“Well, be glad you’re not giving her grandchildren. That woman is absolutely dreadful. She’d be dictating what you can do with them and when,” Margaret said, recalling the way Connie mocked her mothering skills at the park. “What Connie needs is a daughter-in-law who’ll put her in her place.” Then her eyes lit up and she nudged Jessica in the side. “I bet that Debra Potter would give her a run for her money!”
Jessica gasped. “Oh, you can’t mean to stick Connie James with the likes of Debra.”
“Why not?”
“Well, it’s...it’s...” Jessica shrugged.
“I think in some ways, Debra might force the old coot to relinquish the stronghold on her son, don’t you agree?” Granted, it would probably be a transfer of control. Peter would still be under a woman’s thumb. She furrowed her eyebrows. “Don’t you think Peter likes to be told what to do? I mean, he’s not exactly eager to cut those apron strings, is he? Some people actually prefer to have their lives mapped out for them.”
“I’m not going to be any part of this, Margaret.”
“Fine. Then don’t be a part of it.”
For Jessica, it wasn’t a big deal. But Jessica didn’t have to deal with a woman who had the desire to break up her marriage and run around telling other people how incompetent Margaret was as a mother. Margaret figured if she could get Debra’s mind off of Joseph, then the other pieces would naturally fall into place. What Debra needed was a man who’d be happy with a woman like her. It was just a matter of how Margaret could get the ball rolling.
Groaning, Jessica crossed her arms and shook her head. “I don’t know if I like that look on your face.”
Margaret turned wide, innocent eyes in her friend’s direction. “What look?”
“You know what look I’m talking about. It was the same look you had when you were ready to get even with Phillip McPherson in grade school.”
“I got even with him because he put that rat in your desk.”
“Yes. And that’s how we became such good friends.”
Margaret smiled, her mood improving. “Well, someone had to put him in his place. He didn’t mess with you after that.”
She sighed. “I suppose I owe you one. You got rid of my bully. It’s only fair I help you get rid of yours.”
Her eyes lit up. “Really?”
“A woman trying to break up my friend’s marriage has it coming. But I do feel a tad bit bad for Connie. Sure, the woman is unbearable, but at least she doesn’t go barging into people’s weddings and trying to convince the bride to get out of her way.”
“Oh, Connie will be fine.” Margaret glanced at Doug and Bob as they kicked the ball back and forth. She knew they’d love nothing more than to be assured that Miss Potter wouldn’t be a problem anymore. “I wonder...”
“What?” Jessica sat up straight and leaned forward. “What do you wonder?”
She turned her attention back to her friend. “You know, I will say one thing about children. They can be a big help when they don’t want something, and the last thing they want is Debra around. I bet they wouldn’t mind helping me get her out of their lives for good.”
“Must you involve the children?”
A grin spread across Margaret’s face. “Oh, you bet. She wants to be a mother so badly. I wonder what she’d do if she got the chance. How well would she really handle it?”
Looking uncertain, Jessica said, “What are you thinking?”
Excited, Margaret began to tell her friend her plan.
Chapter Twelve
Two weeks later, Margaret glanced at the four boys as she put on her hat. “Now, you’re sure you know what to do.”
Bob finished putting on his shoes and stood up in the parlor. “Sure, Ma. We can be obnoxious. It’s easy.”
Doug crossed his arms, looking skeptical. “Miss Potter wants Pa. I don’t know if this will work.”
Margaret picked up Ben before he could go running off into the kitchen. “Has she ever taken care of you boys before?”
“No,” Bob said. “Pa wouldn’t let her.”
Perfect. Margaret had gathered as much, but it was nice to get that clarified. She grinned. She couldn’t wait to see how well Debra handled four small rambunctious boys. “You promise not to be on your best behavior like you did with me when I first became your ma?”
“We’re still being good, aren’t we?” Bob asked.
