Authors: Stella White
“Violence isn’t always in the form of physical cruelty.” Her voice was almost too low for him to hear.
He shook his head. “I will not be cruel to you in any way. Please believe me, Mary Ann. I will not hurt you.”
Mary Ann didn’t reply. She prayed silently, keeping her eyes on her baby and hoping for the best.
Chapter Four
Teresa met them outside when they reached the farmhouse. It was as big as Matt had implied. She didn’t see neighbors anywhere near them. The garden was
long,
and it appeared that half of it was overgrown with weeds and old produce that had never
been reaped
.
“I wasn’t able to get it all done this season.” Matt looked embarrassed when they passed it pulling up to the front of the house. She nodded in response, her eyes on the woman standing there waiting, holding the hand of a little girl.
When Christina saw her daddy, her face lit up. Mary Ann could tell from that response that Matt was the kind of father and man he said he
was,
and her heart was comforted. The little girl jumped up and down as they got closer and clapped her hands excitedly. She could hear her calling out, “Daddy! Daddy!”
It warmed her
heart,
and she smiled at Matt.
When he saw it, he smiled back gratefully. He wanted her to be happy. He had a feeling she deserved happiness.
He took a moment to greet his daughter and sister before going back to the buggy to bring Mary Ann’s luggage to the house. Mary Ann stepped up on the porch and knelt down next to the little girl, who had recovered from her excitement of having her father return home. The little one looked at the even smaller baby, pressing her little lips together and squealing softly. “Baby!” she exclaimed. “A
little baby
!”
“Yes, her name is Annabelle.” Mary Ann
said softly
. “She’s going to be your new sister.”
Christina’s eyes opened wide. “Really? A new sister?”
Mary Ann looked up at Teresa.
“Hello,
” she said.
Teresa nodded at her. She was the spitting image of her brother. Mary Ann wondered if they were twins and her heart pounded at the thought, remembering that
she herself
had twins. “Hello. It’s good to have you here.” Although she said the words, Teresa didn’t look as pleased as Mary Ann would have liked. Her face did not give off the impression that she was impressed with her new future sister-in-law.
Mary Ann stood back up as Christina hopped
down the steps
to get to her father. She
said
“daddy” whenever she landed on a new step. Mary Ann grinned. Her daughter would be doing that soon too.
“Did you have a comfortable train ride?” Teresa asked.
“I did, thank you for asking. It wasn’t very long.”
“You must be
hungry,
though. Can I make you something to eat?”
Mary Ann looked relieved. “I would love a cup of coffee and some biscuits if you have any.”
“We have some fresh-baked cookies. And I made some small cakes yesterday. I will get you some if Matt hasn’t devoured them all.”
Both the women glanced down at Matt, who had set the luggage on the ground to pick up his daughter and give her another hug. He set her down and instructed her on how to help him carry the bags up the stairs. The little girl put in a lot of effort, lugging one of the smaller bags all by herself, letting it slam on the next step up as she dragged it. Matt looked up at Mary Ann to make sure she was not displeased with the way her luggage was
being treated
. Her look of amusement gave him a good feeling.
“Let’s get these
inside,
” he instructed. “And sit and talk for a while.”
Mary Ann nodded. “I’d like that.” She turned to follow Teresa into the house, standing back to prop the door open for Matt and Christina. He nodded his thanks as he passed her and she came in behind him. The door slammed and made her jump a little. She giggled
nervously,
and Matt smiled at her.
“It does that. Don’t
worry, it
’s just a broken spring.”
She nodded. “I wasn’t expecting it.”
“I’ve got a lot of repairs to do around the house.”
“I see.”
By the time the evening came and they were seated
around
the table eating
a special
roast and potatoes dinner that Teresa had prepared for the new family member, Mary Ann was feeling more at peace than she had in a very long time. She enjoyed listening to Matt talk. He always had a pleasant tone and a friendly look on his face. She hoped that wouldn’t change.
When the subject of her past came up, she took a deep breath. “Well,” she bit her bottom lip. “I suppose I might as well tell you now.”
