Bushedwhacked Groom (28 page)

Chapter Twenty-eight

Back to Contents

By the time Molly awakened, the sun was high in the
sky and she was alone. She straightened up the room,
changing the blood-streaked sheets on the bed. At last
she ventured out to the kitchen to find Ma and
Grandma there, preparing chicken and dumplings for
dinner.

“Well, you’re sure sleeping away the day, aren’t you,
girl?” Grandma teased.

Before Molly could answer, her mother said firmly,
“
Ma, that’s a bride’s prerogative.”

Grandma cackled. “Reckon it is. You hungry,
honey?”

Molly sniffed the air so redolent with home cooking.
“I guess this close to dinner, I’ll just wait. May I help?”

“Why, sure, honey, why don’t you set the table?” Grandma suggested.

Molly busied herself gathering plates, murmuring
over her shoulder, “What have you two been doing this
morning?”

“Well, I started the wash,” her mother replied, “while
Grandma and Cory went off to town.”

“Any news?” Molly asked.

“Yeah,” Grandma replied with a grin. “I run across Ez
Trumble and his girls at the library and gave the old
coot the business, talking him into allowing the boys
to go courting his daughters again.”

“Gee, that’s nice,” Molly murmured, oblivious to her
mother and grandma’s stunned looks. Instead, she
smoothed down the tablecloth while reflecting ironically that it was amazing how little the contest meant
to her now.

“Also heard tell Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show
will be coming through
Colorado Springs
in a fort
night,” Grandma went on, “along with Pawnee Bill’s
Far
East
.”

“
Buffalo
Bill Cody?” Molly said eagerly. “Ma, you
know I’ve always wanted to see his Wild West Show. Do
you suppose we could go?”

“I’ll talk to your father about it.” Jessica winked. “And
perhaps if you’ll promise to read a few volumes of
Shakespeare in the meantime . . .”

“0h, Ma,
really.
”

Grandma was listening to the exchange with a grin.
“Also heard tell there was another stage robbed out
near Dillyville. The
Colorado
City
line, soon after it left
Mariposa.”

“0h, no,” Molly muttered. “Anyone hurt?”

“Nope, though the passengers was fleeced right
good. The sheriff said Drew Dalton lost his gambling
stake plus his granddaddy’s gold watch. ‘Course he was up to no good, anyhow, going out there to hell-
raise, and—”

Grandma paused in midsentence as the back door
swung open and the men trooped in, smelling of dew-
drenched greenery and the cattle trail. “Morning, ladies,” Cole greeted. “Got some good vittles ready for us?”

“Yes, but you men wash up thoroughly at the sink,
now,” scolded Jessica.

Cole winked at his daughter. “Your ma and her ob
session with kitchen hygiene.”

While Jessica tossed a dish towel at Cole, Molly
grinned at her pa. Then she watched anxiously as
Lucky spotted her and made a beeline to her side. Hot
color stained her cheeks as he curled an arm around her waist. He kissed her cheek, and she inhaled the
stirring scent of leather and man.

“Well, hi there, angel,” he flirted. “How’s my little bride this morning?”

Lowering her gaze and grinding her teeth at the
sound of her brothers’ guffaws, she muttered back,
“Fine, thank you.”

“You hungry?” Lucky continued. “I’ve worked up one
heck of an appetite myself.”

“Yeah, Molly, you’d best chow down,” teased Grand
ma. “After all, you may soon be eating for two.”

Hearing her brothers hoot at this gibe, Molly glanced tensely at Lucky, expecting derision from him, as well.
To her surprise and relief, she spotted only warm sympathy in his blue eyes.

***

By sunset Molly discovered she wouldn’t soon be eat
ing for two. She was sitting glumly on the porch swing,
feeling melancholy, her insides aching, when Lucky
came out to join her.

His expression showing his concern, he sat down
and took her hand. “Honey, are you all right? I’ve been
worried about you all day.”

