Текст книги "Charmed by His Love"
Автор книги: Джанет Чапмен
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“You mean the one that appeared out of nowhere just as I
was about to cut you off at the knees?”
“More like the one now hopping home with a fantastical
tale to tel its buddies, along with some missing fur to prove
it.”
“So about that protective bubble,” Duncan said, smiling
up at the sky. “If ye can’t bottle it up, could you at least put
something in place before ye leave?”
“Why don’t you ask de Gairn?”
He turned his head in surprise. “Matt? Why would I ask a
drùidh to work the magic for me when I can go straight to
his boss? It’s yourroad I’m building and your wife’s friend
I’m keeping an eye on.”
“Or you could ask Ian,” Mac continued as if he hadn’t
even spoken. He arched a brow when Duncan shot him a
scowl. “What; are you not pleased your nephew found the
seat of his power on TarStone, as does that not free youof
the mountain’s hold?”
Duncan looked up at the roiling clouds. “I’ve never had a
problem with taking my place running the resort when the
time comes.”
He heard Mac chuckle. “Are you honestly trying to lie to
me, MacKeage? Or yourself?”
“Wel , fine then. If ye don’t want to help me protect your
resort road, I’l simply buy new equipment when they
sabotage mine and send you the bil .” Duncan looked over
at him. “And you can keep digging into your bottomless
satchel of money every time I have to rebuild one of the
bridges when the bastards start blowing them up.”
“This can’t be the first time you’ve faced opposition to a
project you were working on,” Mac said. “And since you
claim you have no magic of your own, what did you do to
protect your equipment and ensure your crew’s safety in the
past?”
“I didn’t price security into this job because I figured you
had my back.”
He heard Mac chuckle again. “It appears to me you need
only hire Peg and her eldest daughter. May I ask why you
didn’t tel her you were camping on the hil side?”
“I didn’t want her worried that I was expecting trouble.”
“Your heritage is showing, my friend. Did it never occur to
you the lady might be smart enough to realize al the activity
in her pit was going to draw no-good opportunists from
miles around?”
Duncan rol ed onto his side and propped his head on his
hand. “I guess I forgot,” he drawled, grinning when Mac’s
eyes narrowed. “Speaking of which, ye wouldn’t have
something in your bag of tricks to make a mere mortal
forget, would you?”
“Now what did Peg do? Or do you wish for her to forget
something you did?”
Duncan rol ed onto his back, closing his eyes on a sigh.
“I’m afraid I threatened to take the flat of my sword to her
backside,” he muttered, “then added insult to injury by
throwing her shotgun in the woods and tel ing her that if I
ever caught her outside after dark again I was putting her
over my knee.”
“By the gods, you’re an idiot.”
Duncan rol ed onto his elbow. “She was going after those
men all by herself. And she had Charlotte keeping watch in
the window with the phone in her hand, waiting to cal the
sheriff and a neighbor if she heard a gunshot. The kid’s
eight!”
Mac also rol ed onto his side. “What would you have had
Peg do, then, since she didn’t know you were guarding your
own equipment because you never told her?”
“She should have cal ed the sheriff the moment she
heard the vehicle drive in.”
Mac made a dismissive gesture. “There appears to be a
strong reluctance to cal the authorities around here—
especial y from the women. The first time I saw Olivia, she
was being attacked by one of her male employees, and
when I routed the bastard she refused to report the crime,
claiming he was just a dumb kid. Your own self-reliance is a
matter of pride, MacKeage, and yet you’re angry that Peg
was doing nothing more than you were.” The wizard rol ed
onto his back with a snort. “If that’s not living in your father’s
world, then what is?”
Duncan also rol ed onto his back just as he felt a raindrop
land on his chest. “So I guess getting something to make
her forget I’m an idiot is out?”
“Exactly how attracted are you to Peg?” Mac asked
quietly.
Duncan snapped his head around, then bolted upright
when he saw the look in the wizard’s eyes. “Why?”
Mac also sat up. “Because if you are seriously attracted
to her, I’m afraid making Peg forget you’re an idiot may be
the least of your worries.”
