“She does not deserve forgiveness. She has caused nothing but pain in her life. She took you away from us. Our baby girl was raised by strangers because of her.”
Both Ian and Abby turned simultaneously and stared at Lydia as they heard her soft laughter. “She is so sweet, Ian. I wonder if she would be this sweet if she had been brought up in this house. I doubt it.”
Ian replied, “There is no hope for Lydia’s demented soul. Her heart is too cold and hard for forgiveness. The evilness in her heart will take her all the way to hell.”
“I have but one regret, Ian. I wish I would have killed her so you would never have been reunited with your precious daughter.”
Ian fell onto Lydia, wrapped his strong hands around her scrawny neck, and began to choke the life out of her. Loud shouts filled the room as he lost all control. “I hate you! I hate you!”
Abby put her hands on top of Ian’s. “Stop, Ian. God must choose when she dies. It is not for you to decide.” Ian only squeezed tighter. “Please, Daddy, let her go.” The moment Abby called him daddy he released his hold on Lydia’s neck.
Gasping for air to fill her lungs, the old woman’s face turned purple and grotesque. Unnatural coughs made Abby’s skin crawl.
When Ian stood and clenched his fists, Abby jumped into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, “I love you, Daddy.” The anger and pain of the years melted away as he held her in his arms.
Chapter Sixteen
Anxiously waiting in the buggy for Abby and Daniel, Cord watched her say her tearful goodbyes to her family. Now that Lydia would be spending the rest of her life behind bars, they could go home. The three men, who aided Lydia, had also been apprehended and thrown in prison for the rest of their miserable days. Abby had been the one to convince Ian to let the authorities deal with her kidnappers. Of course is first impulse was to hunt them down and kill them one by one by his own hand.
Cord could not wait to get home. Even though they had only been at Ian’s for a week, it felt like a year. He hoped they would not visit too often. In his mind he could see them all descending upon his home for days on end. He groaned out loud. For some reason he felt they were going to make his life miserable. At least he and Ian had come to an understanding for Abby’s sake. However, he still had a difficult time tolerating the man’s arrogance. Always repeating the fact he had deserted Abby and she had to leave her home to save her child. It was doubtful the man would ever forgive him.
James kissed Abby on the cheek and helped her into the buggy. “I’m going to miss you, Abby.”
“You can visit any time you wish, James. You will always be welcome at our home.” Cord blew out his breath and Abby elbowed him in his side, causing him to wince from the pain.
Once again before he handed Daniel to Abby, Ian gave him a hug. “You better take good care of them, Cord. If you mistreat her, I will hear about it.”
“Daddy, would you stop.” A huge smile split his face. Every time he heard the word his heart melted. “Cord has never treated me with anything but kindness.” She touched Ian’s cheek. “I love you, Daddy.”
Gathered around the buggy, her family all began to talk at once. “Goodbye Mother!” She fought the tears as Cord slapped the reins on the horse’s rump, and the buggy bolted forward. “I’ll miss you.”
Grace buried her face in her husband’s chest as she softly cried.
As they rode down the drive, Cord snapped, “I thank God you were not raised by that incorrigible man. You would have been spoiled beyond redemption.”
Abby laughed. “Yes, you are probably right. Maybe it was what God had intended.”
****
Cord’s excitement was evident as he drove the buggy up the oak lined drive. Abby could feel his eyes watching her as she got the first view of her new home. A huge, white, two story house with green shutters stood majestically at the end of the drive. The roof for the second story extended at least twelve feet covering a huge porch the whole width of the house. Green furniture the same color as the shutters looked warm and inviting. She imagined herself serving tea and apple pie to Cord on cool, spring afternoons. “It is beautiful.”
Pride was obvious as his face broke into a grin. “It’s not as nice as the McDonald Plantation but it will suffice.”
With a shrug of her shoulders, she replied, “I never felt comfortable there anyway. I was always afraid I would break something expensive. I hope your home is not so richly decorated.”
