Patchwork and Politics

by Christine Lynxwiler

  She prayed that he wouldn’t even look at her on the way home. Her resistance was weak, yet her reasons for not getting involved with him hadn’t changed. If she really loved him, she’d do well to remember she could only bring him heartache in the end.

  Aunt Irene rode in the front with Holt, so it looked like Megan’s prayer was answered. But when they got the older woman settled in the den, with Sarah beside her showing off her favorite videos, Holt sought Megan out.

  “What are you doing?”

  She looked up. “I’m just putting away the groceries that didn’t ruin.”

  “I carried them up to the porch when I fed the pups. If I’d had a key, I’d have put them away. Can I give you a hand?”

  “No. I’ve got it under control.” She busily arranged some canned goods on the shelf.

  “You always have everything under control, don’t you, Megan?” His voice was right at her ear. She stood stock-still. If she turned around their faces would be inches apart.

  “No.” She despised the tremble in her voice.

  “Really?” he whispered. “What can’t you control?”

  “You.”

  “Turn around, Megan.”

  She pivoted slowly around and stared at him. His eyes were such a deep blue. They reminded her of the ocean, and just like the ocean, they had hidden depths. She could easily get lost in them.

  “Megan.”

  “What?”

  “I’m going to kiss you now. Is that okay?”

  At his unexpected words, she raised her hand to her mouth to stifle a nervous giggle. It caught in her throat and emerged as a sort of silly sounding hiccup. She tried to shake her head, but instead she nodded slightly.

  He lowered his mouth to hers, and she surrendered for a moment to the sweetness. Holt’s kiss was like every good thing she’d ever seen, felt, or imagined all rolled into one.

  Too soon, he raised his head to look at her. Emotion shone in his eyes. He cleared his throat. “Megan, I. . .” His voice was husky.

  “Yes?” She felt as weightless as a feather on the wind.

  “Please say you’ll go with me to the picnic.”

  The words were so unexpected she chuckled, in spite of her befuddled senses. “Boy, you sure know how to take advantage of a girl’s weak moment, don’t you?”

  He didn’t say anything, but the dazed expression on his face made her sure that she wasn’t the only one feeling a little funny.

  “Please?”

  She knew she had to say no. But the thought of spending more time with Holt before she had to break it off completely tempted her. She could imagine how many happy memories they could make over the holiday weekend. Memories that would have to sustain her for the rest of her life. “Okay.”

  Beaming, he dropped a light kiss on her cheek. “You won’t be sorry.”

  She already was. She knew better than to lead a man on, but she’d allowed her heart to do the leading when her head should have taken the reins. “Listen, I’ll go, but when we come back, that’s it. It’s over.”

  The happy expression on his face clouded, then quickly cleared. “I’ll take what I can get for now, Meg. Who knows? Maybe I’ll change your mind by then.”

  Eleven

  Holt glanced at Megan as they turned off the highway onto the gravel. “Nervous?”

  “A little.” She cast a glance to the back where Sarah was asleep, just as she had been most of the trip.

  “They’ll love you.”

  “Unless one of them remembers reading about me in the newspaper three years ago. Then they’ll think I’m a gold-digger trying to get my hooks into you.”

  Holt laughed. “You don’t know my family. If I like you, they’ll like you.” He paused, and the look he gave her brought the memory of their kiss rushing to the forefront of her mind. “And I definitely like you.”

  “Have they always been so accepting of your dates?”

  “Are you fishing to see how many dates I’ve brought home?”

  She grinned. “You wish.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Are you avoiding the question?”

  “You’d make a good lawyer, you know that?”

  She crossed her arms and regarded him intently. “I’ve only brought one woman to meet my folks, besides you.”

  “Is she the one who made you think about leaving the Batesville area?”

  He sharply glanced at her, then back at the road. “You don’t miss a thing, do you?” He ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah, that would be her. Her name is Gloria. Marshall Whitmore is her father.”

  “Did your family like her?”

