“WELL, THERE THEY are,” Ben said as their blackboard rattled up to the churchyard on Sunday morning. Those who had arrived early were standing out front, clustered in small groups. All eyes turned to watch as Ben reined the team to a halt and jumped down to help Molly out.
While she waited, Molly placed a hand over the nervous flutter in her stomach. She’d expected to be the center of attention, of course. Word of her elopement with Ben would have spread far and wide by now, and the fact that Ben had not been seen at the Holy Trinity Church for six years made their presence now a double curiosity. Thank heaven she’d finished her dress in time. Without the confidence of knowing how perfectly elegant she looked in the rose taffeta, Molly didn’t think she would have had the courage to face all these staring eyes.
“Why do you look so scared? This was your idea,” Ben whispered as he lifted her down from the wagon.
“I’m not scared,” she said. “Is my dress all right?”
Ben rolled his eyes. He’d told her at least three times already how beautiful she looked. “It’s not too late to go home.”
“Don’t tempt me,” she replied, turning abruptly at the sound of a female squeal.
“Molly Wade, you sly thing!” Daisy Ferguson cried, hurrying over to give Molly a hug. “Imagine, eloping and never telling me a thing! I had to hear it in school, from one of the children, no less.” She released Molly and turned to Ben. “Now I know why she wouldn’t introduce me to you!”
Ben gave her a bewildered smile and sent Molly a silent plea for rescue.
“Daisy, this is my husband, Ben Cantrell.” Husband. How wonderful it sounded. “Ben, this is my friend Daisy Ferguson.”
Daisy gave Ben her hand as she babbled on about how thrilled she was to finally meet him. Suddenly Molly found herself surrounded by female friends eager to give her their best wishes. From the corner of her eye, she saw Ben moving cautiously away from the group only to be surrounded by young men come to tease him and shake his hand.
“Did you really faint?” one of the girls asked Molly.
“Let’s see your ring!”
“That taffeta looks positively gorgeous on you!”
“I tried to get Mama to buy me some, but she said it cost too much!”
“What’s your house like, Molly?”
Only the peal of the church bell ended the barrage of comments and questions. Ben found her again, and she slipped her arm through his. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” she asked as they followed the others into the church.
Before he could answer, they caught sight of
Harry Hoskins glaring at them from across the yard. “No, but it might get a whole lot worse,” he said grimly.
Oh, dear, Molly thought. She had forgotten about Harry. If he had been angry when he thought Ben had burned his barn, he must be absolutely furious now that she had run off with Ben. Were people laughing at Harry behind his back? Or worse yet, to his face? As much as she hated to think of it, she knew she would have to apologize to him. Only when Ben and Harry had made their peace could she and Ben have any hope for a normal life.
Inside the church, Molly slipped into a pew near the middle of the room. So far, she had not seen a sign of her family. Although she wasn’t looking forward to confronting her father again, she longed for the sight of Julie and their mother. She also wanted them to see her so they would know she was being well taken care of. The instant they saw her dress, they would understand exactly how much Ben Cantrell cherished his new bride.
At last, just as the service was about to start, her family walked in. Molly knew a moment of relief. Their absence would have meant that her mother had been too badly beaten to appear in public. But their presence meant entirely new problems. An expectant hush fell over the room as the Wade family became aware of the Cantrells.
Elijah’s weathered face screwed up in outrage as he directed his wife and daughter to the opposite side of the room, as far away from Ben and Molly as possible. Molly managed a small smile for her mother, who dared a series of surreptitious glances, and for Julie, who stared openly. When the congregation rose for the opening hymn, Molly blinked at tears. She was almost sorry for having come. How could she have known how painful seeing them would be? But, she told herself, not seeing them at all would have been far worse, and at least they had gotten to see her.
Ben found her hand and squeezed it comfortingly. She flashed him a grateful look and managed a smile. By the time the hymn was over, the danger of tears had passed, and Molly was able to settle into the familiar rhythm of the service.
Reverend Bates asked them to open their Bibles to Genesis chapter 37 and read the story of Joseph, whose jealous brothers sold him into slavery and told their father he was dead. Then Reverend Bates began to preach, enumerating the further disasters that befell hapless Joseph and eventually landed him in prison until, at last, his special talents brought him to the attention of the pharaoh, who made him ruler over all of Egypt. Then the time came that Joseph’s brothers went to buy food in the land of Egypt, and Joseph recognized them.
“He recognized them, but they did not know him,” Reverend Bates shouted from the pulpit. “And how could they? He was the second-greatest man in the greatest country of the world they lived in. Would they be likely to recognize him as the boy they had thrown in a pit to die? Certainly not, and if they had, what treatment could they expect from him? He had the power to do whatever he liked, the power to take their very lives in revenge for the injustice they had done to him.