Matt felt apprehension and the back of his neck tightened. He had managed to avoid
the headache
that had threatened him
earlier,
but Mary Ann’s words brought the feeling back with full force. He calmed himself and waited for her to continue.
“I…my husband, Andrew, was a cruel man. He…he didn’t want children. He was angry when I got
pregnant with
…when I got pregnant.”
“Oh no.” Teresa took her hand and looked at her sympathetically. “Was he violent with you?”
When Mary Ann nodded, Matt knew his suspicions had been correct. He sighed.
“I’m so sorry, Mary Ann.
I won’t do that to you. I won’t be mean to you.”
Mary Ann looked at Teresa when she added, “He really won’t be. He is my twin brother. I know him better than anyone. He has never been cruel to anyone in his life.”
Mary Ann looked
from
her to Matt. “You are twins?”
“Yes, can’t you tell?” Matt chuckled, framing his face with his hands briefly and then making a box in the air around his
sister’s,
though she was across the table from him. The motions made Mary Ann giggle.
“Yes, I had thought you might be. I…my little Annabelle here also was a twin.”
Both Matt and Teresa lost their smiles. “What happened?” Matt asked gently. “Did you lose her?”
Mary Ann nodded. Matt stood up and came over to put his arms around her.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered.
Mary Ann looked down at Annabelle, who was lying peacefully in her basket, looking up at the ceiling and all around her, as quiet as always. She wondered if the baby knew that her sister was not with her and was looking for her.
“Not in the way you
think,
” she said, quietly. “When I had the babies, Andrew…came in and…he wanted to take them both to the orphanage in town.” She felt Matt’s arm tighten around her shoulders. He pulled away slightly and looked down at her. She looked up and saw traces of anger on his face. “When I wouldn’t let him, he told me to choose between the babies but I couldn’t. So he took Rebecca and left with her.”
“Oh no!” Teresa dropped her head into her hands.
“He was killed while he was gone. I don’t know where Rebecca is now.”
Matt knelt on one knee and looked up at her. “Oh, Mary Ann. That is terrible!”
“I will think about her forever. I will always wonder what happened to her.”
“Do you think he made it to the orphanage?” Matt asked.
Mary Ann shook her head and shrugged. “I don’t know. No one knew. She wasn’t with him when they found him.”
Matt stood up. He held out one hand to
her,
and she took it, standing. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. She could hear his heartbeat when she laid her head against his chest. He was warm. His strong arms around her made her feel safe for the first time in her life.
When he whispered in her ear, she felt a chill run through her.
“I’m going to take care of you, Mary Ann. I will keep you and Annabelle safe. If you want to go back to find her, I will
come,
and we will search for her.”
Her body lit up with chills as the exciting prospect ran through her mind. She looked up at him. “You would do that?”
He gazed at her, lifting one hand to run through her dark hair. “I only want to take care of you, Mary Ann. You need someone to do that, don’t you?” He took one of her hands and lifted it to his lips. “Let me do that for you.”
Without responding, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. He closed his eyes and pressed his face down on her soft hair.
The train ride back felt shorter than it had
coming
over. Before she knew it, Mary Ann was stepping out into a familiar atmosphere. Matt had wanted to waste no time and had purchased tickets for them only a week after she had arrived. He wanted Mary Ann to be reunited with her lost daughter before they committed their lives to each other. He had assured her that he wasn’t about to skip out on having a family of three daughters and a loving wife. Even if two of those daughters weren’t his.
She had quickly discovered that he was nothing like Andrew and thanked God for it. From the beginning, he had been kind and gentle with her, even to the point of changing Annabelle’s diaper in the middle of the night. Teresa told her Matt had taken care of Christina the same way when she was
very small
.
“Where do we go first, Mary?” Matt asked, taking her hand as they walked away from the train station. “Do you know where we might be able to get a horse? Unless you plan to walk all over the town, which may take some time.”