“To tell the truth, it looks as it did the day I moved in. Since it belonged to my grandparents, I didn’t want to change anything. We were very close to grandpa and grandma.”
Honeyed sunlight filtered through the huge oaks bathing the house in shadows, and in her imagination she could see him playing with his brothers and Meredith on the front lawn.
The house slaves knew they would be arriving today because they hurried down the steps to meet their new mistress. Before Abby could climb down from the buggy with Daniel, she was greeted by a colored woman almost as big around as she was tall. “Welcome, Mrs. Sutton. Here let me take him.” Abby handed Daniel to her and she engulfed him in her huge bosom. “My, my, he look juss like his daddy.”
“Abby, this is Bessie.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Bessie.” Bessie was so taken with Daniel she didn’t hear a word Abby said. She whispered in his ear and he gave her a big gummy smile.
A tall, thin man reached to get Abby’s bags out of the back of the buggy. “This is Bessie’s husband Tom.”
Tom gave Abby a big toothy grin. His teeth were stark white against his dark skin. “Ma’am.”
“It is nice to meet you, Tom.”
“This is our cook, Lucy.”
“I can’t believe Cord has gone and found himself a wife. And juss look at ya. Ya so purty and all.”
“Thank you, Lucy.” She was of average height but heavy around the middle. Abby thought to herself she must be a pretty good cook. It looked as if she ate what she prepared.
Cord ushered everyone inside so Abby could see her new home. At first she said nothing as she took in her surroundings.
“If it’s not to your liking, please make changes. It is also your home. I want you to be happy here.”
She gave her husband a dazzling smile. “I love it. It is perfect.” Open double doors beckoned her to the veranda where a gentle breeze blew through the room. Pots of fragrant, colorful flowers spread out inviting her to sit and enjoy their beauty. Cord touched her arm. She lifted her face and peered into his eyes. “I’m sure this will be my favorite place.”
He bent and whispered in her ear causing her to shiver. “You haven’t seen the bedroom yet. I hope that will be your favorite place.”
Abby swatted his chest lightly. “Do you ever think of anything besides sex?”
When he seemed to be pondering that question, she giggled. He looked at her suggestively and replied, “I’m serious, let’s go upstairs.”
“I want to see the rest of the house.”
“There will be plenty of time for you to see the rest of the house.” Taking her hand, he led her upstairs to their bedroom. There in the middle of the room was a huge oak bed. Her cheeks turned pink thinking of what they would do in that very bed tonight. She screamed in shock when he picked her up and threw her on the bed. Flat on her back she gazed into Cord’s passionate eyes.
“I don’t think I can wait until tonight.” He devoured her mouth, ravishing her tongue with his. His touch was potent and she could feel his desire as he pressed against her.
Abby could hear Daniel’s cries of hunger. She pushed at Cord trying to get him off. “It is time to feed our son.”
Cord groaned in pain, and rolled off Abby. He lay looking at the ceiling as she straightened her clothes. “How long does this breast feeding thing last?”
She tried to sound serious. “I thought I would breast feed him until he is two.” A look of shock crossed his face. Then he realized she was joking.
“Only about a year. Then with any luck I’ll have another baby. I would like a girl next time.”
His wiggled his eyebrows. “I’ll see what I can do.”
****
After Abby fed Daniel, she lay him down for his nap next to Cord already sleeping soundly in the middle of the bed. She knew he had not had a decent night’s sleep at the McDonald’s. She stood back and looked at the two most important people in her life. They were so handsome. Daniel already looked so much like his father. Suddenly, she realized she was happy. All the turmoil was over and she was truly content. Life was perfect.
Too excited to nap, Abby decided to see the rest of the house. The moment her feet touched the last step, Bessie approached carrying a silver platter holding a letter. She stood staring at the platter.
“You is suppose to read the letter, Mrs. Sutton. It’s the way rich folk git they messages.”
Abby smiled and took the letter. “I guess you know I was brought up on a small farm and know nothing about what rich people do. You are probably going to have to help me on several occasions with proper etiquette.”
