Grumbling, Joel headed for the stairs. Sticking around wasn’t an option. At all. He needed to get that idea out of his head. April and Sep were keeping him here against his will. Maybe he wasn’t stuck in that room, but he was a prisoner until he could leave. When the weather calmed down, he could go to town. Then he’d put this weird experience behind him and live his happy life as a bachelor. And if Nora got sick again, Doctor Adams could make the house call!
Chapter Six
April mashed the potatoes while Sep bounced Nora on his leg. Glancing at the hallway, she decided to talk to her brother. She picked up the large bowl and set it on the table so she could sit next to Sep. “I don’t know if making Joel marry me is a good idea,” she whispered.
He stopped bouncing Nora and looked at the empty doorway before he returned his gaze to her. “How else are we going to make sure Lou doesn’t come back?”
Reluctant, she consented to his point. “We can’t. Lou was watching us in town and followed us out here.”
For a moment, he remained silent, as if considering her words. Finally, he shook his head. “If he’s making it a habit to watch us, then you have to marry Joel. We stand a better chance if Lou knows there’s an adult man here. Who else are we going to get?”
She stopped mashing the potatoes and sighed. “There has to be another way.”
“Well, maybe next time he shows up, I won’t miss when I shoot him. That is, of course, if I can get here in time. What if I don’t? What if he succeeds and you end up expecting another child? I bet he’ll be coming out with the preacher to make things right.”
She shuddered and turned her attention back to the bowl, this time pounding the food with more force than necessary. Despite her brother’s young age, he was wise to the ways of the world. But she supposed that couldn’t be helped after all the things Harvey had done. And the last thing they needed was another Harvey living with them. A tear slid down her cheek and she brushed it away with the back of her hand.
Nora grew restless so Sep bounced her on his knee again. “I don’t like forcing Joel to stay any more than you do, but it’s for the best.”
“He hates us.”
“He doesn’t hate us.”
“Yes, he does, and he’ll never forgive us for what we’re doing.”
“Whether he forgives us or not isn’t important. What’s important is that you’re safe.”
“It’s important that you’re safe, too. You’re the one that had to go into that third room.” She took a deep breath to settle her nerves and resumed mashing the potatoes. “I don’t want to go through that ever again.”
“And I don’t want to come into the kitchen and find Lou trying to take advantage of you.”
Nodding, she stood up and took the bowl to the work table. “You’re right. Even if Joel hates us, we’re better off with him than with Lou.” Joel had no idea how awful a man could get if he expected her to toss him out of the house because he was a blowhard who made a mess in the house and snored loud enough to wake the dead. “Joel doesn’t seem to be capable of doing real harm.” And that’s what made him the right type of man for her to marry.
She finished cooking the rest of the meal in silence, and by the time Sep helped her set the table, Joel trudged into the kitchen, his shoulders slumped and a look of resignation on his face. He plopped into the chair next to Nora and let out a weary sigh. April fought the urge to roll her eyes. Being with them couldn’t be so bad that he had to mope around the house.
“If we hadn’t been cleaning up the mess somebody made, I would have made something for dessert,” she said as she sat down. When Joel didn’t answer or make eye contact with any of them, she took a couple of biscuits and set one on Nora’s tray. “Dig in before it gets cold.”
With another sigh, Joel took the ladle sitting in a pot and scooped up a good portion of bean soup for his bowl before he put some mashed potatoes on his plate. He reached for a biscuit and tore it open as if he barely had any energy. Noticing Joel’s exaggerated behavior, she stopped rubbing honey onto Nora’s biscuit and glanced at Sep who shook his head in disbelief. Joel dipped his spoon into the soup and stirred it. His gaze turned to the window and he sighed, yet again.
April gritted her teeth and finished dividing up the portion of the meal between her and Nora. The best thing she could do was ignore Joel. She knew what he was doing, and it wouldn’t work. However much it pained him to be here, it pained her and Sep a lot more to have to deal with Lou. As long as she reminded herself of this, she could focus on what really mattered. At least with her and Sep, the worst Joel had to worry about was being bored to death.
