Shotgun Groom (19 page)

where they had a good time as a family. Tomorrow, would

they go back to the way it usual y was in the house? Stiff,

awkward, depressing. The place he lived at now was such

a sharp contrast from where he grew up. While he was

growing up, no one locked bedroom doors, ate in silence,

or shot each other looks as if they were afraid of something

al the time. Fear. That was the prevailing mood in April and

Sep’s house, and that fear led to the depressing sensation

he couldn’t shake off.

So what April and Sep needed wasn’t him coming into their

house in a foul mood. Granted, he didn’t ask to be married,

but he was and the situation wasn’t going to get better if he

kept acting like the world had come to an end. Deciding it

was time to turn over a new leaf, he glanced at April, who

was holding a contented Nora, and Sep who sat beside

her. This was his family now, and he had a responsibility to

set the tone. And one place they’d have to tackle was the

locked bedroom. That room needed to be unlocked so

April and Sep could confront whatever aspect of the past

they desperately wanted to ignore. Once they confronted it,

they could deal with it and move on.

Joel didn’t see how they could have any joy in that house

until they took care of that bedroom. Soon. He’d approach

April about it soon. He needed to go to her about it first

because she was his wife and he had to settle matters with

her before he could talk to Sep about it. Steering the

horses to the front of the house, he cleared his throat.

April and Sep looked in his direction, so he took that as his

cue to speak. “I realize we didn’t get started off on the right

foot, but I think it’s time we changed al of that. I’m the head

of this family, and I’l do my part to make this work.” His

gaze went from April to Nora and then to Sep. “There’s

bound to be some adjustments. We al pretty much got

thrown together because of this Lou person. Sooner or later

the rat’s got to come out of his hole, and when he does, I’l

be ready for him. Until then, we don’t take any chances. No

one stays here alone.”

The relief on April’s face tugged at his heart. He knew

she’d been scared, but it didn’t register just how scared

she’d been until then, and judging by the worried

expression on Sep’s face, he shared in her fear. Yes, they

were afraid. And for al he knew, it was more than one thing

that worried them. Today wasn’t the day to ask them about

it. That could wait.

Today, they’d start building a foundation with the same

things his parents had when they married: trust, respect,

and ultimately love. He caught himself sighing and stopped.

Glancing at April, he caught the exasperated look on her

face, but this time when they made eye contact, there was a

hint of a smile on her lips.

Rol ing his eyes, he said, “Habits are hard to break, alright?

I’m afraid you’l have to deal with it.”

Tipping her head to the side, she said, “I suppose I don’t

mind it al that much as long as I know you’re not upset.”

“I can’t promise I’l never sigh when I’m upset.”

“Then if you’re not upset with me, Nora, or Sep, we should

be alright.”

“But when people live in the same house, they’re bound to

get on each other’s nerves. What if I sigh then?”

“Then I’l have to dump more cold water on you.”

At that, he laughed. She probably would, too. “You know,

you’re a real spitfire when you want to be.” And he had to

admit, he didn’t mind that so much. Setting the brake, he

said, “I’l put the sleigh and horses away.” He got down and

held his hands out to help April down so she could keep

Nora in her arms. “Sep, wil you take in the presents?”

Sep nodded and grabbed the stack of gifts.

As April and Sep went into the house, he hopped into the

sleigh. After he took care of the horses and sleigh, he went

into the house and noticed the smel of hot chocolate in the

kitchen. He hung up his coat and hat, put away his gloves,

and took off his boots before he went to the kitchen table

and sat next to Sep.

“Would you like a cup?” April asked.

“Sure would,” he replied. “Where’d you put the gifts, Sep?”

“In the parlor,” Sep said before he finished his cup of hot

chocolate.

“Good.” He took the cup April offered him and glanced at

Nora who snacked on a cookie. “I hope no one minds if I

take that large blanket my ma made.”

April poured her own cup of coffee and shrugged. “I figured

you’d want it since it fits the bed.”

Since Sep was in the room, he decided not to mention

what he wanted to do with it. For the moment, April could

assume he meant to put it on the bed. When he warmed up

and finished his drink, he took the blanket, along with a

couple of other items he found around the house, and made

a divider in his and April’s bedroom. By the time he was

done, April brought Nora in to get her ready for bed.

“What is this?” she asked, holding Nora and staring at the

blanket that acted as a wal between the crib and their bed.

“This is Nora’s temporary room,” he replied, motioning to

the space where the crib sat. “She’l stil end up in the third

bedroom, but we won’t rush it. I understand it’s going to

take some time before you’re ready to put her in there, so

for the time being, this wil offer us some privacy.”

He waited to see if she would argue that the arrangement

wasn’t to her liking, but she nodded and turned to take care

of Nora. Satisfied, he left the room to help Sep finish up the

remaining chores for the day.

An hour later, he returned to the room and placed the gifts

specifical y for April on the dresser. His sisters and sisters-

in-law sure went out of their way to lavish feminine items on

her. He had no idea what half the gifts were for, and he

didn’t care to either. The kerosene lamp was turned low in

the room, but he could tel April was already asleep by the

gentle rise and fal of her back which was turned toward

him.

