“I could use a new color,” Abby remarked, starting to walk in their direction.
“Or two,” I teased, following after her. I peeked over my shoulder once to see Libby following at a distance, scowling as Mabel bounced on her hip.
“Howdy, young ladies,” one of the old ladies called out as we approached. “Come see our fine selection of yarns.”
“Softest wool in the whole West,” the other added.
I fingered a pale yellow in front of me and saw straight away that she was tellin’ it straight, though I schooled my features to remain neutral.
“Oh, Maggie,” Abby whispered eagerly as she picked up a blue ball. “This would be perfect for—”
“I don’t know, Abigail.” I met her eyes and hoped she’d catch on quick and stop actin’ so eager. “There’s lots to see yet, we don’t want to spend all our money in one place.”
“Let the child look, if she wishes,” the old lady admonished, patting Abby’s hand.
I stifled the urge to roll my eyes. Abby charmed everyone and of course this lady would take up for her, ‘specially if it meant fattening her coin purse. I shifted the basket of eggs and vegetables I’d brought from the garden to barter with, eyeing the yarn.
“No, Maggie’s right,” she said, setting the ball down, not that I could miss the wistful look she gave it. I knew she was already seeing it as a new quilt or perhaps knitted into clothing.
“What about you, dearie? This yarn makes the best diapers.”
Libby’s face was blank of expression as she replied. “I don’t knit.”
The old ladies looked beside themselves with this news and went tight-lipped after that. So much for haggling.
“We’ll come back,” I promised Abby in low undertone as I led her away. “I was just hopin’ to bring their price down a bit but—” I shot a murderous look Libby’s way, not that she seemed to take notice.
“It’s alright, Maggie. Thank you for trying,” Abby replied, in her sunny way.
“Can you take her for a few minutes?” Libby asked, thrusting the baby toward me before I had a chance to answer. “I need a moment.”
“Why, of course, but—” The instant I took Mabel in my arms, Libby turned around and bolted.
“What the devil?” I muttered in surprise as I watched her disappear in the crowd of people milling about.
“Maggie, really! Think of the baby!” Abby scolded.
“What’s going on with her? Did she say something to you?”
Abby shook her head, seeming as perplexed as I was. “Go on and hand me your basket. You can’t tote it and the baby both.”
I balanced Mabel in the crook of my arm as I handed over the basket, still staring into the distance where Libby had run off. “You reckon we ought to go after her?”
“You heard her, she said she’d be back. If we wander off, might be she won’t be able to find us.”
“Maybe, but I don’t want to have to explain to Wesley why we let his wife go off alone.”
Abigail worried her lip between her teeth, following my gaze. “I don’t know, Maggie. Maybe we should go find the men and explain what happened and let them sort it out.”
“Go fetch them, if you like.” I forced myself to sound pleasant even though I was starting to feel annoyed with my overly cautious sister-in-law. “I’m for goin’ to find Libby. You can tell ‘em where I’ve gone.” Without waiting for a response, I began walking away in the direction Libby had shot off, and when I heard Abby call, “Maggie, wait!” I knew she’d be following behind me.
When she caught up, I could tell she was a bit out of breath. “Where do you suppose she went off to?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea, Abigail. If we knew why she was in such a tither, maybe…” Just then, Mabel began to cry. I looked down at her sweet little face and stopped for a moment to cuddle her close. “Shh, sweet girl. We’re gonna find your mama.”
“Let’s hope so,” Abby muttered.
I ignored her and kept walking. We just had to, there was no maybe about it. We walked past the other tables laden with goods, not sparing them a glance as we maneuvered through the crowd—no easy task considering we were both weighed down, Abby with my basket and me with the baby.
The longer we kept at it, the fewer tables we came across and the more the crowd thinned out. I was relieved, as it made it easier to search for Libby, but it seemed to make Abby uneasy.
