A Groom's Promise Read online

  Feeling better, Jack urged the horses to pick up the pace and directed his attention to the path in front of them.

  ***

  Maybell slipped into the barn. As much as she tried to wait until tomorrow to find out how things went, she just couldn’t. She had to talk to Jack tonight. But she waited until Hugh left the barn before slipping out of the house. She searched the barn until she found Jack putting the last horse in the stall.

  “How did the dinner at the Boyers’ go?” she asked.

  Jack glanced over at her and smiled. “Better than I expected.” He secured the stall door and turned to her. “Hugh and I worked it out. He’ll tell your pa he won’t marry you.”

  She ran over and hugged him. “Oh, Jack! This is the best news!”

  “It is.” He twirled her around then set her back on her feet. Taking her hands into his, he said, “I did it. I stuck to what I wanted. I’ve never done that before. In the past, I would have grown weak and let Hugh get away with not saying anything. But this time, I stood up to him. I wanted answers, and I got them. For the first time in my life, I feel like a man.”

  “I already knew you were a man, Jack,” she teased.

  He chuckled. “Yes, I already was, really, but I was never the one I wanted to be. Today, I realized the only way to push past fear is by confronting it. All these years, I’ve been hiding, but I don’t have to hide anymore.”

  She studied him, taking in his newfound assurance, and her smile widened. “I can see the change in you. You’re happy with yourself.”

  “I am. For the first time in my life, I’ll be able to look in the mirror and be glad I’m me.” He brought one of her hands up to his mouth and kissed it. “I couldn’t have done it without you. I once heard a good woman can bring out the best in a man, and now I know how true that is.”

  She wasn’t sure if she could take credit for his newfound confidence. He had to do the hard part, but it was sweet of him to give it to her anyway. It only showed how much he loved her.

  “Now that Hugh’s going to tell your pa he won’t marry you, there’s nothing keeping us apart,” he continued.

  “Good because you’re the only one I want.”

  He brought her into his arms and kissed her, letting his lips linger on hers. She melted in his embrace and kissed him in return. The world around them faded away as he deepened the kiss, his tongue running along her bottom lip. She sighed in contentment and parted her mouth to let him in. The moment his tongue brushed hers, sparks ran straight from her head to the tips of her toes.

  How often she’d dreamt of this moment where a man might kiss her with so much passion she thought she just might catch on fire. And now it was finally happening to her. Jack wasn’t settling for her. He’d chosen her out of all the other ladies. He’d spend the rest of his life here with her, and together, they’d have a family.

  When their kiss ended, he continued holding her. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, doing everything she could to enjoy this moment. It was the first of many moments to come, but since it was the first, that made it just a little more special.

  “Maybell?” her pa called out from the house.

  Reluctant, she pulled away from Jack. “I promised him I’d loosen a couple seams of his suit for the square dance. In order to do that, I need to see how snug it is on him.”

  “Maybe by then we can tell everyone we’re getting married,” Jack said, cupping her face in his hands. “You’ll need time to get a dress, I need to get you a ring, and we’ll need to arrange things at the church. There’s a lot to do. I’d like to marry you before winter, so we don’t have much time.”

  “I’m just happy to be marrying you, Jack. Whenever you want to marry is fine with me.”

  “Good, because I know some ladies prefer spring weddings so they can have all the flowers decorating the church, but I’m not that patient.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with decorating with leaves instead. I think they’re more beautiful than flowers, especially this time of year.”

  He kissed her, but since her pa called out for her again, he kept it quick and let her go. Wishing him a good night, she hurried back to the house.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Jack waited for his brother to talk to Archie all through Sunday, but during supper, Archie had still insisted Maybell sit next to Hugh. And more than that, Hugh hadn’t protested. After they went to the bunkhouse for the night, Jack asked Hugh about it, and Hugh promised him he really would talk to Archie. So it came as a surprise when Hugh told him he was going to pick flowers for Maybell on Monday morning.

