Remember last week when Prudie was stung by a wasp? Four boys ran to help her.' 'She's not near as much to look at as your Linnet, but she always has the boys. 'Now there isn't a time of the day when Prudie isn't surrounded by young men,' Ellen continued. Miranda did as she was told before returning her attention to the pot of beans. I did try to talk to her once, tried to explain how men like to feel they're somethin' special. 'Oh yes, I was talking about Linnet, the way she unnerves men.

'Now where was I?' She either didn't see or pretended not to see Miranda's frown. The heavy woman sat, knees apart, as she tried to balance her huge stomach. Mind if I sit a spell? My back hurts more every minute.' Not that there's anything wrong with Linnet, she's certainly pretty enough, but it's just the way she looks at a man, something about the way she stares at him and the way she always seems to be able to take care of herself. Watson looked away and gave an embarrassed little laugh. Besides, to be honest, I'm not so sure young men are ready to take on the responsibility of my daughter.' 'You're welcome to try, but Linnet has her own mind. It's high time she had some young'uns of her own, 'stead of takin' on everybody else's.' 'You know, Miranda, you and Amos ought to talk to Linnet. Watson's oldest boy to the Tyler wagon so many times. 'If a body didn't know better, you wouldn't be able to tell which was the children and which was Linnet.' She watched the girl, holding hands in a circle, no taller than the half-grown children for all her twenty years, a loose dress covering the young curves of her body, the same curves that had sent Mrs. Watson shielded her eyes from the glare of the setting sun. 'She's playing with the children again.' The smaller woman's voice had a clear, English accent, so different from her companion's slurred words. 'Where's Linnet, Miranda?' she asked the woman across the fire from her. Watson stood, putting a hand on the small of her back to ease her stomach and the child that would soon be born. 'I can't tell you how glad I am to be rid of some of this heat. A group of children was playing within sight of the adults.

Tired women went about the chore of preparing supper while the men looked after the animals. Four wagons, in good repair, stood to one side, oxen grazing nearby, while two carriages, once pretty things, were barely standing on their high wheels. The forest closed around the motley array of wagons, horses and people.

Sweetbriar by Jude Deveraux