Marshal Walters nods. “Marshal Blackwolf and I just had a very intense and complete discussion is all.” He looks at Joey. “Would you like to explain, or did you want me to?”
She takes a deep breath and says, “I’ll do it.” She turns to her two uncles. “I’ve been officially reprimanded. I’m being demoted to the rank of Deputy Marshal and being placed on a probationary period.” Her voice waves and she gulps. “They decided not to take my badge because of my record and are going to give me another chance, without as much responsibility.” She takes another slow, deep breath, obviously trying to control her emotions to keep from crying.
Walters looks at Jake. “Did you accept?” Jake nods. “Give me your deputy’s badge, then.”
Jake takes it off from the inside of his vest and hands it to the senior marshal.
Walters hands it to Joey and has her change the badges out.
Jake’s trying his hardest not to show how shocked he is at how callous Walters is being, but is able to let it slide without statement. He resolves to say something to Joey later.
Walters takes Joey’s old badge and gives it to Jake, to be pinned on.
Logan nods and says, “Alright. Now that it’s been settled, I have your first couple of assignments for you, deputy.”
Joey steps forward and stands ramrod straight.
“First. You are to deliver this paperwork and the prisoner, Sean Mallory, to his penal facility. Make sure the head of the facility reads these instructions and swears an oath on a Bible to follow them to the letter, before you leave.”
She squares her shoulders. “If I may ask, where is this penal facility?”
“I believe you’re familiar with it. You are to deliver him to the Emerald Fields in Norman. His jailer is going to be Brigit McKennon. Think you can do that?”
With a smirk, she says, “Of course, your honor. Is there a specific time frame I need to deliver him by?”
Logan shakes his head. “He’s going to remain locked up while here, but no. I still need those written reports, from each of you three.”
She sighs and nods. “Second order?”
“You are to go from Norman to Denver and assist Marshal Brouwer with his recovery and return to his home base in Guthrie, to receive his next assignment.”
Jake grins. In her punishment, the judge is giving her everything she wanted.
Trying to keep from smiling, she nods. “Was there anything else, your honor?”
“I think that’ll do it for the moment. Don’t you, Marshal Walters?” Logan looks at his old friend with a mischievous grin.
“Nothing I can think of. What about you, Marshal Cardwell?” John shakes his head. “Marshal Jacobs?”
Jake’s shocked at the reference. “How did you know I was wanting to take my name back, Roger?”
Walters grins. “We were waiting out front for a couple of minutes, before figuring out the perfect time to come in is all.”
Jake scoffs at the admission and shakes his head. “No, but if I think of something, I’ll mention it later?” He looks directly at Joey.
She nods. Message received, then. He turns and nods to Judge Logan in confirmation.
Logan says, “I think you might want to go let your family know of the good news, John. Don’t you?”
Walters nods, turns and starts to leave, then stops in his tracks. “Hold up.” He turns to confront John. “WHAT FAMILY?”
Everyone in the room except Walters breaks out into gales of laughter.
“Well, sir, that’s an interesting story,” John drawls, slapping his old friend on the shoulder.
Just then, there’s a knock on the door. Judge Logan calls out, “Come in!”
The door opens and Jake hears a few tentative steps as someone comes in to the room. “Sir? Your supper is served.” Then she gasps.
Logan smiles. “Gentlemen, may I introduce the newest member of my staff: Fawn in the Morning Dew.”
Jake hears John gasp in surprise, so he turns to see what is so shocking.
Seeing the beautiful young Cheyenne woman standing just inside the doorway is enough to completely obliterate Jake’s reality.
Chapter 53
Jake can’t understand why he didn’t notice it before. The room is the same. The people are the same. Now, he knows why he’s been having these dreams for decades.
Fawn in the Morning Dew. Her name is beautiful, but her beauty is beyond compare.
He can’t breathe. He can’t think. He knows he’s been waiting for this moment most of his life. How could he have been so dense as to not recognize this scene from his dreams?
