Chapter 19: Growing Pains

Before dawn, while everyone in the house was still asleep, Will crept out to the carriage house. He’d barely dozed all night. After reading Mama’s and Mac’s journals, after the argument with Pa over Maria, he couldn’t relax. He needed to get away. Despite his promise to stay with Mama, he was too restless to sit at home. Let Mac stay with Mama for a day. Why should Will be responsible?

Shanty and Valiente and the carriage horses all whinnied at the interruption, but he quieted them with oats while he saddled Shanty. He’d ride out to Jonah’s house. If he left now, he’d get there about the time the Abercrombie family began their day.

The cold air nipped at his ears, but the rising sun promised better weather as the day wore on. Will hunched low over Shanty’s neck and urged the gelding faster. Shanty tossed his head, but obeyed Will’s nudges.

As Will expected, Daniel and Jonah were doing morning chores in the barn when he arrived.

“You’re here early,” Daniel said. “Come to spend the full day with us?”

“I hope to,” Will said. “What do you have planned?”

“Tilling the last of the cornfields,” Daniel said. “Ground’s warm enough to pull a plow through now.”

“Morning, Jonah,” Will said to his friend, who grunted in response. Jonah in a churlish mood would make for an unpleasant day. Maybe Will would leave at noon.

But he was so glad to be away from his own home that he tried to be friendly to the other Abercrombies. He cheerfully offered to help Esther, flipping pancakes for her brood while she fried bacon. After they all ate, Daniel ushered Will, Jonah, and Sammy out to the fields.

The sun came out by midmorning, and the wind gentled. Will was still glad for his coat and gloves, but he was comfortable laboring under the bright sky. He willingly agreed to guide the plow behind the mules while Jonah took the easier place by their heads. Across the field, Daniel and Sammy worked with the other mule team.

Daniel’s daughters Cordelia and Abby brought food to them at noon. The men and girls all sat on a flat piece of ground in the sunshine.

“Where’s Esther?” Jonah asked, as he dug into the plate of stew Cordelia handed him.

“Abe is fractious,” Cordelia replied. “Ma didn’t want to leave him. But me’n Abby was glad to get out of the house.”

Will grinned. “I don’t blame you.”

Cordelia smiled back at him coyly, batting her eyes.

Will groaned inside. He hadn’t intended to encourage Cordelia’s flirting.

While Will talked to Cordelia, Jonah and Daniel got into an argument. Will didn’t hear what started it, but he heard Jonah yell, “You treat me like Abe. Like one of your young’uns. Don’t you trust me to do a man’s work?”

“Not when you throw tantrums like Abe—” Daniel began.

“Damn it, Daniel,” Jonah shouted, “I—”

“Don’t you cuss at me, boy,” Daniel said. “I can still tan your hide.”

“I’d like to see you try.” Jonah stood and loomed over Daniel. “Try it now.”

“Back off, son,” Daniel said.

“I ain’t your son,” Jonah said through his teeth. “You ain’t my pa. You’ll never be my pa.” Jonah ran off into the woods.

Will squirmed while watching the exchange. Jonah’s shout at Daniel was exactly what Will had said to Mac. The difference was everyone knew about Daniel and Jonah. And everyone knew who Jonah’s father was.

But no one knew Mac wasn’t Will’s father. And no one—not even Mama—could identify who his father was. He shivered despite the sun, once again feeling alone in the world.

After Jonah stormed off, Will continued plowing with Daniel and Sammy. Sammy took Jonah’s place with the mules, and Daniel managed the other team alone. At dusk, Will returned home.

As he rode Shanty into the backyard and dismounted, Cal entered the yard from the kitchen. Rufus rushed out behind Cal and sniffed Will’s feet. “Where you been all day?” Cal asked.

“Jonah’s.” Will took Shanty into his stall and started currying him.

Cal followed. “Pa asked where you were.”

Will shrugged and continued caring for his horse.

“You’ll get in trouble.” Cal brought a handful of oats over to Shanty. The gelding pulled away from Will to nibble the treat from Cal’s hand.

“Leave Shanty be,” Will said. “I need to rub him down.”

“He likes the oats.”

“Maybe he does, but I need to finish here before supper, and clean myself up as well.”

Cal held his hand up to Shanty’s nose again.

“Quit being such a little pest,” Will shouted.

“I hate you,” Cal shouted back. “You take Shanty off all day to see your friend, while I’m stuck parsing sentences in school. It’s not fair.”

“I had to parse sentences, too, when I was your age.”

“I don’t care,” Cal said. “I still hate you.”

“Well, I hate you, too,” Will said, violating Mama’s rule not to speak ill of their siblings. But then, Cal broke the rule first. “I worked hard all day, and I want my supper on time.”

“You’re not too old for Pa to whup you,” Cal said. “You left home again without telling anyone.”

Will cringed at the reminder Mac was Cal’s father, not his. “You should be the first he whups,” he said. “After stealing Maria’s horse the way you did.”

“You already whupped me,” Cal said. “And you got in trouble for it.”

“I’d whup you again,” Will said. He wouldn’t really, but Cal didn’t need to know that. “You broke my best carving, and I don’t want to live in the same house as you. You wreck everything.”

Cal’s face fell, and he turned away. As the younger boy left, Will murmured to himself, “Ever since you were born, I’ve had no place here. No place in my own home.”

When Mac walked through the hallway before supper, he saw Maria alone in the parlor. He still hadn’t said anything to her after he’d learned about Will kissing her. He went into the room and sat across from her. “What are you doing, daughter?”

“Sewing on buttons.” The movements of her hands were as quick and sure as Jenny’s—Maria had been trained well.