“Maybe we should turn back and—”
“Then this will have been for nothing. We’ll find her.” I could tell by her unhappy silence that she disagreed, but she kept trailing behind me. It was hot work, carryin’ a baby in this heat. I sure could do with a drink of water, but there wouldn’t be any to be found for a ways. When I found Libby I was going to wring her neck but good!
Mabel’s whimpers were getting louder and my shushing didn’t seem to help matters none. The further we walked, the more conscious I became of my aching arms and the beads of perspiration gathering on my forehead despite the wide brim hat I wore atop my head. Maybe Abby was right, maybe I shouldn’t have been so stubborn. How long had we walked like this; how much farther was I willing to go?
I was just about to suggest we turn back when I caught sight of a figure walking toward us. I breathed a deep sigh of relief when I made out Libby’s pale blue gingham. “Look, there she is. I told you we would find her,” I said, with confidence I didn’t feel.
As she came closer, I couldn’t help but notice the dirt on her dress and how unkempt her hair had become. What kind of mess could she have gotten herself into in such a short time?
“Howdy,” Abby called out, as though nothing was amiss.
“I told you I was comin’ back,” Libby snapped, reaching and snatchin’ the baby without so much as a thank-you.
“We were worried.”
Libby snorted at Abby’s remark and turned from the two of us, walking back toward the fair so quickly we had to hurry to keep up.
“Where’d you run off to?” I demanded to know.
“Really, Maggie, try concernin’ yourself with somethin’ else and buttin’ out of my affairs.”
I was shocked by the rebuke as much as the haughty tone in which she’d said it. I’d honestly thought we’d gotten past all the hostility between us. “Really, Libby I was just tryin’ to—”
“I don’t care one whit what you were tryin’ to—”
“Libby, please,” Abby pleaded in her reconciliatory tone. “Let’s not fuss.”
With a loud hmmph she continued on and we trailed behind. She didn’t lessen her pace even when we made it back to the fair and Abby and I saw little choice but to keep walking behind. What I’d thought would be a fun day was turning out to be very much the opposite.
“Libby, wait,” I called out, reaching to touch her shoulder.
She whirled on me, eyes blazing. “Don’t lay hands on me, Maggie!”
I drew back in surprise, wondering what I could have done to inspire such wrath. Perhaps I’d only imagined things were better between us; it was a notion I’d surely have to abandon now. “Why, whatever is the matter?”
She breathed heavily, nostrils flaring as her daughter whimpered. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“But Libby, we—”
“You wouldn’t understand!” she burst out accusingly. “You have no idea what it’s like… everything’s just so…”
“We can help,” Abby put in gently.
“It can’t be as bad as all that,” I implored.
“Easy for you to say, you’re not the one as big as a horse!” she snapped, her voice rising.
I could feel the blood draining from my face. She knew how badly I wished I was with child—I didn’t care one whit how much weight I gained, if only I could have a baby. Her comment hit me squarely and stung like a slap in the face.
Her eyes softened after a moment. “Oh, Maggie, don’t look like that. I didn’t mean—”
“You did,” I accused, feeling m
y own anger flare. “You most certainly did!”
“Girls, please,” Abby said. “People are startin’ to stare.”
“Let ‘em stare if they’ve got nothin’ better to do!” I huffed. “And anyway, I’m not goin’ to idle by and let little Miz Libby get away with her horrid attitude!”
“I said I was sorry, Maggie, I didn’t mean to rile you. I know it might have seemed like, but I didn’t.”
“You’ll never stop bein’ so hateful, will you?” I challenged, glowering at her. “No matter what anybody does for you, you’ll always be this spiteful, ungrateful—”
“Please, lower your voice,” Abigail whispered frantically. “Please.”
I ignored her, raising my voice just to be heard over her. “—vicious woman!” I heard a gasp behind me and it was only when I turned my head that I saw we were indeed being watched. Quite a crowd had formed to gawk at us, and if I hadn’t been so angry I would have been mortified.
“Please, just stop it!” Abigail said, her voice raised to match our own.
