*Author's Note*

Thank you for the reviews.

It's harvest time. Who's ready for some pig thievin'?! OINK OINK!

Breakfast, Harvestin', & Pig Theivin'

Novella POV

After waking up I got dressed and helped Aunt Sally along with Roseanna and Alifiar with breakfast. While I was cutting out biscuit dough on the table I saw, as well as heard, the boys come down the stairs. They were all dressed and looked to be ready to help Ole Rand'l, who was in the barn getting' things together for the harvest.

I kept my eyes trained on the biscuit dough while I heard the boots of the boys scuffling across the room, to the door. One set of boots stopped, accompanied by a velvety voice sayin', "Mornin', Ella."

Tolbert. I should've known that he'd stop to give me a mornin' greetin' considerin' we're courtin' and all now. I lifted my attention from the biscuits and looked at him. "Mornin', Tolert."

"Don't burn them biscuits." He told me, in a sneering and sarcastic manner, before walking off and out of the house.

"He's always like that." Roseanna told me as she stirred a large pot of oats on the stove.

Sally on the other hand blew off Tolbert's ornery mood as she gave me a gentle smile and said, "Oh, Novella, sweetheart, Tolbert means no harm. He just isn't pleasant in the mornin' 'til he has his breakfast and coffee."

Who's she kiddin'? Even after breakfast I bet he's a grumpy hot-head.

Time seemed to pass by quickly and whenever we were placing the breakfast platters on the table Ole Rand'l followed by the boys walked in. The younger ones were already seated at their table, waitin' for breakfast to start. Ole Rand'l sat down along with the boys.

"Alifair, Roseanna, get the chil'ren their milk." She kindly smiled at her daughters before directin' her attention to me and sayin', "Novella, you'll help me pour out the coffee."

I grabbed one of the coffee pots and followed Aunt Sally to the table, that was set with plates, cups, and silverware. She went over to Ole Rand'l while I went over to Tolbert to pour his coffee first. Since he was my intended I had to care for him first.

I could feel Tolbert's eyes watchin' me as I filled his cup. I had moved on to fill up Pharmer's cup whenever I noticed that Tolbert had just taken a sip of his coffee. "Ya make this pot?"

I could see a small smile pass over Aunt Sally's face as she filled up Jim's cup, while I finished with Pharmer's.

"Yes, I did. Why, is it bad?" I answered, holding the pot in my hand and lookin' at Tolbert like a frighten animal in the woods.

"No, Ella, it's good. Real good." Tolbert answered me with a small grin before grabbin' a biscuit from the platter in front of him. He made up his biscuit with some butter and berry jam as I poured coffee for Bud and then myself. Tolbert took a bite of the biscuit right as I took my usual seat next to him. "This is good too." He waved his biscuit at me, smirking.

"Novella's a fine cook, Tolbert. She'll put good food on the table." Aunt Sally told her son as she sat down at the table next to Ole Rand'l, who was ploppin' a large helpin' on cooked oats on his plate.

Roseanna silently took a seat near Bud while Alifair was at the chil'rens table helpin' them get their food from the platters so they wouldn't make a mess. The mornin' meal with the McCoys was much like the evenin' one, just with simple breakfast foods instead of hearty dinner ones.

Tolbert dragged me into the field, clutching my hand a bit too tightly for my liking, as he carried a small scythe by his side. I could see the other McCoys walking across the field, heading towards the fence that separated their property from the road. The corn stalks were tall and went flush to the wooden fence. I noticed that a large cart was the field too, no doubt to load the harvest in.

When Tolbert stopped us, we were in the far left corner of the field, which was a bit of a walk to the nearest cart. "I'll cut, you gather and bundle it."

I furrowed my brow while askin', "Bundle it?"

"Yea, ya know tie it together."

"Um, okay."

"Just toss it over there." Tolbert pointed over my shoulder. I just nodded while he went on to explain, "The lil ones'll get it. Their job's to collect the bundles."

As I watched Tolbert start to cut down corn stalks, that were at least a foot taller than him, I realized that I didn't have any twine. "Um, Tolbert, what am I gonna tie it with?"

Stopping what he was doin' he grabbed one of the stalks he'd just cut and pull a long leaf from it. He held it out to me while explain', "Use this." Our fingers brushed as I took the leaf from him, silently noddin'. "Tie it when it's full and make sure yer knot's tight."

We worked in silence for a few minutes, I'm not wuite sure how many, before Tolbert broke that silence by makin' the remark of, "For never workin' a harvest in yer life yer doin' a good job."

I was taken back by his compliment and just stared up at him in awe while lettin' out a small, "Uh, thanks Tolbert."

