Sudden Storms
by Marcia Lynn McClure

RUNNING FROM NOWHERE AND TO NOTHING...SHE HAD NO ONE. HE HAD EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE...BUT WOULD HE HAVE HER?
It was by chance that Rivers Damris found herself harboring for a time beneath the roof of the remarkably attractive, yet ever grumbling Paxton Gray. His sister, Joelyn, had taken Rivers in when she had nowhere else to go. And Rivers stayed on and on...drawn helplessly to Paxton's alluring presence, unable to evade his unknowing hold on her. Yet, Rivers was a wanderer...ever had been and knew nothing else, no one else. She knew, too, that Paxton took no notice of her...save she was like a brief cloudburst with a greater storm lurking in the grey clouds beyond. Something to anxiously avoid. Still, the man's spirit seemed to tether its own great and devastating storm...a powerful tempest bottled up within him and waiting for the moment when it could rage full and free, perhaps destroying everything and everyone in its wake...beginning with Rivers.

CHAPTER ONE  

“I’m comin’. I’m comin’,” Joelyn Gray called. She couldn’t see who was knocking at the front door from where she stood at the kitchen window, so drying her hands on her apron and tucking a loose strand of her tawny hair behind her ear, she went into the parlor to answer it.

She opened the door, saying, “Yes?” and found a young man standing before her. Joelyn’s fair eyebrows rose with curiosity above her lovely sky blue eyes as she studied the youth who appeared terribly thin and nervous. He wore an oversized hat, sitting so low on his brow that it was nearly impossible for her to see the boy’s eyes.

“Hello, ma’am,” the boy greeted. Joelyn knew at once that he must, indeed, be in his early adolescent years, for his voice was still unchanged into the deepening intonation of a matured man.

“Yes?” Joelyn repeated. She smiled sweetly at the boy, for he twisted the hem of his shirt mercilessly so uncomfortable was he.

“Um .. .beggin’ your pardon, ma’am .. .my name’s Tommy Williams, and I was wonderin’ if you might have any extra chores that need doin’ .. .somethin’ that could earn me a meal or two and a place in your barn for a couple of nights,” the boy blurted out in his uncertain, rather unmasculine voice.

Joelyn looked at the boy questioningly. “You sure you’re up to it, boy? You look a might .. .”

“Oh, yes, ma’am! I’m a might small .. .I know. But, I can work like any old horse you ever seen!” the boy reassured her, nodding adamantly.

Suspicion began to creep to the front of Joelyn’s mind and she smiled inwardly as well as out. This might be a fun little game to play out, she thought. She’d go along. “Well, sure! I think I can put you to work ‘round here. At least for a couple of days. No doubt my brother, Paxton, will have some things that need doin’ as well.”

“Oh, thank you, ma’am! I’m most appreciative!” the boy sighed relievedly, reaching out and shaking Joelyn’s hand in gratitude.

At the first feel of the boy’s hand, Joelyn’s suspicions were confirmed and she silently congratulated herself on her keen eye. Yes, she thought, this would prove to be a very enlightening couple of days.

~*~

“Who the blazes you got shovelin’ out the stalls, Joe?”

It was Paxton. Joelyn giggled at her brother’s predictability and smiled to herself, answering, “Just a young man needin’ somethin’ extra to do.”

“There ain’t nothin’ at all to him! Shovels manure like he ain’t never seen a pile of it before!” Paxton grumbled.

Joelyn turned and smiled at her brother as he came stomping through the back door that led to the kitchen. “Now, Pax .. .” she began as he started working the pump and rinsing his face with the water it produced. “He’s obviously travelin’ all alone. And did you notice how small he is? Probably ain’t had a decent meal in weeks. All he wants is a couple of meals and a bed in the barn for a while. I think we can allow that.”

Paxton Gray dried his hands and face on the towel that his sister handed to him. “We can’t be feedin’ every durn wanderer that hops off the train in Blue River , Joe. ‘Sides .. .somethin’ ain’t right.”

Joelyn glanced at her brother quickly. “What ain’t right, Pax?”

“Oh .. .I don’t know. He’s too darn small to be on his own. What if he up and dies out there in our barn tonight of some ghastly disease! Then everyone will think we’re infected and they’ll .. .”