“It tastes good, sis,” Sep said, eating his meal with surprising gusto.
“Thank you, Sep.”
Nothing else was said during the meal, except for Nora’s hearty babbling. April didn’t have much of an appetite. After they got Lou out of the house, she could barely eat anything, and keeping Joel here against his will wasn’t making it any better. But she did feel safer now and judging by the way Sep was eating, she guessed he felt better having Joel there, too. Knowing that a long night loomed ahead of them, she forced down as much of the meal as she could. It helped to see that Joel was at least eating everything in front of him. The more he ate, the better off he’d be if Lou returned. Not that Lou would return tonight. The temperature and wind would keep him away.
This time she turned her gaze to the window. It was getting dark. Joel wasn’t going anywhere tonight. But what about tomorrow? She wondered how quickly Sep could get a preacher out to the house or if they could get Joel to the preacher. And would the preacher marry them, knowing full well that Joel was opposed to it? Maybe if she explained the situation to the preacher, he’d understand why she needed to marry Joel. Now it was her turn to sigh. If only she knew of a good man who was willing to marry her!
After the awkward supper was over, Sep went out to check on the animals and Joel reluctantly went to the parlor. April did what she could to entertain Nora while she washed the dishes, but Nora kept getting into the dishes and making a bigger mess for April to clean up. April threw the bowls back into the sink full of hot water and grabbed the pot from Nora before she could put it on her head.
“Forget it. I’m putting you in the highchair. Come on, Nora.”
Nora giggled and shook her head.
April groaned. “Don’t do this to me, Nora. I have to get the dishes done.”
As April stepped forward, Nora hurried toward the hallway just in time for Joel to stop her. “I’ll watch her,” he said as he picked her up.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”
“I’ve got nothing else to do since I’m trapped in this jail.”
April considered going after him as he carried Nora into the parlor but decided against it. Whatever she might say at this point could make things worse. He wasn’t ready to hear her out. Maybe tomorrow, he’d be more willing to have an open mind about marrying her. Maybe. Hopefully.
***
Joel woke up the next morning before the sun rose. He glanced at Sep who was sound asleep. Good. Now was his chance. The wind finally died down, so he might be able to get back to town. Easing out of bed, he made his way as quietly as possible across the room so he could retrieve his dry clothes. He slipped into them, hoping the whole time that Sep wasn’t a light sleeper. Once he buttoned up his pants, he breathed a sigh of relief. Sep was still asleep.
He gently opened the door and waited. The house was still quiet. He tiptoed down the steps, hating each little creak and squeak the old floor made beneath his feet. By the time he made it to the bottom of the steps, his heart was racing in dread that he’d turn around and see the barrel of a loaded gun pointed right at him. When he glanced back and didn’t see anyone at the top of the stairs, he thanked the good Lord above and crept to the kitchen where his coat and boots waited for him.
He didn’t waste time putting them on. Grabbing his hat from the hook by the door, he looked back and wa
s relieved, once again, to see that no one had caught him. He just might make it. Bracing himself, he opened the kitchen door slowly and peeked outside. There was a biting chill in the air, but the wind had died down. The trip to town wouldn’t be pleasant but it would be doable. He pulled his gloves out of his pockets and put them on.
Well, it wasn’t going to get any warmer until the sun came out. Reminding himself that he could sit by a nice fire when he got home, he slipped out of the house and closed the door which gave a slight click as it shut. The moonlight bounced off the snow, giving him all the light he’d need to get to the barn. He was ready to go down the porch steps when he noticed dried blood on the rail. Frowning, he went over and inspected it. The blood stain didn’t look that old. At least, the weather hadn’t worn it down. Taking a step down, he noticed a bloody handprint. It was definitely from a male, but it was too large to be Sep’s hand. He took off his glove and placed his hand over it. Almost the same size but a little bigger. Why hadn’t he noticed it when he went to the barn yesterday? Probably because the blowing snow distracted him. Well, there was no blowing snow now, and he saw it plain as day.