As he has dreamed of, countless times, he falls to his knees and, in flawless Cheyenne, says, “I am Joshua Falcon-Feather. The son of Red-Wolf and Grey-Eagle, of the Clan of the Night-Owl. I have waited my whole life to meet you. You are more beautiful than I have words to say. Will you be mine?”
The beautiful young Indian woman gasps again, her hand goes to her mouth and tears stream down her cheeks. She takes an involuntary step forward with one hand extending towards the kneeling Marshal, then whispers in Cheyenne, “No, it can’t be! Not now! Not like this! I’m unclean!” She turns away from Jake and runs from the room, sobbing.
Jake has a hand extending toward where she was, absolutely crushed. He’s dreamed up to his statement, but not beyond. He never expected she would deny him. He never thought this is how things would go.
He can feel a single tear race down his face as he feels a hand grab his shoulder comfortingly and hears his brother’s voice say, “Come on, Josh. You need to explain to everyone here what this is about.”
Jake looks up at his brother through tear-filled eyes and in a broken, heart wrenching tone, begs in Cherokee, “Why did she tell me no?”
JOHN LOOKS DOWN AT his brother in sympathy. After having heard about Josh’s dreams, he knows the kind of explosive emotions his brother is dealing with.
His heart breaks at hearing the disappointment in Josh’s voice.
After hearing the tone of what Fawn said, John’s sure she’s the former slave of Major Arbuckle.
John turns his head to look at the judge. “Lyttle told me the truth about what happened to Arbuckle. Is SHE the one?”
Logan’s eyes narrow at him a moment, then he sighs and nods.
All the pieces click together in John’s mind. He knows the reason for her to deny his brother.
Logan slams his palm down on the top of the desk and demands, “Someone is going to tell me what’s going on here, and they’re going to tell me, NOW!”
Josh starts crying into his hands, his body trembling with emotion.
John looks at the judge, holds up his finger and helps his brother stand. He guides the upset man over to a chair then sit in it.
John looks at Joey, silently asking for the young woman’s help.
She nods and walks over to Josh, kneeling to be on the same level as he is and speaks to her distressed uncle in a voice quiet enough no one else can hear.
John turns and addresses the judge and other marshal. “While Josh was stationed down at Camp Wichita, before the Red River War, he thought a young Apache girl down there by the name of Heart-of-Falcon was the answer to his years-long dreams of Fawn. He’s been dreaming of your young Cheyenne, since well before she was born.”
Logan’s eyes go wide as he listens to John. He shakes his head. “I take it you expect Fawn has been dreaming of Josh as well?”
“That’s what it looks like. I’m not sure what she said, since I don’t know that much Cheyenne, but from the sounds of it, I think it a very likely bet she has been.”
Logan looks at the still open doorway. “The poor girl has seen so much tragedy in her short life. I hired her to give her a place to heal.” He shakes his head. “And now, this.” He points toward Josh. “You think he has honorable intentions toward her?”
John chuckles. “I think, had she asked him to cut his own throat just now, he would have and gladly. Just to get a smile f
rom her.”
Logan sits back down in his office chair and crosses his arms, thinking.
John looks back at his brother and niece. He jabs his thumb toward the pair. “So, I’m pretty sure Josh’s not gonna be in the mood for dinner now. You guys might want to head on down and at least eat with everyone else. I’ll see what I can do here, then I’ll join you.”
Logan nods, rises, and heads for the door. He motions Walters to go with him and the pair head downstairs, quietly discussing the recent development.
John steps over to the pair of lawmen on the other side of the office. He kneels in front of his brother. “Listen, Josh. You need to know something.”
Joey says quietly, “I don’t know that he can hear you. He’s not responding to anything I’m saying to him, either.”
John nods and a little more urgently says, “Josh! Listen! You remember me telling Major Richards about Arbuckle having a slave for him to do whatever he wanted with? That was Fawn.”
