MM01 - Valley of Fire by Peggy Webb

feet propped up. She was no longer making any pretense of sipping the milk; she was merely staring into space, a half-smile on her lips. He almost believed in the myth of her pregnancy. She glowed, she had the look.
    What would it be like to have a pregnant wife? To know that a woman was carrying his child?
    It was something he'd never thought of before. He'd only thought in terms of his fun and his freedom. Even when he'd considered that he would someday settle down, he hadn't thought of having children.
    As he turned his attention back to the dishes, his best friend came into mind. If ever there was a man who adored his wife and family, it was Jacob Donovan. He was the same old devil-may-care, quick-to-laugh Jacob, but these days he was settling for supervising his oil field fire fighters instead of being in the thick of the blaze himself. That and full-time doting. If ever a man doted, it was Jacob. To hear him tell it, his two boys, Benjamin and Joseph, were the smartest, brightest children in Greenville. His wife Rachel, in the eighth month of her pregnancy with twins, had confided that Jacob was spoiling all of them.
    She adored it, of course. That Rachel Donovan was some woman.
    Martha Ann was like her in some ways—full of fun and spirit, given to quick laughter and quick passions. Jacob Donovan had fallen under Rachel's spell not once, but twice. Rick decided that it might behoove him to exercise a little caution around Martha Ann. He had no intention of falling under anybody's spell, and he certainly had no intention of settling into domestic bliss this early in his life.
    “The dishes are all done, my sweet. I think I'll take another look at that tractor. Maybe I can get it running.”
    Rick left the kitchen with unusual haste. Martha Ann told herself she should be relieved. No more pampering and no more steamy caresses. She left the rocking chair and put the unfinished glass of milk in the refrigerator. It would be there in case Rick wanted to force more calcium on her.
    Together the two clocks on the wall struck twenty. Only ten o'clock. Twelve more hours until she had to climb into that bed again with Rick McGill. She figured she would use the time wisely by shoring up her weakened defenses. And the only way she knew how to do that was to avoid seeing him.
    She went outside, found Velma, and lined up enough chores to last her until nighttime.
     o0o
    That evening she was in bed long before Rick. Pleading tiredness, she'd gone to bed early, leaving him watching a sitcom and a detective show with the Running Bears.
    The first thing she noticed when she went into the bedroom was the smell. Good grief. Not again. She turned on the light and searched the room. Sure enough, the little mesh bag was right back under the bed. She picked it up gingerly and tossed it back out the window.
    The only way she knew to get rid of the smell was to light the scented candles. So she did. All of them.
    When he came into the room, she was lying flat on her back, staring at the ceiling, surrounded by gossamer curtains and blazing candles.
    “I see you've prepared for me.”
    “Oh, hush up and come to bed.” During the day she'd washed Velma's clothes at the creek, helped her can six quarts of tomatoes, and learned to needlepoint. But it hadn't helped one bit in getting Rick McGill out of her mind. She was tired, and she was testy.
    “Eager, are you, my pet?” His clothes hit the floor with a plop, and he climbed in beside her.
    “If you so much as put one foot on my side of the bed, I'll scream.”
    “You shouldn't scare a fellow like that.”
    “Humph.” She flopped over and turned her back to him.
    “Good night, my pet.” He reached over and patted her bottom.
    She jumped at his touch. He chuckled.
    “Muscle spasms,” she said. “You had nothing to do with it.”
    “I'll have to try harder next time.”
    “I keep hoping there won't be a next time.”
    “Haven't you noticed? There always is with us.”
    He turned on