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Movin' In With The McCoys

Novella POV:

My uncle was at his office workin' this mornin' and my brother was at school. So, I was all alone up in my room sittin' on my bed, in awe. My things were packed in boxes and trunks, makin' my closet and shelves completely bare. Everythin' looked so different. It was like when I first moved here, an empty room with a bed and a bedside table. I knew that Tolbert and whoever he was havin' help him move my stuff would be here soon, but I jut couldn't make myself leave my room. For some reason I felt nervous 'bout movin' out so soon. I mean I expected it when the cabin was ready, not weeks before and into the crowded McCoy house to boot.

I happened to glance out the window only to see Tolbert pullin' up in front of the house. He had Pharmer with him in the wagon. Hmm…guess it's time for me to go downstairs and let them in. With a heavy sigh I stood up and walked out of my room. While descendin' the stairs I heard a knock at the door. I took a deep breath and calmed my anxious nerves before walkin' over to the door and openin' it.

"Ella, where's your stuff at?" Tolbert asked as soon as he saw me standin' before him in the doorway.

I stepped to the side, lettin' him walk inside, while tellin' him, "Upstairs in the room with the open door." As he made his way towards the staircase I called to him, "It's not much. A couple boxes, some small dress trunks, and a hope chest."

Tolbert just waved his hand at me, showin' that he heard and understood me.

"Good mornin', how ya doin'?" Pharmer asked me instead of followin' his older brother to the stairs.

"I'm good." I weakly smiled, which caused him to smile back. "You should prolly go help Tolbert tho. I'll be on the porch." I informed Pharmer before walking right by him and out the door.

I sat on one of the rockers and tried to calm myself. I knew that in a few minutes the rest of my life would be changed and I had no control over it. I would be a ward in the McCoy house, my place as Tolbert's soon-to-be bride was set in stone. Well, I guess I'll have to learn how to deal with my intended's rough temper since bein' with him is God's will. Too bad God couldn't bring me somebody easier to fall in love with, to show love for.

Pharmer was sitting in the back of the wagon on one of my trunks while I sat upfront with Tolbert. We rode in silence, the only sound comin' from the wheels crunchin' on dry leaves and the hooves of the horses clampin' on the hard dirt ground road. Everythin' felt surreal and cememntin' as I watched the trees blur by. Other then a chill tension was in the air as well. None of us in the wagon knew what to say. It was clear that my move wasn't a joyful one, it was one bein' done out of duty.

"Why didn't ya wanna say goodbye to Mr. Perry Cline?" Pharmer asked, cuttin' the silent tension in the air.

"I said goodbye to him 'fore he went to his office for work. 'Sides I'll be seein' him sooner rather then later when he and my brother come over for dinner." I answered Pharmer's question, turnin' my head so that I could see him over my shoulder as I did so.

"Reckon so, since neither them know how t'cook." Was Tolbert's blunt remark. It was right on the mark too.

"Likely they'll be eatin' at the diner most nights they ain't over at the house." I pointed out, in a way lettin' Tolbert know that he was right when he said that my uncle and brother can't cook for themselves.

"Reckon so." Tolbert curtly remarked as he snapped the reigns, making the horses speed up a bit. "After we get'cha home and unload yer stuff we'll be headin' to the cabin t'help my brothers workin' on it."

After a few minutes Pharmer spoke up from the back with, "Is Jim gon'be helpin' us build it? He weren't by yes'day for Thanksgivin'."

"Ya know Jim's got his head stuck so far up his bitch's ass that he forget all 'bout us in these back hills. He too good to live in the woods and farm like the rest o' us." My moody fiancé grumbled, rantin' on like a mad man as he drove us down the desolate wood encircled road.

I looked at Tolbert with slightly wide eyes while scoldin', "Tolbert, don't act like that. Y'know he has to spend time with Lissa and her family if he intends t'marry her."

"Spendin' time's one thing, but livin' in town and workin' for 'ems 'notha." He spat out bitterly as he snapped the reigns, makin' the wagon speed up.

"Tolbert, Novella's right, ya shouldn't be so hard on Jim. He's just tryin' to get settled down like y'are." Pharmer told his brother, his voice sounding a bit small and leery as he spoke. Like he was afraid of getting' yelled at.

"No, he ain't." Tolbert harshly snapped, causin' Pharmer to cower in the back. With his nostrils flarin' and his jaw clenched Tolbert angrily spat, "I'm buildin' my damn cabin wit' my own hands an' makin' shine t'pay for it. I ain't askin' for handouts, takin' a ready built house and easy job in town, like he is." He turned his hat covered head my way. His storm filled eyes borin' into me as he vowed, "Ella, I'll work my hands raw to provide for ya. I ain't my brother, ever'thin' I get for us I'll bust my ass for."

