the door and stood looking down at his feet. Ana didn’t know if he was embarrassed for himself or for her. She did know that she had never been subjected to such rude treatment and that she was not going to tolerate it any longer.
“What’s she doing in here in her nightclothes?” Esther continued scathingly. “She’s a disgrace, is what she is! I hope the neighbors don’t get wind of it. The Jamison’s have a good name in this county and I don’t intend to stand by and see it smirched by the likes of her!”
Ana stood. “Mrs. Knutson! Don’t talk about me as if I were not here.” Self-respect was all that kept Ana from saying several swear words that came to her mind. “How dare you stand there and tell me so piously that I’m a disgrace!”
Esther’s eyes raked over her. “I’ve got eyes. I can see what you are.”
“That’s enough, Esther!” Owen’s voiced thundered.
The silence after Owen’s shout only added to Ana’s mortification. Blood surged to her face. She clamped her lips together and willed the tears to stay behind her eyes. With her head high, she met Esther’s accusing eyes head-on before she transferred her contemptuous gaze to Owen. His tolerance of his sister’s dictatorial behavior was disgusting.
“Poor Harriet. Her life here must have been . . . hell! It’s too bad her
husband
didn’t have the guts to run his own household. In my opinion there is nothing more disgusting than a weak-kneed, henpecked man! If you’ll excuse me”—she looked at Uncle Gus and Soren—“I’ll take my leave and
she
can clean up this . . . mess. I doubt that I could do it to suit her.” Ana waved her arm toward the table and walked out of the room.
“I’m not cleaning up
her
mess.”
Esther’s voice reached Ana before she reached the bedroom. The sleeping baby was all that kept Ana from slamming the door so hard it would shake the house. Her anger was directed more at Owen than at his sister. She’d like to pound him to a pulp. A grown man who would allow himself to be so firmly under his sister’s thumb was beneath contempt.
Ana paced the room. How could she survive in this place until the baby was strong enough to make the trip to Dubuque? What could she do? She had actually begun to like Owen Jamison, not that she forgave him for what he had done to Harriet.
Don’t let her run you off!
Harriet’s pleading words played over and over in Ana’s mind.
“Don’t worry, honey,” Ana muttered. “When I leave here, little Harry will be with me.”
In the kitchen, Owen closed the door leading into the hall.
“Go on ahead, Soren. I’ll be out . . . shortly.”
“I’ll fill the water tanks, then hitch up.”
“Why’d he come back now?” Esther asked as soon as the door closed behind Soren. “Land sakes! He’s turned out to be nothing but a wanderer, floating from pillar to post turning up here to fill his stomach when he runs out of money.”
“This is Soren’s home. He’s welcome to come back anytime he wants to.”
“This
isn’t
his home. It’s yours and mine and Paul’s when he chooses to remember it.”
“Sit down, Esther. It’s time we came to an understanding about a few things.”
“What do you mean? I can’t sit down. I’ve got this mess to clean up.” She waved her arms, forgetting she had just said she wasn’t going to.
“No one asked you to clean the kitchen. Sit down,” Owen said quietly, but there was a tone in his voice that sent a chill of apprehension down Esther’s spine. She plunked herself down on a chair in an irritable manner.
“All right. I can see you’ve got something in your craw. You’ve not been the same since you brought that girl here last October.”
“There was no call for you to be insulting to Mrs. Fairfax.”
“I say there was. The idea! There she sat as brazen as a hussy in her nightclothes with you, and Soren, and even Uncle Gus fawning over her.”
“She was wearing a perfectly decent
“What’s she doing in here in her nightclothes?” Esther continued scathingly. “She’s a disgrace, is what she is! I hope the neighbors don’t get wind of it. The Jamison’s have a good name in this county and I don’t intend to stand by and see it smirched by the likes of her!”
Ana stood. “Mrs. Knutson! Don’t talk about me as if I were not here.” Self-respect was all that kept Ana from saying several swear words that came to her mind. “How dare you stand there and tell me so piously that I’m a disgrace!”
Esther’s eyes raked over her. “I’ve got eyes. I can see what you are.”
“That’s enough, Esther!” Owen’s voiced thundered.
The silence after Owen’s shout only added to Ana’s mortification. Blood surged to her face. She clamped her lips together and willed the tears to stay behind her eyes. With her head high, she met Esther’s accusing eyes head-on before she transferred her contemptuous gaze to Owen. His tolerance of his sister’s dictatorial behavior was disgusting.
“Poor Harriet. Her life here must have been . . . hell! It’s too bad her
husband
didn’t have the guts to run his own household. In my opinion there is nothing more disgusting than a weak-kneed, henpecked man! If you’ll excuse me”—she looked at Uncle Gus and Soren—“I’ll take my leave and
she
can clean up this . . . mess. I doubt that I could do it to suit her.” Ana waved her arm toward the table and walked out of the room.
“I’m not cleaning up
her
mess.”
Esther’s voice reached Ana before she reached the bedroom. The sleeping baby was all that kept Ana from slamming the door so hard it would shake the house. Her anger was directed more at Owen than at his sister. She’d like to pound him to a pulp. A grown man who would allow himself to be so firmly under his sister’s thumb was beneath contempt.
Ana paced the room. How could she survive in this place until the baby was strong enough to make the trip to Dubuque? What could she do? She had actually begun to like Owen Jamison, not that she forgave him for what he had done to Harriet.
Don’t let her run you off!
Harriet’s pleading words played over and over in Ana’s mind.
“Don’t worry, honey,” Ana muttered. “When I leave here, little Harry will be with me.”
In the kitchen, Owen closed the door leading into the hall.
“Go on ahead, Soren. I’ll be out . . . shortly.”
“I’ll fill the water tanks, then hitch up.”
“Why’d he come back now?” Esther asked as soon as the door closed behind Soren. “Land sakes! He’s turned out to be nothing but a wanderer, floating from pillar to post turning up here to fill his stomach when he runs out of money.”
“This is Soren’s home. He’s welcome to come back anytime he wants to.”
“This
isn’t
his home. It’s yours and mine and Paul’s when he chooses to remember it.”
“Sit down, Esther. It’s time we came to an understanding about a few things.”
“What do you mean? I can’t sit down. I’ve got this mess to clean up.” She waved her arms, forgetting she had just said she wasn’t going to.
“No one asked you to clean the kitchen. Sit down,” Owen said quietly, but there was a tone in his voice that sent a chill of apprehension down Esther’s spine. She plunked herself down on a chair in an irritable manner.
“All right. I can see you’ve got something in your craw. You’ve not been the same since you brought that girl here last October.”
“There was no call for you to be insulting to Mrs. Fairfax.”
“I say there was. The idea! There she sat as brazen as a hussy in her nightclothes with you, and Soren, and even Uncle Gus fawning over her.”
“She was wearing a perfectly decent
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