*Author's Note*
Thank you for all the follows, faves, and reviews.
Peggy's face claim is Mira Sorvino
Warning, Jessa's upset with Tolbert so she's not going to make very smart choices in this chapter…
'78 Thanksgiving Pt.2
Allie POV:
An endless sea of people crowded around the large table for the holiday meal. After us women served side dishes on everyone's plates, we made us our own plates and took our seats. Once everyone was seated, Devil Anse took the carving knife and fork in his hands and stood up in order to carve the large roasted turkey (that he hunted since ya know there's no such thing as a supermarket) and officially start the holiday dinner. Once the turkey was a little more then half carved, Anse sat down and put some meat on his plate.
One after another everyone started to grab some meat off the platter, placing it onto their plates. The children had help by a nearby adult so they wouldn't make a mess. All in all, the scene was very family oriented and felt very warm.
"When're you and Cap gonna have a baby?" Cotton asked me with an innocent look on his face as he sat next to me.
Uncle Jim let out a low chuckle while Ellison looked a bit mortified and embarrassed by what his simple-minded son had asked. Sully just shook his head and dug into his dinner while Cap just shrugged; shoving a forkful of turkey into his mouth.
"Whenever it happens. A baby comes when it comes; there's no way to control when, but don't worry when the time's right me and Cap'll have a baby." I told my boyish cousin-in-law with a sweet smile before eating a piece of my turkey.
"Oh…" Cotton let out in a long sigh before nodding his head a bit slowly and going on to eat his dinner.
"I take it the marriage is a happy one?" Sully asked, his eyes going back and forth between me and my husband.
"Yea, Sully, we're happy." Cap answered the teacher in between eating his dinner.
"Talk 'bout marriage, is your boy gonna be the next groom in this family?" Ellison asked, giving Sully a curious look.
"I suppose, he hasn't told me much about his relationship with Miss George."
"Oh, he'll be marrying her." Abel blurted out from his spot sandwiched between Cap and Johnse.
Um, I wasn't aware that Jessa and Shaw were that serious. I thought they were just talking and hanging out. Hmm, does my brother know something I don't. I noticed that Skunk Hair, who was sitting across from my husband, and Cap were sharing a knowing look. Oh my god, apparently Abel, Skunk Hair, and Cap all know something that I don't. I slightly turned to look at my husband, my brow raised curiously.
Cap leaned over slightly and whispered into my ear, "Tolbert's been seein' a whore while Shaw's only been seein' Jessa."
Oh, okay, so it looks like Shaw's serious about Jessa and Tolbert's not. So, it looks like I'll be getting my best friend back since she'll most likely end up with my secret cousin-in-law. Well, Shaw and Cap were friends too so I'd be around Jessa again.
I just nodded at my husband, giving him a soft understanding smile.
"This family could use another weddin' celebration." Devil Anse's cold and deep drawlin' voice rang out in the air before he ate some gravy smothered mashed potatoes. "Sully, I hope your boy's the next one to find happiness."
With a mouthful of food, Uncle Jim grumbled, "I'm just glad Shaw's finally getting' a house built on that there land I gifted hime when he got back all 'em months 'go."
"Talk 'bout weddin's, when's my grandbaby Vera gettin' one?" Granny Rue bluntly asked Skunk Hair, her beady eyes narrowed on him, as her raspy voice had a slight tickle tinted to it.
"Soon, real soon, Granny Rue." Skunk Hair told the elderly lady, his voice a near stutter, as he kepy his eyes glued to his dinner plate.
"That was rude." Vera scolded her granny, cutting her eyes at her.
Granny Rue waved off her granddaughter with her fork. "Girl, when ya get t'be my age there's no such thing as rude. It's called bein' vocal."
Oh yea, this lady could definitely be Sophia on the Golden Girls. Well, I must say that this year's Thanksgiving dinner is very entertaining thanks to Granny Rue.
Jessa POV:
Thanksgiving dinner felt stifling for me as I sat next to Tolbert. I just couldn't stop thinking about how he spends his nights cozied up with some whore. I couldn't help it from festering in the back of my head, especially every time Tolbert gave me a smile, passed me a platter, or tried to strike up a small talk with me. The same question kept popping into my mind, was he nice to his whore too?
After dinner Randall and Sally excused me from cleanup duties since I had desert plans with Shaw's family. Currently, I was sitting on the porch in a rocking chair waiting for Shaw to pick me up and of course, Tolbert was sitting rigidly next to me. Why, only god knows. Clearing his throat, Tolbert looked at me and asked, "D'ya really gotta have desert wit' Shaw's family? Wouldn't ya rather be here havin' pie wit' us?"