“It’s okay, Mrs. Sutton. I don mind a’tall.”
“Call me, Abby. Mrs. Sutton makes me sound so old.” She opened the letter and began to read it. Peering over the letter, she looked at Bessie. “It looks like we are having our first guests. Adam, Nick, and Meredith will be dining with us tonight. Will you please tell Lucy to add three for supper?”
After wandering through every room in the house, Abby finally made her way to the kitchen. She stood in awe as she took in the beauty of the enormous room. It was at least five times bigger than her kitchen back home with lots of counter space. Already hard at work, Lucy was preparing a special meal for her first supper in her new home. “Can I help?”
Shock evident on her face, Lucy replied, “It’s your kitchen, ma’am.”
Abby rolled up her sleeves, found an apron and got to work. It felt wonderful to be cooking again. Every time she stepped into the kitchen at her the McDonald plantation, she was shooed away. No one could shoo her out of her own kitchen.
She wanted everything to be perfect for her first attempt at entertaining in her new home. Cord found Abby in the kitchen helping Lucy with the menu.
He wrapped his arms around her stomach, rested his chin on her head, and stated provocatively, “Daniel is still asleep. Would you like to finish what we started earlier?”
Abby’s face turned scarlet because she knew Lucy heard what he said. Slapping his hands away, she turned and faced her naughty husband. “There is no time. We are having guests for supper.”
Cord snapped, “We just got home. I wanted us to have our first meal alone. I have had to share you from the first day we were married. I’m tired of sharing you. Who am I sharing you with tonight?” Face red with anger, he asked, “Please tell me it is not the McDonalds!”
His tone reminded her of a spoiled child. She cupped his cheek. “Nick, Adam, and Meredith have invited themselves to dine with us. We have the rest of our lives, Cord. One more night will not make much of a difference.”
“That’s your opinion, not mine. I’ll go check on Daniel. You do know you will have to hire a nanny. There is no way you can keep up with him and look after me properly.”
“Stop saying things like that in front of Lucy. You are intentionally embarrassing me.” With her finger pressed to his chest, she said with confidence, “I’ve done just fine, Cord. I didn’t need any help when I lived with Uncle Taylor and I won’t need any now. I can tend to my own son.”
“Have it your way. But if you change your mind, let me know.” Cord bent and whispered in her ear. “I’ll not have my wife too tired to please me every night.”
Thoroughly shocked, Abby pointed toward the door and shouted, “Get out, Cord!” Red faced, Abby pushed him out the kitchen door. “Don’t you come back until you can act like a gentleman!” Hearing his loud laughter didn’t help appease her embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Lucy. The man has no manners.”
“It’s awright, ma’am. I juss glad to see him happy.”
She had to admit he had changed since they got home. The whole time they were at her daddy and mother’s he had been a powder keg. She never knew what was going to set him off. Many times she had to intervene before Ian and Cord came to blows. Now he seemed so at ease under his own roof. It was as Lucy said. He did seem happy.
Chapter Seventeen
It was difficult to wait for Tom to open the door. The man moved so slowly Abby wanted to open it for him. She stood in the foyer waiting anxiously for her guests to be invited in. By her side Cord stood holding Daniel. The moment the door opened, Abby ran into Nick’s arms. “I have missed you.”
Lifting Abby off her feet, Nick swung her around. “I’ve missed you too, Sissy.”
It was too late for Abby to greet Meredith. The second she saw Daniel everyone else was forgotten. A flash of light blue silk dashed across the floor and made a bee line for her only nephew.
“Hello, Abby. Thank you for feeding us on such short notice. I hope you don’t mind.” Adam bent and kissed Abby on the cheek.
“Not at all, I’m thrilled to have you.” She didn’t want to hurt Adam’s feelings so she didn’t tell him Nick was the reason she was excited. At least she would be able to spend some time with him before he returned home.
“Hello, Meredith. I love your dress.”
“Thank you, Abby. You look lovely too.” Abby laughed. Meredith had not even looked at her. For all her sister-in-law knew she could be wearing a feed sack.
