Caught Between Love And Duty

by Clarice Mayfield

  dress does not hide him.

  The strong sweet quality he has strikes through the cotton and cloth,

  To see him pass conveys as much as the best poem, perhaps more,

  You linger to see his back, and the back of his neck and shoulder-side.’”

  She stopped and looked at him.

  “I don’t understand all of it,” he said, “but are you sayin’ that I’m a walkin’-talkin’ poem?”

  “Yes,” Georgia replied. “You really are, my love.”

  “Well you better read on, then. Let’s hear some more.” Georgia raised the book and continued:

  “‘The male is not less the soul nor more,’ ...than the female,” she added,

  “He too is in his place,

  He too is all qualities, he is action and power,

  The flush of the known universe is in him,

  Scorn becomes him well, and appetite and defiance become him well,

  The wildest largest passions, bliss that is utmost,

  sorrow that is utmost become him well, pride is for him,

  The full-spread pride of man is calming and excellent to the soul,

  Knowledge becomes him, he likes it always,

  he brings everything to the test of himself,

  Whatever the survey, whatever the sea and the sail

  he strikes soundings at last only here,

  Where else does he strike soundings except here?’”

  Georgia closed the volume and looked shyly at James, waiting for his response. He gazed back at her for a minute in silence.

  “I don’t know what to say, darlin’.”

  “Did you like it?” she asked.

  “Yeah. That’s deep stuff. I like it when you read to me.”

  “I’m so glad you enjoyed it,” she said, putting the book down. She placed her arms around his neck, enjoying the strong feel of it. He put his hands on her hips and pulled her body close. “You are so much that very man, James – full of action and power and that strong, sweet quality which emanates from you.”

  “And don’t forget appetite, girl. I’m full of appetite,” he said softly and kissed her on the neck.

  Georgia felt butterflies of delight stir in her body. “Ooh...James,” she whispered, “you had better not kiss me there until our wedding night.”

  He kissed her on the other side of the neck. “How come?”

  “Because when you kiss me there, I don’t want you to stop.”

  “All right,” he smiled. “Can I kiss you here then?” He put his lips on her shoulder, causing Georgia to giggle with delight.

  “Okay. Just a couple times though, please,” she said, throwing back her head with closed eyes and enjoying the moment. “Even through the material of this dress the touch of your lips feels too good!”

  “Good. I’m glad it does.”

  “You are the best poem in the world, my love,” Georgia said.

  “You too,” he said and kissed her again.

  * * *

  The Warton family were all in a state of excitement as their train pulled into the station at San Antonio, Texas. Even Mother Emilia – that most hesitant of travelers – was smiling as they disembarked and hired a cab for the Menger Hotel on Alamo Plaza. The hotel served as the westbound stagecoach station. They were eager to begin the final leg of their journey to Sonora after a good night’s sleep in a proper bed.

  “Well, we made it to Texas, Mother,” William beamed at Emilia as their horse-drawn taxi clip-clopped its way slowly toward the hotel.

  “Yes we did, thank God,” she said. “And thank you boys for making the trip as comfortable as possible for me. I absolutely could not have done it without you.”

  “No problem, Mother,” Elias answered, smiling back. He had successfully maintained his sobriety throughout the almost two-month journey from Boston. For this achievement his mother and brother were very proud of him and genuinely glad for him. Elias himself seemed like a new man. The color had returned to his face, his physical condition was improved, and – best of all – he seemed to have regained a healthy interest in life again.

  William was thankful beyond words that his prayers for his brother had been answered. Thank you, Lord God, for granting Elias sobriety again. Please help him to maintain it as we begin the last part of our journey to Georgia’s wedding and meet her in-laws. Amen. Oh, and please help Mother on the stagecoach ride to Sonora.

  The young man was also determined to continue keeping a close eye on his older sibling. Once on the train he had caught Elias lingering outside of a bar car, looking inside longingly as the gentlemen consumed their beverages. William had come up behind him and said, “Please don’t go in there, brother. You’ve made such a great start. Don’t throw it all away now.” To his credit, Elias had turned around and come back to their seats again.

  “Thanks, little Willy,” he said as they sat down together, “that was a close one.” From that point on the Wartons had been careful to get seating as far away as possible from any alcohol being served.

  * * *

  Early the next morning the three of them were waiting in the departure area as the westbound stagecoach rattled in and stopped at the Menger Hotel. Twenty minutes later, their luggage was loaded into the boot and with a fresh team of horses the Wartons set out on the two-day journey to Sonora.

  Inside the small coach the boys had their entire arsenal of seven feather-stuffed pillows on hand, ready to support their mother when the stage left the well-maintained streets of San Antonio and plunged into the backroads of west Texas.

  “Okay Willy, this is it,” Elias said as the city suburbs were left behind. “Prepare for Operation Comfort Mother.”