“Why?” he repeated in a growl just as another raindrop
hit his shoulder.
Mac reached under the stunted pine and grabbed his
sword’s harness. “Last night Olivia told me that Peg
believes the women in her family are cursed.”
“Cursed how, exactly?” Duncan asked, eyeing him
suspiciously.
“It appears the life expectancy of husbands for the last
five generations of female descendents of Gretchen
Robinson is quite short; the first poor bastards dying before
the age of thirty, and ensuing husbands dying—in freak
accidents, according to Peg—within a few years of the
women remarrying.”
Duncan leaned back and grabbed his own harness.
“That’s plain crazy. It’s a fact of life that men are more likely
to die in accidents because we’re more often in harm’s
way.” He started to slide his sword in its sheath but
suddenly stil ed. “Are you saying Peg honestly believes
she’s cursed?”
“Wil iam Thompson died on his thirtieth birthday.”
“In a construction accident,” Duncan said,
finishing sheathing his sword. “Curses can’t actual y kil
people because they’re not real.” He stil ed again. “Are
they?”
“It doesn’t matter if they are or not; what matters is that,
according to what she told Olivia, Peg believes she can’t
ever remarry.” Mac shook his head. “She’s afraid even to
care for another man, much less fal in love with one.”
“Love can’t kil a person any more than a curse can.”
“Nevertheless, I’m afraid your attraction to Peg is going
to involve battling more than her pride and contrariness.”
He suddenly grinned. “But as I said earlier, you’re a quick
study—assuming you wish to win this particular war.
Because if you decide you do, Duncan, then you best be
prepared to battle your own demons as wel as Peg’s.”
“What in hel are you talking about? I don’t have any
demons.”
Mac arched an imperial brow. “No? So it’s common
practice for modern men to threaten to put a woman over
their knee just as they did in your father’s time?”
“I was angry, dammit.”
“I suggest you choose a world, my friend—either this
century or Cal um’s—because if you continue trying to
straddle both while taking your perceived lack of magic as
a personal affront, I promise that you’re going to lose the
war … and the woman.”
Duncan rol ed onto his hands and knees and then
pushed himself to his feet. “Right now the only war I’m
focused on is the opposition to your resort. They fired the
first salvo at melast night, and I’m damned wel taking thatpersonal y.” He bent down and picked up his sword and
slipped the harness over his bare shoulders. “And you can
take your damned magic to California with you, Oceanus,
because I don’t need it or Matt’s or Ian’s to do my job.” He
swiped his shirt off the ledge and snagged his jacket off the
tree and used them to point at Mac just as several more
raindrops fel . “And I can damn wel get the girl all by
myself, too.”
“MacKeage,” Mac said quietly when Duncan started
striding away.
He stopped and turned back, saying nothing.
Mac swept his hand in an arc. “Pick a mountain—any
mountain—and I wil make it yours to command.”
He grinned, patting the ledge. “Except this one.”
“I already have a goddamned mountain.”
“TarStone is the source of Ian’s power.” Mac gestured
again. “Pick one.”
“I don’t wantone.”
The wizard pushed himself to his feet, then stood his
sword on its tip and crossed his hands over the hilt. “The
energy has been building inside you for thirty-five years,
and if you don’t find a way to ground it, Duncan, it’s going to
destroy you. Pick a new mountain or I’l pick for you.” He
arched a brow. “In the centuryof my choice.”
Sweet Christ, the bastard was serious. “That one,”
Duncan said, pointing to his right without even looking just
as several fat raindrops hit him hard enough to sting.
Mac sighed. “I believe you could teach Peg something
about contrariness,” he muttered. “It’s done, then; al that the
mountain has to offer is yours to command.” He suddenly
grinned. “Enjoy your walk home … neighbor,” he finished
just as the sky released a deluge of numbingly cold rain—
except on Mac, Duncan noticed as he turned away and
walked into the woods to the sound of the wizard’s quiet
laughter.
God dammit; he hadn’t done one thing to deserve this.
