; as they passed the wheelwright’s shop, one of the boys working inside waved to them. It was starting to feel like she really did belong here. Like she was home.

  Bill, however, kept driving, passing the town hall and following the road as it led out of town. She had only been this direction once, on the stagecoach, and as far as she remembered it was nothing but empty fields for miles and miles.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see in just a minute,” he said. “Actually, you can kind of see something up over the hill.” He pointed, and she looked ahead to see a thin strip of red fabric appear over the next rise, only to disappear again in a second. Almost immediately it reappeared, and as they approached, she realized that she was seeing a flag waving in the wind.

  “Now what the heck is a flag doing out here?”

  “Keep watching.”

  As the wagon slowed, heading up the incline, Maddie came to see that the flag was atop a large tent, which in turn was surrounded by several smaller tents. The prairie was dotted with scores of wagons, and there were people everywhere. Children ran from one little tent to another, trying to peek underneath the canvas. Carefully stepping along, a man on stilts stooped to hand out flowers to women here and there. A woman dressed in oriental silks held a long-handled torch to her face and suddenly blew a smoky flame into the air, as long as she was tall.

  “What is all this?”

  “This,” he said, “is the Great Western Menagerie. The circus has come to town.”

  “I haven’t been to the circus for probably about ten years. How did you even find out about it?”

  “It was hard to miss them. When I was going up to Omaha, they were coming down,” he said. “They must have sixty wagons, all together. I stopped to talk to some of the guys and they said they were having one last show in Nebraska before they go south for the winter.”