Authors: Runaway
“You will be my woman, Bright Eyes,” he said quietly.
“You don’t even know me,” Josie said. “I’ve only been here a week.”
“I have known you since time began.” His fingertips brushed the length of her jaw, then rested on her shoulder for a moment. As if reluctant to release her from his grasp, his hand slid slowly down the length of her arm, their hands touching briefly before he stepped back.
A visible shiver ran through Josie and she caught her breath. “I don’t know what to say to you,” she whispered.
He shook his head. “Say nothing. The time will come. Go to bed. They will wonder where you are.”
“You’re missing having Maggie trail around after you, aren’t you, girl?” Clara’s words jolted Cassie from her reverie and she spun to face Will’s mother.
“Heavens, no!” she said blithely. “She was just lonesome for her mother and I was handy. She needs to catch up on things with Josie.”
Clara looked out the kitchen window to where her daughter and grandchild worked in the garden. Rather, Josie worked and Maggie squatted between the rows of plants and chattered. “You’ve been good for her, Cassie. She’ll come around, once Josie’s been here a while and the newness wears off. It’s like she was starved for her mama’s attention and she’s soakin’ it up as fast as she can.”
“She’s lucky her mama pays her mind the way she does. My mother was always so tired when I was comin’ up. There wasn’t much time for fun and foolishness.”
Clara looked around. “It sounds like she had a hard time making ends meet.”
Cassie nodded, dropping her gaze.
“Where was your pa?”
“I don’t remember him. He died when I was little. I never had a father till she married Remus Chandler. I was almost grown by that time, fourteen years old, I guess.”
“How did you live, Cassie?” Clara’s eyes looked worried as she pressed the issue.
Cassie hesitated, brought face-to-face with the knowledge of her beginnings. All the years of her childhood she’d felt an outcast in the small Texas town where they lived. The children in school ignored her, and even the teacher barely tolerated her presence in the classroom.
The only bright spots in her memory were of the times she’d spent watching Cleta sew throughout the early evening hours after supper, making dresses for the women who worked at the saloon in town. And then, late at night, an occasional visitor would knock at the back door, and from her bedroom Cassie would hear voices, the low tones of a man, her mother’s soft responses.
Until she was fourteen, when Remus Chandler had offered marriage, and Cleta had grasped at the chance for respectability and a better life for her child. That the man was basically a cruel, demanding tyrant had been brought home to mother and daughter very quickly.
“My mother worked at home,” Cassie said finally. She turned to look from the window, aware of Clara’s presence behind her.
“We can’t change things in our past,” Clara said quietly. “But we can choose our future, Cassie. The way Josie is right now. She made some mistakes, foolish mistakes. But she’s doin’ her best to make amends now. I reckon that’s
all we can expect from anybody. I suspect your mama just did the best she could, don’t you?”
Cassie nodded, her memories of Cleta dying all mixed together with the early days, when Mama had been young and pretty, before those years with Remus had dulled her beauty and dimmed her laughter.
“There’s worse things than being without a husband, Miz Tolliver,” she said after a moment. “There’s being with the wrong man. I’m glad Josie came home.”
“Don’t you suppose you could call me Clara?” Will’s mother asked.
Cassie turned to her, her heart aching with the memories she had called forth from the deepest recesses of her soul. “Can I call you Mother instead?” she asked hesitantly. “I don’t want to be forward, but I think I’d like…”
“Of course you can, child.” Clara’s voice was firm, her nod a silent affirmation of Cassie’s position in the house. “You’re Will’s wife—that makes you my daughter. Now, why don’t you go take a look and see if we have any early carrots out in the garden. They’d be good in the soup we’re having for dinner.”
“I really like Louise.” Cassie smiled at the memory of her new friend. Sharing drew folks together. Sharing their pregnancies was a certain route to friendship with Eben’s wife, as far as she was concerned.
Will’s feet pressed against the footboard of their bed as he stretched and yawned. Relaxing, he smiled as he turned to her. His hair was rumpled by his pillow, his tanned skin dark against the white sheets, and his lazy grin caused a dimple to form in his cheek. Truly the man was more of a temptation than she could resist, even though she suspected she had tickled his funny bone with her vehement approval of Louise.
She rolled to face him, one hand rising to smooth the rumpled locks of hair that fell across his forehead. “Don’t laugh at me, Will Tolliver,” she warned, lifting one eyebrow as she tugged his hair.
“Ouch! Dang, Cassie! You’re a mean woman.” He moved suddenly, catching her unaware, rolling her beneath him with one heavy leg pinning hers to the mattress. “You’re supposed to like your relatives. You just announced it like it was some big surprise.”
She subsided, allowing his dominance, her smile acknowledging her pleasure in his touch. “You take advantage of me about every chance you get, don’t you?”