  “Oh, they tried, but no, not particularly.”

  “And this is supposed to be reassuring? I thought you said they’d like anyone you liked?”

  “Well, Gloria was the exception.”

  “Want to tell me what happened?”

  ❧

  Holt nodded. Megan had a right to know what an idiot he’d been, and if someone at the get-together today mentioned it. . . He took a deep breath and told her about the last weekend he’d spent in the Whitmore’s colonial home. It had been a little over a year ago. He’d awakened early and slipped downstairs to get a cup of coffee. He didn’t realize Gloria and her father were already in the kitchen until he’d heard their voices.

  “It won’t be too much longer, Dear, and you’ll be having your morning coffee in the governor’s mansion.”

  “It seems like forever. Holt still has to finish out this term as senator. Then we have to convince him to run for governor.”

  “It won’t take much convincing. That’s one reason I picked him. I have a feeling he’s had his eye on the governor’s chair for a good while now.”

  Holt stood at the doorway. His conscience tried to push him on inside. But his feet remained fixed to the floor.

  “He wouldn’t have had a chance without you around to smooth his edges, Daddy,” Gloria purred. “Arkansas may be a little backwards, but they would never elect a hillbilly cowboy to be the governor.”

  “Careful, Dear, that hillbilly is going to be your ticket to the moon and mine too, if you play your cards right. You’re going to have to try harder to appreciate him.”

  Gloria’s tinkling laugh rang through the hallway. “Appreciate him? All I have to do is make sure he keeps on appreciating me. He’s going to ask me to marry him tonight. I just know it.”

  A slight sniff pulled him back to the present. Startled, Holt glanced over at Megan. Her eyes were brimming with tears. “Oh, Meg, I didn’t mean to make you cry. Even though I didn’t know it then, my heart wasn’t really involved anyway, just my pride.”

  “What did you do?”

  “Well, I was afraid I’d say things I’d regret if I confronted them right then, so I just slipped back upstairs, packed my bags, and left.”

  He grimaced. “The most irritating thing was Gloria was right. I had been about to propose.”

  “So what did they say when you did confront them?” Megan asked.

  Holt shook his head. “I never did. It just seemed safer politically to leave it.”

  “That doesn’t sound like the Holt McFadden I know.”

  “Are you saying I strike you as confrontational?” He hoped his joke would change the subject. Even though he was driving, he felt her gaze, unwavering, on his face.

  “No, that’s not what I’m saying. It just seems to me that when wrong is done you have to confront it, in a Christian way, of course, and let God deal with the consequences.”

  Holt squirmed in his seat and looked out the window at the rolling hills and cattle. She obviously wasn’t in politics, or she’d know the wrong confrontation could be political suicide. “It’s beautiful here, isn’t it?”

  ❧

  Megan considered trying to make Holt see the truth in what she was saying, but she thought of her own situation and decided she’d better save the sermons for herself. “Yes, it is. Too bad Aunt Irene didn’t come. She likes seein
g new places.”

  “Unlike her hermit neighbor, huh?” Holt teased, visibly grateful the conversation was back on a lighter level. “I was surprised you agreed to come at all, but especially after she said she’d rather pass on this trip because of her ankle.”

  Megan gave him a rueful grin. “I was going to back out, but she said her sister was coming in to stay with her this weekend, and that I’d just be in the way hovering over her.”

  “Good old Aunt Irene. I can always count on her to help me out.”

  “Does your brother own this land?”

  “Yep. On both sides of the road. It belonged to my grandparents, but they retired to Florida. At first, Cade leased it for a boys’ ranch, but when he and Annalisa decided to get married and adopt the boys, he bought it.”

  “How many boys?”

  “Three, plus Annalisa’s little sister, Amy, will probably be there.”

  She noticed he knew without question that she was wondering about the crowd. “How many people all together?”

  “Let’s see. . .Six in Cade’s family, counting Amy, then Mom and Dad and Aunt Gertie make nine. My brother, Clint—he’s the fireman—and my little brother, Jake.”

