“By April, the weather will be warm enough to start building a house on your plot of land,” Archie said, directing his statement to Hugh.
Hugh swallowed his bacon and hesitated to answer, but after a long moment, he offered a nod.
Jack studied his brother and realized Hugh was hiding something.
Archie leaned forward, grinning at Hugh. “Of course, if things go well, you might not even have to worry about building that house.”
What did that mean? Jack looked at his brother, hoping he might ask Archie to explain it, but Hugh only finished his meal and wiped his mouth with the napkin.
Hugh rose to his feet. “I hate to rush, but I need to feed the pigs.”
“You go right on ahead,” Archie replied.
Jack wanted to protest as Hugh hurried out of the house. In fact, he opened his mouth, but all he did was stammer and Hugh was already out the front door by the time he managed to get out a single word out. Curse him and his inability to talk well!
“Hugh has to go to town,” Archie told Jack. “It was either send you or him, and I figured you didn’t want to go.”
Archie was right. He didn’t want to go. The logical choice was Hugh. And that made Jack a poor suitor. Archie would rather have someone like Hugh. Jack was sure of it. So what was he doing giving Maybell flowers? Hugh should be the one doing it.
He dared a glance at Maybell. She was so beautiful. The longer he knew her, the more attractive she got. What made him think someone like him had a chance with her?
She met his gaze. Startled, he quickly turned his attention back to his half-eaten meal. His heartbeat picked up at an even faster pace. There was no way he could finish eating. He wasn’t like Hugh. If he was nervous, he just couldn’t eat.
“Jack,” Maybell said.
He returned his gaze to her, holding his breath.
“Pa wanted Hugh to go to town because he wants you to fix the staircase in our house,” she said. “You’re better at repairing things. We all have our strengths. Ada makes the most beautiful clothes, but I do better with cooking.”
“There’s nothing wrong with the clothes you make,” Archie spoke up.
“I didn’t say there was,” Maybell replied. “I’m sure Hugh can fix things, too, but there’s no denying it’s Jack’s gift. He took that chair we all thought was beyond repair, and it’s as good as new. I doubt Hugh could fix it as well as Jack did.”
“We didn’t give Hugh a chance to fix it. He was at the Boyers’ place. If he’d been here, he might have done as good a job as Jack did.”
“I doubt it. Jack can take a look at anything and know what’s wrong with it. I haven’t seen Hugh do the same thing.”
“Maybe that’s because you aren’t watching Hugh as closely as you should be.”
Jack took his gaze off of them. There was no mistaking the tension between them. He wasn’t sure what it was about, exactly, though he knew Archie thought Hugh could do everything better than Jack could, just like his pa did. Jack folded his cloth napkin and set it on the plate.
“I-I’ll b-be b-back.” Jack took a deep breath and stood up. “For the stairs.”
He turned to leave, but his foot caught around the leg of his chair and he fell to the floor.
Maybell bolted to her feet and ran over to him. “Jack, are you alright?”
“Stop treating him like a child,” Archie told her as she tucked her hand around his arm to help him up. “He’s a grown man. He can get up by himself.”
“If I fell, would you help me?” she asked him.
“That’s not the point.”
“Of course, it is. Helping others is the right thing to do.”
“I-I can do it m-myself,” Jack mumbled, pulling his arm away from her hand.
He could feel the weight of Archie’s stare the whole time. It was just like being around his father. He came all the way out to Nebraska, and nothing was better because of it. In fact, it was worse because now Hugh was keeping things from him. If there had been a change in plans, Hugh should have told him. They hadn’t kept any secrets from each other before. Why now?
Without looking back at either Maybell or Archie, he left the house. He heard the pigs oinking and saw his brother feeding them. He ran over to Hugh, waiting until he reached him before he spoke.
“You mind telling me what Archie meant when he said you might not have to worry about building the house we agreed to have out here?” Jack demanded.