"I know, Tolbert." I told him gently, tryin' to calm his temper from heatin' up. "That's a good quality to have, a good 'n' hard work ethic." I meant it too. I respected that Tolbert worked hard, wanted to do everythin' on his own. Accordin' to my Uncle Perry hard worker's always have a what the need to survive while lazy one's barely scrape by.

Whenever we pulled up to the house I spotted Ole Ran'l sittin' outside. He was rockin' on a rocker with a steamin' cup of coffee in his hand. "Tolbert, put her things in the storage room upstairs." Ole Ran'l ordered my beau before he had even stopped the wagon good.

"Okay, poppy." Tolbert answered before gettin' down from the wagon.

"Novella, why don't ya come and sit wit' me for a spell." Ole Ran'l demanded me, even tho he made it sound like a suggestion with his light, but deep, enunciation as Tolbert helped me down.

Pharmer and climbed down out of the back himself whenever Tolbert let go of my hand, slightly nudgin' me to head over to the porch with his poppy. Of course, I walked the short way to the porch steps. I wore a thinly lined smile as I climbed up them. "Mornin', Ole Ran'l." I politely greeted my soon to be father-in-law as I took a seat next to him in an open rocker.

"Fine mornin' it is, indeed." He replied before takin' a sip from his coffee cup. "You an' my son talk any?" Ole Ran'l asked, his brow raised, as he looked at me while restin' the cup in his grip on the armrest of his rocker.

I nodded before answering simply with, "Yea, we've talked."

"Good, very good." He nodded his head as we watched Tolbert and Pharmer walkin' towards the house carryin' one of my trunks. We sat in silence as Tolbert and Pharmer passed us, goin' into the house. As we heard them trudgin' up the stairs in the house Ole Ran'l turned to me and said in a bold, but fatherly type tone, "My boy's loved ya for a long time now. Real long time." I nodded my head silently. Ole Ran'l went on to tell me, "I think you're a nice girl, Novella. Seen ya grow up, know ya got pure morals, but you've got t'accept Tolbert's words and ways."

"I understand, Ole Ran'l." I simply said since what more could I say without causin' a quarrel. Clearly the McCoy family felt that I needed to deal with Tolbert's irritability, listen to his dictations.

I heard the bootsteps before seeing Tolbert and Pharmer trudgin' out of the front door. Tolbert shot me a small glance before goin' down the porch steps. Pharmer didn't pay me or his poppy any mind, just followed his brother quietly to the wagon to continue unloadin' my things.

Me and Ole Ran'l rocked silently in our chairs as we watched Tolbert and Pharmer empty the back of the wagon of my things.

Tolbert POV:

Whenever me and Bud rode up to my cabin I saw that my brothers had one side completed. When I say brothers, I mean Bud and Calvin. Jim weren't 'round, not that I expect'd him t'be. The sound of hammers and nails strikin' 'gainst boards rung in the air as I got off my horse and guided it to the makeshift barn. Pharmer wasn't too far behind me, tetherin' up his own horse mere minutes after I had done so wit' mine.

"Tolbert, how was Novella this mornin'?" Bud asked while me and Pharmer silently grabbed a board from the stack beside the barn.

Calvin, bein' a smart ass, sarc'stic'ly asked, "Yea, she try t'bite yer head off?"

"She's fine," I answered Bud 'fore quickly addin' in for Calvin, "didn't try to bite my head off neither."

"After last nite I find that hard t'believe." Calvin remarked while me and Pharmer where settin' up the board 'gainst the framework.

"Novella, she was nice to him. Seemed a bit sad too." Pharmer remarked as Calvin and Bud walked off from the cabin and towards the stack of boards some yards 'way.

"Sad? But why?" Bud simply asked while helpin' Calvin lift a board off the large pile.

"She ain't sad, ya dumbasses, she's just overwhelmed." I snapped over the sound of me and Pharmer's hammers smackin' the nails into the wooden board. "Cabin ain't done yet, but she's already moved out of Perry Cline's. Moved out few 'fore we're due to be wed."

"Yer weddin's gon'be that soon?" Pharmer asked as we put down our hammers right as Calvin and Bud began to set up their wood 'gainst the frame.

"Yea. Gotta set a date, but reckon it'll be 'fore Christmas." I told Pharmer while we made our way over to the wood pile.

"Novella's gonna love that." Calvin sarcastically huffed while shakin' his head and startin' to nail down his piece of wood sidin' to my cabin.

"Shut up, Calvin, or I'll whack ya upside the head with this here board." I threated, tiltin' my head towards the board me and Pharmer had just picked up.

Novella POV:

My day consisted of helpin' Aunt Sally 'round the house with chores. I was tasked wit' feedin' the chickens and gatherin' their eggs, feedin' the hogs, and helpin' with the wash. Aunt Sally had also taught me how to properly wring a chicken's neck, pluck and butcher that said chicken as well. Alifair helped with the chil'ren while Roseanna helped me and Aunt Sally, mostly with hangin' up laundry and preppin' supper.

