want a car and someone to teach me to drive it.”
“Whoa, there. I offered to teach you how to ride a bicycle.” The grin on his face infuriated her.
She turned back to the stove and didn’t see that the grin quickly faded into a frown. Boone went out the door and across the yard to where Jack was coming from the horse tank with a bucket of water.
“We’d better get a rag or a gunnysack to take the cap off the radiator,” Boone called. Then, when he got closer, “She’s goin’ to be hotter than a two-bit whore.”
Jack grinned. “That’d be pretty hot.”
“How’d you know that?” Boone took a gunnysack from the back of the truck and, using it to protect his hand, carefully unscrewed the cap, then sprang back when boiling water and steam gushed up.
“Oh, I hear … things,” Jack explained.
“Yeah? What thin’s?”
“This past year I learned not everyone is bad; most folks are real nice, like Miss Annabel.”
“Don’t be gettin’ any notions ’bout her, lad,” Boone warned.
“Whata ya mean? Like I want her for a sweetheart?”
“That’s what I mean,” Boone said bluntly. He lifted the bucket and poured the water into the hissing radiator.
“She’s a nice lady and I like her … but not like that.” Jack bristled with sudden temper.
“Don’t get on your high horse. I was just warnin’ ya.”
“Consider it done.” Jack picked up the bucket and walked back to the horse tank.
Chapter 5
T ESS CARTER WAS USED TO FEELING ASHAMED of her family, herself and the place where she lived. She never really thought of the ramshackle house as being her home, because it wasn’t. It was her brothers’ home and they just allowed her to live there and wait on them. Deep down she felt a deep and constant resentment.
Now she was angry with herself for being so taken aback when she met the man on the horse that she had acted like a darn fool. At first she had been ashamed of the old ragged dress she wore and the shoes she’d laced up over her ankles because she was so afraid of snakes. She hoped that he’d ride on by and not see her. When he did see her, her only thought had been to get out of his sight as quickly as possible. The heavy shoes had made her trip and fall face down in the dirt. At that moment, she had wanted the earth to open up and swallow her.
At mealtime Leroy had returned and was adding to her humiliation. He would do or say anything to make himself look big in his brothers’ eyes. He had stretched the story he told Bud and Marvin, making it appear she had been purposely waiting for the man to come by. Bud had lifted a hand to slap her and would have if not for Marvin.
“Calm yoreself. Ain’t no harm been done that I can see. You still watchin’ over there, Leroy?”
“Yeah. Man that left in the big car ain’t come back. Feller came in with a wagon of hay for the horses. Feller in a truck comes once in a while. Got a right good-lookin’ woman over there, Marvin. She’s got good tits, white legs and swings her skinny ass when she walks. Keeps herself fixed up too.”
“They fixin’ to do any farmin’ over there?”
“Feller was workin’ on a plow behind the barn.”
“Too late to start plowin’. You watchin’ our corn crop?”
“Yeah. Too early for coons.” Leroy’s eyes honed in on his sister, who was older by eight years. “What we goin’ to do about Tessie meetin’ that feller? She ort to get a swat on her bare butt.”
“Try it, Leroy,” Tess said. “Lay a hand on me, and the first time I catch you asleep I’ll cave your mud-ugly head in with a stove poker.”
“Now, cut that out.” Marvin looked from Tess to his youngest brother. “I’m head man here. If Tessie needs a swat, I’ll do it.”
Tess stood up from the table, remembering other vicious slaps and the beatings her pa had given her. Her frightened heart was pounding, and she prayed that none of the three knew it. She didn’t know if it was courage or foolishness that caused
“Whoa, there. I offered to teach you how to ride a bicycle.” The grin on his face infuriated her.
She turned back to the stove and didn’t see that the grin quickly faded into a frown. Boone went out the door and across the yard to where Jack was coming from the horse tank with a bucket of water.
“We’d better get a rag or a gunnysack to take the cap off the radiator,” Boone called. Then, when he got closer, “She’s goin’ to be hotter than a two-bit whore.”
Jack grinned. “That’d be pretty hot.”
“How’d you know that?” Boone took a gunnysack from the back of the truck and, using it to protect his hand, carefully unscrewed the cap, then sprang back when boiling water and steam gushed up.
“Oh, I hear … things,” Jack explained.
“Yeah? What thin’s?”
“This past year I learned not everyone is bad; most folks are real nice, like Miss Annabel.”
“Don’t be gettin’ any notions ’bout her, lad,” Boone warned.
“Whata ya mean? Like I want her for a sweetheart?”
“That’s what I mean,” Boone said bluntly. He lifted the bucket and poured the water into the hissing radiator.
“She’s a nice lady and I like her … but not like that.” Jack bristled with sudden temper.
“Don’t get on your high horse. I was just warnin’ ya.”
“Consider it done.” Jack picked up the bucket and walked back to the horse tank.
Chapter 5
T ESS CARTER WAS USED TO FEELING ASHAMED of her family, herself and the place where she lived. She never really thought of the ramshackle house as being her home, because it wasn’t. It was her brothers’ home and they just allowed her to live there and wait on them. Deep down she felt a deep and constant resentment.
Now she was angry with herself for being so taken aback when she met the man on the horse that she had acted like a darn fool. At first she had been ashamed of the old ragged dress she wore and the shoes she’d laced up over her ankles because she was so afraid of snakes. She hoped that he’d ride on by and not see her. When he did see her, her only thought had been to get out of his sight as quickly as possible. The heavy shoes had made her trip and fall face down in the dirt. At that moment, she had wanted the earth to open up and swallow her.
At mealtime Leroy had returned and was adding to her humiliation. He would do or say anything to make himself look big in his brothers’ eyes. He had stretched the story he told Bud and Marvin, making it appear she had been purposely waiting for the man to come by. Bud had lifted a hand to slap her and would have if not for Marvin.
“Calm yoreself. Ain’t no harm been done that I can see. You still watchin’ over there, Leroy?”
“Yeah. Man that left in the big car ain’t come back. Feller came in with a wagon of hay for the horses. Feller in a truck comes once in a while. Got a right good-lookin’ woman over there, Marvin. She’s got good tits, white legs and swings her skinny ass when she walks. Keeps herself fixed up too.”
“They fixin’ to do any farmin’ over there?”
“Feller was workin’ on a plow behind the barn.”
“Too late to start plowin’. You watchin’ our corn crop?”
“Yeah. Too early for coons.” Leroy’s eyes honed in on his sister, who was older by eight years. “What we goin’ to do about Tessie meetin’ that feller? She ort to get a swat on her bare butt.”
“Try it, Leroy,” Tess said. “Lay a hand on me, and the first time I catch you asleep I’ll cave your mud-ugly head in with a stove poker.”
“Now, cut that out.” Marvin looked from Tess to his youngest brother. “I’m head man here. If Tessie needs a swat, I’ll do it.”
Tess stood up from the table, remembering other vicious slaps and the beatings her pa had given her. Her frightened heart was pounding, and she prayed that none of the three knew it. She didn’t know if it was courage or foolishness that caused
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