Hugh shook his head as he dumped the rest of the pig slop into their trough. “It’s not important.”
“Not important? Half of my money went into that parcel of land.” When Hugh didn’t respond, he grabbed his arm and turned him so he had to face him. “What’s going on, Hugh? What aren’t you telling me?”
“I’m not doing anything bad, Jack. You need to trust me.”
“Trust you?”
Hugh tucked the slop bucket under his arm and made eye contact with him. “Have I ever done anything bad to you before?”
“Well, no, but you never kept any secrets from me either.”
“I don’t have time to talk about this. I have to change then go to town so I can get there and back before it gets too dark.” He wiped the sweat from his brow. “We’ll discuss this later.”
“When?”
“Later.”
Jack was ready to demand he tell him exactly when “later” was, but Hugh was already halfway to the bunkhouse. Jack stared after him, both in shock and anger at his brother’s retreating back. How could Hugh do this to him? Of all the people he’d ever known, Hugh was the last one he thought would shut him out.
Up to breakfast, he thought everything was alright. Hugh had even been helping him court Maybell. Why would he do that if he didn’t intend to build the house on this property? Did he plan to go back to Virginia? Was this all so Jack would marry Maybell, and Hugh would be free to leave?
All these years, Hugh had watched over him, always the faithful older brother, standing between Jack and the world. Maybe he was tired of protecting Jack from everything. Maybe Hugh, like their father, saw him as a burden. Maybe he’d be glad when he didn’t have to take care of him anymore. And who could blame him? Jack couldn’t even gather flowers for Maybell without his help.
Well, Jack would prove to him that he didn’t need him to hold his hand through everything. He could do things himself. He wasn’t just good for fixing things. There was more to him than what Hugh, Archie, or their father saw. He could do anything he put his mind to. All he had to do was prove it.
***
When Maybell saw that her pa had taken his horse out to the pasture to check on the cattle, she quickly finished hanging the rest of the clean clothes on the line to dry. She’d been wanting to get a moment alone with Jack ever since breakfast, but she’d been too afraid to do that with her pa nearby.
But now was the perfect time. Once she finished hanging the last shirt up, she picked up her basket and hurried back into the house. She set the basket in the corner of the parlor and peeked around the doorway where Jack was hammering the new railing into the wall.
She went to the kitchen and poured him a glass of lemonade. As much as she wanted to come right out and ask him if he’d given her the flowers, she didn’t have the nerve. She’d have to find a way to bring it up.
Turning to the window, she studied her reflection to gauge whether or not she was presentable. After a moment, she loosened her bun and ran her fingers through her hair. The dark red locks fell gently down, and she brushed some forward so they were hanging over her shoulders. There, that was better.
Taking a deep breath, she picked up his glass then left the kitchen. By the time she got to the staircase, Jack was halfway up the steps. He glanced over at her as she approached and dropped his hammer.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” she said.
She couldn’t be sure, but she thought his face turned red. “I-I didn’t see you coming, that’s all.” He offered her a smile. “
You look nice.”
Pleased, she smiled in return. “Thank you. That’s really nice of you to say.” After a moment, she remembered the glass in her hand. “Oh, I got you some lemonade. In case you were thirsty,” she quickly added.
“I don’t know if I should drink it on the steps. I don’t want you to have to clean them in case I spill the lemonade like I did on the porch.”
She chuckled. “Those steps needed a good washing. I didn’t mind it. Besides, it was sort of funny, wasn’t it?”
He seemed hesitant for a moment then laughed. “Yeah, I guess it was. People don’t often think it’s funny when I trip or drop something.”
“That’s because they don’t have a sense of humor. And that’s a real shame, if you ask me. If people learned to laugh more, they wouldn’t go around grumbling so much.”
“No, I suppose they wouldn’t.”
“You have a nice laugh, Jack.”
“You think so?”
“I do.” Since he seemed more relaxed, she asked, “Would you like some lemonade?”
