Birdie saw Cornell coming toward her on the path and waved. “Have you seen Gabe?”
“Yeah, he’s down at the pool.”
Birdie halted, thinking she should say more. Shading her face from the late afternoon sun with her hand, she offered Cornell a sarcastic little smile. “I think you and Edditha are perfect for each other.”
“I’m counting on it,” he said giving her a firm nod.
She wanted to kick him but relented and decided to wave the flag of truce with a bit of truth. “I would’ve made you miserable,” she said, turning a little to get the sun out of her eyes and to access the bruises on his face. They were glorious. She had to smile.
He laughed and nodded. “True, we would’ve made each other miserable. Well, Edditha said my father wanted to see me. He’s recovering, but still in a lot of pain. I need to have it out with him. He’s not happy that you and I have called it off. Edditha will sweeten him up once he gets to know her and her mother.”
“Oh, I hope he’s not too badly hurt. I understand he took a beating. And I’m sure that once your father gets to know Edditha, he’ll be glad you found her. She’ll be the perfect wife and daughter-in-law.”
“I hope so. My father can be bullheaded. He won’t give up the notion of you and me, not easily. It’s a matter of business.” He started to walk away, heading for the road and the house.
Birdie took a couple of steps, stopped to ask him, “Edditha? Is she at the pool?”
Cornell turned his head and said, “Yeah, I left her talking with Gabe.”
Reason told Birdie she had nothing to worry about, but the green monster in her head urged her along the path at a faster pace. Gabe said he loved her, wanted to marry her. Cornell and Edditha, they’d become friendly, taken off together. Cornell hadn’t acted at all concerned Edditha was alone, in a secluded spot, with the man she was formally promised to.
When Birdie came out into the open, she found Edditha locked in Gabriel’s arms, kissing and laughing. She snapped, rushed forward, and pushed Gabe, the big jerk, into the pool.
Edditha, unfortunately, had gotten in the way of the whirlwind and landed on her backside on the deck. Birdie turned to her to say, “I’m sorry, Edditha, I didn’t mean for you to get hurt. Let me help you up.”
Edditha hesitated to take her hand.
“Really, I’m sorry,” Birdie said. “Gabe was my target, not you.” Edditha offered her hand and Birdie yanked her to her feet. Birdie turned to cast daggers upon the man floundering in the shallow water of the pool.
Her hands on her hips, she said, “No I don’t blame you, Edditha. You’re as much a victim of this bounder’s charm as I am. No, I know exactly who’s at fault here, it’s you, Gabriel Buxton. You’re a fickle, lying, cheating womanizer, is what you are. Mother warned me about men like you. She warned me.”
Gabe, huffing and puffing, soaking wet found his footing, his boots full of water. “Why you little termagant, I’m gonna put you over my knee and give you a good spanking. I’m gonna do it this time.”
Birdie got up on her toes to get in his face. “Gabriel Hoyt Buxton, you are a fribble, a beast.”
He fired right back at her. “Fribble? What kind of word is fribble? Bet you picked it out of one of those gushy, fancy-ass, lord this and lady that, novels you and Jo read.”
“Yes, you are a fribble, a fool, a bounder. The word is perfect—it describes you to a T.”
“Edditha,” she said over her shoulder, “you don’t know how fortunate you are to find out now before you tied yourself to this…this fickle heart.”
Birdie shoved a finger in Gabe’s wet chest and shouted, “I hate you, Gabe. I hate you.”
Unable to stop the river of tears from streaming down her cheeks, Birdie stumbled off toward the path. She couldn’t see very well through her veil of tears, but she could hear just fine. And she heard Gabe coming up fast, shouting her name and cursing her. She picked up her pace.
“Birdie. Birdie you come back here. Stop, you little idiot.”
She heard him running after her. She could hear the water in his boots making squishy noises, and she started to trot. She’d almost made it to the road where she intended to break into a run when something grabbed her skirt. When she heard the fabric tear, she squealed in anguish.
She tugged back the fabric of her red and white gingham dress. “Now look what you’ve done, you’ve torn my dress, my favorite dress. You’ve ruined it. Damn you, Gabe,” she cried and stomped her foot.
He had her by her arms now. She stood pounding at his chest, her tears blurring his face—her rage overriding good sense. “I love this dress. Now you’ve ruined it. You’ve ruined everything—everything. Why did you have to come back? I could’ve gone on, lived with my fantasies, but no, you had to come back and ruin the dream. I hate you, Gabe.”
He tried to pin her arms down to her sides to pull her into his chest. She wiggled and squirmed hell-bent on resistance.
Gabe gave her a good shake and bellowed, “Listen. Listen to me, Birdie. Open your eyes, and listen to me. Look at me, Birdie.”
She didn’t want to. She wanted to stay mad at him, hate him, and never look at his face again, ever. He gave her another shake, and she looked. She looked right at him and knew her heart lost forever, broken, lost forever.
“Good,” he said and smiled at her. Oh, how she hated his smile. His lips, he had a wonderful mouth with strong lips, those lips could send her over the edge right into paradise.
“Now, listen carefully, Birdie, you little fool. I love you…”
“Ha! Like hell!” She waggled her shoulders to get free, vaguely aware of Edditha, who passed them to go directly to Cornell, who stood at the head of the path with his arms outstretched to her.
