Saga: Contance's Story Read online

  "Constance!" As worried as she might be for Grace, Margo could not let such rudeness pass uncorrected. "You open that door this instant!"

  "That's all right," Judd said, pushing his way into the room and smiling at Constance with forced joviality. "We'll discuss that later."

  She folded her arms across her chest, refusing to give her bottom the leery rub his off-hand comment and steely-eyed expression had inspired, although she did step away from him, eyeing his long arms with reluctant respect.

  "Did you see Grace on your way out here?" Margo asked anxiously. "She's gone missing." 104

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  "I'll saddle the horses," Cullen said, already striding for the door.

  Constance was right to shy from Judd's long-armed reach, but unfortunately she hadn't shied far enough away. He took hold of her hand, drawing her close to him as he said, "Where should we search?"

  "I'm gonna have a word with the Doc," Buster snarled, and turned for the back room. "Where's my damned gun?"

  "Oh dear!" Margo wrung her hands as she watched him walk away and then turned back to Judd and Constance. "Uh

  ... maybe you should talk to the doctor before he does."

  "You can ride with me," Judd told her. With uncharacteristic firmness, Constance withdrew her wrist from his grasp. "I'll get my own horse." She stalked out of the door with Judd following fast on her heels.

  "Hey!" He caught her shoulder halfway to the barn, spinning her around. "Why are you still mad at me? I explained what happened. I thought we were okay."

  "You would think that." She shrugged out of his hands and kept walking.

  Laughing incredulously, Judd threw up his hands. " She kissed me, Connie."

  "This isn't about her." Constance snapped back over her shoulder.

  "Well, hell, woman, I give up! What IS it about?" He was jogging behind her, trying to catch up, when she stopped so suddenly that he nearly collided with her back. 105

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  She turned on him, her eyes snapping with anger and bright with hurt. "I was fine before you came here," she said, her voice trembling. "I was fine until you made me believe I could have the life I'd always dreamed about. How dare you come riding into my life, making me promises only to snatch them all away again!"

  Judd closed the minute space between them to loom over her, his face dark with the shadows of the evening and his own heavy emotion. "I meant every word I've ever said to you. I don't play games. Not with your heart. And not with mine."

  She didn't seem to know how to answer that. She only stood there, breathing hard, her eyes wet and her hands fisted. Finally, she twisted around again, giving him a good view of her back. "Excuse me. I have to find my sister."

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  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Buster was standing on the front porch, dressed in his tan working britches but bare chested once again, only this time by carefully crafted design. He had a white towel thrown over one shoulder and his face lathered up for shaving. Studying his chin in a hand-sized mirror, a razor at the ready in his other hand, he glanced up past the porch post to see a cloud of dust coming down the road. Margo. His heart skipped a beat.

  Almost without thinking he sucked in his gut a bit, and rather than reaching for his shirt, he kept on shaving. He could almost see that soft, pink flush stealing up over her round cheeks, and he couldn't wait to watch her ride around that curtain of trees that blocked his view of the road and take her first gander at him in the middle of his toilet. What was more intimate than seeing a man shave? As he envisioned the look that would surely come over her prettily flustered face, Buster half smiled. But his smile was short lived. Margo did indeed come riding around those trees, turning down into the driveway of his farm, but she didn't come alone. Her brother, Pastor Garris, was with her. Buster dropped both the mirror and his razor and put his shirt back on. Wiping the lather from his face, he walked down the porch steps to meet them. "Yer back," he greeted the preacher and then nodded to the most beautiful blonde in the world. "Mornin', Margo." 107

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  She did not smile back. In fact, she looked as if she'd spent all morning crying. As he looked from sister to brother, he felt an odd sinking in the pit of his stomach.

  "What's happened?" he asked guardedly.

  "Mr. Henry," the Pastor said, trying to sound jovial despite his sister's forlorn sniffles and the giant tears that had begun to trickle down her cheeks. "I have wonderful news. I've found three very nice families who are willing to take those girls right off your hands."

  Buster almost dropped his towel. "What?"

  "Buster," Margo cried brokenly. "He's going to take those babies away from us! I've been trying all night to reason with him, but he won't listen!"

  Her brother gave her a chiding look, but tried to laugh for Buster's sake. "Margo, control yourself! Those children aren't yours; you can't raise them. And quite frankly, pillar of the community that you are, there has been quite enough gossip going around this town on account of the two of you." Buster stiffened. "T'ain't nothin' goin' on here for Margo t'

  be ashamed of."

  The preacher looked at him in surprise. "Mr. Henry, be reasonable. You are unmarried. You can't provide a proper home life for these children. They need stability, the gentle touch of a mother—"

  "And each other!" Margo interjected. Pastor Garris took a deep breath, and then made himself smile. "Margo," he said, in a smooth and calm, cajoling tone.

