Rimfire Bride

by Sara Luck

  “Yes, sir, but you may be sorry.”

  “And why do you say that?”

  “Because I’m not that good of a dancer. In order to get the steps right for the polka, I have to say, ‘Hippety-hop, to the barbershop, to buy a stick of candy.’ ”

  “ ‘One for you and one for me, and one for sister Mandy,’ ” Drew said, finishing the children’s rhyme.

  Jana stopped and stared at Drew. “How did you know what comes next?”

  “I just know.” Drew pulled Jana to him and once more started the fast-moving dance.

  Drew felt guilty for not telling Jana about Sam and Benji. That would have been the perfect moment to mention that he read such verses to his children every night, but he didn’t say a word. For the first time in two years he felt something for a woman, this woman. He liked that she had not tried to flirt with him, as did so many of the local women, who considered him to be one of the most eligible prospective husbands in town. Jana and he had spent practically the whole day together the day before, and she had impressed him not only by her intelligence, but by her persona. She was not flighty, as were so many of the young women he knew, but neither was she a boring stuffed shirt. She seemed to find just the right balance between the two extremes.

  But he didn’t want to tell her about the boys. Not yet, because he’d had more than a few women trying to get to him by buying presents for the boys. He would wait until he knew Jana better.

  A man appeared at the board and wrote in some more numbers, adjusting the vote totals, and once more the totals were met with cheers from a crowd that now numbered at least two hundred Burleigh County residents. This time there was much backslapping and hugging as it appeared that the Citizens’ Ticket was going to win.

  In his exuberance, Drew grabbed Jana and pulled her to him in a big bear hug.

  At first Jana was taken aback by Drew’s action, but she saw that nearly every woman around her was being hugged by someone, so certainly nobody was paying any attention to them.

  Drew pulled away quickly. “Oh, excuse me. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

  Jana adjusted her hat and then smiled. “No harm done. Anyway, hugging seems to be the thing to do tonight.”

  Drew looked around at the others around them, then brought his gaze back to Jana. “It just shows what a . . .” He stopped in midsentence. This woman was standing just inches away from him. Her eyes were shining bright as they reflected the twinkle of the many gaslights that had been strung for the occasion. But it was her lips—full, teasing lips—that looked so inviting. He lowered his head to hers. He knew he was going to kiss her, right here on Thayer Street, in front of the courthouse, in front of everybody.

  “Drew. Drew, come over here for a moment. I want you to shake hands with our new justice of the peace,” Frank Allen called.

  “Uh . . . I’d better . . .” Drew turned quickly and walked over to his partner.

  Jana was left staring after Drew. What had just happened? If she didn’t know better, she would have thought Drew was about to kiss her. What did she mean, if she didn’t know better? What was her experience with kissing? Jackie Schuler out behind the barn the summer she turned eleven? That was it.

  “Hello, Jana, how are you doing?” Mr. Watson asked as he stepped up beside Jana. “Are you getting rid of your cards?”

  “Yes, sir. I only have a few left,” Jana said as she turned her attention away from Drew.

  “I have to confess, this was a wonderful idea you had about tonight. Do you see that woman over there?” Mr. Watson pointed toward an attractive woman who was dressed exquisitely. “She is one of my best customers. See to it that she gets a card. In fact, give her two or three cards.”

  “She must be a special lady. What’s her name?”

  “Elizabeth McClellan, and she is special.” Mr. Watson tipped his hat toward the woman and turned away.

  Jana made her way through the crowd until she reached the woman. She was at least a head shorter than Jana, but up close she was even more attractive than she had been from afar. The lady seemed to be wearing makeup, but not the garish sort worn by theater people. “Elizabeth McClellan?” Jana asked, not knowing if she was a miss or Mrs.

  “Yes, and you must be Jana Hartmann.”

  “I am. But how did you know my name?”

  “My dear, just as you knew my name. I make it my business to know the name of any beautiful young woman who appears in Bismarck. I hear you are decorating Walter’s window.”