  Emilia laughed at her son’s healthy sense of humor. She was so glad to see it return from years of alcoholic exile and dark, bitter sarcasm. “Yes please, boys. Hand over the pillows or I’ll shoot!” She stuck out a finger and thumb at them like a six-shooter. “All of them. Now!”

  The boys laughed at her antics. “Please lady,” William cried with his hands up over his head, “can we keep just a couple pillows? These here is awful rough roads in Texas.” As if on cue, the stagecoach hit its first big bump and threw them all off balance.

  Elias was the first to recover. He reached down to the floor pretending to pick up Emilia’s ‘gun’ and came up fast with his finger and thumb pointed at her. “All right, lady, don’t move! I got the drop on you now. We’re takin’ all them pillows and ain’t nobody gonna stop us, see?” Emilia and William roared with laughter at his western villain impression.

  “Oh, no you don’t,” William said, grabbing Elias’ wrist and pinning his arm against the coach wall. “Drop it, you stage-robbin’ varmint!” As the boys wrestled one another Emilia looked on with a smile, delighted that her sons had started to enjoy each other’s company again. Against all odds their relationship was being restored.

  She quietly reached over and arranged several of the pillows around her, then settled into her seat. She felt prepared for whatever the road to Sonora might bring and was eager to see her husband and daughter again in forty-eight hours.

  * * *

  After enduring so much strain and danger in preceding months, the entire staff of the Golden Lane ranch were looking forward to the wedding with great anticipation. Everyone seemed to embrace the happiness and joy of the occasion as if breathing a collective sigh of relief.

  With a week to go until the event, preparations were in full swing. Aunt Martha had booked the band for the square dance after the hotel reception. She asked the bandleader to gather together the best musicians in Sutton County and was pleased with the lineup that he had come up with. Martha and Georgia had planned the dinner menu down to the last detail with Gaston, Arthur’s French chef. It was as sumptuous a meal as Sonora had ever seen, packed with all the delicacies of a traditional Texas wedding feast – plus a few custom items from the bride’s Boston cookbook for good measure. The ceremony itself would take place in the church chapel
in town, officiated by a travelling Methodist minister.

  “What time is the stagecoach due in tomorrow?” Georgia asked James as they relaxed over an evening game of chess on the veranda. “I’ve been so busy I’ve forgotten already.”

  “One p.m.,” he replied. “Good thing they’re gettin’ here a week before the weddin’. Two days and nights of bouncin’ over them dusty roads with Sam will be quite a shock for your ma. She’ll need the time to recover.”

  “Mercy, yes,” Georgia chuckled, recalling her own rollicking stagecoach journey to Sonora. “I’m glad she’ll have Elias and William’s shoulder to cry on and sleep on. Mama isn’t the easiest traveler under the best of conditions. I asked Daddy to get them to bring lots of pillows for her – and earplugs for Sam’s cussing.”

  James grinned. “Good idea, darlin’.”

  “I didn’t have so much as a pillow on the stage and it was a very long two days. But, of course, that was before I became the seasoned Texas woman that I am now.”

  “Yep,” James replied, “reckon it’s been quite a ride since you got here too, Georgia. You done well through it all, darlin’. I’m proud of you.”

  She blushed, thrilled at the compliment. “You have not done too bad yourself, James McCloud: rescuing me from kidnappers and breaking up a gang of desperadoes that were terrorizing the town. Of course, you haven’t won a single game of chess against me since I arrived in Sonora. But no one’s perfect,” she teased.

  He laughed and rubbed his hands together in anticipation of his next move. “Well, that’s all gonna change right now, woman! I been gettin’ some pointers from your daddy. Give me a kiss for good luck.” He leaned forward and they kissed over the chessboard.

  The gang hadn’t been heard from for many weeks but James knew there were several loose-ends still unresolved. What happened to Blue Shadow? Had he melted away in defeat like some of the other outlaws or died from the gunshot wound Martha inflicted on him? He and Leary had never discovered who their leader was either. Was he still planning to teach the Sheriff of Sonora a ‘lesson’? Had he given up or was he waiting for another opportunity to attack? These questions remained in the back of James’s mind as the day of their wedding drew closer.

  * * *

  Charles and Georgia could barely contain their excitement as the stagecoach clattered up the street toward the post office. Both had hardly slept a wink the night before.

  “There she blows!” David called out. “Sam looks as cranky as always after a couple days out on the road.”

  “Mrs. Warton probably ain’t heard so much cussin’ in her life,” James chuckled to his brother.

  “Or seen so much tobacco juice flyin’ through the air,” David replied.

  The coach rolled to a stop in front of the arrival party and Sam Kimball climbed down from the driver’s seat. “Hello, Sam!” Georgia called out to him. “How was the trip?”

  “Good. No trouble at all,” he replied, opening the door of the coach. “Welcome to Sonora, folks,” he said to the passengers with more good cheer than his usual announcement, knowing that this was a special moment for the Warton family.