  “Little brother?”

  Holt smiled. “Jake’s a grown man, but sometimes that’s hard for me to realize.”

  “Are Clint and Jake either one married?” She was listening to Holt’s rundown on his family, but she was mentally calculating the number of people.

  “Nope. Clint’s too busy putting out fires, and Jake has a girlfriend he’s somewhat serious about. Oh, she might be there today.”

  “So there should be around twelve, not counting us,” she said.

  “That’s a fair estimate, but at a McFadden holiday there are always at least one or two lonely souls thrown in for good measure. My mama can’t stand for anyone to be alone on a holiday. Not even the Fourth of July.”

  “Fourteen then, plus us.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, or twenty. I said ‘at least’ one or two. Has been up to ten or fifteen.”

  She pressed her hand to her stomach. “I don’t think I can do this, Holt.”

  “You don’t have a choice, beautiful Meg.” He grinned and whipped the truck into a driveway. “We’re here.”

  ❧

  Holt had enjoyed teasing Megan too much to tell her, but he’d made sure they were the first guests to arrive. He’d figured the fewer people she had to get used to at a time, the better.

  They stepped up on the front porch and allowed a drowsy Sarah the privilege of ringing the doorbell. As they waited for someone to answer, Holt put his arm around Megan’s waist. “You’re trembling,” he whispered.

  “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  “Okay.” He leaned in closer to her ear, and the faint scent of her shampoo had him trembling himself. “I’m falling in love with you.”

  She jerked her head up to stare at him, and her eyes widened, just as the front door opened.

  “Holt!” Cade shook his hand enthusiastically, then pulled him into a bear hug. When he released Holt, he smiled. “And you must be Megan.”

  She nodded, but Holt noticed she looked dazed. His timing could have definitely been better, but he felt as if he’d held the words in as long as he could.

  ❧

  Unmindful of her turmoil, Cade continued with the introductions, and Megan did her best to concentrate on what he was saying. He squatted down in front of Sarah. “And you’re Sarah, aren’t you? I thought Holt was pulling my leg when he told me he was bringing a beautiful princess with him. But I see now he really did.”

  Sarah’s whole face lit up with her smile. “Are there kids here?”

  “Sure are. Come on in.” Cade stood and led them into the living room where a young girl of nine or ten was lying on the floor, drawing.

  She looked up and waved.

  “This is Annalisa’s sister and my favorite sister-in-law, Amy.” He winked at the child, and she returned his wink with an exaggerated one of her own. Megan could see that Holt wasn’t the only McFadden brother who was good with kids. “Amy, this is my brother Holt and his friends, Megan and Sarah.”

  Sarah hurried over to Amy and plopped down beside her. “Can I color?”

  “Sure.”

  Megan was pleased to notice that Sarah had no trouble meeting strangers, in spite of the sheltered life she’d led. Now if only Sarah’s mother could adapt as well. It had just been too long since she’d attended a social gathering.

  Cade led them into the kitchen. A tall, striking brunette was putting the finishing touches on a flag cake. The woman hugged Holt, then Cade pulled her close to him. “Megan, this is my wife, Annalisa.” Pride emanated from his voice.

  As the women offered each a “nice to meet you,” Cade nodded toward the kitchen door. “Holt, you want to come with me to check on the barbecue?”

  Holt glanced at Megan, and she nodded. In spite of her assent, her heart pounded in her chest as he followed his older brother out the door, leaving her alone with a stranger.

  ❧

  “So how serious is it?”

  “You cut straight to the chase, don’t you, Cade?”

  “Always.”

  “I’m in love with her, but she thinks her past will ruin my career.”

  “Will it?”

  Holt shrugged. “It could, I guess. But isn’t love supposed to be more important than politics?”

  “It’s supposed to be,” Cade replied thoughtfully. “Just be sure you can deal with the consequences.”