  “I don’t want you giving Maybell any more flowers,” he said, sitting up in his bed and watching in dread as Hugh pulled out his clothes for the day.

  “I have to, Jack. I’ve got to stay in Archie’s good graces if I’m going to get him to see things our way.”

  “Alright,” Jack muttered then got out of bed.

  Hugh finished dressing and headed out before Jack had time to shave. So while his brother was cutting flowers, Jack took the razor and ran it over his jaw, removing the whiskers from his face.

  When he was done, Hugh returned with the mums in his hand. Jack tried not to show how it still bothered him that Maybell would be getting the flowers from Hugh instead of him. Hugh had been kissing Winifred. He didn’t want to be with Maybell. Jack had no reason to worry. This was all for show. But why did Hugh have to bring the flowers in when he was about to tell Archie the truth?

  “You ready?” Hugh asked.

  “Yes,” Jack replied. They walked in silence on the way to the house, and after a few moments, he asked, “Do you know what you’re going to say?”

  “No. I tried to come up with ideas but I’m lost.” They picked up the pace as they came closer to the house.

  “Sometimes it’s best to just blurt it out.” The sooner Hugh got it over with, the better for all of them.

  “You’re probably right.”

  Though Hugh said it, he didn’t sound fully convinced, and that worried him. Hugh had a tendency to want to please people. It was what made him the ideal choice when their pa needed someone to take over the shop if he couldn’t be there. No doubt, it was part of why Archie wanted him to marry Maybell in the worst way. But there were times when a man couldn’t please everyone, and this was one of those times.

  Jack went into the house with Hugh.

  Maybell was at the cookstove, flipping pancakes. Her gaze met Jack’s, and she smiled in a way that made his face warm in pleasure. “Thought some pancakes would do the trick this morning. After all, you’re going to need those stomachs full with harvest upon us.”

  He returned her smile. “Looking forward to them.”

  Not as much as he was looking forward to the next time he’d get to kiss her, but no need to mention that in front of Hugh, who was setting the flowers in a vase. He didn’t know if he should say anything or not to her about why Hugh was still giving her flowers, but he heard Archie coming into the dining room so he went to the table.

  After Hugh and Archie sat down, Jack selected the chair next to Hugh. Yes, he knew that’s where Archie wanted Maybell to sit, but he had no intention of letting Archie—or Hugh—continue on with this charade any longer than he had to. It was time he stood up for himself. He hadn’t done it before, but he needed to now.

  “No, Jack. Sit there,” Archie said, pointing to the right side of the table. Then with a grin at Hugh, he added, “Hugh and Maybell must sit beside each other.”

  Hugh and Maybell must sit beside each other? Jack looked at Hugh, expecting him to argue, but Hugh only glanced from Jack to Archie. What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he just come out and say he wouldn’t do it, especially after he was caught kissing Winifred?

  Maybell entered the room and slammed the tray of food on the table. “I’m not sitting with Hugh, Pa. I want to sit with Jack.”

  Archie turned to her, his mouth hanging open for a moment before he found his vo
ice. “Young lady, are you disrespecting me?”

  “No, I’m not. I’ve already told you how I feel about this. I can’t enjoy a meal when you won’t listen to me. If anyone is disrespecting anyone, you’re disrespecting me. You’re trying to force me to do something I don’t want to do, and that’s not fair.”

  When her pa shook his head in protest, she let out an irritated huff and ran out of the house.

  Jack turned to Hugh. Surely, now Hugh would speak up and put an end to this nonsense. But Hugh didn’t say anything. He just sat there, looking as if someone had just whacked him in the back of the head with a shovel.

  Jack had had enough. His gaze went back to Archie. “We’ve been over this, Archie. It isn’t right what you’re doing. I can’t stay and eat with you treating Maybell like this.” He nudged Hugh with his foot, hoping to spur him to action. “Hugh, this is the perfect time for you to talk with him.”