He glanced at the kitchen door. There was no blood on the doorknob. Whatever happened, it started from inside the house. Curious, he retraced his steps and opened the kitchen door. He should see something in the house that would give him a clue as to what happened. He went to the table and lit the kerosene lamp, careful to keep the light dim enough so he wouldn’t give himself away.
What exactly was he looking for? More blood? Chances were unlikely traces of blood would still be in the house. He took a deep breath and considered his options. Most likely, a clue would be in the kitchen since there was blood on the porch railing just outside the kitchen door. So what was he looking for?
He scanned the kitchen. There were a couple of things in the house that might cause a man to bleed. A fistfight, a knife, and a gun. Considering the size of the man’s bloody handprint and the lack of wounds on Sep or April, Joel dismissed the fistfight idea. So that left a knife or a gun. April would be likely to use a knife, but he doubted she could overcome a grown man. She had a willowy frame. She was no match for someone with the size of a handprint that he saw on the railing outside. That left Sep. Sep would have used a gun, and if he was any good at shooting it, he could overpower a grown man as long as the man wasn’t armed.
So whatever happened in this house, it required Sep to pull the trigger, and he wounded the man, not fatally but enough to make the man run off. Why would Sep need to pull the trigger? The boy might have been impulsive, but he wasn’t stupid. Something serious happened.
Joel examined the kitchen, but he had no idea where to look and the kerosene lamp wasn’t lighting up the room enough. Disappointed, he turned the knob until the kitchen was dark. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the moonlight. He stood still for the longest time as he debated what he should do. The easiest solution was to go to town, report this to the sheriff and be on his merry way. He could put this whole sordid thing behind him. His brother-in-law was the deputy, after all, and Joel knew Owen could get to the bottom of this.
There wasn’t much to figure out. April had mentioned her dead husband’s brother. The name escaped Joel at the moment, but she could tell Owen who to look out for. A person wouldn’t know it to look at him, but Owen was actually good at his job. Whoever this man was who’d given April and Sep grief would be behind bars soon enough.
Unless the man didn’t commit a crime. No one would put him in jail without proof. Was blood on the railing and the testimony of a fourteen-year-old boy and a woman enough to put the man in jail? If the case went to court, then the jury would have to determine that. And if there wasn’t sufficient evidence…
Joel rubbed his forehead. He was getting a headache. He didn’t know enough about the situation. One thing he knew was that Sep and April were scared. They hadn’t been scared when they went into Omaha. Whatever scared them happened between the time Joel saw them in town and when he got out here. That explained the fresh blood. But there were a lot of other things it didn’t explain.
With a heavy sigh, Joel’s shoulders drooped. He couldn’t leave. If something bad happened to them, he’d never forgive himself for bolting out of here. Taking off his gloves, coat and boots, he returned them to where they’d been before and quietly headed back up the stairs.
Everything was still quiet, so he tiptoed into Sep’s room. He changed back into the clothes he slept in so no one would know he almost left. There was no sense in letting them think he’d marry April. Staying to figure out what was going on was one thing, but marrying her was another matter altogether. He was confident that once they got to the bottom of the situation and got rid of the man who posed a threat, things could go back to how they’d been before and he could enjoy his happy life of bachelorhood once again.
***
April sat in the chair by her bedroom window as she was prone to do well before dawn each morning. Harvey used to come home around this time, when he decided to come home. Even though he’d been dead for almost a year, she couldn’t sleep from four to five in the morning. She learned to take the time to sit by the window before she could sleep for another hour.
She wrapped the blanket tighter around her body to ward off the chill in the room. The box stove was closer to Nora, and it was more important her little girl was comfortable on these long, cold nights. As she tucked the blanket under her feet, she wondered why Joel didn’t leave. She thought for sure he was going to when he went out the kitchen door. So, why didn’t he?