He dropped a soft kiss against her mouth, demanding nothing, simply brushing the surface of her lips with his own. “You bet I do, sweetie. There’s nothin’ I enjoy more than rollin’ around on this bed with you.”
“Will?” She circled his neck with her arms, her fingers buried in the length of his dark hair. “The whole point is that they’re not my relations, they’re yours. The only reason I can claim them as family is because you married me.” Her fingers tensed at the back of his head and she drew him closer, tilting her head to better blend their flesh in a gentle meeting. It was a kiss of longing, a tender yearning forming her lips as she gave him what he sought in the sweetness of her mouth.
“That tasted like more, Cass,” he murmured. “Are you feelin’ all right, honey?” Even as he spoke, he worked with lazy purpose at the buttons on her white gown. One long finger pressed carefully against the rounded surface of her breast and he edged it toward the center.
“I’m feeling fine,” she whispered. She tugged at his hand, lifting it to her mouth where she took the errant finger between her lips. “I’ve never had family before, Will. I only had my mother, never an aunt or uncle or sister. I
always wanted a sister.” She suckled gently on his finger, then bit it, her teeth pressing against the callused tip. “Thank you for giving me a whole slew of them, and brothers to boot.” Her teeth rubbed against his flesh and his shiver made her smile.
“Hell, if a couple of brothers and some womenfolk can make you this grateful, what are you gonna do when I round up all the aunts and uncles and cousins?”
Her eyes widened in disbelief. “You have more relatives hereabouts?”
“My pa had a mess of brothers down at the other end of the county. We see them come threshing time. Me and Eben and Samuel always used to go with Pa to help for a day. I suspect things haven’t changed that much while I was gone.”
Cassie shook her head slowly. “I just can’t fathom such a big family.” Her mouth curved in a sultry smile as she peered at him through her lashes. “I suppose you’ll want me to be grateful for each and every one of them.”
“I suspect I will,” he agreed. “There’s Uncle Jake and Aunt…” His teasing rejoinder became muffled as she pulled him closer, and then he was lost in the wonder of their loving.
T
he Fourth of July was to be the biggest celebration of the summer. To hear Clara tell it, most everyone in the county would be there. And Elizabeth had promised that Maggie could march with her and the boys in the parade.
Will said they would do the chores early, load the wagon and be in town in time for the main event. It was to be a parade like no other. There were six floats this year, not to mention the Women’s League in full regalia.
Cassie’s only concern this morning was that Maggie’s enthusiasm might wear her out before ten o’clock when the parade was due to begin. Like a whirling dervish, the child danced about impatiently, first hopping on one foot, then the other, twirling in a circle as the notion took her. The center of attention, she preened before her audience.
“Do you like the outfit my mama made me, Cassie?” Resplendent in red, white and blue, Maggie could have been hung from a pole and saluted as the band marched by, Cassie thought privately. Red-and-white-striped muslin made up the skirt of her dress, while star-studded blue fabric of a heavier sort had been sewn into a blousy top. The Women’s League had ordered the stuff from St. Louis and some had been left over—left on the shelf, as Dorinda Bartlett
had chortled. Josie had delved deeply into her pocket to come up with the money for her daughter’s holiday garb, and if Cassie was any judge, it had been well worth the expense.
Maggie spun and danced around the kitchen table, her skirts swirling around her legs, her eyes sparkling, mouth going a mile a minute and impatience adding a flush to her cheeks.
“Matthew, Mark and Luke will think I look
beauteous,
” she crooned, her fingers tracing the stars scattered across her chest.
Cassie traded glances with Josie, stifling an urge to chuckle. “Do you think she’ll survive until it’s time to leave?”
“I’m not sure I will,” Josie said, evading Maggie’s foray around the breakfast table. “Why don’t you go outside and show your uncle Will how beautiful you look, sweetheart?”
Maggie halted midspin. “Oh, can I, Mama? Can I show Tall Horse, too? And can I—”
“Yes, yes and yes!” Josie interrupted, her mouth curving in a smile as she watched her daughter’s exuberant display.
“You don’t even know what you agreed to,” Cassie said, watching as the little girl lifted her skirts above her knees, endeavoring to keep them from the dust of the yard.
“I agreed to go to this parade is what I did,” Josie said glumly, dropping into a chair and sagging against the table. “How can I face everyone in town, Cassie? They’ll all be looking at me and pointing a finger.”
“You can stand next to me and we won’t know which of us they’re pointing at,” Cassie said blithely. “I’m the woman Will dragged home with him. I’d wager the gossips had a field day when we came through town, me in my pants and traveling with two men.”
“Well, at least you were married to one of them,” Josie reminded her.
But I wasn’t.
The words almost burst from Cassie’s lips, held back only by the sure knowledge that Will would never forgive her if she told their secret. On this one subject he was willing to live a lie. And since he was so brutally honest in all of his dealings, she could not fault him for this one aberration.
