“I don’t want to be a lady.”
“Your mama was a lady, and Julia is a lady. Believe me, honey, Julia is not boring.”
She waited for a minute. “All right. I’ll try.”
“Fine. Go wash up for supper. It smells wonderful, and I’m hungry.”
Father and daughter entered the kitchen. After pumping water into the sink, they both washed up and took their places at the table. Fletcher watched Julia ladle soup into three bowls, slice the fresh bread, and place a crock of butter on the table. She sat, and they all joined hands in prayer.
He’d told Patty Ann that Julia had a family who loved her. Did he love her? Had his feelings gone from caring to love? They’d only been married a few weeks, but already he couldn’t remember what it had been like to come home to an empty house. He had no memory of what he’d done with his time at night after he’d returned from doing his nightly rounds.
Now he and Julia occupied themselves with reading aloud to each other until their cuddling and touching grew so intense they retired to the bedroom. Yes, life with Julia was wonderful, except for his insistence that he use a condom each time they made love. He knew she still wanted a baby of her own, but he continued to live with the fear of losing another wife in childbirth.
He’d been fond of Laura and was shattered when she died. How would he feel if he had to watch Julia suffering and then taken from him? The fear was enough to quell any guilt he had on denying her what she truly wanted.
The next morning, Fletcher kissed his wife goodbye, walked Patty Ann to school, intending to head to the mercantile.
“Sheriff? A word, please.” Miss Ambrose stepped outside the school building and closed the door behind her, waiting for him to return. He climbed the stairs, removed his hat, and waited.
“Did Mrs. Adams tell you about your daughter’s latest scrape?”
“Well, ma’am, if you’re talking about two boys bigger and older than my little girl assaulting her in the play yard, yes, ma’am, she sure did.”
The teacher’s cheeks grew rosy, and she raised her pointed chin. “That is not the way I see it, Sheriff. When I found the three of them rolling on the ground, Patty Ann was sitting on top of Ronald, punching him in the face. His brother was attempting to pull her off and received a black eye for his trouble.”
“Did you question the children to learn what happened?”
“I don’t need to question them. I saw with my own eyes what was happening. Your daughter is wild, Sheriff. She wears trousers under her dresses, she fights, and she is simply too difficult to have in my classroom.”
Fletcher narrowed his eyes. “Just what is it you’re saying, Miss Ambrose?”
“I’m afraid I will have to suggest to the school board that Patty Ann be removed from school.”
He rocked back on his heels. “Are you telling me, that you, a trained teacher cannot control one little girl? It might interest you to know that the Johnson boys insulted my wife and said cruel and despicable things about her. My daughter was merely defending her stepmother.”
The woman sniffed. “She should have come to me with her problems, not taken it upon herself to fight the boys.”
“And since you seem to think Patty Ann is ‘too difficult,’ would you have been sympathetic to her complaint? From what I understand, these boys have been picking on my little girl since she came to school here. I suggest you start controlling the bullies in your classroom, Miss Ambrose, and stop worrying about what my daughter wears under her skirts.”
“Well! I never.”
“I’m sure you never have.” He put his hat back on. “Have a nice day, Miss Ambrose, and I expect you to do your job and watch over my daughter.”
His next stop was the mercantile. Mr. Johnson was busy with a customer so Fletcher just strolled the aisles, trying to calm himself after his exchange with the teacher. Johnson kept taking nervous glances at him as he helped Mrs. Stone select the items from her extensive list.
Eventually, Fletcher just crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, keeping his eye on Johnson. The man wished Mrs. Stone a good day and marched up to Fletcher. “Sheriff, I hope you’re here to apologize for what your ruffian daughter did to my boys. They both have black eyes.”
Fletcher placed his hands on his hips, his legs spread. “Johnson, your boys are bullies. They’ve been tormenting my daughter at school since she arrived back in Wickerton. Now, I have a sneaky suspicion that you put them up to it because I married Julia.”
