by Merry Farmer
Both Vivian and Melinda blanched.
“You see?” Melinda twisted to shout at everyone else sitting on the grandstand. It was mostly women from town and a few from the outlying ranches, including Mrs. Elizabeth Haskell and Josephine Evans, who sat at the far end of the stand, almost behind home plate. “Mrs. Strong and Mrs. Montrose have been friends with the witch for years. Look at how rude they are. Look at their shocking lack of decorum,” she growled.
“The only person I see behaving without decorum is the one shouting at people who just want to watch a baseball game,” Wendy said, as steadily as her rage-tightened voice would let her.
The crack of a ball hitting a bat underscored her point, and the crowd on the bench at the other side of the field burst into applause. Those whose attention had been distracted from the game by the Bonneville’s theatrics groaned at the missed play.
“Well, whether she’s a witch or not, Mrs. Knighton is a terrible influence on young women,” Vivian said, her nose in the air.
“She is a witch,” Mrs. Abernathy insisted, her face splotched with red. She glared at Vivian as though it was vital for her to stay true to the accusation. “No other woman has been able to ensnare my Leonard like that.”
“Please,” Josephine snorted. She lowered her voice as she went on to say, “Leonard Abernathy has had a wandering eye since the day he set foot in town.”
“I heard that, Josephine Evans,” Mrs. Abernathy rose halfway out of her seat. “It’s a lie, a bald-face lie. My Leonard was as devoted as a squire until that sorceress arrived in Haskell.”
“Is that so?” Wendy shot back. “Then who showed up in town to make you such a shrew?”
Mrs. Abernathy gasped. Something happened in the baseball game that had half the crowd whooping and cheering. Vivian and Melinda mistook the reaction as people agreeing with Wendy and burst into furious name-calling over top of each other, Mrs. Abernathy and Mrs. Jamison joining in until not a single word could be made out.
“Silence!” Elizabeth Haskell yelled at last, standing from her seat like a queen. The woman’s rare outburst was such a surprise that everyone fell silent and turned to her, even the men watching the game. “Mrs. Knighton is no more a witch than I am,” she said, the lines of her face hard with indignation. “I will not have our dear town sullied by ridiculous accusations.”
She turned to Talia, her expression softening. “Mrs. Knighton, would you and your husband do me and Howard the very great honor of dining with us tomorrow evening?”
Talia’s mouth dropped open in shock. She sent a quick glance around to confirm that, yes, everyone was watching her. “I…I’d be delighted. I’m sure Trey would as well.”
Elizabeth nodded. “Good.” She stood taller. “Now, anyone else who wants to make silly accusations, just know that you’re making them about someone who has the full and unconditional support of the founding father of this town.” She nodded as if that decided everything, then sat with regal dignity.
Talia’s brow had shot up so far that she wasn’t sure she would ever get it to come down again. An invitation to dinner with the founder and mayor of the town? All because of bizarre accusations made against her? She had no idea what could possibly happen to top that.
Chapter 10
Trey was surprised when, after a frustrating defeat to the Piedmont Panthers, Talia informed him that they had been invited to Paradise Ranch for supper on Monday. Granted, he was pleased that Elizabeth Haskell had made such a public show of support for Talia, but to be invited for supper in the big house? He might have been intimidated, if he wasn’t so irritated at the reasons behind the invitation.
That was nothing to the surprise he felt as he and Talia drove up to Howard’s house in the wagon he’d rented from Travis’s livery for the night. Theirs wasn’t the only wagon there. In fact, three other wagons were lined up outside the big house.
“What’s all this about?” Trey asked Luke Chance—who was there to see to the horses—as he hopped down from his wagon. He walked around to help Talia down.
“Don’t you know we’re having a party?” Luke answered with a grin. “Evening, ma’am.” He tipped his hat to Talia.
Trey blinked and shook his head. “I thought this was just a dinner invitation.” He glanced from Luke to Talia, looking for answers.