  William climbed out first and Georgia ran forward to embrace him. “Sis!” he chirped happily as they hugged. “How are you?”

  “I’m good,” she said. “You look like you’ve grown two inches! How’s Mama?”

  “Oh, we had a time of it,” William smiled, “she near fainted the first few miles with Sam’s cussing and spitting. But she’s okay now. And we brought plenty of pillows, so she was able to catch a couple of winks along the way.”

  Charles stood in front of the coach door as Elias emerged, a bundle of pillows under his arm. He blinked in the bright sunlight, smiled and shook his dad’s hand. “Hello, Father. How are you?”

  The older man could hardly believe the change in his son’s demeanor. He seemed happy and healthy for the first time in years. “I’m fine, son, just fine. You look great. The trip out west seems to have agreed with you.”

  “Yes, sir,” Elias replied, “it surely did. Glad to be here.”

  Emilia appeared in the doorway and Elias helped his mother down the step and onto the street. “Emilia!” Charles exclaimed, embracing her warmly. “It’s so good to see you, my love. How was your journey?”

  “It was good, Charles. The boys helped me through, I wouldn’t have made it without them,” she said proudly.

  “The ‘boys’?” he asked with surprise.

  “Yes, Elias too. He’s made a wonderful recovery, Charles; didn’t touch a drop the whole way.” She took a small step forward and swayed a little, struggling to get her balance. Charles grasped her elbow to steady her.

  “Now, now, you’ll be all right, Mother. That old coach is rather like being on a ship in a storm, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, indeed it is,” Emilia smiled, surprising her husband with her good humor about it. “Thank you for suggesting the pillows – they were a lifesaver, dear. And the earplugs were very much appreciated as well.”

  Charles chuckled knowingly in response as William walked over to him and they shook hands. “Well done, young man. Your mother seems to have done splendidly on the journey.”

  “Thanks, Father. Yes, she did great; hardly complained at all,” he smiled.

  “And your brother looks amazing. I wasn’t sure if he would even agree to come to Texas.”

  “Oh, he put up quite a fuss at first but I just had to twist his arm a little,” William replied with a wink.

  Elias gave Georgia a hug before she could even say hello. “Elias? Is that you?” she teased with surprise as he gave her a big squeeze.

  “Yes, Georgie,” he said, grinning goofily at her, “it’s really me.”

  She didn’t know what to say. “Well, I... welcome to Sonora!” she blurted out happily.

  “Great to be here,” Elias replied. “How are you doing, Georgie? You look great. That cowboy of yours must be good for you.”

  “Come and meet him,” she said. “William! Come and meet the McCloud brothers too.” Georgia led them over to James and David, who were standing at a respectful distance, watching the reunion unfold.

  “Warton brothers of Boston,” she said, “meet the McCloud brothers of Sonora.”

  James thrust out his hand toward the younger son. “You must be William, I presume.”

  “You presumed correctly, sir!” he said, eyeing the badge on his vest as they shook hands. “What an amazing family you have, Sheriff. Georgia’s told us about all that’s happened in her letters. Thank you so much for what you and David have done for our parents – for our whole family.”

  “Yes, thank you to the both of you,” Elias broke in, extending his hand to James and David. “You have no idea how much this means to all of us.”

  “You are more than welcome, boys,” James replied. He was touched by their sincere appreciation. “It’s just what family does, isn’t it? We need to look out for each other.” The boys nodded humbly.

  “Not only that,” William said, “but you and David went the extra mile for us. Thank you both.”

  “More like the extra twenty miles,” Elias added.

  “Thank you guys,” David said, touched by their sincerity too, “we appreciate that a lot. Let’s get your mother out to the ranch for a well-deserved rest after her stagecoach trip. We can chat some more there.”

  “Yes, she’s tired and will appreciate that very much,” Elias replied.

  Georgia and James watched as the three men walked over to the coach and helped Sam load the Warton’s baggage onto a Golden Lane buckboard. “I think they’re going to get along just fine, don’t you?” she said.

  He put his arm around her waist. “Yep. They seem like a couple fine young men to me, darlin’.”

  “I wonder how Mummy and Auntie will get along?” Georgia said.

  “Now that will be interesting,” James mused, “two family matriarchs meeting for the first time. I hope Auntie’s salt n’ spunk don’t put your ma
off too much!” They both laughed and walked over to rejoin the party.

  22

  Aunt Martha had stayed behind at the Golden Lane to make sure everything was prepared for the Wartons’ arrival. The house had been cleaned from top to bottom, a light lunch prepared to refresh the travelers after their journey, and a full-course Texas barbecue planned for the next evening. With the desperadoes now dispersed and the threat seemingly ended, she had also stored her shotgun away in the closet where it normally resided. It was still close at hand – as always – but not so plainly in sight as to alarm the new arrivals.