Shotgun Groom

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  “That’s how it happened,” Sep softly told her. “He wanted me to stay inside the house while he took care of the animals because it was too cold, and I argued that I was old enough to handle it. I hit him, he told me to make the coffee, and I did.”

  “That was it?” she pressed, trying to find any clues that he was telling her what she wanted to hear instead of the truth.

  “Yes,” Sep replied. “You came down shortly after that and asked me why I was making coffee.”

  Relieved, she exhaled. Thank goodness Joel hadn’t acted like Harvey did. She returned her attention to Joel and said, “Thank you.”

  Joel’s eyebrows furrowed. “All I did was have him make a pot of coffee.” His gaze shifting to Sep, he added, “This time I’ll explain why things must be done a certain way when we assist the doctor. I’ve been expecting you to know the ins and outs of the job, but I have to remember that I didn’t start out knowing everything. The doctor was patient with me, and I need to give you the same respect. So, what do you say? Want to join me instead of hanging around a group of cackling women?”

  April huffed in indignation, though a slight smile betrayed her. “Cackling women?”

  “Sure,” Joel said. “Sally and Jenny can get downright loud when they’re together.” Leaning toward her to give her a kiss on the cheek, he added, “You don’t cackle. To be honest, I don’t know how you bear with them all day when I help the doctor.”

  “I know you’re jesting,” she playfully admonished as she brushed back a lock of Nora’s hair from her face. “Your sisters are very sweet.”

  “And noisy,” Sep muttered under his breath. “You can hear them from a mile away.”

  April thought to protest, but Joel laughed. “Trust me, April. No man wants to be around a group of women if he doesn’t have to. One of you at a time is fine. If they’re young like Nora, fine. But adult women visiting each other? No way.”

  “It’s a wonder I manage with a group of men around me all the time,” she teased, glancing at the men on either side of her.

  “Men are different,” Joel replied. “We’re easy to get along with.”

  “That depends on the men,” she began, “but I agree that you and Sep are easy enough.”

  Joel held his arms out to Nora who reached for him. Holding her, he told April, “Sep and I will be assisting the doctor, and we’ll stop by to get you after we see if Owen found out anything about Lou. I’d like to put that matter to rest.”

  She would, too, but at least she didn’t feel so afraid with Joel around. As she stood up, she told Sep to have a good day and then took Joel’s hand as he helped her down from the sleigh. On their way to Sally’s front door, she said, “Thank you for being good to Sep.”

  “I suppose I let our shaky beginning get in the way of doing right by him, but there’s no reason why we can’t set things as they should be.” They stopped at the door and he smiled. “He’s a good kid. He just needs direction. I don’t expect things to go smoothly all the time, but we’ll get there.”

  She kissed his cheek. “He needs a good man to guide him, and I’m glad it’s you.”

  “You missed something, April.”

  “What?”

  “My lips. I don’t want a kiss on the cheek. My ma used to kiss me on the cheek when I was a kid. What I want is a kiss from my wife.” With a wry grin, he brought his mouth to hers. She expected him to make it a quick one, but he deepened the kiss.

  The front door opened and Sally giggled. “I’d ask how things are going with you two, but the answer is right in front of me.”

  Blushing, April ended the kiss and took her daughter from Joel. She cleared her throat. “Good morning, Sally.”

  “Things are going very well,” Joel replied before he brushed his lips against April’s neck.

  “Joel!” April protested even though her skin tingled with delight.

  “Don’t fret over what Sally thinks,” Joel said. “I had to watch her and Rick hold hands and kiss when they were first married. She was giggling all the time and everything. It was disgusting.”

  Sally put her hand on her hip and shot him an amused look. “You don’t seem to think it’s disgusting now.”

  “Well, April’s my wife. Nothing’s disgusting when it comes to her.”

  “You haven’t been married that long, Joel,” Sally teased. “Just wait until she has a little habit that gets on your nerves.”

