Up the Creek Without a Saddle (Bandit Creek Book 31)

by Sandy Kelly

  “You can call us Dan and Peggy,” Jayce’s mom instructed, taking charge of the situation. She lifted a pot of fresh tea from the stove top, where Lily figured a fresh pot sat waiting throughout the day for any visitors who might arrive.

  “Thank you,” Lily said lightly, her voice sounding small compared to this brazen woman. She seemed to dominate the room with her presence, particularly surrounded as she was by three rather shy individuals. She was much larger in stature than her husband, who sat quietly watching the proceedings through bright and mischievous eyes.

  “He’s Dan and I’m Peggy, by the way,” the woman declared, slapping her hand to her ample thigh in response to her own joke. There was certainly nothing pretentious going on in this kitchen, Lily thought as she laughed comfortably.

  They all looked to Peggy to guide the next move, but instead of sitting down the woman began opening cupboard doors and bending to lift small bags out of various jugs and serving bowls and other hiding places. She scooped handfuls of nuts, cookies and candy from her stash and placed them onto a serving tray.

  “If I didn’t hide them he’d eat them all,” she said, nodding her head in the direction of her grinning husband as she placed the tray onto the table.

  “I don’t think it would do him any harm, Mom,” Jayce said, casting his warm smile around the room. “He could use a little meat on those bones, like you used to say to us kids.”

  “Yeah, well that may be, but this fancy stuff is for company,” his mom declared. Turning to Lily she continued, “It takes a lot to feed this brood. By the way, you stayin’ for supper?”

  Lily looked quickly toward Jayce.

  “Are you able to stay for supper?” Jayce asked her warmly.

  “I am, yes. Thank you,” Lily said.

  “Well, then, that’s decided,” Peggy laughed, slapping her thigh once again. “You two are waltzing around each other like you’re treading on tulips. Just met, I bet.”

  Lily looked down to her lap to hide her sudden shyness. Peggy seemed very kind, but she was certainly straightforward. No wonder Jayce knew how to handle the woman at the department store so well.

  “We did just meet, Mom,” Jayce said lightly.

  Lily looked up to find he was slightly embarrassed, too. She was sure he was quite used to his mother’s forthright nature, as was his dad. Dan sat looking down at the table with a huge grin on his face, obviously enjoying the good-natured chiding his wife was dishing out.

  “Well, I’m glad you did meet, anyway,” she continued, turning to Lily once again. “I’ve always told my boys, ‘Don’t be going into town kissing and slopping about. If you want to do that, do it right here on our land.’ We don’t need the Bandit Creek gossipy stuff, you know.”

  “Mom, for heaven’s sake,” Jayce said with embarrassment.

  “Oh, Son, I’m just chiding ya.”

  Peggy and Dan both laughed, and Lily found herself laughing, as well. Peggy was different from anyone else she had ever met, but Lily was warming up to her. Her own mother would have called her a diamond in the rough. Lily sensed immediately that Jayce’s mom only meant to make her feel comfortable.

  “How many boys have you got?” Lily asked, wanting draw Peggy into further conversation.

  “Six big ones. Six. And not a single daughter thrown into the mix, either.”

  “Six?” Lily said, surprised. Turning quickly to Jayce, she continued, “You didn’t tell me you have such a large family.”

  “I guess it just hasn’t come up yet,” he replied.

  “Where do the others live?” she tried directing the question to Dan, hoping to draw him into the conversation. Dan however, simply nodded his head in Peggy’s direction, bidding her to reply. What a funny couple, Lily thought again.

  “Oh, the rest have moved away. Some are married in the city, one’s in university. It’s only Jayce who has stuck with us on this here little bit of earth.”

  “I see,” Lily said gently, sensing a quiet sadness in Peggy’s voice. “Are they all alike? Do you all look alike,” she turned to Jayce.

  “Well, I’m the cutest,” he said with humor.

  Of that I have no doubt, Lily thought to herself.