She had her own secret to hide. If Will could make an exception, so could she, she’d decided during one long, sleepless night, when the specter of her stepfather had invaded her dreams. Remus Chandler was destined to haunt her forevermore, it seemed. Her conscience twinged with regularity these days, her battered soul desperate for a clean slate.
“Cassie? You look like you’re a hundred miles away,” Josie said, rising from her chair.
Cassie forced a smile. “Just thinking about the parade. Mostly about all the relatives I’m going to meet. It’s a little scary, I guess.”
“You met me without any trouble,” Josie said with a smile, moving to stand by the back door. “Look out back, Cassie. Maggie’s showing off her new outfit.”
Hands fisted on their hips, the two men were watching as the little girl pranced before them. Then with a motion of his hand and a few low words, Will sent her to sit on the wagon seat while Many Fingers brought the team out to the wagon.
“They don’t seem to care that she’s a…” As if the word was too painful to be uttered, Josie pressed her lips together.
“There’s no blame to lay on either of you, as far as I can see,” Cassie said bluntly. “You’ll have to get on with your life one of these days, Josie. Most everybody has
something they’d just as soon not discuss in public, and before you know it, nobody will even remember that you came home without a husband trailing along behind you.”
“She’ll never have a father,” Josie said quietly.
“She’s got Will, and Eben and Samuel.”
Josie flashed a quick glance at the two men, working in tandem as they adjusted the leather harness over the broad backs of the mares. “Do you like Many Fingers?” she asked, as if the question were but an idle thought.
Cassie looked at her sharply. “Of course I do. I guess the real crux of the matter is how you feel about him, Jo.”
Josie lifted her shoulders, hugging herself as she leaned against the doorjamb. “He’s nice to me.” She shook her head. “No, more than that. He’s good to me. He listens when I talk and he treats me like a lady.”
“He’s also a half-breed.” Cassie’s words carried no trace of cruelty, only the simple truth she felt Josie must face. “Folks wouldn’t take to a white woman and an Indian together.”
“Is that how you feel, Cassie?”
Cassie shook her head. “No. I like him fine, but it isn’t me you’re going to have to worry about. You’ll really have fingers pointing at you if folks think there’s something going on between the two of you.”
“There’s nothing going on,” Josie said quietly.
Not yet, Cassie thought sadly. She’d been right to wonder. The tall Indian managed to be at hand when Josie needed anything, his dark eyes never straying far from her at the supper table as she served the food or cared for Maggie. His compliments were simple, usually a thank-you sufficing, unless it was a meal that Josie cooked. It had become a point of humor with Will, trying to outdo his friend, as the stoic Indian praised Josie’s efforts with spare words of approval.
Today could bring trouble in the wake of the festivities, what with a certain amount of moonshine being consumed by the men who brought their own tucked away in the backs of their wagons. Cassie frowned at the thought. There would be a fuss to beat the band should Many Fingers appear to pay court to Josie in public.
The picnic lunch was put together with dispatch once Maggie was out of the way, and along with Clara’s contribution of a sheet from her linen supply, the three women headed for the wagon. Will spread the sheet over the pile of hay on the back of the wagon for the little girl to sit on.
Clara drove the team, Josie and Cassie beside her on the wide seat, and with Will and Many Fingers as an escort on horseback, they headed for town, Maggie keeping up a running reminder that they dare not be late for the parade.
From beyond the schoolhouse they heard the band practicing, then saw the band members lined up in a haphazard fashion, already sweating beneath the summer sun. The unmistakable sounds of “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” rose into the morning air, and Cassie’s spirits lifted. Maggie was suddenly quiet, her eyes wide as she listened to the music.
“Isn’t that beautiful?” she whispered loudly as the instruments blared the final note.
Will rode beside her, pacing his stallion’s gait to that of the slower-moving wagon. “Wait till you hear the ladies singing along with them,” he told her.
“Do we all get to sing?” Maggie asked hopefully.
Will nodded. “Sure ‘nough, half-pint.”
The road was rapidly becoming a bottleneck in the middle of town, what with wagons and buggies coming in from all directions, and Clara was hard put to find a place to leave their conveyance for the day. The hitching rail outside the community church was only partially filled and offered shade for the animals. It was there she headed.
“I’m gonna see if the livery stable has any room for the horses,” Will told the women. “We’ll meet you by the general store.”
Clara spied some of her lady friends, and with a word of apology, hurried to join them, Cassie waving her on her way.
“I’ll meet you back here at noon to get the food for the picnic,” Clara called back over her shoulder, her skirts kicking up a dusty trail behind her as she greeted her friends.
Already the band was moving to assemble itself in the road, and a series of wagons decorated with buntings and posters and hung with flags began the trek to line up near the schoolhouse.