Leaning her head against the back of the chair, she closed her eyes and slowly exhaled. Her muscles relaxed, and she was beginning to feel sleepy. It must be close to five. In a few minutes, she’d return to bed and go back to sleep. Nora sighed in her sleep and rolled onto her back. April looked back out the window, noting the stars twinkling in the sky. If only things could always be this peaceful in life. She used to hate this time of the morning, and it’d taken her a good six months after Harvey died to enjoy it.
And now that she could feel at peace in this house, Lou had to come into her and Sep’s lives to make them feel as if they were on pins and needles all over again. The only thing keeping her from screaming was knowing Joel was in the house. Just like Harvey, Lou wouldn’t confront another adult male. A woman and fourteen-year-old boy were no threat to Lou. She didn’t think Lou had already returned to the property to check on her and Sep. No, he wouldn’t have returned to watch on them this soon. He’d wait until the snow melted enough to make it an easy trek out to their house.
Shivering, she stood up and went back to bed, burying herself under the other blanket. What did Lou want with her and Sep? They had nothing to offer him, and Lou knew his way around a whorehouse. There had to be something else drawing him to the property. Perhaps he wanted to own the land? That’s what Harvey wanted before he realized running a farm was too much work.
She turned over in the bed and pulled the blanket over her head. Just when she and Sep were getting on with their lives in peace, Lou had to come in and disrupt everything. And while Joel might be willing to stay for a short time, she didn’t think he would marry her without being forced to. Sep was right. They couldn’t let Joel leave. Did she have a choice but to follow through and make him marry her? Even if he hated her and Sep for the rest of his life, he wouldn’t do anything to hurt them, and he’d be good to Nora. She had to get him to marry her, and she had to do it before he decided to leave. So the sooner she could make it happen, the better. Maybe today. Maybe today she could get Sep to make Joel marry her. Closing her eyes, she went back to sleep.
Chapter Seven
During breakfast, Joel watched April and Sep. Neither one talked much, and if they did, it was brief. Joel suspected their hesitation stemmed from the fact that he was there. He noticed the rifle was resting in the corner of the room, a silent warning that Joel better stay at their house or else Sep would be holding him at gunpoint
again. Joel didn’t know whether to roll his eyes or laugh. If they had any idea how far he’d gotten earlier that morning, they wouldn’t feel so secure in their ability to keep him here.
As Joel finished his bowl of oatmeal, Nora threw her spoon on the floor. April’s chair scraped across the floor as she got ready to stand, but he held his hand up to stop her. “I got it.” The spoon landed by his foot, and by the mischievous glint in Nora’s eyes, Joel knew the little imp threw that spoon by him on purpose. “Too bad your aim is off,” he told her as he bent down to retrieve it.
While he grabbed it, his gaze fell to the bullet hole in the table leg. His eyebrows furrowed, he brushed the hole with his finger. If he was right, then the size of the bullet indicated Sep had fired that shot. He knew something happened in the kitchen! After a careful sweep of the other legs and not finding anything unusual, he straightened in his seat and set the spoon in the center of the table.
Nora cried and reached for it, but April gave her a clean one. Nora threw the clean spoon to the floor and tried to get the dirty one. April put her spoon down and sighed. “You’re done.”
As April took a protesting Nora from her highchair, Joel took the diversion to examine the wall to his left. If he was right, the person Sep shot at would have shot at Sep, and Sep would have been standing close to the doorway leading to the hall. It took Joel a few seconds to find the bullet lodged into the wall, close to the ceiling. The man who tried to shoot Sep was either a lousy aim or was distracted. Joel glanced at April and wondered if she was that distraction.
He took another look at her and wondered why she was so thin. Studying Nora and Sep, he guessed that they got most of the food in the house. If he judged their finances based on the condition of the house, he figured this family wasn’t doing as well as she told him they were when they were in town.
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