Finding Madelyn (6 page)

He turned, “Where do you think you’re going?”

She took off for the woods, west of the house, and didn’t look back. The tears burning didn’t make it easy to see as she ran, yet she kept running, not slowing down until she reached the river. The sun had set leaving a huge black hole where the drop was to the
river
below.

It would be simple enough to spread her arms and let the darkness below take her. To not have to deal with her father’s outbursts any longer. She looked up instead of down, knowing it would never do. She couldn’t leave Mama. Never would she take a coward
’
s way out.

She couldn’t catch her breath as she slid down the tree trunk. The blood pounded in her ears so no other noise made it in. Then her own scream pierced the woods. A hand grabbed around her arm, pulling her up from the bed of leaves.

The body she was pulled against was warm, the arms tight.

“Maddy, stop.”

She was fighting to get away until Galen’s voice broke through. Relief flamed the tears again. She leaned into his shoulder, letting the tears fall.

“How-did-you . . .”

“Mama noticed you left your jacket
, she said you’d need it in the morning
. I pulled in front of your house about the time you took off. Cassie told me to find you before you fell over a tree and hurt yourself.”

She hiccupped the laugh out.

“I took one look at your pa and f
ollowed before he could object.
Whatever it is can’t be that bad.”

“It’s not
,
really,” she sniffled. “It’s silly.”

“Then why did you take off like that?”

“I just,” she started, “oh, you wouldn’t understand.”

She tried to pull away, only getting away far enough that his face was right before hers. The moon wa
s coming up, glistening off his eyes
. Her heart quickened with a warmth pouring through her but she couldn’t look away. When had his eyes ever looked quite so shocking?

“I’ll try to understand.” He cocked his head to one side studying her.

She closed her eyes. Pa was right, boys were going to start being a problem, but she’d never thought Galen would look at her like that. She’d caught Harland a few times, but he normally looked at her bare legs when she’d worn shorts, or her chest.
Mrs. Langley even smacked him once.

A few of the boys she passed walking looked at her the same way, but Galen was looking at her differently. When her eyes opened, she
diverted
them to her fingers that were twisting together.

“Maddy?”

He was looking at her, but seemed to be trying not to look at her like he had been. He almost seemed like the normal Galen, instead of a pair of blue eyes, on a kind face, with a body that was constantly growing up.

“He just . . .” She stopped. Somehow talking to him was different too. With a hard breath, she made up her mind that she wouldn’t let talking to him be different.

“Did he hurt you?” The words were clip, eyes narrowing.

“No.” She shook her head. “Well, yes, but . . .”

He grabbed her hand and started dragging her back through the woods.

“Galen?”

“He can’t just go hitting on you. Damn it, you’re not a kid anymore.”

She stopped dead. He almost pulled her over when the tension in their arms locked. The moon only penetrated the canopy here and there, keeping them in the shadows of the forest.

“I’ve seen the bruises,” Galen continued, nearly yelling with his back to her. “Everyone has. It’s not right and if your mama won’t do anything about it, I will.”

Their hands were still connected and she could feel him shaking.

“He’s never hit me. Pushed me down, knocked me over, but never hit me.” She tried to keep her voice calm. “He hurt my hopes, not me.”

The leaves moved, the tension in their arms lessened. He again held her close.

“I’m sorry, I assumed. . .”

“He gets drunk and pushy, downright nasty, but he’s never hit either of us.”

She realized she was holding him as tight as he was her. His lips gently pressing into her forehead caused her eyelids to flutter. 

“What hope did he destroy?”

“The Winter Dance.”

“I would love to see you there. I could escort you, if you want.” It came out muffled with his lips pressed against her.

“I don’t think that would help.” She sighed. “Boys are the problem.”

“Boys better not be a problem.” He stepped away, she could just make out his hand going over his hair. “I guess I fall into that too, though.”

“This is different, isn’t it?” She couldn’t keep that realization from him. There wasn’t anything she’d kept from him before. She wasn’t starting now.

“Yeah. I didn’t mean for it to be.”

“I don’t think we had a choice on it. We change as we grow up.”

“But you’re Maddy. You’re not supposed to be a girl.
You’re not supposed to be a woman
.”

“I am though.” She was becoming more confused.

“I know.” He kicked at the leaves around him.

“Thank you for noticing.”

“I’ve noticed for a while now.”

“Me too. Still, I think a schooner just side-swiped me.”

He laughed. “I didn’t know what to do when you were crying and
,
well, Daddy just holds Mama when she starts that.”

“You did just fine, but if we don’t get back, Pa’s gonna have a go at you.”

His fingers
trailed her arm down to her hand and locked them together, his other hand lifted her chin. “If your Pa changes his mind, will you save me a dance?”

“I think I can do that.” She tried to look at the ground again, but he held her chin firm. Galen didn’t understand that Pa never changed his mind.

His lips were soft against hers. His breath shuddered out warm, flowing over her skin. Their hands squeezed together as their lips pressed harder. Her stomach warmed, matching his chest where her hand rested.

“Madelyn,
”
w
hispered from him. He’d never called her by her full name, no one did.

He pulled away and her tongue moved over her lips. They too were unusually warm and tasted like he smelled. Slowly he turned and they walked back to her house.

