The dress was a blue wildflower calico with full sleeves gathered to a cuff. Rebecca admired her reflection in the full-length mirror as she examined the three-paneled skirt with pockets and a slightly scooped neckline with front button closure.
“The dress is beautiful, Lois, and I love the pockets. I don’t think I have ever worn something so pretty. With this dress and the two blouses you made me, I won’t have to go to meet my mother’s relatives dressed like a ragamuffin.”
Lois tilted her head to the left and right, finally doing a circle around Rebecca. She declared, “Yes, it is quite the success. Don’t forget to tell all your new friends and family about your dressmaker,” she said with a grin. “Besides, you have worked so hard to help me, you deserve this and more. It’s a shame you don’t have another pair of boots though. Those have definitely seen better days.”
Spinning around to examine her dress in the mirror again, Rebecca replied, “With a dress this pretty, who cares what my shoes look like?”
Although proficient, Rebecca’s skills were nothing compared to Lois’s as she could fairly fly through the work using her Singer sewing machine. “Since you aren’t going to be leaving until Tuesday, I should have your other dress finished as well.”
Rebecca squealed, “Oh, I never believed you would have time. Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to keep you from your other work.”
“Of course, I am sure. Besides, if it weren’t for your ideas, your friend, and her daughter, I would be closing up shop for good about right now.”
“I am proud my dress design and some of the dolls were a success. Thank goodness the supply train finally came through. The fabric selection you have is the prettiest so far. I can’t wait to see what my plaid dress will look like.”
Lois replied stoically. “Much like the one you are wearing, but plaid.”
Rebecca gasped in surprise and then caught the twinkle in Lois’s eyes. Hearing the bell, signaling a customer, Rebecca joked, “I’ll see who it is. You better get to work on my dress.”
Rebecca turned from closing the dressing room door and came to a halt and stared at Sam. What was he doing here? Blinking, she looked again. It was Sam alright; she would recognize those blue eyes anywhere. Rebecca couldn’t help but think how handsome he was. His skin had a golden tone from exposure to the sun, his hair was trimmed, and he was freshly shaved. Turning to head back to the dressing room, she said, “Lois is in the back, I will get her for you.”
“Rebecca, wait, I am not here to see Lois. I have been all over town searching for you.”
Stopping for a moment, she turned slightly as Sam made up the distance between them. “Nobody would give me a straight answer. Finally, Mrs. Potts told me you were here. You look real pretty by the way.”
Flushing as she remembered their last conversation and his reference to her appearance, she felt her anger resurface. “What is it you want, Sam?”
“I want to talk with you, to apologize.”
“Alright, apology accepted. Now if you will excuse me.” Rebecca turned and reentered the dressing room, nearly knocking Lois over.
Lois rubbed her ear. “Goodness Rebecca. Give me a little warning next time.”
Calling through the door, Sam pleaded, “Rebecca, come on now, honey. I know you are mad, and you have every right to be. Please hear me out.”
Rebecca placed her back against the closed door. “I don’t think there is anything left to say. You were very clear.”
“I have plenty to say. Becca. I want to do this right. Please, open the door.”
Lois leaned forward, offering her a hug and a pat on her shoulder. “Things can’t get any worse between you two. Might as well hear the man out.”
With a tilt to her chin, Rebecca slid the latch and opened the door. Her hands clenched into fists as she glared at Sam.
Removing his hat and with a quick smile, he rushed to speak, “I was hoping maybe we could go somewhere and talk. Mrs. Potts made us some supper. How about we go on the picnic I’ve been promising you?”
Seeing no benefit to postponing and not wanting Lois to hear their conversation, Rebecca agreed.
Sam hurried to open the door, allowing Rebecca to pass through first. As she turned to leave, she saw Lois smile at Sam and mouth the words, “Good luck.”
Sam glanced around the town as he helped Rebecca into the wagon. “I can see what you mean about how things have changed in town, what with the high prices and all. You sure wouldn’t know this is a dry county by the looks of some of those fellows.”
Rebecca laughed. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
Nothing else was said as he headed for a favorite location for the locals to picnic. Sam pulled onto a flat area near the river, jumped down and reached to help Rebecca from the wagon. “It took me a while, but after I assured Mrs. Potts I was trying to make things right, she grudgingly made us a picnic basket.”
From the look of the hamper, Rebecca imagined it set him back a pretty penny. I should be ashamed of myself, but the thought that Mrs. Potts gave him a bad time is satisfying.
Taking the basket, Sam followed Rebecca closer to the river where she sat on a rock perched onto another boulder, creating a makeshift table.
“I see you have found us the perfect spot,” Sam said.
Studying the flow of the river, she answered without looking at him. “I came here a lot before things started to get so rough in town. It’s not safe to come by myself anymore.”
“Rebecca, I want you to know how sorry I am about everything. I never intended to hurt you.”
Lifting her chin defiantly, she said, “What exactly was your intention?”
Taking her hand in his, he said, “My aim was to court and marry you. I’ve made some poor decisions based on my feelings of inadequacy. I’ve been too focused on my own thoughts and never stopped to listen to yours. I want you to know how sorry I am.”