  Jana laughed. “I guess you could say that. I’m not used to standing in windows and having people look at me, but it’s actually sort of fun getting to wear all the beautiful clothes that Mr. Watson has for sale.”

  “You did a good job. Several of my . . . associates were the recipients of some of the clothes that you sold today, and we thank you.”

  “Oh, that reminds me. Mr. Watson asked me to give you several of these cards.” Jana handed her a half dozen. “If you bring these into the store by Saturday, you get a discount.”

  The lady smiled as she put the cards in her reticule.

  “You don’t know who I am, do you?”

  “If you’re someone other than Elizabeth McClellan, no, I don’t know.”

  “I’m known by another name.” Elizabeth withdrew a calling card from her purse and handed it to Jana.

  Jana looked at it, but it had no writing. It was a playing card, the two of spades. Jana looked quizzically at the woman.

  “The deuce of spades is known as the ‘little casino,’ and that’s what some folks call me. If you get into any kind of trouble, you come find me and I’ll help you. My place of business is on the other side of the train tracks. You’ll know which one it is because you’ll see this card on my sign. Good night, Jana.”

  “Good night, Elizabeth, and thank you.” Jana watched as the attractive, but rather mysterious, woman slipped into the crowd and disappeared.

  After meeting with Frank and Hugh McDonald, the new justice of the peace, Drew was anxious to find Jana. She wasn’t where he had left her, and he looked through the crowd until at last he saw her. But he didn’t like what he saw.

  Jana Hartmann, a woman he had thought might be someone he could care for, was talking to Little Casino. Respectable women didn’t talk to the madam. He watched Jana pass something to Little Casino, and in turn Little Casino gave something to Jana. What was this? Surely Jana wasn’t trying to go “on the line” at Little Casino’s house of prostitution . . .

  Or was she?

  After Elizabeth McClellan left, Jana looked around for Drew, finding him in a group of men who were laughing and talking. She was sure the men were discussing the results of the election, since many of the races were now decided. She continued to hand out her cards.

  Jana stayed around the courthouse until nearly one in the morning, and by that time most of the women had left. She was hoping that she would have a chance to speak to Drew again, but in all that time he never returned to talk to her. On the few occasions when Jana located him in the crowd, she tried to make eye contact with him, but when she may have caught his eye, it seemed as if he purposely looked away. It was almost as if Drew was avoiding her.

  But why? What had she done?

  Jana had never had any kind of relationship, not even a real friendship with a man, so she had no idea what she might have done to put him off. She could have sworn that Drew Malone was about to kiss her just before Frank called him away. But now he wouldn’t come near her; he wouldn’t even look at her. She wished she had a better understanding of courtship.

  Jana felt her cheeks flame. Courtship? Why would she call this a courtship? She was definitely making assumptions unwarranted by the facts. Anyway, it was time she returned to the hotel. Tomorrow was a workday and she didn’t want to make the mistake of arriving late, as she had today.

  As she walked down the dimly lit street to the Custer Hotel, she experienced an eerie feeling. She didn’t pass a single person, yet, jus
t a couple of blocks behind her, she could hear the raucous celebration continuing. The band was playing, fireworks were exploding, and the din of the crowd was growing louder and louder. She was glad when she reached the hotel.

  When she stepped into the lobby, she was surprised to see that two old gentlemen were playing cards.

  “Good evening,” she said. “Or, perhaps I should say, good morning.”

  “It’s about time you got home, missy,” one of them said in a gruff voice.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Were you waiting for me?”

  “You bet. It’s our job to close up and turn off the lights, ’cause you’re not stayin’ at just any hotel. We watch out for one another, and you’re one of us now. We gotta take care of you and that little sister of yours.”

  Jana smiled. “That’s good to know. If I’m ever late again, I’ll be sure to let someone know. Good night.”

  When Jana entered the room, she went to the side of the bed to check on Greta, who was now sleeping peacefully, her breathing normal. In the dim light of the kerosene lamp that was still burning, Greta resembled the wedding picture of Marta Kaiser.

