Page 90 of Return to Telegraph Creek

“Thank you, Miss June.I surely do appreciate it.”

Oscar jumped off the bed and ran to Maggie, grabbing her into a fierce embrace that took all of us by surprise.

“What the hell?”Maggie said, laughing and hugging him back.“Jimmy, you oughta keep this boy on a leash.”

“Believe me, I’ve thought about it.”

“’Tis so poetic!”Oscar said.“Why, the two of you will be the most interestin’ couple in the county.”

Miss June shook her head.“I suppose tongues’ll wag at the fact Maggie wears men’s things, but I reckon that’s not so unusual.”

“Are you—?”Oscar said, letting Maggie go and stepping back, his forehead creased with thought.“Are you gonna live as a man, like Cal lives as a woman?”

Maggie shook her head.“No, I ain’t gonna do that.I reckon I don’t look manly enough, and anyway, I don’tfeellike a man.But I don’t feel fully a woman, neither.Don’t see why I can’t be somethin’ in between.I reckon most folks won’t ask questions, as long as I’m polite and conduct my business fairly.”

“You’ll have some men who won’t take you serious at first,” Miss June said.“But I have no doubt you’ll set them straight.”

“Yes, ma’am, I will.”

It seemed like the perfect solution.

“God, I can hear you thinkin’, Jimmy,” Oscar said.

“I’m sorry.I’m still processin’.But I think ’tis a good idea.”

Maggie inclined her chin and pulled up a chair, sitting astride it as she gazed at us.

“At first, Cal didn’t want me to give up my life at The Angel, but I managed to convince her ’twas what I wanted.Anyway, those kids need a father figure, and I aim to give ’em one as best I can.I aim to teach ’em all the things their pa would’ve taught them if he’d been a good man, and the things we’ve already started teachin’ ’em, like how to milk a cow and how to ride.”

“Sure,” Oscar said.“I reckon you can be as good a Pa as any man—sure better’n the one they had.”

“Amen,” Miss June said.

“You gonna get them to call you ‘Papa Maggie’?”I asked.’Twas a joke, but Maggie straightened up and nodded.

“I do like the sound of that.Why not?”

I grinned.Truth of it was that Cal and those children were goddamned lucky to have our Maggie on their side.She was a force to be reckoned with, and if anyone could keep them safe and thriving, ’twas her.

“All right,” I said.“Well then, I suppose this calls for a celebration.”

Miss June stood.“I’ve got some lovely bourbon in the cupboard, waiting for an opportunity like this,” she said.“I’ll go get it, and we can have a nice little tot in here with you boys.Then we’ll leave you be, so you can do some private celebrating,” Miss June said.“I figure if you can stick around another week to help us get Cal and Maggie set up, I can let you boys go home.”

Chapter Thirty-One

A Private Gathering

I’d rarely seen Oscar so addled with the drink.I supposed the thought of being able to return to our home and friends in Port Essington had made him carefree, and he’d overdone it.At least I was here to make sure he didn’t trip and smash his head into the mantel.

“Oscar, be careful.You ain’t too steady right now,” I said, grabbing his arm as he careened toward the wall.

“I’m fine, Jimmy,” he slurred.“Stop babyin’ me.”

“Oh, I ain’t babyin’ you, I reckon.I’m only watchin’ out for you.”

“Oh, you are, are you?Watch this, then,” Oscar said, tugging his shirt from his trousers and lifting it to bare his chest as he wiggled in a deliberately alluring way.

Miss June threw back her head and laughed, while Maggie whooped and stomped her feet, raising her glass.We’d brought in a couple of straight chairs for them to sit on, and both of them had a look of relaxation and pleasure on their rosy faces as they enjoyed the fine bourbon.