by Rose, Amelia
Maddie worked her temper off by putting away all the supplies and then doing some more work in her new garden. She was so mad, she hacked away until the plot was half as big again and then worked at turning over the soil and digging in some fertilizer. Dusk was falling as she finished up and headed inside for some clean clothes to take with her for after her shower at her gran’s house.
She relished the feel of the hot water on her body as she eased her aching muscles. It hurt, but the digging had managed to work the anger out of her system. A few sore muscles were a small price to pay to be rid of it. She’d call Jim when she got back, not to apologize for yelling at him, but to invite him back home. A little idea formed in the back of her mind that maybe if she modeled the kind of behavior she needed Jim to display from time to time, he’d get the message. Well, a girl could hope.
Chapter Fourteen
She went back to the cabin feeling refreshed, the anger completely gone. This old cabin really felt like home and she sat at the table, beginning to plan out how to keep the boys fed and functioning tomorrow when they were working on the fencing. There was plenty of steak for making sandwiches, loads of bread, cold water, and coffee for the morning and beer, for later in the afternoon.
It occurred to her that she should do some serious baking in the morning, maybe some fruit pies and a big potato bake and maybe do some for her grandparents while she was at it. There was the sound of a vehicle coming down the road and she felt pleased that Jim was at last coming home, she set about making something tasty for their dinner.
“How does beef stroganoff sound for dinner? I can do it with some rice.” She turned around to give him a hug to welcome him home but it wasn’t Jim standing there.
“Hello, sweetheart, you’re quite the little wife, aren’t you?” Andrew slurred.
“Get out of here, you drunken bastard.”
“Now that’s no way to talk to a future brother in law. Geez, you are something of a shrew when you get going. I don’t know how Jim puts up with you. If it was me, I’d teach you a lesson or two about how to be a good wife.” He was moving closer and she began to back around the table, picking up the rolling pin as she went and hiding it behind her back.
“I told you to get out of here.” Her plan was to push one of the kitchen chairs in front of him, trip him up, and hit him with the rolling pin, just hard enough to knock him out while she phoned Red for help. Then she heard another vehicle coming and instantly recognized the sound of Jim’s pickup. She started goading Andrew again, happy to yell and make a noise this time so Jim would hear her.
He heard all right, right after he recognized Andrew’s vehicle. Drunk driving as well, he thought. He’s really lost it this time. From the way Maddie was yelling, it sounded like he was going to harm her and the words he’d just spoken with his mother kicked in. He stiffened his resolve and for the first time, he realized Andrew wasn’t perfect just because he was the eldest. And he'd be dammed if he’d sit back and allow him to treat Maddie badly anymore.
He grabbed Maddie’s garden spade from against the cabin and quietly made his way to the door, where he saw Maddie backing around the table with Andrew in pursuit. Just a moment more and Andrew would have his back to the door and at that moment, Jim charged in, calling him every kind of evil name under the sun and immediately dropped the spade, thinking it would feel much better if he landed a good punch on his jaw. It did, but he couldn’t believe how much it hurt his knuckles.
Andrew crumpled into a heap on the floor, out cold. Not being a fighter, Jim didn’t comprehend his own strength but wow, it felt good to lay one on Andrew and realized it was like his mom said. He should have done it years ago.
Maddie ran into his arms, joy lighting up her face, and he noticed she had a firm hold of the rolling pin. “Yes, I was going to whack him with it but thankfully, you’ve saved me the effort. He was so drunk, I don’t know how he managed to drive and I hope he hasn’t hurt anyone.”
Jim kissed her, relieved she was okay and then moved to drag Andrew outside onto the grass. He took some rope from the pickup, tied his brother’s hands and legs, and proceeded to tie him to a pole on the front porch.
“Maybe we could put a sleeping bag under him to make it a bit softer,” suggested Maddie.
“We could, but I don’t know why we should. The man is an ass. I don’t for the life of me know why I’ve put him on a pedestal for all these years, like he could do no wrong.”
“Well, I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you’ve finally taken him down. Maybe he’ll be a better person now and really, I still think we should put something under him.” Maddie was inclined to be generous now the crunch had been and gone.
Jim pulled her to him and kissed her. “I love you, Maddie, and I hope that made up for my behavior this afternoon.”
“You mean decking him or kissing me?” she asked mischievously.
“Both.” he said, kissing her again.
Maddie pulled away and began talking about having beef stroganoff for dinner, but to the correct man this time, as Jim rummaged through his camping gear for his sleeping foam and a sleeping bag.
“The boys are going to die laughing when they see him out there in the morning.”
“Well, you know an extra pair of hands will get the fence done quicker and a good stint of hard work does good things to your head. It might be really good for him. I’ve decided to do a heap of baking in the morning over at Gran’s place so I can keep you and the boys supplied with food for the day.”
“That’d be great. Mom’s coming over as well so maybe she could help out?”