“Not as good as you were that first week but yes. You’re all good boys. Your pa and your first ma did a good job.”
And really, she had no reason to complain. It was still a lot of work—at times overwhelming—but she managed through it. Ben wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed her cheek. She grinned and hugged him back. And this was what made it worthwhile.
Doug grimaced. “I hate being around Miss Potter. Are you sure this will work?”
“Just how bad can you be?” Margaret asked.
“We can be very bad if it means getting her to leave you and Pa alone,” Bob quickly assured her. “When Charles and Ben get into things, we’ll find other things to do.”
“Yeah. We’re not helping her like we did with you,” Doug added.
She raised an eyebrow. “You only help half the time.”
“See? We’ve practiced!” Bob smiled as if that had, indeed, been the plan all along.
“If you say so...” She patted Charles on the arm. When he turned from staring out the front window, she motioned for him to go to the door. “Alright. This is it. The more annoying you can be, the sooner she’ll send for me.”
“That can’t come soon enough,” Doug muttered.
“Why, Doug, that is very kind of you to say.” She opened the screen door and let them step onto the porch before she shut the door behind her. “You know,” she continued, looking at the pessimistic seven year old, “I’m a lot like you. I have a hard time thinking things will work out until they do. That’s why I wasn’t sure about marrying your pa.”
“You weren’t sure about him?” Doug wondered.
“Well, I wasn’t sure if I could handle taking care of all of you. But it’s worked out, hasn’t it?”
“It has,” Bob eagerly replied. He patted his stomach. “And we’ll get cookies for scaring off Miss Potter, right?”
She chuckled. “Right.” Shaking her head, she started down the porch steps. These boys would do anything if it meant they could have a treat.
The walk down the block to the business district was a pleasant one. The weather was breezy and the sun warmed things up nicely. It was one of those days where she’d love to sit outside and watch the boys play. And she figured if the plan went smoothly, she would be able to do just that soon enough.
“Bob!” she called out to the boy who started across the street without looking both ways. “Get back here and wait for the rest of us.”
“Oh, sorry.” He returned to the edge of the street and waited for them to catch up to him. Looking both ways, he hollered, “No one’s coming!”
“Then we can go,” she replied.
Holding on Ben’s and Charles’ hands, she followed Bob and Doug across the street and motioned for the boys to go left. She smiled at Jessica who waited for them.
As soon as Margaret was in front of the mercantile, Jessica said, “Debra’s at Mrs. Lonny’s house.”
“Is she almost done cleaning it?” Margaret asked.
“I think so. I asked Mrs. Lonny when I could come over for tea, and she said fifteen minutes. That was ten minutes ago.”
“Good. Then it shouldn’t be a long wait.”
Bob tugged on Margaret’s arm. “Can we get a piece of candy?”
“I already promised cookies when we’re done,” she replied.
“I know but I need something sweet now.”
With an inspired look on his face, Doug added, “We’ll make sure it’s sticky and touch her with dirty fingers.”
“Yeah,” Bob agreed. “This will be even better than the time we left those fingerprint
s for you to clean up on the walls.”
“What?” Jessica asked.
“Two days ago, they got syrup all over the hallway walls,” Margaret told her. “That stuff isn’t easy to clean up.”
Bob shrugged. “We forgot to wash our hands after breakfast.”
“Because you were in a hurry to go outside to play,” she added, good-naturedly. “You didn’t even help me with Charles or Ben.”
“Because we know you can do it.” Bob patted her on the arm. “You’re good at being a ma now.”
“Yep,” Doug agreed. “But we’ll try to help too.”
Margaret figured it was because they were comfortable with her now and took it as a compliment for that reason. But even so, she made sure to add, “Yes, you will still need to help me.”
“We can help if we have candy,” Bob said, looking up at her with wide, hopeful eyes. “Miss Potter doesn’t like sticky fingers.”
“I see your point.” Margaret dug into her purse and handed each boy a small coin. “This better be good.”
