*Author's Note*

Thank you for the reviews.

I put a Tolbert POV in here. Yep. So in this chapter the POVs are labeled. I do that for my SOA story too. Land prices are mentioned in this chapter. I got the information on costs of land per acre from an article I read. I also read that in Appalachia a girl's family wanted to make sure that the boy wanting to marry her could provide and be a hard worker etc. That kinda comes up in this chapter between Perry and Tolbert.

Nite With The McCoys

Novella POV:

The evening sun was shining through the windows, casting an orangey-golden glow into the room. The two tables in the McCoy's kitchen were packed. Pitchers filled with tea, coffee, and water were in the middle of the tables along with bread and serving bowls and platers full of pork, vegetables, and gravy. Sweet cream and homemade butter also lay on the table. Sally always made sure the food she put on the table was good. Everyone dug into their meal, passing around platers when the request for it arose.

"You know one of Hatfield's sons went blind in one eye. The doctor had to pull a chunk of wood from his eye and sew it up." Uncle Perry informed everyone between eating his gravy smothered piece of pork. "Tolbert, you and Novella must've seen the incident unfold since ya'll were strollin' down the street."

"Yes, Uncle Perry, we saw the boy get brung to the doctor's." I told my uncle as I cut my pork with my fork and knife.

"Too bad the fool didn't lose both eyes. Then we'd 've one less murderin' Hatfield t'worry 'bout." Tolbert remark right before shoveling a forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"Tolbert, that's an awful thing to say. You shouldn't wish ill on people, no matter who they might be." Sally scolded her son, causing him to shrink back just a little bit in his chair. "I don't think we should be talkin' bout this no more."

Uncle Perry looked at Aunt Sally, while picking up his steaming cup of coffee, and told her, "I'm sorry Aunt Sally. I didn't mean to cause any harm with my remark."

Aunt Sally half smiled and nodded her head. "It's alright, Perry."

The conversation seemed to die off after that. Everyone just ate silently, but I noticed that both Ole Rand'l and Uncle Perry kept eyeing me and Tolbert. Once we were done eating Aunt Sally, Roseanna, and Alifair stood to clear the table. Tolbert elbowed me in the side and whisper-hissed in my ear, "You ain't a guest, yer my girl, so help clear the table."

I just shot Tolbert a tight smile and kicked him in the shin under the table. Putting on a fake cheerfulness I stood up and announced, "I'll help too, Aunt Sally."

She waved mm offer off and sweetly said, "Oh, Novella, sweatheart, how nice of you, but there's no need."

Tolbert stared hard at me, silently lettin' me know that I better ignore his mama's protest and just help her and his sisters anyways. Maintainin' my fake cheer I told my aunt, "Oh, I insist. I don't mind helpin' at all."

"Thank you, Novella." Aunt Sally told me as I grabbed some dishes from the table and walked off towards the wash basin in the corner, where she was at with the dishes she had grabbed. Roseanna and Alifair were busy clearing the chil'ren's table and wrappin' up leftovers in cloth.

"Tolbert, let's go outside and talk with Perry." Ole Rand'l told his son as I turned my back on the washbasin and started to walk over to the table.

Tolbert, Ole Rand'l, and Uncle Perry had rose from the table and walked away from it by time I reached it. As I was grabbing the pitchers from it I heard the door open and close, lettin' me know that they were indeed outside now.

Tolbert POV:

Poppy and Perry were sittin' on the rockers out on the porch while I leaned up against the post holding up the roof. The sun was settnin' and it'd be dark soon so poppy had lit the oil lanterns scattered around the porch. I folded my arms and looked at them, waitin' on 'em to tell me whatever it was that needed discussin'.

Perry was sitting still in his rocker and looked at me. Holding his eyes on mine he told me, "Tolbert, I know that you've had your eye on my niece for a while and even tho I trust you have honorable intentions I must ask if this courtship'll end in a marriage."

Poppy and Perry were starin' at me, waitin' for an answer. "Yea, I wanna marry her." I told them as it got darker out.

Perry nodded his head while grinning. "Good, very good."

Poppy was rocking in his chair. He looked at me sternly while tellin' me, "Tolbert, you ain't livin' with her in my house."

