Wolf Creek Widow (Wolf Creek, Arkansas Book 4)

by Penny Richards

  * * *

  The next hour was pure mayhem as they sat around the table and shared cookies and cold tea. Conversation never flagged, and the little house was filled with the hum of a half-dozen voices and peals of happy laughter.

  Lucy was content to sit in her mother’s lap, munching on sugar cookies and sipping from her glass of tea, while Teddy reacquainted himself with the place in which he’d once lived. After thirty minutes or so, he went to the back door and peered through the screen toward where the sound of Ace’s hammering could be plainly heard.

  “I want to go out to help the man,” he announced to no one in particular.

  All eyes turned to Meg. Even her aunt and uncle, who had been responsible for Teddy these past weeks, looked to her for an answer, returning her motherly authority. What should she do? Would Ace mind if Teddy joined him, or would he explode in anger the way Elton had the few times Teddy had wanted to be outside with him?

  Meg’s gaze sought Nita’s.

  “Ace won’t mind at all,” she said, rising. “I’ll take Teddy out. We’ll take Ace a glass of tea and a couple of cookies.”

  It wasn’t the answer Meg had expected. Ace wasn’t used to being around children. She was so fearful that it would all go awry.

  “B-but Teddy has on his good clothes” was all she could think to say.

  “I’ll see that he doesn’t get dirty.”

  Somewhat relieved that Nita would be there to watch over Teddy, Meg cautioned, “Don’t let him get in the way.”

  “He won’t.”

  Once they had disappeared out the door, Serena leaned back in her chair and said, “I couldn’t believe how wonderful everything looked when we rounded that bend and saw all the improvements you’ve made to the place.”

  Meg knew her aunt was trying to steer the conversation in a new direction. “Nita thought it would be a good idea for Ace to get things ready for winter,” she said.

  “It looks like he did a lot more than that,” her uncle said with a smile of approval. “Colt is right. Ace is a good man.”

  “Yes,” Meg said, hoping they couldn’t tell just how good she thought he was.

  The talk turned to what was going on in town. Rachel said that plans were going ahead for Colt and Allison’s wedding in January, and that Mayor Talbot was having a conniption because he was losing her as their teacher midyear and had no idea who would take her place. Libby said Blythe would be perfect for the position, but she had no desire to live in Wolf Creek. Dan Mercer and his fiancée, Gracie, were planning a spring wedding, and to Libby Granville’s delight, everyone seemed to love the new library.

  Nita and Teddy were still outside when the guests started getting ready to leave. Lucy had fallen asleep in Aunt Serena’s arms, crying and reaching for the older woman when she’d begun to tire from all the excitement.

  Meg didn’t miss the pitying glances in the eyes of her guests as she handed over the fussy child without a word. Lucy was asleep minutes later. Meg’s heart ached. Her daughter had grown used to finding comfort in someone else’s arms. Like everything else in her life that needed mending, it would take time to bridge the gaps between her and her baby girl.

  While Uncle Dave and Rachel cleaned up the table, Meg followed her aunt into the bedroom and watched as she placed Lucy in her crib.

  “I’m sorry,” Serena whispered when the baby was settled.

  “There’s no sense being sorry. Things are what they are, and it will just take time for us...” Her voice trailed away.

  “You need time to figure out who Meg Thomerson is.”

  “Is she anyone?” Meg asked with a disheartened smile. “Does she even exist?”

  Her aunt took her by the shoulders and looked directly into her eyes. “Oh, she exists. She just forgot who she was for a while, and now she’s trying to figure it out.” Serena smiled. “Not only does she exist, she’s a very special person who found herself under the control of a very bad man.”

  Meg’s eyes filled with more tears. “I made some really bad choices, Aunt Serena.”

  “We’ve all made bad choices, sweet Meg. The trick is not to make the same ones twice.”

  “How do I keep from doing that?”

  Serena gave her a little shake. “You won’t.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  Serena gave her another little shake, this one harder. “You won’t, because you are not Georgina. She chose the life she’s living. Things might have been different if your father hadn’t died.”

  “What do you mean?” Meg’s father had died when she was ten, leaving a void in both her and her mother’s lives.

  “Georgina wasn’t always the way she is. When your father died, she didn’t like being alone, so she took up with Charlie. He doesn’t care what she does as long as he has his liquor. Trust me. You’re nothing like my sister.”

  “Even though Elton and I had to get married?”

  “Yes, even though. And you needn’t think I don’t know why you took up with him. Everyone saw that Charlie had his eye on you, and he wasn’t the only one. You were looking for an escape, and when Elton came along and started wooing you, it was easy for you to believe that he was your way out of what would have become a terrible situation.”

  Meg’s eyes widened with surprise. How could her aunt have known about that? She’d thought she was the only one to see the inappropriate way Charlie had looked at her.

  “I’m not blind, child. Thank goodness you got out.”

  Meg gave a bitter laugh. “I got out, but I only traded one kind of hell for another.”

