Bill has been welcomed into this home, my home, which is something that bounty hunter will never be."
"Yes, ma'am," Anne murmured, her eyes downcast, sorry she had said anything at all. What did it matter anyway? She wasn't getting married, though it made Miss Daphne happy to think she was. Any plan that kept Miss Daphne happy was a good plan.
"You agree that you are being contrary? You know that the good Lord never meant for a child to be so obstinate with her elders. Now you do what's right, Anne."
"Yes, ma'am." Doing what was right was all that mattered, really, and her grandmother was certain she knew what was right better than anybody.
"Very well," Miss Daphne sniffed, satisfied for the moment. "I could use your hands to help with these weeds. I don't want my spring flower show to be anything less than what folks have come to expect."
There was nothing Anne could say, nothing she could do without acting the ungrateful, unrepentant child she had been accused of being. It wasn't worth the fight. Anne fell to her knees and kept her head bent to her assigned task.
"Yes, ma'am."
* * *
"I think she should look to that bounty hunter and I told her so myself."
Nell gazed at her sister in horror, her mouth dropping open and staying that way, even though her mama had scolded her about that particular bad habit for thirty years.
"You didn't!"
Sarah was enough of Daphne Perkins Todd's daughter to flush, but she stuck to her guns.
"I certainly did."
Nell watched as Sarah rolled out the dough, sprinkling flour over the loaf before working it some more. Sarah was ignoring her. Nell made a conscious effort to close her mouth and then turned back to her shelling.
"Well, I can't imagine why. Bill Tucker is her steady beau and he's over here every chance he can get. It'll only be a matter of time."
"Humph," Sarah said, pummeling the dough.
"Besides, what would Anne want with a bounty hunter when she has Bill?"
Sarah looked up, her blue eyes fierce and her hands wrist deep in bread dough.
"Has Bill? She doesn't have Bill. And Bill isn't all that regular in his attentions besides."
"A man has to work—"
"He isn't working that hard on Anne."
Nell couldn't withstand her sister's fierce expression any longer and looked down at her shelling. The pile of pecans was building nicely.
"Nell, have you seen that bounty hunter?"
"No, I have not." Her tone shouted that she could hardly have been prouder of that fact.
"Well, go take a look," Sarah said with a smile. "He's a man to see. Don't see many like him in a lifetime."
"Are you saying he's good looking?"
Sarah grinned. "That's what I'm saying."
Nell sniffed. "That hardly makes him fit for Anne. Sarah, he's a bounty hunter! What would he want with a nice girl like Anne?"
Sarah's grin expanded up to her eyes and she shrugged.
"Listen, Nell, haven't you even once thought that Bill was just a little too cocksure of Anne? Why, he just expects her to be sitting here waiting for him whenever he happens to roll into Abilene. A man gets a real sudden thirst when water gets scarce."
"But, Sarah, Bill is so... nice."
"And he's got a light foot now. How long do you figure he'll stick around if he and Anne do wed? One week in four?"
"But Jack Skull—"
"I've seen him, Nell"—Sarah smiled—"and I've seen how Anne reacts to the mention of him. Let them dance around each other a bit, and hope Bill sees it. Anne needs to have more than one man caught in her bustle before she settles down and Bill needs to know that Anne's not his for the taking. He should fight for her. She'll need the joy of that memory later, when life wears her down."
"But Bill has been so sweet in his courting," Sarah argued, eating a pecan in her confusion. When she realized it, she fought the urge to spit it out. Mama never would tolerate eating the food whilst cooking it. "And he and Anne have an understanding."
"What understanding is that?" Sarah mocked. "That she'll sit like a hound and wait for him at
"Yes, ma'am," Anne murmured, her eyes downcast, sorry she had said anything at all. What did it matter anyway? She wasn't getting married, though it made Miss Daphne happy to think she was. Any plan that kept Miss Daphne happy was a good plan.
"You agree that you are being contrary? You know that the good Lord never meant for a child to be so obstinate with her elders. Now you do what's right, Anne."
"Yes, ma'am." Doing what was right was all that mattered, really, and her grandmother was certain she knew what was right better than anybody.
"Very well," Miss Daphne sniffed, satisfied for the moment. "I could use your hands to help with these weeds. I don't want my spring flower show to be anything less than what folks have come to expect."
There was nothing Anne could say, nothing she could do without acting the ungrateful, unrepentant child she had been accused of being. It wasn't worth the fight. Anne fell to her knees and kept her head bent to her assigned task.
"Yes, ma'am."
* * *
"I think she should look to that bounty hunter and I told her so myself."
Nell gazed at her sister in horror, her mouth dropping open and staying that way, even though her mama had scolded her about that particular bad habit for thirty years.
"You didn't!"
Sarah was enough of Daphne Perkins Todd's daughter to flush, but she stuck to her guns.
"I certainly did."
Nell watched as Sarah rolled out the dough, sprinkling flour over the loaf before working it some more. Sarah was ignoring her. Nell made a conscious effort to close her mouth and then turned back to her shelling.
"Well, I can't imagine why. Bill Tucker is her steady beau and he's over here every chance he can get. It'll only be a matter of time."
"Humph," Sarah said, pummeling the dough.
"Besides, what would Anne want with a bounty hunter when she has Bill?"
Sarah looked up, her blue eyes fierce and her hands wrist deep in bread dough.
"Has Bill? She doesn't have Bill. And Bill isn't all that regular in his attentions besides."
"A man has to work—"
"He isn't working that hard on Anne."
Nell couldn't withstand her sister's fierce expression any longer and looked down at her shelling. The pile of pecans was building nicely.
"Nell, have you seen that bounty hunter?"
"No, I have not." Her tone shouted that she could hardly have been prouder of that fact.
"Well, go take a look," Sarah said with a smile. "He's a man to see. Don't see many like him in a lifetime."
"Are you saying he's good looking?"
Sarah grinned. "That's what I'm saying."
Nell sniffed. "That hardly makes him fit for Anne. Sarah, he's a bounty hunter! What would he want with a nice girl like Anne?"
Sarah's grin expanded up to her eyes and she shrugged.
"Listen, Nell, haven't you even once thought that Bill was just a little too cocksure of Anne? Why, he just expects her to be sitting here waiting for him whenever he happens to roll into Abilene. A man gets a real sudden thirst when water gets scarce."
"But, Sarah, Bill is so... nice."
"And he's got a light foot now. How long do you figure he'll stick around if he and Anne do wed? One week in four?"
"But Jack Skull—"
"I've seen him, Nell"—Sarah smiled—"and I've seen how Anne reacts to the mention of him. Let them dance around each other a bit, and hope Bill sees it. Anne needs to have more than one man caught in her bustle before she settles down and Bill needs to know that Anne's not his for the taking. He should fight for her. She'll need the joy of that memory later, when life wears her down."
"But Bill has been so sweet in his courting," Sarah argued, eating a pecan in her confusion. When she realized it, she fought the urge to spit it out. Mama never would tolerate eating the food whilst cooking it. "And he and Anne have an understanding."
"What understanding is that?" Sarah mocked. "That she'll sit like a hound and wait for him at
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