Matt (The Cowboys) (7 page)

Chapter Four

“I never would have guessed you’d do anything so foolish,” the Reverend Wilbur Sears said to Ellen. “I wouldn’t have allowed it if I hadn’t been in Medina helping those good folks drive the Devil from their midst.”

Ellen had been a little nervous when she heard a buggy approach the house. She and the children had finished moving their few belongings into their rooms, but she was feeling far too unsettled to face Isabelle Maxwell. Ellen had nearly swallowed her tongue when she realized it was the Reverend Sears and Mabel Jackson. She would rather have faced a dozen Isabelles.

“I can’t believe you could have developed any deep feeling for Mr. Haskins on such a brief acquaintance,” Mrs. Jackson said.

Sanctimonious old bat. She knew why Ellen had been forced to marry Matt.

“I’ve known Mr. Haskins for quite some time,” Ellen said. “I’ve always admired him.” Nobody had to know her admiration had been solely for his body.

“He’s just the kind of man to turn a foolish woman’s head,” Wilbur Sears said, his disapproval no less severe, “but I expected more from you.”

Wilbur Sears was a handsome man. He had black hair and eyes, clear skin, and a tall, solid build. In any other town his looks would have been remarkable, but next to Matt he looked ordinary. Ellen wondered if simple jealousy was the source of Wilbur’s dislike of Matt.

“Why?” Ellen asked, her patience growing short. “Nobody has ever expected anything of me except that I would jump into bed with the first man who offered.”

Mabel Jackson looked appalled. Wilbur Sears looked pained.

“You know I don’t believe that story,” Wilbur said. “My offer of marriage should be sufficient proof of that.”

“More than sufficient proof of your goodness and charity,” Mrs. Jackson intoned.

Nothing had ever surprised Ellen nearly as much as the reverend’s startling offer of marriage. Though Wilbur Sears said he admired her, there was a look lurking far back in his eyes that said the reverend’s holy exterior hid a lustful interior. She had no desire to be saved by Wilbur Sears. She had even less desire to be the object of his lust.

“I have no wish to go through life as the poor fallen female you sacrificed yourself to save.”

“Who dared say such a thing?” Wilbur was getting wound up perilously close to his blood-and-thunder voice.

“No Christian woman, I’m sure,” Mrs. Jackson said.

“No one put it into words,” Ellen said, though she knew Mrs. Jackson and her friends would have been the first to whisper it about, “but that’s what they would think. Besides, you know I couldn’t give up Noah and Tess.” Wilbur thought the children should be put into an orphanage.

“I travel too much to adopt any kids. A boy needs a man home at all times.” The tone of his voice indicated hurt at her undervaluing his sacrifice.

“Noble man,” Mrs. Jackson murmured.

“We’re put on this earth to help our fellow man any way we can, Mabel,” Wilbur said, patting Mrs. Jackson’s hand.

“Well, that’s all meaningless now. I’m already married,” Ellen said.

She hoped Wilbur would give up and go away. He frightened the children. Tess had practically burrowed into Ellen’s side, and Noah had withdrawn to a corner. “Matt and I mean to adopt the children,” Ellen said.

Wilbur clearly didn’t like that. “That’s the first I’ve heard of this.”

“We haven’t had time to do anything about it yet.”

“I don’t have time to discuss that right now,” Wilbur said. “I’ve come so Mrs. Jackson can assure Mr. Haskins that Orin will be well taken care of when he leaves here.”

“We mean to adopt him, too,” Ellen said.

“What!” Wilbur and Mrs. Jackson exclaimed at the same time, though Wilbur’s well-modulated thunder out-gunned Mrs. Jackson’s startled squeak.

“I thought my wife spoke very plainly.”

Ellen nearly sagged with relief when she heard Matt’s voice. She didn’t know how he’d managed to enter the house without her hearing him. She didn’t care. To her surprise, he put his hand on her shoulder.

“We plan to adopt all four children,” Matt said.

