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Authors: In a Heartbeat
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you’d best be apologizing to Miss Etta, mister.” His balled fists left no doubt he was issuing an order, not making a request.
Milton looked disgusted. “Are you kidding?” He flipped his hand as if to shoo the soldier away.
“No.” Buckles pulled his breeches up and shoved out his chest. He might not have the youth of Milton, but there was still a great deal of fight in him. “I’ve been sitting here listening to you whine and beg all afternoon, but I won’t tolerate you being rude to a lady.”
Milton opened his mouth to argue just as Colt stepped through the backdoor. He was dusty from head to toe and his boots were caked with mud. “Evening.” He slapped his hat against his leg casually, as if he didn’t notice the air was charged as if lightning had been bouncing off the walls in the kitchen. “Supper about ready?”
Etta took his cue. “Will be by the time you get cleaned up, Captain. I made your favorite tonight—fried chicken. Guess you can see we’re having two extra for supper.”
“Chickens or guests?” Colt laughed and walked through the room without looking at anyone except Etta.
Etta smiled and looked at the two men at her table. “One guest and one I’m not too sure about.”
Milton stood and stormed to the backdoor. “Joanna, I want to talk to you on the back porch. Now!”
Joanna turned back to Etta for help, but found the old woman wasn’t even looking at her. Buckles was handing her aunt a piece of crumpled paper he must have carried in his pocket for some time. Joanna watched as her aunt slowly unfolded the paper and stared at it for a long moment before looking up at the sergeant.
To Joanna’s surprise they didn’t even seem to know she was still in the room. Etta raised her hand to cup Buckles’s cheek and he kissed her palm softly, holding her hand in his as if holding a great treasure.
“Joanna!” Milton snapped from the porch. “I’m waiting.”
Joanna stepped outside, more to allow Buckles and Etta privacy than out of any desire to talk to Milton. “What is so important?” she asked as she looked at Milton, wondering how she could have thought she loved him for so many years.
“I have some things that need to be said.” Milton folded his arms over his chest. Out of his element, he didn’t seem as strong and powerful as he had back in Ohio. “Your father thinks he may have acted in haste last month.”
“May have?” Joanna suddenly found the conversation more interesting.
“He says if you’ll come back home, he’ll give you more time to decide before you marry me.” Milton’s manner left no doubt of how fair he thought her father was being. “I can go ahead come spring and farm the land like it was already ours, but you can take your time and set your own wedding date. He said you can even teach, if you’ve still a mind to.”
“How generous,” Joanna answered. “And what about Aunt Etta?”
“She’d keep house for your father, of course. Then when you have babies, she can come stay with us as long as she’s needed.”
“What about when she’s not needed?”
“I know you care deeply for her and I’d be willing to say she’d always have a home with us if that’s what you want.” Milton looked at her like she was a child. “Someone else will probably let her live with them, though. You’ve got a large family.”
“I suppose.” Joanna looked out into the vast sunset of this land called Texas and realized she hadn’t missed her home at all. “Why do you want to marry me?” she whispered.
“What a question!” Milton had the sense to look offended by her statement. “We’re alike. I want to marry you and build a future together. In ten, maybe fifteen years we could have one of the richest farms in the state.”
Joanna sighed, as if just realizing something was gone that had died a long time ago. He hadn’t mentioned love.
“But you didn’t always feel this way. I remember when we were in our teens, you used to
Milton looked disgusted. “Are you kidding?” He flipped his hand as if to shoo the soldier away.
“No.” Buckles pulled his breeches up and shoved out his chest. He might not have the youth of Milton, but there was still a great deal of fight in him. “I’ve been sitting here listening to you whine and beg all afternoon, but I won’t tolerate you being rude to a lady.”
Milton opened his mouth to argue just as Colt stepped through the backdoor. He was dusty from head to toe and his boots were caked with mud. “Evening.” He slapped his hat against his leg casually, as if he didn’t notice the air was charged as if lightning had been bouncing off the walls in the kitchen. “Supper about ready?”
Etta took his cue. “Will be by the time you get cleaned up, Captain. I made your favorite tonight—fried chicken. Guess you can see we’re having two extra for supper.”
“Chickens or guests?” Colt laughed and walked through the room without looking at anyone except Etta.
Etta smiled and looked at the two men at her table. “One guest and one I’m not too sure about.”
Milton stood and stormed to the backdoor. “Joanna, I want to talk to you on the back porch. Now!”
Joanna turned back to Etta for help, but found the old woman wasn’t even looking at her. Buckles was handing her aunt a piece of crumpled paper he must have carried in his pocket for some time. Joanna watched as her aunt slowly unfolded the paper and stared at it for a long moment before looking up at the sergeant.
To Joanna’s surprise they didn’t even seem to know she was still in the room. Etta raised her hand to cup Buckles’s cheek and he kissed her palm softly, holding her hand in his as if holding a great treasure.
“Joanna!” Milton snapped from the porch. “I’m waiting.”
Joanna stepped outside, more to allow Buckles and Etta privacy than out of any desire to talk to Milton. “What is so important?” she asked as she looked at Milton, wondering how she could have thought she loved him for so many years.
“I have some things that need to be said.” Milton folded his arms over his chest. Out of his element, he didn’t seem as strong and powerful as he had back in Ohio. “Your father thinks he may have acted in haste last month.”
“May have?” Joanna suddenly found the conversation more interesting.
“He says if you’ll come back home, he’ll give you more time to decide before you marry me.” Milton’s manner left no doubt of how fair he thought her father was being. “I can go ahead come spring and farm the land like it was already ours, but you can take your time and set your own wedding date. He said you can even teach, if you’ve still a mind to.”
“How generous,” Joanna answered. “And what about Aunt Etta?”
“She’d keep house for your father, of course. Then when you have babies, she can come stay with us as long as she’s needed.”
“What about when she’s not needed?”
“I know you care deeply for her and I’d be willing to say she’d always have a home with us if that’s what you want.” Milton looked at her like she was a child. “Someone else will probably let her live with them, though. You’ve got a large family.”
“I suppose.” Joanna looked out into the vast sunset of this land called Texas and realized she hadn’t missed her home at all. “Why do you want to marry me?” she whispered.
“What a question!” Milton had the sense to look offended by her statement. “We’re alike. I want to marry you and build a future together. In ten, maybe fifteen years we could have one of the richest farms in the state.”
Joanna sighed, as if just realizing something was gone that had died a long time ago. He hadn’t mentioned love.
“But you didn’t always feel this way. I remember when we were in our teens, you used to
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