“It will be.”
The two boys took the coins and ran into the mercantile. Charles looked as if he was ready to cry, so she called out, “Get something for Charles too!”
That’s all she needed. A screaming child before she got to Debra. She knew she was asking for messy children and lots of clean up, but it’d be worth it to get the woman away from her and her family.
Jessica turned from the entrance of the mercantile and offered a wicked smile in Margaret’s direction. “I’ll go pay Mrs. Lonny a visit.”
Margaret nodded. It was time to put her plan into action. As she waited for Doug and Bob to return so she could walk by the boarding house where Debra was staying, she peered into the mercantile. Just what could be taking those boys so long?
“Hi there, honey. Did you come to do some shopping?”
She spun on her heel, surprised to see Joseph pulling up a horse and wagon in front of the building. “Isn’t today the day you work at the paper?”
“It was supposed to be but Alan’s no longer sick, so I’m back to part-time work over there.” He pulled the brake before getting down. “I’ve been running all over the place, making deliveries and such.” He glanced up and down the boardwalk as he stepped onto it. “Where are the oldest two?”
“Oh. Um...Getting candy.” Her face flushed. Running into him hadn’t been a part of her plan. In fact, she hadn’t told him anything about it. She didn’t think he’d be pleased, but she couldn’t think of any other way to get rid of Debra.
“Pa!” Ben held his hands up.
Joseph bent down and picked up him. “Hey there, peewee.”
She glanced back into the store where Doug and Bob were sorting through the candy display with eager eyes. Just how hard could it be for them to pick out something sticky?
“If you want to shop, I can put your purchase in with the other goods I need to deliver and take you and the boys home,” Joseph said. “They might like a wagon ride.”
“Yay!” Charles agreed, as if on cue.
“Oh, that’s alright,” she quickly replied, her mind anxiously trying to think up a good excuse. “Actually, we were going out for a walk. It’s such a lovely day. It’d be a shame to waste it.”
“It is a beautiful day,” he agreed. “I bet I could take a lunch break and walk with you all.”
“What?” Her eyes grew wide.
“Our house isn’t that far. I’ll have some leftovers. It’ll save on time.”
“But...”
“Podder,” Charles said.
She shot the boy a startled look. If she wasn’t careful, the kids would rat her out! “I thought I’d go see Jessica. She’s in town today, and we already ate so you should get some of that great pot roast over at the restaurant down that way.” She pointed in the opposite direction of the way she expected Debra to be coming.
His face fell. “I suppose I could. You already had lunch?”
“Yes. You didn’t miss anything. They were just sandwiches. Boring and bland.” She waved her hand and shook her head. “It’s not worth the walk home for.”
“I don’t think your sandwiches are boring or bland.”
She inwardly groaned. “Well, these are. I don’t put anything good on them. Just a slap of cheese.”
“And tomado,” Charles added.
“You mean like the sandwich you made on Monday? That was good,” Joseph said. “You even baked the bread.”
She resisted the urge to put her hand over Charles’ mouth so he wouldn’t cause her anymore problems.
“But if you have plans to meet your friend, then I can have one of your delicious sandwiches some other time,” Joseph said, setting Ben on his feet. “I’ll see you when I get home.”
Overwhelmed with relief, she laughed. “I’ll make you something better than a sandwich.”
Giving them a smile, he nodded and went into the store where Doug and Bob were finally paying for their pieces of candy from an amused looking Ralph Lindon who waved to Joseph as soon as he noticed him.
She tensed. Would Doug and Bob give her plan away? She purposely held off on telling them what she wanted until Joseph left for work that morning. Only, he was supposed to work at the paper, not at the mercantile! Otherwise, she would have picked a different street to walk down.
She bit her lower lip and glanced down the street. No sign of Debra yet. This whole plan was going to go awry if those two boys didn’t get out of that store soon.