“Men. All of you. You’re evil—I hate you all. Love me? Kiss me. Kiss Edditha. Marry me. Marry Edditha. Men, you’re all heartless, jumping back and forth, first Edditha then me, then Edditha? It’s a dance to you, isn’t it? Just a silly dance, do-si-do, change partners. Swing your lady. You don’t know what you’re doing. Well, my heart is not a toy, this is not a game, a dance. I won’t allow you swing me around, in and out of your arms, back and forth. No sir, I’m gone. Count me out of this stupid game of yours, Gabe. I don’t want to play anymore. I’m all grown up, too old to play. I won’t play anymore. And I’m not waiting for you to wake up to the fact I’ve grown up, not one more minute. I see now I’ve been wasting my time on you.”
To punctuate her resolve, she slapped him soundly, which startled him into loosening his hold on her.
»»•««
Buck heard the screaming from the yard in front of the house and made his way to the pool. Adella and Doreen emerged from the house and followed him. Rafe and Van came out of the barn and fell in line. On the road, Cornell, a grin on his face, his arm draped around Edditha’s shoulder, stood witness to the ensuing battle.
“No one but you, Birdie, there’s no one else in the world for me but you, Birdie. I’ve been stupid and blind, I know it. All along, it’s been you and only you. My heart, my soul, are yours. I tried to love someone else, but I can’t, because my heart is yours. I gave it to you long ago, when you were in diapers and took your first step right into my arms, and I was eight. You stole my heart, Birdie, Curly-Birdie. I love you.”
Buck read the mutinous look on Birdie’s face. She was as mad as a hornet, itching to sting and sting and sting. This battle wasn’t over, not by a long shot.
“I don’t believe you,” she said. She kicked Gabe in the shins and folded her arms across her chest in defiance.
“Ouch!” Gabe grabbed his leg and hopped in a circle.
Buck pulled in his lips to keep from bursting out laughing. Beside him, Van didn’t bother and let loose a loud guffaw. Doreen had her hand over her mouth, but Buck heard her groan and knew she could see shades of herself in her daughter’s antics. Rafe stood quiet, a scowl on his big face. Buck figured he was probably commiserating with Gabe, all too familiar with the irrational female Bollo temperament.
»»•««
Limping a little, Gabe balled his fists and set his jaw. Birdie, too late, realized perhaps she’d overreacted.
Gabe’s eyes narrowed, and his jaw clenched. He threatened, “I’m definitely going to spank you now, Birdie. I don’t care. You’ve gone too far. You’ve shoved me in the water, slapped me and now you’ve kicked me. That’s all the abuse I’m going to take.”
Alarmed and huffing with indignation, Birdie said, “You try it, you try it and I’ll…I’ll…”
“You’ll what? What else will you do?”
“I’ll bite your ear.”
“Bite my ear? Ooooh, now I’m scared, Curly-Birdie.” Gabe wrapped his arm about her waist and lifted her off her feet.
She kicked and screamed.
He tightened his grip. One arm around her middle and the other going behind her head, he pulled her face into his and put his mouth on hers.
Protesting, she thrashed, kicked, and squealed against his lips to little avail. His mouth, warm and demanding, shattered her resistance. Sensations, the tingle in her belly and the rush of desire obliterated the world around her. Her arms twined around his neck like a clinging vine to a tree trunk in a gale. Hungry for him, she hooked her legs around his hips pulling him closer, wanting everything he had to give.
Adjusting her in his embrace, his arms supporting her, going under her hips to cradle her he rocked her, kissed her, and she kissed him back.
At last, Gabe lowered her to her feet.
Breathless and light-headed, Birdie slumped against his chest. “Why did you have to go and do that? Why Gabe? If you and Edditha are back together, then why torture me this way?”
“You haven’t been listening, Birdie,” Gabe said, his lips close to her ear.
Edditha approached both of them and put her hand on Birdie’s arm. “We aren’t together, Birdie. Gabriel and I will always be friends, but never lovers. My heart is with Cornell, Birdie. Cornell and I were on our way to be married this morning when we were waylaid by those men.”
All the fight left her, and her legs started to wobble. If not for Gabe holding her up, she would’ve fallen to the ground. “Cornell? You and Cornell? You want to marry Cornell?” Hysteria had her now, she giggled, then doubled up laughing, unable to catch her breath.
»»•««
Adella hooked her arm through Buck’s and laid her head against his forearm. “Well, I guess the children have made their choices.”
“Yep, I’d say.” He patted her hand and looked deep into her eyes, giving himself a warning, you’re a damn fool if you let her get away.
Beside him, Rafe broke into his thoughts. “We’ve got a problem, Buck.”
“Yeah, I know.” For a second or two, he thought Rafe read his mind.
He then realized Rafe referred to McDaniel and his compatriots. “I know, we’ve got a wagon full of skunks in the barn and no way to be rid of ’em until tomorrow.”
Van nudged him in the back. “Looks like two more skunks comin’ in.” His hand pointing up the road toward the canyon, Van drew Buck’s attention to the two men on foot rounding the curve on the canyon road.
Van said, “I believe Tom and Ronnie have come looking for their horses. All I gotta say is, they’ve got guts. Or they’re damn fools, maybe a little of both.”
Buck growled, lips curled, eyes dark and cold. “The sons-a-bitches, they’ll get more than their horses. I’m gonna give ’em both a swift kick in the gonads, and then I’m gonna cut their tongues out and break all their fingers.”
“Wait a minute—you gotta leave something for me,” Rafe said. “Let me have one of ’em. There’s two, one for each of us to tear apart.”
Buck nodded and shook Rafe’s hand on the deal.