“You’re worried about me?” she asked in disbelief.

His jaw hardened. “I’m not just some heartless jackass.”

“I never called you that.”

“You called me every other name in the book.”

She chuckled.

He tweaked her chin. “I’ve gotten a smile out of you,
after all.”

She turned away.

“Molly, what is it?”

She met his eye. “Lucky, I’m bleeding.”

He stood, appearing horrified. “0h, no, did I—”

“No, it’s not your fault,” she hastily reassured him, grasping his hand. “Last night—well, there was only a
little, and it stopped right away. But a couple of hours ago . . . Well, I learned there won’t be a baby. Not this
month.”

“Ah,” he murmured. “So it was too soon.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“We made love too close to—er—your period—”

“Period? You mean monthly?”

“Yeah. Anyway, it was the wrong time for you to con
ceive.” He winked devilishly. “But don’t worry, we’ll get
it right. In about two weeks’ time.”

“Two weeks?”

“That’s likely when you’ll be most fertile.”

Her eyes went huge. “How do you know that?”

“We know about such things in the future.”

“You mean women can choose when they conceive
a young ‘un?”

“Yeah, and they can prevent it, too, and still have
sex, if they want to.”

“Ah,” she murmured, cheeks blooming. “Think Ma
mentioned something about that. Birth control, isn’t it
called?”

“Yeah.” He grinned.

She hesitated a moment, then went on. “Am I like
those women you knew in the future?”

He laughed. “Oh, yeah. You may have come to this
marriage an old-fashioned virgin, but you’re as liber
ated as any woman I’ve ever met.”

“You mean women’s lib?” Molly asked.

“So your ma mentioned that, too, eh?”

“She even mentioned somethin’ called ‘corset burn
ing’—”

“You mean ‘bra burning’?”

Molly snapped her fingers. “Yeah, that was it. I was
fascinated to hear about it, but Grandma got so
worked up, Ma had to stop talking.”

“Grandma’s quite a character, isn’t she?”

Molly thought a moment. “So if
I’m
just like the girls
from your time, why don’t you like me more?”

A stricken look crossed his features and he
squeezed her hand. “I don’t dislike you, honey.”

“As if that tells me anything,” she shot back. “The
truth is, ever since you’ve gotten here, you’ve told
everyone
I’m
not your idea of a proper wife. But coming from
where you do, what other ideas could you have?”

“Guess that’s a fair question,” he conceded.

“It’s still about your grandma, isn’t it? I’m not like
her, right?”

He grew thoughtfully silent. “Well, I always did as
sume I’d marry someone more like her, a woman who
truly respects and honors her man.”

Molly slowly shook her head. “No disrespect intended
toward your granny, but what fun would that be?”

Lucky guffawed. ‘‘You do have spirit, Mrs. Lamont, I’ll
grant you that. And I guess you’ve made another good
point.”

She waved a hand. “Well, what do you expect, any
how, marrying a woman from the year 1911? We females
are fed up with being bossed around by you men. Why,
women are about to get all kinds of privileges—like
the vote.”

“That ain’t the half of it, darlin’,” he added dryly.

She clutched his arm. “What do you mean? What
else will women get?”

“Now
that’s
a loaded question,” he quipped.

She gave him a chiding look. “Come on, Lucky,
when are you gonna tell me your stories? Ma used to,
but not so much anymore. Maybe it’s her way of ac
cepting her lot.”

Shaking his head wonderingly, he murmured, “And
you’re one very smart girl.”

“Maybe smarter than you?”

“Never smarter than me.” Before she could protest, he conceded, “Okay, then, I’ll tell you my stories. Ask
me anything you want to know.”