Talk 'bout supper that was a very quiet affair. No body said a word as we crowded around the pair of kitchen tables to eat our meal of biscuits, fried chicken, and vegetables. Tolbert looked worn out as he sat next to me while we ate. I knew he had been workin' on our cabin all day, so I understood why he was tired. The silent dinner was good but felt a bit off to me since I was used to conversations at meal times. My Uncle Perry always talked to me and Moses, encouraged us to tell him anythin' on our minds. That wasn't the case in the McCoy house, or at least not tonight.

After dinner I helped with the cleanup, as was my duty. The little ones were watched over by Alifair, as always. She was good with them and seemed to actually enjoy taking care of them. Roseanna, after clearin' the chil'ren's table, was given person by Ole Rand'll to go bout whatever she felt like doin'. I was the one that had to help Aunt Sally wash the dishes.

I had also been asked by Aunt Sally to help her patch and stitch up clothes, to which I agreed to do. I mean I didn't have much of a choice in the matter, really. Once all the mendin' was done it was late. The little ones were already in bed and the rest of us needed to get ready to do the same.

I was almost to the bedroom under the stairs that I now shared with Roseanna and Alifair when Tolbert stopped me in with a hand grabbin' mine. "Come sit on the porch wit' me real quick." He suggested as I turned 'round to look at him.

"Okay." I nodded my head, lettin' him led me to the door and out onto the porch.

Silently we went over to the pair of rockers and took a seat in them. Tolbert looked at the oil lanterns lightin' up the porch 'fore settin' his gaze on me and tellin' me in his velvety timbre, "I wanna get married 'fore Christmas."

Wow, now that I wasn't expectin' to hear from him. So then the cabin was further done then he was first lettin' on. I just nodded my head while askin', "What day y'got in mind?"

"Dunno, we could do the Friday or Saturday 'fore."

"So, either the 20th or the 21st?" I asked, knowin' the dates he was takin' 'bout from seein' them nearly everyday on my uncle's large full year printed desk calendar.

Tolbert just nodded his head while remarkin', "Mhm, either one works fine for me."

"Uncle Perry works in town, Saturday might be easier on him. He wouldn't have t'close down the office or anythin'." I stated the obvious reason why we needed to go with Saturday over Friday. My uncle needed to be free for the weddin' since he'd need to walk me down the aisle, give me 'way.

"Then we'll marry the Saturday 'fore Christmas." Tolbert confirmed, a soft look in his eyes as he looked at me. "Reckon we better go tell yer uncle we picked a date 'morrow while we're in town pickin' up some shit I ordered for the cabin."

"Yea. So, what'd ya order?"

"Roof shingles and glass windows." Tolbert simply replied, lookin' ahead into the dark expanse of woods in front of the porch.

"Glass windows! Tolbert, ya didn't have to do that. Really, I know that's expensive and you're a 'shiner." Damn, why would he spend all of his hard-earned money on that? He didn't have a high paying job like my Uncle Perry did, he couldn't afford to waste his money on luxuries. Hell, the only reason why Ole Ran'l and Aunt Sally had glass windows was cause Uncle Perry gave them as a Christmas present one year. If not for him they'd still be using paper windows, like a lot of people do.

"I promised I was gonna build ya a fine cabin an' I'm keepin' my word t'ya. I mean it when I say I wanna give ya a good life." I was taken aback by the brutal honesty shimmerin' in his storm-blue eyes. He meant every gruffly velvet word that rolled off his tongue and it made my heart swell.

Tolbert McCoy by all means wasn't a perfect man. He had a terrible temper, was mean and cruel, but was also soft and sweet with me when he wanted. Also, he was honest and willin' to do whatever it took to care for my wellbein'. I could feel my heart softenin' for him, just a lil bit.

I just smiled at him, showin' him that I was grateful for his dedication to me. Tolbert smirked back at me risin' from his rocker. Holdin' his hand out for me while standin' in front of me he said, "Well, we better get inside. Get t'bed." I just nodded and took his hand, lettin' him pull me up on my feet. He towered over me as he placed a calloued hand on my cheek, bringin' his head down and capturin' my lips in a tender kiss.

It's been a while since me and Tolbert's truly kissed, not just quick pecks here and there. I instantly reacted my movin' my lips 'gainst his while placin' a hand in his rust colored hair. He nipped and tugged on my bottom lip before pullin' 'way and breakin' the kiss. With a twinkle in his eye he huskily, but smoothly, said, "'Nite, Ella." Without 'nother word he walked off towards the door and inside the house.

I was left stunned. My emotions all mixin' up inside me. As I walked to the door and inside the house I realized that I was startin' to fall for Tolbert. The hot-headed asshole was wigglin' his way into my heart.