And what in hel had he been thinking, anyway, picking a
mountain on the other side of Bottomless? It was going to
cost him a goddamn fortune to build a road around that
damned fiord just to reach it.
Peg blinked at al the strange vehicles lining both sides of
the road the entire length of town; most of them cars
instead of pickups, mostly wearing out-of-state plates.
Which is why she ended up having to drive al the way past
where the old train tracks crossed the road before she
found a place to park, after she had to stop no fewer than
four times to let people cross in front of her. Spel bound had
actual pedestrian traffic—most of them gray-haired tourists
wearing cameras around their necks. By summer when
school was out, Peg guessed as her van’s engine rattled
backward before final y shutting off, the town was going to
be bursting at the seams.
“Okay, gentlemen,” she said, turning in her seat to give
the twins her I-mean-business scowl, “your chal enge for
today is to stick beside me like glue. Hand-holding is an
option, but only until one of you gets more than five feet
away, and then it becomes a requirement. Got that?” Peg
turned her scowl into a smile when they both vigorously
nodded. “And after we pick up the mail and stop into the
Trading Post to find out what I owe on last month’s bil , if the
three of us are stil stuck together like glue I guess you’l
have no choice but to fol ow me into the Drunken Moose for
a gril ed cheese sandwich.”
“Can’t we have a cimminin bun instead?” Peter asked.
Peg immediately turned her scowl back on. “Considering
there were a dozen buns on our porch this morning, I would
say you’ve had your month’s quota.”
“How come your shotgun was on the porch, too?” Jacob
asked. “It’s usual y in your closet with the rifle.”
“I had loaned it to the bun fairy, and she returned it with
the buns.”
“What’s the bun fairy need a shotgun for?” Peter asked.
Peg stood up, hunched over, and started unbuckling
them out of their booster seats—that were looking more
tired than her van. So she made an executive decision to
get new ones with her very first check from Duncan. “Wel ,
you know, fairies are very sneaky and secretive, so this one
never real y told me why she needed the shotgun.”
“I bet she needed it to shoot cimminins,” Peter said,
jumping out of his seat. “To put in her buns.”
“Cinnamon is a spice—a plant,” Peg explained, turning
to grab her purse before sliding open the passenger side
door. She stepped out and straightened, looking eye level
at the boys. “And last I knew, you don’t need to shoot a
plant to eat it.”
“I think she borrowed it ’cause everyone wants them
buns, and someone might try to steal them instead of going
to the Moose,” Jacob declared with great authority.
Peter frowned. “Then why she’d give it back if she’s gotta
protect the buns?”
Peg swung Jacob out of the van with a laugh,
deciding she’d lied herself into a corner. “Forget the
shotgun,” she said, swinging Peter out next. “And focus on
today’s chal enge.”
She slid the door closed and headed along the side of
the road to the old railroad bed without bothering to lock the
van—because honestly, if someone was desperate enough
to steal the heap of scrap, they were welcome to it. Oh
yeah, the second thing she was buying was new
transportation, she decided as she started down the old rail
bed the Grange ladies had turned into a nature trail ten
years ago.
“Mom, who are al them people?” Peter asked as
he skipped up to her left side, Jacob fal ing into step on her
right. “What are they doing here?”
“They’re tourists who have come to check out the new
Bottomless Sea. And you know why that’s such a big
deal?”
“Because we got whales and sharks and jel yfish now?”
Peter asked.
“Wel , partly. But mostly because Bottomless isn’t
supposed to be a sea because it’s so far from the ocean.”
“The earthquake made it salty and tidy,” Jacob declared
with great authority. “And it pushed them two mountains
apart and made that ford flood our pit.”
“That’s right, the earthquake created the fiord.” She
stopped and stepped back to have both boys face her.
“And you two,” she said, “witnessed history being made.”
“What’s history?” Peter asked.
Peg laughed and started walking again. “History is what
happened yesterday and last year and a hundred years
ago. History is in the past, today is the present, and tomorrow is the future. And forty years from now you’l be
able to tel your children and grandchildren that you felt the
earth tremble and saw Bottomless go from being a
freshwater lake to an inland sea. What happened is cal ed
an historic event, and you were privileged to witness it.”
