“Then why did you marry him?”
She paused in her peeling. “It was the oddest thing, but after Wesley chose you over me, I felt as if I weren’t pretty anymore. I know that’s silly, but I almost felt ugly and then John asked me to marry him and that made me feel pretty again so I said yes. I just didn’t realize men could be so different. Wesley was always so nice to me.”
“But John is mean because he makes you work and do things in bed?” Leah had almost cooked a whole meal while Kim was peeling one potato.
“More or less,” Kim said, but before she could say more, the geese outside set up a racket, the door opened, and in came Wesley, followed by Oliver and the Macalister twins.
“I think I forgot to tell you that the hands eat breakfast with us since they’ve already put in a few hours’ work.”
Leah only had time to shake her head at him before she began throwing more eggs and ham into skillets.
Kimberly acted as if all the men had come to see her; she preened under the twins’ flirting with her and prettily complained to Oliver that his brother Justin was quite unpleasant to her.
“Oh, that was nice,” Kim purred when she and Leah were alone again. “It’s never nice like that at my house. Leah, John’s going to be gone all day. Could I stay with you? I’ll help you do what you need to do and later maybe you can put something on my hair to make it nice and shiny like yours.”
Leah knew Kim would be a nuisance all day, but she didn’t have the heart to refuse her request.
“You may stay,” Leah said and was rewarded with Kim’s arms about her neck.
“Thank you so much, Leah. It’s so good to have a friend.”
They spent the day together, Kim chattering constantly about her former life of dances and handsome young men while slowly doing the chores Leah gave her. She didn’t complain anymore about Leah’s “taking” Wesley from her, nor did she again mention her husband John.
Surprisingly for Leah, Kim turned out to be good company. She was slow at doing things, but once she understood what was to be done she was willing enough, and in the afternoon they laughed a lot together while Leah washed Kim’s thick blonde hair.
Toward evening when Kim had to leave there were tears in her eyes. “No other woman has ever been nice to me,” she cried softly. “They were all like Regan, so unkind, always mean to me.”
Leah was silent, accepting the compliment but not trying to explain exactly why women disliked Kim so much. Perhaps it was the way she treated women, as if they didn’t or shouldn’t exist. “Please come again,” she said sincerely when Kim left. “I enjoyed myself.”
At supper Wesley calmly announced that in the morning Leah, Bud, and Cal were going into Sweetbriar with him.
Three faces suddenly showed fear.
“It’s just a quiet little town,” Wes said with some disgust. “Nothing’s going to hurt you. Except for what Abe’s told people, no one knows what happened in the mountains. Neither Justin nor Oliver nor John has said a word so you’re all safe.”
“What about the woman who Revis shot?” Leah asked quietly. “He told all those people who I was and where I lived. I’ve had one safe day here, but it won’t last if I go into town.”
“That’s absurd, Leah!” Wes said explosively, then clenched his jaw. “And what about you two?”
Bud looked at Cal. “We will stay here with Leah,” Cal said softly.
“Damn all of you!” Wes shouted, jumping up and knocking over his chair. “I’ll not live with a bunch of cowards. You’re going with me in the morning even if I have to drag you.”
No one laughed at the idea of Wes or any man trying to drag Bud or Cal someplace, but the three of them looked into their coffee cups and nodded.
“That’s better,” Wes said. “I have to see to the cows.” He left the cabin, obviously still angry.
“We did not like Revis,” Cal said, “but we liked staying away from people. People are afraid of us.”
Leah didn’t want to think of all the things that could happen tomorrow. Wesley could cause trouble with this man who Revis had said was the Dancer—Devon Macalister; Bud and Cal could be laughed at and get their feelings hurt, and she…she didn’t want to think of that.
Her head came up and she really looked at Bud and Cal. She was used to seeing them bare-chested, wearing sheepskin and leather, but perhaps if they wore shirts people wouldn’t be as likely to laugh at them.
“Do you own any shirts?”
“Shirts do not fit us,” Bud answered.
“Of course,” Leah said, rising and looking at the kitchen yet to be cleaned. “If you’ll help me tonight, I’ll make both of you shirts. I think I can have them ready by tomorrow morning.”