Johnson’s face went beet-red. “That is not true. You are welcome to her. Any woman who works in a saloon, wearing the dresses those girls wear is no lady, and doesn’t deserve respect. Julia is no more than a loose woman.”
In a flash, Fletcher had Johnson up against the wall, his fist wrapped in his shirt, the man’s feet dangling off the floor. “I’m sure you forgot that’s my wife you’re speaking of. And if I wasn’t a law enforcement officer you’d be lying flat on your back right now.”
Eyes wide, Johnson gulped several times. Fletcher let him go, and the man grabbed his throat, rubbing his neck.
“I want you to have your sons apologize to my daughter for what they said about Julia. Then I expect you to teach them manners and tell them to stay as far away from Patty Ann as they can get without leaving the school grounds.” He pulled on the cuffs of his jacket. “Do I make myself clear, Johnson?”
The man nodded, his lips tight. Fletcher doubted he would do anything about his sons, but hopefully he’d made enough of an impression on him that he would at least tell them to leave Patty Ann alone.
The bell over the front door signaled the arrival of Mrs. Davidson.
Fletcher tipped his hat to the woman and turned to Johnson. “You have a customer, Johnson. Best take care of business.
Chapter Twelve
Julia placed a ham sandwich, sugar cookie, and apple in the lunch bucket and handed it to Patty Ann.
“You ready to go, little girl?” Fletcher entered the kitchen, settling his hat on his head.
Even though the school was only a few blocks away that Patty Ann could walk herself, Fletcher tried to walk with her each morning, telling Julia it was a nice father-daughter time for him.
Patty Ann wiped her mouth with a napkin and jumped up from the breakfast table. “Yep. I’m ready.”
Julia gave her a hug, as she’d done every morning, and Patty Ann stiffened as she’d done every morning. They’d gotten along well since Patty Ann arrived, but the little girl still hadn’t accepted her as her mama.
“Have a good day at school,” Julia said, running her hand over Patty Ann’s braids.
She picked up her books and lunch bucket, and headed out the door.
Fletcher pulled Julia into his arms. “I’m sorry I have to be away all day in Hamilton. Maybe I’ll get lucky and get to testify early so I can leave. Ernest will be watching the jail for me, so if you have any trouble, go see him.”
She frowned. “Why would I need a deputy?”
“I don’t know that you will, but just in case.”
“You’re worried about Mr. Johnson?”
He tucked a loose curl behind her ear. “I saw him yesterday, and hopefully I made enough of an impression on him that he’ll leave you alone and make sure his sons leave Patty Ann alone.”
“We’ll be fine. Just get your job done in Hamilton and hurry home to us.”
Pulling her even closer, he said, “Julia…”
Her heart thudded at the expression on his face. One she’d never seen before and would swear it was a look of love.
He gave her a soft smile. “I know you want children.”
She held her breath as he fumbled for the words he probably didn’t want to speak.
Closing his eyes, he said, “Just so you know, I’ve been thinking about it.”
A small burst of joy started in her middle and worked its way up to her lips that broke into a smile. “You have?”
“Yes. We’ll talk about it tonight.
All right?”
Reaching up, she wrapped her hand around his neck, and pulled him in for a very enthusiastic kiss. His hands slid down, and he pushed her lower parts against him.
“Papa, you coming?” Patty Ann’s voice broke into the haze of desire that had completely overwhelmed Julia.
She pulled back and laughed. “I think you’d better walk your daughter to school and be on your way so you can be home in time for supper.”
Giving her one more kiss on the tip of her nose, he turned and left the house. She walked to the window and watched as father and daughter strolled hand-in-hand toward the school house.
Life was very pleasant. She had a family of her own, a small, but comfortable house, and the possibility of more children. Every day she fell more in love with her husband. He’d not uttered the words to her yet, but she was sure he loved her, too. Perhaps tonight when they had their talk about more children she would admit her love for him and hope he responded in kind.