  “Your mom is a real character,” Lily laughed with Jayce, once they had left the kitchen for a walk around the property.

  “That she is,” Jayce replied warmly. “She used to embarrass me to no end. She still does, I guess, but I seem to get a bigger kick out of her now.”

  “She’s hilarious. They both are, actually. They’re very nice, Jayce.”

  Lily felt so comfortable with him, walking along the stone path of the front garden and entering the lane of trees. She felt like she was walking with an old friend. He is a friend, she thought. How fortunate to have met him.

  “I’m really glad you asked me here, Jayce,” she said sincerely.

  “And I’m really glad you came,” he said, the piercing green of his eyes looking down to her.

  Lily turned quickly away, made shy as usual, but the intensity of his gaze. This time, however, Jayce placed the tips of his fingers gently along her chin and forced her to look back up at him. When she did, she found his eyes were on fire.

  Jayce held lightly to her for a moment longer, then bent slowly closer. Lily felt the exquisite sensation of his lips as they lightly touched her mouth, feeling his breath linger sweetly on her skin. Lily found herself wishing the kiss hadn’t been so swift. It had electrified her, but she resisted the impulse to throw herself closer into his arms with abandon. This must proceed slowly, she thought, reminding herself that Jayce really knew nothing about her. And what he didn’t know could very well be their undoing.

  “It’s beautiful here, Jayce,” she said, looking at the vast expanse of the ripening fields around her, and knowing the scene must cause his family such pain knowing it wasn’t theirs. The farm was meticulous. Even though they no longer owned it, it was obvious that they lovingly tended it nonetheless. Lily was reminded of the injustice, as she was reminded of her own family’s involvement in taking over other people’s land.

  “This is your farm. Your family should own this farm, not some corporation somewhere,” Lily said suddenly, causing Jayce to stop in his tracks to look down at her. “It isn’t right,” she said emphatically.

  “Well,” Jayce responded quietly. “It might not be right, but it’s the way things are. You play the cards you’re dealt, I guess.”

  “I think your family got dealt a bad hand. You are good stewards, that’s very clear. You’ve worked this land for years – decades. It’s rightfully yours.”

  “I know what you mean, Lily, but we don’t dwell on that. What’s the use of wasting a bunch of time being miserable? We just like to be here and we’re grateful we can still live here. Things have a way of working out.” He turned to meet her intent gaze. “We will own this land again someday.”

  They stood silently together for a moment, Lily fumbling through sentence after sentence in her mind, convinced that now was the time to tell Jayce the truth.

  “Come here,” Jayce beckoned her lightheartedly, interrupting the confusing spin of her thoughts. “Come and see this.”

  He lifted his arm in a gesture of welcome and Lily happily scooped under it. With his hand placed lightly on her shoulder, Jayce steered her through the line of trees as if to brace her for the sight about to unfold. “Just look at that.”

  “Oh, Jayce,” Lily managed to say, struck speechless by the simple beauty of the sunset unfolding in front of them. The hues of orange and pink blazed across the sky so thick with color, Lily felt she could smell their warmth. Their streaks were uninterrupted, as they swooped down into a horizon filled with the enormity of the mountain ranges that surrounded Bandit Creek.

  “It’s…magnificent,” Lily said gently. “It’s truly an amazing vision. No wonder you love it here.”

  “I do love it. Right here,” he repeated deeply, as he gently turned Lily around to face him. “In this very spot
,” he said playfully, the huskiness in his voice made Lily quiver as he traced her lips with the tip of his finger.

  He bent toward her and this time his mouth lingered on hers. She reached her arms around his neck to pull him closer, abandoning herself to the sensation of his skin on hers. Lily came alive with a yearning as deep as the lights in the sky. Jayce held her closer, as she laid her head softly onto his shoulder. It was a place she realized she never wanted to leave.