Rebecca stared back at him, her eyes flashing in anger, “So you have said.”
“You don’t believe me?”
Rebecca removed her hand from Sam’s and turned toward the river. “What is this all about? If all this is simply for you to apologize, it is not necessary. Although I wish you would have been more forthcoming earlier in our relationship if you meant to break things off.”
Exhaling sharply, Sam retook Rebecca’s hand. “It was not my intention to break things off. I don’t want you to worry about my girls, especially since you have been struggling to make ends meet.” Clearing his throat, he continued, “About the comments on your appearance. It was a poor choice of words, and it came out all wrong. I am sorry. Surely, you realize how beautiful you are? The reason you always have men swarming around you is not just because you are so sweet.”
Pulling her hand away again, Rebecca turned and walked closer to the river. Bending, she picked up a flat stone and ran her thumb across it, feeling the smoothness.
Sam’s body cast a shadow as Rebecca studied the stone. “If it will make you feel better, you can throw it at me.” Raising his eyebrows in question and with a grin, he added, “I will even stand still for you to do it.”
Smiling a little at his playful manner, Rebecca looked away, not wanting to meet his gaze. “Nothing I do makes you happy, Sam. So again, I am asking why you are here?”
She turned around slightly, regarding him. Sam rubbed his hand through his hair, then spoke softly. “Rebecca, you make me very happy. But I let my pride get in the way and stall things unnecessarily. On the one hand, I was worried about finances, and on the other, I thought it would be a matter of time before you said yes to one of those fellows in town. Figured you would be better off too.”
Crossing her arms and tapping her foot, Rebecca asked. “Don’t you mean to say, you thought you would be better off without me?”
~
Sam felt his jaw drop. How can I make her understand she means everything to me? “I can see I have made you feel unwanted. I want to fix this. Becca, look at me,” Sam pleaded
.
Arms still crossed, she nodded, “Alright, I’m looking.”
Sam took a deep breath. “I don’t want you having to worry about money. I want to provide for us. You are beautiful, smart, loving, and way too good for someone like me. I do love you and want you to be my wife. If I believed you would agree I would take you to the preacher right now, say my vows and mean them with everything in me.”
Staring at the smooth stone still in her hand, she whispered, “I wish I could believe you, but I don’t.”
Taking her chin and lifting her face to his, he spoke softly. “What can I do to make you believe me?”
Rebecca blinked rapidly to keep her tears from falling. “I don’t know that you can.”
“Honey, please listen. I will make you the happiest woman in Texas. Part of the problem is I have been allowing the difficulties in my first marriage to affect our relationship. I want to correct that. Let’s start over. I’ll court you, the way I should have done in the first place. What can I do to prove to you how much I love you?”
Rebecca wiped the tears away with both hands. “Maybe you can write to me while I am gone. We can begin there.”
“Write you? What do you mean, where are you going?”
“I’ve decided to visit my mother’s family, the cousin I told you about. They have offered to help me when I go to meet my father or at least meet with his attorney.”
“Now hold on a minute. When did you make that decision? I thought you were going to wait until we got married before you went to meet with anybody.”
“I can’t afford the boarding house any longer and don’t want to impose on friends to take me in and feed me. So, I took the only option with merit. I honestly didn’t think you cared what I did.”
“Not care?” Retaking her hand, he pulled her into an embrace, holding her close. “Of course I care. Don’t go. Molly and Adam would be happy for you to stay with them. Let me try and make this up to you. Then we can get married, and I can take you to meet your father in the spring.”
“I would have given anything for you to say this to me last month. Maybe even last week. But you didn’t. I’ve chosen to go visit my cousins.” Rebecca pulled back and searched his expression. “I would love to believe you. If you are serious about this, write to me while I am gone.”
Sam took off his hat and wiped his hands through his hair. “There is something I should have shared with you before now.” His face flushed. He took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “When I was a boy, I had a hard time sitting still in school. The teacher and my pa didn’t agree on how I should be disciplined. So, he felt I would be better off with him on the farm. Pa taught me leather work and basic things like ciphering, but I’ve had very little book learning.”
Rebecca bit her lip as she considered. She had never noticed anything that would suggest Sam’s education was lacking. He was a talented saddle maker and could calculate in his head almost as quickly as she could.
“This must be hard for you to imagine, being as smart as you are,” he said. “I’m not exaggerating when I say my reading and writing skills are not much better than the girls’. Even so, if that is what it takes for you to know I’m serious, you can bet your bottom dollar I will give it a try. But I don’t want to disappoint you.”
Rebecca reached for Sam’s hand and smiled. “That is an excellent start, Sam Brady.”
Drawing her back into his arms and holding her close, he whispered, “You can count on it then. I do love you, Rebecca.”
Chapter 17
Dear Papa,
Papa Horace is very sad. He enjoys when I read aloud his law books. I don’t like it very much, but I pretend that I do. Do you think Jesus is upset about that?
