by Joyce Alec
“Gus!” she heard Reuben exclaim, sounding angry. “What’s got into you? Why did you talk to Etta that way? She’s only trying to help you. And why did you never tell me about John? When did that happen?”
Etta closed her eyes, letting her frustration and anger fade away at the sound of Reuben’s voice. He was clearly angry, but Etta knew she ought not to listen. Moving back towards the horses, she left Gus and Reuben’s raised voices behind, smoothing one hand down the horse’s neck as she tried to calm herself down.
“You there! Miss!”
Etta blinked, frozen in place for a moment.
“Please, I need to talk to you.”
Slowly, Etta turned around to see a man moving quickly towards her. He was standing just behind a large tree, beckoning her to come towards him. Fear clutched at her heart.
“No,” she said firmly, refusing to move. “You can come out here and talk to me, if you’ve got something important to say.”
The man shook his head. “No, I can’t. I don’t know where he is, and he might see me.”
The fear on his face was real enough, Etta thought, even though what he said didn’t make a whole lot of sense. It was obvious that Gus was inside the house. However, despite this, she began to slowly and carefully make her way towards him. He wasn’t threatening, given that he looked as though a strong wind might snap him in half, but still, she was wary of him.
She took in his dark hair, his tanned face, and the widened eyes and felt herself willing to listen to him at the very least. Her interest was caught by a patch of grey on the left side of his head, near to the temple. The grey reminded her of Laurel’s eyes, recalling just how desperate she had seemed when she’d handed the bag to her without explanation.
“Laurel’s my sister,” the man said in a hoarse voice. “Gus said you’ve seen her, that you traveled with her. Is that right?”
“I did,” Etta replied, carefully edging her way towards him as if he might suddenly leap out and attack her. She wasn’t about to give anything away, even to someone claiming to be Laurel’s brother.
“Tell me,” the man begged, sounding even more desperate. “Tell me if she got my telegram. Did she read it? Is that why she’s not here?”
Slowly, Etta realized what he was talking about. The telegram she’d found left in the stagecoach. Taking him in carefully, she felt her heart twist. There was fear and anxiety in his expression, which was almost enough to make her believe that every word he said was true, but still, she couldn’t give him her trust just like that.
“What was your telegram about?” she asked quietly. “I’ll see if I can remember if she mentioned it.”
The man shook his head, his eyes darting about from place to place as though he were truly afraid that Gus might come out and spot them together. “She was carrying something precious,” he explained, looking directly at her in one heady moment. “It’s too dangerous for her to bring it here. I warned her to be careful.” He took a step closer, out from behind the tree, and for the first time, Etta felt her heart quicken with compassion for him. He appeared to be so genuine, so worried and anxious over his sister, and yet she still couldn’t bring herself to tell him anything. Laurel had told her not to say a word about the brooch, and even though she’d never given her word to do so, Etta felt bound by what Laurel had asked.
“I-I’m sorry,” she said eventually. “Laurel didn’t mention a telegram.”
“And what about the brooch?” he asked, taking another step closer. “I know she was carrying it.”
Etta swallowed her anxiety and shrugged, trying to pretend she’d never heard of it before. “I don’t know anything about it, mister. I’m sorry.”
The man looked as though he wanted to say more, taking another step closer just as Etta stepped back. Just then, the sound of Reuben’s voice came towards them both, the door to the ranch house opening, and when Etta looked back, the man was gone.
Her heart was hammering violently, forcing her to drag in air. She wasn’t at all sure about that man, whoever he was, especially since she’d not even found out his name. The look on his face had been brokenhearted, of such a deep, overwhelming anxiety that it was rifling through his very soul, and yet Etta felt as though she’d made the right decision to keep quiet about what she’d heard and received from Laurel.
Don’t tell anyone about it, she reminded herself, putting one foot in the stirrup before hauling herself up into the saddle. That means not Gus, and certainly not a stranger who claims to be Laurel’s brother.