Before they stepped from the cover of the trees, he stopped.

“You swear to me, he doesn’t hit you?”

She could hear the concern, making out the lines of his face by the moon.

“If he does, I know where to run.”

He kissed her quick and pulled her out of the trees.

She could already see her parents sitting in the bench on the porch. The nausea built in her stomach, replacing the warmth. Pa really could go after Galen and it wouldn’t be a push to the ground. The only hope she had
was that Galen could outrun Pa.

His hand slipped from hers and he headed toward the car in their driveway. His Daddy’s car, a baby blue Ford. She again thought of the way his eyes looked by the moonlight.

“Come on over here,” Pa barked from the porch.

She came closer, stopping just short of the steps
, giving her more than enough space to run
.

Galen joined her, handing over her morning jacket. His hand just brushing hers as it passed between them.

“Took you long enough to get back.” Pa was eyeing Galen.

“She was all the way to the river by the time I caught her.”

Pa’s eyes moved to her. “Cassie tells me Galen’s a good kid.”

Maddy nodded trying not to make eye contact.

He turned to Galen, “If, and I do mean
if,
I let her go to the dance you’ll keep an eye on her?”

“Yes, sir.”

She glanced up as Galen spoke
.
H
e somehow didn’t look away from Pa.

Pa ran his hand over his beard. She wanted to beg, plead, and cry
.
S
he stood right where she was.

“I might change my mind, but as of now, you can go.”

She jumped and hugged Galen, “Thank you.” Then she ran up the stairs and kissed Pa on the head. “Thank you, you won’t be sorry.”

“We’ll see.”

Mama patted his hand on her knee. “Galen, you better get home before your mama worries.”

“Yes ma’am. See you tomorrow.” He started to the car. “Bye, Maddy.”

“Night.” She already felt like she was dancing on a cloud over the sea with the moon shining bright. She would dance with Galen while she was in a beautiful dress and he would remember she was a girl.

She watched until the taillights were gone. When she started for the door, Pa stopped her.

“Is he one I have to worry about, Madelyn?”

She glanced to the trees. “No, Pa. That’s just Galen.”

Each day she walked around Pa very carefully. She didn’t want him to change his mind and she wouldn’t give him a reason to.
If he never saw her, he couldn’t change his mind.

She also skirted Galen. Not that she didn’t want to see him, but she kept blushing remembering his lips. Neither of them needed their mamas knowing what happened that night in the woods anymore than Pa. Though she was fairly sure their mamas knew that sooner or later they would grow closer than the friends they’d been for so long.

It started with little comments when they were younger, then assuming looks since they started to grow up. Mrs. Langley smacking Harland in the head when she caught him looking at her legs this past summer. She said her silent thank you to heaven for that one. But if Galen had ever looked at her like that before the night in the woods, she hadn’t noticed.
Now
,
she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Her own mama wanted to make sure they were gone each day before the boys came home. Of course, if Mama had been too worried about it
,
then Galen wouldn’t have been her escort for the dance. Maddy could only assume Mama wanted them to have as little time as possible around each other.

“
What about this fabric, baby?” Mama
held
up a bright green cotton.

Maddy didn’t think it was much, and apparently her face showed it.

“We’ll keep looking, baby
,
this is special and should be just want you want.

Le Rue, was a one
-
of
-
a
-
kind store. The owner
,
Mrs. Vickers
,
personally chose every fabric in her store and handmade each dress, so there
were
never two dresses made alike. Of course, there was no way Maddy could afford that.

The woman was very gracious in letting them pick out a fabric and letting Cassie make it to save the extra money. Still
M
addy was having problems finding something they could easily afford. Even making payments until the dance would be cutting it close.

Mrs. Vickers stood quietly behind the counter looking over button choices
,
but every now and again Maddy would catch her watching them. Maddy couldn’t blame the woman. They’d been cleaning houses all day and she could still feel the course cleaning powders on her hands, keeping her from touching anything too delicate looking. Mama on the other hand couldn’t seem to keep her fingers off the plush velvets.

When Mrs. Vickers went to her sewing room in the back, Maddy pulled Cassie’s hands from the soft fabric.

“Mama there’s no way we can afford that.”

“Would you let me worry about that, baby. It never costs anything to touch.”

“I’ll just tell Galen I can’t go. It will make everything much easier.”

Cassie smacked her bottom, “No
,
you won’t
.
”

A throat cleared behind her and Maddy turned around.

“What about this, Madelyn?”

Mrs. Vickers stood with a perfect dress draped over her arms.

“It’s wonderful ma’am but I know that has to be far more than we can afford.” Maddy’s heart dropped as she looked at the fur lining the edge of the skirt.

“Actually I can give you a great deal on it. No one wants something from last spring and I made a few extra deals on this years
’
dance.” Mrs. Vickers’ normally straight face brightened. “Mrs. James insisted that her daughter have something from Europe this year. And since I still have a cousin in Paris I had her mail me something. Then charged Mrs. James three times as much as it cost me for the dress.”

Maddy let her fingers brush across the trim before letting her hand drop back to her side. In a dress like this there would be no way for Galen to forget she was a girl
, neither would Pa
. She opened her mouth to tell the kind woman again that they would keep looking, but Mama interrupted before a word could escape.