Chapter Sixteen
It had been a week since Maura had stood in the field talking with Aidan over fruit jars of water. She missed him. She realized that part of his standoffish behavior was due to sheer exhaustion. A rancher-farmer worked when the season required it and rested when it didn’t. She understood all of that. But something was off with Aidan. She just wished she knew if it was her that he was avoiding.
The Herb Ladies as they now called themselves headed into New Dawn Springs to barter or sell whatever they could.
She and Nola rode in the back of the pickup truck. Her momma and Rachel rode in the cab with Levi, one of the newest hired ranch hands. The harvested bunches of fresh herbs smelled delicious, and she hoped they could make a little money. It would make her momma feel like she was important. Something Papa never did for Momma.
Aidan said he asked his dad about the possibility of an herb business. His dad was interested, but he said it would have to prove itself before he or Harvey would agree to divert precious resources to it.
Cash was a scarce commodity these days, so most things were bought and sold by the barter system with things people raised themselves.
Levi honked the pickup’s horn. A herd of sheep crossed the road in front of them. The shepherd waved and whistled to his border collies to hurry the herd across the road.
"Is everything alright with you and Aidan? You seem a little quiet today. Has something happened?" Nola asked when the truck moved forward again.
Maura wasn't certain how to start this conversation. She cast a side glance through the pickup back window toward her momma and Rachel.
"I honestly don't know what’s going on with him, Nola. But I can tell you nothing is going on with us. Nothing at all." Maura tried to keep the whine out of her voice, but frustration fought to keep it in.
"Ah, so Aidan isn't as attentive as you would like him to be."
"He was very attentive the night of our honeymoon. He was—" Maura stopped short, realizing what she was saying to a friend of Aidan’s family.
"I understand. Are you saying he hasn't touched you since your wedding night?" Nola's statement of the situation was quite embarrassing.
Maura blushed. "That's about the size of it. He looks at me like a man looks at a woman when he wants her, but then he doesn't do anything about it. He makes some excuse and leaves." Tears stung her lids. "I must be doing something wrong."
"Maura, dear. I've known Aidan since he was in grade school when I first came to live with Aunt Nessa. He's a vocal young man, not much for mincing words, so if you think there's something wrong, ask him.
“Most men can't put pen to paper and list the things that bother them. They just grunt and stomp around until whatever it is gets worse and forces an outburst at the most inappropriate moment, or whatever is bothering them settles itself, and they return to the amiable men they are. Aidan is no different."
"I suppose that's true enough. My papa will slam doors and curse under his breath until Momma sets him down and makes him tell her what bee has flown up his beehive."
Nola laughed. "You should have seen Sully and Rachel go at it. Sully is a strong-minded man, but he met his match when he married Rachel. Those two can bring the house down when they don't see eye to eye, but, in the end, they always turn out the lights at night lying next to each other. You and Aidan need to find some common ground and work from there. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was a marriage. At least, not a good one."
Maura rode the rest of the way into town deep in thought. Nola knew Aidan much better than she did. She would heed her advice, and tonight, when he came in from the fields, she would ask him if he found being married to her distasteful.
The truck pulled into the dry, hard-packed streets of New Dawn Springs. Trucks and cars rolled in and out of town. Sidewalks bustled with people. It was a beehive of activity.
Maura heard Rachel give Levi directions. "Levi, pull the truck over by the grocery store at the end of the street. I'll go in and see if I can make a deal with Mr. Whittaker for everything we have. If not, we'll set up a table right here on the street and see where it takes us."
Levi steered the pickup to the side of the road. Rachel and her momma got out and went inside. Levi helped her and Nola out of the bed of the truck. All three of them stood beside the truck and waited. Soon, the two older women returned.
"Mr. Whittaker was very apologetic, but he doesn't have the cash to buy the herbs outright. He said he would take them in trade if there was anything we needed. I assured him there was plenty we could use.
“Nola, you take this basket and go inside and exchange it for some coffee, sugar, baking soda, salt, and pepper. That’ll do for this trip. Then, we’ll set up shop on the street and see if we can sell or barter the rest."
"Do you want me to start unloading the crates, Mrs. Langley?" Levi asked.
"Not yet. I want to make certain City Hall has no problem with us selling on the street. Wait here, and I'll be back in ten minutes. Fifteen tops. Then we will know which way Mary Jo’s herb business is going to go."
Maura was surprised at Rachel's comment. So, Aidan had talked to his father and his mother about her idea. And from all appearances, his mother agreed it was a good idea too, or she wouldn’t be spending time trying to make it work.
