Ride the Rainbow Home (9 page)

"Don't forget me." Chris jumped up beside his brothers. "Never let it be said that I missed an opportunity to serenade a pretty lady."

"I’m the bass." Bob rounded out the quartet as they began "On Moonlight Bay," then sang a series of old favorites and it was quickly obvious that they’d sung together many times before. Kate was right about the quality of their harmony and Meg was impressed again by the clarity and richness of Jim's baritone.

But that wasn't all that impressed her. Meg sat enthralled, charmed by both the music and the warm family feeling. This afternoon with the McAllisters was unlike anything she'd ever known. To Meg, who'd had a series of stepfathers and only one half-brother, six years older, families like this were only on television. Until today, she'd questioned whether they even existed. Her eyes were moist as the men ended with "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling." The rest of the family applauded and Joan excused herself to put her little ones down for a nap.

Meg was looking out the front window, her throat still choked with emotion, when Jim slipped his arm around her. "What are you thinking?"

"It was delightful, Jim," she whispered. "So is your family."

"Then why the tears?" Jim wiped at one that crept down her cheek.

"It's nothing," Meg said, then, "You must love them all very much."

"Yes, I do." Jim's eyes glowed with warmth. He stepped nearer.

"Before you boys go," Kate said as she entered, "I want to make sure you help Chris move those sows to the farrowing pens."

"Yes, ma'am," Kurt said, taking off his Sunday coat.

Jim turned to his mother. "We'll take care of it now," he said, and then he spoke to Meg, "I'll be back soon."

"Come on, Jim. I'll help," Bob said. The men left together.

Meg found herself alone with Kate and Joan. "That's a wonderful tradition, Kate. You certainly have things well in hand."

"Thank you," Kate answered with an exaggerated sigh. "My family is my joy." Then she snickered. "When they're not driving me nuts! Well, looks like it's time for me to get dessert." In a flash she was gone.

"Slick how she managed that," Joan said as her mother left.

Meg realized how Kate had maneuvered her. "Yes," she said. "Very slick indeed. So what comes next?"

Joan smiled. "It isn't meant to be an interrogation, exactly—" Meg would have been happier if she'd dropped the last word. "I just asked Mom to arrange for us to have a few minutes alone. I understand how you couldn't talk in front of Jim or the boys...."

Meg picked up the thread. "Is this supposed to be a 'What are your intentions toward my brother' lecture?"

Joan gave her a short, assessing look. "Well, yes. We've never seen him take a girlfriend to church, and we know you haven't been around long. We don't know whether you're planning to stick around, and, well, none of us wants to see Jim hurt."

"You say he's never taken a girlfriend to church?" Meg was remembering the way he'd held her, letting the whole town talk.

"No. At least never that we've seen. He's never brought a woman to Sunday with the family either."

"He hasn't?" Meg couldn't stop her satisfied smile.

"He hasn't." Joan was definite. "So you see why we're a bit curious."

"Yes, I see. You McAllisters are pretty protective of one another, aren't you?"

"Yes, I suppose we are. We've had to be in Rainbow Rock."

"I remember," Meg offered. "This little town was pretty tough on me too, back in high school."

"Oh! So you
are
the Peggy Taylor I remember. I thought so!"

"Jim didn't tell you?"

"All he told us was that he was bringing a woman named Meg Taylor to church and to dinner on Sunday." Joan paused. "You are Peggy Taylor, right?"

"I was, once."

"I remember seeing you and Jim and Sally together. You used to be called the three musketeers."

Meg nodded, listening with half an ear as Joan rehashed memories of Jim and Meg together, moments Meg didn't even recall.
And why not?
she wondered.
Why don't I remember this?
"Jim still has a picture I took of the three of you," Joan was saying. "It was at the spring assembly during your junior year, I think, and you were in a silly skit about a doctor's office."

"I remember," Meg said. "Jimmy was the doctor and Sally was pretending to be pregnant—"

"That's right. Jim still has that picture. It's framed on an end table in his living room."

"His living room?" Meg asked. "I thought Jim lived here."

"Oh, no. Not since he graduated college. But does that mean he hasn't taken you to his home?" Then Joan looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I'm pressing too hard. Of course he hasn't or you wouldn't have asked, but don't worry. Jim never takes anyone to his place. He must feel awfully close to you even to bring you here."

"Jim and I have been friends a long time," Meg answered, feeling a little less confident than she had a moment ago.

"Trust me, Meg," Joan said knowingly. "Jim doesn't look at his friends the way he looks at you."

Meg smiled gratefully.

That was when they heard the commotion in the yard. Kate stepped in from the kitchen. "Do you know what that's all about?" Joan shook her head.

"Mom! Joan!" Kurt shouted. "Come out! Bring Meg with you!"

Kate went to the screen door. "What's the problem?"

Kurt yelled back, "One of the sows just dropped a litter. We thought you'd want to see."

Kate sighed in relief. "Looks like one of the girls beat us to it," she said. "Everything's all right or they'd be more concerned." She turned to Joan and Meg. "Would you ladies like to see some piglets?"

"Sure," Joan said, and looked up just in time to spy Alice and Tyler sneaking down the stairs. "How about you two? Want to see some piggies?"

"Oh, Mama, can we?" Alice said, and Tyler said, "Piggies, Mama." The women gathered up the young ones as they headed for the barn. Meg felt lost as she dragged behind Kate and Joan, each of them carrying a child.

They found the men in the farrowing barn where they'd just settled the new mother into a pair of standing racks so she couldn't roll on her babies, and put her litter of ten into some clean straw.

Jim saw Meg enter and gestured for her to come to him. He wrapped one arm around her as she did. "Cute little devils, aren't they?" he murmured near her ear.