“Oh for pity’s sake, Pax!” Joelyn interrupted with a relieved sigh. “He ain’t got no odd sickness. Let the boy work and have a few nights of restin’. Maybe my cookin’ will put some meat back on his bones.”

“Well, alls I’m gonna say is he’s yer wounded bird, Joe! I ain’t takin’ no responsibility about him. You fatten him up and be his mama .. .but I ain’t gonna be bothered with it,” Paxton rumbled.

Joelyn smiled to herself and said, “Yes, Paxton. Now eat your lunch and get your ownself back to workin’.”

She set a plate on the table and watched affectionately as her brother enjoyed the ham and biscuits. She wondered then at the true age of the young person outside shoveling Paxton’s stalls. Tipping her head to one side she studied her brother’s rugged and absurdly handsome face. His own sable smooth hair was a bit mussed from the day’s required choring, but his eyes were as brilliant a blue as ever. She thought on them a moment, noting how they could hold the tranquil blue of a robin’s egg one instant, and the next cause a person to avoid their direct stare. When Paxton was vexed or provoked that tranquil sky blue turned stormy and even Joelyn was unsettled by their intensity then.

Joelyn stood behind her brother and ran her hands the breadth of his strong shoulders. “Yer wastin’ this fine form Mama and Daddy blessed you with, Pax Martin,” she informed him. “Tall, fine men like you shouldn’t wait so long to settle down with a cute little girl and .. .”

“Ah,” Paxton growled, brushing his sister’s hands from his shoulders. “Don’t you go startin’ in on me again, Joe. You work ol’ Steve into yer arms and then you can talk to me about marryin’.”

Joelyn bent and kissed his cheek affectionately. “Steve? What are you goin’ on about. Eat your breakfast and leave that boy alone,” she scolded. A knowing smile broke across her face, however. She had a feeling. And Joelyn Gray’s feelings had never steered her wrong.

“Well, Tommy,” Joelyn began as the boy stood waiting her instruction. “Why don’t you carry in some water for my brother’s tub tonight? That’s one of the things that I like to do for him after he’s been workin’ hard all day. He don’t run me, mind you. But, he gets so awful sore and tired. I’ll put the pot on the stove to heat the water and you can carry some in buckets from the pump at the sink.”

The boy nodded and within a few minutes had a nice, smooth routine going. Fill a bucket from the pump, lug it into Paxton’s bedroom where the tub sat, and empty it in.

“It’s nearly full, ma’am,” the boy announced directly.

“That’s fine, Tommy. He’ll be in any minute. Here.” Joelyn handed the boy two folded towels and pointed to the pot of boiling water that sat on the stove. “Now, lug that on in and pour it into the rest. Be careful! We don’t want you burnt, now do we?”

~*~

The pot was extremely heavy and Rivers wasn’t at all certain she could carry it to the bedroom. The steam from the boiling water stuck to her face and caused her eyes to fog over.

Setting the great pot on the floor in front of the tub at last, Rivers stood up and arched her aching back. She was so glad that Miss Gray had let her do some chores around the farm. She did, indeed, need a good meal and shelter, but she was beginning to tire rapidly now that the day was coming to a close.

What a kind person she seemed to be, this Joelyn Gray. Rivers guessed that Joelyn must be close to her own age and she was small, yet sturdy looking. The woman’s blue eyes and golden hair had a serene and calming influence on Rivers’s tired and nervous state. Joelyn was a lovely woman within and out.

Rivers thought of her own dark brown hair and blackish brown eyes. She’d always felt her features were too severe. Her skin was very fair, but her hair, eyes, and eyelashes were varying shades of dark brown. She’d never been able to see a trace of beauty in herself. She had almost been able to convince herself once that her mouth was pretty enough. Her perfectly shaped lips held a natural red ripe cherry color that she had found herself having to disguise with dust and chapping when she was riding the trains. But, even with her one claim to possible beauty, Rivers had known she was only fooling herself. And, considering her circumstance, it was all the better. If she had been some dazzling beauty, Joelyn would’ve known instantly that Rivers was, in fact, a young woman and not an adolescent boy searching for work.

