The Touch of Sage by Marcia Lynn McClure

that Sage was very young to have had the responsib ility of raising her sisters heaped on her shoulders. He thought of the girl now — kneeling before the tiny gravestone in the lonely pasture— crying in the rain. He clinched his jaw, angry with himself for adding to her misery.
    “Rosie was livin ’ at Willows ’s when Matthew and Susan died , and I know she was a real help and strength to Sage, ” Eugenia continued. “ Still, runnin ’ a boarding house and bein ’ a parent to those girls…well, Sage ’ s life just got skipped over. Even when Clark Miller wanted to court Sage…well, Sage was too busy with Karoline and April ’ s antics , and Clark turned his attention to Betty…the girl just two years under Sage. They got married…oh…about four years back and moved out to Texas . Then April married a year or so later and then Karoline just this past year. ”
    “ Ain ’ t real fair, ” Reb mumbled.
    “ Many things aren ’ t in life, ” Eugenia said. “ Are they now? ” Reb looked away from his aunt, his teeth grinding with anger and resolve.
    “ So anyway, ” Eugenia continued, “ I think Sage has resigned herself to us…me, Rosie , Livie , and Mary. And I think I would too, if Forest Simmons was my only other choice. ”
    Reb frowned. “ Did that ol ’ goat really ask her to marry him? ” The thought of Sage married to Forest Simmons made Reb ’ s stomach churn.
    Eugenia nodded. “ Yes , he did, ” she told him. “ Offered her a great life too…told her he ’ d save her from bein ’ a spinster if she married him and had a couple of boys for him. ”
    “ Well , that just makes me plum sick, ” Reb growled.
    “ Which part, sweetie? ” Eugenia asked. “ Him callin ’ her a spinster straight to her face? ”
    Reb shook his head and growled with disgust. “ No. The thought of her havin ’ to take to his bed. ”
     
    Eugenia smiled. Reb was undone , and she was delighted by it. Something had happened in town that day. Something other than what Reb had told her about Forest Simmons barking at Sage about his lady dog ’ s impending litter. She hadn ’ t quite been able to get out of him exactly what it was, but something had happened. She was convinced of it. Furthermore, whatever it was had completely rattled Reb , and that is precisely what she wanted to see. Rebel Lee Mitchell needed some rattling.
    She smiled and continued, “ She refused his proposal, of course, and he got more and more hateful toward her every time she did. ”
    “ Well, ain ’ t there plenty of young bucks around here? ” Reb asked. He was irritated, nervous , and angry. Eugenia smiled.
    “ Sure. Plenty of young does too, boy. Or hadn ’ t you noticed? ” Eugenia asked.
    Reb rolled his eyes and scratched his goatee. “ Yeah, yeah, yeah. I noticed. They ’ re like a pack of wolves a - droolin ’ over a wounded baby. ” He shook his head. “ Still, she ain ’ t that much older than Milly Michaels and the rest of those honeycombs here ’ bout. And she ’ s a far sight better lookin ’ . A far sight! ” he said.
    Eugenia nodded. “ Yes, she is, ” she agreed. “ But she ’ s resigned. ”
    “ From what? ” Reb asked.
    Eugenia chuckled at the silly man. “ She ’ s resigned herself to bein ’ alone. I think it ’ s become easier for her to just sit around and laugh at us than to hope for somethin ’ more fullfilin ’ out of life. ”
    Reb nodded , and Eugenia knew he understood all too well how Sage felt.
    “ So, ” Eugenia began, “ what else happened in town today? I mean…it ’ s rainin ’ like mad outside, I know. But, I get the feelin ’ you aren ’ t just sittin ’ here waitin ’ for Rosie , Mary , and Livie to get up from their nappin ’ . ”
    Reb shook his head, shifted his weight uncomfortably in the parlor chair , and nervously scratched his whiskery chin again.
    “ Oh, I…I done somethin ’ …somethin ’ wrong. I think anyway, ” he mumbled. Eugenia raised