In shock, Joey gasps. “Oh no! That poor girl!”
Josh looks up, eyes rimmed red as a look of anger fills them. “What? HE did all that to that angel? I’m gonna KILL him!” He tries to stand, but John pushes him back down into the chair.
“Josh! Listen to me! You can’t! Arbuckle’s dead, been dead since February.” Josh continues to struggle against him, until John just finally slaps him hard across the face. “STOP IT! Listen!”
Josh looks at his brother with a look filled with nothing but hatred. “Why? Shouldn’t I go talk to her or something?”
“AND tell her what? She’s just as upset about all this as you are, if not MORE!” John grabs both Josh’s shoulders and looks him in the eye. “If you talk to her in this state, you won’t know what you’re saying. God only knows if she will. You need to calm down first. Alright?”
Josh keeps struggling and John motions to Joey, asking her for the bottle of whiskey on the desk.
She nods and rushes over, grabs the bottle and a glass, then hurries back over to offer them to John.
He pours half a glass and places it in the distraught man’s trembling hand.
Josh tosses it back shakily and holds the glass out for another.
John pours it and says, “Last one. Getting drunk right now isn’t going to do anyone any good. Okay?”
Josh allows the liquor to pour down his throat, takes a deep breath, then nods.
Seeing that his brother is starting to regain control of himself, John hands the bottle and glass back to Joey and says softly, “Thank you.” He looks at his brother’s face, assessing his mood. He looks at Joey once more and says, “I think we have this in hand. You can join the others downstairs, if you want.”
She shakes her head emphatically and scoffs. “If I want to? I’m gonna stay right here and make sure Uncle Jake is okay!”
John nods, then turns back to Josh. “Listen to me, now that you’ve calmed down, I don’t want you trying to talk to Fawn. Not yet. She needs reassurance from people she knows and trusts. Understand?”
Josh nods, though uncertainly.
“I mean it. Don’t try to press the matter. You’ll only do more harm than good, if you do.”
Josh sighs and looks away. “I understand.”
John strokes his jaw, thoughtfully. “I think all three of us need to get downstairs. I’m sure Walters and Logan are keeping everyone entertained, but they’re gonna start to worry if we don’t show back up down there and soon.”
Josh grunts and groans as he gets up from the chair.
Joey nods and says, “I AM starting to get a little hungry.”
John laughs, gives her a big hug and says, “Come on, you two. I’m pretty hungry myself.”
Josh looks at John and says, “Remember, don’t look at Liz and, I’m sorry about teasing you earlier. Now that I’m the one that’s messed up, it’s no fun.”
John laughs and slaps his brother on the shoulder. “Apology accepted. Now. FOOD!”
Chapter 54
The arrival of the marshals to the dining room was met with lively conversation and demands for information about their new duties. Joey made her excuses quietly about not feeling too well. She said her stomach was bothering her, nerves she said, but John figured she didn’t really want to be in a situation where her identity might be exposed if she’s required to take her hat off for the meal.
John assured his family that he’ll be in the area, once things get settled down a bit. Josh explained how he’s going to be moving up to Fort Supply with Andy and how he’s not sure how the little girl is gonna handle the news.
Joey didn’t give anyone the chance to be able to question her about the punishment imposed on her by the marshal’s service, but John gets the idea his niece is going to be grilled in private, at the least by Liz.
He’s been doing his best throughout the dinner to heed Josh’s advice. DON’T look at her if possible.
The dinner progresses smoothly, save that John can’t be as open in his discussion with Liz as he would like to be. Every time he goes to respond to her, his thinking immediately starts to scramble. It’s really quite aggravating, actually.
The dinner itself is a sumptuous collection of steak, potatoes, and a vegetable medley.
At the end of dinner, Judge Logan offers a toast to all of the gathered marshals, that their jobs go as smoothly as they can.
