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Hattie sat quietly on the edge of the settee, she’d almost stop shaking. Her face a mask. “It’s been a rather long night. I really should go to bed.”
Luke closed his eyes to that thought and tried not to look directly at her. The words bed and Hattie conjured up pictures in his head of how she’d look; what she’d wear or wouldn’t wear. And he tried to blank that out of his mind, but he wasn’t succeeding. He wished he didn’t react to her this way, but nothing could stop the image. “Hattie I got somethin’ to tell you and you may or may not like it,” Luke said, eyeing her closely.
Hattie raised a brow. She looked at both men. “It’s best to just say it then.”
“Alright. My name isn’t Luke Sayers,” Lee admitted, his eyes following hers every step of the way.
She breathed a little heavier, but she held his gaze. “You lied to me, after I trusted you?” Her voice sounded almost hurt. “Are you one of their men? Is that what you have to tell me?” She started to stand, but he took her hands in his and had her sit down.
He shook his head. He watched as her eyes widened a little. But she didn’t say anything yet, as though waiting for the full admission. She glanced at their hands and he smiled. He knew he shocked her, but she wasn’t one to jump to any conclusions obviously, and he saw the tremble of her bottom lip as she waited.
“Look at me Hattie,” he encouraged as he faced her, closely. “Look at me real good. I’m older, a little thinner, unshaved, but I’m still Lee Nelson,” he explained, waiting for her reaction.
“But Lee died.” She moved to turn away, looking from Joe to Lee. “I saw to his grave myself. I even said words over him.” She came to stand before him once more, her breathing erratic. She looked from one to the other and Lee found it hard to look into her eyes. He’d deceived her and he hated seeing the hurt in her eyes.
She gazed into his eyes, and came closer, to pound her fist against his chest, but the minute she touched him, she clung to him so hard he didn’t know what hit him. She just stood there holding onto him for a long while. He didn’t mind. Joe stood quietly watching.
Her hands trembled where she clutched him. “When were you planning on telling me?”
She poked a finger into his chest then stopped abruptly.
“Not for a while; I needed to know a few things first, but this changes things. I can’t allow the Jeffries to treat you like this. It will stop. And it will stop now.” She raised her head, her eyes narrowing on him. “I will not stand for a Jeffries to touch you or manhandle you in any way, that much I promise you. You are family now, Hattie. You, Sam, Joe and the kids, you’re all I have left.” Lee’s voice faltered.
His words astonished her as her eyes softened somewhat on him. She stared long and hard, and her voice dropped an octave, “Yes, I guess you are Lee. You talk like him. He’d say the same thing. I thought there was something so familiar about you when I met you, I just didn’t know what it was. I kept getting these feelings. But it’s been so long, I couldn’t be sure. And you were supposed to be dead.”
On his way out, Joe smiled at her. “Lee is a good man, Miss Hattie. A fair man. He came home, but he knew there would be some troubles about. That’s why he was extra careful not to play out his hand right away. You see, the Jeffries don’t know it’s him yet. There will be more trouble when they find out.”
“Trouble?” She looked surprised. “Because of me?”
“No, not you!
I’ve had run-ins with them before,” Lee explained, gathering her hands in his. “No, you were a surprise, but not a trouble. But the Jeffries have wanted this land as long as me and my folks have had it. They want the water that’s on it. My Pa, he never would share it. Had the Jeffries been a nicer bunch, I might have shared it. But it’s too late for that now. They wanted this land at one time. But now they want my family and they especially want you, and you know I won’t let that happen.”
“I know they want the water,” she said calmly. “I never thought it was me they wanted. But why are they so adamant? I can’t pay the taxes anyway. If they wait, we’ll all be out of here.”
“No, we won’t. I’ll pay the back taxes. But it might be best if they don’t know who I am for a while. I’ve got the money to handle that. I came prepared for that. I knew if I still owned the land, I’d need to take care of the taxes too, so I have the money, and then some.”
“But that’s not what they want right now,” Joe spoke up as he turned to look at them both at the door. Then seeing how Hattie squeezed Lee’s hands, he smiled and left.
“I’m sorry I drilled you and your daughters about Dil. But I had to know how he died.”
She bowed her head and her eyes seemed glued to the floor. Then suddenly she clung to him again. “Oh God, I can’t believe you’re alive.”
Just then, Sam walked into the room. “Is it true…you’re our Lee?”
Lee smiled. “It’s true, Sam. And I’m mighty glad to be able to tell you.”
Sam grabbed him too and hugged him. Lee was touched and hugged him back.
While Sam hugged him too, Hattie’s hands squeezed against him, and her breasts pressed into him. Lee reacted, but as Joe left, he took her in his arms. They stood there for a long while, just holding onto each other, the three of them.
When she pulled away, she looked into his eyes. Tears clouded them as she dabbed them. “I guess you’re not the only one that did some lyin’.”
“What do ya mean?” He edged away from her and toward Sam.
“It doesn’t matter, not right now.” Choked with emotion, she tried to explain, “I guess you was a real good judge of character, ‘cause Gloria was a ma to us; treated us like her own.”
“Good to hear that. I thought she might be. That’s why I deeded the land to her when I was injured…I didn’t think at the time I’d make it back at all. I wanted you and Sam taken care of.”