Talia shrugged and shook her head to say she didn’t have any more of a clue than him.
“It is a dinner invitation,” Luke chuckled. “A dinner invitation for a whole mess of folks.”
Trey sent his friend a wary look, then took Talia’s hand and crossed the yard to the big house’s front porch. “If this makes you uncomfortable, we can find an excuse to leave,” he said.
“It should be fine, shouldn’t it?” Talia asked as they climbed the front steps. “We’re among friends, after all.”
Trey’s mouth tweaked into a sideways smile. “You haven’t been the center of Howard Haskell’s attention before.”
She only had time to send him a suspicious look in return before the front door burst open—without them needing to knock—and Howard’s large form appeared in the doorway.
“Welcome! Welcome to our guests of honor. Come in, come in.”
Howard stood aside, gesturing for them to enter the house. It was easily the finest house in the entire area. Howard had built it to exacting specifications. Most of the downstairs was arranged specifically to hold large gatherings, like the one that night. There was a huge front room with a fireplace—currently unlit as the weather had taken a turn for the balmy—and several sofas arranged so that everyone could sit while talking to each other. Across the front hallway from that was a long dining room with a table big enough for an army. It was already laid out with various dishes—baskets of bread, cold salads, and side dishes—with more being brought in by the Haskell’s cook, Molly.
But perhaps the most arresting sight of all was how packed the place was. Eden Chance was there with little Winslow, who was playing with Howard Franklin Haskell. That, of course, meant both Corva and Franklin Haskell were there. But so were half of the ranch hands Howard employed, from Mason Montrose to the newest hire, Juan Bertran. Mason was there with his wife, Libby, Luke’s sister, and their three children. That made Trey happy. He’d been wanting Talia to meet Libby since she arrived. Virginia was there too, of course, and she’d brought Jarvis and Alice Flint and their children with her.
“So according to Gunn, the papers declaring Jarvis and his family my heirs should be done and filed by the end of the month,” Virginia was saying as Trey and Talia joined the party. “Because everyone knows Jarvis has been like a son to me all these years anyhow.” She reached over and patted Jarvis’s arm.
“Does that mean Paradise Ranch will be split in half when you and Howard are gone?” Libby asked.
“Jarvis and I are working out a plan,” Franklin answered.
That conversation ended as more and more of the guests noticed Trey and Talia. Eden hopped up from her seat—in spite of her round stomach—and dodged around the children playing in the center of the room to greet Talia with a huge hug.
“My poor, darling friend,” she declared, squeezing Talia tight, then holding her at arm’s length. “I heard all about how wretched those women were to you at the baseball game.”
Trey nearly rolled his eyes. They hadn’t been there a full minute, and already that stupidity was the center of the conversation. At least the other women welcomed Talia into their circle with open arms. Eden led her across the room and offered her a seat on the sofa between her and Libby, who was given a quick introduction, while Trey stood where he was, crossing his arms.
“These days, it seems as if you aren’t truly a citizen of Haskell until you’ve had a run-in with the Bonnevilles,” Alice Flint said with a wry smile.
“I’ll say,” Corva agreed. “They were positively wretched to me when I first came to town. I had placed some paintings I’d done at Kline’s Mercantile for sale, and they made fun of them me
rcilessly.”
“And I’ll never forget the time they practically went into fits of hysterics when I wore trousers into town,” Eden added. “But what else was I supposed to do? I was in a hurry and didn’t have time to mess with changing into skirts and all.”
The other women laughed. Trey kept an eagle-eye on Talia, relaxing only when her posture started to soften as the others told their stories.
“You should have seen the way Melinda behaved one time when we were at the general store looking at the same bolt of fabric,” Alice said. “There was easily enough for ten dresses on that bolt, but Melinda hogged it as though there were only two yards left.”
“I wouldn’t have wanted to own a dress made from the same fabric as one Melinda had,” Libby laughed.