“Don’t think yourself so high and mighty, just because—” Libby’s retort cut off when three large men broke through the crowd and approached.
Their faces were grim and Clay caught my eye instantly. He wasn’t well pleased—far from it.
“What’s this now?” he asked, his voice neutral. Even so, I knew he was angry; I’d been married to him long enough to see the signs: the rigid posture, the way his fists clenched and unclenched at his sides, and most of all, the lack of laughter in his normally teasing eyes.
“We were just—”
“Causin’ quite a scene,” Trent cut in, raising an eyebrow. “Maybe we ought to just go home.”
The people who had stopped to gawk at us now began to disperse now that our husbands had put an end to what must have been a very entertaining show. I traded glances with Abigail who was closest to me, who looked as miserable as I felt.
“We haven’t even had a chance to look around proper,” Libby complained. Though her tone was a bit subdued, it was plain she was still frettin’ something awful.
“I guess you might have thought on that before you went on yellin’ like a bunch of children,” Wesley said, his voice cutting.
“I don’t rightly know ‘bout that,” Clay joined in. Even though I didn’t meet his eyes, I could feel his on me as he spoke. “Seems to me children have more sense’n to be fightin’ in public.”
I could feel my cheeks burning with shame and tears prickled my eyes when I heard the disappointment in my husband’s voice. I’d been trying so hard for things to get back to normal!
“What do you say, should we ride for home?” Trent asked.
“You know, Wes and I really wanted to see the horseraces. We probably missed most of the last one, havin’ to deal with this foolishness, but there’s still one more left. We’ll bring them along and then head for home.”
I felt my heart sink. It was so rare that we got to do anything like this and it would be longer still until we got the chance again. Still, none of us chose to argue as we followed our husbands over to the horse corral—though I saw Libby shooting some deadly looks at the back of Wes’s head.
It seemed abundantly clear that there would be trouble when we left, made all the more discomforting for the fact that we had to sit and act like nothing was amiss. Though Clay never looked my way, I could feel him rigid and tense as he sat beside me. He was still clenching and unclenching his fist, a sign if ever there was one that his palm itched to smack against my backside. My bottom tingled at the mere thought and I suspected it would do more than tingle soon.
The bench was hard and I shifted uncomfortably more than once, wishing I’d just ignored Libby Swift! If I had, none of this would be happening. I wouldn’t be sitting here, bored out of my mind and worried about a spanking to boot!
The race went quickly, though it felt anything but to me. If it had been a normal day, we would have milled about, talking with neighbors we only got to see on such occasions. We would have wandered trading for wares, or sat down and had a meal. Instead, as soon as the race was over, Clay ushered me over to Sapphire and helped me into the saddle without so much as a word. We rode home in the same way, with him stonily silent, his belly taut under my arms.
I’d thought we would be going home, but to my surprise, Clay rode for the family farm instead. He climbed down and put his hands around my waist to swing me out of the saddle. Normally, such contact would make my skin tingle in a way that made me eager for the bedroom, but considering what I suspected awaited me in our bedroom it was hard to think on it any other way.
“I’m gonna put the horse in the barn. You go inside.”
“But—”
“Maggie, don’t make me tell you twice, y’hear? Your sisters will be in to join you shortly, I’m sure. I better find you waitin’ when I get in.”
My fears confirmed, I bowed my head and trudged up to the house. It was a lonely walk, considering. Clay was right—I hadn’t been sitting on the couch for more than a few minutes when I heard the door scratch open. I looked up, my pulse goin’ faster’n a team of horses, but it was only Abby and Libby. Both of them looked about as miserable as I felt. Abby took a seat beside me as Libby took Mabel into the bedroom. When she came back, she sat down as well, scooting as far over as she could manage.
I wondered more than once what was taking so long. I knew it didn’t take but a minute or two to get the animals in the barn, so I suspected that they were making us wait on purpose. I shifted uncomfortably and coughed into my hand. There seemed to be a tickle in the back of my throat that I suspected had to do with nerves more than anything else. Waiting for a scolding wasn’t enjoyable by any means, but wait we did.