“But al these people missed it,” Peter said, pointing at
the old train trestle that crossed the Spel bound Stream just
below the fal s. “So why are they here now?”
“So they can take pictures and go home and tel
everyone they saw the new Bottomless Sea, because there
isn’t another place like this in the whole wide world.”
“There ain’t no other seas?” Peter asked.
Peg gave him a nudge. “Don’t say ain’t; it’s not polite.
Yes, there are other seas, but none that were formed in
recent history, and none that have a massive underground
river that al ow whales to travel hundreds of miles inland.”
“Wow, that means Spel bound Fal s is unic,” Peter said
with his own authority.
“Yes, it’s definitely unique,” she corrected with a laugh.
“Peg!”
She stopped and looked across the road to see her
neighbor, Evan Dearborn, waving at her. He looked both
ways and bolted between oncoming traffic. Wel , he bolted
at a grandfatherly speed.
“Hey there, Pete and Repeat,” he said when he reached
them, nodding at one boy then the other without knowing
which was which. He looked at Peg. “Me and Carl been
meaning to mosey over to find out what’s going on at your
place.”
“I’m expanding my pit to sel gravel to the outfit building a
road up the mountain. Or haven’t you heard that Olivia and
her new husband are building a resort?”
“We heard.” Evan’s eyes suddenly widened in alarm.
“They ain’t setting that road up behind ourland, are they?”
He glanced at the boys, then stepped toward her, and it
was al Peg could do not to lean away when she got a
strong whiff of eau de skunk. “I mean, jeeze-louise, Peg,” he
whispered, “we ain’t exactly sure where our back boundary
line is, and we might of … it’s possible we …” He sighed,
thankful y stepping back as he scratched his beard. “I
guess we’re gonna have to forget about expanding our
garden this year.” He suddenly grinned. “Wel , good for you
then, girl. A road up that mountain’s gonna take a passel of
gravel, so you’l be rol ing in dough.”
“Why would Mom want to rol in dough?” Peter asked.
“It’s sticky.”
Evan looked startled, then reached out and ruffled
Peter’s hair with a chuckle. “Wel , Repeat, I guess she
wouldn’t wanna then, would she?”
“I’m Peter.”
“I knowed that. I was just checking if you did.” He looked
at Peg again. “I thought that horseback of yours ran in our
direction.”
“It apparently runs north, up the hil side.”
“Wel , okay then,” he said as he started backing away.
“If’n you hear that they’re gonna set the road anywhere near
our back border, you give us a heads-up, okay?”
“I’ve been led to understand they’re going in off the main
road about a mile up from us, so I think you’re clear.”
“Good enough,” he said with a nod. He stopped just in
time to avoid backing into traffic. “Hey, what’n was al that
commotion over to your place last night? Me and Carl
snuck through the woods to see, but it was over by the time
we got there.”
Peg shrugged. “Just some idiots looking for free diesel
fuel, but Mr. MacKeage, the owner of the equipment, sent
them away empty-handed.”
He stepped back over to the path, looking both ways to
see who was nearby. “I heared talk that some folks ain’t
happy about that resort being built. It appears they’re
forming some sort of committee to try and stop it.”
“Locals, or people from away?” Peg asked.
Evan snorted. “Out-of-staters who own land up here and
think they know what’s good for us locals is more like it.” He
stepped closer. “I heared they’re gonna try to get some big
nature group to back them,” he said in a whisper, “by
claiming it’s gonna ruin the wilderness.” He looked around
at the people and traffic and snorted again. “They’re too
late, I’d say. That earthquake already turned this place into
a tourist trap. And me and Carl was down to Turtleback
yesterday, and it was standing room only. They’re gonna
have to put in a gosh-dang stoplight at the intersection.” He
suddenly grinned. “You run out of dirt to sel , Peg, you can
always turn your pit into a campground now that you got
lakefront property.”