  "You think too much with your heart. This is the sort of decision that should be made by those who are capable of 108

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  clear and rational thinking. Finding a family willing to take on the responsibility of raising three girls, particularly with all the farms around here, would be next to impossible. Hard working boys, maybe. But not girls. And certainly not girls as young as these. Now, I realize the two of you have done your best, but now it's time to let those who can do better have the children."

  Buster clenched his jaw, once and then twice, more than anything wanting to knock Margo's brother right off his sanctimonious horse. "Them young'uns was left on my porch, Pastor. Not your'ns. Someone wanted me to have 'em. And with me, on my farm, they'd stay together. I reckon I'm gonna keep 'em." He glared up at the preacher. "How's that for clear and rational thinkin'?" Slapping his towel against his thigh, Buster gave Margo a wink and turned and walked back into his house. Her beaming smile warmed his back better than the sun.

  * * * *

  "Hey, slow down!" Judd called from behind Constance's quick trotting horse, but she pretended not to hear him. Unless his eyes were sorely mistaken, she nudged her mare to go a little faster and Judd grit his teeth to help contain his temper. He spurred his own mount into enough of a gallop to catch her mare by the reins. He pulled both horses to a stop.

  "Now you hold on right there, missy!"

  "Don't you 'missy' me!" she snapped back. "Get your lascivious hands off me and my horse!" 109

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  "By God, I've had about enough of this from you. Unless you stop acting like a petulant child, I'm going to put you over my knee and treat you like one!"

  "That's your solution to everything," she hissed. She yanked back on her mare's head, intent only on getting away, but he quickly caught her arm and very nearly pulled her out of the saddle as he loomed in very close to her.

  "If you want to be mad at me," he said, his voice dangerously soft and low, "that's fine, Connie, my girl. But if you start mistreating your horse because you can't control your temper, little girl, you won't sit for a month of Sundays." Tears stung her eyes as Constance looked down at the top of her mare's head and then back at hi
m. "That really is all you can think about."

  "No, ma'am," he said with all sincerity. "I also think about what you look like with flowers in your hair. Or when you're smiling. Or when you're in my arms, with that soft pretty blush upon your cheeks and your lovely little bow of a mouth parting to receive my kiss. I only think about spanking you when you do something to deserve it, and lately here you've been doing a lot of deserving. You've been nothing but short and surly, and it's not right. I did not invite that woman's attentions. I did not want them, I did not welcome them, and right now, I am just one more cross word from you away from paddling that realization into you. Now, while you think about that, you think about this, too: I am not going to keep putting up with your jealous snits over that loose-legged hussy, who isn't worth the ground you walk on. Get over it, Connie, and do it now. Or is this just one more way for you to 110

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  pawn me off on someone you think looks prettier and stands a little thinner than you?"

  Constance's chest rose and fell as she heaved one angry breath after another. Her eyes began to water, but she didn't let the teardrops fall. "I need to find my sister," she finally said, her voice whisper soft. "I don't have time to talk about this."

  "Fine." He released the reins of her mare. "We'll talk about this later."

  As she kicked her horse back into motion, he thought he heard her mutter, "Not if I can help it." But by then, her back was fully to him and he couldn't be entirely sure. He shook his head as he stared after her. She really was going to make him spank her. Judd shook his head again and then nudged his horse after hers. The rest of the ride to the Doc's house, located on the outskirts of Longview not far from the livery, was made in a very terse silence. By the time they reached the porch, the sun was sinking low and beginning to dip behind the treelined horizon.

  "This way," Judd said, and took the lead. His intent was to check the barn first. If Grace's horse wasn't inside, then there was no reason to risk dangerous gossip by disturbing the Doc. He supposed, considering the state of Constance's temper, that he shouldn't have been all that surprised when she ignored his direction and rode right up to the house. She was off her horse before Judd could catch up with her and, marching right up to the front door, pounded on it with her fist.

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  "Grace, you get out here right now!" Gritting his teeth, Judd was about to dismount, his palms itching to take Constance to task right here and now, when a flutter of movement between the partially closed window curtains caught his attention. A flurry of limbs flailed in a panic as the Doc jumped up from what looked to be a nap on the floor. But when Judd saw a long haired woman scrambling to her feet right next to the Doc, it suddenly occurred to him that what he was seeing was nowhere near as innocent as a nap.

  Judd was out of his saddle and up onto the porch before he quite realized what he was doing. Pushing Constance out of the way, he hit that door hard enough to break it in. Amanda screamed, jerking her dress and chemise back up over her naked breasts as Judd filled up the doorway. Her wide eyes narrowed as she shrieked, "What are you doing?

  You can't just barge in here!"

  She gasped and covered her breasts even more when Constance came pushing into the room behind him.

  "I-I-I—" the doctor stammered.

  Frowning, Judd said, "Grace?"

  "I haven't seen her," the Doc said sheepishly. "Not since this afternoon."

  Judd nudged Constance as he turned back towards his horse. "Let's go."