  “You had no way of knowing that.” Serena gave her another hug. “Let’s join the others. I imagine Rachel’s ready to get on the road. Give yourself time to heal, Meg. There’s someone out there who will be the man you and your children need.” She gave her a saucy wink. “From what I’ve seen and heard, you could do worse than the one who’s helping out.”

  “Ace!” she scoffed. “He isn’t interested.”

  Soft laughter filled the small room. “Remember, sweet Meg, I’m not blind, and I’m not stupid. I see the way he looks at you.”

  * * *

  Nita joined her to send their visitors on their way. Before the dust had cleared, the two women had headed to the barn. She could spare only a minute since the baby was asleep inside, but she wanted to make sure Teddy was not aggravating Ace. To her surprise, she found her son with his little hands on his hips, staring up at Ace, who was on a ladder nailing a board in place for what looked like another lean-to.

  “Mama, Ace is making a surprise!” he shouted, grabbing her around the knees.

  “I see that.” She ruffled his hair and looked from him to Ace. “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “Fixing a place outside for you to do the laundry that’s partially protected, so you won’t be at the mercy of the weather quite as much this winter,” he explained. “It’ll have a roof and three enclosed sides. I’m hoping that if you build the fires near the open end, the smoke will go out, but a little of the heat just might stay in.” He shrugged. “I’m no carpenter and it isn’t a perfect solution, but maybe it will help. At least you’ll be out of the rain.”

  For a moment, Meg was stunned speechless by the thoughtful gesture. She couldn’t recall Elton ever doing anything for her simply because he knew it would make her life easier.

  “Thank you,” she said. “I appreciate it. Any kind of protection will be better than what I’ve had.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  “I think Teddy and I will go inside to check on Lucy and think about what to fix for supper,” Nita said, stretching out a hand to the toddler. “What sounds good to you, Teddy?”

  “Pink beans,” he said, placing his hand in Nita’s. “They’re the bestest beans in the world.”


  Meg and Nita exchanged smiles. He’d always loved navy beans.

  “I think that can be arranged, even though I didn’t put any to soak this morning.”

  “Soda,” Meg offered as the two started toward the house.

  Nita turned. “Baking soda?”

  “Yes. You’ve never heard of baking soda to help them cook faster?”

  “I can’t say that I’ve ever run across that in any of my Cherokee or Irish recipes,” Nita confessed.

  Meg smiled back. “I’ll be in in a moment to show you what to do.”

  “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

  Silence descended on Ace and Meg after Teddy and Nita went to the house.

  “Did Teddy get in the way?” she asked, hoping to get a feel for what Ace thought of her son.

  “No more than any three-year-old boy who wants to help,” he said. “Mother said you were worried about him coming out here.”

  “Yes.”

  “Why? Because Elton would have been furious to have a kid in his way, or he didn’t want to keep an eye on him?”

  “Yes to both of those reasons. He had no patience with Teddy—with either one of them, for that matter.”

  “Doesn’t sound to me like he had much patience for anything,” Ace commented, reaching for more nails.

  “You’re right. He was like a tinderbox and a piece of flint. Anything and everything could set him off.”

  “I’m not Elton.” A muscle in his jaw tightened.

  “You’ve told me that before,” she reminded him.

  “And I’ll keep telling you until you believe it.”

  How could she tell him that she did believe it, but that her history had left her a little gun-shy? It would be a long time before the new lessons she was learning were such a part of her that she would no longer worry or question the little everyday irritants and expect them to explode into full-blown quarrels. What she could do instead was thank him.

  “I really do appreciate everything you’ve done for me, Ace,” she said at last. “I can never repay you.”

  “So you’ve said before,” he told her, tossing her words back at her as he hammered another nail into the end of a board. “I don’t want any pay except to see you get better.”

  “I am.”

  “I know, and I’m glad.”

  She drew in a shaky breath as he came down the ladder. It seemed imperative that she tell him how she was feeling, how she was changing. She leaned against the barn wall.

  “That day...the day you and Colt and Dan found me and I was hurt so badly, I hardly felt it. It’s like I was dead inside, like Elton had killed the very thing that made me who I was.”

  “Who you are.”

  “No!” she snapped with a sharp shake of her head. “I’m not that woman anymore. I won’t ever be that scared, weak woman again.” One corner of her mouth hiked up in a wry smile. “In a strange way, I guess I can thank Elton for that.”

  Ace took a step closer. “I’m not Elton, and not all men are users, Meg.”

  “I know. You’ve shown me that. You’ve shown me that I don’t have to be afraid of saying what I want or feel.” Tears filled her eyes. “I don’t have to be afraid.”

  “All I’ve done is help with a few chores.”

  “You’ve done more than that,” she argued softly. “You’re a man who’s been through some of the same things I have and you’ve learned a lot along the way, things you’ve passed on to me.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like, don’t give up. Don’t ever give up. Rachel said we should try to find the good that’s hidden in the bad. You and Nita are the part of the good. She’s so kind and so wise, and you... You’ve taught me that with God, all things are possible, even forgiving the ones who caused our pain.”

  She gave a little laugh. “I admit I’m having a little trouble with that one, but as Brother McAdams says, it will come.”