“But did he? Did he kill them, as they deserved? Did he punish them in any way? No, he didn’t, brothers and sisters, he didn’t. Oh, he tested them. He wanted to know if they were still the heartless wretches who had thrown their own brother in a pit. He tested them by testing their love for their youngest brother, Benjamin, and he found that they had changed. He found that they had repented of the evil they had done to Joseph, even to the point of offering their own lives to protect the life of Benjamin. And then, brothers and sisters, then—in spite of the terrible thing they had done to him and all the terrible things that had happened to him as a result— Joseph forgave them!”
Molly felt the sting of gooseflesh forming on her arms, and she hazarded a quick glance at Ben. His frown told her he was listening and that he didn’t like what he was hearing one bit. She clenched her hands together as Reverend Bates continued.
“He forgave them, even though what they had done was unforgivable, even though they had intended to destroy his very life. His brothers had meant to strip him of everything, yet God blessed him above all other men. His brothers had intended evil to him, yet God used the evil for good because Joseph was patient. Joseph waited through what must have seemed like a nightmare, through suffering and prison, never losing his faith. And God rewarded his patience and his faith.
“But why did he forgive his brothers? Not because they deserved it; oh, no. We know they didn’t deserve it. And he didn’t forgive them because he was a good man, either, although we know he was. He forgave them, brothers and sisters, because he knew that the hate and the bitterness would eat him alive, would destroy his very soul, the way his brothers had once sought to destroy his life. He knew he must let go of his anger. He knew he must leave vengeance to the Lord God almighty, who claims that privilege for Himself alone, and he must make peace with his fellow man.”
There was more, but Molly was too frightened to listen. Beside her Ben sat as stiff and straight as a poker, hardly even blinking as he listened to the minister’s words. Was he furious or moved? She could tell nothing from his grim expression. If he was furious, what would he do? Would he blame her for making him come? She shivered slightly.
So much for her plan to ease Ben back into community life. Why couldn’t she have left well enough alone?
Ben’s expression didn’t alter when they rose to sing the final hymn, but if he had anything to say to her, he had no chance. The moment the service ended, they were surrounded once again. This time the older members of the congregation hurried up to greet them. From the corner of her eye, Molly saw her father ushering Julie and her mother out. She sent them a silent message of love, which they returned.
Slowly Ben and Molly made their way to the door, pausing every few steps to reply to someone else’s good wishes. Then they were on the church steps where Reverend Bates stood shaking hands with the members of his congregation.
“Molly, Ben, I’m awfully glad to see both of you here today. It seems marriage has already had a good effect on you, Ben,” he said, pumping Ben’s hand vigorously. “I can’t recall the last time I saw you in church.”
“It’s been a while,” Ben acknowledged. “That was a real interesting sermon this morning.”
Reverend Bates continued to smile. “I changed my topic at the last moment. Somehow I thought this message would be more appropriate than the one I had originally prepared.”
“I guess you figured you might not get another chance at me.”
“Something like that,” the minister admitted cheerfully, “although I do sincerely hope you’ll be back. It’s been entirely too long, and now that you’re a family man...” He gave Molly a significant glance, which brought the color to her cheeks.
“That was the same argument Molly used on me.”
“I’m glad it worked.”
Ben and Molly strolled on out into the church yard, momentarily alone.
“I’m sorry, Ben,” Molly whispered. “I had no idea—”
“It’s all right,” Ben replied. She looked up in surprise to discover a quiet amusement m his azure eyes. “I reckon I needed to hear that sermon again. You preached it to me once already this week, if I recall.”
Fighting the urge to throw her arms around him, she settled for giving him the most adoring look she could muster. Then, over Ben’s shoulder, she caught sight of Harry Hoskins. If looks could kill, she and Ben would be stone cold dead.
“Oh, Ben, I have to talk to Harry,” she said.
Ben turned to receive his share of Harry’s rage. “No, Molly. Come on. We’re going home.”
“I can’t, Ben, not until I’ve told Harry how sorry I am. Don’t you see, he’s been humiliated, and I owe him that much. We both do!”
“Then we’ll both talk to him.”
“No, I have to talk to him alone, first. Please, Ben.” Without waiting for his reply, she hurried away.
Harry could not conceal his surprise at her approach, but he recovered quickly. “If you came over here to get congratulated, you’re wasting your time,” he informed her stiffly.
“I came over to apologize, Harry. I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I know I should have told you about me and Ben, but there just wasn’t time—”
He gave a bark of mirthless laughter. “No, I guess there wasn’t, since you’ve been avoiding me like I had the plague ever since Cantrell’s trial. Is that when you made up your mind, Molly? Did you see him as some romantic figure who burned people’s barns and got women to lie for him?”
“Harry! Ben didn’t burn your barn!”
“I expected you to defend him.”
“I’m not defending him. I know he didn’t burn the barn because I was the ‘mystery woman.’ He was with me that night, so he couldn’t have burned your barn.”
“You? You mean the story was true? Then why didn’t you come forward at the trial?”