  “It is a lovely sight, isn’t it?” Jayce looked back toward the blazing sky. “But we should go back to the house,” he said finally, his voice sounding regretful at breaking the spell that had enraptured them. “Mom will have the table set for a king. They’ll be waiting.”

  “Oh, Jayce, you are so lucky to have both your parents, to have your home still intact. Who cares whose name is on the land title? You still have your home.”

  “Yes, we do. And we WILL own it someday,” Jayce repeated with such soft seriousness that Lily was reminded of his priority. His life’s goal was to undo the damage done to his family by people who had the same ruthless ambition of those in her own family. She felt shameful of the deceit she had already set between them. With things moving as quickly as they were with Jayce, and with the obvious affection they felt for one another, Lily simply must tell him the truth as soon as possible.

  “Are you ready to go back to the house?” Jayce asked patiently, watching Lily as she stood deep in thought before him.

  “Oh, yes, of course,” she stammered, feeling like she had just about been caught in her fib. She had to have her wits about her when she finally came clean about her background. There was too much at stake now to make the situation worse than it was already going to be.

  They sat down to a feast at the big wooden table in the bright kitchen, just as Jayce had described. A fragrant roast of beef, a steaming bowl of vegetables, various salads and homemade buns awaited them, along with the largest heap of potatoes Lily had ever seen.

  “Is this…one of yours?” Lily found herself asking, as she pointed to the beef. She immediately regretted asking the question, remembering that Jayce actually named his cows and was probably fond of all of them. Thankfully, her question created a burst of laughter from the other three.

  “Yeah, that’s old Gertie,” Jayce said teasingly. “She was always a tender soul,” he stated with mock seriousness.

  After the laughter subsided, they began filling their plates. Lily smiled to herself as she watched Jayce scoop so many potatoes onto his plate that he barely had room for anything else. She felt like she was among old friends, so easy was the atmosphere in the room.

  “This looks very good,” Lily told Peggy. “It’s been awhile since I’ve had a home-cooked meal.”

  She looked up to see Jayce watching her gently, with what resembled sympathy. She immediately kicked herself, realizing he took her comment to be another example of her poverty.

  “Well, then you’ll have to take more than that,” Peggy scolded in her loud voice, hammering another spoonful of potatoes on Lily’s plate.

  The small-talk came easily through dinner, and Jayce mentioned that he had driven Lily to Missoula earlier.

  “And did you find what you were looking for at Missoula?” Peggy prodded gently.

  “Well, it’s kind of hard to say,” Lily began.

  “It was sort of a personal quest for Lily,” Jayce offered, looking sheepishly at her as if regretting he had brought the topic up.

  “And did you find what you were looking for at Missoula?” Peggy asked again.

  “Yes,” Lily said, smiling back at the kind woman. “It seems that I have. The beginnings of something, anyway,” she added, looking shyly toward Jayce.

  She felt such happiness being with Jayce and surrounded by his family. They seemed so interested in her, and so gentle and pleasant to be around. They were supportive and protective of one another. This was such a happy home.

  She had to tell Jayce the truth. Nothing else occupied her thoughts except trying to make things work with him. She would muster the courage and face the truth, and his reaction, tomorrow. Oh I’m such a coward, she thought, but she simply couldn’t risk ruining such a perfect evening.

  Lily thanked Peggy and Dan warmly, hoping in her muddled thoughts that she would have the privilege of seeing them again.

  The couple drove back to town in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. Jayce seemed determined to continue giving her all the time she needed to find the ability to trust him. He was such a kind and patient man. He was tender as he cradled her face between his strong hands while he kissed her mouth as they stood outside her hotel room.

  “Please let him still like me at this time tomorrow,” Lily thought over and over, allowing her lips to linger on his.

  “Good night,” Jayce said sweetly, touching the tip of her nose with his finger playfully.

  “Can I see you tomorrow?” Lily blurted suddenly. She was embarrassed at how eager she sounded, while in truth she was hesitant. She wanted to make a solid commitment that would force her to follow through with her decision.