In the hours that followed, Molly asked Lucky
dozens of questions about the future, and he answered
every one in detail, everything from how women be
came liberated to how space rockets were made and
how houses were air-conditioned. She was especially
interested in the evolution of culture, what kinds of
music and books would become popular, how men
and women’s relationships would progress and how
families would treat one another. She was amazed by the looser moral climate and the high incidence of di
vorce in the new millennium. Eventually their discus
sion moved to other subjects such as modern movies,
cartoons, computers, children’s toys and amusement
parks.

On and on they rocked and chattered, as happy as
two squirrels in their nest, until at last Molly fell asleep
against Lucky, and he tenderly carried her to their
bed . . .

Chapter Twenty-nine

Back to Contents

On Thursday afternoon Cory Reklaw sat with his broth
ers in the central hallway of the Trumble home, each
of the four men facing the sister he favored. At the end
of the hallway Grandma sat on a stout chair, scowling
and tapping her toe while Ezra Trumble babbled on to
her about the new brood cow he’d bought at the Clin
ton County Fair.

Thanks to Grandma’s accompanying them, the boys
had been allowed to scoot their bench slightly closer
to the girls, the courting candle was burning at full tilt
and the couples had been happily flirting away for
some fifteen minutes now. Cory had especially loved
discussing
The Ring and the Book
with Ida May, and
had suggested she try some Tennyson and Keats next.

When at last a lull came in their conversation, Ida May winked at Cory and whispered confidentially,
“You know, my sisters and I know about the contest.”

Her unexpectedly frank statement brought Cory in
stantly to attention. He floundered for an appropriate
response. “Really? What contest?”

She slanted him a scolding glance. “Don’t play
dumb, Cory. We know all about what you boys are re
ally up to, fighting over your pa’s land.”

Cory blanched. “But how did—”

“Dumpling Reklaw told Susie Schwartz’s mama, and
Susie told Sally at prayer meeting.”

Cory was crestfallen, running a hand through his
hair. “0h, Lord. It must be all over town by now. I’m so
sorry.”

“You needn’t be, Cory,” she replied with a sincere
smile.

“But I’ve behaved horribly—and I should have told you about the contest before now,” he said contritely.

“Why didn’t you?”

His plaintive gaze beseeched her. “Because I was
afraid you’d be insulted, and justly so. That you
wouldn’t want me to come calling on you anymore.”

She reached out to pat his hand. “Cory, you needn’t worry about that, not ever. I enjoy your company very
much.”

“As I do yours,” he responded fervently.

“Besides, the girls and I discussed the whole thing,
and we decided we don’t care.”

“What? You mean you don’t feel—er, used?”

She shook her head adamantly. “Should we feel
used because you boys are fighting for a place of your own? Everyone wants something, Cory. I’d never fault
you for having aspirations.”

“That’s kind of you.”

“I’m just being honest, Cory.” Glancing warily at her
pa, she added,
“
As for the girls and me, we want to get
away from Pa—”

“Has he hurt you?” Cory interrupted in a low,
charged voice.

She bit her lower lip, appearing quite torn. “Cory, please, don’t press me. Let’s just say you boys need
wives, and we girls need to escape.”

At this, Cory couldn’t contain a very human sense
of disappointment. “Believe me, I want you to be
free of your bad-tempered father. But—is it all just a
matter of convenience to you and your sisters?”

She laughed. “Well, we like you, too, silly, and that
makes it all the
more
convenient, don’t you think?”

Cory had to smile. Then honesty compelled him to
add, “Ida May, there’s really something I must tell you.”

“Yes?” Her spine stiffened.

He regarded her earnestly. “The truth is, I don’t re
ally care about the contest, or the land. Why, before all
this competition came up, I’d thought of going on to college in the fall, maybe even becoming a history
professor like my moth—well, my ma loves history,
too.”

“That’s wonderful.” She hesitated. “But you’d leave
me here?”

“No, of course not—that is, if I may dare hope the knowledge of my whereabouts might matter to you.”

“Of course it matters, silly,” she chided. “Haven’t you
been listening to me at all?”

“Then—er—I mean, if I choose to go on to college, would you want to come with me?”

