The Widows of Braxton County by Jess Mcconkey Read Free Book Online Page B

faces. When one of the women lifted her hand and whispered to her companion, Kate quickly turned her attention back to Trudy. But she’d disappeared.
    To catch up with her mother-in-law, Kate hurried around the corner of the next aisle and smacked into a cart belonging to an older woman.
    “I’m so sorry,” Kate apologized as she tried to separate the carts’ locked wheels.
    Dressed in knee-length denim shorts, a drab green shirt, and scuffed tennis shoes, the stranger turned and smiled. Her face had the color of tanned leather and was webbed with fine lines, but the blue eyes staring at Kate appeared young and lively. Kate guessed her to be Trudy’s age, or maybe a little older.
    Her smile widened. “That’s all right. I shouldn’t have left it in the middle of the aisle.” As she reached over to help disengage the carts, her focus darted to a spot on Kate’s left.
    Her eyes narrowed. “Trudy,” she said in a clipped voice.
    “Rose,” Trudy replied stiffly.
    Kate’s attention bounced back and forth between the two women who continued to size each other up like two gunfighters facing off down the center of Main Street. At any minute she expected one of them to mutter the timeworn line—“This town ain’t big enough for the both of us.”
    To break the building tension, Kate shot out her hand. “Hi, I’m Kate.”
    The woman, Rose, eyed her hand suspiciously then reluctantly took it in her own.
    “Rose Clement,” she said with a quick shake before again focusing her attention on Trudy.
    “I’m Joe Krause’s new—”
    “I know who you are,” she said, turning toward Kate and studying her. Her lips pursed and she shook her head. “Good luck. You’ll need it.” With a parting glance at Trudy, Rose yanked on her cart to free the wheels, then quickly pushed the cart down the aisle.
    Kate stared after her, stupefied. “Who was that?”
    “Rose Clement. Her farm’s on the other side of Dutton.” Trudy gave a snort. “She’s buried two husbands and is looking for another one.”
    A perplexed look crossed Kate’s face. “But she’s—”
    “Eighty if she’s a day,” Trudy said, finishing her sentence for her. “And she’s been a thorn in the side of this family for each and every one of them.”
    “Why?”
    Trudy grabbed their cart and began to move away. “Never mind. Just stay away from her.”
    Kate dropped the subject but, on the drive home, wondered what had caused such animosity between Trudy and Rose. It was evident that the hatred was shared. Staring out the window, she reminded herself to ask Joe about the feud the minute they were alone.
    When they pulled into the driveway, Kate’s heart thumped with excitement. Joe’s pickup sat next to the house. He was home early. As soon as the car came to a stop, she flung open her door and ran off in search of him.
    She found him out back, walking toward the fence line that separated the bean field from the yard. One hand held a rifle, with its barrel resting on his shoulder. In his other hand, he carried the carcass of a small animal. Blood matted the striped yellow fur. Kate’s sandals slid in the dry grass as she came to a halt. She watched with tears pouring down her face as her husband walked to the fence and flung the body out into the field.
    “What have you done!” she screamed at him.
    Joe whirled, dropped the rifle, and strode toward her. “Kate—what’s wrong?”
    “You killed him,” she sobbed.
    He grabbed her upper arms. “Killed who?”
    Her throat clogged and she could barely answer. “My cat!”
    He shot a look over his shoulder at the bean field. “That old yellow tom?” He sighed. “I caught him killing Ma’s baby chicks.”
    Kate jerked away from him. “You didn’t have to shoot him,” she exclaimed.
    “Yes, I did,” he said in an even voice. “We can’t have an animal around killing stock. If he’d stayed in the barn where he belonged—”
    Kate’s wail cut him off and she fell to her knees. Oh