Chapter 7 Part 7
Maggie
Her car rattled on the dirt road leading to the ranch, and she cursed herself once again for agreeing to have dinner with the whole Fitzgerald family. Melody kept babbling in the back, but Maggie’s gaze was frozen on the house as it came into view.
The house was magnificently large, with a wrap-around porch, trees lining the driveway, and green rolling hills as far as the eye could see. It was beautiful. Maggie felt the shame creep onto her cheeks. Asher had spent most of the day inside her house, fixing things, while he lived here.
She was about to turn her car around when the front door opened, and Asher appeared on the porch, lifted his hand in a wave, and smiled. Once she parked her car, he was there instantly, opening her door, and extending a hand to help her out.
“Glad you could make it,” Asher said.
“I feel a little out of my depth,” she admitted.
Asher frowned as he opened the rear door, and unbuckled Melody from her seat. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. We’re just a regular family.”
He carried Melody in one arm, and with his other hand, he guided Maggie to the porch, and opened the front door again. He halted for a second and seemed to be thinking. “My brothers can be a lot, but just ignore them.”
Maggie could only nod, her heart now hammering in her chest. Why was she here? Oh, right, because they hadn’t given her a choice. She was grateful for all their help, especially Asher’s, and now she was going to eat their food, as well.
Asher led the way deeper into the house, and then they were in the dining room. The smells were magnificent, but six pairs of eyes were focused on her now, as all conversation had stopped. There were two open spaces at the table, and a baby chair was clamped to the other side.
“Hi, you must be Maggie.” The woman had light brown hair and cornflower blue eyes, and was gorgeous with a smattering of freckles across her nose..
“Hi,” Maggie said.
“I’m Eden, welcome to Bear Meadow Ranch,” she said, with an easy-going smile.
“Pops, this is Maggie and Melody Conroy,” Asher said.
The older man, who sat at the head of the table, on the other side, stood up, took her hand in his, and kissed the back of it. “Welcome to our home, Maggie.” He turned to Melody and kissed her hand as well. “You are very welcome, too, little lady.”
Melody started babbling, and grabbed a hold of Thomas’ beard. The old man chuckled, and waited patiently for Melody to let go of his facial hair. Asher pulled Maggie’s chair out, and deposited Melody into the baby seat.
“Thank you,” Maggie said.
Food was dished up, then Thomas placed a pink plastic bowl on Melody’s tray with corn and peas. A sliver of meat was placed on the tray, and a bowl with mashed potatoes was placed next to it. Maggie pushed her chair out, but Thomas stopped her.
“She’ll make a mess,” Maggie said.
“I’ve raised six children, Miss Conroy; letting them discover feeding themselves is a big step. The mess can be cleaned up.”
Melody spilled the corn and peas on the tray, and Maggie glanced around nervously. Nobody seemed to mind. After saying grace, with Melody babbling with Thomas, they started dinner. Dinner talk was mild, each one filling the gap, and telling her about the ranch, and what they did as a family to keep the ranch alive.
She was entranced with them all, their hard work, and how they managed to stay civil to one another. She’d never had that growing up. She’d left home as soon as she turned 18. They asked questions, but none that were too personal. By the end of dinner, Melody had mashed potato in her hair and gravy on her cheeks, but her tray was mostly empty, with only a few pieces of corn and peas on the floor around her.
“This was really wonderful, thank you for inviting me,” Maggie said.
“You two ladies are welcome any time,” Thomas said, with a smile. “It’s refreshing to have some civilized company at the table.”
Maggie chuckled as the brothers grumbled. Eden flicked her hair over her shoulder dramatically, but smiled as well.
“Why don’t you go show Maggie around while I get Miss Melody cleaned up?” Eden said. She was already making her way around the table, and Melody stuck her arms out when she approached.
She was really out of her depth here. The whole family had been only nice and welcoming to her and Melody, but she felt like a fraud. Nothing she’d told them was the truth, except their names. She felt guilty about it as she followed Asher out to the porch, where they sat down on the swing chair.
“So, you all live here at home?”
Asher grinned. “I have a house about two miles west. The rest still stay here with Dad; it’s easier to keep an eye on him.”
“I think it’s nice you all still live here. It gives such a strong sense of family,” she said.
When Asher shifted slightly, she could feel the heat of his thigh against hers. “You don’t get along with your family?”
“Not really. I was adopted when I was four, then left home the day I turned 18. I’ve never gone back, and I haven’t spoken to them since.”
“I’m sorry,” Asher said. The look on his face showed his sincerity. “Family’s important.”
“Melody’s my family,” Maggie said, softly.
“Whenever you need a substitute, our door is open.”
Maggie smiled, and looked at Asher. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
“You’re not used to people treating you like a human being? This was how I was raised. You help where you can; it’s the right thing to do.”
“Nobody’s ever done anything nice for me. You were the first,” Maggie said.
The screened door swung open, and Finn popped his head out. “Dessert’s ready, and if you two stay out here much longer, I don’t think Pops is going to give Melody back.”
Asher and Maggie both laughed, as they headed back inside.