After pouring two cups of tea, she placed one in front of Grandpa. “Hutch, you need to tell the boys the truth. Life can’t go on this way. Elizabeth is heartbroken, Grace fears Wade, and Wade is worse and not better.”
Hutch absentmindedly stirred his tea. “I didn’t expect Wade to behave this way. I thought marrying would settle him down. The only way I knew that Wade would marry was to force his hand.”
“But look what it’s caused. You need to tell Wade he’ll inherit half the ranch the way he always expected. This joke or plan has failed miserably. I know you didn’t expect Wade to act this way, but all you can do now is try to fix it,” Cora said and took a sip of tea.
Hutch shook his head. “I think it’s too late. If I tell them now, Wade will have his marriage annulled and marry Lucinda to spite me. Do you want her living here with us? I know as a Christian I should love others as myself, but Lucinda is a…umm, you know.”
“Soiled dove is a kind way to express what you’re trying to say.”
“Yes, and I pray she and all others in her situation find peace and a better life, but God forgive me, I don’t want that woman around any grandchildren Clay and Grace are blessed with.” He dropped his head into his hands and rubbed his forehead.
Cora reached out and patted Hutch’s hand. “Finish your tea and get some sleep. If you get sick again, things will only get worse. You need to build up your strength and stand up to what you started.”
“I will, but I want to give Wade a little more time. I can’t believe there isn’t a good man inside him. He needs guidance.”
Cora wasn’t as sure as Hutch that Wade would change, but she smiled at the old man as he stood and headed off to bed.
Grandpa convinced that his plan would still work, drifted off into a deep slumber.
Clay tossed and turned worried about his wife and Elizabeth’s welfare. Surely his brother wouldn’t harm either.
Grace pulled the blanket up to her chin and didn’t relax until Elizabeth’s quiet sobs calmed and Elizabeth fell asleep. Grace lay there thinking about the night’s events and decided she needed to be more wary of Wade than ever. There was something in the way he looked at her that made Grace feel insecure. Surely, he wouldn’t harm her. She wished she could have spent the night in her husband’s room, but her fear for Elizabeth’s safety overruled her own need to feel protected.
Cora hummed quietly as she cleaned the teacups and put the pot away in the kitchen. She also prayed silently that peace would settle on the house, but she feared Wade’s behavior would cause more problems before he ever accepted his grandfather’s will. If only Hutch hadn’t started this nonsense of pitting the boys against each other, but there was nothing she could do now but pray and hope.
Wade, still furious over his family’s treatment, fell onto his bed asleep before his head hit the pillow, but his troublesome mind continued to work dreaming of ways to best his brother and take control of the ranch.
Chapter Eleven
Wade woke the following day with his face pressed into his pillow. As he slowly pushed himself onto his side, pain shot through his head from the bright sunlight streaming through his east facing bedroom window. Too drunk the night before to pull his dark curtains closed, he swore and blamed his brother for sneaking into his room and making sure the curtains would be pulled open to annoy him. Everything was Clay’s fault and Wade needed to make sure he paid for it.
Groaning, he flopped onto his back and pulled his pillow over his face. The darkness it provided eased the pain in his head somewhat. Muddled memories of the previous night filled his mind. He remembered coming home to find his family waiting for him, but his grandfather held a rifle and his wife was crying. His wife? That made him laugh, and then the anger burned again. He couldn’t connect the memories, but he knew Clay was at fault and Grace was going to make his life difficult.
From the position of the light streaming in, Wade knew it was closer to noon than it was dawn and he slowly began to sit up. His mind raced making his headache worse, but he remembered that he planned on wooing his bride to keep her happy. Spending the day and evening drinking and enjoying Lucinda’s company was not the way to do it and he tried to come up with a lie and a plan on making Elizabeth happy.
First, he needed coffee and food. A shot of whiskey might be good, but he knew better than to pull the bottle from his dresser. Not today. This was the day that he needed to convince his wife to stay with him and begin a plan on convincing Grace to leave.
Wade pulled the bedroom door open and didn’t hear any sounds except for the clatter of pans and dishes coming from the kitchen. He walked to the bathing room knowing he needed to wash the smell of alcohol and Lucinda’s perfume off him before he could speak to anyone. When he was clean and dressed, he wandered into the kitchen to find Cora, Grace, and Elizabeth busy at work.
“Good morning,” Wade said trying to sound cheerful.
“It’s nearly noon,” Cora answered glaring at him.
Wade shrugged, “Sorry Cora, how are you today, Elizabeth?”
“I’m all right,” Elizabeth answered without turning around from chopping vegetables.
Wade poured himself a cup of coffee and asked Elizabeth, “Could we take a walk?”
“I’m helping to prepare lunch,” Elizabeth answered curtly.
“Then after lunch?”
Elizabeth shrugged.
Wade
