strumpet?” Mr. Harvey puffed up his chest.
“I’m not calling her anything. She’s just confused.” John kept expecting Buck to say something, anything, but he remained silent.
“I’m not confused. You kissed me.” She smiled at him and he saw the intensity in her gaze. Veronica meant to have him for a husband. He didn’t know why she wanted him. The steel jaws of the trap had already begun to close on him. She had planned this well, damn her.
“Did you kiss her, Malloy?” The avenging father was a jackass, but John saw the actual concern in his face.
“No, sir. She kissed me. Once. I haven’t spoken to her since.” John didn’t want to admit it, but he was backed into a corner.
“And now? Are you saying you had no part in—” He gestured to Veronica’s dishabille. “My daughter’s current state?”
“No, sir, I didn’t. I told you, I was with Buck most of the night helping folks.” John turned to Buck, waiting.
“Avery, how long ago did you see Mr. Malloy?”
Buck rubbed his whiskered chin with one beefy paw. “I can’t rightly remember exactly how long it’s been. Fifteen minutes, maybe twenty.”
John’s heart thumped hard. “It hasn’t been that long.” Yet he didn’t know exactly how much time had passed. He cleaned up in the creek but hadn’t tracked the minutes.
“Plenty of time to seduce an innocent girl.” Mr. Harvey pointed at him. “What are your prospects, Mr. Malloy? Can you support a wife?”
Bile coated the back of his throat as John saw his plans, his dreams, his future, falling beneath the heels of Veronica Harvey’s boots. He wanted to tell these folks to go to hell. If he fought this, he would lose his job, possibly his life if a shotgun was involved.
“No, I can’t. I have no land. The only thing I own is my horse, my tent and a few clothes.” John started to shake, with fury and disbelief.
“I will assist until you can. Consider yourself affianced, Mr. Malloy. A wedding will take place as soon as possible.” Mr. Harvey took Veronica’s elbow, regardless of her state of dishabille. “Pull yourself together, daughter. Your mother will need to be apprised of this development.”
Veronica didn’t smile, but she looked satisfied. Her objective had been achieved. The Harveys walked away and with each step, John saw the cage closing around him. He looked at Buck, anger twisting his guts inside out.
“I can’t believe you just fed me to that wolf. I didn’t touch her, Buck. Not once.” He needed to punch something, anything. His fists clenched, eager to be let loose.
“Harvey paid me a lot of money, John. I can’t go against his wishes, even if his daughter is a liar. You don’t have a wife, and she’s pretty enough.” Buck shrugged, as if he hadn’t just helped to destroy John’s life.
“That’s all you have to say? You don’t have a wife either. Why don’t you take her? I sure as hell don’t want her.” John walked away from the man he had looked up to. Truth was, Buck Avery was like most folks, only looking out for himself and the money in his pocket.
“Where you going?”
“Away from you before I beat your ass into next week.” John’s response was more of a growl. He’d never been so furious in his life.
Frankie woke with a feeling of dread deep inside. She couldn’t explain it, nor could she shake the notion something bad was going to happen. There was no reason for it. The sun was out. She had slept well and everyone was busy doing chores.
Charlotte wasn’t feeling well, so Frankie offered to help her father get the oxen ready. It wasn’t her favorite chore—the animals smelled and they were clumsy. One of them almost stepped on her foot as they were securing the yokes.
Frankie started when Josephine and Isabelle popped up beside her. “You scared me.”
Josephine’s expression could only be called grim. “Mr. Avery is gathering everyone together for an announcement.”
Isabelle twisted her hands.
“I’m not calling her anything. She’s just confused.” John kept expecting Buck to say something, anything, but he remained silent.
“I’m not confused. You kissed me.” She smiled at him and he saw the intensity in her gaze. Veronica meant to have him for a husband. He didn’t know why she wanted him. The steel jaws of the trap had already begun to close on him. She had planned this well, damn her.
“Did you kiss her, Malloy?” The avenging father was a jackass, but John saw the actual concern in his face.
“No, sir. She kissed me. Once. I haven’t spoken to her since.” John didn’t want to admit it, but he was backed into a corner.
“And now? Are you saying you had no part in—” He gestured to Veronica’s dishabille. “My daughter’s current state?”
“No, sir, I didn’t. I told you, I was with Buck most of the night helping folks.” John turned to Buck, waiting.
“Avery, how long ago did you see Mr. Malloy?”
Buck rubbed his whiskered chin with one beefy paw. “I can’t rightly remember exactly how long it’s been. Fifteen minutes, maybe twenty.”
John’s heart thumped hard. “It hasn’t been that long.” Yet he didn’t know exactly how much time had passed. He cleaned up in the creek but hadn’t tracked the minutes.
“Plenty of time to seduce an innocent girl.” Mr. Harvey pointed at him. “What are your prospects, Mr. Malloy? Can you support a wife?”
Bile coated the back of his throat as John saw his plans, his dreams, his future, falling beneath the heels of Veronica Harvey’s boots. He wanted to tell these folks to go to hell. If he fought this, he would lose his job, possibly his life if a shotgun was involved.
“No, I can’t. I have no land. The only thing I own is my horse, my tent and a few clothes.” John started to shake, with fury and disbelief.
“I will assist until you can. Consider yourself affianced, Mr. Malloy. A wedding will take place as soon as possible.” Mr. Harvey took Veronica’s elbow, regardless of her state of dishabille. “Pull yourself together, daughter. Your mother will need to be apprised of this development.”
Veronica didn’t smile, but she looked satisfied. Her objective had been achieved. The Harveys walked away and with each step, John saw the cage closing around him. He looked at Buck, anger twisting his guts inside out.
“I can’t believe you just fed me to that wolf. I didn’t touch her, Buck. Not once.” He needed to punch something, anything. His fists clenched, eager to be let loose.
“Harvey paid me a lot of money, John. I can’t go against his wishes, even if his daughter is a liar. You don’t have a wife, and she’s pretty enough.” Buck shrugged, as if he hadn’t just helped to destroy John’s life.
“That’s all you have to say? You don’t have a wife either. Why don’t you take her? I sure as hell don’t want her.” John walked away from the man he had looked up to. Truth was, Buck Avery was like most folks, only looking out for himself and the money in his pocket.
“Where you going?”
“Away from you before I beat your ass into next week.” John’s response was more of a growl. He’d never been so furious in his life.
Frankie woke with a feeling of dread deep inside. She couldn’t explain it, nor could she shake the notion something bad was going to happen. There was no reason for it. The sun was out. She had slept well and everyone was busy doing chores.
Charlotte wasn’t feeling well, so Frankie offered to help her father get the oxen ready. It wasn’t her favorite chore—the animals smelled and they were clumsy. One of them almost stepped on her foot as they were securing the yokes.
Frankie started when Josephine and Isabelle popped up beside her. “You scared me.”
Josephine’s expression could only be called grim. “Mr. Avery is gathering everyone together for an announcement.”
Isabelle twisted her hands.
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