Page 21 of Magnolia Summer

Ben gave a shrill whistle. The dogs became frenzied. Truett unlatched the gate to the pen and opened it wide.

“Sic ’em!”

The dogs threw themselves into the open, charging toward Suggs and Curtis. The hounds bayed and snarled as they ran. Sheriff Suggs and Curtis raced for their horses. They flung themselves into their saddles a bare moment before the dogs reached them. The animals snapped ferociously at the men’s ankles. The Suggs men lit out at a full gallop toward the road and didn’t stop once they got there.

Truett shoved his guns into his hip holsters and took off at a fast trot through the woods to find Colonel. Ben and Cato shouted after him, “Hey! Hey!” But Truett didn’t look back, not even when Cato Burwell shouted after him, “Much obliged to you!”

Chapter 7

Celia dragged the slop bucket down the steep hill to the pig sty. As she moved close to their fence, the big sow and her piglets hurried over to the trough, already grunting and snorting in their eagerness. Celia heaved the bucket over the top of the four-foot high split rails and dumped the slop. She watched the pigs for a moment, but then noticed there was one pig that hadn’t come to the trough. Instead, it lay on its side, completely still. On closer inspection, she noted flies buzzing around it.

“Oh, that’s just what we need.”

Celia trudged back up the hill toward the house and entered the back door to the kitchen. “Where’s Will? Another pig has died.”

Lizzie barely glanced up from the stove. “He went hunting with Truett.”

Celia rolled her eyes. What right did Truett Beverly have to come and get her brother before sunup and take him to shoot at turkeys and rabbits and squirrels?

She knew it was good for him to have a man around to do things with, but now, thanks to Truett Beverly, she’d have to deal with the dead pig herself.

Celia huffed. Bad enough she had been awake in the middle of the night soothing Tempie after her nightmare.

Lizzie used a cloth to open the oven door and pull out the biscuits. “Will and Truett should be back soon.”

Lizzie was interrupted by Tempie’s too-familiar scream, coming from outside.

Celia burst back out the door to find Tempie making her way across the yard. The little girl wailed between shallow, shuddering breaths. She held her arms stiffly out from her sides. When she saw Celia, she extended her hands toward her.

Celia lifted her skirt and ran to her. “Are you hurt? What’s wrong?” She bent down to examine the child’s tear-streaked face.

“Dirty!” Tempie held up her hands, thrusting them in Celia’s face. “Dirty!”

“Dirty?” From the child’s screams, Celia thought at the very least she had been stung by a bee. She stared at the child.

“Tempie doesn’t like to be dirty,” Lizzie’s wry tone came from the doorway.

Celia sighed, took Tempie’s hand, and led her to the basin that rested on a stool by the back steps. She washed Tempie’s hands and then dried them with a cloth. “I thought children liked getting dirty.”

Tempie stared up at her with shimmering eyes and poked out her lip.

Celia smiled and kissed her cheek. “It’s all right, sweetie. All clean now.”

Tempie sniffed. “I want my dolly.”

“Go on, then.” As Celia dried her hands on a cloth, Tempie scampered into the house.

Celia rubbed her face. How could a person be so tired before breakfast?

“Hey, Celia! Look what I killed.”

Will and Truett strode toward her across the yard, holding up two brown rabbits by their hind feet.

Harley clasped his slingshot in front of him as he jumped up and down in front of Celia, begging, “I go hunting with Truett and Will next time!”

“No! Absolutely not.”

Harley set up a howl that echoed through the woods behind her. “I want to go too!” He turned toward the house and yelled, “Lizzie!”