tempted to do something so distasteful, I knowâbut Royal doesnât.â She waved her hand angrily and went back to the awful chalk scratching. âBut if he thought our kissing would work in his favor, he wouldâve told August.â She stomped back to the other side of the board. âHe only figured heâd found another way to try to bully me into giving him my property. Didnât work.â
âHeâs trying to bully you into giving him your property?â The man deserved someone to flatten his noseâagain. Heâd have thought Royal wouldâve quit harassing Charlie years ago after sheâd broken his nose the second time. Too bad heâd not gone ahead and broken his nose a third time a minute ago.
âYes, he has and still is. Thatâs why Iâve got to marry. I canât keep the place running much longer with him stealing my animals, ranch hands, equipment, and keeping anybody new from working for me. Once a bully, always a bully.â
Heâd forced himself not to shove Royal out of his room earlier to keep from starting a fight.
He shouldnât have been so nice.
âBut why marry August? Canât you turn Royal in to the authorities?â
âItâs my word against his. The only other people who know what heâs doing is his family, and no Whitaker turns in another Whitaker. Besides, offering my ranch hands better pay to work for him isnât exactly illegal.â
She seemed too blasé about this. Reverend McCabe had wondered why she was marrying. A week ago heâd have said her reasons for marrying didnât matter to him as long as shewasnât being pushed . . . but maybe she was being pushed, just in a different way than heâd expected. âSo why August?â
âAs I said, the Whitakers look out for themselves. The family ainât going to let Royal ruin Augustâs livelihood. And since he knows for certain what his brotherâs been doing to me, if Royal continues, he can turn him in.â
âWhy not marry some other man?â
She grumbled at her chalk, which had broken in her hand again. âWhoâd have me?â
He wiped his hands against his trousers. âSurely someone other than August and Royal.â
âIâm twenty-five, Harrison. No manâs ever been interested besides Royal. I had to ask August myself.â
She was wrong about no man ever being interested. He hadnât been the only one slightly enamored with her back in school. âIâm sure someone elseââ
âDonât bother trying to make me feel better about myself. Iâve accepted my lot. Besides, Royal wouldnât stop harassing me if I married any other olâ Joe. Heâd keep bullying until he put us both under.â She threw down her chalk stub and searched for a larger piece. âNo, I have to marry a Whitaker, but it sure wonât be Royal.â
He snatched away the only big piece of chalk sheâd yet to break. âListen. Iâm sure there are other men whoâd consider you, Charlie. Youâre strong, courageous, clearly love your mother, and are goodwith children. Iâve seen you.â If he had his glasses, he couldâve seen whether or not she believed him by the expression on her face.
Of course, if he hadnât broken them she wouldnât be with him right now. Maybe this was why God and the reverend wanted him to visit her earlierâto explain that she wasnât as undesirableas she thought, that she had options beyond marrying into the Whitakers. Taking her by the wrist, he pulled her away from the board. âItâs just . . . youâre a little intimidating.â
She tugged back. âI still have a paragraph to write.â
âYou can finish after everyone arrives. They wonât have to copy it until later in the period anyway.â
âPlease.â
Why did she sound like she was about to cry?
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