  “That would be great,” Jayce said happily. “What would you like to do?”

  “Can I meet you back at the farm?” Lily suggested, hoping that being at home would soften the blow for Jayce.

  “If that’s not too inconvenient for you… I’ll certainly be there,” Jayce said. “Just knock on the door when you get there, Mom will know where I’m at. Be prepared for a meal, though, no matter what time you come,” he said playfully, obviously trying very hard to make her feel comfortable.

  He must be so confused, Lily thought for the thousandth time, about how much she hesitated around him. He must be convinced that I don’t trust him, or that I’m hiding something.

  She wondered how on earth she was going to come clean now. How she could risk losing this man by revealing the fabrication she had let get so out of hand. Lily spent an uncomfortable night in fitful sleep worrying about the consequences of the lie she was adamant to reveal.

  Chapter 7

  Lily was wide awake long before the sun rose the next morning. Long before the muted clunks and bangs could be heard from the far reaches of the hotel signifying the world was beginning to stir around her, she lay staring at the ceiling.

  Had her parents ever faced an obstacle that challenged their closeness? Had they faced it together or had it torn them apart for a time? Was there such a thing as happily ever after? Lily had discovered a million things over the years that she longed to take to her mother for discussion and for answers. She always thought of her mom when she needed someone to talk to, always thought of her first. Knowing she’d just have to face the situation on her own, Lily swung her legs over the side of the bed and strode to the shower with a determination she didn’t truly feel. She let the steaming water rush a hundred different paths along the length of her body. Lifting the fragrant soap from the ledge, she lathered and scrubbed her skin as if to wash away the impurities.

  “Maybe he won’t take it too hard,” she reasoned to herself. “It’s not like I intentionally lied to him… I just left a few blanks that he sort of filled in himself. He’ll probably laugh.”

  Try as she might to console herself, Lily knew she was treading on thin ice. She had no one to blame but herself.

  “Well, I wasn’t expecting to meet a man when I came out here anyway,” she rationalized.

  All the reasons she decided to make this trip in the first place had become secondary in the time since she had met Jayce. Those reasons didn’t seem as important anymore, not in the least. In fact, she hated the reason she came here. She simply wasn’t the same person who had left home the week before. It amazed her, this quick transformation. But it was the truth.

  The truth, hmm, Lily thought. Such a simple word, but so hard to attain.

  Lily was dried and dressed, standing before her closet with its meager offerings. What does one wear to a confession like the one she was about to make? �
�And I didn’t bring anything in black,” she tried joking to herself. She lifted a pair of light yellow cotton pants and a simple white t-shirt and dressed quickly.

  She was distracted while she watched the road in front of her as she drove, and her nervousness increased as she came nearer to the farm. She was about to topple the story castles she had built for him. What if Jayce was most drawn to her for the background of strife and challenge he thought they shared? What if his motivation was really to save her? He’s such a proud and independent man… how will he feel when he discovers her wealth is far greater than anything he could hope to achieve in his lifetime?

  Lily surprised herself by finding her way without incident through the winding country roads, down the tree-lined lane and to the yard in front of Peggy’s house. She remained behind the wheel for a few moments, staring at the door and pondering how things would unfold once she approached it. Suddenly the door flung open and there stood Peggy, as jolly and sure as she had appeared to them at that door just yesterday.

  “Come on up,” she hollered happily, waving her hand in a come-hither gesture. Lily smiled bravely and rose from the car, hesitating just briefly to take a deep breath for courage.

  “Jayce said you might be coming by today,” Peggy continued. “Do you want a cup of tea?” she asked gently.

  “Yes, please. That would be nice,” Lily managed to mutter. She felt even smaller and weaker alone in the company of this sure-footed and strong woman. But she could either let that intimidate her further or she could draw strength from it. Lily was determined to draw strength from whatever source presented itself.

  “Jayce is down at the workshop with his dad,” Peggy said as the two women walked into the kitchen.