  Holt couldn’t keep the sharpness from his tone. “What wouldn’t you give up for Annalisa?”

  “This is not about me. I just know how important your career is to you.” Cade’s answer was gentle as he lifted the cover of the massive barrel grill. “I can tell by how defensive you are that the idea scares you. You’ve worked hard to get where you are, and even though I had my doubts at first, it does seem that God wants you there. There’s no shame in not wanting to endanger that.”

  Holt forced himself to calm down. It had taken a long time for him to convince his brother that his political career was God’s will. He couldn’t blame Cade for being honest, and he deserved honesty in return. “My fear is that I’ll let Megan down if she needs me. I’ve been asking God to give me the courage to stand firm. But, really, the answer is no, I don’t believe her past will ruin my career, regardless of what she thinks. She was proven innocent of any wrongdoing. Besides that’s old news. It was three years ago. People have forgotten by now.”

  “You always overestimate the good in people, Holt.” Cade clapped a hand on his shoulder. “The eternal optimist. But I wouldn’t have you any other way.”

  “I had to be an optimist to balance you out. You’ve always expected the worst.”

  Cade glanced over to the porch where Annalisa and Megan were now standing in earnest conversation. “Not anymore.”

  Holt laughed. “I know what you mean. Amazing how they can turn us inside out, isn’t it?”

  “And make us welcome the upheaval.” Cade joined his brother’s laughter.

  ❧

  “Sounds like the two oldest McFadden brothers are glad to see each other,” Annalisa commented as the masculine laughter floated across the yard.

  “I know Holt was excited about coming.” In spite of her phobia of meeting new people, Megan found herself drawn to this woman who towered over her in height and had a smile as bright as the sunshine.

  “Cade couldn’t wait for y’all to get here. He kept hearing something and running to the front window to check. Like a little kid at Christmas.” Annalisa smiled at Megan. “More than anything, I think he wanted to meet the woman who’d turned his little brother’s world upside-down.”

  “Me?” Megan squeaked. She hadn’t expected this. She was braced for a morning of recipe and weather discussions, but apparently, Holt’s sister-in-law didn’t believe in surface conversation.

  “Yes, you.”

 
; “Actually, we’re not serious.” Megan forced herself to say the words, because she couldn’t bear for her new friend to hate her when she found out Megan and Holt were no longer seeing each other after this was over.

  “Uh-huh. You sound like me before Cade and I worked things out.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re in denial. You look at Holt like you’re dying of thirst and he’s a giant glass of ice water. He looks at you the same way. So, what’s the problem?”

  From anyone else, the question would have seemed rude, but Annalisa’s concern was so obviously genuine, Megan wasn’t offended.

  “More than you can imagine. I’m not good for him, Annalisa. Let’s just leave it at that. If you love your brother-in-law, the last thing you’ll want to do is encourage his relationship with me.”

  “You have a secret.”

  “What?” Megan didn’t know what to say. The woman was uncanny.

  “All the signs are there. Something in your past makes you think he’d be better off without you.” She gave Megan an appraising look. “Let’s see, he’s determined to go forward with this political career of his, and you’re obviously crazy about him. . . ,” Megan felt the heat rise in her cheeks at this observation. “So you must think you’d be a detriment to it.”

  “Did anyone ever tell you that you’re a little bit. . .” In spite of Annalisa’s frank assessment of her situation, Megan didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

  “Pushy? Nosy?” Annalisa laughed and twisted her dark brown hair up on top of her head with one hand. “I’ve been told that a time or two. I’m not really this bad usually, but I don’t know. . .it just felt like you and I clicked as soon as we started talking in the kitchen. When I looked at you, I could see so much of myself when I first came to the Circle M.” Her smile faded a bit and her brown eyes looked slightly troubled. “You’re not really offended, are you?”

  Megan laughed. “I should be, but I’m not.” She looked again at the tall, confident woman and couldn’t imagine what about her would remind Annalisa of herself. “Do you really want to hear about my past?”