And then there was that man! Joelyn’s brother. An unconscious heavy sigh escaped Rivers’s lungs at the thought of him. When he’d come upon her in the stall out in the barn, she felt sure he suspected. He’d stood glaring down at her for several moments and then, without a word, turned and strode determinedly away.

He was frightening after a manner. That frown, for one thing - so severe and intense. But at the same time, he was the most physically appealing man that Rivers had ever in her life seen! Tall, broad shouldered, onyx-black hair, square and unshaven jaw, and piercing blue eyes. His build was flawless and he moved with a certain air of confidence and determination that was incredibly intimidating. This Paxton Gray was, for all outward appearances, an embodiment of perfect masculinity.

Rivers had been so greatly relieved when he’d left her to her work. And now she couldn’t wait to escape his personal room before he arrived for his evening bath.

So, lifting the great pot of water, she began pouring it into the tub. Then having finished quickly, she set it down again and said out loud, “There now.”

“Thank you kindly, boy.”

Whirling around, Rivers gasped in horror as she saw Miss Gray’s brother standing before her in the process of removing his clothing. He grinned at her in a friendly manner revealing one long thin dimple on his left cheek at the corner of his smile. He’d already eliminated his shirt from his broad torso; his trousers too lay in a heap at his feet. The man was nearly finished unbuttoning his flannels. As he peeled the garment from his arms, Rivers turned to face the other direction.

“Pardon me, sir,” she apologized.

“Yer a bashful little feller, ain’t ya?” the man noted and Rivers held her breath when she heard him disturb the tub of water having stepped into it. “Aaahhh,” he sighed. “Ain’t nothin’ like a warm soak after a long day, eh boy?

“Um .. .no, sir,” Rivers agreed, stepping sideways toward the door.

“Hold up there. Hand me that there brush and lye ‘fore you run off, young feller,” the man commanded.

Rivers saw the items to which he referred lying on top of a trunk that stood before her. Swallowing hard, she reached out, taking them. She took several steps backward, keeping her eyes on the wall directly in front of her. Holding the items firmly, one in each hand, she stretched her arms out behind her.

“Thank you kindly,” the man said. A slight sensation akin to a thrilling shiver racked her when she felt him take them from her. “You can be on yer way now, boy.”

Rivers rushed from the room and slammed the door tightly behind her. She could hear the man chuckling and knew he must think her an odd one.

“There you are, Tommy. Come have a plate,” Joelyn coaxed, motioning toward the kitchen table. Joelyn smiled to herself. The child was as red as a radish. Leave it to Paxton, she thought.

The food given her by Joelyn was pure delight to Rivers. It had been so long since she’d had a decent meal. She enjoyed it thoroughly, savoring every morsel so that her mind could think back on it when tougher times came again. She looked up when she’d finished to see Joelyn smiling pleasantly at her.   

“You know, Tommy .. .” Joelyn began. “You really should remove your hat before sittin’ down to a meal.”

Rivers dropped her head self-consciously. “Beg your pardon, ma’am.”

“Well, you ought to even when yer just enterin’ the house .. .to be honest,” Joelyn added.

Rivers did not respond, but only continued to eat. Hopefully Joelyn would leave the subject be.

“Joe!” came the booming, completely masculine voice from the other room.

Rivers stiffened in her chair as she heard the door open that led from the room where Joelyn’s brother was bathing.

“Joelyn! There ain’t one pair of clean flannels in my bureau! What do you expect me to do? Catch my death of cold sleepin’ in my birthday suit?”

Rivers jumped nervously in her chair as the man strode in and came to a stop directly beside her. He stood with only a towel wrapped about his waist and nothing else to cover him.

“For pity’s sake, Pax! Yer drippin’ all over my clean floor! Towel off before you go trampin’ through the house!” Joelyn scolded.

The uncomfortably close proximity of the positively immodestly attired man caused Rivers to reflexively leap from her chair so violently that it toppled over backward, crashing to the floor.

“He sure is a jittery little feller, ain’t he?” the man muttered to his sister.