She would plan a special supper for her little family. After checking the pantry, she decided to buy a chicken at the butcher shop and a few fresh vegetables at the green grocer to make a chicken and noddle dish. Glancing out the window, she determined it would be best to do her shopping right away, since the gathering of clouds in the sky signaled stormy weather later in the day. The perfect day for a warm, nourishing meal.
“Good morning, Mrs. Adams, it’s nice to see you so early in the morning.” Mrs. Bryant, the widow who owned the green grocer, greeted her with a huge smile. A friendly, helpful woman, she’d been one of the ladies who’d put together the lovely wedding for Julia and the sheriff.
“Good morning to you, too, Mrs. Bryant. I’m shopping early since it looks like we’re headed for some rainy weather later.”
“Oh, I can tell you that, missy. My bones have been aching something fierce since I woke up this morning.” She shook her head, silver ringlets escaping from her bun and bouncing around her face. “It’s one of the disadvantages of getting old, I guess.”
“Well, one thing is for sure,” Julia said with a smile, “it beats the alternative.”
Mrs. Bryant burst out laughing. “Ain’t that the truth? Yes, indeed it does. Now what can I get for you today?”
Once Julia had the makings of a salad to go with her supper, she head to the butcher, pulling her coat around her against the damp, chilly air. If it were just a little bit colder, the rain they were expecting would be snow.
Patty Ann’s head whipped around as something poked her in the back of her shoulder. Ronald Johnson, who sat three chairs behind her, motioned to the girl right behind her who held a piece of folded paper.
“This is from Ronald for you,” Betsy Sanders said softly.
Patty Ann grabbed the note and, taking a quick glance at Miss Ambrose who had her head down grading papers, she opened the paper.
Meat me on the plae yurd
She snorted at the dummy’s misspellings. Stuffing the note into her apron pocket, she picked up her pencil and continued with her arithmetic.
A couple of hours later, Patty Ann strolled out of the building, clutching her lunch bucket. As usual, the girls all clustered together and sat on the bench under the bare tree. Soon the weather would be too cold to eat outdoors. They would eat at their desks and play outside for a short time.
It hurt that the girls she had known since first grade no longer welcomed her. Had she changed so much? True, her best friend Mary Margaret Turner had moved from Wickerton to New York City. She and Mary Margaret had pretty much stuck to themselves, so now without her best friend, Patty Ann felt out of place. Mary Margaret had also been a girl who liked climbing trees, racing with the boys, and sneaking britches under her dresses.
The biggest change to the school had been the new teacher, Miss Ambrose. The last teacher, Miss Davies, had married at the end of the last school year so the school board had fired her. Patty Ann and Miss Ambrose did not seem to get along.
She sat on the school steps and ate her lunch as she thought about her stepmother. She liked Julia and had gotten over her wish that Papa had married Aunt Catherine. She’d caught Papa and Julia kissing a few times, and for some reason, she couldn’t imagine Aunt Catherine and Papa doing that together. Certainly not with the same enthusiasm they seemed to show when she’d spotted them this morning before Papa walked her to school.
There were times when she missed her mama so much her stomach ached. But each day it seemed to hurt less. Papa had never smiled as much when Mama was alive, and he certainly seemed happy so that made her happy. What adults did certainly confused her. All she knew for now was Julia seemed more mad at Ronald and Jimmy than she had been at Patty Ann for fighting. That was nice.
She looked up, and both boys stood in front of her. Jimmy kicked the stones under his feet, his head down. Ronald leaned against the railing and stuck a piece of grass in his mouth.
“What did you want me to meet you on the play yard for?”
“Jimmy and I feel real bad about saying mean things about your stepmother.”
She watched Jimmy continue to kick at the stones near his feet. This was the first time Ronald had talked nice to her. Maybe they were giving up picking on her. “I’m glad. Julia is very nice, you know.”
“Yeah, we know. So to show you how sorry we are, we want you to go with us after school to a special place where we have something to show you that we never showed anyone else.”
Patty Ann hesitated. “Well, I don’t know. I’m supposed to go right home after school. I have chores to do, you know.”
