Mary's Men (23 page)

“Good thing you’re small.” He carried her out the door and to the bathroom where the tub already bubbled with soap. “We need bath junk for you, but I put in extra shampoo for bubbles. You relax. We’ll finish making dinner and then I’ll come get you.”

She did as ordered, the water warm, bubbly and sweet. The door closed behind Duane. Mary looked around the quiet room where she’d failed in her earlier advances, and she smiled. Never had her best laid plans failed so marvelously.

* * * *

Paul pulled the chicken out of the oven as Duane carried Mary through the door. She wore pink from head to toe and without her makeup looked young and innocent. He set the hot pan down and frowned at the chicken. He’d been sure he could finish things, but the delicious smelling bird with crispy skin was too good to screw up.

He glanced over his shoulder to find Mary ambling toward him, her steps lazy without her usual bounce. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she’d been smoking what the neighbor boys grew in their back forty acres.

“Yummy. Potatoes done?” she asked.

He presented the side dishes he’d put together while she bathed, including the boiled potatoes he’d mashed with butter and cream.

“Nice.” She sighed and rubbed her shoulder to his. “I suppose I should cut this sucker up and get it on the table.”

He dropped a kiss to her wet hair. “If you’ll cut it how you like it, I’ll handle toting it over. I’ll even come back and carry you to your chair. How’s that?”

She picked up the knife and carving fork. “Sounds like a damn fine plan.”

Duane and Thomas set the table with the dinnerware Mary liked, even adding a tablecloth. Paul marveled at the change only a few weeks created. Mary turned the cabin into a home.

Duane and Thomas brought over a carton of milk and the water jug. They paused, looking down as well. This was the plan, had been since they were kids. One woman, one home, one life shared among the three.

“Chicken is ready.” Mary held the tray, a grin on her face. “I’m so hungry it perked me right up. If there are leftovers I’m going to make soup.”

Paul took the tray. “You know there won’t be leftovers. You’ll have to get another chicken.”

They sat around the table, heaping their plates full. Even Duane, who didn’t eat much, tackled his meal, stopping only to make appreciative noises. Paul cracked open the top of his beer and took a long drink. After the day and evening, he wouldn’t be surprised if he crashed soon, but at the moment enjoyed a nice boost of energy stemming from happiness.

“So, speaking of getting another chicken, I was thinking I need to make a run to town tomorrow.” Mary poured herself half a glass of wine. “Would anyone be interested in joining me?”

“Pass the milk,” Duane said. “How’re things in town? People acting all right?”

Mary’s lips tightened into a frown. “For the most part.”

“I’ll go and take care of the other part,” Duane said.

Paul shifted in his seat. They’d made a good stride with the creamery, but hadn’t faced anything yet, not really. He’d switched accounts to the creamery and to a supplier in Helena over the phone, but hadn’t stopped into the grocery store. He speared a bite of chicken. Maybe he was due to visit.

“I’ll go too,” he said.

Mary’s head jerked toward him, eyes wide.

“Count me in,” Thomas added. “We’ll make it a family affair.”

He, Thomas, and Duane had presented a singular front since grade school and they’d never had issues. They’d dropped the ball with supporting Mary. He looked around the table, his brother and cousin nodding when he made eye contact. They were together, united in the relationship they’d wanted for years. Now was the time to cement it and keep their woman happy.

“I think I’ll be fine on my own.” Mary’s brilliant smile almost outshined the stress lines around her eyes. “Really, no need to prove anything.”

“We let behaviors go unchallenged too long. We’ll make our intentions and expectations clear.” Paul squeezed her hand. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

She blinked, holding her eyes closed a second. When she opened them the beautiful calm from earlier was replaced with worry lines.

“The worst?” she asked.

Paul considered the grins on Thomas and Duane’s faces as possibilities ran through his own mind. Fist fights. Running assholes over with the truck. Knocking over soup displays. The brands of trouble were endless, but they were adults.

He kissed her palm. “We’re grown men, darlin’, just ready to show our neighbors the way we expect to be treated when we’re out and about. Nothing more, nothing less.”

She nodded, but didn’t look convinced.

“You can always drag us out of the store by our ears if we get too lippy,” Paul offered.

She took a long sip of her wine and finally nodded. “All right. Our first family outing. It’ll be fun.”