No shit. I rolled my eyes and scoffed, "I know that poppy."

Perry had a firm look in his eyes as he told me, "I won't let Novella marry 'til you get yourself a proper house for her. And I mean proper, not a shack like that Johnse Hatfield boy built out by his still to consort with his whores in."

"I was plannin' on inq'irin' 'bout gettin' some land to set up a cabin on soon." I told Perry my intentions since I wanted to settle down with Ella soon. I wanted to get her 'fore someone else took notice of her. She was young 'n' purty. She spent most of her time in town at Perry's law office, I didn't wanna risk her meetin' somebody like a fancy bus'ness man.

"Where are you goin' to get the funds to do this?" Perry asked me before he quickly added in, "Land cost start at $8 an acre and can go up to $50."

"What? I ain't got that kinda money." I snapped, pissed that land cost were so high. Damn, what happened t'land bein' a greenback or so an acre?

"Tolbert, don't you make money off yer corn likker?" Poppy asked while looking at me with one of his brows raised.

"Yea, poppy, but not enough to buy a good piece of land with." Shit, it'd take me too long to get money t'getha. Be nearly half a year or so to make that kinda money.

"I don't got money like that to borrow you, son. If I did I would. I know how much you love Novella." Poppy told me, givin' me a downcast look.

"Don't go there, poppy." I gritted out. I didn't like talkin' bout my feelin's for Ella. Just ain't done. A man don't go gushin' bout that shit, ladies are the one that do that.

Perry pursed his lips and scrunched his face up, getting' lost in his thoughts. Whenever his face relaxed he grinned at me and told me in a slick voice, "I suppose I can arrange for you to get land at a discounted price. I could even reach out to my niece's step-father and see if he'll relinquish the land he got from my late sister to Novella. It's over 500 acres and not far from here."

I just nodded my head while poppy told the lawyer, "Thank you, Perry. That's mighty kind of you."

"There isn't much work for Novella to do at my office tomorrow, so I give my permission for her to stay the night here and help out tomorrow with the harvest. I expect her to be in the girls' room." She's never worked in a field in her life, but guess Perry Cline wants her t'learn since she'll be workin' long side me as my wife.

"I won't touch her til we're married. Her honor won't be soiled." I told Perry Cline while at the same time poppy told him, "Tolbert won't touch her. He'll sleep in his room with his brothers."

"Good, then everythin's settled. I'll go inside and inform Novella of the arrangements." Perry said before he got up from his chair and walked across the porch, going over to the door to go inside the house.

Novella POV:

I had just finished helping Aunt Sally, Roseanna, and Alifair clean up from dinner and was sitting down with them, watching the chil'ren play in the open adjoined living room with their wooden toys, whenever my Uncle Perry walked inside. It was dark now so I figured it was time to go. I stood up and made to leave the table but was stopped whenever my uncle motioned for me to sit back down with his hand.

"Novella, you'll be staying the night here and tomorrow you'll be helpin' with the harvest." Uncle Perry told me with a stern look that meant 'don't even protest young lady cause this is happening'.

Lucky me…

I let out a soft, but quiet sigh before painting my face with a thin smile. "Yes, Uncle Perry."

"Now, Aunt Sally, I talked to Tolbert and Ole Rand'l and they gave their word that no shame and dishonor shall befall my niece. You know with how I raised Novella she won't go searchin' your son out, but will stay put with your girls." Uncle Perry told Aunt Sally, ignoring the fact that I was in the room and was listenin' to every word he was sayin'.

Anyways, good to know that Tolbert'll leave me alone 'til we're married. At least he's not a pig like Johnse Hatfield, who pokes anythin' in a skirt. Heard from my cousin Nancy McCoy that she heard he knocked up a girl over in Mingo. I don't know if that was a rumor or not, but over past couple of years I've seen him come and go from the tavern down the road from the law office and he always has a different girl leavin' with him every time so...

"She'll be well taken care of here, Perry. I know that neither Novella nor Tolbert would act dishonorably. Both know better than t'lay up together without bein' man and wife." Aunt Sally replied to Uncle Perry, once again my presence was being ignored.