"Meetin' his family's important and I want to meet them. Doing it over Thanksgiving desert's more casual and laidback." I told Tolbert, forcing myself to have a pleasant tone since all I wanted to do was snap at him. How dare he want me to eat pie with him when later tonight he's just going to go off and see some dumb whore.
"But I don't think ya need'a be meetin' his family at all. Ya got a family 'ere t'et desert wit' an' spend time wit', darlin'."
"Tolbert, they're your family; not mine." I reminded the redhead in a level tone of voice. Looking at him I bluntly advised, "Worry about yourself, not me and Shaw's relationship."
One of his auburn brows rose up as his stormy blue eyes went as wide as half dollars. "Relationship? So, you're pickin' him over me?"
I didn't say a word, just rocked and stared straight ahead at the trees that surrounded the front yard of the McCoy's place.
Shaw POV:
Whenever I trotted up to the McCoy house, I saw both Jessa and Tolbert sitting out on the front porch. I knew that she was waiting for me, but I had no clue why he was outside for. All I could think of was he wanted to give me nasty looks to try and deter me from my pursuit of Jessa. I sensed tension in the air as I rode over to the porch steps. I just tipped my hat at Jessa in greeting as she stood up from her chair. She didn't say a word to Tolbert, just walked across the porch and down the steps while I sat on my horse waiting for her. Tolbert did give me a deep scowl full of hatred and jealousy. Yea, eat your heart out ginger, girl's all mine.
"You look beautiful, honey." I complimented Jessa with a smile, extending my hand down to her in order to help her up and behind me on my horse, as soon as she reached my side.
"Thank you, Shaw." She smiled, placing her small hand into my larger one.
I could feel Tolbert staring daggers at me as I helped Jessa onto my horse. I cut my honey eyes at him, showin' the ginger that I wasn't scared of him. Lookin' over my shoulder at Jessa, I asked her, "Ya ready to go?"
"Yea, I'm ready." She nodded with a smile.
I gave Tolbert an eat shit look before trotting of with Jessa snuggled up behind me. Ha, eat your heart out Tolbert McCoy cause I got the girl.
Jessa POV:
Shaw guided our horse into the back alleyway of the diner in downtown Mate Creek. Um, I thought we were going to his house so… I didn't say anything tho, just remained silent as he trotted us over to the hitch post that was a few yards from the diner's back door. Once at the hitch post, Shaw dismounted at tied up his horse. With a smile he walked over to by side and offered me his hand in order to help me down form the horse. I smiled and took his hand, letting him help me down off his horse.
"Come on, the stairs leading to the apartment's just off to the side here." Shaw told me, gesturing to the left side of the building with his black hat covered head, as he led me into the direction he was referring to.
"Okay." I simply told him, letting him led the way to the staircase. So, his family lived on top of the diner. That makes sense.
"Don't be nervous, mom and my siblin's are gonna love you." Shaw assured me as we reached the staircase.
"I'm not nervous." I told him, even tho I really was, as we ascended straight up the staircase.
"Good." He smiled, giving me a wink, as we stopped in front of the door to his apartment. "Mom, we're here." Shaw announced as soon as he opened the door and ushered me thru it.
His mom, who was sitting on the sofa next to his little brother and sister, smiled and stood up while saying, "Oh, it's so good to finally meet you."
"Thanks, it's good to meet you too." I politely told the woman as she walked over to me while Shaw was taking off his hat and coat to hang them up on the hooks by the door.
"Honey, it's okay, she's nice." Shaw whispered into my ear as he took my shawl off of my shoulders. I subtly look at him as he hung my shawl up next to his hat and coat.
Looping an arm thru mine, Mrs. Eldridge smiled and told me, "I'm Peggy and my son's told me you're Jessa."
"Yea." I nodded as the woman led me over to the sofa.
"Todd, Mary, this is Jessa. She's the girl your brother's been seein'." Peggy introduced me to her younger children as soon as we stopped in front of the blue velvet sofa.
"Hi Jessa." The children, a dark-haired boy no older then 9 and a blonde girl no older then 5, smiled and told me in unison.
"Hi, Todd and Mary." I smiled back at them before taking a seat next to them (cause Peggy more or less shoved me down on the sofa).
"I'll go cut us all some pie." Peggy announced before taking off to the nearby kitchen.
"Where'd ya meet her?" Todd asked Shaw as soon as he sat down on the sitting chair adjacent to my spot on the sofa.
"At the election day festival a few weeks back." Shaw answered his little brother while relaxing a bit in his blue scroll printed wingback chair.