“I couldn’t. You know how my pa feels about Ben. He would’ve killed me.”
Harry frowned, but before he could speak, Ben said, “Molly?” He was beside her, his eyes blazing with a mixture of jealousy and anger.
“It’s all right, Ben. I was just telling Harry why you couldn’t have burned his barn.”
“But don’t expect me to shake your hand and wish you well, Cantrell. You stole my girl.”
“Harry,” Molly chastened gently. “Please don’t try to pretend your heart was broken when I married Ben. I know I wounded your pride, but I also know you weren’t in love with me.”
Harry opened his mouth to protest but then closed it with a snap. His disgruntled gaze went from Molly to Ben and back to Molly again. She’d given him a way to salvage some portion of his pride, and he was thinking it over. The fact that he really hadn’t loved her would work to her advantage.
Now she had to take this one step further. Thank heaven for the experiences she’d had trying to manipulate her father’s unstable moods. Handling these two rational creatures was like child’s play in comparison.
“Harry,” she continued with a secretive smile, “I think you and Ben ought to be friends.”
Both men scowled at her in disbelief, but she ignored them. “Think about it, both of you. Harry, somebody burned your barn, and you want to find out who it was. Ben, somebody burned Harry’s barn and tried to blame you for it. You both want to find this person, and you’ll have a much better chance if you work together... as friends.”
She could see they were intrigued by the idea, but were they convinced? They simply had to be. She knew that if they worked together, they would soon discover the identity of the barn burner, just as she and Julie had. Then Ben’s name would be cleared, and her father would get what he so richly deserved.
“Just think,” she tried, “the guilty person might be here today. He might be watching you right now. Imagine how he’d start sweating if he saw you shaking hands.”
She held her breath as they eyed each other warily, then decided to use her final argument. “Harry, if you shake Ben’s hand, everybody’ll know your heart’s not really broken. You don’t want people feeling sorry for you, do you?”
That did the trick. Harry jerked his hand out of his pocket and thrust it at Ben. Ben blinked in surprise but hesitated only a second. The two men shook solemnly.
“Smile, for heaven’s sake,” Molly urged, eliciting grudging grins. She sighed with relief, glad no one had overheard the conversation. Word of the apparent reconciliation would be all over the county within twenty-four hours, and Harry would not have to endure another moment of sympathy. It was the least she could do for him.
“You’re a lucky man, Cantrell,” Harry was saying, his stiff grin still firmly in place.
“I know it,” Ben replied, his smile growing more genuine at mention of Molly.
“Harry,” Molly said when they stopped shaking hands, “why don’t you come over to the house this afternoon for some pie and coffee. You and Ben can talk things over and see if you can figure out who might be behind all the trouble.”
Harry’s wariness returned, but Ben said, “She’s right, Hoskins. We’ve both got a stake in finding out who really set the fire. Maybe we oughta work together.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Harry allowed after a moment’s thought.
“Good,” Molly said, delighted, and then another possibility occurred to her. “Harry, I have an idea. Why don’t you stop by and pick up Julie on your way to our place.”
“Julie? Your sister?”
“Yes. Don’t you see, word’ll get out that you’re courting her now, and everyone’ll see how easily you forgot about me.”
“Courting Julie? She’s just a kid!”
“You haven’t looked at her lately,” Ben said with a knowing smile that annoyed Molly. When had Ben been looking at Julie?
Harry was still doubtful.
“Please, Harry,” Molly said. “My pa won’t let me come to the house anymore, and he sure won’t let Julie visit me, but if you came to take her for a buggy ride, he’d never even ask where you were going.”
“All right,” he said grudgingly, “but just this once.”
“Good. We’ll see you this afternoon,” Ben said as they turned away, surprising a whole gang of curious onlookers who had suspended their own conversations to observe this one. The gawkers quickly resumed their talk and allowed Ben and Molly to slip away.
They were halfway home before Molly found the courage to speak about their experience. “The preacher was right, you know,” she ventured. “All that hate hurts you worse than anybody else.”
“He also said Joseph tested his brothers before he forgave them,” Ben reminded her.
“Then test folks. At least give them a chance to prove themselves instead of just assuming they have a grudge against you.”
Ben sighed with mock despair. “I never expected you’d try to turn my life upside down, Molly Cantrell.”
Molly slipped her arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder. “Don’t you like surprises?”
Ben wasn’t sure whether he did or not.
***
Molly had been out on the porch, anxiously watching the road, for over an hour when she finally caught sight of Harry’s buggy approaching the ranch. Squinting into the afternoon sun, she strained to see if he carried a passenger. She cried out joyfully when she saw Julie’s eager wave.
Ben and Johnny watched the arrival with slightly less enthusiasm. They were leaning against the corral fence, smoking. Johnny had returned from town that morning while the Cantrells were still at church and had been lecturing Ben about his foolishness ever since they got back.
