A Husband for Margaret (12 page)

She nodded. “I’ll try.”

“
Good.” He gave her a kiss,
and since the boys weren’t around, he lingered at her lips. She was
such a good woman, and it occurred to him that she didn’t know her
worth. When he ended the kiss, he said, “I don’t trust my children
with just anyone. Their well-being was my biggest concern, and now
yours is too. I’m sorry Debra gave you a hard time. If I see her,
I’ll tell her to go back to Ohio.”

“
Thank you,
Joseph.”

“
I’ll have Sunday off, and
we can all go out to the park as a family.”

“
I’d like that.”

The front door opened and Bob and Doug
entered the house and talked about what they thought their new ma
would make for supper.

She chuckled. “Their minds are always
on food.”

“
They’re growing boys.” He
grinned at her, glad to see her happy again. After he helped her to
her feet, he gave her a quick kiss. “I’ll keep the boys out of your
hair while you cook.”

She thanked him again, and they left
the bedroom.

Chapter Eleven

Two days later, Margaret was sitting on
the porch swing Joseph had put up, and she had Ben and Charles down
for a nap while Doug and Bob were playing tag in the front yard.
She had decided to work on sewing a pattern into one of the
pillowcases she was making for her new family. She thought Bob
might like a design of his soccer ball, so she was currently
filling in that pattern with her brown thread. Next, she would sew
his name into it.

“
Hello, Doug and Bob,” a
familiar voice called out.

Margaret looked up and smiled as
Jessica waved to the boys and walked up the porch steps. She moved
aside and placed her sewing basket next to her feet. “I didn’t
think you’d be in town this soon,” she told Jessica. “I’ve hardly
seen you since you married Tom.”

Jessica’s face glowed as she sat next
to her. “I just found out I’m expecting a baby!”

Margaret’s jaw dropped. “So
soon?”

“
It’s been a
month.”

“
Well...yes...but that
hardly seems like enough time.”

She giggled. “It is though. I missed my
monthly flow. I was supposed to get it yesterday, but it’s still
not here.”

“
You might be
late.”

“
No.” She waved her hand and
shook her head. “I’ve never been late.” Grabbing Margaret’s arm,
she squealed, “Isn’t this exciting? Maybe you’ll soon be expecting
too! Then we’ll have our children together.”

Margaret’s eyes grew wide in horror.
Her gaze darted to Doug and Bob and she thought of the two sleeping
inside the house. Oh goodness. She was doing good to handle the
ones she already had. The last thing she needed was another
one!

Jessica gave a contented sigh and sat
back in the swing. “You must have a wonderful time out
here.”

It took her a moment to respond as she
thought over her friend’s statement. “It is wonderful,” she
admitted, glancing at the pillowcase in her hands. She recalled how
excited the boys were to see that they were going to have their
very own pillowcases. She smiled at the memory. “They are terrific
children.” And they were. They didn’t knowingly get into trouble
and did all they could to help her. “But sometimes, I get
overwhelmed. It’s a lot of work.”

“
I don’t doubt
it.”

“
It’s exhausting at times. I
don’t regret my decision, but I don’t know if I could handle
another one.”

Jessica placed her hand on her arm and
squeezed it. “God won’t give you anymore than you can
handle.”

“
You weren’t here a couple
days ago when that horrible Miss Potter, Connie James, and Maureen
Brown insinuated that I was a horrible mother.”

“
Miss Potter? Didn’t she go
back home?”

“
Not yet. She thinks I’ll
take off running and leave her with Joseph.”

“
Why, that’s
horrible!”

“
I saw her at the park an
hour ago, probably seeing if I was there to badger.” Her cheeks
flushed with a mixture of shame and anger. She purposely avoided
the park just because she didn’t want another confrontation, and
she couldn’t remember a time in her life when she let anyone keep
her at home. “I wish she would go. Joseph ran into her yesterday
and suggested she return to Ohio, but she’s taken a job cleaning
houses.” Her frown deepened. “I wish I knew what I could do to get
rid of her.”

Jessica sighed and patted her hand.
“I’m sorry, Margaret.”

“
Why? It’s not your
fault.”

“
You know what I mean. I
hate to see you upset.”

She pulled the needle through the
pillow case and shrugged. “I thought my problems would be over when
I finally married, but who can anticipate a Debra Potter?” She
sighed and glanced at her friend. “You’re lucky that Tom didn’t
have any other women chasing him.”

“
How were you to know this
would happen?”

She couldn’t know, she realized.
Neither could Joseph. What other woman made the trip across the
country to pursue a man who didn’t want her? In many ways, Debra
spooked her. “That woman needs another man to latch
onto.”

“
She needs someone she can
control,” Jessica added. “Then she can spend all her time bending
him to her will.”

“
Joseph would never allow
it. Don’t get me wrong. He’s a wonderful man, but I can’t see him
letting anyone dictate his life for him.” Which was exactly the way
a man should be. How else could he be the head of the household?
And since he managed to lead with gentleness and care, Margaret
certainly had no complaints. “He’s worth it though. I mean, having
Debra lurking around, just waiting for me to bolt out of here. It
isn’t what a wife dreams of, but if this is the worst of it, I
suppose I’m doing pretty good.”

Jessica looked amused.

Margaret furrowed her eyebrows.
“What?”

“
You were looking at the
glass half full instead of half empty. I never thought I’d see the
day when that happened.”

Margaret playfully swatted her friend
on the arm. “Oh, really. I’m not that bad.”

“
No?”

“
No. Granted, I have my
moments, but I can see the good side to things.”

“
I suppose now that you’re
happily married that’s the case. It’s amazing what love can do for
a woman, isn’t it?”

Margaret felt a grin tug at her lips as
she shrugged.