Rivers mumbled an apology and bent to pick up the chair. Her eyes immediately fell spontaneously to Paxton’s feet, standing in a small puddle of water which was rapidly accumulating around them. Rivers couldn’t stop her eyebrows from rising in astonishment as her gaze involuntarily continued up the length of his solid, muscular calves. As she stood, replacing the chair, her eyes traveled quickly over his stomach, chest and arms. His own fabulous eyes were fastened on her when she straightened at last, looking him full in the face.

His hair hung dripping wet about his head and he said, “You all right there, boy?” She could only nod in response. “Well then, where might a drownin’ man find his flannels, Joelyn?” he repeated, sighing impatiently at his sister.

Joelyn giggled. “I’m sorry, Pax. I plum forgot to bring ‘em in off the line. I’ll run get some.” With a sideways glance and a knowing smile at Rivers, she left.

Rivers squirmed uncomfortably. Standing in a stranger’s kitchen with a scantily clad man was most disconcerting. Even so, she couldn’t keep her eyes from straying once more to the magnificently broad shoulders and chest boasted by Paxton.

She jumped as he spoke unexpectedly, slapping her soundly on one shoulder. “Don’t worry there, boy. You’ll fill out soon enough, too. Shoot .. .I was nearly as wormy lookin’ as you are when I was yer age.” Rivers cleared her throat and cast her eyes down to the floor once more. He continued, “Tell you what .. .I reckon it’s been awhile since you had yerself a real tub bath. You go on in there .. .the water’s still warm enough. Have yerself a good long soak.”

Rivers looked up quickly shaking her head. “Oh, no, no, no. But thank you all the same.”

Paxton Gray frowned. “Now look here, boy .. .Joelyn don’t go in for smelly men. You had better get yerself in there and bath up.”

Paxton had seen this boy pitching manure earlier in the day and knew he must be in need of a bath. Maybe Joelyn liked taking in these motherless pups, but if they were gonna eat under his roof they were gonna do it cleaned up!

“Now .. .you go on in there and get yerself washed. I didn’t leave the water too all soapy,” he repeated, trying to remain calm.

“Um .. .I think I better be gettin’ on out to the barn, if you don’t mind, sir,” the boy muttered.

“Like heck you are, boy!” And having let his temper get the best of him, he hoisted the boy up over his own shoulder and turned toward the bedroom. He was a weasel of a child! It took the use of only one arm to heft him up. Good thing, too, considering Paxton was holding his towel at his waist tight with the other hand.

“No! Please!” the boy hollered.

“Now, you soap up. We bathe quite frequent around this house,” Paxton grunted, dropping the boy bottom first into the tub of water.

“And ‘cause I know yer unusual bashful .. .I’m gonna leave you in here .. .trustin’, mind you .. .trustin’ that you’ll wash yer own self,” he warned, pointing a finger at the boy. “I don’t wanna have to come back in here and scrub ya down, you hear?”

“Yes, sir,” the boy stammered. Paxton fancied for a moment that the child was near to bawling.

“What in tar nation have you done, Pax?” Joelyn shouted as she saw her brother coming out of the bedroom, a triumphant grin on his face.

“That boy needs a good washin’, Joe,” he stated.

Joelyn rolled her eyes and put her hands squarely on her hips. “So, you took it upon yerself to see that he done it, is that it?”

Paxton nodded. “Shore ‘nough,” he confirmed. Joelyn shook her head and threw the flannels she had flung over her shoulder at him. “Yer too tender hearted, little sis,” Paxton grumbled as he stomped away into the parlor. “A man can’t even put on his underwear in his own bedroom ‘round here,” he muttered as he went. “Gotta be draggin’ every stray thing for miles around in here to patch up, don’t you, Joe?”

“And yer as blind as a bull with his eyes poked out, big brother,” Joelyn retorted. Then going to the closed bedroom door she said, “There’s a towel right there on the chest, Tommy.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” came the timid reply.

“I’m goin’ on to bed now .. .you go ahead and slip out to the barn when yer finished, all right? I’ll leave you a clean pair of flannels out here, ‘cause I know for a fact that Pax didn’t take the time to strip ya ‘fore he flung ya in there.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Joelyn Gray shook her head. Paxton - the boy couldn’t see past the nose on his own face.

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