Marriage of Necessity

~25~ Waggin' Tongue

Tomorrow harvest begins, and according to Matthew, it's a whole shin-dig. All the kids will be home until it's complete.

"You come up with a name for yur puppy, James?" Matthew asks for the tenth time. Jamie has been having a hard time coming up with the perfect name for his new little friend.

"Yup!"

"Are ya gonna share?" He asks, keeping the smirk off of his face.

"Pickle"

Matthew just gives him a blank stare, stunned into literal silence.

"I'm sorry. What'd ya say?"

"Pickle"

"What kind of a name is that?"

"Well, I got ta thinking that I should name him somethin' that I love. I can't think of nothin' I love more than pickles."

Matthew clears his throat. "I ain't hollerin' for a dog and callin' him pickle. Come up with somethin' else."

"But pa!!"

"I mean it, Jamie. No."

Jamie sticks out his bottom lip and crosses his arms. "He loves it."

"How ya figure that?"

"I called him, and he wagged his tail and scampered right on over."

"Pick a different name," Matthew says, his voice brooking no argument.

"You will think of something," I say as I kiss his cheek.

"I already thinked of one," he pouts as he climbs in the wagon for church.

"I have no problem bein' a touch late for service to tan your hide, young man," Matthew says as he climbs in the seat next to me.

"What'd I do now?" Jamie asks as he sits roughly next to Junior and sighs loudly.

Matthew turns in his seat and his eyes harden. "You're poutin'...Really think it wise to sass too?"

"No pa."

He nods as he turns around and gets the team moving. "You think it's wise to sass today at church?" He whispers to me.

"No pa," I grin at him.

His mouth twitches as he gets the team moving a touch faster.

When we get in, I see a boy with a bruise around his eye that looks like it's fading. My lands, Junior sure got Walter good.

I see Matthew whispering something in Junior's ear, and Junior simply nods.

"What did you say to him?" I question once he gets closer to me.

"I asked him if he kept his thumb out of his fist when he threw the punch."

I stop walking at that, and look at him hard.

"What are ya doin'? Church is about to start," Matthew says when he notices I've stopped.

"You condone violence, but not sassin'?"

"Don't pick a fight with me in front of people. We'll talk 'bout this later," he says in such a low tone, I hardly heard him.

I glare at him as I walk past. I don't feel like fighting, but seriously! It's just like a man to be ok with punching someone in the nose, but not telling off a gossiping shrew.

We get in and get seated, RIGHT in front of Mrs. Salders and a couple of her daughters.

Wonderful. Lord, I ain't in the mood for this nonsense. Keep the Devil away!