by Indiana Wake
Was it bad to admit that she had fallen for the kindness of another man when she was not supposed to be out of her mourning period? Karla didn’t know.
“Ah.” Beth’s smile faded a little. “I see.”
“Do you?” Then Karla realized Beth no longer appeared happy. “Beth, what is it?”
“It would certainly explain why Mrs. Hollingsworth is here.”
“Mrs. Hollingsworth?”
She was the last person Karla would have expected to call on her. Louise Hollingsworth had made her presence known, much to Scott’s chagrin. And she was very vocal about her son’s relationship with Karla. Louise had taken one look at Karla’s face and shrieked. Right in the middle of the restaurant, declaring that Karla was a witch and she needed to be burned at the stake for looking so hideous.
That woman was practically the only blip in the last three weeks. Whenever Scott took Karla out somewhere, his mother wasn’t far behind, often coming along with a beautiful auburn-haired woman closer to Scott’s age. Both women ignored her, but Scott bypassed them and focused on Karla. It felt like a competition, one that Karla was certain she’d lose.
And now the matriarch of the Hollingsworth family was here? Something wasn’t right.
“She wants to see you right now,” Beth frowned, “have you done anything to upset her? She’s looking like she’s about to have a fit.”
Karla sighed, “I probably upset her by existing.”
“She thinks that about practically everyone,” Beth said as she shooed Karla to the door. “Go. I’ll keep an eye on Stuart.”
Karla didn’t want to go, but she knew it would be the quickest way to send the woman on her way. Louise could bring the house down around her with that voice of hers, if she was given half a chance. Not to mention Karla’s ears were still ringing from the first time they met. She wasn’t eager to keep that going.
She headed downstairs, aware of Simone and Lianne hovering near the door into the front room. Her friends saw her coming and scurried away. Karla ignored them to enter the front room, leaving the door partially open. She wanted a quick exit.
Louise was standing by the window, staring out into the front yard. Several of the older children were playing a game of hide and seek out there. She turned as Karla entered. There was something almost regal about the way she was dressed and in the way she held herself. It was almost like Louise was expecting to turn up at the White House for a formal invitation. Karla had never understood how Scott and Amelia could possibly be related to this woman.
Karla thought about curtsying but decided against it. She folded her hands in front of her and told herself to remain calm.
“Mrs. Hollingsworth.”
“Why are you here?” Louise snapped.
Karla blinked.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. You’re not stupid, Mrs. Barker.” Louise hissed. “Why are you in Sioux Falls? Who brought you here?”
“How is that any of your business, Mrs. Hollingsworth?”
“Answer me!”
Karla sighed, “I came here for a better life with my son. Is there something wrong with that?”
“There is if you believe having a better life with my son is part of it.”
This was all about Scott. Again. Louise seemed to have a particular obsession with making Scott marry Helen Parrish. Karla hadn’t figured out why, other than it meant Scott would have a higher social standing. But Scott had made it clear he would never marry Helen. If that was the case, why was Louise still adamant about it?
“I find Scott a kind and charming man,” she responded calmly. “He’s a good person. We get along really well.”
Louise bared her teeth. “But he’s showing signs that he’s falling for you. And I cannot have that happen.”
That caught Karla off-guard. She had not expected her to say that. Scott was falling for her? How was that possible? He had never shown any indication. Louise seemed to read her expression because she gave a disbelieving snort and shook her head.
“I know. I can’t understand it, either. Who would fall for an ugly girl like you? I’m surprised you got a husband to start with.”
Karla’s mouth dropped open. She could feel her anger flaring up.
“I beg your pardon?”
“You’re not deaf, sweetheart. You heard me.”
“I’m afraid I did. And I didn’t come down here to be insulted, Mrs. Hollingsworth.”
“Well, tough, young lady.” Louise advanced on her, jabbing a finger at Karla’s face. “I will not have a woman like you tainting my family. Not you, and not your little brat. I have high hopes for Scott, and you are not part of it.”
Karla had faced opposition to her association with Scott and his sons already from Louise, but never like this. She looked close to losing it in her attempt to make Karla back down. Karla squared her shoulders. She wasn’t about to be ordered around by this woman. Her mother-in-law had done it already. Never again.
“I didn’t realize you still had any control over your son’s life,” she said. “Isn’t it for Scott to decide who he converses with?”
“I need to make sure he’s conversing with the right people,” Louise scoffed. “He made himself an embarrassment by becoming the blacksmith in Sioux Falls instead of a lawyer or a bank manager as he was supposed to. He also ignored my attempts to marry him to Helen ten years ago and married that ghastly woman who bore my delightful grandsons. It was a good thing that she died so she didn’t corrupt them.” Louise gave Karla a scathing look up and down, hardly hiding her disgust as she looked over Karla’s scars. “I will not have him marry yet another ghastly woman.”
“Ghastly?”
Louise snorted.
“Don’t be so shocked. You are ghastly. He needs a beautiful, wealthy woman on his arm. Someone who can make his status in society better. And Helen Parrish can do that. She is the perfect wife and mother for Scott and his boys.”