Tolbert just chuckled and smiled at me before he went back to work slicing down stalks with his sickle. After a few more silent moments went by he tossed some stalks at me while askin', "Ya know there's this barn dance comin' up Saturday nite. I ain't much of a dancer, but you wanna go with me?"

I knew he wasn't a dancer, but more of a drinker when it came to barn dances. The few I went to with Nancy and Jefferson, my cousins that were siblings, I noticed that if Tolbert was there he'd sit in a corner and share a bottle with our cousin. I always got stuck helpin' Nancy tend after her brother who always got sloshed by time the dance was over. Tolbert usually got tipsy, but never stumblin' over his feet not makin' no sense sloshed.

"If I go with you are ya gonna take off to drink with Jefferson, leavin' me with Nancy, or will you stay with me?" I asked, wantin' to make sure that I wasn't gonna be ditched or somethin'.

Tolbert paused in his movements to look at me. His eyes softened as he told me, "We're courtin' now, Ella. Of course I'll be stayin' with you for the dance if we go."

He could be lyin', but I decided to believe him. His eyes wouldn't be soft if he was bein' untruthful. "Okay, I'll go with you." I answered him with a smile, causing him to smile back at me before resumin' his work.

I'd been bundlin' the stalks that Tolbert's been cuttin' down for hours now. The sun was beating down brutally, causin' all of us in the field to sweat. I was standin' and wipin' the sweat from my brow whenever Tolbert tossed some corn stalks at me while barkin', "Don't just stand there, tie these up."

"Give me a moment, sweat's gettin' in my eye." I protested, hopin' that he'd be understandin' and give me a minute to compose myself.

Tolbert shook his head and mumbled something under his breath before taking off his hat. Placin' it on my head he told me, "Here, now it won't." Pointin' at the stalks on the ground near my feet he ordered, "Get bundlin', Ella."

"Howdy Missus Sally." I heard the Hatfield neighbor from a little ways down the road greet my aunt.

"How ya do, Floyd?" Sally answered from her spot hunched over, tyin' up a bundle.

"Damn Hatfield can't just walk down the road and leave us be." Tolbert grumbled, clearly bothered by Floyd greetin' his mama as he pulled his small wagon down the road.

I smacked Tolbert on the back of the leg with one of the corn stalks while tellin' him, "Tolbert, he's just tryin' to be neighborly."

"Ella, a nice Hatfield's a dangerous one. You remember that." Tolbert warned me as he continued to cut down corn stalks, tossin' them my way.

"Randall, how's yer harvest this season?" Floyd Hatfield asked as he stopped his wagon, that had two pigs in it, right by the fence.

Ole Rand'l went over to the fence and stuck his hand scythe in the post while tellin' Floyd, "Better than the last, as good as the next."

I noticed that Ole Rand'l's eyes had locked onto one of the pigs in the wagon. I stood up and craned my neck to see what was goin' on with the pig and what I saw made my eyes widen. Right in that spotted pig's ear was Ole Rand'l notch. While Ole Rand'l was confrontin' Floyd on the pig I whacked Tolbert on the arm and told him, "You needa turn 'round and look at the pig's ear in Hatfield's wagon."

Tolbert stopped what he was doin' and turned around so fast that he almost knocked me over. He grabbed me by the arm so I wouldn't lose balance and fall before averting his eyes onto the pig in the back of Floyd Hatfield's wagon. "That damn Hatfield thief. Pig's got poppy's markin'." He seethed lowly so only I could hear.

Lookin' at Tolbert I quickly whispered, "I know, that's why I told you to look at it. Think your poppy saw it too."

Before Tolbert could say anything else to me Ole Rand'l hollered, "Damn you Floyd Hatfield for pig thief!" Yep, he saw it. "All you Hatfields 're the same!"

A nervous look crossed Floyd's face before he ran off down the road. Ole Rand'l grabbed his scythe from the fence post and turned his back to the fence. He looked towards me and his son and said, "Tolbert, take Novella and go to Perry Cline. Tell him Floyd Hatfield stole my pig and I want to discuss what to do 'bout it at dinner tonight."

"Yes, poppy." Tolbert told Ole Rand'l before takin' my hand and leading us outta the field.

I took his hat off of the head and nudged him with it, getting' his attention so I could give it back to him. Silently he looked over at me a bit harshly, but when his eyes fell on his hat I was nudgin' him with his eyes went a bit soft. He took the hat from me and placed it on his head, not sayin' a word, as he continued to lead us out of the endless acres of corn.

AN:

I'm not sure if it was or wasn't the McCoy's pig or not, but I'm leaning towards it was since in the History Channel tv show/movie it showed both Tolbert and Jim coming back from looking for a lost pig and then a few years later Floyd Hatfield's walking by with a pig that's marked when the other pig in the wagon didn't look to be marked the same way. Anyways Tolbert asked Novella out on a date, 1800s Appalachia style.