  Then, to leave them alone, he hurried out of the house. He didn’t see Maybell anywhere. She’d left in such a hurry. Why Archie had to be so stubborn, he didn’t know. No one else wanted Hugh to marry Maybell. Not him. Not Maybell. Not even Hugh. Archie was the only one who wanted it, but if they all did what he wanted, they wouldn’t be happy.

  If he’d learned nothing else from watching his ma and pa, it was two people who loved each other should marry. His ma hadn’t loved his pa. She’d married him because she was obligated to, because their parents had wished it. And the poor woman lived to regret it for the rest of her life, as short as it was. But the same wasn’t going to happen to Maybell. Yes, Hugh was much better than their father, but Jack wasn’t going to sit idly by while someone else tried to decide her fate for her.

  Jack jogged across the yard, searching for Maybell. After not finding her in the chicken coup, he decided to check the barn. He didn’t see her in there, either, until she called out his name. His gaze went to the loft, and he saw her in the hiding spot he’d showed her.

  “I probably shouldn’t have run out of there the way I did,” she said, tears in her voice. “But I couldn’t take it anymore. No matter how much I try to talk to Pa, he won’t listen.”

  Glancing out the doorway to make sure Hugh and Archie hadn’t left the house, Jack went to the ladder and climbed it. Once he was settled next to her, he put his arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to him. “I know Hugh didn’t talk to him yesterday, but he’ll have to now. After everything that happened, there’s no way your pa will keep insisting you sit next to Hugh.”

  “I don’t know, Jack. My pa has never been like this before. In the past, whenever I said I didn’t want something, he accepted it. He seems to think Hugh is going to make me happy, even if I can’t see it yet. But I won’t be happy with him. There’s only a cordial friendship between us, and that’s all there will ever be. I want a man who makes my heartbeat pick up whenever he’s near, and you do that for me.”

  Pleased, he asked, “I do?”

  She seemed hesitant to answer, and her cheeks turned pink, but then she smiled. “You do. It was that way the moment I met you on the porch. I was so nervous. Didn’t you notice my hand was shaking when I handed you the lemonade?”

  He laughed. “No. I was trying so hard not to drop it when you gave it to me.”

  She joined him in laughing and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head against his shoulder. “I suppose both of us were too busy being nervous to see how the other felt.”

  “You didn’t trip and spill lemonade all over the steps.”

  “Oh, that wasn’t so bad. I’d been meaning to clean those up for months. You did me a favor because it reminded me I needed to do that.”

  “You’re only saying that to make me feel better.”

  “But I did want to clean them.”

  Maybe, but he could easily argue the rain did a good enough job as it was. He wasn’t going to protest though. It was awfully sweet of her to use that as an excuse. “Well, if there’s anything else you keep forgetting to clean, let me know, and I’ll spill something on it.”

  As he hoped, she giggled at his joke. “You’re so much fun to be with, Jack.”

  He couldn’t recall anyone referring to him as fun before, and it was nice. Better yet, when she looked at him, he felt as if he could do anything he put his mind to. He lowered his head and kissed her. She responded to him, her enthusiasm matching his. Encouraged, he traced her lower lip with his tongue. She parted her lips, and he accepted her invitation, interlacing his tongue with hers. This particular kind of kissing was quickly turning into his favorite.

  Cupping the side of her face with one hand, he brushed her cheek with his thumb, noting how soft her skin was. The other parts of her body were just as soft, he had no doubt. Soon, he’d get the pleasure of feeling all of her. His lips left hers, and he proceeded to leave a trail of kisses down her cheek and then to her neck. She sighed in contentment against him.

  It was too easy to get caught up in the moment. If he wasn’t careful, he’d be going further. As it was, he had to resist the urge to touch her breasts. It was enough his elbow brushed them. No doubt, he was going to enjoy every moment of their wedding night. But it wasn’t their wedding night yet, and that being the case, he was only allowed to do so much. Reluctant, he ended the kiss, aware even as he did so, a part of him protested.

  “We’ll be together, Maybell,” he whispered, caressing her cheek. “I’ll do everything I can to make it happen.”

  She smiled. “I know you will.”