  He waved his hand as if to dismiss her warning. “We’ve already covered that. My sighing bothers her, and she’ll even imitate me to make her point.”

  April shifted Nora to her other arm and shook her head. “Joel, you shouldn’t be telling her about those arguments.”

  “Those were arguments?” Joel asked. “I thought you were having fun giving me a hard time.”

  April couldn’t tell if he was serious or not, but she said, “No. I did it because I was losing my patience with you.”

  Sally burst out laughing. “Joel, you have a lot to learn about women. You’ll have to forgive him for not picking up on that one, April. Joel and Tom argue most of the time, and for them, it’s how they play together.”

  “Play?” Joel grimaced. “I do not play.” Looking at April, he added, “It’s called having fun.”

  Sally smirked. “Which is a lot like playing.”

  “Men don’t play. We’re not little kids.” Joel sighed, an action which made Sally laugh harder. He rolled his eyes. “It’s a habit. I can’t help it.”

  “I don’t mind all of your sighs,” April replied, unable to hide her grin. “Sometimes you sigh when you’re happy.” Nora pushed at April to get down, so April set Nora’s feet on the floor of the entryway.

  “Go on and see the doctor,” Sally told Joel. “We’ve got women talk to do.”

  “I’ll be back at four,” he told April.

  April nodded to indicate she heard him while she took Nora’s coat off.

  “I can’t wait to see you again,” he added.

  April looked over at him, her face warm from the pleasure of his words, and smiled. “I can’t either.”

  As he left, Sally shut the door. “Who knew Joel had it in him to be a romantic? I mean, my other brothers, sure. But they wanted to get married. That just goes to show you that any man, no matter who he is or what he says, is better off with a good woman.”

  Greg came down the stairs with a box in his hands. “I got the toys for Nora.”

  “Thank you, Greg. Put them in the parlor and then you can help me with the hot chocolate.”

  “Yes, Ma.”

  As he went to the other room, she turned to April and winked. “I snagged a couple of toys from my mother so Nora has something new to play with.”

  “Oh, you didn’t have to go through all that trouble,” April said as she finished removing Nora’s boots and hat.

  She took the items from April and put them in the closet. “I wanted to. Besides, my mother didn’t mind. She’s planning to come by later today to visit with you more. I hope that’s alright.”

  “It is.”

  “Are you nervous?”

  “Not much. I met her on Christmas, and she seems nice.”

  “She was happy to meet you, but with everything going on, it was hard for her to get more time to talk with you so she’s been anxious to get to know you better. She loves talking to her daughters-in-law, and she especially loves to hold her grandchildren.”

  April glanced between Nora and Sally. “Nora took a liking to her when we were out there.”

  Sally held her hand to Nora who waddled over to her and accepted it. As they strolled toward the parlor, Sally giggled. “My mother has a way with children, so I’m not surprised.” Stopping in the doorway, Sally encouraged Nora to play with the toys Greg laid out on the floor before she turned her attention back to April and whispered, “I can’t wait for her to get here. Yesterday I found out I’m expecting another child.”

  “That’s wonderful!”

  Sally took
her hands in hers and squeezed them. “I couldn’t sleep all night because I’ve been so excited. Jenny and Jessica just had another child last year, and Mary will have her second one in February. I was beginning to think I’d never have another one. Rick and I didn’t conceive Greg right away. It took us three years, so I thought it might be a couple years before we had another one, but Greg turned eight this year, and I figured we’d only have him. I’m grateful to have him, but I’m looking forward to having another child. Does that make sense?”

  April chuckled since Sally was rambling on in a way that Joel said was typical for Sally. “Yes, it makes perfect sense, and I’m happy for you.”

  “Thank you, April. Thanks for listening to me last week.”

  “You listened to me, too. It was only right to do the same,” she said, recalling how she’d admitted that she sometimes wished her mother hadn’t died when Sep was born because it was hard to see women her age with their mothers.