"Before or after ya won me a prize playin' ring toss?" Mary asked with a toothy and inquiring smile.
"After, I ran into her lookin' for mom." Shaw told his little sister, earning him a quiet nod from her.
"Jessa, I hope you don't mind berry pie. See, berry's the only kind that Shaw'll eat so the only time other flavors are made's downstairs to sell in the diner." Peggy told me as she sliced up and plated the berry pie in the nearby kitchen.
"Berry's fine, Peggy." I assured the middle-aged blonde as she walked into the main room with a plate of pie in each hand.
She handed both me and Shaw our plates while looking at her younger children and telling them, "I'll get'cha yours next."
"Okay, mama." Mary nodded while at the same time Todd simply said, "Okay."
"Ya know what makes the berry pie filling smooth and tasty?" Shaw asked, pointing his fork at his slice of pie while his mom made her way back into the kitchen to grab his sibings' plates. "The secret is cooking the berry filling down on the stovetop and usin' cornstarch not flour as the thickener." Shaw told me before taking a bite out of his pie while I just ate mine.
"Well, the secret works cause your mom's pie's delicious." I told Shaw as his mother appeared back at the sofa, handing off plates to her younger children.
"I never said my mom made the pie." Shaw chuckled as his mother went over to his side.
What? Shaw baked this? No way…I mean men cooking in the 1800s isn't very common.
Patting her son on the shoulder, Peggy proudly said, "My boy here's quite a cook."
Looking up at his mom with a smile, Shaw told her, "Yea, well, I learned from the best cook 'round the Tug."
Peggy just smiled at Shaw and gave him a quick pat on the cheek before walking off to the kitchen to grab her plate.
"I'm impressed that you made this. It's really good." I honestly told Shaw while his siblings just silently sat on the couch eating their pie.
"Thanks honey, I'm glad ya like my cookin'." Shaw smirked, lightly nudgin' my foot with his, before eating a large forkful of berry pie.
"Shaw's such a considerate young man. He insisted on makin' today's meal in order to let me rest since I've been workin' hard in the diner all week." Peggy told me as she came back into the main room, taking a seat on the sitting chair that was near the other side of the couch.
Shaw just shrugged while remarking, "Why wouldn't I let ya rest, mom? I'm here to help you out, ya know.
Aww, Shaw was a mama's boy. How sweet.
"I know, I know." Peggy waved her son off lightly with her fork. Turning her attention on me she asked, "Do you know how to cook?" With a soft smile she added in, "If you don't that's okay, I'm sure Shaw'll teach ya."
While watching Peggy begin to eat her slice of pie, I told her, "I can cook." While breaking a piece of pie off with my fork I went on to say, "I'm always helping Sally with dinner and I also cook Tolbert's lunch for him."
"Oh…that's nice…" Peggy tightly let out in between bites of her pie.
"You and Tolbert's just friends, ain't ya?" Shaw asked me, one of his brows arched up, as he broke a piece of pie off with his fork.
Were me and Tolbert just friends? Well, sadly I wanted that answer to be no, but in reality, that answer was yes. Tolbert was seeing a whore during the nights while Shaw stayed at home with his mom and siblings. Shaw wasn't sleeping around with whores; he actually seemed committed and serious about wanting to be in a relationship with me.
"Yes, we're just friends." I assured Shaw before eating a piece of my pie.
"Oh, well, I must ask, how's Sally doin' these days?" Shaw's mom asked me between eating her berry pie.
"She's good." I answered the middle-aged blonde.
"Good." Peggy smiled, plopping a small forkful of berry pie into her mouth. "Oh, you know that I grew up as friends with Sally McCoy and Levicy Hatfield."
Shaking my head, I told her, "I didn't know that."
"Yes, Sally's a few years older than me and Levicy so she was the first to marry and have babies." Peggy told me in an informative tone while her younger children's eyes darted between her, me, and Shaw.
Shaw tried to get his mom's attention with a mouth full of pie by slightly sighing, "Mom…"
"Levicy was the next to marry and then I married my late husband Peter." Peggy explained with a nostalgic smile on her face.
Giving his mom a tight smile, Shaw told her, "Mom, I'm sure Jessa would find stories about me as a kid more interestin' then who you used to be friends with at her age."
"Oh, of course." Peggy nodded at Shaw before looking at me and saying, "You know that Shaw's had his black Stetson since he was 9-years old. He found it snoopin' in my closet, lookin' for Christmas presents, and since it belonged to his daddy, I let him keep it."