She looked—and saw the miracle of new life, closer and more real than she'd ever seen it before. "Amazing," she whispered.

Jim gave her a tender look. "It always is," he said softly. "I've seen hundreds of animals born, mostly pigs, but sheep and calves and foals, puppies and kittens too. It's always amazing."

"Yes," she said, nodding. "Yes."

They stood at the rail, watching as the newborns snorted about their mother, each finding a teat on her underbelly.

"They'll each stake out one that's theirs alone," Jim explained as they watched the pigs jockeying. "In the future, when they come to their mother, each will go back to that same place. If one tries to usurp the teat that belongs to another, there'll be a small skirmish and the intruder will retreat. That's why a litter has a runt. The smaller, weaker newborns get shoved forward toward the smaller teats that produce less milk, then they just stay small."

Meg thought of Little Jimmy McAllister and realized that the process worked much the same among humans. She was grateful to see how thoroughly Jim had grown a place for himself.

For a time the family stood around the fence, content to watch. Then Kate announced there were leftovers and peach cobbler for anyone who was hungry, and one by one the group broke up, straggling toward the house. The last to go were Joan and Bob and their children, with Jim and Meg following. As they walked back, Jim walked ahead to join Bob. In the process, Tyler got behind. A moment later, when he stumbled and fell, bumping his knee with a whack, Meg was the only adult close enough to offer comfort. Her reaction was all instinct. "Come here, sweetheart," she said and Tyler came, tottering trustingly into her arms just as Tommy had done. Meg almost sobbed as she drew the child to her.

Joan was right behind him. "What's the matter, honey?"

No one was more surprised than Meg when Tyler clung to her, holding on until his mother eased his fingers away and took him into her own arms. Joan's eyes were warm as she searched Meg's. "He trusts you," she said, picking up her child. Then her voice dropped meaningfully as she looked toward Jim. "He trusts you too." She carried Tyler toward the house, leaving the full impact of the message to ring in the air.

The family gathered in the kitchen, preparing roast beef sandwiches and dishing up peach cobbler with fresh whipped cream. Jim offered to help Meg find things as they each made a sandwich, then Jim dished up two monstrous helpings of cobbler and handed one to Meg, who quietly put half of it back when Jim turned to fill their glasses. "We can eat on the porch swing," he offered. "Watch the sunset, maybe."

"That sounds lovely." Meg followed him to the porch.

When they were seated in the swing with their supper in their laps, Jim murmured, "So did my mother quiz you?"

Meg swallowed. "No, she left that to your sister."

Jim chuckled. "I was afraid they'd want to check you out. That's how a family is, I guess."

"Joan remembered me."

"I wondered if she would."

"She said you still had a picture of you and me and Sally in the doctor sketch." Meg hoped Jim would pick up her hint. "She said it's on a corner table in your front room."

"Yes. I like that one," Jim said, but he didn't offer more.

They soon found themselves rocking slowly in the swing, dirty plates on the deck beside them. The sun touched the horizon and shot shafts of light across the sky, turning the distant clouds crimson. "Comfortable?" Jim asked.

"Mmm," she answered, snuggling.

"I was just thinking about the barn this morning," Jim said, then reached two fingers under Meg's chin to turn her face to his.

"You were? And what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking," Jim began, running his thumb over her bottom lip, allowing her to feel the roughness, "that if Chris hadn't come along just when he did—"

Jim leaned forward. Meg waited breathlessly, starved for the kiss she'd anticipated for hours, maybe days. She saw Jim's eyelids drift closed as his face brushed near hers, then—

"Two little lovebirds sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!" Alice burst onto the porch, chanting, then giggled as Jim looked up, the mood broken once again. He looked at Meg and sighed.

"I love your family, Jim," she said from between clenched teeth. "I do. Honest."

Jim laughed aloud. "I might have known we'd find little enough privacy. Still, I'd hate to disappoint a child..." He let the sentence drift as he returned his thumb to Meg's mouth.

"You don't mind that Alice is watching?"

"Not if you don't."

"I don't!" she said with vigor. "Jim, are you finally going to kiss me?"

"Yes, I think I am." He leaned forward and placed a tender, chaste kiss on her mouth. It wasn't enough. Meg melted against him, pouring her all into her answering kiss.

"Well, son." Kate McAllister stepped onto the porch just in time to catch the showy embrace. "I'm pleased to see you still know how to make a guest feel at home."

Meg drew away, coloring again, but Jim held her close.

"Never let it be said that I don't give a guest my very best," he replied calmly, running his fingers through Meg's hair. She felt like purring.

Kate looked at Meg. "The family gathers here every Sunday after church, Meg—at least whoever's in town. You're welcome to join us any time, and if he doesn't invite you, remember I did."

Meg could only mumble, "Thank you. I will."

Jim stroked Meg's hair. "Come on," he said. "Let's go inside before they form a line."

The party broke up soon afterward, with Joan and Bob the first to leave. As their car pulled away, Jim announced that he and Meg would be leaving too. They spoke little in the car on the way back to Sally's house. Mostly Meg shared her impressions of Jim's family and Jim agreed they could be overwhelming sometimes.

There was a long moment at the door when they stood simply looking at each other. Then Jim leaned forward. "Good night, Meg," he said, and tenderly kissed her cheek. Meg wanted to grab the man and make him kiss her the way they'd kissed before.

"Meggie? I told Chris we had plans for Wednesday."

"I heard."

"I have to fly to San Francisco tomorrow. I'll be gone till Wednesday afternoon. Will you go out with me when I get back?"

She flashed him a coy look. "Well, I don't know..."

He stroked her cheek; she could still feel the kiss. "I know. It wasn't fair. Go out with me anyway?"

"Yes, I'd like that."