After the toast, the head servant of the household, an older Cherokee woman introducing herself as Sarah Two-Shoes, announces that drinks and cigars are to be handled in the den.
The party moves in there and the men have glasses of brandy handed to them, while the women have wine offered. Marshal Walters spent most of the time in fellowship talking to John and Josh, filling them in on many of the political details of their new respective areas and assignments.
While David spends most of the time talking to Sarah Two-shoes, gathering information about Fawn, Rebekah spends most of her time keeping Liz from distracting John, a fact of which John is imminently grateful.
After spending the better part of two hours in conversation and easy fellowship, the judge makes it subtly obvious he is tiring of the company and orders the two marshals to come over in the mid-morning to turn in their written reports.
At first, John is unsure why the judge ordered them back here, rather than to the courthouse, until he sees a simple wooden calendar on the wall, showing the following day is Saturday. Well, no wonder he wants us to come here, the courthouse will be closed. He looks at Josh and nods.
Josh looks to the judge and lets him know they’ll be here around ten of the clock.
As the bell tolls half past ten, John is surprised he’s not falling asleep standing up. So much has gone on today, he fully expects to have his head hit the pillow and pass out immediately.
Judge Logan offers the use of the carriage to take the party back to the hotel, to which everyone heartily agrees. He rings a bell and calls Goerg to request politely of the man to take his guests home.
Goerg nods and replies simply in his deep bass voice, “Yes, sir.”
Once back at the hotel, everyone goes to their own rooms. John has enough wherewithal to lock the door to his room, in case Liz has any ideas about a repeat of the other night.
In truth, the decision to lock the door costs him. It costs him more than he wishes to admit, even in the depths of his own mind.
Once he’s prepared for bed, he just lays there, thinking, asking himself how he’s going to be able to deny his desires for the beautiful woman. At least, that is, until they get married. The last thought he has before sleep overcomes him is the certainty that, indeed, he WILL take Liz again, and that after they are wed, properly.
NOW THAT JOSH HAS TAKEN his name back, he has to constantly remind himself that he’s not Jake anymore.
At breakfast the morning after accepting his promotion, Josh spends most of his time speaking with David, trying to find out the details of his intelligence gathering mission the night before.
He’s not surprised to find out that Fawn is barely eighteen. Nor is he surprised at the fact that Judge Logan has been having his entire household attending church services with him.
What DOES surprise him is that, last Sunday, Fawn accepted the Gift of Grace, but hasn’t been baptized.
Josh is so enraged by the details of the young Cheyenne woman’s imprisonment, he’s having trouble controlling his reactions. However, because of the death of Arbuckle, he feels unable to direct that rage correctly. He’s frustrated beyond belief, until he decides to finally turn it over to Him. He prays silently for the strength, understanding and peace of mind to be able to make the right decisions in this.
After he murmurs “Amen”, Josh looks around the table and sees that his brother seems to have gotten a good night’s sleep in. Liz, on the other hand, seems as put out with the world as can be.
I wonder if those two are ever going to get their act together. Josh sighs disconsolately. It’s obvious to everyone they’re still deeply in love with each other. Not that I’m one to talk, though.
Suddenly, he’s struck with inspiration. He now knows how to approach Fawn. As long as Judge Logan agrees, Josh is sure he can draw the beautiful young Cheyenne into a conversation. Silently, he thanks God that he was given the assignment bordering the Cheyenne part of the territory after all.
Liz looks at John and says tersely, “So, you think we’re gonna be hanging around here awhile, or are we headed out tonight?”
John shakes his head. “Not tonight. I expect Judge Logan wants us to read the reports in open court Monday, to make them part of the official court record. Why you ask?”
She glares at him a moment. “Well, I need more clothes than I have. If they can tailor my clothing to fit me better, I can be comfortable being around whites.”
John nods. “We’re going to be at the judge’s house awhile today. I’m sure David will be willing to go with you and Rebekah, if you ask nicely.”
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