“I swear, you’re turning into a regular pillar of the community,” Johnny scoffed. “Going to church! Next thing you know, you’ll be running for mayor.”
“I’d have to make friends with a lot of folks before I could get elected,” Ben pointed out.
“That what you’re planning to do? Make friends, I mean? That why you invited Harry over here today?”
Again Ben heard what sounded like jealousy in Johnny’s tone, but he knew better than to accuse him. “Harry and I have some business. I told you, we both want to find out who burned his barn.”
“I don’t see how you two talking it over can solve anything. If either one of you knew who was guilty, he’d already be behind bars.”
“Molly figures we know more than we think we do. She says if we start talking and thinking, we might discover who’d like to do us both harm.”
“Maybe Molly oughta get a job as sheriff.”
“Johnny,” Ben said in warning.
Johnny shrugged apologetically. “Reckon we oughta go over and say hello to your visitors,” he said to change the subject.
“John, I want you to help me today. We need somebody with a clear head to listen and help us figure this thing out.”
Johnny covered his surprise well. “You know I’ll do whatever I can.”
“I’m counting on it.”
They walked over to greet the guests. Molly had already run out to the buggy and was hugging Julie even before the poor girl had a chance to get out. They were laughing and crying at the same time as the men watched helplessly.
“Oh, Harry, thank you,” Molly managed after a few minutes. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am.”
“It was no trouble to get her. It was right on the way,” he demurred, obviously proud of having pleased her so much.
“When you’ve got the buggy put up, come on over to the house. The pie’s still warm.” She and Julie hooked arms and headed for the cabin, both of them talking a mile a minute.
Belatedly and with far more reserve, Ben and Johnny greeted Harry and helped him put his horse and buggy in the barn. Molly had set chairs out on the porch, and the men sat down on them to enjoy the shade. They muttered a few inconsequential remarks about the weather and cattle prices before Ben got down to business.
“Well, Harry, who do you think wanted to burn your barn?”
Harry shrugged. “Who do you think wanted you to get the blame?”
“I don’t know, but it seems kinda funny to me that this is the same thing happened to my pa six years ago.”
“Same thing? What do you mean?”
“I mean my pa never burned Fletcher’s barn. He was home with me all night that night until the posse came for him.”
“The hell you say! Why didn’t you ever tell anybody?”
“I did, but nobody paid me any mind. After he was dead, nobody wanted to talk about it, so I stopped trying to get folks to believe me. Anyway, Molly thinks... Molly and I think,” he corrected when he caught Johnny wincing, “that the same person is responsible for both crimes.”
“Six years apart? Why would anybody have it in for both you and your father? And why would he wait so long to try something again?”
“I don’t know, but I’ve never been able to find a reason why somebody wanted Fletcher dead, and I’d bet money you can’t think of anybody who’d want to burn your barn.”
“You think I was a convenient victim, just like Fletcher, then?”
“Yeah, it makes sense. Until my pa had the fight with Fletcher, he didn’t have an enemy in the world, and until we had the fight at the social, I’d never done anything to make anybody mad at me, either. The minute we did, though, something happened to that person, something folks thought my pa and me did.”
“Damn,” Harry murmured. “Any idea who it might be?”
“I reckon that’s what we’re here to figure out.”
Inside the house, Molly and Julie were trying to dish up pie and catch up on news at the same time. The pie was sitting forgotten on the table.
“Oh, Molly, your house is so nice,” Julie said, gazing enviously around the single room.
“Ben says we have to add on before the baby comes. I know,” she added, seeing Julie’s amazement. “I tried to tell him he shouldn’t spend so much money, but he doesn’t seem to mind a bit. You’d die if you knew how much this dress cost, and he made me get it. He bought me two other outfits, too, and he said he was going to burn my ‘rags’ if I ever tried to wear them again.”
Julie’s eyes were wide with wonder. She moved closer, checking the door to make sure no one would overhear. “How does he treat you? Otherwise, I mean.”
She didn’t have to explain. Both girls shared the same concerns. “He’s never raised his hand to me, not once. Of course, it’s only been a week, but he... he’s always telling me he won’t ever hurt me.”
Molly knew better than to trust completely in a man’s promises, but she managed to conceal her own doubts from Julie, who sighed with relief. “I’ve been so worried, wondering if I did the right thing by telling Ben.”
“How did Pa act after I left?”
“Strange, real strange. For a couple days he just laid around and drank, but he didn’t get mean. It was like the fight had gone clean out of him. Then he sobered up and started complaining about what a worthless ungrateful thing you were and all that.”
Molly nodded. She could just imagine.
“Then when he saw you all in church this morning, he got mad. He dropped us off at home and went right back to town. I figure he’ll come home mean drunk tonight.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Julie!”
“He would’ve done it sooner or later. He was probably only waiting for an excuse. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of Mama.”
Molly only wished it were possible. “If he gets too bad, you can bring her over here.”