Levi waved at someone across the street. "Ladies, would you excuse me a moment? There's someone I'd like to say hello to." He tipped his hat to them and trotted across the street, dodging vehicles and people. Maura and her momma watched Levi stop and talk with an attractive young lady.
Maura spoke up. "Looks like Levi has a lady friend."
Maura's momma grinned like a silly schoolgirl, watching Levi and his lady friend talk on the street.
Nola returned and set the basket full of grocery items into the bed of the pickup truck. "Mary Jo, I have an errand to run. Would you like to go to the fabric store with me? I need some thread to finish those rag quilts to donate to the church for the homeless families living down by the train tracks."
"Of course. I could use some thread myself. I'm making a baby quilt for—when the need arises." Her momma and Nola both turned and grinned at her.
It was so embarrassing.
Maura's face heated. "Momma."
"We're leaving." Her momma kissed her on her cheek, and Maura watched the two ladies walk across the street toward Levi. They stopped and spoke with him and his friend, then they walked down the street to the fabric store laughing like two little girls making fun of their big brother's romance.
Maura shook her head and grinned at the schoolgirl antics of two middle-aged women.
"Well, hello there, Mrs. Langley." It took Maura a minute to figure out someone was talking to her and not Rachel. She turned and came face-to-face with Tommy Hillman.
"Tommy, I saw you in the field last week. I had hoped you would stop and say hello."
"Yeah, well, I was in a rush that morning. Next time perhaps." Maura had the impression something was bothering Tommy, but there was no one thing she could put her finger on.
"Of course. Next time." Maura didn't know Tommy well enough to strike up a conversation. Talking about the weather seemed a bit mundane so she remained quiet and waited for him to say something. Finally, he did.
"How long do you think it will be before you and Aidan call it quits? You know about Beth Chaplin, don’t you?”
“Beth Chaplin?” Maura repeated the person’s name, but she had no idea who Tommy was talking about.
“Yeah, Aidan is still in love with Beth Chaplin, didn’t you know that? Come on, you’re a smart girl, Maura. Everyone around these parts knows Aidan’s heart will always belong to Beth."
Maura was speechless.
Aidan’s friend pushed. "And even if Beth never comes back to New Dawn Springs for Aidan, which she will, mind you, but if she doesn’t, he’s never gonna trust you enough to have a baby with you. And you know why don’t you?” Tommy forced his words on her whether she wanted to hear them or not. “Because you are a Jackson and everyone around here knows you can’t trust a Jackson. Plain and simple.”
“What’s going on here?” Maura was so stunned by Tommy’s words, she didn’t hear Rachel return to the truck.
Tommy tipped his hand to Aidan’s mom and left leaving Maura in stunned silence.
“Maura, are you okay? You look ill.” Rachel’s concern for her was touching. It was too bad her son didn’t share her sentiments. She had known from the beginning Aidan didn’t want to be married to her. Now she knew the reasons why.
“I’m fine, Rachel. I’m just fine.”
***
Tommy dialed the number and waited for an answer.
"Abe Neddleman here."
"Mr. Neddleman? Tommy Hillman."
"I hope you have good news for me, Mr. Hillman. My investors are getting impatient. I'm sure you can understand, with so many opportunities to make money, they aren't going to be happy to miss a viable opportunity while waiting on this one."
"I understand, Mr. Neddleman. I’m calling to tell you, there is an unexpected complication, but I've got a plan to get everything back on track."
"Do I need to tell my investors to move on?" The man's gruff voice barked at him over the phone.
Tommy panicked. If he couldn't close this deal, everything would be lost. Everything. And all because his friend couldn't resist that woman. If Beth would only agree to come back to town, he could make all of this work like clockwork.
"No, sir. Like I said, I'm working on a plan to get this deal back on track. It won't take more than a couple of weeks, then I will deliver those two sections of land and the government contract to your investors."
A pause on the end of the line had him holding his breath. "I'll give you two weeks, Mr. Hillman, and that’s only because this is a very lucrative investment for my clients. But you hear me, and you hear me good. If you can't deliver this contract sign, sealed, and delivered to me in two weeks, I'm advising my investors to move on. And I assume you understand what that means for you? You get no finder’s fee, Mr. Hillman. Not one red cent."
Tommy felt sick to his stomach at the possibility this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was slipping through his fingers.
"Yes, sir. I know what it means. You'll have the deal in two weeks."
The man didn't bother with phone etiquette. He hung up in Tommy's ear. Tommy stared at the receiver, fear gripping his chest, squeezing it tight making it almost impossible to breath.
"Two weeks to split Aidan and Maura apart—or I'm a dead man."