“You can’t,” Mrs. Jackson began. “You—”

“I will not have it!” Wilbur Sears, who had risen to his feet, brought his tightly balled fist down into the palm of his other hand with a loud smack. “You are not a fit parent for this boy.”

“I disagree with you,” Matt said. His voice was calm, but Ellen could feel the tension flow through his hand into her body. “I’m a respectable married man with a wife to help care for him and give him moral guidance. We have three other children to give Orin love and companionship.”

“None of these children love each other,” Wilbur argued. “They’re nothing but a collection of strangers living under one roof.”

“I love Orin,” Toby said, coming to stand next to Matt. “On the way in just now he asked me if I’d be his brother. It touched my heart the way he said it.”

Ellen didn’t know what had happened on the ride in, but she was certain Toby’s heart being touched hadn’t been part of it.

“It’s true,” Orin said. “Matt said he wanted to adopt all of us, and I did ask Toby if he’d be my brother.”

“You’re lying,” Wilbur thundered.

“Nobody calls one of my boys a liar,” Matt said, “especially not in his own home.” His quiet voice had an edge of steel.

“Are you threatening me?” Wilbur asked.

“Yes. I’ll beat the hell out of you before I let you turn Orin over to people who want him for his money.”

“Did you hear him, Wilbur?” Mrs. Jackson asked. “He cursed in front of these children.”

“I only curse when sanctimonious busybodies push their way into my house trying to justify a mean-spirited plan by calling it God’s will. Orin will stay here as long as he wants.”

Ellen had never heard Matt speak so forcefully. Nor had she ever seen anyone stand up to Wilbur Sears.

“Do you want to stay here, son?” Wilbur asked Orin. He tried to make his voice sound comforting, but his anger could be heard in its timbre, seen in his hard eyes.

“Yes,” Orin answered. “Nobody wants me. They only want my grandpa’s money.”

“This boy’s soul is in danger of falling into the clutches of the Devil,” Wilbur proclaimed. “You’ve poisoned his mind against God and His work as done through the God-fearing people of our community.”

“Nobody poisoned me,” Orin declared, “and the Devil won’t get me. Matt won’t let him. He won’t let anybody get me.”

Orin pushed hard up against Matt, who rested his hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“Anybody coming after Orin will have to answer to me,” Toby declared.

“You alone are reason enough this child should be removed from this place,” Wilbur said, pointing an accusing finger at Toby. “You are a fount of evil, a well-spring of dishonesty—”

“That’s enough,” Matt said.

“No words are enough if they fail to protect this poor, innocent child from the influence of evil,” Wilbur said, warming to his subject. “This young man is ruled by unbridled passion. He’s a menace to every innocent girl in Bandera. He’s wicked, lecherous—”

Matt stepped forward, his fist shot out, and the Reverend Wilbur Sears hit the floor with a thud.

“You dared strike a man of God!” Mabel Jackson shrieked.

“He can count himself lucky I didn’t break his neck,” Matt said, his tightly controlled voice vibrating with anger.

“You’ll be struck down,” Mabel said.

“Not unless your preacherman’s words pack a bigger punch than his fists.”

Ellen thought she heard Toby snicker. She didn’t know what the boy found funny. Matt had just assaulted the preacher who virtually ruled over the souls and consciences of everybody within fifty miles of Bandera. Wilbur wouldn’t forget this outrage. His vengeance would be personal, but he would wrap it up in the will of God so the people of Bandera would be forced to stand behind him.

Now she’d never be able to adopt the children.

“You’ve invited God’s wrath,” Wilbur mumbled from between lips that were beginning to swell. He sat up.

Toby started to speak, but Matt stopped him. The makeshift family, joined together only hours before by Matt and Ellen’s marriage, stood motionless and silent, while Wilbur cleared his head and Mrs. Jackson helped him to his feet. Tess clung to Ellen’s side, her tiny hands clutching Ellen’s fingers with all her might. Noah had crept from his corner to stand at her other side, his grip on her arm painfully tight. Matt continued to stand next to her, one hand on her shoulder, the other across Orin’s shoulder reaching over to Toby.