Doug and Bob talked to their father, and Bob pointed to Margaret and smiled excitedly. Her heart beat frantically in her chest. Oh no. This couldn’t be good. Not with the way Bob patted his stomach and pointed to his piece of candy. He was giving her away. She just knew it! And that was when she learned the cold, hard truth. Kids didn’t know how to keep a secret.
Chapter Thirteen
Joseph looked over his shoulder and gave her a look of disbelief. Then he said something to the two boys and the three of them headed in her direction. Her hold tightened on Charles’ and Ben’s hands. Her stomach tensed. She glanced down the street. No sign of Debra Potter.
As soon as Joseph and the boys exited the place, she blurted out, “I can explain.”
“I won’t allow my children to be with Debra,” he said, his tone unusually firm.
She blinked and it took her a good moment before she came up with the perfect response. “Well, these are my children too. That means half the decision goes to me.”
“What?”
“When I married you, I became their mother, and that means I get half-rights to deciding what will and will not happen with them.” She narrowed her eyes at him, daring him to challenge her.
He placed his hands on his hips and met her challenge. “I will take care of Debra.”
“So I keep hearing, but she still makes it a point to come by the park or find me in town to bother me.”
“Ignore her. That’s what Hannah did.”
“Well, I am not Hannah. If you wanted a woman who would handle things Hannah’s way, then you should have married someone just like her.”
He gave a low grunt and looked at the boys who watched them in open fascination. Sighing, he dug into his pocket and gave Doug and Bob one coin each. “Get some more candy.”
“Yes,” Margaret quickly agreed. “And make sure it’s nice and sticky for that horrible Miss Potter.”
“Margaret,” he said through clenched teeth.
Paying no mind to the warning in his tone, she added, “Make it bright too. Something that will show up on a nice dress and be hard to wash out.”
Bob grabbed Doug’s hand and dragged him into the store. “We can get a whole bunch with this coin!”
“But I want to see who’ll win,” Doug argued, unable to stop Bob from shoving him into the doorway.
“Ma, of course.”
Not hiding her smile, she said, “That decides it. We’re doing this my way.”
Taking her by the arm, Joseph
led her and the other two boys to a spot further down the boardwalk where they could have some privacy. She continued to hold onto Charles and Ben, taking small comfort in the contact. This was her first confrontation with her husband, and even though she didn’t enjoy it, she was not going to let this issue go. Debra had to be removed from her life, and the sooner, the better.
Appearing as if he had to think over his next words with great care, Joseph finally said, “Debra is my problem. I’ll deal with her.”
“Fine. What are you going to do?”
“I’ll do what I did before. I’ll tell her that you and I are happy and that I will not leave you. Then I’ll suggest she return to Ohio.”
“That’s such a great plan, Joseph. I wonder why it didn’t work the first time?”
“Must you be sarcastic?”
“In this instance, you bet.”
He looked exasperated.
“So Hannah ignored her, and Debra still bothered her, correct?”
He shrugged. “Not so much once the children were born.”
“But I bet she made her life miserable. And before you argue with me, remember that I am a woman and know what it’s like when a woman is after her husband.”
“I never cheated on Hannah and I won’t cheat on you.”
“You’re missing the point. A woman like Debra is a thorn in my side, and the only way to deal with a thorn is to remove it. She won’t go as long as we’re nice to her. What she needs is some shaking up.”
His eyes grew wide. “You’re not going to hurt her?”
“Oh, of course not. I am a lady, after all.” Sure, she’d had her not so ladylike moments in the past, but she never physically attacked anyone. “What I’m going to do is let the kids at her. They can cause a lot of trouble when they want, and I suspect once she gets time with them, she’ll run off screaming.”
He cringed. “But they’re my children.”
“Our children,” she corrected him. Then, realizing this tactic wasn’t working, she opted for another. She gave a slight shrug. “Alright. Fine. I’ll forget the whole thing.”
A Husband for Margaret Page 9