Julie stared at her in horror. “Are you crazy? He’d kill us all if she tried to leave him.”
“But Ben would—”
“He’d kill Ben, too, and you know he would. I can’t figure it out. He calls her all kinds of names and tells her how worthless and ugly she is, but then he tells her all the horrible things he’ll do if she ever tries to leave. If he hates her so much, you’d think he’d be glad to get rid of her.”
“I know,” Molly said in despair. “I gave up trying to understand it a long time ago.”
“I wish...”
“What?”
“I... No, I can’t say it. It sounds too awful.”
“You wish he would die,” Molly guessed. “Don’t look so shocked. I’ve wished it myself a hundred times. I’ve wished that one time when he was hitting Mama his heart would stop or his brain would start bleeding or something. I’ve even thought of killing him myself.”
“Molly!”
“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t risk hanging over the likes of him. But that doesn’t stop me from wishing all the same.”
“Ladies,” Ben called from the doorway, startling them both. “I thought you promised us some pie and coffee. When Harry sees how bad you treat me, Molly, he’ll be glad he didn’t marry you.”
Molly stuck her tongue out at him and got up to find the plates and cups. When he had gone, she noticed Julie’s expression. “He’s only teasing, Julie,” Molly assured her.
“I know,” she replied in amazement. “It just... it seems so strange.”
As she was cutting the pie and transferring the slices onto plates, Molly said, “What did you think when you saw Harry today?”
“I didn’t know what to think. I could hardly believe he really wanted to take me on a buggy ride...”
Her voice trailed off, and Molly glanced up to find her blushing furiously. “Julie! You like him, don’t you?”
Julie nodded in an agony of embarrassment.
“Since when? I mean, you never said anything.”
“Since always. I couldn’t say anything because he was your fellow.”
“But Julie, you were going to let me marry him. How could you stand it?”
“You said I could come live with you. I knew he’d never look at me. I’m too young and not nearly as pretty as you—”
“That’s not true! You’re as pretty as anybody!”
“Anyway, I figured having him as a brother was better than not having him at all.”
“Oh, Julie!” Molly put down her knife and hurried over to take Julie in a comforting embrace. “Julie, I never said anything, but... I’m afraid of Harry. You remember how he hit Ben at the social, and he’s a lot like Pa—”
“No, he isn’t!” Julie protested, pulling out of Molly’s arms. “He’s nice, and he’s polite, and he’d never hit a woman. I know he wouldn’t.”
“I...” Molly didn’t know what to say. For Julie’s sake, she wanted to agree, but she simply couldn’t.
“I don’t think you need to worry, though. He made sure I understood he was only bringing me today because you asked him to. I doubt he’ll ever think of me as anything but your baby sister, anyway.”
Molly couldn’t stand seeing Julie’s despair. “He’s bound to notice you’ve grown up. Ben did,” she remembered, still a little annoyed at the thought.
“He did?”
“Yes, and he told Harry, too. I think... I’m sure Harry will see it, too, in time...” She frowned, wondering whether she was doing the right thing, and then said, “I could ask Harry to bring you over next week, and—”
“No! Don’t you dare. If he ever comes for me again, I want it to be his idea.”
“Well, all right,” Molly agreed with relief. Maybe Harry wouldn’t notice her sister after all. Or maybe Molly was wrong about him. “But if he starts getting interested in you, be careful.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t make the mistake Ma did.”
Molly sighed, wondering how a woman could ever be sure about a man. She’d lived with Ben for a week, and she still wasn’t certain. “Here,” she said, handing Julie a plate. “At least take him his pie.”
When Molly and Julie joined the men on the porch, Molly noticed they looked much more friendly than they had at first. “Have you all come to any conclusions?” she asked, taking a chair beside Ben.
“No,” Ben replied, “but at least we’ve managed to convince Harry I’m the reason his barn was burned.”
“The funny thing is, I was planning to tear it down anyway,” Harry said, taking a bite of pie. “Mmm, this is good, Molly. I’d just been telling my father a few days earlier how I was afraid it was going to fall on someone’s head one day soon. I didn’t even have any stock in it, and whoever set the fire turned loose the horses in the corrals so they wouldn’t get burned.” Harry shook his head in wonder.
“Mighty considerate of him,” Johnny remarked acidly.
“He might’ve somehow got wind of your plans,” Ben said.
“Or else he just took one look at the barn and came to the same conclusion I did,” Harry said.
“Anyway, he didn’t want to hurt you too bad, or he would’ve set fire to the house.”
“And he wouldn’t’ve let the horses go,” Johnny added.
Molly listened with growing apprehension. “Then the person who set the fire was somebody who liked Harry or at least wanted to be considerate of him, but who doesn’t like Ben,” she said.
Ben and Harry both turned to her, and from the looks on their faces, she was certain they must know the truth. Her breath lodged in her throat.
“That’s right,” Ben said thoughtfully. “What we can’t figure out is what I’ve got that anybody’d want.”