They were all connected, held together and supported by the energy that flowed from Matt into each of them.

“Hellfire will be your reward for this day’s work,” Wilbur said. “God will destroy you and burn your house to the ground.”

“You will never get Orin,” Matt said quietly.

“I will see that Orin is placed in a home with loving, God-fearing parents who will bring him up in the paths of righteousness and truth,” Wilbur threatened. “I will see that
you
“—he jabbed an accusing finger at Toby—“are put in jail where you belong. As for those two—” He whirled about to glare angrily at Noah and Tess. “They will go to an orphanage. There’ll be no more running loose through the streets destroying the peace of mind of good, law-abiding citizens.”

“You’re scaring the children,” Matt said when Wilbur seemed about to wind up for another speech. “If you don’t leave, I’ll knock you down and dump you in your buggy.”

“When you assault me, you assault God’s messenger.”

“I don’t believe God talks to you any more often than he does to the rest of us,” Matt said. “Now my patience is gone. It’s time for supper.”

Ellen closed her ears to Wilbur’s threats and promises, one of each uttered for nearly every step he took. Matt and Toby followed him to make sure he left. Orin remained inside with her and the children.

“Will he put us in an orphanage?” Noah asked, visibly frightened.

“Matt won’t let him,” Orin said. “He won’t let him do anything to us.”

But Ellen could hear the fear behind the boy’s brave words. “I’m sure he will do his best, but Wilbur is a powerful man.”

“Matt said if I wanted to stay here, I didn’t ever have to leave,” Orin said.

“Why do you want to stay?”

“Matt’s the only one who likes me,” Orin said. “He never said I was trouble. He never threatened to give me away if I didn’t do what he wanted. He told Toby and me that no matter what we did, we was to come to him and he’d see nobody did anything to us.”

Five minutes ago Ellen would have asked why Orin thought Matt could protect him. She remembered the hand on her shoulder, the reassurance that came from his touch, the way he stood up to Wilbur and Mabel. Now she had no doubt he’d attack anybody who threatened his boys.

He didn’t shout. He didn’t even raise his voice, but she’d felt anger vibrate through him. Deep anger, hot enough to turn to violence if he didn’t keep it under tight control. She had wanted to look up into his eyes, to try to understand why Matt seemed willing to take on any battle in defense of those he considered under his protection.

Did he consider Noah and Tess under his protection? Did that protection include her? Ellen had never known security or safety. She had never known anybody who would fight for her.

“Did you see his lip?” Toby asked as he and Matt returned to the kitchen. “Everybody in Bandera will know you knocked him down.”

Ellen had no doubt Wilbur would use it to inflame public sentiment against Matt. What could be more damaging to a man’s reputation, especially a man who wanted to adopt a fatherless boy, than attacking a minister?

“We’d better see about getting supper ready,” Matt said.

Without waiting to be told, Orin got up, went to the cabinet, and began taking out plates, cups, knives, and forks—everything necessary to set the table. Toby started grinding coffee beans. Matt took a ham from the pantry and started cutting slices from it.

“Don’t forget we have six people tonight,” Matt said.

“What can I do to help?” Ellen asked.

“You can help the children wash up,” Matt said. “We’ll have dinner ready soon.”

Ellen didn’t exactly feel shoved aside, but she felt the protective cloak Matt had thrown over her dissolve. This wasn’t a household where Matt simply protected the boys from outside threats. They were a unit. Everything each person did was braided into the lives of the others. As she watched Matt and the boys move quickly through their well-established routine, listened to the comfortable talk among them, even an occasional joke making light of something that had happened during the day, she began to feel separated from Matt.

She didn’t like the feeling.

“I feel useless just sitting here. The children can help, too.”

“They’ll just get in the way,” Toby said.

Ellen was finding it difficult to like Toby. He resented their presence and clearly intended to make no effort to like them.

“We’ll take care of everything tonight,” Matt said. “We can work out something tomorrow.”