And for the remainder of desert, I listened to Peggy tell all kinds of stories about Shaw from when he was a baby til he took off for school at 12. Some stories were sweet, some were funny, and some were embarrassing. I bet Shaw was thankful that digital cameras didn't exist yet cause if his mom had pictures she'd be busting them out to share.
Allie POV:
It was dark out and once again everyone was gathered around the large table, but this time it was for pie. Oh my god, there were so many pies lined up on the table. I swear us women baked our little hearts out since everything from berry to pecan to cherry to pumpkin to apple to sweet potato to chocolate to molasses pie was on the table. A serving knife was nestled next to each pie pan since it would be a serve yourself style event (of course an adult would help a little kid get their piece so they wouldn't ruin it and make a mess). After pouring serving coffee and milk us women (being me, Levicy, and Vera) all took our seats next to our men and the desert time officially started.
"Sam's Hill, Sully, how 'bout ya broaden your pie horizons and et somethin' that ain't berry." Uncle Jim advised his nephew, making a wide hand gesture towards the array of pies lining the middle of the table.
Rolling his eyes at Uncle Jim, Sully placed his slice of berry pie onto his plate while firming saying, "Berry's the only pie I can stand."
"You don't like pie?" I asked, a bit stunned, before I could think better of it while Cap was cutting us some slices of the all-American favorite apple pie.
Shaking his head, Sully simply answered me with a tongue popping, "Nope."
"Hell, my aunt tried everything she could t'get him to et pie." Devil Anse remarked while placing a piece of molasses pie onto his plate. Before eating his first bite of pie, my father-in-law expanded on his remark with, "Smothered it in sweet cream, sprinkled extra sugar on his piece, ya name it she tried it, but he only ever willingly et the berry pie."
Ellison's blue eyes lit up as he blurted out, "Oh, remember that time she tried to bribe Sully to et sweet potato pie by offerin' him an extra glass of buttermilk?"
Giving Sully a pointed look and waving his fork, that had a piece of pumpkin pie speared on it, Abel asked, "You do drink alcohol, right? I mean if not then how're you to be trusted?"
"Yes, Abel, I drink alcohol." Sully nodded before eating his berry pie.
"Oh good, I don't have to worry about you going all Roose Bolton on us." Abel let out in a relieved sighed as he broke off a piece of his pie with his fork.
Johnse arched his brow and quickly chewed his apple pie before asking my brother, "Who's that?"
"A shady bastard that didn't drink booze. He's dead, his own son killed him." Abel answered Johnse, literally giving him Game Of Thrones spoilers even tho the show wasn't even heard of or made yet.
"Abel…" I sighed out warningly, cutting my eyes at my brother to get him to shut up.
"Of course, Sully's picky when it comes to pie. He's an odd one." Granny Rue sneered before breaking out into a coughing fit.
Vera stopped eating her cherry pie in order to rub her granny's back and try to soothe her loud and hoarse coughing.
"I'm not odd. It's just a Sullivan trait; my father only ate berry pie too." Sully defended himself between eating his pie.
"What'd ya expect, his pappy was originally from Florida." Jim Vance scoffed, shaking his head before eating a large forkful of chocolate pudding pie.
Sully just rolled his eyes at his crochety uncle while the rest of us just ate our pie.
Jessa POV:
It started raining in a heavy downpour whenever it was time for Shaw to bring me home to the McCoy house. Worried about us getting soaked and sick, Peggy suggested that I stay the night. She even suggested that Shaw give me his room while sleeping on the sofa for the night. Shaw quickly agreed to his mom's idea which in turn caused me to agree with it too. So, when bedtime came Peggy tucked Todd and Mary into their beds in their shared room before showing me to Shaw's room and then going to her own in order to go to bed. While all of this was going on, Shaw had grabbed a spare blanket and pillow from the linen closet and made himself a makeshift bed on the sofa.
Shaw's room was nice, but very plain. It was I guess a typical bedroom for a young man during the late 1800s. There was a wooden framed bed in the room with a matching wooden bedside table. A dresser was on the far side of the wall and a few shelves were on the wall with some books on them. Also, an oil lamp was on the bedside table along with a matchbook, a cigarette case, and an ashtray. Shaw smoked? I didn't know that.
After settling myself in bed I ended up drifting off to sleep. I was fast asleep whenever I felt a sudden dip in the bed next to me, stirring me awake. Whenever I blinked my eyes open, I saw Shaw settling into bed next to me. My indigo eyes widened as I asked in a hiss like whisper, "What're you doing?"
"It's after midnight; everyone's asleep and I wanted to spend some time with you." Shaw answered me, his low-slung timbre a mere whisper as he pulled the loosely over his body.