“Well, it has to be the same thing your pa had, so it must be this ranch,” Johnny said.
Molly didn’t dare glance at Julie for fear she was thinking the same thing Molly was. Did Julie remember their father had disappeared from the schoolhouse the night of the fire? Did she remember how many times Elijah Wade had coveted Ben Cantrell’s land?
Ben’s gaze was riveted on her, as if he were trying to search her soul. Did he know? Had he figured it out yet? His eyes narrowed speculatively, and she wondered if he could sense her inner turmoil.
“And speaking of my poor barn,” Harry said between bites of pie, “I’m going to have a barn raising next Saturday, and you’re all invited.”
To Molly’s relief, this effectively changed the subject. After an hour or so of pleasant conversation beginning with how the barn should be constructed and ending with even more innocuous topics, Harry said, “Well, Julie, I guess I’d better be getting you back. I wouldn’t want your father to think his other daughter had been stolen.”
“Stolen?” Ben echoed in amazement.
“Sure, that’s what he’s telling people. Say, Ben, did you really hold a gun on him when you took Molly away?” Harry asked with a twinkle.
Molly sputtered in outrage, but Ben chuckled. “Harry, he held a gun on me, or at least he tried to. I had to take it away from him so he wouldn’t hurt anybody.”
Harry glanced at Molly and then at Julie, who nodded their confirmation. He whistled softly. “I suppose it’s my duty to tell folks the way it really happened, isn’t it?” he asked of no one in particular. “Well, let’s get going, Julie.”
In a few minutes Ben and Molly stood in the yard, waving farewell to their guests. Ben slid his arm around Molly’s waist and gave her a smile of admiration. “I do believe you’re a witch, Mrs. Cantrell.”
“A witch? What are you talking about, Mr. Cantrell?” Molly asked.
“You must have some kind of magical powers. Somehow you managed to get me to church, you made Harry Hoskins forget you jilted him, and you’ve got the two of us thinking we’re friends. You’re an amazing woman.”
She smiled at his praise, but inside she knew a tiny fear. Had she made a mistake in bringing him and Harry together? Would Ben still think she was wonderful when he finally discovered the identity of the barn burner?
***
The morning of the barn raising dawned bright and clear. Molly had been cooking for two days in preparation for the event. Friends and neighbors from miles around would come to Harry’s ranch, and each woman would be expected to bring plenty of food to feed the men doing the work.
Ben and Johnny carefully loaded her pies and cakes and laden pots into the back of the wagon along with the tools they would take along. The sky was not yet fully light when they pulled into Harry’s ranch yard, but still they were not the first to arrive.
Harry greeted them with a shout and a wave from atop a pile of lumber he was inspecting. By the time he climbed down and made his way over to them, they had begun to unload the wagon.
“Good Lord, Molly, you brought enough food to feed the whole county,” he protested, picking up a huge pot of beans.
“I thought you invited the whole county,” she replied with a laugh. “Besides, I know how much Johnny McGee and my husband eat.”
“Just be sure you put back one of your pies for us,” Ben warned.
“Two of your pies,” muttered Johnny.
Molly stared at him in astonishment. “Why, Mr. McGee, are you admitting you like my cooking?”
“Never said I didn’t,” he replied, hefting an armload of tools.
“Never said you did, either,” she reminded him.
Blushing furiously, he turned away, carrying the tools over to the work area. Molly flashed Ben a look of exasperation, but he only grinned and, taking a cake in each hand, moved off toward the row of plank tables where the food was being spread out.
Miriam Hoskins was serving as Harry’s hostess. She directed everyone where to put the various items of food. When Molly had donned her apron, she asked Miriam what else needed to be done, and Mariam set her the task of organizing the dishes and silverware each family had provided.
“That’s a pretty dress,” Miriam remarked during a momentary lull in new arrivals.
Molly fiddled self-consciously with the collar of her violet calico, knowing how much a compliment from someone as grand as Mrs. Hoskins meant. “Thank you. Your dress is pretty, too.”
Miriam smiled ruefully. “It’s hardly practical for a job like this, but I really don’t have anything more suitable. Franklin refuses to buy me practical clothes. He says I don’t need them.”
Eyeing the pale green dimity gown, Molly could understand Miriam’s concern. By the end of the long hard day ahead, the fine fabric would probably be ruined. Still, “It must be nice not to need work clothes.”
Molly did not understand Miriam’s troubled frown, but before they could say more, another family arrived, and Miriam went over to welcome them.
Johnny McGee watched her through narrowed eyes, admiring the unconsciously graceful way she moved. Miriam Hoskins was about the finest-looking woman he had ever set eyes on, and he had set his eyes on plenty of them. In the early morning sunlight, her black hair glistened like a raven’s wing, and her dark eyes sparkled like stars. Earlier, she’d laughed at something one of the women said to her, and the sound was like music.