“I have no idea where we can get a horse.” Mary Ann shook her head. “But we need to go to the orphanage first. If he dropped her off there, perhaps she is still there. If she is, we can get her. If she isn’t, I don’t know what we will do. My nurse warned me not to go searching
from
door to door. Not everyone in town is
nice,
and she said that my
…
Andrew made a lot of enemies.”
“What Andrew did has nothing to do with
us,
” Matt said firmly, lifting her hand to kiss it, as he had taken to doing quite frequently. She loved it and smiled up at him. “We will knock on doors if that’s what it takes. But I’m sure there’s a stable around here somewhere so we can get a horse. I’ll ask someone.”
As soon as they got in town, he went into a shop, leaving her to stand on the walkway outside, shaded from the bright sun by a
low-hanging
roof. She stood, waiting, her eyes on the door of the establishment.
“Mary Ann?” She heard her name
being called
. She turned to see Nurse Green staring at her, her eyes wide open. “Oh my God! Mary Ann!” She came running and threw her arms around her young friend. “I can’t believe it’s you! I can’t believe it! You’ve only
been gone
for a week!”
“Yes, my new husband decided to come back and help me find Rebecca.” Mary Ann smiled wide and hugged her nurse tightly. “How have you been?”
Lila shook her head. “Never mind how I’ve been! I found Rebecca! Just a few days after you left! I was going to wait for you to write so that I would have your address and send you a letter! I found her!”
Mary Ann
was covered
in chills. “What?
You found
her? How?”
Lila was laughing excitedly just as Matt came out of the store. He stared at them both and then wondered why he would be surprised when this was Mary Ann’s original home. He smiled at Lila.
“Hello,
” He said.
“You must be Matthias!” Lila nodded at him and shook his hand when he extended it. “I was just telling Mary Ann that I found her Rebecca! How wonderful of you to come and bring her here to look for her. I must take you there right now!”
Mary Ann looked up at Matt, her smile covering her face, making her eyes sparkle. He was overwhelmed with emotions, too and she could tell. The look on his face was pure happiness. It wasn’t even his
child,
and he looked just as overjoyed as she was.
“Mary Ann! That’s
wonderful
!” He grabbed her and gave her
an excited
kiss on the lips, surprising her. His lips were incredibly soft. She had never
been kissed
like that by Andrew. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him back and standing
on her tip-toes
to whisper in his ear.
“Thank you for bringing me back, Matt. Thank you for so much.”
He squeezed her to him. “I can’t help it, honey. I loved you the moment I saw you.”
*****
THE END
Three months and I
was
finally hitting my stride. I could feel my hands starting to grow tougher, and my legs were growing stronger. The best part of the whole thing
was being
able to ride a horse almost as much as I ever wanted.
“Hey Jennie,” Larry shouted from the barn, “Buck said it would be a good time to get the livestock into the barn. Said there’s a storm
comin’
up,
and he don’t
wanna
see
nothin’
bad happen.”
“I’m on it,” I shouted back. It wasn’t hard, herding
in
the few animals they kept on the ranch. Just a couple milking cows, some chickens, and a few horses. I didn’t mind herding them in, either.
Larry already had the door open for all the animals as I
shooed
them in. Only took about fifteen minutes or so.
I could already see the storm
off
the plains, a crack of thunder lit the sky in the distance and the blackened clouds rolled
slowly in our direction
. I never liked storms where I grew up, but out here it was like watching a masterpiece unfold.
I can’t say I ever really believed in a greater power until I got the chance to look out
along
the horizon and view the perfect simplicity of the landscape.
“Jennie, you gonna to get inside? I bet Mike is already
lookin’
for
ya
,” said Larry, peeking over my shoulder.
“Don’t know why he’d be
lookin’
for me, not like I have any chores left for the day,” I said as I wheeled around toward the house.
It was a small
house
, barely two stories. The white walls displayed their age as though rings on a
tree
and the windows were still a bit dirtied from the harsh winds that swept up dust from all over.
I
walked proudly
toward the home while pulling off my work gloves. I flexed my hand and could feel the ache of a hard day’s work in them.