“I’ll give it a try,” he said. “But if I make a mess, I’ll clean it up. There’s no need for you to do it twice.”
“It’s a deal.” She handed him the glass, and this time when he took it, he didn’t seem nearly so nervous. “It’s easy to make mistakes, especially when you’re new and don’t know anyone. I remember when I was a little girl in school. Actually, it was my first day, and my skirt was too long. I tripped, and my lunch pail went flying out of my hand and hit a poor boy in the head. I didn’t think anyone would want to talk to me after that.”
After he drank some of the lemonade, he asked, “Did you run on home?”
“I thought about it. But then a girl came over to me and said it was about time someone knocked some sense into that boy. It turns out he was a troublemaker, so I did everyone a favor.”
“It’s too bad no one ever said that to me when I had some accidents. I ended up running on home.”
“Well, you don’t have to run anymore. You’re safe with me.”
He made eye contact with her and smiled. “It’s a shame you weren’t in Virginia. I could have used a girl like you in school.”
“I’m here now, and that’s what matters, doesn’t it?”
The front door slammed, and she took the glass from him before he dropped it. It had to be her pa. Hugh wouldn’t have come back from town already.
“Maybell Smith, I need to have a word with you,” her pa called out as he came up to her.
Reluctant, she turned to face him, already picking up on the fact that he didn’t approve of her being alone with Jack. “I was only giving him something to drink.”
“I can see that.” Her pa glanced at Jack, and he gestured to the stairs, “As you were.” Then he took Maybell by the arm and led her out to the porch. “I told you not to encourage him.”
“But he gave me the flowers, Pa.”
“No, he didn’t.”
“I’m sure he did. The flowers were on the table before I got downstairs this morning. Only one person would be so shy they’d do that.”
Her pa let out a long sigh. “He didn’t give them to you.”
“You don’t know that. There was no card.”
“I do know that. I had a talk with Hugh last evening, and he asked for my permission to give you flowers as a way to start courting you. I told him yes.”
“That doesn’t make sense. He’s barely said anything to me.”
“That will all change soon enough.” Her pa patted her shoulder. “Now, let Jack finish repairing the steps in peace. If someone happens to find you alone in this house with him, they’re likely to think something is happening that isn’t.”
Her face warmed at his meaning. “I wouldn’t do anything inappropriate, and neither would he. He’s a gentleman.”
“A gentleman you don’t need to be encouraging. Hugh’s going to be the one marrying you, not Jack.”
“But what if I don’t want to marry Hugh?”
“You haven’t given him a chance. There’s that square dance coming up in town. You’ll go with him. Now, why don’t you go into town and pick out materials to make a new dress? Get a pretty hat to go along with it. I’ll get you the money.”
As he hurried to his bedroom, she sighed. She didn’t think she could ever like Hugh as much as she liked Jack. There was something so undeniably sweet and wonderful about Jack that she’d never seen in anyone else. Just how was she supposed to give Hugh a chance when she already knew there’d never be anyone better than Jack? And how could she explain this to her pa? How could she explain it to Hugh if he asked to court her? Or…when he asked to court her.
Her stomach tightened in dread. If Hugh gave her the flowers and sought her father’s approval to court her, then it was only a matter of time before he asked her himself.
Her pa returned with a big grin on his face. She couldn’t recall ever seeing him this excited about anything, and that made this whole thing with Hugh that much harder to deal with.
“I put in a little extra if you want to treat yourself to some candy,” her pa said as he gave her the bills in his hand. “Get whatever you want.”
Had this been for Jack, she would have been excited. But seeing as this was for Hugh, the best she could muster was a small smile.
“Since Hugh took the buckboard wagon, you can take the buggy,” he said. “I’ll get it ready for you.”
