Chapter Eleven #3
Jed glanced away, patting Lila’s back as a forced chuckle escaped him. “Still, the trouble we got up to makes fer good stories. Bear Pelt ain’t someone I’ll forget anytime soon. I always wondered if he really was as bad a man as Thomas painted him out to be, though.”
It took a moment for the name to register with the pair of them.
“Thomas?” Maeve repeated. “That were yer friend’s name, were it?”
It was much for him, apparently. Jed handed Lila back to Maeve, then went to the back door and slipped outside without another word.
Maeve didn’t know what to do, completely taken aback by his reaction.
Thomas… She finally had a name to put to the stories.
A name to put to a man who’d seemingly betrayed Jed so terribly he couldn’t even properly speak about it.
Maeve sighed lightly, shifting Lila against her shoulder before standing up and swaying through the living room with her.
It felt as if the last two nights had amounted to nothing, like the pair were back to being strangers again.
She hoped that wasn’t the case...but Maeve had a sinking feeling in her stomach that ‘Thomas’ was the biggest crack for Jed, one he wanted to hide away from the world.
***
Breakfast the next morning was a quiet affair. Jed still did his part to help, but he didn’t seem keen on starting any sort of conversation with Maeve. She decided not to push the subject, dutifully feeding Lila the last bit of mushed berries before standing up.
“I was thinking about walking the fence,” Maeve began. “See how repairs are holding after the trio’s li'l escape attempt.”
Jed nodded stiffly. Whatever cracks had begun to show through his visage had been sealed up. His expression was unreadable once more.
Maeve did her best not to let it get to her, though it was far easier said than done.
The distance between them had been closing so nicely, and Maeve hadn’t realized how happy that had made her.
But whatever had happened with Thomas was clearly something Jed wasn’t ready to share fully with her just yet, and she wanted to show him that she would give him as much space as he needed.
Even though it was one of the hardest things she’d done to date.
Maeve shifted Lila against her hip and offered the toddler a smile. “What d’you say, Lila? Think those rowdy boys learned their lesson?”
Lila let out an inquisitive babble in response.
“Yeah, I suppose we’ll just have to see fer ourselves.
” Maeve walked quickly through the living room, one hand reaching for the door while the other held Lila in place.
The door unexpectedly flew open, nearly taking Maeve to the ground with Lila, and she found herself staring face-to-face with a complete stranger.
Her salt and pepper hair was tied back tightly, a pair of horn-rimmed glasses perched on her nose that were held by a chain that hung loosely against her shoulders. She looked as equally startled, taking a step back onto the porch as Maeve managed to catch her balance.
“Oh! I’m so sorry, dear! I hadn’t meant to be in your way.”
Maeve stared at the older woman for a beat. Something about her seemed familiar, but she couldn’t pin down what.
“Maeve!” Joshua quickly made his way onto the porch, somewhat out of breath as he spoke. “G-Glad we caught you before you went anywhere. Remember when I told you I’d look into getting a sit-down with you and Ms. Miller?”
Ms. Miller. The orphanage. It was the first week of July, the time the orphanage owner was meant to visit. Maeve blinked furiously, suddenly feeling a bit dizzy. She’d completely forgotten about this. How could she have forgotten about something so important?
“Who’s at the door, Maeve?” Jed appeared behind her, his sturdy frame acting as the perfect support. Maeve leaned into him, giving Ms. Miller and Joshua the space to step inside. Lila squirmed in her arms, but Maeve barely registered the movement at all.
“Hey there, Jed.” Joshua offered a nod of greeting, then gestured politely Ms. Miller’s way. “This here’s the owner of Bighorn’s orphanage. I mentioned I’d be getting y’all a time fer her to visit?”
Jed looked equally as surprised as Maeve felt, but he recovered more quickly than she did, stepping farther aside before showing their guests toward the table.
“Good to meet you, ma’am. Why don’t y’all take a seat while me an’ the missus get you something to nibble on?”
“Ooh, that’d be lovely, Mr. Mercer.” Ms. Miller beamed. She turned toward Lila, offering a small wave to the girl.
Maeve instinctively turned her body away, trying to obscure Lila from sight.
“Ah, Maeve?” Jed’s voice was firm, with just a touch of concern. “You wanna go and sit with our guests?”
She, in fact, did not want to. But based on her husband’s voice, Maeve didn’t have much of a choice in the matter.
So, she dutifully obliged, leading both Joshua and Ms. Miller to the table with stiff steps.
She couldn’t process anything, couldn’t understand why she was reacting in such a hostile way.
She’d wanted this from the start, had practically demanded it since the moment Lila had come into her life.
Yet as she sat in her chair, Maeve found herself seething at the thought of giving Lila up.
‘What on earth’s going on with me?’