  Sally let go of her hands and sighed. “I knew your mother had passed on to the next life, but I didn’t realize she died when you were so young. Was it hard for you at Christmas to be surrounded by us Larsons and our mother?”

  “No. It was nice, and to be honest, it was the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time. I don’t know what it was about being around your family that made Joel agreeable to our marriage, but when we came back home, he just said that it was time we put the past behind us and start fresh.”

  “Well, I can’t remember ever seeing him as happy as he was just now. Between you and me, I don’t think Joel was ever opposed to marriage. Like I said the first time we met, when he was seventeen, he wanted to get married. For some time, that’s all he could talk about, and then his heart got broken because Abby fell in love with someone else. You and Sep did him a favor.”

  “Is it wrong for me to be glad Abby broke his heart so I could have him?”

  Sally laughed and shook her head. “Heavens, no. I’m grateful Michael decided to court someone else so I could be with Rick. I ran into Michael the other day, and I couldn’t remember why I was ever interested in him. The man is so boring. All he ever talks about is making paper where he works. There’s only so much of that a person can take. Thankfully, Rick can get his mind off his job.” She paused to check on a happy Nora and Greg before adding, “Time has a way of easing our heartaches, and it makes you appreciate the right man a lot more. Rick and I might have our problems, but I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else.”

  April thought of how much more she appreciated Joel because he wasn’t anything like Harvey. “I couldn’t ask for a better husband than Joel.”

  “He has his good points, even if he did like to give me grief when he was younger,” she joked. Glancing at Nora, she asked, “Can I hold her? Even if I’m finally expecting again, I still love to be around babies.”

  April laughed. “I have an idea. Why don’t you hold her while I make the hot chocolate this time?”

  Sally hugged her. “I’m so excited to have you in the family. I think we’re going to be good friends.”

  April suspected Sally was right and nodded her agreement before she headed for the kitchen.

  ***

  When Doctor Adams came into the small room that was his office, Joel and Sep had just finished labeling the medicines and putting them on the shelves. Looking up from the last bottle Sep set beside the others, Joel asked, “Did you get enough rest?”

  The doctor nodded. “Yes. It’s a good thing you were able to come in today. I thought for sure we were in for another snowstorm when I saw those clouds rolling in yesterday evening.”

  That was the one thing Joel missed about living in town. He was still able to show up for work even if the weather hadn’t been good, but living further out of town, he was back to checking things on a day by day basis. It was partly why he hated farming. Everything was dependent on the weather. Taking a look at Sep, he was comforted in knowing that Sep would inherit the farm and take over the running of it in a couple years, and then he and April would take their children and move to town. He thought she might like to live close to Sally since the two seemed to get along and Sally missed having Jenny close by to go see on a moment’s notice.

  Turning his attention to the doctor as he placed his medical bag on his desk, Joel asked, “How is Phillip McCormick?”

  “He’ll survive,” the doctor replied. “That knife wound wasn’t pretty. It took a good hour last night to clean it and then stitch it up.” He turned his gaze to Sep. “Whatever you do, son, don’t make it a habit of going to the saloon. No doctor likes to be called out in the middle of the night because drunk men lose their temper.”

  “I don’t plan on it,” Sep said.

  “Sep’s a good—” he stopped himself from saying “kid”—“young man. Got his head on straight.”

  The older man nodded. “That’s good to hear.” As Joel and Sep got their coats from the coat tree, he added, “Oh, I almost forgot. I wanted to speak to you for a moment, Joel.”

  Joel looked at Sep. “Wait for me in the waiting area and then we’ll head on out.” When Sep stepped out of the room, Joel lowered his voice, “What is it?”

  He hoped the doctor hadn’t decided to hand his job to someone else because the weather might one day prevent him from making it to town. He couldn’t live in town again until Sep was ready to take care of things out at the farm by himself. Sep might be able to handle the crops and animals, but there was more involved in running a house than even he could manage.