Nick took Daniel out of Meredith’s arms. “Let me hold him, Meredith. Did you not learn to share when you were a child?”
Pouting prettily, Meredith replied, “You are the one that does not seem to know how to share. Every time I touch him you take him away from me.”
“Let’s go into the parlor. Supper will be served in thirty minutes.” Abby invited.
Cord replied, “I need to see Adam in my study, Abby. We have some business to discuss. Ya’ll go ahead and we’ll be on directly.”
The hairs on the back of her neck rose. From the look on Cord’s face, he was worried about something.
****
Cord poured two brandies and sat down on the sofa across from Adam. Puzzled, Cord wondered why his brother invited himself to supper. Maybe the hired gun he paid to find Bart Langley had some success. He hoped so. Waiting until Adam took a sip of his brandy, Cord asked, “Is something wrong?”
Adam looked serious. “You know I wouldn’t show up on your first day home without good reason.” He nervously tapped his leg. “Bart Langley is in Raleigh.”
His voice taking on an edge Cord asked, “Are you sure?”
Obviously worried, Adam shifted in his chair. “Matthew Dunbar swears he saw him in a saloon last night on the outskirts of Baker Street. He said he has lost weight, is wearing his hair longer, and sporting a beard, but he was positive it was him. The eyes gave him away, one green and one brown. Nature does not make that mistake often.”
Cord stood and began to pace. “Why in the hell would Bart show his face in Raleigh knowing he is a wanted man? A man’s own brother would turn him in for $10,000.”
“That I can’t answer. You said you tracked him to Mexico.”
Cord propped against the oak desk and faced Adam. “Yes, I tracked down his four accomplices and killed them. He gave me the slip every time I had him in my sights. I had him pinned down in the desert, and believed there was no way he would get away. Hell, he shot my horse right out from under me and I had to walk for two days before I found water and food.”
As memories of that terrible day resurfaced, Cord was thankful Pepper had thrown a shoe and he had been on a different mount. Pepper had been his father’s horse and meant a great deal to him. He shivered thinking how close he had come to dying at the hands of Bart Langley, not once but twice. Abby saved him the first time; the second time it was an old goat farmer. By the time the man
found him lying in the desert sun, there were buzzards already circling overhead. It was weeks before he regained his strength.
“I know I should have stayed and picked up his trail again. I should have finished him off, but I was tired. All I could think about was returning home and marrying Abby and spending Christmas with her. For nine long months I searched. My heart just wasn’t up to it anymore. I’m surprised Tad Galor had no luck finding him. He is reputed to be the best bounty hunter and tracker in the area.”
“When did you last get a telegraph from Tad?”
Cord ran his fingers through his hair. “About two weeks ago.”
There was a strained silence between the two brothers. “I’m beginning to believe we underestimated Langley. If Langley is in Raleigh, then more than likely Tad is dead. You are the best I have ever seen with a gun. If he got the drop on you twice, then the man is a mighty force.” Adam poured himself another glass of brandy, and gulped it down in one swallow. “I’m going into Raleigh tonight, hit the saloons, and see if I can find him.”
“No, Adam. We drew straws and I pulled the shorter straw. It is my responsibility to eliminate Langley. I should not have left Mexico until he was dead. Now someone else will probably die because I didn’t complete my duty to this family.” Cord thought of Abby and Daniel. He worried Langley may be in town to harm them. It would be his fault if something happened to his wife and son.
“But now you have a family. What happens to them if you don’t survive? I’m the eldest and unmarried. Now it should be up to me to avenge our parents’ death.”
“Wait until tomorrow night. We’ll both go search him out.” Tired of all the turmoil Langley had caused, Cord knew he would not stop this time until the man was dead.
“Let’s go eat. Abby fried chicken. I promise it is the best you ever tasted.”
****
Adam pushed away from the table and rubbed his stomach. “Abby that was the best fried chicken I have had in my life. Cord said you were a good cook.”
Love Me Again Page 22