“I’d really like that. Now, why don’t you go and make that brother of yours comfortable out there and I’ll make dinner for us. Come to think of it, I’ll make extra so I can have some for tomorrow as well.”
“You are a good woman, Maddie. I reckon Andrew needs someone like you to keep him grounded.”
Jim moved outside with the sleeping gear and spread it out on the ground beside the porch. He moved Andrew onto it and rolled him onto his side, hoping it would be a little more comfortable. His eldest brother, the proud one, finally brought to earth. Jim wasn’t proud of using physical violence, but he was pleased that he’d been able to rescue Maddie. She deserved nothing less and it made him feel taller than he already was.
Supper smelled great. He realized he was starving, but food first this time.
Chapter Fifteen
The weekend was shaping up to be epic with the fencing and the gear for the running water being picked up and moved from the Dupont place to Jim and Maddie’s place. It was like a convoy arriving from the Circle O and as expected, they arrived early to make a start before the heat kicked in.
Andrew was still asleep in pride of place, on the grass by the front porch and Maddie had prepared a big pot of black coffee, figuring he would soon need it. She also had pain killers at the ready because he would have the mother of all headaches when he woke up.
The first thing the O’Connors saw was Andrew, sound asleep and tied up to the railing on the front porch. The boys immediately burst into uncontrollable laughter that brought Jim and Maddie outside.
“Morning, Dad, Mom. Looks like another beautiful Texas morning. Would you like a coffee before we get started?”
The boys were beside themselves laughing, so it was Red who answered. “It sure is, son, and we could spend all day talking about the weather but what have you done to Andrew? I know we told you to stand up for yourself but do you think you might have overdone things a bit?”
At that point, Andrew groaned and it produced a new round of laughter from the boys. “He doesn’t look to sharp,” laughed Michael. “Woo hoo, he’s human like the rest of us after all. Way to go, Andrew.”
“Shut up, you gormless pratt. And be quiet.” Andrew’s response elicited another round of laughter from the boys.
Maddie went to fetch the coffee for Andrew and Penny followed her inside. “I have some painkillers for him
too. He’s going to feel like crap for a while, but he’ll get over it.”
Penny couldn’t help laughing too. “I expect his dignity is going to hurt more than his head.”
They headed back outside again. “It’s a good thing they’re laughing then. It’s hard to stay mad when everyone else is laughing,” said Maddie. She handed the coffee to Andrew, who was now sitting up but his feet were still tied.
“Drink up, Andrew,” joked Joseph. “We could use another pair of hands with the fencing, seeing as you’re here.”
Andrew drank the coffee and gratefully accepted the painkillers as well. “This isn’t funny.”
The boys let loose again and it was contagious, as Red, Penny, Jim, and Maddie joined in.
“Nice touch, bro, to give him something soft to sleep on but did you really have to tie him up?” asked William.
Jim answered laconically. “Well, at the time, it seemed like a good idea. The man doesn’t know how to hold his liquor.”
“Oh, well, he just needs to practice,” said Joseph. “We can help with that. What do you say, Andrew? Come on now, bro, let’s get you untied and you can come and give us a hand with the fence. I have to hand it to you, Jim. You sure have a unique way to recruit workers.” The laughter started up again.
The men moved off, dragging Andrew, protesting all the way, over to start on the main fence.
******
Penny and Maddie were making pastry for fruit pies, working companionably together when Penny asked, “So are you going to tell me what happened? You know Jim was over late yesterday afternoon and he told me what happened in town.”
“Well, things started going downhill fast after that because I totally lost it with Jim. In fact, I was so mad, I ended up making the kitchen garden half as big again as I meant to and pretty much worked my temper off. When I came back from getting cleaned up over at Gran's, I was making supper when I heard a vehicle outside. I thought it was Jim, but it was Andrew.”
“And I’m guessing he was still drunk?” asked Penny.
“Yes, and he’s not a happy drunk.”
“He doesn’t generally drink at all because he thinks letting loose and having a little fun would destroy his image of the responsible eldest brother,” mentioned Penny.
“That would explain a lot. He was literally out of his mind and he really scared me. Came in with a notion to do me some harm and there was no way of talking sense into him because he was too far gone. I had the rolling pin and was about to wallop him with it when Jim came back. When he saw what was happening, he decked him and laid him out cold. We pulled him outside, laid him on the sleeping bag, and Jim tied him up so he wouldn’t do any damage if he woke up during the night.’
“So you’re saying Jim stood up for you and protected you?”
“Penny, he was magnificent. I don’t like fighting, but this was about Jim’s self-respect and teaching Andrew a lesson all wrapped up in the same parcel. He’ll never have to do it again and I’m hoping Andrew learned something too.”
The women moved outside to take a look at the progress of the fence.
“Hold it straight, man. Haven’t you ever built a fence before?”
“Of course not, you idiot. I’m the one who organizes you to do it,” replied Andrew, with a hint of laughter beginning to creep into his voice.