“A campground?” Peter asked, tugging on her jacket.
“What’s that, Mom?”
“It’s sort of like Inglenook, only people sleep in tents
instead of cabins.” She looked at Evan and arched her
brow. “Wouldn’t you worry my campers might go roaming
through your woods looking for wildlife and trample your …
garden?”
That wiped away his enthusiasm. “Gosh-dang it, I hadn’t
thought of that.” He sighed and started backing away again.
“I’l be seeing you, then. You hear that road’s going near our
property, you give us a hol er, okay?”
“You’l be the first ones I tel ,” she said, starting down the
path again.
“Are we gonna make a campground, Mom?” Jacob
asked, walking backward in front of her. “And have
campfires every night?”
“Nope. Because we’re not going to run out of gravel for a
long, long time if the amount of land Mr. Duncan is clearing
is any indication.”
Jacob realized they’d reached the trestle and
immediately scurried back and took hold of her hand. Peter
refused when she held out her hand to him, but he did grab
the hem of her jacket as they walked across. And even
though Peg would have liked to stop and watch the sixty-
foot fal s cascading down in a thundering roar just a stone’s
throw away, she knew neither of the twins were comfortable
lingering on the bridge. She often wondered if maybe
they’d heard her talking to someone about Bil y having
been working near a bridge when he died. It’s not like it
was a secret or anything, but maybe she should have a
conversation with al four of her children about exactly what
happened—since it appeared they obviously thought about
it, judging by Jacob’s talk with Duncan last night.
They final y reached the post office, and Peg handed the
key to Peter since it was his turn, making him read the
number on their box before he opened it. “Mom, look! We
got another special delivery,” he whooped, pul ing out two
lol ipops and handing one to Jacob. “They’re grape ones
this time, Repeat. We’re gonna have purple tongues.”
“What is al the caterwauling out here?” Thelma Banzhoff
asked as she came through the door from out back. “Oh,
it’s Pete and Repeat,” she said in mock surprise, only to
suddenly frown and bend down to peek in the open box.
“Did that mail fairy sneak in here again and leave you two
little heathens another special delivery?” She shook her
head, making a tsking sound. “I warned the little imp that it’s il egal to mess with a United States post office box, but it
seems she’s powerful y determined to make her deliveries.
And sneaky, too, because I made sure al the doors and
windows were locked when I left here yesterday.”
“Locked windows and doors ai—isn’t gonna stop no
fairy,” Peter said. He held his thumb and finger almost
together. “’Cause she can fit through a crack this big.”
Thelma pointed at the prize in his other hand. “Then how
does she get the lol ipops through a crack that smal ?”
“By magic,” Jacob piped up around the pop already in
his mouth. He pul ed it out and grinned up at her. “Just like
the tooth fairy. See, I lost my tooth this morning and tonight
she’s gonna bring me a quarter. But only if I’m asleep, right,
Mom?” he asked, looking up at Peg. “You told Pete when
he lost his tooth that if he tries to stay awake al night she
won’t come.”
“That’s right.” Peg reached in the box and pul ed out the
few envelopes and several sale fliers. “Now thank Mrs.
Banzhoff for not having the mail fairy arrested for delivering
your special deliveries.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Banzhoff,” they said in unison.
“Peg, could I speak with you a minute?” Thelma asked,
nodding for her to move away from the boys.
“Okay, new chal enge,” Peg said, herding the twins over
to the bench under the window. “Unglue yourselves from me
and work on turning your tongues purple, okay, while I go
over there.”
“Can we kneel on the bench and watch al the terrists?”
Jacob asked.
“The what?” Thelma yelped.
“The tourists,” Peg said to Jacob after shooting Thelma a
smile. “You may watch the tourists, but keep your sticky
fingers off the window. What’s up?” she asked softly as she
walked to the other side of the vestibule with Thelma.
“Land sakes, my kid-talk is rusty,” Thelma said with a
laugh. She suddenly turned serious, touching Peg’s sleeve.
“You’ve heard there’s talk in town about forming a
committee to fight the new resort, haven’t you?” she
whispered.