“
Anyway, I ran into Connie
James on my way here. She caught me coming out of the doctor’s
office and guessed why I was there.”

She put the pillowcase down and looked
at her friend in interest. “And?”

“
She insinuated that this
child should have been her grandchild. You know, she might have
accepted my marriage to Tom on the surface, but I don’t think she
ever forgave me for it. Even if her son didn’t love me, she wanted
grandchildren in the worst way.”

“
Well, be glad you’re not
giving her grandchildren. That woman is absolutely dreadful. She’d
be dictating what you can do with them and when,” Margaret said,
recalling the way Connie mocked her mothering skills at the park.
“What Connie needs is a daughter-in-law who’ll put her in her
place.” Then her eyes lit up and she nudged Jessica in the side. “I
bet that Debra Potter would give her a run for her
money!”

Jessica gasped. “Oh, you can’t mean to
stick Connie James with the likes of Debra.”

“
Why not?”

“
Well, it’s...it’s...”
Jessica shrugged.

“
I think in some ways, Debra
might force the old coot to relinquish the stronghold on her son,
don’t you agree?” Granted, it would probably be a transfer of
control. Peter would still be under a woman’s thumb. She furrowed
her eyebrows. “Don’t you think Peter likes to be told what to do? I
mean, he’s not exactly eager to cut those apron strings, is he?
Some people actually prefer to have their lives mapped out for
them.”

“
I’m not going to be any
part of this, Margaret.”

“
Fine. Then don’t be a part
of it.”

For Jessica, it wasn’t a big deal. But
Jessica didn’t have to deal with a woman who had the desire to
break up her marriage and run around telling other people how
incompetent Margaret was as a mother. Margaret figured if she could
get Debra’s mind off of Joseph, then the other pieces would
naturally fall into place. What Debra needed was a man who’d be
happy with a woman like her. It was just a matter of how Margaret
could get the ball rolling.

Groaning, Jessica crossed her arms and
shook her head. “I don’t know if I like that look on your
face.”

Margaret turned wide, innocent eyes in
her friend’s direction. “What look?”

“
You know what look I’m
talking about. It was the same look you had when you were ready to
get even with Phillip McPherson in grade school.”

“
I got even with him because
he put that rat in your desk.”

“
Yes. And that’s how we
became such good friends.”

Margaret smiled, her mood improving.
“Well, someone had to put him in his place. He didn’t mess with you
after that.”

She sighed. “I suppose I owe you one.
You got rid of my bully. It’s only fair I help you get rid of
yours.”

Her eyes lit up. “Really?”

“
A woman trying to break up
my friend’s marriage has it coming. But I do feel a tad bit bad for
Connie. Sure, the woman is unbearable, but at least she doesn’t go
barging into people’s weddings and trying to convince the bride to
get out of her way.”

“
Oh, Connie will be fine.”
Margaret glanced at Doug and Bob as they kicked the ball back and
forth. She knew they’d love nothing more than to be assured that
Miss Potter wouldn’t be a problem anymore. “I wonder...”

“
What?” Jessica sat up
straight and leaned forward. “What do you wonder?”

She turned her attention back to her
friend. “You know, I will say one thing about children. They can be
a big help when they don’t want something, and the last thing they
want is Debra around. I bet they wouldn’t mind helping me get her
out of their lives for good.”

“
Must you involve the
children?”

A grin spread across Margaret’s face.
“Oh, you bet. She wants to be a mother so badly. I wonder what
she’d do if she got the chance. How well would she really handle
it?”

Looking uncertain, Jessica said, “What
are you thinking?”

Excited, Margaret began to tell her
friend her plan.

Chapter Twelve

Two weeks later, Margaret glanced at
the four boys as she put on her hat. “Now, you’re sure you know
what to do.”

Bob finished putting on his shoes and
stood up in the parlor. “Sure, Ma. We can be obnoxious. It’s
easy.”

Doug crossed his arms, looking
skeptical. “Miss Potter wants Pa. I don’t know if this will
work.”

Margaret picked up Ben before he could
go running off into the kitchen. “Has she ever taken care of you
boys before?”

“
No,” Bob said. “Pa wouldn’t
let her.”

Perfect. Margaret had gathered as much,
but it was nice to get that clarified. She grinned. She couldn’t
wait to see how well Debra handled four small rambunctious boys.
“You promise not to be on your best behavior like you did with me
when I first became your ma?”

“
We’re still being good,
aren’t we?” Bob asked.

“
Not as good as you were
that first week but yes. You’re all good boys. Your pa and your
first ma did a good job.”

And really, she had no reason to
complain. It was still a lot of work—at times overwhelming—but she
managed through it. Ben wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed
her cheek. She grinned and hugged him back. And this was what made
it worthwhile.

Doug grimaced. “I hate being around
Miss Potter. Are you sure this will work?”

“
Just how bad can you be?”
Margaret asked.

“
We can be very bad if it
means getting her to leave you and Pa alone,” Bob quickly assured
her. “When Charles and Ben get into things, we’ll find other things
to do.”

“
Yeah. We’re not helping her
like we did with you,” Doug added.

She raised an eyebrow. “You only help
half the time.”

“
See? We’ve practiced!” Bob
smiled as if that had, indeed, been the plan all along.

“
If you say so...” She
patted Charles on the arm. When he turned from staring out the
front window, she motioned for him to go to the door. “Alright.
This is it. The more annoying you can be, the sooner she’ll send
for me.”

“
That can’t come soon
enough,” Doug muttered.

“
Why, Doug, that is very
kind of you to say.” She opened the screen door and let them step
onto the porch before she shut the door behind her. “You know,” she
continued, looking at the pessimistic seven year old, “I’m a lot
like you. I have a hard time thinking things will work out until
they do. That’s why I wasn’t sure about marrying your
pa.”