She walked right by without giving him so much as a glance. Didn’t she recognize him? Didn’t she remember how he had bid for her at the box supper? Of course she didn’t. Why should she remember an insignificant cowboy? Bitterness left an acrid taste in his mouth as he continued to follow her with his eyes. She was helping some rancher’s wife carry her food offerings over to the table. She was bringing a big pot, coming right toward him again. Frowning, she stopped and shifted the pot. The lid was slipping off. She tried to juggle it, but the lid slid farther, and the contents of the pot sloshed onto her hand.
Johnny was beside her in an instant. “Whoa, careful,” he said, catching the lid and taking the pot from her. “Did it burn you?”
“No, I...”
Their gazes met, and he saw the flash of recognition in the second before it turned to despair. The bloom vanished from her cheeks, leaving them pale, but before he could do more than register her distress, someone called her name.
“Miriam!” Franklin Hoskins shouted from across the yard. “Miriam, you have guests to greet over here.” His expression was murderous as he glared at Johnny McGee.
“Please,” she whispered, “don’t talk to me again.” She snatched the pot from him and whirled away in a flurry of skirts, leaving Johnny to stare after her in astonishment.
God almighty, he mused, she’s terrified of the old bastard. The thought turned his bitterness to gall.
Molly kept watching the new arrivals, and as the flood slowed to a trickle, she began to wonder if her family was coming. The Wades were Harry’s nearest neighbors. For Elijah to miss Harry’s barn raising was unthinkable, but just when she was beginning to think he might, she saw their wagon.
Restraining herself with difficulty, she waited while Harry went over to welcome them and Miriam helped her mother carry her food over to the table. Hannah had a warm smile for Molly, but neither of them made any move to embrace, although Molly’s arms ached to hold her mother close. With Elijah watching, they would have to be circumspect. The mere fact that they would have ample opportunity to talk while they were with the women today was blessing enough.
From the corner of her eye, Molly saw Harry helping Julie down from the wagon. Had Harry already noticed that Julie was grown up? After all, she’d recently turned sixteen, and many women married even younger.
Before she could decide how she felt about Harry really courting her sister, she heard her father’s strident voice. “What’s he doing here? If it wasn’t for him, you wouldn’t need a new barn!”
Molly’s gaze found Ben where he was standing with a group of men. His face was red with suppressed rage, and one of the men put his hand on Ben’s shoulder and spoke quietly to him. Molly’s breakfast formed a hard lump in her stomach, and for the first time in two weeks she feared an attack of the morning sickness that had vanished the day she’d married Ben.
“Ben is here because I invited him and Molly,”
Harry replied, loudly enough for everyone to hear. “You heard the evidence at the trial. Ben wasn’t the one who set the fire.”
“Since when do you believe that? You was fit to be tied when he got off on the word of some ‘mystery woman.’ “
“I’ve spoken to the mystery woman myself and to Ben, too. I believe he’s innocent. Ben is my guest today the same as you. I expect everyone to treat him with courtesy.” The message was clear, but would Elijah care? Beside Molly, Hannah drew a shaky breath and held it while they awaited his reply.
“Well, I don’t have to be polite to him, not after he stole my girl,” Elijah muttered, stomping off.
Ben made a move as if to go after him, but several of the men closed ranks around him. All of them started talking at once, and after a few moments Ben seemed to calm down. Molly felt a surge of relief and instinctively found her mother’s hand.
“I wish you’d leave him and come live with me, Mama,” she whispered.
“Hush. You know what your pa’d do if I ever left him. Besides, I’m his wife, Molly. I can’t forget that. I’m just glad you found a good man.” Her eyes searched Molly’s. “Julie says you’re happy.”
“I am, Mama. Ben’s real nice to me.”
“I can see,” she said, taking in Molly’s dress. “He doesn’t...?”
“No,” Molly assured her.
Her mother sighed. “I’m happy for you, honey. Now, if we can just get Julie settled.”
Molly smiled sadly. “She’s got her eye on Harry.”
“I know. I hope she don’t get hurt.”
“I hope so, too,” Molly replied as Harry escorted Julie over to her mother. He was still fuming from his run-in with her father, and Julie was speaking softly to him, trying to soothe him.
“I’m sorry, Harry,” Molly said when he approached.
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry for... either of you,” he added when Ben came up behind her.
But Ben was shaking his head. “Maybe we oughta leave, Harry.”
“Don’t talk crazy. Besides, if somebody ought to leave, it’s him. Oh, I’m sorry, Mrs. Wade. I didn’t mean—”
“That’s all right, Harry,” Hannah said. “I just hope we didn’t spoil the day for you.”
“No, no, of course not. Ben, let’s get these men organized so we can get started.”