“Evan just said something about it, but that was the first I
heard.”
Thelma glanced over her shoulder at the boys, then
turned and bent her head next to Peg’s. “Wel , I’ve
overheard more than one conversation in the last few days
where your name’s come up.” She touched her sleeve
again. “Please don’t ask me who was doing the talking,
Peg, because I need to be discreet about gossiping. But it
appears some people feel that you’re … Wel , I just want to
warn you that some folks aren’t too happy that the gravel for
the resort road is coming out of your pit.” Thelma clutched
her sweater closed at her throat. “I heard them saying that
you’re just letting that outfit from away come in here and …
and rape your land,” she whispered, “for no good reason
other than to make a truckload of money.”
“Are you serious?” Peg growled, clutching her own throat
in a futile attempt to tamp down her anger. “I’ve owned that
pit for nearly ten years, and nobody had any problem with it
existing before now. They’re real y cal ing it rape?”
Thelma touched Peg’s sleeve again, this time giving her
arm a squeeze. “I’m just repeating what I heard. And you
need to know it’s only a smal minority that doesn’t want the
resort. Most of the people in town are for it because of the
jobs it’s going to bring to the area, and the shops and
restaurants and cottage industries that wil fol ow. Some of
the folks are already planning to expand their own
businesses. And Bunky Watts intends to open a craft co-op
in that empty storefront across from the church.”
Peg was smiling and nodding despite trying to get past
the idea that she was raping her land. “Those opposed to
the resort should go visit Pine Creek,” she said. “The
TarStone Mountain Ski Resort made that town what it is
today, which is an inviting, thriving community. I can’t
believe they’re saying I’m raping my land.”
Thelma snorted. “It only takes a few extremists to turn
something wonderful into a big ugly fight. I wil tel you this
much; it’s mostly people from away who are raising the
stink. But they’re the ones who have the money and clout to
bring in the big guns.” She glanced at the boys, then patted
Peg’s arm again. “I just wanted you to be aware that, like it
or not, you and Livy Bald—I mean Livy Oceanus have made
a few enemies.”
Peg was incredulous. “Because I’m sel ing gravel?
Dammit, that pit is al I have.”
“I know that, honey,” Thelma said. “And if I were in your
shoes, I’d sel every damn last rock and grain of sand out of
it that I could.” Her eyes narrowed. “You know, the people
who are complaining the loudest don’t seem to have a
problem buying your gravel to repair the roads to their
summer camps. They want to own their little piece of
heaven, but they don’t want to share it with anyone.”
Peg took a deep breath to help throw back her
shoulders, and shot Thelma a smile. “Yeah, wel , they can
just live with the potholes from now on. Even if I wasn’t in the
gravel business, I’d stil be on the front line to get this resort
built. It’s going to be beautiful when it’s done and great for
the economy for our children and grandchildren. That
earthquake put Spel bound Fal s on the worldwide map,
and as far as I’m concerned it was the best thing to happen
to this town. And another thing,” Peg growled, trying but
failing to tamp down her anger. “Mac already bought up
most of the land around the lake precisely to keep the
wilderness wild. Olivia told me they’re planning to cater to
every walk of life; that if someone wants five-star
accommodations they can stay at the resort on top of the
mountain, but if they want back-country hiking there’s going
to be a trail system with rustic campsites, and everything in
between.”
“I know,” Thelma said, her features relaxing into a smile.
“Olivia was in here just yesterday and mentioned some of
what they’re planning. The Grange women are already
raising funds to redo the town park, and if they raise
enough they want to include a trail up to the top of the fal s
and a viewing platform.”
“Wonderful,” Peg growled. “It sure beats raising money
for their widow’s fund.”
Thelma’s face reddened. “They came in about a month
ago wanting to put a col ection jar here at the post office,
and they told me it was going to have a picture of your
children on it.” She snorted. “I told them that one, it was
il egal to solicit in a federal building, and two, I hoped you
sued them if they did that to you and your kids.”