Chapter 23

They meant well. Heck, she even blamed herself for her most recent predicament, but neither of those thoughts settled Mary’s tummy as they approached town. She sat between Paul and Duane, Thomas in the back reading over paperwork for his meeting with the loan officer. Paul offered to bankroll Thomas’s office, but in true Paraby fashion, Thomas wanted independence—at least to try on his own before he accepted assistance.

When she’d assured Thomas he could stay home and finish his work, he’d given her a long look and declined. The boys had something to prove. She respected it, even though she worried they were doing more harm than good.

“Where to first?” Paul asked as they entered the city limits.

“Creamery,” she said, thinking of Rachel’s kind face. She needed to see a welcome.

“How about the grocery first?” Duane recommended. “Then we can get ice cream cones at the creamery afterward. They still do ice cream cones there, right, Thomas?”

“That’s a good idea,” he said from the backseat. “Rachel makes great ice cream. We can even get some for the freezer at home.”

“Grocery store it is,” Paul said, pulling into the parking lot. “Looks busy too.”

Only a handful of parking spaces sat open. Paul took one and turned off the engine. As the men began to get out, she grabbed onto their elbows. Duane and Paul peered down at her in question.

She swallowed her heartburn. “I trust you with my body, my life, and my soul. I do. Please…just…”

Duane patted her shoulder. “Babe, we’re only going to have to do this once if we do it right.”

“This? It? What are those things? I don’t know what you’re doing.” She honestly didn’t know what Paul, Thomas, and especially Duane had in mind to smooth things over or to ruffle feathers beyond recognition.

Duane kissed her lips. “You said you trust us. So do it. You put on a pretty smile and follow our lead. Speaking of pretty, I like that blue dress on you. Really nice.”

His compliment didn’t kick her worry away, but she did as he asked and smiled as she stepped out of the truck. Duane helped her, his hard hands gentle on her waist. He slung his arm over her shoulder and brought her close as they walked.

“You’re really short, you know that?” he said giving her shoulder a squeeze.

“Obviously God thought I reached my perfect height at fourteen. It’s not my fault it took longer for you giants to reach perfection.”

He looked down with pride in his eyes. “You’re going to do great.”

She didn’t know how she was going to do, but with Duane holding her close, smiling and encouraging, she had more confidence. The twins took the front and back, almost like guards. When she glanced at them, they also wore smiles.
Trouble.
The shot of lust did away with much of her nerves as she stepped into the grocery store.

A stack of shopping baskets waited near the door and a child’s giggle welcomed them inside. If not for the horror story of Gerty and other patrons, Mary would have loved the store. She’d drive to Helena or Fort Harrison a hundred times rather than patron the store ever again.

“Hi there, Parabys,” Sam said with a forced smile. “I’m real glad to see you, Paul. What can I do for you today?”

“Just shopping,” Paul said, though the grin on his face hardened. “Got a cart?”

Sam stepped away from where he’d been bagging an order and rolled a cart to Paul. “Nice to see you back, Duane. Thanks for your service to our country.”

Duane shrugged, jostling her a little, but Mary held her breath, too fascinated with the dialogue and tension building in the air to move. “You’re welcome. It’s nice to be back.”

The two lanes had customers waiting, so Sam didn’t dally. The checkers looked their way along with the patrons. Mary recognized a few. The expressions varied from mildly curious, boredom, to outright disgust. Mary ignored the looks and soldiered on, walking beside Paul who pushed the cart.

“I usually get a basket,” Paul confessed. “But I figured this would work better. I bet you’d fit in it, Mary. Want a ride?”

His impish grin and teasing eased her nerves. She nudged him with her elbow and led the way to produce. She didn’t want to spend her money at the store, but if she had to go along with the statement, they could use veggies.

Paul, obviously not used to operating a cart, didn’t stop soon enough and hit an older woman near the beans. She turned and frowned at Paul.

“Sorry, Ms. Maple,” Paul said with an apologetic smile. “Put me on a horse or in a skid loader and I’ll never hit a thing. Give me a grocery buggy and I’m a mess.”

The older woman, plump with lots of laugh lines and deep wrinkles on her face, didn’t crack a smile. “Your mother told me about your little arrangement, but I didn’t believe her.”

