and put away, you can come back here and get your dress. But you won’t wear anything until this is fixed.” I condemn her to a day of nudity. In some ways, it’s worse than the shed, but at least she won’t be alone.
Another tear rolls down her cheek and drips from her chin as she nods.
“Thank you, Elijah.” She fists her hands at her sides. She wants to rub her ass, but she won’t. It wouldn’t help anyway.
“You’re welcome, Nicolette. I love you, you know.” I brush her hair from her face. Several strands have gotten stuck in the puddle of tears.
“I love you too.” She smiles, and it’s genuine. As much as she’s hurting right now, she knows the love I have for her. She doesn’t hurt on the inside, and that’s what’s important.
“Make sure you let Papa know you love him too. Don’t let him think you’re mad at him for bringing your sin to me.” My smile slips a little, but I give her a wink so she doesn’t think it’s because of her.
We aren’t supposed to harbor any jealousy when Nicolette shows her love for someone else, but it’s not always easy to push it down.
“I will.” I can see more thoughts building in her mind. Before I send her to Papa and get to work with Mark, I want to make sure she’s clearheaded.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” I ask, tapping her temple.
She bites down on her lower lip and starts wringing her hands.
“Nicolette. Tell me.” I harden my voice just enough to get her to cooperate. I can sense Papa’s still watching us. It would be a really bad time for her to misbehave again.
“I love Papa and you and Mark, and I know what we do…how we show it to each other, is normal and right…” She lets the sentence fade, as though she’s not certain she can voice this concern she’s cradling.
“Go on,” I urge, tucking my hands into my front pockets.
“It’s just…well, sometimes don’t you wonder about other people? Like, other families?” She looks off toward the woods. “We aren’t the only family in the world.”
I step forward and press my finger to her mouth. If her voice carries and Papa hears this, she’s going to have more than just a whipping in her future.
“All we need is each other,” I say simply. “Are you thinking you need more?” I ask, fearful of her answer.
She blinks, then shakes her head hard. “No. No, Elijah. That’s not what I meant. I was just curious. Like Uncle Luke, he taught Grandpa and Grandpa…taught Papa. But…well, what do other families do if they don’t have an Uncle Luke to teach them?”
My shoulders relax. She’s worried there are other girls who aren’t being loved the right way by their daddies and their brothers.
“I’m sure they have their ways. Some good and some bad. And I’m sure there are more Uncle Luke’s out there. We’re lucky.” And we are. If he hadn’t helped our grandpa and grandma get their family in order, we wouldn’t be living on our little homestead in the mountains. We wouldn’t know such love.
She nods slowly, then drags her gaze over my shoulder.
“We are,” she says, but there’s a soft undercurrent of doubt. “I better get to Papa before he starts to worry I’ve forgotten about him.” She smiles and waits for me to nod my permission before she walks toward Papa on the porch.
Once she gets to the porch, he says something to her that makes her turn away from him and bend over at the waist. He tilts his head one way, then the other, inspecting my work. After he touches her ass with the toe of his boot, she stands straight. Papa jerks his head toward the door, and she patters up the steps into the house. He finds me watching him and gives me an approving wave.
I wave back and head toward the chicken coop. I need to clean up my tools in the living room, but he’s gone back into the house. Nicolette will be loving him for a while. I’ll clean up when they’re done.
“Boys, we need to work on the fence at the front of the property. The posts fell during the windstorm last night.” Papa leans back in his chair, rubbing his belly. It’s rounder than it used to be, but he’s getting up there in years, so it’s to be expected.
I stare at my empty plate as my own