“Thank you for that,” Peg said. “I swear I was tempted
to brain Janice and Christine with the loaf of bread I was
holding when they cornered me in the Trading Post. You
know, Thelma, maybe we should form our own pro-resort
committee, if for no other reason than to show our support
to Olivia and Mac.” She shook her head. “It would crush
Olivia to be accused of ruining the wilderness.” Peg gave
Thelma as bright as smile as she could muster, considering
she was stil angry as hel . “She and Mac are taking the
kids on a cross-country trip for two months, and we could
be ful y organized by the time they get back. Heck, we
might even have the anti-resort group on the run by then, if
we get enough people together to outshout the extremists.”
“Mom!” Jacob cal ed, frantical y waving her over. “We just
seen Mr. Alec and the other man go into the Moose. Can
we go have our cheese sandwich with them?”
Peg’s anger turned to horror in half a heartbeat. The last
person she wanted to run into today was Mr. Kiss-stealing
MacKeage. “Was Duncan with them?” she asked, rushing
to the window to look out.
“Nope,” Peter said around what was left of his lol ipop.
“Just Mr. Robbie and Mr. Alec. Can we hurry, Mom?”
Peg leaned forward to look up and down the road, trying
to spot Duncan’s truck, sighing in relief when al she saw
was Robbie MacBain’s pickup parked in the church
dooryard. “We stil have to go see Ezra first,” she said,
straightening away. “And if the men look like they’re talking
business, we can’t bother them, okay? We’l just say hi and
sit on the stools at the counter.”
“Gosh-dang it, Mom,” Peter muttered, making Peg rear
back with a gasp. “I don’t see why we can’t talk business
with them.”
“Peter Thompson!” she snapped over Thelma’s laughter
as the postmistress slipped through the door leading out
back. Peg gave him a nudge. “You do not say that word.
Ever. You hear me?”
Peter gave Peg his worried yet defiant look. “Mr. Evan
says it al the time, so what’s wrong with gosh-dang?” he
asked, using the word again just to push her buttons.
She nudged him again, a little less gently this time.
“Because it’s one step away from cussing, is why. And
people wil put up with cussing from adults, but not from il -
mannered children. It makes you appear uncivilized.”
“I told Mr. Duncan he’s gotta remember to take his worry
stone outta his pocket to rub it,” Jacob chimed in, smiling
smugly, “so people won’t think he’s unsevralized by playing
pocket pool.”
Peg clutched her chest on a gasp. “You told Duncan
that? You actual y said pocket pool?”
Jacob nodded. “And he promised he wouldn’t forget to
take it out to rub it.”
Oh God, the man must stil be laughing. Peg stuffed her
mail in her purse and headed for the door. “We’re back to
being glue,” she growled, leading them outside.
Chapter Eleven
Not wanting Peter and Jacob to think they could just walk
out into traffic, it took Peg two ful minutes to find an
opening to cross the road, and they were just reaching
Ezra’s store when Alec and Robbie came out of the
Drunken Moose carrying boxes. They spotted her and the
boys and headed over.
“Hel o, Thompson tribe,” Alec said. “Pete, Jacob,” he
added with a slight bow, addressing each boy correctly.
“What are you gentlemen up to today?”
“We was gonna have cheese sandwiches at the Moose,”
Peter informed him, “and eat with you if you weren’t talking
business, ’cause we seen you go inside when we was at
the post office.”
“It’s standing room only in there, so we decided to eat on
the tailgate of my truck,” Robbie said. “And we’d be
delighted if you would join us.”
“But we gotta go see how much money to give Mr. Ezra
this month.”
“Or, your mom could go talk with Mr. Ezra while you boys
sit with us,” Robbie said. He held out his box. “I bought a bit
more than I can eat, so we could share.”
Peg pul ed in a breath and held it, uncertain what to do,
especial y when she saw both boys’ eyes light with
excitement as they looked up at her.
“Can we, Mom?” Peter asked. “We promise we’l stick to
them like glue.”
“We’l take good care of them, Peg,” Robbie said, his
warm gray eyes obviously reading her concern. “We’re in