  “And it will, in time.”

  She nodded. “I’ve learned, too, that the Lord is able to heal broken hearts and shattered souls. Especially shattered souls.”

  “Souls are His specialty,” Ace reminded her.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “I always knew that, but I’d just more or less given up on hope and trust and...and life. I don’t think I could have come as far as I have in such a short time without you to help me along the way.”

  “Don’t try to make me some kind of white knight,” he cautioned. “I’m just a man with all the usual bad habits.”

  Meg stood there staring at him, wanting to tell him that he was much more than that to her and that she dreaded the time he would leave and not come back, and that even though she was determined to be strong, she wasn’t sure she could go on without his reassuring, supportive presence.

  “I’d better go inside and show your mother what to do with that baking soda,” she said instead, taking the coward’s way out.

  The new Meg was a little afraid of being that daring.

  * * *

  A week passed, and then two. As he always had, Ace went home at night to take care of their place; Nita was staying nights for a while, sleeping in Teddy’s narrow bed to keep an eye on Lucy. Teddy slept with Meg. As much as she hated imposing on the older woman, Meg was glad for her help. Chasing after two little ones was harder than she’d expected, especially since Lucy was finally walking and wanting to explore everything. It had taken Meg less than twenty-four hours to realize she wasn’t up to her former strength just yet.

  Teddy settled back into his life with his mother without any problem. Lucy was harder. Aunt Serena was all she’d known for weeks, and it was evident that she missed her, probably as much as Serena missed Lucy.

  Gradually, though, Meg felt her life returning to normal. No, not normal. The life she’d shared with Elton had in no way been normal. Instead, like the squirrel, she was rebuilding her nest and cautiously building a new life.

  The days things felt overwhelming and frightening, Nita would remind her to put her trust in the Lord. That simple command was hard for a woman who felt more secure if she were in control. Nita said that like everything else in her life, it would take time.

  * * *

  Another week passed. Meg had promised Ace that she would do her best to start each day with a positive attitude and thankfulness, so even though the weather was growing colder, she started taking her coffee and Bible with her to the back porch first thing in the mornings. She hoped the quiet time while the children still slept would give her the optimistic attitude she needed to tackle the day ahead.

  She was a little surprised at how easily she fell back into her old routine and amazed that with every faltering prayer and every moment she spent with the Word, she felt more peace and strength filling her.

  To her amazement, both the children were quite taken with Ace. Teddy, who’d become Uncle Dave’s shadow during the weeks he’d stayed with him, was at an age where he needed a man to look up to, and Uncle Dave was one of the best. With her uncle out of the picture, Teddy had latched on to Ace in a way he never had his own father.

  They had fallen into the habit of Ace regaling Teddy with some folk tale or another at bedtime. Meg couldn’t believe how adept he was at mimicking an Irish brogue and the high girlish voices of the ladies and the various facial expressions that accompanied the tales of haughty princesses, lazy beauties and enchanted lakes that brought smiles and laughter to everyone.

  She didn’t know if the growing closeness between the two was a blessing or another problem she’d have to deal with when Ace and Nita stopped coming around. She pushed the troubling thought aside. That was in the future, and she was doing her best to take one day at a time.

  Even though Ace was not what any woman would call handsome, he was very attractive in a stark sort of way, which w
as the only reason Meg could figure out that Lucy was so taken with him. She was a female, after all, and whether or not they would admit to it, he was the kind of man most of the fairer sex found appealing. Of course, it might be the gentleness of his rare smile or the softness of his voice when he spoke to her.

  At almost every meal, Lucy held up her arms for Ace to pick her up, and he always did. He blew on hot food and fed her things from his plate that her chubby hands could handle. When she made some sort of mess and he scowled at her in mock ferocity, Lucy just giggled, showing off her eight little teeth, as if to say she knew he was harmless. If children and dogs were the best judges of character, Ace passed with flying colors.

  They hadn’t yet talked about his “stuffiness” or anything else serious since soon after they’d almost shared a kiss. He’d finished the laundry lean-to and spent most of his time trapping. Meg had been busy with the children. Everyone was working hard, and her life was settling into one she found she liked. Perhaps she liked it too much.

  As a treat, everyone was going to ride into town with Ace the next morning when he went to deliver the laundry. Meg was looking forward to the trip, especially since she’d have Nita and the children as buffers to ease any strain between her and Ace.

  She’d been sticking back a little money every week, hoping there would be enough—after making a land payment to Nate Haversham at the bank and seeing if Gabe had any shoes that would see Lucy through the winter—to treat everyone to pie at Ellie’s. She was also looking forward to visiting Libby Granville at the library and checking out some more books. She also thought she’d worked up enough nerve to speak to Libby about some things that had been bothering her.

  She was so excited about the upcoming trip she could hardly contain herself. It had been so long since she’d been around anyone but Ace and Nita. Her anticipation had rubbed off on Teddy, and even though he usually fell right to sleep after his story, tonight was different. By the time his eyes drifted closed, Meg was exhausted, but she knew it was far too early to call it a day.