“I’m sure Miss Thornton doesn’t need a graphic description of what it means to live in south Texas,” George said, “but it is possible for men to put aside their battle manners when they come home. They’ve been doing it for centuries.”
“If you weren’t so anxious to murder those poor farmers, you—” Jeff began.
“You self-righteous ass!” Monty exploded. “If you’d had to crawl on your belly through the brush, or swim through a cottonmouth-infested stream to keep one of those poor farmers from killing you, you’d sing a different tune.”
“That’s enough,” George said.
“You can’t mean to listen to his bleating.”
“No, but I don’t imagine Miss Thornton wants to listen to you either.”
“She’d better. Our guns is the only thing that’ll keep her safe in her bed.”
“Are,” Jeff said.
Monty threw his milk across the table. He aimed for Jeff’s head, but his brother dodged, and the glass shattered against the far wall. Fragments fell into the woodbox and scattered under the stove.
“If you don’t keep that bastard’s mouth shut, I’ll shut it for him.”
“Jeff, I’ve told you not to correct the boys.”
“I can’t stand to hear them sound like untutored fools.”
“Then don’t listen. If Pa didn’t think their education was important enough for him to see to, then you leave it alone. How do you think they feel knowing we got special tutors while they got nothing?” George cast a meaningful glance in Rose’s direction. She knew he was telling Jeff not to air the family’s dirty linen in front of her.
“Monty, apologize to Miss Thornton.”
Rose’s startled, protesting gaze flew to George’s face. She didn’t want to be made part of this confrontation.
“I’ll be damned if I will,” Monty swore. “Let Jeff do it.”
“Apologize, or leave the table. We’ve already ruined her first dinner. It’s inexcusable to ruin a second.”
“Go to hell!” Monty shouted and left the room.
Hen half rose in his chair, his coldly furious gaze fixed on Jeff.
George motioned him back in his seat. “Jeff, if you can’t leave Monty alone during dinner, you’ll have to eat some other time. You don’t have to like the way the twins looked after Ma or this place, but you have no right to complain. You weren’t here.”
“Of course I wasn’t doing anything important, only defending my country and losing my arm,” Jeff stated, furious.
Rose didn’t know who to sympathize with more. It must be awful for the twins to suffer from a perpetual feeling of inferiority, but that was nothing compared to Jeff’s loss of his arm.
“Clean up the milk,” George said to Jeff. “It’s your fault it’s spilt.”
It’s also your fault Monty has to go without dinner, Rose thought.
They finished the meal in silence.
Tyler was the first to get to his feet.
“If you’re finished, ask Miss Thornton if you may be excused,” George said.
“Why should I ask her?” Tyler demanded, looking at George like he’d lost his mind. “She’s nothing but the cook.”
“She’s as much somebody as you are,” George replied. “If you enjoyed dinner, say so. Then ask her permission to be excused.”
“You may go if you’re finished,” Rose said, not waiting for the mutinous boy to ask. She wasn’t sure he would, and she didn’t think she could stand another confrontation tonight.
“Everything tasted mighty good,” Hen said as Tyler made a hasty exit. “Mind if I go?”
“Not at all,” Rose said.
“Me, too,” Zac said, jumping up. “Don’t mind Tyler,” he whispered in Rose’s ear. “He’s just mad you took away his job. Now he has to chase after cows, and he hates cows more than anything.”
“Don’t forget to fill the woodbox,” Rose reminded Zac before he could make good his escape. “I’ll need more wood if I’m to cook breakfast in the morning.”
Zac looked like he wanted to argue, but one glance at George’s stern expression, his thick eyebrows virtually drawn together, caused him to change his mind.
“I’d better be going, too,” Jeff said. “The food was excellent. George did well when he hired you.”
Just like I’d been a cow or a horse. Jeff was more of a snob than all his brothers put together. She’d never be more than the hired help to him.
“I hope you don’t mind if I don’t go right away,” George said.