Continuing with SO WONDERFUL AS WANT Ch. 12, Ex. 1 Likes, comments, shares appreciated. After hearing rumors of the Peaveys accepting McGarry’s offer, Zach anxiously checked them out. To his dismay, he learned the smitten Corky, abandoning hope of ever winning Ginny’s hand in marriage, had convinced his folks to sell their choice acres when the bid rose to fifteen dollars per. Although Zach thought Corky was making a big mistake, he had to admire the man. At least he knew when to call it quits. More alone than ever, Zach plodded through each day, painfully aware it was only a matter of time before Dinah figured out a way to have it all—her kids and her freedom. Never mind that he’d given her babies his name, raised them and loved them; never mind that he’d tilled her land, repaired her house, tended her stock, and improved her lot in every way. Legally, he had no claim to any of it; not the land, the children, or Dinah. In short, he had no rights at all. Like the inoffensive pooch who followed him home one day, he was simply another obstacle for her to step over. As Zach’s fears heightened, he found the most routine tasks required deliberate concentration. Especially compromised was his performance at work. On one occasion, weary from lack of sleep, he fed a gnarled log into the huge blade’s razor sharp teeth. The knotty pulp caused it to jump, and the log careened off the conveyor belt, narrowly missing a co-worker. Unwilling to put another man’s life in jeopardy, Zach vowed to banish Dinah from all conscious thought during the day. He would not think of her, see her in his mind, or anticipate her next move. He would do nothing but work. Perhaps if he pushed his body until it hurt, he might not feel the pain in his heart. * * * A month after offering an unheard of twenty dollars an acre for Dinah’s land, Tyler McGarry made another trip to Caloosa. The children were in the yard swinging on an old tire suspended from a sturdy tree limb when he pulled up. They asked for a push, and he happily obliged. “Higher, higher,” they shouted with glee. Drawn in by their infectious laughter, Tyler found himself laughing as uninhibitedly as they. “So you’re the reason it suddenly got so noisy out here,” Dinah said from the side door. He turned at the sound of her voice. The tire completed its return arc, and a foot rammed into his groin. Dinah rushed forward. “Oh, dear. Are you all right?” Tyler forced himself upright. “Fine,” he grunted. “Just had the wind knocked out. That’s all.” “Maybe you should rest a minute. Come inside and have something to drink.” Tyler gave the children one last push, then followed Dinah to the house. On the porch, he had to step over a sleeping dog. The hound lay sprawled on his back, paws curled in the air, lips drawn back in a lascivious grin. Tyler chuckled at the comical sight. He’d had a few dreams like that himself. “I’m afraid all I have in the way of spirits is some rum left over from Christmas,” Dinah said. “Water’s fine.” He waited for her to turn to the cupboard for glasses. Then he gently rubbed his bruised parts. Next excerpt on Tuesday. Links in comment section below.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 21:38:38 +0000
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