Blackstone's Bride Read Free Page B

helping with the dishes, she welcomed the distraction and gave them towels to dry the forks, knives, and spoons.
    Finally, she heard the door down the hall open. A few seconds later Tom appeared. The other three children all spoke at once, besieging him with questions. Abby studied him closely. He hadn’t been crying. In fact, he seemed downright cheerful. She was as interested as everyone else about what had taken place.
    “What happened?” Katie asked, worry wrinkling her forehead. She seemed to accept some responsibility for what happened.
    “Did he wallop you?” Oliver asked.
    “Was Uncle Jarrod real mad?” Lily wanted to know.
    Abby was near to bursting with curiosity herself. “Tom? Tell us. Say something.”
    “If you’ll give me a chance, I will.”
    “What did your uncle say? You were in there with him for a long time. He didn’t wallop you, did he?” she asked, repeating Oliver’s question, though she didn’t believe Jarrod would have done so.
    “Nah. We just talked.”
    “What about?” Abby asked. They all gathered around Tom, who sat down at the table to finish what was left of his dinner.
    “I tried to tell him Katie started it, but he said that I mustn’t ever hit girls. No matter what.”
    Abby wasn’t sure why that should have surprised her, but it did. “He said that?”
    Tom nodded as he ripped off a bite of bread with his teeth. “When I tried to tell him she’s just my sister, he said that was no excuse. She’s still a girl and you never hit girls, not ever.”
    “I think I like Uncle Jarrod,” Lily said, grinning.
    “Me too,” Katie chimed in.
    “Me too,” Abby added, a little surprised.
    Tom glared at the three females. “Don’t go gettin’ ideas. Or I won’t do the other thing he said.”
    “What was that, Tom?” Abby asked.
    “He said we men have to take care of you women ’cause we’re stronger.”
    “Did he say anything else?” Abby stifled a smile at the boy’s serious tone. She wondered if it was the same one Jarrod had used.
    “Yeah. He said ’cause we are stronger, we can’t hit back.” He glared at his sisters. “Don’t you go takin’ advantage of this.”
    “He didn’t raise his hand to you? Not at all?” Abby asked.
    “Nope. I thought he was goin’ to. He said he’d be under-standin’ until I knew what was expected. Once I did, he was sure it wouldn’t be necessary. We just have to learn one another’s ways. ‘Just.”
    “Adjust?”
    “Yeah. That was it.”
    Abby was ashamed it had even crossed her mind that Jarrod would strike the boy. It probably wouldn’t have except she sensed Katie’s fear. Again she wondered what these children had been through. Pushing the thought away, she put her hands on her hips and smiled at them. “Didn’t I tell you everything would work out fine?”
    “Yes, ma’am.” Tom stuffed the last of his bread into his mouth. Before chewing and swallowing, he said, “Almost forgot.”
    “Don’t talk with your mouth full, Tom,” Lily reminded him.
    He sent her a look fit to kill, but didn’t say another word until he’d swallowed his food. When he’d washed it down with a drink of milk, he looked at Abby. “He said for me to tell you he’d like to see you in his study.”
    “Me?” She asked.
    “Yes’m.”
    “What could he possibly want to talk to me about?”
    “He didn’t say. But he’s waitin’ in there.”

2
    As soon as Abby left the room
, Lily raced to the doorway and watched until she disappeared into the study. She hurriedly turned back to the others. “It’s time for a family meeting.”
    “How come?” Oliver wanted to know.
    “We have some things to decide.”
    “Like what?” Tom asked.
    “Like what if we don’t want to stay here with Uncle Jarrod?”
    “I like him,” Katie piped up.
    “Me too,” Oliver added.
    “He didn’t even holler at me for hittin’ Kate,” Tom said defensively.
    “I like him too. But we just got here. I’m not saying things won’t work