“Me neither,” Alice said. “Under usual circumstances. But after the way she behaved, I just couldn’t help myself. I worked hard to wear that dress every time Melinda wore hers until she gave up and handed it down to Honoria.”
The women laughed, Talia with them. A smile spread not only across her face, but through her whole body. Trey could see it fill her, see his wife’s relief at being accepted by such a fine group of women.
Something stirred in him at the sight. It started in the center of his chest with a hard, pulsing knot, but quickly spread to the rest of him, particularly parts south of his heart. Talia was beautiful. Not just her face and figure, although they were a sight to behold. No, Talia’s beauty extended through her. The lines of her face and the brightness of her eyes weren’t like anything he’d seen before, but instead of calling that look foreign and turning up his nose at her—like the nasty biddies in town were doing—Trey found himself wanting to see more of it, and to know more of her.
Unbidden, right there in a room full of his friends, Trey found himself imagining what it would be like to see Talia stretched out with him in bed, all of her alabaster skin showing. It was far too easy to imagine her lithe and eager, wanting him as much as he wanted her. And dammit, he did want her. In spite of his determination that theirs would be a marriage in name only. What fit of stupidity had made him suggest they take things slowly? If he was honest, he’d wanted her from the start, but that wanting had come on stronger and stronger in the past week. Watching her now, loosening up and joining in the cheery conversation with the other women, only reminded him of how difficult it was getting to sleep at night, knowing she was right there in the bed with him and all he would have to do was roll over and reach for her and—
“I’m not sure that look is appropriate when ladies are present, sheriff,” Mason Montrose whispered in his ear. Trey twisted to frown at his friend, but Mason just laughed. “Yep, you got it bad for your new wife.”
“I’ve seen it before,” Luke added. Trey hadn’t heard him come in, let alone come to stand next to him. “Heck, I wore that look all the time myself when Eden and I first got married. That look means a lot of sleepless nights.”
Trey checked to make sure that the women’s conversation was breezing along, then took a large side step into the hallway so that his own conversation couldn’t be overheard. “I’ve been having a lot of sleepless nights, all right,” he grumbled. “But not like that smarmy look on your face suggests.” He nodded to Luke.
Luke’s face registered surprise. “Don’t tell me you aren’t doing what married folk do.”
Trey answered with pointed silence.
“What’s wrong?” Mason asked. “Is it you or her?”
Trey sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “It’s me. I was stupid enough to tell her right before I married her that I wanted a marriage in name only, because I wasn’t ready to deal with the rest of it yet.”
His friends looked incredulous, but as luck would have it, the younger Flint children and Mason and Libby’s boys went tearing through the hallway and out through the front door—which Howard had left open—at just that moment, helping to demonstrate why he’d had cold feet.
“You know, there are ways to enjoy the delights of marriage while holding off on the kids part,” Mason said in a low voice. “If you’re paying attention, you can pull out before…you know.”
The suggestion caused a flood of images of all the things he and Talia could get up to in a horizontal position turned Trey’s face as hot as the sun. “I know about that,” he muttered. “But the point is that I was fool enough to tell her I didn’t want to…you know…right away. Now I’m stuck.”
“Can’t you just tell her you changed your mind?” Luke asked.
Trey let out a breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s more than just that. If it was just that, I would simply ask her if she’d be amenable to giving it a try. But….” He let his words fade away, no idea how to form the sensations in his heart into words.
“But,” Luke prompted. His eyes danced with teasing, as if he’d stood where Trey stood before and remembered how foolish it looked.
“I don’t know what it is,” Trey went on, lowering his voice even more. “I swore to myself that I wouldn’t get too attached to anyone ever again after the way I lost my family as a boy.”
His friends sobered up, their expressions suddenly less teasing and more sympathetic.