“Well, you know, bro, if you know how to do a job yourself, you’ll do a better job of supervising someone else to do it. You’re leaning sideways again, keep it straight. Anyone would think you had a hangover or something.” Gales of good natured laughter erupted and Andrew couldn’t help but join in. It really was contagious and the boys were naturally ebullient.
“Come on, Penny, let’s take the baking over to Gran's so we can take them all some morning tea. I might just make Andrew some more coffee first but maybe you should take it out to him though? You know - the TLC male ego factor and all that.’
“Tell me about it.” Penny grimaced and headed off with Andrew’s coffee.
******
Meanwhile, it was about morning tea time when the truck and half a dozen beefy men turned up at the Dupont place to move the demountable, tank, and stand. It was soon evident why it was such a big job but after much cussing, they were soon on their way to setting everything in place out by the back of the cabin. With so much food, Maddie invited them all to have some coffee and fresh baked pie and it wasn’t long before full stomachs had all the men back to displaying their usual equilibriums.
With so many people about, it was hard for Jim and Maddie to steal any time alone together but it didn’t matter. They were sitting together on the grass out by the tank stand when Maddie remembered about the box of gold coins buried in her kitchen garden. “What did Red say about our buried treasure?”
“I haven’t told him yet, with everything that happened. There was too much else going on and today’s just the same. I think we should leave it buried where it is for the time being until I can talk to him alone about it. Looks like it’s been there for a long time, a bit longer won’t hurt.”
“Okay, well, I’m going to go ahead and begin planting out a few things then.”
“Your garden looks bigger than it was yesterday. I didn’t realize you wanted such a large kitchen garden.”
“Well, I didn’t but I was so angry with you yesterday afternoon, I had to do something to work it off. I guess I can always preserve the produce.” She turned and gave him a loving kiss. “But I’ve forgiven you now, so it doesn’t matter.”
“Maddie, how would you feel about giving up teaching school? With everything going on here and our first shearing planned for some time in the fall, we’d be able to get by. I have enough saved to keep us going and I’ve figured out we could make really good money if we sell washed and carded fleece and get top dollar if it’s spun. I can’t do any of those things but maybe you could, if you wanted to help.”
“That’s a great idea, Jim. It’s like you’ve been reading my mind. I didn’t want to keep teaching. It’s okay, but I’d much rather be out here. I’d like a chicken house as well. Being able to produce most of our food would bring our living expenses down to almost negligible and I would be able to work out here with you. I don’t know how to spin but I could learn. And what if Gran was able to make sweaters and shawls from the mohair? She’s great at doing that sort of work.”
“That would almost be an answer to a prayer. The more value added to the fleece, the higher the end price. It wouldn’t be possible to spin and knit it all up, but I was thinking that a combination of selling raw fleece, washed and carded fleece, spun fleece, and ready-made garments would give us the best return. The first couple of years would be the hardest until I could breed up the herd a bit and then sell the yearling goats for top dollar. The going price is $500 - $600 for a purebred Angora goat.”
“So, how often do you shear them?”
“Around spring and fall, twice per year, and breeding season is usually August to November with the kids arriving in the spring. They are efficient producers and the more you look after them and keep them comfortable, the better the fleece quality. The younger the goat, the softer the fleece is the general rule of thumb.”
“How many goats are you going to start out with?”
“I wanted to get twenty, but then Dad wants twenty as well and Dad being Dad, he’s rounding it up to an even fifty.”
“So I’d need to wash and card twenty five fleeces and then spin them. I think that’s doable. You’ve got yourself a deal, Jim O’connor.” She kissed him, letting him know she’d work just as hard as him to make a success of this business.
“You wouldn’t need to spin it all at once. Each fleece will be around ten pounds in weight but if we could get them all washed and carded, then kept aside a few for spinning, we’d be on our way. The market for value added mohair is growing all the time, so we could stockpile it and take it to craft fairs, sell it online..”
“Sounds good to me. Maybe I could quit after
the spring break and tie in with the first shearing. That way, we’d still have my salary as a fall back for a few months.”
“I’m good with whatever you want to do, but you don’t have to wait if you don’t want to. Let’s see how we go with getting set up. The barn’s arriving on Monday and the excavation for the septic is also happening on Monday. I’ll get them to dig the channels for the water pipes while they’re here and hopefully, we’ll have running water and a flushing toilet by the middle of next week. Dad’s ordering the goats then too. He’s dead keen now to start growing some top quality mohair.”
“It’s amazing how he’s taken to the idea. I thought he’d be a die-hard cattle rancher like Francis.”
“I think the bottom line with the both of them is they want to keep ranching for as long as it’s humanly possible.”
Jim pulled her to his feet and held her close. “Can’t say I blame them. I want to keep going for as long as I can too.” He kissed her, hoping she knew just how much he needed her by his side.