Before Ben could protest again, Harry took his arm and led him away. Molly gazed after them, trying to ignore her growing feeling of apprehension. Would others scorn Ben the way her father had? Would he be sorry he came? Last Sunday he’d seemed ready to start giving people a chance to get to know him. Now she could see his guard was back up again. Feeling helpless against the forces she had sent in motion, she said a silent prayer and turned to follow her mother over to where the women were gathered in the shade of Harry’s front porch.
Some of them had brought knitting or needlework with which they busied their hands while they gossiped and exhausted every conceivable topic of small talk. Molly came in for a little teasing as the most newly married woman, and Julie received her share of comments for the attention Harry had paid her earlier.
Slowly the barn walls took shape, and the women carried water and coffee to the workers at intervals. When it was Molly’s turn, she stopped in front of Ben, trying to read his mood. His expression was set, and she could see he still nursed a fierce anger. The men who had been so open to him that morning were now avoiding his apparent hostility.
“Ben,” she said in frustration, “you’ve got to give people a chance. They want to be friendly to you.”
“What’s the use?” he replied coldly. “They’re all thinking the same thing your father is.”
“That isn’t true!”
But of course she had no proof, as Ben’s unblinking gaze reminded her. She turned away in defeat, carrying the water to the next man.
The noon meal was a pleasant time for everyone, it seemed, except the Cantrells. Elijah had wandered back sometime during the morning, his face flushed from alcohol, and although he had avoided Ben, he continued to give his son-in-law evil looks.
Molly recalled telling Julie how she wished their father were dead. She had thought his beating their mother was his greatest sin, but now she realized he was capable of hurting people without laying a hand on them. Her heart ached when she heard him saying something about barn burners, and for the first time she wished she had the courage to reveal Elijah Wade for what he was.
When the men had gone back to work, the women began cleaning up the mess. As Molly set down a stack of dirty dishes near the washtubs, Miriam Hoskins stopped beside her and gave her arm a comforting squeeze. “I’m so sorry, Molly.”
Molly opened her mouth to reply, but when she saw the naked agony in Miriam Hoskins’s dark eyes, she was struck dumb. How could the wife of the richest man in town understand the depth of her suffering? Yet in that instant, Molly knew beyond a shadow of a doubt she did.
On the verge of tears, Molly hurried away, seeking the privacy of the privy in which to compose herself. When she was in control of her emotions again, she made her way slowly back to where the women were still working. As she passed the house, however, the sound of an argument inside stopped her. Was Ben...?
But no, it was Harry and his father. She would have gone on except she heard Mr. Hoskins say, “You mean you actually spoke to this ‘mystery woman’?”
“That’s right, and I believe her story.”
“She’s someone you know? Someone whose word you trust?” Hoskins pressed.
“Yes, I know her very well, and believe me, she had a good reason for keeping her identity a secret.”
“I’m sure she did,” Hoskins said, and the fury in his voice shocked Molly.
“You seem awfully reluctant to believe Ben is innocent, Father. Why can’t you be satisfied with my word ... or do you know something you’re not telling?”
“What could I possibly know? I’m simply interested in finding out the facts. This is still my ranch, something you tend to forget. It won’t be yours until you marry, and now that you’ve let Molly Wade slip through your fingers, you aren’t likely to have it anytime soon.”
“I can wait. Maybe I’ve decided I’m not as anxious as I thought I was to get the ranch, not if it means a loveless marriage.”
“What does that mean?” Hoskins snapped.
“You know what it means.”
Molly heard the back door slam, telling of Harry’s hasty exit, and she hurried on before he could catch her eavesdropping. Suddenly Miriam Hoskins’s empathy for Molly’s problems was starting to make sense. And why was Harry so put out with his father? Anyone would think... Then she remembered: long ago, when she had discussed the burning of Fletcher’s barn, Harry had seemed to think his own father had a reason for wanting Ben’s father out of the way.
It was crazy, of course, and Molly knew Mr. Hoskins couldn’t possibly be the guilty party because she knew perfectly well who the guilty party was.
But poor Harry. How she wished she could tell him the truth and put his mind at ease; but she could never let anyone know she suspected the truth. Ben would be upset enough as it was without thinking she had kept it from him.
By suppertime, the barn was finished except for shingling the roof, which Harry and his men could do themselves. As soon as the meal was over, Ben found her and helped her carry their dishes to the wagon. Neither of them was eager to prolong what had been an ordeal. Although Elijah Wade had disappeared again around mid-afternoon, Ben’s mood had not improved, and Molly’s apprehension had grown accordingly. Would he blame her for the way things had gone? If she hadn’t encouraged him to find a place for himself in the community, he would never have attended the barn raising at all, never subjected himself to the unpleasantness.
Ben hardly spoke a word during the trip home, but as soon as they had finished unloading the wagon, he said, ‘‘I reckon I’ll go into town with Johnny tonight. He’s feeling kind of low, and I don’t like to let him go alone.”
Molly bit her lip. Only last week he had told her he couldn’t bear to leave her alone. As she had feared, Johnny McGee had won.