The screen door screeched open as I tugged on it, and walked inside with my boots clattering on the
hard wood
floor. The inside was much different from the outside, the wood flooring was clean, and most of it
was covered
in rugs. The furniture was in good repair and was some of the most comfortable I’d ever
slept on
. The kitchen was a bit older, but nothing
was broken,
so there was no need to change it out.
“Mike, what you want now?” I asked, parading toward the kitchen.
Mike was sitting
behind
the round table in the corner, with papers sprawled out all over. He had a small pair of reading glasses perched on the tip of his nose. I would have
laughed
if I hadn’t known how much he hated being made fun of for his poor near-sightedness.
“Jennie, what’s this I hear about you
gettin’
all riled up about the neighbors?” he asked calmly.
I pulled out a chair and plopped myself down
in
it.
“Listen, the Cobb’s keep on
grazin’
their cattle on your land. I can’t help it if a shotgun goes off in my vicinity that scares them all off.”
Buck leaned against the door frame behind me, all six and a half feet of him. If I didn’t know him, then I would’ve made sure to steer clear of his path whenever possible. But, knowing that he was about as quick to anger as a rock was to flying, I always like having him around.
Mike stifled a laugh, but Buck uttered a raucous.
“Did you
really
scare the Cobb’s ‘stock off with a shotgun, Jennie?” Buck asked.
“All I know is a loud shot rang out from my vicinity, as I said.
Nothin’
wrong with loud noises,” I followed up with calmly.
I kicked my boots up onto the table and leaned back in my chair. It didn’t look like Mike was having any of it tonight. He reached over and smacked my boots off the table.
“Geez, Jennie, didn’t yer ma raise ya right? Keep yer feet off the table,” he started. “Now look, Cobb says he’s getting’ sour milk now. Wants me to buy him a new cow,
ya
know how much money I have to afford something like that?”
I paused to think about it.
“You don’t have to think that hard, I got nothing, Jennie. Hell, I’m barely scraping by as it is with this. If I don’t get
really
lucky here soon
enough,
then I’m going to have to sell off the whole thing.”
I sighed.
“Listen, I’m sorry Mike. I won’t do
nothin’
like that again. Maybe I can go over and ease things with the
Cobb’s
as well. That
is,
if you want me to.”
Mike nodded and waved his hand, trying to get me to leave.
I took the hint and clomped my way out of the kitchen. Buck followed close behind.
I sat myself down on the porch of the house; a swinging bench was tied up along one of the rafters and was by far the best seat for watching passing storms.
Buck must’ve had the same
idea
because he took a seat right next to me.
“You know he likes you,” Buck said.
I rolled my eyes like always.
“Buck, that man would like a
600-pound
gorilla if it could solve all his financial trouble. I’m neither. I might be the only woman on the ranch, but proximity is no excuse.”
Buck started rocking slowly; I took a moment to kick off my boots. I thought of the first time I put those things
on,
and they killed my feet, but now it was like wearing a
cloud
if a cloud weighed my feet down like a brick.
Mike bought those for me the day I started working here. I don’t think he approved of my hiking boots; he wanted me in real solid leather that wouldn’t wear out after a
couple of
weeks of real labor.
He
was right, and I knew it. My old hiking boots wouldn’t have lasted past the first week with the amount of walking he had me doing.
“Hey Buck, why does Mike keep going out to that old drill in the yard? Does he
really
think he’s
goin’
to strike oil out here?”
Buck thought for a moment.
“I think Mike has a lot of hope. Fella came through here about
five
years ago, telling him his land might be ripe for the picking. I think they were trying to buy the plot off him for
cheap,
so they could bring in some big equipment and get it out themselves.
“Hell, the neighbors to the north sold off their plot. For a while we saw truck after truck of heavy equipment driving through, dropping off drills and all that junk for digging. They must’ve
dug up
every inch of that land and
didn’t
find a dang thing.”
“So Mike just keeps thinking he might get
lucky,
and the professionals missed something?”
“Well, from what I hear, it’s a bit of a tricky business. People
miss
things all the time around here. I always bet on Mike, he’s a good guy, knows what he wants. That’s better than most.”