She beamed. “Why, certainly. But we’d have to marry first, of course.”

Cory blushed vividly, even as his heart sang with joy.
“
0h, of course. That goes without saying.”

“I’m relieved to hear it.”

At her delightfully earnest expression, Cory had to
chuckle. He burned to reach out and touch her but
knew he didn’t dare under present circumstances.
He’d have to wait until another time to show her how much she truly meant to him. “I’m so glad to hear of
your sentiments, Ida May. I may not care about the
land, but I do care about you.”

“Me, too, Cory.”

“Now if we can just convince your pa . . .”

She sighed. “That won’t be easy, I’m afraid. It helps
that your grandma came along today, since he fancies
her. But he still insists you boys are up to no good—es
pecially your older brothers.”

“Ida May, we aren’t that gang of bank robbers plagu
ing the region,” he stated firmly.

“0h, I believe you,” she hastily reassured him. “It’s just that Pa seems determined to tear you down.”

“Or maybe he just doesn’t want anyone marrying his daughters?”

“That, too,” she conceded unhappily. “Pa does love
being waited on.” She glanced wistfully in the direction
of her father and Eula.

Even as Cory followed her gaze, he was appalled to
see his grandma come shooting out of her chair with
an expression of stark, blinding rage. Then, before his
horrified eyes, Eula attacked Ezra, cursing and bashing
him over the head with her reticule.

“You dirty dog! How dare you!” she screamed.

“Stop it, woman!” cried Trumble, trying to shield
himself from the rain of blows. “What ails you?”

Matt popped up. “Grandma, what did he do?”

Eula’s chest was heaving as she turned to her grandson. “First, he insinuated I’m a cow. Then he asked me
how quick I could spit-polish a man’s boots. Then the
lecher went and tried to put his disgusting hand up my
trapdoor!”

At her colorful description, the four couples fought
laughter, and Ezra jumped up, his face hot. “I did no
such thing!”

“Don’t make it worse by lying, you butt-sniffing
weasel, or the Almighty will smite you where you
stand!” Eula waved a hand at her grandsons. “Come on,
boys, we’re leaving.”

“But, Grandma—” protested Vance.

“You heard me! Rattle your hocks!”

With Eula leading the way, and amid hasty, anxious
glances between the couples, the five Reklaws
trooped for the front door. Ezra watched their depar
ture in silent wrath, then right as Grandma opened the
door, he issued his parting shot. “Woman, you’d best get a rein on that temper of your’n before you darken
my door again.”

Cory watched his grandma’s spine stiffen and came
within a hair’s breadth of muttering, “0h, shit!” He
noted his brothers had all gone pasty-faced as well.

Features contorted with fury, Eula whirled on Ezra.
“Why, you arrogant, conceited pig! You think I’d ever
come within a hundred miles of you again, you rutting jackass? Well, you can eat my slipper, Ezra Trumble.”

And she pulled off a leather shoe and hurled it square
in his face.

All eight witnesses cringed in horror as Trumble
shrieked with pain and grabbed his wounded jaw.
“Dammit, woman! Are you trying to kill me? Where’s
my shotgun? I’m blowin’ the lot of you to kingdom
come!”

“Pa, no!” cried the girls in unison.

Meanwhile, the Reklaw men dared not wait for an
additional warning. Even as Grandma would have charged Ezra again, they grabbed her, hauled her out
the door and down the steps. Amid her numerous
protests and their own considerable groaning, they hefted her into the buckboard. The boys jumped in,
and Zach drove the team like a demon.

Fortunately, they were several hundred yards away
before Trumble’s shotgun boomed out from the
porch—but even at that distance Cory winced at the
sounds of the ominous blasts and Trumble’s lurid
cursing.

Fanning herself, Grandma glanced lamely at Cory.
“Reckon I didn’t help you boys out too much today,
did I?”

Stormy silence and surly looks were her only answers.