He tiptoed to the partition and pushed the blanket aside to

check on Nora. Her eyes were closed, her lips slightly

parted, and her expression as content as a baby could get.

He went over to the crib and brought the blanket up to her

chin. She turned her head in his direction but remained

asleep. He was surprised he’d developed such an

attachment to the baby as soon as he had, but he was used

to his nephews and nieces so maybe it came natural y.

It was strange to know he walked into this house to check

on a sick child only to find himself in the role of her father a

couple days later. He shook his head at the wonder of it al .

It was easy to like Nora. She was a baby and had nothing

to do with him getting married. And today he saw a side of

April that made him think having a wife might not be so bad

after al . It certainly had been nice to hold her during the gift

exchange. He no longer felt like the odd man out as he

often felt whenever the family got together and he saw his

brothers and sisters with their families. He didn’t realize a

part of him had been incomplete until now, though he’d

rather die than admit it to anyone, especial y Tom who’d

given him grief in the past about how lonely he had to be

without a good woman to come home to.

He turned his attention back to Nora and saw part of April

in her. He had no idea what April’s first husband looked

like, but he figured some of him had to be in Nora’s face as

wel . It seemed to him, though, that with his nieces and

nephews, each child took after either their mother or father

more, and judging by the similarities between April and

Nora, he figured Nora took after April more. When April had

his children, he wondered which ones would look more like

him and which would look more like her.

He shook his head, wondering what Tom would think if he

knew Joel was actual y entertaining the notion of having

children. Patting Nora on the head, he left her section of the

room and got undressed. The thought did occur to him to

go to bed naked and see what happened in the middle of

the night, but he sensed the timing wasn’t right. He and

April had made a significant move in a positive direction,

and he wasn’t going to rush things tonight. Maybe tomorrow

night.

After he slipped into his night clothes, he settled next to her

in bed. Unlike the other nights, he didn’t turn away from her.

This time, he drew her back to his chest and wrapped his

arm around her. He knew he’d get little sleep by doing this,

but he hadn’t been sleeping that wel anyway. It’d be

pointless to tel his anxious body to calm down because

nothing was going to happen tonight. He was hard and

ready for her, and no doubt, his body would be relentless in

bothering him. Oh wel . He’d gone twenty-two years without

it, and one more night wasn’t going to kil him.

Getting as comfortable as possible, he closed his eyes and

sighed. He opened his eyes, wondering if she heard him

sigh, yet again, and if she would comment, but she didn’t.

Her breathing remained steady and slow, so perhaps she

was stil asleep and spared from what she considered to

be the agony of listening to him sigh. He fought the urge to

laugh. If he thought about it, it was funny that such a simple

thing should bother her. And for some strange reason, he

actual y thought it was cute when she imitated his sighs. He

knew she did it to make a point, but her expression was of

a person who was so flabbergasted she didn’t know how

else to respond to him.

Maybe tomorrow would turn out as wel as, if not better, than

today. He’d like it if it did. Even things with Sep hadn’t been

so bad, minus the punch to the jaw. The kid didn’t have

enough strength to do any serious damage, but he sure had

a temper. Joel needed to teach Sep how to control his

emotions so he didn’t fly off the handle. If Sep did that to the

wrong man, he might end up hurt or dead.

One thing at a time. Nothing was going to happen

overnight. Today was a step in the right direction, but it was

just one step.
Patience, Joel. Just like when recovering

from an illness, this is going to take awhile.
Content with

the reminder, he managed to doze off.

***

that someone was holding her. She’d never been held

through the night. In fact, she hadn’t been held much at al ,

not unless Harvey was having sex with her. Otherwise, he

felt no need to engage in physical contact. After they

married, al touching led to one thing.

But Joel had held her yesterday at his parents’ house and

then again through the night. She liked it. She liked being

held without having to do anything else. It was a pleasant

change, and if she could remain like this for the rest of her

life, she’d be the most content woman who ever lived.

She stayed in bed as dawn broke over the horizon. Though

she heard Sep go down the stairs to do the morning

chores, she decided to hold off on making something warm

to drink. Instead, she snuggled closer to Joel. He sighed,

something that didn’t surprise her, and tightened his hold

on her.

“Are you awake?” she whispered.

“Yes,” he replied, his voice soft enough so that he wouldn’t

wake Nora.

“How long have you been awake?”

“Long enough.” He kissed the top of her head and added,

“Yesterday was nice, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.” She wondered why he kissed her, and on the head of

al places. “Your family is big.”

He chuckled. “And getting bigger al the time.” He nudged

her to rol over, and after considering it, she did so that she

was facing him. Pul ing her into his arms, he kissed her

lightly on the lips. “My mother could have a hundred

grandkids, and she’d stil want more.”

She struggled to push down her apprehension. He was

talking about grandchildren for his mother and his erection

was pressing into her abdomen. It didn’t take much to

figure out where this was leading. She just didn’t know if

she was ready for it. Not that she had to do anything in the

act anyway except spread her legs, but after the pleasant

day yesterday and then being held al night, she was hoping

they could just enjoy more holding. However, he was a man,

and men had different needs from women. She understood