Paul turned to Mary. “Ms. Maple was our third grade teacher. She’s friends with Mother. Ms. Maple, this is my wife Mary. Mary, this is the fine woman who taught me to read.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Mary offered a smile.

The older woman examined her through narrow eyes. Mary steeled herself for the hurt a sharp word could deliver. She was sick of being hurt, but Thomas gave her arm a discrete squeeze, reminding her she wasn’t alone.

“Well, she’s certainly cute. I should have known something like this could happen. You three always were excessively good at sharing. You’ve given your mother—”

“A beautiful daughter-in-law, don’t you think, Ms. Maple?” Thomas injected before the older woman could continue.

She started at the interruption but then gave a genuine smile. “Yes. Yes, you did, Thomas. I’ll let you three get on with your shopping. Steer clear of the strawberries—I bought some last week and they were moldy on the inside.”

“Thanks,” Mary said, finding her tongue. “It was nice to meet you, Ms. Maple.”

The older woman walked away but looked over her shoulder. “You too, Mary. Take care.”

“See.” Paul added a sack of potatoes to the cart before Mary fully processed their pleasant conversation. “A little behavior modification will do people fine. Maybe they didn’t know how we expected them to act. Just you watch, it’ll get around we’re fine and then it will be—”

“Get the hell out of my store.”

Mary’s head jerked toward the order to find Gerty with her hands on her hips in front of the radishes. During their initial meetings Mary thought Gerty pretty. Her blonde hair and blue eyes, combined with her freckles, gave her a sweet look. But now Mary saw how ugly the woman was. The scowl lines on her face stood out and the heavy meanness in her eyes went even deeper.

“Well, heck, Miss Gerty,” Duane said. “Your brother welcomed us with open arms. Maybe you’d better go talk to him.”

Paul pushed the cart further down the produce rack, adding vegetables Mary didn’t need to the cart. Gerty held her ground in front of them. Ms. Maple, who’d crossed to the first aisle looked on along with a few others who’d began shopping.

“I don’t have to talk to my brother to know I don’t want a bunch of disgusting sinners in my store. Don’t touch those. Who knows what filthy VD you all have? You make my stomach turn. All these God-fearing people have the right to shop without having to worry they’ll catch the clap from your whore.”

The spew of hate took Mary’s breath away. She’d directed every hit at Mary with the precision and anger that spoke of…jealousy. She set aside the initial hurt at being attacked. No one liked it, but she’d taken enough from Gerty.

“Which one of the Parabys turned you down, Gerty?” Mary asked.

A hush came over the store and Mary peered over her shoulder to her men. Thomas’s cheeks turned pink.

“Aw, honey, did she hit on you?”

He shrugged, too much of a gentleman to kiss and tell. She turned back to Gerty.

“Is that what this is really all about? You wanted Thomas and because I have him you’re going to spew filth at me? Get a life.” She took Paul’s spot behind the cart and began filling it with whatever caught her eye.

She pushed it past the turnips and closer to the radishes. Everyone had their own agenda, their own reasoning. She’d taken Gerty’s insults personally, but the fault was in the other woman, not within Mary.

“Get out of my store!” Gerty threw a handful of radishes at her. “You are a slut. A godless, horrible whore. You deserve to die. I hope you drive off the edge of the mountain and burn in hell.”

Paul, Duane, and Thomas closed in on her immediately, but Mary was done needing protection. She stepped out of their circle guard and smacked Gerty across the face, cutting her screaming off at the source.

The other woman hissed and took a step back, obviously more accustomed to being the one on the striking side.

“Sam,” Paul called as he eased Mary away from Gerty who held her cheek and glared daggers.

The young grocer flew around the end aisle, pale and wide-eyed.

“Oh hell.” He ran to his sister’s side. “Get in the back right now, Gerty. You’re done for the day.”

“Call the police, Sam,” Gerty squealed. “She assaulted me. I need bleach to get her germs off me.”

Ms. Maple gasped. “Good Lord, girl. You’re crazy. Duane, did that hospital you were treated in have a program for delusional little girls who can’t handle not getting their way?”

Mary bit back a laugh at the well-timed interruption. She didn’t want to fight with Gerty, but she refused to take abuse. The other woman, and everyone else in town, would know she stood up. Not because she had something to prove, no, she just wanted to live. She hoped if the message came across loudly enough, she would never need to address it again.