"Oh…"
"You look beautiful in the moonlight." He smiled softly, his face only mere inches from mine as he laid in bed next to me with his head resting on the feather filled pillow.
He thought I was beautiful even tho it was the middle of the night and I just woke up. That was so sweet. As I looked at him, the moonlight highlighting his shirtless form in the dark, I realized that he still had his muscular jock body or at least the upper body.
Shaw gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear before resting his hand gently on the side of my neck with his thumb brushing against my jawline. In the blink of an eye he closed the space between us, kissing me gently on the lips. His lips felt smooth against mine while his mustache slightly tickled my upper lip as it grazed my soft skin. Out of pure instinct I moved my lips along with his, matching his slow movements. As our kiss lengthened one of his hands began to roam up and down my side while I found myself tangling my hand into his lush golden-brown hair.
Suddenly our kiss got heated and Shaw rolled me onto my back. He broke our kiss only to look at me with fire in his honey eyes. My chest was heaving as I attempted to catch my breath. Shaw smirked at me before capturing my lips in another heated kiss, running his hands up and down my sides as I grasped onto his shoulders to anchor my senses.
A Few Moments Later…
"Wanna take a few breaths?" Shaw asked, offering me his smoldering cigarette.
Shaking my head, I told him, "I don't smoke."
"It's good fresh tobacco, not the processed shit with chemicals you're used to." He told me, taking a drag off of his cigarette. Offering me the cigarette once more, he left out a small lungful of smoke while telling me, "A few breaths'll help ya calm down some."
"Okay." I gave in, taking the cigarette from him.
As I took a quick drag off the cigarette, feeling the hot smoke go into my lungs, Shaw told me, "I know I still gotta buy a ring and ask proper, but you're my girl." As I exhaled, letting the smoke leave my hot feeling lungs, he admitted, "I never felt the way I feel 'bout you for nobody else; you're it for me."
Oh my god, he mentioned buying a ring! Shaw really is committed and cares. Damnit, why couldn't Tolbert be like this? Moody whore liking asshole. But Shaw's so sweet and charming, he cares and says I'm it for him. I'm it, the only girl he wants! That's so exciting and makes my heart soar. Even tho I was hoping that Tolbert would be the one to sweep me off my feet it looks like Roseanna was right and Shaw was the guy for me.
As I handed him back his cigarette, I asked Shaw, "So, we're officially boyfriend and girlfriend now?"
"Yea, of course we are, honey." He assured me before taking a drag off his smoke. "I've been building my house; frame work's up." Shaw told me, stretching his arm and tipping some ashes into the ashtray that was on the bedside table.
"Are you building a big house?" I asked, for no other reason then I was being nosy.
"Big enough considerin' the time period." Shaw remarked as smoke wafted out of his nostrils and mouth. Looking at me, he asked, "How 'bout we go on a Mississippi river boat cruise for our honeymoon? It'll be on a real steamboat too."
"Really, you want to do that?" I asked, slightly taken aback that Shaw was suggesting a honeymoon trip when we weren't even engaged yet.
"Yea, why not?" Tangling his hand, that wasn't holding his cigarette, into my hair, Shaw's honey eyes bored into my indigo ones as he promised, "We're going to experience the 19th century together; see all kinds of inventions get made and do all kinds of things."
"Okay, but what kinds of things are we gonna do?"
"Well, for one I wanna breed horses and sell livestock. Open up my own livery." Shaw told me while smoking his cigarette and letting smoke billow out of his lungs.
Looking at him with an arched brow, I asked, "Do you even know anything 'bout horses?"
"I know how to break and ride them." Shaw told me, stretching his arm and snubbing his smoke out in the ashtray. Wrapping his arm around me and pulling me closer into his chest, he told me, "I used to ride broncs in rodeos so I think I got a knack for horses." He bent his head slightly and kissed me on top of my dark-haired covered head. "I gott get back on the sofa soon."
"I know." I sighed, nodding my head slowly against his chest.
"I'll wait til you fall asleep to leave tho, okay?"
"Okay."
Shaw didn't say a word, just quietly stroked my back with feather light touches. It didn't take long for me to be lulled back to sleep. I felt Shaw's movements as he slid out of bed once I was asleep, but I didn't open my eyes. I was too tired to wake up.
AN:
Yea, Shaw's a charming thing ain't he? (Like Johnse style charming…) Poor Tolbert, he needs a hug. Don't worry tho he gets the girl and it's gonna be a big dramatic scene when he does. Eh, what can I say I'm good at giving the McCoys some angst… At least everything's going good for the Hatfields at the moment.