Karla wasn’t sure whether to burst out laughing or burst into tears. The woman was absolutely ridiculous. She swallowed back the lump in her throat and did her best to remain passive.
“I wonder what Scott’s going to say about that.”
“He won’t have a say in it at all. I know what he needs in his life. In time, he’ll come to that realization himself.” Louise glared at her. “You just need to keep away.”
“Maybe you should tell Scott to keep away from me,” Karla shot back, “because I’m not going to listen to a snobby old woman who comes into a place I call home to insult me.”
Louise’s eyes blazed and her nostrils flared. “Snobby old woman?”
“You were happy with calling me ghastly. Don’t be surprised that I’ve thought up a few names for you. Most of which I won’t say out loud in case the children hear.”
Louise was breathing heavily. Karla didn’t think she would have got a better reaction from her if she had slapped her. For a moment, she wanted to apologize, but then Karla reminded herself that she was not at fault here.
Finally, Louise sniffed loudly and swept towards the door, purposefully knocking against Karla as she passed.
“Fine. I’ll leave you. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Me?” Louise stopped at the door, looking horrified at the idea. “I never threaten, Mrs. Barker. I would never do that.”
Then she was gone, slamming the door behind her.
Chapter Eight
The children were fast asleep after two bedtime stories and Amelia was making them a late dinner. Scott was in a very good mood. In the morning, he was planning on taking Karla on a picnic after he finished his work at the forge. He had a good idea where to take her; at least he hoped it’d be away from prying eyes so his mother didn’t ruin the outing for them.
He had made a decision about Karla. She was just what he had been looking for without realizing it. Scott had told himself no more wives, not to marry again. His work and his sons wer
e his priority. But then Karla had waltzed into his life, and Scott began to backtrack on his decisions. He just couldn’t bear to let her go now.
Her personality was that of contradictions. Shy but vibrant. Nervous but confident. Unpredictable but steady. Scott could understand that with the childhood Karla had endured. She second-guessed herself sometimes, but that was what made her more endearing. She matched him on an intellectual level and emotional level. They had similar things in common, and Karla seemed to know what Scott was talking about if he stumbled over his words. Even Elspeth had not been able to do that.
And the bonus was he would become a stepfather to Stuart. Scott adored the baby boy. Once he got out of his grump, Stuart was a sweet child. Martin and Michael adored him as well. Scott was more than happy to take on Stuart as his own.
The only thing he needed to do now, apart from prepare himself, was to get Karla to accept his proposal. He only hoped that she didn’t turn him down.
Scott was whistling as he went back downstairs. The smell of dinner was in the air and it made his stomach growl. But the thoughts of food disappeared when he heard a banging on the front door. It was more than likely his mother, trying to get him to come out again so he and Helen could have dinner together. Scott was in no mood to deal with Louise. She needed to understand that it couldn’t be her way all the time. Helen was not going to become her daughter-in-law. Scott wouldn’t allow it.
The banging continued. Scott sighed. His mother wasn’t going to leave, was she? He headed towards the front door, ready for an argument. But it wasn’t Louise on the doorstep when Scott opened the door. Scott stared at Karla as she stood on the porch, her face red and she was still trying to catch her breath. She looked like she had been running hard.
“Karla? What is it?”
“May…” Karla gasped for air and licked her lips. “May I come in? That is, if you’re not too busy?”
“Of course, you can.” Scott ushered her in. “Go on through to the front room.”
“Thank you.”
Karla hurried through and into the front room. Amelia appeared from the kitchen just as Scott shut the door, wiping her hands on a cloth.
She blinked at her brother. “What’s going on?”
“No idea.”
With his sister behind him, Scott entered the front room. Karla was pacing around by the cold fireplace. She looked agitated.
“Karla?” Amelia approached her first. “Whatever’s the matter?”
Karla snorted. “What isn’t the matter? Apart from your mother.”
“What?” Amelia glanced at Scott, “What’s Mother done?”
“She’s just been to see me,” Karla turned to Scott. She looked less flushed and more annoyed. “She essentially threatened me. She said that I’m not wanted and I’m to back away from you because she will not have a ghastly woman marry her son again.”
Scott heard a roaring in his ears. He couldn’t believe what she was telling him. His mother had said things before, but this was going too far.
“What did you just say?”
Karla snorted again, “I think you heard me, Scott.”
“I was hoping that I didn’t.” Scott swayed. “She said that you were ghastly? And…Elspeth?”
“Yes.”
“Elspeth, too?” Amelia looked just as startled, “She never said anything about her before. Not like that.”
“She wouldn’t say it out loud because Elspeth was very much loved,” Scott replied quietly. He rubbed his hands over his face, “Elspeth was popular and Louise would have ended up with a lot of enemies. Even then, she didn’t want me marrying her.”
“Who did she want you to marry, then?” Karla asked.
Scott sighed. “Helen Parrish.”
Karla blinked and stared back at him, trying to process his words. “You mean,” she started after a moment, “your mother has been trying to get you to marry Helen Parrish all this time?”
“Ever since we came of age,” Scott shook his head. “Mother wanted us to rise in Sioux Falls, and South Dakota’s, society, and the Parrish family would have helped us. But I followed my heart instead of my duty, according to her.”