  “I heard Lou Edwards was at the saloon last night,” the doctor said softly so Sep wouldn’t overhear.

  Joel’s immediate response was relief since his job wasn’t in jeopardy, but then he realized his employer mentioned Lou and stiffened. “Did you see him?”

  “No. He was gone before I showed up. Must’ve taken off once the brawl broke out. But Phillip said he heard one of the men talking about how Lou better find some money or else there’d be one less man in the world.”

  “Lou owes someone money?”

  “I don’t know the specifics, but some of the men who frequent a saloon aren’t the best types to be doing business with, if you know what I mean.”

  Joel nodded. That explained why Lou was after the gold Harvey stole. Perhaps they even stole it together and Harvey was supposed to give him some of it.

  “Your brother-in-law thinks Lou shot someone, doesn’t he?”

  “Yes. Owen says someone else fired a shot at Randolph, but no one saw him. If he was working with Harvey, it could very well have been Lou since they were brothers.”

  “Well, from the sound of it, whoever Lou owes money to is getting impatient. I suspect if Lou’s going to search for it, it won’t be too long from now.”

  “I understand.”

  The doctor nodded. “Don’t forget to take your medicine bag home with you. Lou might be getting desperate, and desperate men do desperate things.”

  Joel grabbed his medical bag and headed for the waiting room, thinking that, very soon, life would get a lot more complicated. He just hoped he and Owen were prepared to nab Lou before he hurt anyone.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Five days later, Joel came out of Sep’s bedroom after securing the wobbly door and, once again, his attention went to the bedroom with the locked door. He stood in the hallway and stared at it for a minute. What could be so terrible that April and Sep would keep it locked?

  With a determined sigh, he decided it was time April came clean with him on everything. He wasn’t a man prone to keeping secrets, and he certainly didn’t like it when secrets were being kept from him, especially when they were kept by those he loved. He strode down the hallway and down the stairs. Knowing it was April’s routine to sit in the parlor by the window while Nora napped, he went to that room and, sure enough, she was in her favorite chair. On this particular afternoon, she was knitting. Since Sep was still out in the barn doing some chores and Nora was asleep, he figured it’d be a
good time to approach her.

  Without waiting for her to speak, he went over to her. “I want to see what’s in that third bedroom.” When he saw the hesitation in her eyes, he added, “Look, whatever is up there, we can deal with it as long as we’re together.”

  “It’s not that simple,” she whispered, turning her gaze to the scarf she was knitting.

  “Of course, it is. The problem is, you think if it’s painful, it can’t be simple. There’s a big difference between simple and difficult.”

  “Why do you need to see what’s in that room?”

  “That room represents a wall between us. I don’t know what kind of marriage you want, but I refuse to let something divide us. I realize we’ve come a long way since we met, but don’t we owe it to ourselves and our children to get rid of the ghosts that haunt your past?”

  Her lower lip trembled, so he knelt in front of her and covered her hands with his. “You can get through this, sweetheart, and the reason you’ll get through this is because I’m going to stay with you. No matter what’s happened, I’m not going anywhere. I love you.”

  Not making eye contact with him, she blinked a few times and took a shaky breath. “It’s not easy for me to go in that room.” After a few seconds, she added, “But I’ll do it.”

  Relieved, he released her hands so she could put her knitting aside and stand up. He put his arm around her shoulders and drew her to his side. She leaned into him, and he tightened his hold on her. While he expected this to be rough for her, he was surprised by how scared she was. He considered telling her to forget it, that they didn’t have to deal with that part of her past, but he knew that, despite the pain of the moment, this would be healing for her. And if he loved her, he would allow the wound to be exposed so they could take care of it.

  He didn’t rush her as they slowly made their way through the hall and up the stairs. When they reached the top of the steps, she stopped and glanced back down the staircase. He feared she might change her mind, but she stepped forward. Giving her shoulders an encouraging squeeze, he went with her.