Taking her seat next to the window, Rebecca waved to Sam as the train slowly chugged forward, concealing her view with steam. He handed her a note as she was boarding. “I drew you a picture this time. But I will keep my promise. Please write to me when you can.”
Looking at it now, it was a perfect sketch of Sadie and Grace sitting on the back of her horse. “Oh, it’s beautiful,” she said softly.
Noticing Rebecca’s gaze, Peter leaned forward and remarked, “Fine picture, glad to see you two are working things out. If you like, we can send a wire to let Sam know we arrived.”
Surprised by his thoughtfulness, Rebecca smiled. “Thank you, Peter. I do appreciate what you are doing for me.”
“Happy to do it. There are a few things I hoped we could work on while we are on our way. No sense letting an opportunity get away from me.” Peter smiled apologetically. “I never had your eye for bookkeeping, so I was hoping you would look something over to see if you can determine where the discrepancy is.”
Smiling in agreement, Rebecca took the ledger he held out and flipped through the first two years of records, quickly comparing expenses and profits. “The first thing I notice is it is very neat, tidy, concise. Perhaps a little too tidy.”
Rebecca continued to examine the pages then paused and tapped her index finger against her mouth.
Peter chuckled. “I recognize that gesture as one my father used whenever he solved a problem. “You’ve already got this figured out, don’t you?”
“Is this a friend of yours?”
“No, definitely not a friend.”
Rebecca leaned closer and extended the ledger so that Peter could get a better view. “Notice the first year and how the columns line up; everything is rounded to the next dollar. This makes me wonder if this is a record of estimates, not actuals. Now note the price per head, for cattle. I don’t know anything about this rancher, but the sales appear to be consistently one full dollar less than the going rate each year. Does that make sense?”
Shaking his head and with a chuckle, he answered. “I confess the average price for cattle is not something I am familiar enough with to quote. But I have a feeling you are about to enlighten me. Please proceed.”
Tapping her pencil against her cheek, she explained. “Circumstances may necessitate a rancher getting less than the going rate, but each year, for exactly one dollar? If this is a reputable rancher, with good stock, I would say someone is lining his pockets. It is fairly easy to check the cattle records of the shipping facility he used.”
Shaking his head, Peter said, “You amaze me with your head for numbers. I paid an accountant to examine these records. He sure didn’t mention the going rate for cattle.”
Feeling the camaraderie they had when they were younger, Rebecca exclaimed, “Pricing was a daily part of my schooling at home with Papa Horace. He didn’t always use traditional books, but he found plenty to help me learn and keep me busy. I always found it interesting. He would have me work his figures on profitability, in livestock, and all sorts of things. Since I have been working at the diner, most of the men in town discuss the cost of goods and services right down to the value of a good cowhand.”
Noting Peter was watching her intently, she continued. “It might seem silly to you, but you would be surprised by the information that can be learned in that kind of setting.”
“No, not silly at all. Leave it to you to always be learning something new. I’ve often wondered why you went to work there. I assumed you enjoyed meeting new people and working with Mrs. Potts. But it was more than that, wasn’t it?”
Rebecca hesitated. Although the work at the law office was fulfilling, the environment was strained after Peter had taken over the business. “It was a lot of things. Although, I didn’t think I would be working at the diner so long.”
Peter stiffened his posture, yet his expression was kind. “Rebecca, when things got hard for you in town, why didn’t you let me know?”
“You have a business to run, a new wife; I didn’t want to be a burden to you.”
“A burden? In this one instance alone, you could have saved me both time and money. Besides, you are like family to me. Would you consider coming back to work for me again? We can offer you a place to stay. I am sure Sally would enjoy hav
ing another woman to talk to.”
Rebecca didn’t know how to answer. Knowing Peter was in earnest didn’t take away the fact she understood his wife would be less than pleased.
Peter frowned. “Sally said something to you, didn’t she?”
Rebecca’s mouth dropped involuntarily. “I never mentioned anything to anyone.”
Shaking his head and staring at the ceiling, he said, “No one had to say anything. I love my wife. However, she can be arrogant, and self-serving. So out with it, young lady. You will not be the first of my friends she offended.”
“It is not important. I don’t believe I have seen your wife since you were married, except from a distance. So please don’t worry about it.”
Peter muttered something under his breath. “We’ve known each other for years. Out with it. Don’t try and minimize whatever it was. At this point, I don’t know if I can even be surprised anymore.”
Rebecca lowered her eyes and folded her hands in her lap. “She asked me not to attend the engagement party your father hosted. She said she would make some excuse as to why I wasn’t there.”
Seemingly dumbstruck, Peter stammered, “Honestly, I don’t remember you not being present. I was so overwhelmed by the whole thing. I can’t apologize enough.”
“I admit to feeling some relief knowing you weren’t of the same opinion. Let’s not mention it again.”
“Sally and her father will most likely meet us at the station. Let me take advantage of this opportunity to say this. My wife’s opinions are often contrary to mine and have caused a great deal of discord in our marriage. Be assured of this, you will be treated with the utmost respect from this point on, and I won’t have to say one word to make it come about.” Peter leaned back in his chair and erupted in laughter, slapping his knee in merriment.
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