When I heard Libby sigh, long and loud, I couldn’t help but sneak a look at her. She looked plain bored and I could feel my anger rising. I wish I could be so indifferent! Why, she was the one to blame for the whole entire mess we were in! If not for her, we would have had a good time at the fair, but instead, we were waitin’ for our husbands to come chastise us.
“I’m sorry you’re not enjoyin’ yourself, Libby,” I said, my voice drippin’ sweetness just like honeycomb.
“Why, I don’t know what you mean,” she huffed.
“I mean that you’re the reason we’re in this state and you—”
“I’m the reason? Me? How do you figure? I told you I’d come find you, if you’d just gone about your—”
“We were worried about you! I can see it was a wasted effort, but you could at least try to pretend to be grateful!”
“Grateful?” she echoed meanly. “Grateful for what? That you started a fight and—”
“I didn’t start anythin’ and—”
“Stop it, you two! You’re just so much alike, don’t you see?”
It was exactly the worst thing she could have said. Abby suddenly found herself right in the middle of our spat and we both glared daggers at her. “I’m nothing like that spoiled—”
“Me? I’m not a thing like Maggie!”
Abby leapt to her feet, crying “Enough!” at the top of her lungs until we quieted and stared at her.
When I heard a stern “Ahem” and turned to see Clay, Wesley, and Trent watching us, I felt my heart drop. We were really in for it now.
“Sit down, Abigail,” Trent commanded in a voice that sounded too firm to be his.
When she’d complied, the three of them came to stand in front of us. Clay folded his arms across his chest and looked at me with those hard, angry eyes until I looked away. I was still looking down at the floor when he began to speak.
“We’ve had us a long talk and I don’t have to tell you that the ruckus you all caused today is unacceptable.”
“Deplorable, more like,” Wesley added.
“It was embarrasin’ and not a good reflection of our values. As such, we think the punishment should fit the crime.”
I looked up, my mouth dropping open. Surely, Clay inten
ded to spank me, but…
His next words confirmed my fears. “Since you three got into this mess together and saw fit to make us look like fools, it only seems fittin’ that we treat you to a dose of your own medicine.”
As he’d been speaking, Wesley had been moving chairs from the table into the parlor. The sinking feeling in my stomach worsened as I took in the three chairs lined up next to one another.
When he was done, he stood in front of the chair on the left and crooked his finger at his wife. “Libby, come here,” he called out when she still didn’t move.
Even though I was still quite angry, I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her. I didn’t know that I’d ever heard him sound so irate.
Libby must have known it, too, because she lost some of her color as she stood to her feet to make the walk to where her husband stood. The moment she reached his side, he sat down and patted his knee. As she went over his lap, I winced and looked away. They couldn’t mean to make us watch, could they?
But that seemed to be exactly what the men had in mind, because Wes flipped up her skirts, revealing her drawers. I heard her muffled protest, to which he paid no mind. Even though I’d turned my eyes back to the floor—though Lord knows they seemed prone to wandering back to the spectacle in front of me—I could still hear the sound of his hand smacking her backside. Every time his palm collided with the seat of her drawers, I found myself wincing and even more aware that soon, it would be my turn. Soon, I would be getting spanked in front of my sisters-in-law. It was worse than the waiting, worse than the spanking itself, knowing they’d be hearing every moan of pain.
“Alright, Abby. Your turn.”
I looked to my left and saw her standing. She seemed to feel my eyes on her and gave me a small, trembling smile before walking over to where Trent sat. If listening to Libby get her spanking was hard, watching Abby walk toward hers was almost unbearable. We never should have put her in the middle of our squabble. “Trent, wait!” I called out. Both he and Abby looked at me. “Please, it wasn’t her fault. Libby and I, we were the ones fussin’. Abby was just tryin’ to get us to stop. She doesn’t deserve to be spanked for our mistake.”
Maggie Meets Her Match Page 15