  What would her mother think if she knew her baby daughter was cooking in a saloon, and that her other daughter was standing in a window like an exhibit at the fair?

  “Mama, I promise you, I’ll make us a better life,” Jana whispered. “I’ll not let anything happen to your baby.” She knelt to kiss her sister on the forehead.

  Greta opened her eyes. “Is it time to get up?” she asked sleepily.

  “No, go back to sleep. I’ll come to bed in a minute.”

  “Well, Drew,” Walter Watson said, “it looks like a clean sweep, and you know what that means, don’t you? We won’t be able to live with Colonel Lounsberry. He’ll claim victory for the whole Citizens’ Ticket.”

  “He’ll be crowing, that’s for sure, but I guess he has a right to,” Drew said. “He was the one who started preaching reform, and now everybody in Burleigh County will benefit, and that includes you.”

  “I suppose you’re right, but I can’t afford to let it be known that I support this ticket. I’m a merchant, and I have customers who vote on all sides. I have to keep myself neutral.”

  “I can see that. Oh, I saw your newest employee here tonight.”

  “Jana is quite a woman.” Watson chuckled. “Do you know I had more men in my store in one day than I’ve had in the last six months? Yes, sir, she can certainly draw the men in and, not only that, persuade them to part with their money. She is a jim-dandy of a salesperson, and I’ve got you to thank for bringing her to me.”

  Drew didn’t reply as he clenched his mouth in anger. He didn’t like the thought of Jana Hartmann drawing the men in. If she could do that fully clothed, what could she do if she went to work for Little Casino?

  He shook his head to clear the thought. Whatever she did, it wasn’t any of his business. After all, she was a pretty woman, and she had a right to make a living any way she chose. Besides, he had no personal investment in the woman. He’d only met her yesterday.

  Drew lay awake all night long. He was unable to get the image of Jana Hartmann out of his mind. Finally he decided what to do. He would go to Rimfire, and he would take his two boys with him.

  Rimfire was his bonanza ranch, which Drew had initially acquired by buying Valentine script from the US government. The script allowed the holder to claim land of his choosing as long as it was public. Drew had chosen land along the Little Missouri River. In addition, the Northern Pacific had given him more land as compensation for deed work he had done for the railroad, and that brought his total holdings to twenty thousand acres.

  Drew’s ranch house, the small one that was there now, and the bigger one that was being built, stood just back from the river. He had chosen a spot, shaded by cottonwood trees, that looked across the river to a strip of meadowland. To the west rose a line of sheer cliffs and grassy plateaus. As the sun set on the first day he came to see his land, it ignited a golden glow that stretched from end to end all along the rim of the cliffs. It looked as if the rim were on fire.

  “Rimfire,” he said. And the name of his ranch was born.

  Rimfire was located in the Badlands, about 130 miles west of Bismarck. Since the railroad bridge had crossed the Missouri River, it was now an easy six- or seven-hour train trip to the small hamlet where he and the boys would get off. The railroad called the settlement Pyramid Park, but the locals called it Little Missouri, though some sages referred to it as Little Misery. But Drew didn’t think it miserable, he thought it peaceful.

  Yes, a trip to Rimfire would soothe his mind, indeed.

  “It’s grown cold outside!” Elfrieda informed him the next morning when Drew told her what he was going to do. “You can’t take those babies out there in the cold like this. And besides, Sam is in school.”

  “We won’t be gone long, and the boys love it at the ranch. I promise we’ll be back before Thanksgiving,” Drew said as he poured another cup of coffee.

  “You’ll bring ’em back with roaring head colds, I just know it,” Elfrieda said as she went to awaken the boys.

  Drew stood at the window looking out on the bleak landscape. His house was near the edge of town, and the view was rolling plains. Was Elfrieda right? Did he have a right to jeopardize his children just because he wanted to get away from a woman—a woman who didn’t even know he wanted to get away from her? What was wrong with him? He who was always the rational one.