“I’m sorry, Etta,” Reuben muttered, swinging himself up onto his horse. “I have never seen Gus like that before. He shouldn’t have spoken to you like that either.”
“You’re kind to speak to him about it,” Etta replied, her stomach slowly tying itself in knots as she glanced back at the ranch house and seeing the dark shady figure of Gus lingering in the doorway. “Come on, Reuben. I want to get back home. It’s been a bit of a long afternoon.”
Reuben spurred his horse into a gallop, and Etta soon followed him, her nerves slowly fading away as she let her horse run free. It was a relief to arrive back into town, but to her surprise, Reuben carried on riding through the town – although at a walk now instead of a canter.
“Ma took some food up to my cabin earlier,” he explained, seeing her surprise. “There isn’t exactly a lot of space up at the store for dancing. Besides that, there’ll probably be one or two of my mother’s friends there this afternoon. They do that on Saturdays.”
“Oh.” Etta tried not to show how flustered she was at the thought of being with Reuben alone. Her smile was a little thin as he led the way through the town and up towards his cabin. She’d never been out this way before, and she noticed how there were a few more trees and shrubs as they continued on their way. The ground here was better, perhaps.
“Are there more farms out this way?” she asked, looking at Reuben who seemed to be a good deal more relaxed now. “It’s certainly…greener.”
He chuckled “There’s a creek that runs nearby,” Reuben explained, as they got closer to his cabin. “The ground is better, but there’s a whole lot of work that needs to be done before it’ll produce what you need it to. Stones run right through the soil. I’ve spent years trying to get it right, but I think next year I’ll be able to plant my whole field instead of just one section.” He gestured towards a small wooden cabin that soon came into view. Etta looked with interest at the fenced off field that held a few cattle and, next to them, in a separate part, a horse and a few sheep.
“Is this all yours?” she asked, thinking that it looked idyllic. “It’s wonderful.”
Reuben grinned at her, looking a little abashed. “It sure is. There’s a whole lot that needs work, but I’m getting there.”
“Don’t you have any help with it?” she asked, as they rode up to the cabin.
He shook his head, jumped down from his horse and came over to help her. “No, not yet. I make a bit of money doing odd jobs for folks here and there. It’s not always a lot, but it helps keep things running around this place. Maybe one day I’ll have someone.” His gaze became a little more intense as he came around to her horse, holding his arms up to her to help her down, even though Etta knew he was well aware she could dismount herself.
Swallowing hard and feeling butterflies flooding her belly, Etta swung one leg over the saddle and leaned down into Reuben’s arms. He held her tightly and slowly lowered her to the ground, her body almost flush against his own. Without making any attempt to step back, he looked deeply into her eyes and, without even hesitating, brushed back one stray curl from her forehead. Etta caught her breath, her whole frame suddenly atremble with the nearness of him.
“I sure am sorry for how Gus spoke to you,” Reuben murmured, a frown marring his brow. “He’s not normally like that. I mean, he’s got a temper, but that don’t mean that he can’t control it. If I’d known he was going to be that way with you, then I’d never have taken you to see him.
”
“You don’t need to apologize,” Etta interrupted softly. “It ain’t your fault.” As she watched him, she saw his frown deepening, his gaze drifting away over her shoulder as he thought. “Is there something else?” she pressed, her heart quickening. “Something he said that upset you?”
Stepping back, Reuben let out a heavy sigh and rifled a hand through his hair. “I swear, Gus has never once spoken of marrying. But to say that this Laurel, his sister-in-law, ought to have married him – well, I just don’t understand that, Etta. Besides that, he never once mentioned that his brother had passed away. The first I heard of it was today. It seems strange he’d never said that to me before now. I knew John before he left town to get hitched. I have never met his wife though, I don’t reckon. Why Gus wouldn’t tell me that John passed away, I just can’t understand.”