“As long as he doesn’t ask me to work the thing, I won’t get in his way.”
I sat for a while and watched the storms pass. The twilight turned to
darkness,
and the only light that could
be seen
was that distant
light
of the barn.
Rain
came down in pellets, soaking everything that
wasn’t covered
in seconds. I listened to the rain pelt against the old wood siding on the house, and the thunder that roared its way over the plain. It was a peaceful raucous.
As the rain settled into a constant drizzle we were all called in for supper, Buck and I met up with a drenched Larry and filed in around the table.
Mike pulled a
couple
steaks off the stove top and served them up. He knew how to cook them well, and it
tasted like
I could still hear the cow mooing. I can’t say I liked it at first; he always made me try something a few times before giving up on me. I would usually cave in and give it a try, and then hate it for a while. That was just how life was on the ranch. Larry and Buck felt like the brothers I always wanted, and Mike was always the responsible caretaker.
It brought up memories
from
the city; nasty old thoughts that would consume me for a while before fading away. I started thinking about my
sister
and wondered what she might be
up to
. It was too soon to call, though. I needed more time to leave the old life behind before letting them know where I was.
“Alright, tomorrow is a big day. Jennie and
I gotta
head into town and fix a few things with the bank. Buck, you and Larry check the fields and make sure this storm hasn’t destroyed anything we need. We should be back before noon.”
I nodded and finished up supper, being careful to leave a little behind for Rusty. I set my plate
to
the
floor,
and Rusty jumped up like she was a puppy, and the old dog lapped on the plate, being careful
not to spill
a thing.
“Rusty, why can’t you just eat the food I buy for you?” Mike sighed.
I pulled the plate off the floor when the pooch
was done
with it and tossed it in the country basin that had dishes already piling up inside.
“I’m
goin’
to get a shower before bed, G’night guys,” I said.
“Night, Jennie,” they all replied.
I stripped off my dirty shirt while walking up the stairs; I doubted any of them would be staring at me from the kitchen. My muscles were
tender,
so I rubbed them as I walked to my room.
It was smaller than I was used to, but plenty of space for a dresser and a bed. Although, that’s about all I had, I barely had
use
for the
dresser
to be honest.
I grabbed my towel and headed off to the bathroom. The room was a bit cramped, with the ceiling angling low and at
places,
you had to duck under a beam. But, the claw footed tub was perfect for showers and soaking. Granted, I had to work my hardest to avoid it becoming a peep show for the boys downstairs.
I always gave a quick look for any new holes that may have popped up in the walls since I’d last
been in
.
For the most part,
they stopped, but it never hurt to double check.
The water warmed me to the bone. And, I took a little extra time for myself in the shower. I could feel my muscles were getting stronger in all the right places, my skin seemed
firmer
than when I first moved out this way. I maybe have been a bit curvier than most
women,
but I don’t think anyone ever minded a little extra curve.
I wasn’t overweight by any means, though, just rounder. I liked my body, though, even though I always found a new bruise that would need
nursing
or a new cut that needed bandaging.
I tugged at my towel on the nearby hook while shutting off the water. It was quite steamy in the bathroom, so I took my time drying off. I heard a knock at the door.
“Jennie, you almost
done
,” I heard Buck ask.
“Gimme one second, Buck,” I replied.
I wrapped my towel around me as best I
could,
and gathering up my things, exited the bathroom. I swear
Buck’s
eyes grew three sizes while he stared.
I couldn’t help but giggle. I tip-toed quickly back to my room, trying to keep my feet from freezing on the
cool
wood floors.
Once back in my room I clicked the lock, and threw off my towel, collapsing into my comfy bed. I wasn’t in the mood to do anything else, I was relaxed, and the sound of the rain pattering
against
the roof of my bedroom was like a melodic choir, drumming me off to sleep.
2.
“Alright Larry, you’re in charge of the ranch for the day. We’ll be back before noon.”
We rode out in Mike’s old pickup. I was amazed the thing still ran as well as it
did;
it looked like it had
been put
through its fair share of
paces
.