“But…surely the Parrish family would have decided it wasn’t happening.”
“They thought so when Elspeth was alive,” Amelia cut in bitterly, “but once she died, they started again. Scott’s managed to keep them off for years.”
Karla focused on Amelia. “I’m surprised your mother hasn’t tried to get you married as well.”
“She has. To Helen’s brother, Daniel.” Amelia shuddered. “I despise the man. The Parrish children are not people you want to associate with. But the parents don’t listen to us. We’re to do as we’re told like we’re cattle. Love should never come into it.”
Louise Hollingsworth and the Parrish family were in the wrong century. They may have grown up with arranged marriages, but Scott didn’t have to go through that. Amelia either, for that matter. If he fell in love, regardless of who she was, then he would marry that woman. It was that simple. But Louise couldn’t understand it.
She never would.
“She told me to leave you alone,” Karla went on. She had refocused on Scott, her cheeks flushed. “I told her to leave, but I thought you ought to know,” she swallowed. “And if you want me to back off…”
“No!” Scott cleared his throat when Karla jumped. He glanced at Amelia, who was giving him a bemused look. “Amelia, would you mind giving us some privacy?”
“Of course.”
Amelia left the room, closing the door behind her. Scott turned back to Karla, who was staring at him with wide eyes. He approached her, cupping her jaw in his hands. He smiled at her, running his thumb across her mouth.
“I don’t want you going anywhere, Karla.”
“Do you mean that?”
“I do. Mother knew what I was going to do. She has an instinct like that. And she wanted you to leave so it wouldn’t happen.”
Karla looked dazed. Her mouth opened and closed.
“I…I don’t know what you mean, Scott.”
Scott wasn’t sure what he was saying himself. But he plowed on, stroking Karla’s hair away from her face. He traced his fingers down the scarred cheek, feeling Karla shudder under his touch.
“Mother wants me to marry into a wealthy family, to stop being a blacksmith and get a better job that matches my position. I don’t want to do any of that. I love my job, and I love where I am. I loved Elspeth because she loved me for me.” Scott rested his forehead against Karla’s with a heavy sigh. “Mother couldn’t stand me doing something for myself, marrying for love. That just wasn’t possible, in her eyes.”
“Didn’t she marry your father for love?” Karla whispered.
“It was convenience that turned into mutual affection, but I don’t think she truly ever loved him.” That hurt to admit it out loud. “Now she’s trying to get her own way again. Because she can see she’s going to lose me.”
Karla’s eyes were still wide. She looked like she had woken in a dream and was trying to figure out if this was actually happening. Scott thought she looked adorable with that look.
“And I’m the reason for that?”
“Yes, you are.” Scott pressed a kiss to her forehead, then her nose, and then brushed his lips across her mouth. “You caught my attention, and I just couldn’t walk away.”
Karla was still staring. Then she started giggling. Scott frowned. Not the response he had been expecting.
“Come on, Karla. I’m trying to be romantic here. I don’t do it to just anyone.”
“I know.” Karla was still giggling. “To think what would happen if the town knew a big, gruff man like you was romantic and soppy.” She cupped his jaw, still smiling. “It’s a side of you that is just a little strange, that’s all. Don’t be offended by me laughing.”
“How am I not supposed to be offended?”
Karla’s smile faded a little. She bit her lip, which had Scott�
��s eyes drifting to her mouth. Then she was up on her tiptoes, holding onto his lapels for support and kissed him back. Scott didn’t move, letting her take charge, but he allowed himself to respond in kind. She was unsure, trembling. It made Scott want to pull her into his arms.
Karla pulled back, her cheeks flushed.
“How about now?”
“I think I’ll manage to forgive you.” Scott gave in to his urges and slipped his arms around Karla’s waist, nestling her against his chest. “Everyone around here knows that I haven’t looked at another woman since Elspeth died. The fact that I’ve spent a lot of my time with you is very telling.”
“Even with my scars?” Karla touched her fingers to her cheek. “They don’t put you off?”
“Of course, they don’t. You don’t let it bother you, and it doesn’t bother me.” Scott tilted her chin back and kissed her, smiling as he looked down at her. “I fell in love with the woman before me, Karla. Mother figured it out. That’s what she can’t stand.”
“You love me?”
Karla sounded dazed. Then she flung her arms around Scott’s neck so suddenly Scott nearly lost his balance. He managed to lean against the couch before he ended up on the floor.
“Whoa! Steady there!”
“Sorry.” Karla drew back. Her eyes were shining. “I never thought I’d hear anyone else say that again to me.”
Scott laughed and hugged her.
“Well, I’m saying it now.” He cupped her cheek in his hand, tilting her face up to him. “Do you fancy getting rid of the Barker name and becoming a Hollingsworth?”
“What?” Karla gasped. Then her eyes narrowed. “Did you just ask me to marry you?”
“That’s what I mean.” Scott winced. “I’ve only ever proposed once. I don’t make a habit of it.”
Karla laughed, “I should hope not.” She looped her arms around his neck, “But I think you have my answer already.”
Epilogue