  Pushing past the doctor's arm, Amanda hissed to Constance, "You'd better not say a word about this. Not to anyone. Or I'm going to tell what I saw the two of you doing the night of the dance, when he had his hands up your skirt!" 112

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  Constance slapped her hard across her mouth, and Amanda fell back, clutching her face. Even the doctor stepped back, shocked, and Judd quickly grabbed her arm before she could slap Amanda again.

  "Don't you ever talk to me again," Constance hissed back, while Judd pulled her from the house.

  The doctor quickly shut the door, muffling Amanda's disbelieving shriek, "She HIT me!"

  "I can't believe you just did that," Judd snapped, shaking Constance by her arm as he dragged her down the porch steps.

  Constance lifted her chin in defiance. "I'm not sorry. I don't care how hard you spank me, I'm still not sorry. That felt so good, I ought to go right back in there and slap her again!"

  "Get on your horse," Judd told her, in a tone that would brook no disobedience. Deciding against giving her the chance to try anyway, his hands encircled her waist and he all but tossed her up into her saddle. As he mounted his own horse, he said, "Don't think for one second that I've said all I'm going to on this little matter, Connie. After we find Grace, you can bank on our having us one hell of a talk!" Constance only gave him a sideways glare and spurred her horse into motion. If she thought she was going to leave him behind, she could think again. Judd kicked his own mount after her and caught up quickly.

  "Where are we going now?" he asked.

  "To a place I know. As a little girl, Grace used to hide there when she was angry and didn't get what she wanted." 113

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  He glared after her back, his palm itching to lay a barrage of swats to her backside that she would not soon forget. More's the pity, but that was just going to have to wait.

  * * * *

  She was being childish, and Constance knew it. Childish and deliberately argumentative, irrationally angry over something that, deep in her heart, she knew Judd'd had no control over. But she just couldn't stop herself. Every time she tried to push her aggravation aside, her emotions came bubbling back to the surface and she'd get angry all over again. She couldn't even bear to look at him, so she forced her horse a little ahead of his as they rode out of town. Out of town and past MacGregor's farm, turning up towards the wooded hillside. She was about to lead Judd to the tiny hidden waterfall that she and her sisters had discovered back when they were children, the second place she could think of that Grace was most likely to be (if not with the Doc), when a distant hail from behind them caught her attention. Both Constance and Judd stopped their horses and turned them around as Cullen came riding up.

  "We found her," he called, his lean frame stiffening in his saddle as he reined his horse to a stop in front of them.

  "She's back at home now, if not safe, then certainly sound."

  "She's all right?" Constance asked, a flush of relief stealing through the anger.

  Cullen arched his eyebrows, half shrugging as he turned his horse around. "Until your father gets his hands on her, yes. To hear him talk, you'd think he was going to cut a 114

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  switch from every tree from Longview to home. I suppose I can't blame him. That girl's had everyone scared half to death. Anyway, Margo sent me to bring you both home."

  "We'll be right along," Judd told him, and Cullen nodded before spurring his horse back into a gallop and riding off again.

  Grateful that her sister was back home again, but not at all eager to have to listen while her father delivered the mother of all whippings, Constance never the less turned her horse back towards the Henry farm. But Judd's hand snapped around her and grabbed her reins once more.

  "Now hold it right there," he told her firmly. "I'm not done with you."

  She snapped her head around to glare at him. "Let go!"

  "Not until we've had our talk." Judd looked about him, spying MacGregor's barn not a hundred yards away. He turned both of their mounts towards it.

  Whether because he instinctively knew they needed a moment alone or whether he simply did not notice when Constance and Judd failed to fall into step behind him, Cullen rode away without looking bac
k. And since Judd did not release her mount, Constance had no choice but to ride with him to the barn.

  "Get down," Judd told her when he came to a stop at the massive double doors.

  Folding her arms, Constance didn't move. "We can do our talking right here like this."

  The look he gave her made her heart flutter in her chest.

  "No ma'am," he said, dangerously soft and serious. "You are 115

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  going to do your part of the talking face-down over my knee, and I am going to do my part with my hand across your bare backside. Now, get down."

  He swung down off of his horse, not once letting go of her reins, and Constance stiffened. It wasn't as much out of indignation, as it was from a touch of belated panic and, oddly enough, even a tiny thread of relief. That part, she didn't understand. Especially when her bottom clenched with dread as he rounded the head of his horse and came to lift her from her saddle.

  "You be grateful that I'm not cutting me a handful of switches, too."

  "For what?" she demanded, a whole new flood of tears stinging her eyes. "For catching you and Amanda kissing?"

  "I've explained what happened, and I'm done trying to convince you with talking." Judd reached for her, but though Constance itched to yank back on her reins and gallop her mare for home, she didn't move.

  "You've been asking for this all day," he told her as he pulled her from her saddle and set her on her own two feet.

  "And now, my girl, you're going to get it. Every bit of it. Right where you're needing it most."