"Novella, be good for Aunt Sally and Ole Rand'l. Tolbert can bring you home tomorrow if you'd like."

I nodded at my uncle and told him, "Okay, Uncle Perry."

"Goodbye, and please remember your manners."

"I will, goodbye, Uncle Perry." I watched him turn around and walk out the door, leavin' me to stay with my future in-laws for the night.

The younger ones were tucked in bed, asleep, so the only ones up were us older kids and of course Aunt Sally and Ole Rand'l. Everyone was sittin' around talkin' or doin' somethin'. I was actually sitting at the table with Tolbert playing checkers. I still hate the game, even though I did beat Tolbert once.

Tolbert jumped over my light piece while tellin' me, "Ya know yer uncle's gonna help us get some land real soon."

"Oh, that's nice." I told Tolbert, since there wasn't much more I could say, as I studied the checkboard tryin' to figure out my next move.

As I scooted my piece on the board he told me, "Sooner I get land sooner I can build the cabin and marry ya."

Oh lordy he would bring that up. I know I'm goin' to be marrying him, but I don't wanna think bout that or talk bout it tonight. "Okay." I told him, hopin' that shut up and stop talkin' bout land, cabins, and marriage.

"Ya know I can make a greenback sellin' a bottle o'my corn likker. Can make 'bout 4 bottles a day too." Tolbert told me with a proud grin over his face as he made his move on the gameboard.

After doin' some quick mental math I moved my checker piece and asked, "So you come home with 4 bucks everyday if ya sell's what you're sayin' then?"

"Yep." Tolbert said, poppin' his p and smirkin' at me, as he moved his dark checker piece across the checkboard. "I won't be able to getcha fancy things like Perry Cline does, but I'll work hard to provide. I'll work our land and sell my likker to make sure you're comfor'able."

"Um…okay…" He doesn't need to try to impress me, I'm gonna marry him no matter what he does.

"Dawn comes early, 'specially durin' harvest. Everyone best be off t'bed." Ole Rand'l announced as he rose up from his chair.

Everyone began to disperse to their rooms. Right before I could walk over to the door that was under the staircase Tolbert stopped me by placing a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to look at him curiously, wonderin' what he wanted.

He removed his hand from my shoulder and looked at me, a bit softer then usual, and told me, "See ya in the mornin', Ella. Nite."

"Nite, Tolbert." I simply responded before turning my back on him and walking under the staircase and into the girls' room.

The girls' bedroom had a couple of large beds in it and a few dressers. Roseanna had a hope chest at the bottom of the bed that she shared with Alifair, who was already sleeping in bed. I would be bunking with Roseanna and Alifair. The other bed had the younger girls in it and at the bottom of their bed was a toy chest, that no doubt would turn into a hope chest one day.

I myself had a hope chest, but it didn't have much inside of it except for some books and a few random trinkets. I had an old tintype of me with my parents 'fore my poppy died when I was 5 in my chest too.

"I can't believe you're courtin' my brother." Roseanna told me, referring to Tolbert, as she took some nightgowns out of a drawer for us.

"Yea, well, beggars can't be choosers." I replied as Roseanna tossed me my nightgown.

"But you know how bad tempered he is." Roseanna sighed as we got changed out of our dresses and into our nightgowns.

"I know…" I let out in a long sigh as we folded up our dresses and placed them on her hope chest.

"Well, at least we'll be sisters." She told me as we walked over to the bed.

I just nodded at her and smiled. "You're already like a sister to me, Roseanna." I honestly told her as I got into the bed.

She just smiled and climbed in after me. Silently she laid down and pulled the covers over her shoulders. I rested my arm under my head and pillow, laying sideways so that I wouldn't feel squished, and closed my eyes. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep.

AN:

Sorry, but no lemons yet. Tolbert's honorable and isn't gonna be sneaky and try to get some from his girlfriend on the first date while his sisters are sleeping (unlike Johnse…which always creeped me out…like seriously wasn't he afraid of getting caught? lol). How did you guys like Tolbert's POV? Bet ya'll know what's going to happen in the next chapter when Novella's helping with the harvest. Oink oink LOL!