“I never want to go through that kind of hurt again. But with Talia….” He paused, staring through the archway from the hall to the living room at her. She was smiling full-out now, and it did things to Trey’s heartstrings that he couldn’t put a name to. “I got so mad when she was running around helping everyone with the influenza,” he went on. “I thought it was foolish of her to put herself in harm’s way. But then I was so proud of her when folks started getting better. Now these dumb accusations of witchcraft have come up, and I want to throttle Jill Abernathy and the Bonneville sisters…but I’m also proud of the way Talia has handled it with such grace.” He let out a long breath, shaking his head. “I want to fight for her and protect her, but at the same time, I want to watch her conquer things on her own and cheer her along. And on top of all that, I want to do things to her that would make the clucking hens of Haskell faint in their britches,” he added in a wry, half-embarrassed voice.
His friends chuckled. Mason thumped him on the back. “Welcome to married life, sheriff.”
“The only place I know where a man wants to love on a woman so hard he’d give up everything for her to be happy,” Luke added.
Trey shared their knowing grins, but he still shook his head. “This isn’t what I thought I wanted.”
“It never is,” Mason agreed.
“Ladies and gentlemen! Supper is served.” They were stopped from further conversation by Howard’s booming announcement. He had come to stand so close to Trey as he made it that Trey was sure his ears would be ringing for the rest of the night.
Then again, his ears might end up ringing for the rest of the night due to the sheer volume of noise that the party created as everyone got up from the visiting room and moved to the dining room to find places around the table. Trey was lucky that he was able to duck around a few charging children to take Talia’s hand and lead her into the dining room. They were just about to have a seat at the end of the table when Howard swept up behind them.
“I’ve saved spots for the two of you at the head of the table,” he said, taking Talia’s arm from Trey like a suitor in a medieval play. “We have some very particular things to discuss.” He winked at Talia, and Trey felt a sense of dread building in his gut. It was always interesting when Howard Haskell got an idea into his head, and all the signs that he had one now were there.
Talia sent Trey a mock terrified look, but the ease and happiness that she’d found talking to the other women and being accepted so readily was clear in the shine of her eyes and the pink on her cheeks. That now-familiar ache that spread from his heart to his groin burned hotter. It didn’t stop as he watched Talia being fussed over and having her plate piled high with food by Elizabeth Haskell either. Sense told him that the biddies trying to make her life miserable wouldn
’t succeed as long as Talia had friends like those around Howard’s table, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to move Heaven and Earth to quash the rumors.
And apparently he wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
“My dear, I was disturbed, most deeply disturbed, to hear the wild accusations being made against you,” Howard said, leaning across the corner of the table to address Talia from his place at its head. He gestured with a fork that held a piece of cake he’d been wrapping up his meal with as he did. “Terribly unkind, terribly.”
Talia sent Howard a grateful smile and rested her hand on top of his free one where it sat on the table. “Thank you so much for your concern, Mr. Haskell, but I have encountered this sort of bigotry before, and, unfortunately, I know that there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Howard’s cheeks turned a pleased shade of pink, and he glanced at Talia with a fondness that made Trey grin from ear-to-ear. “Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong, my dear. And I insist you call me Howard.”
Talia blinked rapidly and sat straighter. “How am I wrong, Howard?”
Howard shifted back in his seat, puffing his chest out. His next words were spoken loud enough to be heard by the entire table. “I think there is something we can do about these vicious rumors pointed at you.”
Trey set down his fork midway through taking a bite of cake. It was time for one of Howard’s speeches, and this time he was eager to know what it was all about. The rest of the table hushed a well.
“Any fool who believes in witchcraft, let alone that a young woman as beautiful and talented as Mrs. Knighton here is involved in it, should have their idiocy exposed,” Howard said.
“Exposed?” Mason asked. “How?”
Howard sent a glance to his wife, seated on his right-hand side, opposite Talia. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and said to Talia, “I just want you to know that this was not my idea.”
“But it’s a brilliant idea,” Howard argued, grinning like a cat.