  “Do you feel better?”

  She nodded. “I do.”

  Content to spend a few more minutes with her before it was time to go the field to take care of the wheat, he continued to hold her, feeling his heart beating in time with hers.

  ***

  “Maybell?” her pa called out later that day as she stirred the stew she was making for supper.

  Surprised, she turned from the pot in time to see her pa enter the kitchen, his white hair blowing in the breeze from the open window. He was wiping sweat off his brow with his handkerchief, and his breathing was hard. Frowning, she dropped the ladle on the worktable and pulled out a chair.

  “Sit down, Pa. You don’t look well,” she said.

  He plumped down in the chair and wiped his cheeks. “It’s hot out there this time of day.”

  “Maybe it’s time you stopped doing the harvest.” She took a clean dishcloth and dipped it in cool water. Going over to him, she added, “Hugh and Jack can handle it. They’re younger and stronger.” She pressed the cloth to his forehead. “You shouldn’t push yourself so hard at your age.”

  “I have to be out there, Maybell. You know I don’t like being indoors.”

  “I know that, but you need to realize you can’t do the same things you did when you were younger. Don’t you know I worry about you?” He smiled, and she found her anger at him from the morning argument quickly dissipating. “Pa, if you insist on going out there, can’t you at least take some breaks? Sit down once in a while and catch a breath?”

  “What do you think I’m doing now?”

  She paused then laughed. “Well, I suppose that is what you’re doing. Good. I’m glad you’re finally taking my advice.” She’d been asking him to go easier on himself for a couple years now. It was about time he paid attention. Dabbing his cheeks with the cloth, she added, “I love you, Pa. We might have our disagreements, but loving you won’t change. I want you around for years. Some day I’ll have children, and I want them to get to know their grandpa.”

  Patting her hand, he said, “They will. I promise. That’s why I’m resting.” He took the cloth from her and gestured to the barn. “I lost my hat. I think it’s in the barn. I was on my way to pick up a better sickle, but then I grew dizzy and knew I had to sit. Can you get the hat for me? Your ma bought it for me. It’s my favorite one.”

  “I know, Pa.” She grabbed a glass and poured water into it. “I’ll be happy to get it for you. Here’s something to drink. I’ll
be right back.”

  “Thank you.”

  “The best way to thank me is by taking it easy.” She handed him the glass. “I don’t want you going back out there until you’re really ready.”

  “I’ll do as you say.”

  With a nod, she left the house and went to the barn. She found the hat by the door.

  As she picked it up, someone asked, “Do you know where your pa keeps the sickles?”

  She turned and saw Hugh, who was checking under a workbench. “Well, he wouldn’t put them there.”

  He stood up and scanned the barn. “I’ve checked everywhere else. I don’t know where else to look.”

  “Didn’t he take one with him to cut down the wheat?”

  “Yes, but he said it wasn’t working right. He said he needed a sharper blade.”

  She was halfway to the wall where her pa hung the sickles when she remembered her pa had just sharpened all the blades last week. She turned back to Hugh and tried to decide if she should come out and tell him what was really going on or let him believe her pa’s clever fib.

  Finally, she chose to be honest. Talking to her pa had done no good, but maybe talking to Hugh might.

  “Hugh, do you mind it if I’m a bit forward?” she asked, tracing the edge of the hat with her thumb, a habit borne out of necessity to help relieve her nerves when she had something unpleasant to discuss.

  He seemed hesitant but indicated she could continue.

  She cleared her throat. “Jack said he talked to you on Saturday, when you two went to the Boyers’.”

  “He did.”

  “Well, did he tell you about me and him?”

  After a moment, he nodded. “He did.” Before she could say anything else, he added, “I have no intention of standing in your way. Jack loves you. You make him happy. I wouldn’t do anything to stand in the way of his happiness.”

  Now she was thoroughly confused. Since he knew this and seemed perfectly fine with it, why would he continue giving her flowers and sitting next to her at mealtime? “Is there a reason why you’re pretending you’re interested in me?”