Chapter 65 Part 65
Maggie
Joel walked back into the dining room, his eyes a little red, but with a smile on his face. Asher was close on his heels. For a few seconds, nobody said anything. Maggie was still reeling from the things Asher had mentioned.
“Are we not eating tonight?” Asher asked, as he sat down.
“Right,” Eden said, and stood up. “Since Joel and Oscar are the newest members of this family, I think they get to dish up first.”
Oscar smiled shyly, but Joel stood up, lifted his plate, and put a spoonful of mashed potatoes on it. “Give me your plate, Oscar.”
Joel dished up for his brother first, then for himself. Nobody missed that fact, and Thomas gave Asher a heartfelt look. Maggie could see the emotion tugging at Asher.
The atmosphere lightened, and Colt started asking them questions. He always managed to make them all laugh, tell stories, and lighten any mood. Joel was 16, barely passing, and also had a spotty attendance record at school. He didn’t play any sports, and he’d never ridden a horse before. He seemed interested in Colt and Dylan’s horse business.
Oscar was 15, did well in school, despite also barely attending, and he liked baseball. They weren’t used to much, and talked about their lives as if it were normal to be hit and pushed around.
“Are we going to school tomorrow?” Oscar asked. He let Joel do most of the talking, so everyone looked at him when he spoke. He looked down, immediately, almost as if he was afraid of getting in trouble.
Asher looked intently at the boy. “No, not tomorrow, but you are going the day after tomorrow. We have some things to sort out, and it could take a couple of hours.”
“What things?” Joel asked.
“You both need a haircut, probably some school supplies, and decent winter clothes. We need to stop at Preston’s office, and sign some papers. The judge will want to speak to you, as well, at some point.”
Joel didn’t say anything but tucked his long hair behind his ear, and grinned. They both asked for seconds when everyone was done eating. Eden couldn’t stop smiling, and Maggie knew, before long, she’d be sending over cookies and pies on a regular basis.
“No offense, Asher, but can you afford to take us in?” Joel asked.
Colt laughed first, Finn chuckled, and shook his head, and before long everyone was laughing. Thomas grinned as he looked at Asher, then at the two boys.
“This is a family ranch. That means everyone that lives here helps out on the ranch. Asher was in the Army for ten years, and the only money he ever spent was for the ranch. So, yeah, boys, Asher can afford to take you in. Every dime he spent on this ranch is sitting in an account because he said he didn’t want it back. I’m sure it’ll come into good use now.”
Maggie looked at Asher as her love and respect for the man just grew. Was there really nothing he wouldn’t do for someone else? It made his life all the more tragic.
“Money is the last thing you have to worry about, Joel.”
Blair grinned, and wiped his mouth with the napkin. “Besides, Asher invested in both ranch businesses. He makes more than all of us.”
“I think it’s time for pie,” Asher said, as his brothers grinned at him.
They ate dessert, the boys finishing the last of the pie as they all had a cup of coffee. Melody was half-asleep in her high chair, and Asher picked her up gently.
“It’s getting really late, and we have an early start tomorrow,” he said.
“Are you going to show them how to muck stalls?” Colt asked, with a smile.
“Of course. Those who live on the ranch, work on the ranch,” Asher said.
The boys walked ahead of them to the truck outside. Oscar opened Melody’s door for Asher, and he buckled her into her seat. They drove home in silence as Maggie wondered what nightmares Asher would have that night.
Maggie turned on her side, wrapping her arm around Asher’s waist. His arms were behind his head, and he turned to look at her. His eyes showed remorse, or something close to it.
“I’m sorry about tonight. I shouldn’t have said all that stuff at the dinner table,” he said.
Maggie shifted closer to him. “Nothing you ever tell me will change how I feel about you. I want to know the good stuff, the bad stuff, and even the terrible stuff.”
“It’s dark, Maggie. I don’t want to think about those times.”
“I don’t care how dark it gets. I love you, and I will always love you. I will lie for you, and I will even help you burn a hundred shirts, if that’s what it takes,” she said.
“Maggie, despite what you went through, you’re still innocent. People don’t have a clue what it’s like over there.”
“Some nights you don’t wake up, Asher. Some nights you bite down on your teeth so hard I’m afraid they’ll crack. You scream, and you toss, and turn. I can feel your anguish when you're locked in your dreams. They scare me, but I think if you talk about it, it’ll get better. Sometimes, it feels like you’re so far away. I’m afraid that I’ll lose you to the darkness.”
“You won’t lose me. You always say I saved you, but I think it’s the other way around; you and Melody saved me. The darkness is bearable because I know when I wake up, you’ll be here,” Asher said.
“I’m afraid that you’ll step off the edge just to make it all go away. That thought hurts, Asher. It hurts so much to think you’re in pain, or fighting something inside yourself, and I can’t help.” Tears had welled up in her eyes, and she wiped her eyes.
“I love you too much to do that,” Asher said, shifting into a sitting position. His hand touched the top of her head, and she shifted, as well. When her hand cupped his jaw, she felt the tears that were running down his face. He’d been crying so silently that she hadn’t realized it.
“If you don’t want to talk to someone, talk to me, at least,” she said.