“No trouble, just the same attitude as when you left. Nosey, gossipin’ fools all think we’ve done somethin’ wrong. Well, not you, of course,” she drawled sarcastically. “Men are known for that sort of thing. It’s always the woman who bears the brunt of it. I think if I acted ashamed, they’d like it better.”
“I’m a mite narrow-minded about some things myself, darlin. You should remember that. I hope you’re not makin’ things worse with your attitude.”
“How could they be worse? Your ma barely tolerates me in public. If no one is around she looks at me like I’ve crawled out from under a rock. Your brother smirks, like he knows some huge secret and winks at me whenever he sees me. Why is that?”
“I think he came home early that day and heard me spankin’ you,” Sean admitted quietly.
“What?” she hissed into the phone.
“I never meant for that to happen, sweetheart,” Sean sighed. “I’ll have a word with him.”
“No, I’ll have a word with him and then some,” Maeve snapped. “I wonder how many of his boyos he’s shared that with!”
“I’ve said I’ll deal with it,” Sean repeated sternly.
“You know what, O’Malley? At this point I really don’t care what you’ve said, nor do I care what you’ll say in the future. In fact, I’ve had about enough of people tellin’ me what I should and shouldn’t do. You’re there and I’m here, and I’ll handle things as I see fit.”
“Now listen here?—”
“No, you listen. I’m goin’ to rethink this whole marriage thing. Maybe I’m not good enough for you after all. Not perfect enough to uphold the high O’Malley standards. The golden child, altar boy extraordinaire, scholar, civil engineer, comes back home and wants to marry that wild Donahue girl. No wonder the whole town is up in arms! Why she wears make-up and hikes her skirt up and now look, she’s trapped the poor boy into marriage by gettin’ pregnant! ’Tis a sin, ’tis what it is, a regular cryin’ shame,” she crowed loud enough to have her mother hurrying from the kitchen as she wiped her hands on a towel.
“Maeve…” Sean roared into the phone. “Stop that talk this minute!”
“I won’t,” she insisted, stomping her foot. “And do you know what the funny thing in this whole farce is, O’Malley? The little tramp is still a virgin. One who’s been in love with one boy her entire, short, uninspired life. Well, maybe she won’t be by the time you get back,” she laughed. “Maybe she won’t be in love and maybe she won’t be a virgin any longer. How do you like that?”
“I’d show you how I liked it if I was there, you little hellion,” he ground out.
“And another thing. I don’t think I’m goin’ to sit still for you smackin’ away on my bottom every time I do somethin’ you don’t approve of, in fact, I know I’m not,” she informed him crisply as she watched her mother’s eyebrows rise until they nearly blended into her hairline.
“No, most likely you won’t be sittin’ at all once I get hold of you,” Sean agreed darkly. “Listen, I have to go now, but I’m warnin’ you, lass, prepare to get straightened out when I get home and right quick. I’ll not have a wife who talks to me as you have.”
“That’s the point, O’Malley,” she snorted, brushing a tear from her cheek in surprise.
“We’ll see,” he said ominously.
“Aye, we will. Safe travels, Sean,” she said softly before hanging up the phone.
“Maeve, by all that’s holy, what’s this all about?” her mother asked, gently touching her shoulder as she huddled against the wall.
“Oh, Ma,” Maeve wailed mournfully before throwing herself into her mother’s arms. “I’ve told so many lies, deceived so many people and all because I got your stubborn streak.”
Margaret Donahue was taken aback and a few seconds later she dissolved in laughter. “I guess you do at that, daughter,” she agreed. “Come into the kitchen and I’ll make you a cup of tea. Then you can tell me just what you’ve gotten yourself into.”
Chapter Eight
It was a good hour before Margaret managed to get to the bottom of the problem. Oh, she understood her daughter had lied and why she’d done it. After all, she’d been young once too. She didn’t care for Sean’s mother either, and at this moment she wasn’t particularly fond of Sean. Imagine him spanking her daughter! Who did he think he was? Aye, she knew some women put up with that sort of thing, the man is the king of his castle and all that nonsense, but Margaret wasn’t one of them.
She ruled the roost, and had since her very first argument with Maeve’s da. Women had ways to get around that and it would be best for Maeve to put Sean O’Malley in his place right from the start.
“Are you sure you want to marry The O’Malley?” she asked, patting her daughter’s hand.
“No,” Maeve replied as she fiddled with her teaspoon.
“Well do ya love him?”
“Aye, Ma. I do. I have for years and years, but I didn’t know he was goin’ to be so bossy and opinionated. Well, I guess I did, but I hoped he’d grow out of it when he became a full grown man. And I never really expected him to want me.”
“Why would you say such a thing? You’re a lovely young woman and any man would be lucky to have you.”