“We do, too. This won’t take long, and I’m sure you’ll be excited by what we found.” Ronald leaned in, closer to her ear. “We have to have your promise that you won’t tell anyone else. Ever.”
“I’m not sure…”
“Of course, if you’re just scared, then I can understand.” Jimmy finally contributed to the conversation, peeking at her under the hair that fell on his forehead.
She stuck her chin out. “I’m not scared of anything. Especially anything you could show me, Jimmy Johnson.”
“Then, it’s a deal? We’ll meet you over there by that big tree as soon as Miss Ambrose lets us out.”
“All right. As long as your promise me it won’t take long.”
“Cross my heart,” Ronald said, then grabbed Jimmy by the arm and hauled him off.
Somehow she didn’t trust them. But what harm could come from just taking a walk with them? She fingered the jackknife in her apron pocket her papa had given her for her seventh birthday. She had wanted to learn how to whittle. Although she had tried, she never really got the knack of it, but since then she always carried her knife with her.
She was still not sure if she was doing the right thing when school let out and she headed to the tree where Ronald and Jimmy already stood. They both looked innocent enough, but she still didn’t trust them completely. She would keep her eyes open. Perhaps they were really sorry and to make up, wanted to show her something special.
“We better hurry, ’cause it looks like it’s going to rain,” Patty Ann said as she walked up to them.
“This won’t take long.”
They climbed the hill outside the schoolhouse, then entered the woods that followed. They had only just stepped into the heavily wooded area when the first raindrops fell. They continued on, Patty Ann following the boys, stepping carefully around small animal holes and roots sticking up.
“Hey we better do this another day. It’s really starting to rain hard. I better go home.” Her concern grew as the sky darkened.
“We’re almost there,” Jimmy yelled.
Water dripped down her face. Julia would be upset that she got so wet. “I’m going back. Whatever you want to show me, we can see another day.” She turned and her foot slipped. Before she could fall, a hand grabbed her arm. “Let go!” She attempted to loosen the grip Jimmy had on her arm.
“No. It’s right here. Look.” Ronald pointed to an open space next t
o the creek that had started to fill up. Water rushed past below them, carrying sticks and small stones, dried leaves, and a couple of feathers.
“I don’t care what it is. I’m going home.”
“No, you’re not.” Ronald grabbed one arm, and Jimmy the other. They pulled and dragged her toward the open space. She dug her heels in and fought to get away. The rain pounded down on them now, almost to the point that she couldn’t see anything in front of her.
“Ronald, let go of me now or I’m going to tell your father,” she shouted above the din caused by the deluge.
“Oh, yeah. Well, your old man already gave mine a mouthful of what we said about your crippled stepmother and now we gotta go clean up the back room at the mercantile. So while we’re working our asses off, you’ll just take a little rest here.”
Patty Ann was shoved forward and, arms and legs flailing, tumbled forward. She landed on her hands and knees and sunk into a few inches of mud.
“Eww!” She shook her hands and glared up at her tormentors. “Ronald, get me out of here.”
Both boys leaned over the edge, grinning down at her. “You’re so damn smart, figure out how to get out of there. We’re going home where we have to clean the fucking store.”
“Ronald Johnson, I’m going to tell your papa what you said.”
“Yeah, well, you gotta get out of there first. See ya.” He nudged Jimmy. “Come one, let’s go”
Once again Julia put down her cooking spoon and walked to the front window. Still no Patty Ann. She glanced at the clock, her worry starting to build. School should have been out over an hour ago. Patty Ann knew enough to come straight home from school. And now the rain was coming down pretty steadily. She should have gone to school with an umbrella and met her, but if Patty Ann had left school immediately, she would have been home just as the rain started.
She sighed and leaned against the glass so she could look down the street as far as possible. The view to the front of the street wasn’t that good with the jailhouse blocking the way. One more glance at the clock, and Julia grabbed her coat from the hook by the door, pulled an umbrella from the stand, and left the house.
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