Always Dakota - Debbie Macomber [98]
Pastor Dawson had told him to fight for Margaret, and Matt had taken the advice to heart. If his wife assumed he was going to roll over and play dead, then she didn’t know him nearly as well as she thought.
“You’re sure she didn’t have a doctor’s appointment?” he asked again.
“Positive.”
Matt’s stomach churned. His biggest fear loomed before him. “She’s seeing an attorney, isn’t she?”
Sadie returned to the sink, where she peeled potatoes with the skill of many years. The brown skins curled away from the sharp blade in a perfect spiral, falling toward the sink. “I can’t rightly say if she’s with an attorney or not.”
“But you said you have your suspicions.”
“I do.”
The sick feeling was back in the pit of his stomach.
The sound of a car door closing echoed through the kitchen. Margaret must be home.
Sadie and Matt exchanged looks. For an instant he toyed with the idea of sneaking out the laundry-room door, but just as quickly, he rejected the thought.
“Let me talk to her for a few minutes,” Matt suggested.
“You telling me to leave this kitchen?” Sadie asked, fire flashing from her dark eyes.
“No,” he said quickly. “I’m asking you to give me a few minutes alone with my wife.”
Sadie hesitated, then dropped the potato in a pan of cold water. She dried her hands on her apron and walked out of the room. No sooner had she disappeared than Margaret entered the house.
Seeing Matt, she went rigid, eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here?” she spat.
“I want to talk to you.”
She ignored him and rushed into the long hallway. Not easily dissuaded, Matt followed. Margaret headed for the bedroom and would have slammed the door if he hadn’t stopped her by planting his foot in the way. They met face-to-face, their eyes blazing.
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“Hear me out. Then if you want me to leave, I will.”
She folded her arms and pretended to be bored. “Did Sadie let you in?”
“No.”
“Liar.”
“I let myself in, so don’t blame Sadie.”
Frowning, she pinched her lips together. “Say what you have to say.”
“All right.” He’d known this wouldn’t be easy. Running his hand across the back of his neck, he decided to make his first volley an aggressive one. “I need to know where you were this afternoon. Because if you were seeing an attorney, there’s something you have to understand.”
“Where I was and who I saw are my business.”
“Not anymore.”
“Like hell, Matt Eilers! I don’t owe you any explanations. I don’t owe you anything.”
“This isn’t a matter of owing anyone. Fine, don’t tell me and I’ll just go ahead and speak my piece.” After a deliberate pause, he said, “If you saw an attorney with the intention of filing for divorce, then you should know I plan to fight you every step of the way.”
She glared at him, as if to say she welcomed the challenge.
“I admit the situation is unfortunate. You regret our marriage. I can appreciate that. But you were the one who chose to marry me and by God, we’re going to stay married.”
She blinked and looked away.
“I’ve got regrets, too,” he continued. “A whole truckload of those. Unfortunately, there’s not one damn thing I can do to change the circumstances now.”
His words fell into the silent room. Matt wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but not this…this utter lack of emotion. It was as though she’d completely closed him out.
“Are you finished?” she asked curtly.
“No,” he surprised himself by saying. “You’re my wife, dammit, and it’s high time you started acting like it.” He could tell his words had hit their mark when the fire leaped back into her eyes.
If looks could kill, there’d be a funeral in Buffalo Valley that night. “I beat the hell out of you once, Matt Eilers, and I have no compunction about doing it twice.”
He nearly laughed out loud, which would have been a big mistake. “If it’ll make you feel better, then you’re welcome to try.” She’d caught him off guard before, but she wouldn’t again.
Instantly she pulled back her clenched fist, and swung at him, but Matt caught her fist with his open hand. Despite