And for the second time in as many days, he walked away and left Maggie speechless behind him.
Ned’s words resounded in her head for the rest of the day. Kathleen, too, seemed preoccupied, and they worked side by side most of the morning in silence. Maggie figured if Kathleen wanted to talk about what was bothering her, she would do it, and so she did not wheedle for information, did not ask her what put that worried look in her eyes. She, as well as anyone, knew that some secrets are not meant to be shared. Even the men at lunchtime could see that Kathleen was not up to their usual teasing, and left her alone. After the noon meal, Kathleen had volunteered to polish all the silver, a job that she ordinarily detested, and Maggie figured it was so that she could be alone in the small room off the kitchen where they usually sat together to do that nasty job. Maggie let her go without comment.
Nick had refused to meet her eyes all day; he was back to avoiding her and Maggie would have pulled all his hair out in a screaming tantrum if she thought that it would help. Unfortunately, she did not think that it would. He had made up his mind again and he planned on denying the feelings he had for her, but she was not going to let him get away with it, not this time. She contemplated her situation as she pounded bread dough a little more violently than necessary, and her mouth firmed. If this was the only chance she had, her only shot at happiness, she was going to take it. How much would Ned have missed if he had not had the strength to marry his Siobhan?
Tommy came into the kitchen to beg some leftover cherry pie, and Maggie laughed when he cut himself a slice as big as three ordinary ones.
“Why didn’t you just eat it out of the tin?” she teased. “There is hardly anything left now.”
He grinned up at her, and Maggie noticed that one of his eyeteeth overlapped just a tiny bit and that small imperfection in his otherwise perfect smile endeared him to her all the more. She sat down beside him; she could leave those dishes for later. They would still be there when she decided to go back to them, but Tommy might not.
“I figured you would yell at me,” he said. “You eat it. You have got time to sit and talk with me with me now, and that is good pie.”
Maggie figured that was good advice, and she did eat it out of the tin, much to Tommy’s amusement, but she did not see the point in dirtying another dish. She listened to Tommy chatter on about the stables, and Ned, and Nick, and any subject that came to mind, and she smiled internally. The boy must save up all his conversation all morning, waiting until he came to the
house to spill it all. He unconsciously inched his chair closer and closer to hers while they talked, so that eventually his leg was resting right up against hers. Maggie had noticed this habit of Tommy’s before, they had all remarked on it at one time or another, and his involuntary search for human touch pierced her tender heart with a sharp pain. She leaned forward a little and put her hand on his arm, and Tommy glowed at her, his animated gestures and conversation never slowing for a minute. Finally he sighed, and looked down at his empty plate.
“I guess I better go before Ned comes huntin’ me, Miss Maggie.” He peeped over at her shyly from under his lashes. "Miss Maggie? Can I tell you something?"
"Of course, Tommy," she said warmly.
"I am glad you ain’t scared of us no more like you was when you first got here. I knowed you was scared ‘cause I used to be that way, and I remember what it feels like. This is a good place, and I’m glad you come here. I kinda feel like, you know, since I don’t have one . . . I pretend sometimes . . . like you are my . . . my family."
Maggie’s eyes filled with tears. She stared at him for long moments without words, until he began to squirm uneasily, afraid that he had made a horrible mistake and that Maggie did not feel the same way about him