She watched as he hurried to the barn, a spring in his step she hadn’t seen in years. Oh dear. This wasn’t good. It wasn’t good at all. With a heavy heart, she emptied the glass of lemonade and set it aside to wash when she got back. If only the flowers had been from Jack… If only Hugh was interested in someone else…
If only, if only, if only… She hated thinking if only this or if only that. There had to be some way she could take matters into her own hands and convince Hugh she wasn’t the right one for him. What she needed was to talk to someone to get ideas on how she just might do that. And she had the perfect person in mind.
Chapter Twelve
“Maybell, I was just thinking about you,” Ada greeted as she stepped onto the porch and hugged her. She released her and asked, “How are things going with Jack?”
“I think they’re going fine,” Maybell said. “But—and I don’t know what to make of it—Hugh gave me flowers this morning.”
“Hugh?”
“Jack’s brother.”
“Oh, right. I knew he had a brother, but I didn’t remember his name.”
“Well, he wasn’t there the day you and Pete came to visit. In fact, I barely even know him. He’s been gone for most of the time since he and Jack arrived. I don’t even understand why he’s giving me flowers.”
“Is it possible they were from Jack?”
“I thought they were. There wasn’t a note or anything with them, and no one handed them to me. They were just sitting in a vase on the dining room table when I woke up this morning.” She paused and added, “But Pa said Hugh asked if he could give me flowers.”
“Hmm.” Ada tapped her chin. “That doesn’t make any sense if Hugh barely knows you.”
“That’s what I’m saying. It doesn’t. It seems like there’s something else going on, but I have no idea what that might be.”
Ada shook her head and let out a sigh. “Is it possible they really were from Jack but your pa thinks they were from Hugh?”
“I had hoped so, but pa said Hugh asked if he could court me.” Even as she said the words, a feeling of despair rose up in her chest. “I don’t know what to do. I like Jack, and I think he likes me, too. But Jack’s such a kind soul he’ll step aside and let Hugh be with me if that’s what Hugh wants. All I can really do is make myself as unappealing as possible to Hugh. I came over to ask you for ideas on how I might do that.”
“Oh, Maybell, you must forgive me. I didn’t even invite you in. We can discuss this inside over a cup of coffee.”
As Ada opened the storm do
or, Maybell said, “I can’t stay long. My pa expects me to go to town and buy a hat and materials to make a dress. You know,” she grimaced, “to make myself pretty for Hugh for the upcoming square dance. Of all the times I’d hoped one of the hired hands would take an interest me, one finally does and it’s not the one I want.”
“Isn’t that the way it goes?” Ada mused. “I’ll tell you what… I was going to go to town to pick up some things in a couple days anyway. I might as well go now. You want to come in while I get Fred ready?”
“I’m fine waiting out here. The day’s a nice one.”
“It is. We won’t have many this nice left.”
Maybell watched as Ada went back into the house then turned her gaze to the land around her. Pete liked to grow his own crops, and they were coming upon the harvest. Soon, all the men would spend their days in the fields.
The door shut, and Maybell turned to Ada, who was holding Fred and a drawstring purse. “I’ll tell Pete we’ll be going. Would you hold Fred?”
“I’d be happy to.” Maybell took the boy in her arms and smiled at him as Ada bounded down the steps on her way to the barn. The wind blew across the porch and knocked Fred’s hat off. “You poor thing,” she mused then hurried after it before it could blow across the land.
Once she caught it, she sat in the rocking chair and tied it around his head, careful not to make him uncomfortable as she did so. He looked at her with wide eyes and giggled. She laughed and hugged him.
“I sure hope I get to have a little one like you someday,” she whispered. All of her life, she’d dreamt of having children. If things went the way she hoped, they’d belong to Jack. She rubbed the boy’s back and headed down the porch steps. “You’re just adorable. No wonder Ada can’t stop fussing over you.”
She waited for Ada to join her, and soon Maybell was guiding the buggy along the worn dirt road that would take them to town. Next to her, Ada held Fred in her lap.
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