Chapter Seventeen
Aidan was just finishing up the care for the plow horses a little before six when he saw Levi pull the farm truck into the driveway in front of the main house.
Levi waved and headed to the bunkhouse. Aidan watched his mom, Nola, Maura, and her mom climb out of the truck and begin to unload the pickup bed.
He was headed to greet them when he and his dad nearly collided outside the barn. They were both covered in the rich dark soil they had been plowing all day.
"Son, you and I could use a good scrub." His dad slapped him on the back and continued toward the ladies. Aidan matched him stride for stride.
"Ladies." His dad greeted the women and headed straight for his mom, kissing her soundly on the lips. “Hello, Sunshine.”
"Sully. Everyone's watching." His mother gave his dad a lighthearted slap on his arm.
"Nobody's gonna blame me for kissing my best girl. Where you ladies been all day?" Sully walked to the back of the truck and looked over the contents. Aidan followed his dad’s lead.
“What’s all this?” he asked in unison with his dad.
Aidan saw baskets full of all sorts of things—pine nuts, homemade soap, two bolts of material, several paper sacks full of rags, coffee, tea, sugar, flour, spices.
Nola spoke up first. "This is the first day of your mother-in-law's herb business.”
“Look at all of this stuff." Rachel beamed.
Aidan turned in surprise to Maura and her mother. "You took your momma’s herbs in to town, and you got all of this stuff in return?"
His mother answered his question. "You should have seen it, Sully. Aidan. Once I got permission from City Hall to set up a table in front of the grocery store, it was crazy. Mr. Whittaker said he couldn't buy the fresh herbs because he didn’t have the cash, but he had no problem with us setting up to sell them outside his grocery store. And, he traded a lot of grocery items to get the fresh greens into his store. He thought us being there might bring in more customers to his store.”
Maura’s momma picked up the story from there. “Yeah, when the people in town saw what we had, they flocked us like fall geese headed south. It was the darnedest thing I've ever seen. Why, most of these people act like they’ve never seen a coneflower."
Aidan grinned and turned to Maura, intending to congratulate her on her mom’s success. But when he turned to her, she wouldn't meet his eyes.
Nola took up the story where Maura’s momma left off. "We made four dollars and thirty-seven cents. People who didn't have money rushed home to find anything they could part with. Buttons. Ribbons. Scraps of rags. Pieces of wire. Anything to trade. Soon, the herbs were all gone, and we had a pickup full of this stuff.”
His dad looked over everything in wonder. "What are you going to do with all of this?"
Rachel answered her husband with pride in her voice. “We are going to donate everything we can’t use to the church to help the poor. And the money we'll put it in the safe until we feel secure enough to start using the bank again."
The words were out of Aidan's mouth before he even knew they were coming. "Who's going to watch the money?"
"Aidan Langley!" Nola scolded him. "That seems a rather uncharitable statement, don't you think?"
"I didn't mean anything by it. I just meant who was going to keep track of how the money was spent, and who was going to make that decision?"
His mother rounded on him next. "Aidan Phineas Patrick Langley. Since when have you become so greedy?" His mother didn't bother with his answer. "The idea and the work and the product that earned the money belongs to Maura and her mother, so the way I see it, the money is theirs to do with as they see fit. However, Mary Jo has offered to place the money into our joint family venture. Everyone will decide how the money is spent. And I don't want to hear another word about it, do you hear me?"
"Yes, ma'am." He looked around into the faces of the women he loved the most. What he saw was disappointment. To tell the truth, he was a little disappointed in himself. It was all that talk Tommy was whispering in his ear that made him suspicious of the Jacksons. They had kept every letter of that marriage contract.
"I'm sorry. I—here, let me help unload the truck."
Aidan and his dad unloaded the back of the truck while the ladies headed inside. He caught Maura before she disappeared inside.
"Maura, I'm sorry. I truly didn't mean anything about the money. It's yours and your momma’s to do with as you wish. I promise you, not one Langley will touch that money until you say so."
Hurt was evident on her face. He could see tears glistening in her eyes. What the hell had he said now that would upset his wife?
"Did I say something to upset you? I was trying to alleviate your fears that anyone would steal your money. It's yours."
He watched his wife's features change from hurt to disbelief to anger. His dad must have sensed an eruption coming. He excused himself right away and disappeared inside the house with the women folk. Coward.
Maura's chin lifted in determination. "How dare you assume to tell me what is mine? I'm not afraid of you, Aidan, and I'm not afraid of you taking what's mine. I'm not some stupid half-witted uneducated farm wench you can manipulate and cheat out of what belongs to her."
He leaned away from Maura's anger.
"Well, that's good. I guess. So, it seems we agree then." He tried to smooth over his misspoken words, but apparently, there was more.
"How dare you assume you have the authority to tell me what to do? Just because we are married doesn't mean you own me, Aidan."
He knew better than to make that assumption. He recognized Maura to be a woman of determination, just like his mom. He had learned a long time ago, by watching his dad try to control her, and he wasn't gonna make that same mistake.
"Maura, I would never assume—"
"And what hurts me the most, Aidan, is I’m the one who now lives in your world. I gave up my freedom to move to your home and to have your baby so both of our families can survive this blasted depression—to become one family. And you have the nerve, the audacity, to stand there and tell me I'm not a Langley."
"I didn’t say—"
"You can't have it both ways, Aidan. Either I'm a part of this family, or I'm not. And you need to decide soon whether you are in this marriage or out. Because if you aren't all in with both feet and no chance of backing out, then I see no point in continuing this arrangement one second more."
"Maura—"
Aidan watched his wife run toward their tiny cabin, leaving him standing in the yard, holding empty baskets and a whole lot of wounded pride.
"Son, I'd say you have some soul-searching to do." His dad spoke to him from the open screen door.
Aidan didn't answer. He kept his eyes on the retreating backside of his very angry wife. His dad stepped down off the front porch and placed his arm around Aidan's shoulders and squeezed. Aidan wasn't certain if it was a display of support or his dad was thinking about wringing his neck.
"It's not right to string that little girl along if you aren't committed to this marriage. I know you felt pressured into this arrangement at first, but your mom and I, we were hoping you and Maura could come together. Make a go of it. Develop genuine feelings for each other. If that's not gonna happen, son, it's best you say so now, before she gets hurt worse than she already is."
"What about the agreement with Maura's papa?"
Aidan watched his dad’s shoulders droop, and he pulled his arm away from Aidan's shoulders. Sadness made his dad’s face look older. "Son, if that’s the focus of your concern, then I think you already have your answer. This is no longer about The Legacy. It's about two people making a place in this damned old world where they can feel safe. It’s about two people finding a place they can call home and raise their children. And it’s about finding love with a total stranger, forging a bond that will last a lifetime. But, if you and Maura are gonna have a chance at that—it's gonna take two."