THE COW HE CAME TO BUY

by

Chapter 21

THEME:
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"Do you still love her?"

"No."

"How do you know?"

He looked toward the corral.

"Because when I think of her now, I hope she's happy."

My breath caught.

He looked back at me.

"I don't hope she comes back."

The words settled between us.

I thought of Curtis.

I understood.

Adrien straightened.

"Why did you ask?"

I could have lied.

Instead I said, "Curtis told me a man like you would never want a woman like me."

Adrien became completely still.

"What does that mean?"

"You know."

"No."

I looked down.

"A divorced woman. A child. A small place with a note on it. More work than grace."

Adrien stared at me for so long I regretted speaking.

Then he crossed the room.

He stopped several feet away.

"Rosalie."

It was the first time he had used my given name.

My heart hammered.

"Do not let a man who abandoned you explain your value to you."

My eyes burned.

"That is easy to say when value is not the problem."

"What is the problem?"

"I don't know."

"I do."

I looked at him.

He took one slow breath.

"The problem is that if I say what I want to say, you may stop working here."

I could not speak.

"And I rather like the biscuits."

A laugh escaped me through tears.

Adrien smiled faintly.

Then his expression became serious again.

"I am not asking you for anything."

That was the carefulness again.

"I know."

"But Dunore is wrong."

"About what?"

"About whether a man like me could want a woman like you."

The kitchen suddenly felt too small.

Harlan entered from the pantry carrying onions.

He stopped.

Looked at Adrien.

Looked at me.

Looked at the onions.

Then backed into the pantry without speaking.

I laughed so hard I had to sit down.

Adrien rubbed one hand over his face.

That evening, I returned home carrying more hope than was sensible.

Then I saw the barn door standing open.

Clover was gone.

For one second, I could not understand what I was seeing.

Then Oscar came running from behind the house.

"Mama!"

His face was white.

"Where is she?"

"Papa took her."

The basket fell from my hand.

Cheese rolled into the dust.

"What?"

"He said he was helping."

My heart began pounding.

"Helping with what?"

Oscar was crying now.

"He said you needed money and he knew a man who'd pay more than Mr. Brandt."

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