“Come on, Mama. I gotta go find Aunt Elizabeth,” Maggie said plaintively. “She said I could march with her and the boys.”
Josie looked helplessly at Cassie. “I’m not sure I can face all these people,” she whispered. “They all know me, Cassie.”
“I’ll be with you. Let’s just find Samuel and Elizabeth first and get Maggie settled,” Cassie said practically. Standing on the wagon bed, she scanned the gathering groups of townsfolk and families who had come from outlying farms.
“There!” She pointed at a wagon rolling past the schoolhouse, sending band members to either side of the road. “That’s Samuel and his family now. Run, flag them down, Maggie!”
Her short legs pumping, the child hurried to the edge of the road and Samuel drew his team to a halt. Matthew and Mark gave her a hand, and hauled her to sit beside them, legs dangling over the back of the wagon. Cassie waved them on and then slid from the wagon bed to the ground.
“Come on, Josie. We don’t want to miss the parade. The men will be waiting for us.”
Both sides of the street were lined with people, dogs ran amuck and small flags fluttered from children’s hands as the band led the parade down the middle of the road. A grand assortment of marching music set the tempo, and with much clapping and cheering, the crowd greeted each wagonload of participants.
The choir of the community church sang with gusto. The Women’s League carried flags, dipping them in unison, twirling them in time to the music and, in general, displaying the results of hours of practice.
Last came the marchers, the Sunshine Club from the church, Elizabeth’s Young Farmers group, with Maggie resplendent in their midst, and the men’s baseball team, newly equipped with genuine Spalding caps and gloves. Tossing a baseball back and forth among themselves, they cut up, fending off the catcalls of the crowd, offering to meet all comers at a game to be played after the picnic at noon.
“Well, that’s the end of it,” Will said, his hands resting on Cassie’s shoulders as they stood on the wooden sidewalk in front of the general store.
“I’ve never seen a finer parade,” Cassie announced.
Will laughed. “You sure haven’t been around the world, have you, sweetheart? You ought to see what goes on in St. Louis on July the fourth.”
Cassie’s smile was wistful. “I’d love to go there some day.”
Josie shuddered. “I’ve been there.”
Cassie turned to her eagerly. “Did you see the parade?”
Josie shook her head, her mouth pinched. “Just a parade of cockroaches climbing down the wall of the room I was living in.”
“Well, you’re not livin’ there anymore,” Will told her firmly. “You’re with family now, Josie.”
Her face brightened as she looked at her brother, and Josie reached up to kiss his cheek. “I love you, Will.”
“Mama! Did you see me march?” Maggie’s shrill greeting caught Josie’s attention and she bent to hug her child.
“We sure did, honey.” The small body sagged against her, and Josie smiled. “I think you’re about ready to sit down and take a rest, aren’t you?”
The picnic ground was situated just outside of town and it was there they headed, gathering up their baskets of food on the way. A quilt was spread beneath a tree and Clara joined them as Cassie and Josie began setting out the food.
“I think Maggie’s full stomach is pullin’ her eyes shut,” Clara said, watching as her granddaughter yawned for the third time.
“I’m going to stay here with her for a while,” Josie announced. “Why don’t the rest of you go watch the ball game. I can see it from here.”
“I will watch with you,” Many Fingers said. Squatting by the tree, removed from the rest of the group by several feet, he’d finished his dinner quickly.
“You don’t have to keep me company,” Josie told him quietly. “I’ll be fine here.”
“I will watch.” As a statement of purpose it couldn’t have been any more definite, and Will nodded as he accepted his friend’s decision.
Maggie’s eyes were closed and she swayed where she sat, her plate still half-full in her lap. Josie eased the child to lie on her side and gently smoothed her hair back from her face, placing a folded towel beneath her head for a pillow.
The baseball game was about to begin and the men’s
team had graciously split up, each half choosing young men from the assembled group to fill out the numbers, in order to have two teams. The watchers sorted themselves into cheering sections and settled down to watch the fun.
Will and Cassie sat in the shade of a walnut tree and watched as Clara walked away to join a group of townsfolk. “Will Josie be all right?” Cassie asked.
“Many Fingers is lookin’ out for her,” Will said. “We can see them from here, anyway.”
A shout went up from the crowd as the first ball was pitched and Cassie leaned forward eagerly, eyes intent on the game.
“Get moving, chief.” The insult was unmistakable, and Josie turned quickly as the familiar voice came from behind her.
“Bennett! What are you doing here?”
The gambler stood just beyond the patch of shade Josie shared with her daughter and the man who guarded them. “I came to see my daughter,” he said, his gaze fastened on Many Fingers. “This brave needs to move on while I talk to you, Josie.”
“I stay,” Many Fingers said firmly, moving to stand before Josie, his dark eyes taking measure of the intruder.
“Get out of here, Bennett,” Josie said sharply. “I don’t want to see you, and neither does my daughter.”