“Perhaps he was just grieving,” Etta suggested quietly. “Sometimes that changes how a person acts.”
He shrugged, still looking puzzled. “Maybe, but I can’t be sure,” he said softly, as though speaking to himself. “What he said and how he spoke to you – none of it makes me particularly happy. In fact, I’ve got a good mind to go talk to him again and sort this whole thing out.”
Etta put one hand on his arm, trying to dissuade him. “I don’t think that will make much difference, Reuben. You’ll probably only end up riling yourself.”
“But it just doesn’t make sense,” Reuben said, exasperated. “If he’s so worried about her, why can’t I go tell the sheriff? Why can’t I send folks out to look for her? I don’t understand the secrecy.”
Etta drew in a long breath, feeling a sudden urge to tell him everything. There was so much confusion already that what she knew only added to it. If she could share it with him, when he was already upset about what Gus had said and done, then perhaps he’d be able to look at things with fresh eyes, without prejudice.
Or perhaps he’d be angry with her for keeping it all from him since the beginning.
“Well,” Reuben said, taking off his hat and dropping it on top of a post, “we’d better get on inside. I don’t know about you, but I sure am famished.”
“And it ain’t no good dancing on an empty stomach,” Etta finished, seeing that her moment had passed. “I hope you’re looking forward to it, Reuben,” she said and chuckled, seeing him rolling his eyes. “I know I am.”
He shot her a sharp glance, and Etta simply smiled back sweetly.
“Come on in then,” Reuben said with a wry grin. “The cabin isn’t much, but for the time being, it’s home.”
“For the time being?” she queried, as they stepped inside.
“One day, I’m hoping to build it all over again, from the ground up,” he explained, as she looked all about her at the warm, cozy cabin that didn’t look at all as shabby as he’d made it out to be. “Make it bigger, this time. Room for a family.”
Her eyes caught his. “You’re wanting a family?”
Shrugging, Reuben moved away from her, but not before Etta had caught the sight of his slightly flushed face. “One day,” he said, quickly unpacking the basket his mother had left for them on the table. “When the right lady turns up and, of course, if she’ll have me.”
I’d have you.
It was a sharp thought, and one that made her pause, one hand pressed to her stomach as though to stop the overwhelming butterflies that were now fluttering all through her. She couldn’t pretend that she wasn’t fond of Reuben, or that her heart wasn’t slowly filling with affection for him, but neither could she let herself do anything foolish. She certainly couldn’t hope for anything serious between them, not while Laurel, the brooch, and the telegram all still lay on her mind. The best she could hope for was simply time with him, enjoying his company and sharing conversation. It was best, for the moment, not to let her heart get too involved with him, however much it wanted to.
6
It was the day of the dance and, to his frustration, Reuben felt nervous.
Not because he was afraid of dancing – the number of lessons he’d had with Etta had helped prove to both himself and to her that he was more than capable of dancing with a certain amount of finesse – but more that he was to be taking Etta to the dance. He’d asked to take her only yesterday, and she’d looked up at him in surprise, before agreeing and saying that she’d always thought he was going to be taking her anyway.
He hadn’t asked to court her yet, but chances were, he was going to soon. There was something about her that he couldn’t seem to step away from. She was almost always on his mind, lingering there as he went about his day. Yes, she’d only been in town for about a fortnight, but they were spending part of each day together and that was bringing his heart a good deal of happiness. When he woke up in the morning, he was already looking forward to supper, just so that he could sit with her and listen to what she had to say.
Reuben was sure his mother knew what he was feeling, given the way her eyes had brightened and a small smile had crossed her face when he’d mentioned he was taking Etta to the dance. She’d patted his arm and said something about it being a wonderful idea and absolutely refusing to join them both. She’d make her own way into the dance, she’d said, and that had been the end of the matter.
Sighing, Reuben ran one hand through his hair, only to realize what he was doing and then immediately try to flatten it all back down again. Glancing at his reflection in the mirror, he let out a long breath, trying to calm his frantically beating heart. There was nothing to be anxious about. He’d take Etta to the dance, they’d both have a wonderful evening, and then, on the way home, he’d ask about courting her.
Not that he had any idea what he was going to say. That sort of thing didn’t exactly come easily to him, especially since he’d never really asked that kind of question before – but then again, that was because he’d never met anyone like Etta before.
A smile tugged at his lips as he remembered how cool and calm Etta had been yesterday, when she’d first met Adler and his new wife, Jessie. They’d been out in town at the general store and Etta had just been on her way back to the store, with a bundle of things for his mother. He’d been planning on walking her back to the store but had stopped dead in the street as he’d seen Adler introduce himself in a halting, embarrassing fashion.
She’d smiled tightly, inclined her head, and had spoken gently to Jessie who, Reuben had noticed, was rather white-faced and with eyes filled with obvious regret. Their first meeting hadn’t been more than a few minutes, but as she’d walked towards him, Reuben had been able to see the relief on Etta’s face. The joy in his heart when she’d muttered how glad she was she’d never married Adler had made his steps light all the way back to the store.
So Etta wasn’t exactly pining over the man she’d been supposed to marry, which meant that he had every hope she’d accept him. The only worry he had, the only niggle that kept biting at his mind, was the fact that he always felt Etta was holding something back.
A frown lingered on his brow as Reuben rode towards town. That was the one thing he couldn’t explain. Whenever they’d been practicing their dancing, they’d both talked and laughed – and yet whenever he brought up the subject of her traveling to Copper Peaks, she’d said very little. The smile had faded away, her eyes had dimmed, and she’d not said very much at all. If he ever mentioned Gus, then their conversation dried up immediately – not that he could blame her for disliking the fellow, given how he’d treated her the only time they’d met. However, it was the strange, dark look in her eyes that made him hesitate. He was sure there was something on her mind, something she wasn’t saying for whatever reason, and that was beginning to gnaw away at him.
If they were courting, then he’d hope that she’d be willing to share her heart with him completely, that there wouldn’t be any kind of secrets between them. Perhaps even just asking her if she’d let him court her would be enough to prompt Etta to tell him whatever it was that lay so heavily on her mind.
<
br /> “Are you ready to go?”
Reuben’s voice echoed through the store, as he walked towards the counter, avoiding the table that held a basketful of yarn and seeing the piles of darning sitting neatly to the side. The store had been busier these last two weeks and that was purely down to Etta, he was sure of it. With two people running the place, they were able to take on more work and bring in more money. He knew Etta enjoyed it and, for his mother’s sake, he was glad that there was both company and a decent income.
“Ma?” he called again, pushing up the countertop and walking through into the back of the store, where his mother and Etta lived. “Etta? The dance is–”
“We’re in here.”
The voice of his mother interrupted him, and following it, he knocked gently on the door he presumed to be Etta’s. “I just wondered if Etta was ready,” he said, aware that his heart was beating much quicker than usual. “The dance will begin soon, and I’m ready to get on out there and show the townsfolk what I’ve learned!” The smile in his voice brought no response, and he rapped gently on the door again, growing all the more concerned.
“You’d best come in, Reuben.”
Etta’s voice was heavy, and as he pushed the door open, the reason for it became immediately apparent. Etta’s room was a complete and utter mess, and in the middle of it all was Etta and his mother.
His eyes roved around the room. Clothes were thrown everywhere. The small chest of drawers had been almost ripped apart, with each drawer thrown haphazardly somewhere in the room. The only thing that hadn’t been touched was the wardrobe in the corner, which as Reuben knew from it once being his own, had a small, brass key that could keep it safely locked. Evidently, Etta had made good use of it.
“What happened here?” he asked hoarsely, coming further into the room and seeing a few small, smashed ornaments on the floor that had either fallen or been thrown from the mantlepiece.