  Well, he was going, and he had an excuse. His foreman, Devlin McCarthy, was building a new and larger house for him, and he should really check on its progress before hard winter set in.

  “Daddy, Daddy, is it true?” Benji yelled as he came running into the kitchen in his pajamas. “Are we going to Rimfire?”

  “It’s true, Benji.” Drew smiled at the boy’s enthusiasm.

  “Yeah, yeah, and I’m going to ride Africa.”

  “No, you’re not.” Drew picked his son up and threw him over his shoulder. “Africa is Mr. Carswell’s horse.”

  “Toby let’s me ride him. Toby said I could ride him, next time I came.”

  “We’ll see.”

  Just then Sam walked into the kitchen fully dressed.

  “What’s the matter, Sam? Didn’t Mrs. Considine tell you we’re going to Rimfire?”

  “Yes.”

  Putting Benji down, Drew moved to Sam and bent down to his six-year-old. “Don’t you want to go, Son?”

  “It makes me sad. I think about Mama when we’re there.”

  “I know, Sam, I know, but Mama’s in heaven, and she wants us to do all the things that we would do if she was with us.” Drew pulled his son close to him and held him.

  “Does she want us to have a new mama?”

  Drew pulled back and looked directly at Sam. “Why do you ask that?”

  “Because Miss Peterson said I need a new mama.”

  “Your teacher said that?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “What did you say?”

  Sam blinked his eyes over and over, holding back tears. “I don’t want a new mama.”

  “Are we going to get a new mama? I want a new mama, I want a new mama!” Benji said over and over as he ran round and round the table.

  “Out of the mouths of babes,” Elfrieda said as she entered the room.

  “Get Benji dressed, and put a few things in a rucksack for us, would you, Elfrieda? I’ve got to tell Frank I’m going to be gone for a couple of weeks.” Drew gave Sam one last squeeze.

  Jana had arrived at the Emporium before eight o’clock and was standing out front when Mr. Watson showed up.

  “You were outstanding last night. I can’t tell you how many people came to compliment me on my method of advertising. Do you know, Eben Strauss asked me if you could wear some of his jewelry while you’re in the window.”

  “And what did you tell him?”

  Mr. Watson grinned widely. “Just what do you think I told him? As long as
we get a commission on what you sell, you can wear all the diamonds and rubies he’s got in his store. Would that be all right with you?”

  “Oh, I don’t know about all of this, Mr. Watson. It makes me a little uncomfortable. I feel a little like I’m duping people out of their money.”

  “Nonsense, girl, we’re not making anybody buy anything. They just see something they think is pretty, and then they want it for themselves. But we don’t want to overdo a good thing. Today, I think you should work in the store, maybe work in the stockroom, just so you know what all we have for sale.”

  “I think I’d like that.” Jana took off her coat and hung it on a peg in the stockroom.

  “Why don’t you start straightening up back there? We were selling things so fast yesterday, everything got in a mess.”

  “I can see what you mean.” Jana saw articles of clothing everywhere.

  She spent most of the day in the stockroom, and while she was doing mindless work, she thought about Drew Malone. He was an enigma to her. She replayed everything that had happened when she had been with him—at the Sheridan House when he had praised her for rebuffing Richards when he’d tried to buy her vote, and when he had chided her for not knowing more about New Salem and Pastor Kling, and then when he had understood when she said she wanted to homestead.

  Then she thought of the physical contact she had had with him, starting with when he had kept her from tripping on the boardwalk and offered her his arm as they walked to the telegraph office. Then after he had sold her skills to Mr. Watson, he had grabbed her hand as they left the store, and all these things seemed to be the most natural thing in the world for a man and a woman to do.

  And then there was last night.

  While she was dancing with Drew, she thought it was the first time in her life that she felt like a desirable woman. And finally there was a moment—that moment was how she thought of it—the moment when he almost . . . what? Was she reading too much into a reaction? He was looking at her with eyes that she thought were filled with passion, and then, when he lowered his head, his lips were but an inch away from her own. She felt, no she knew, he was going to kiss her. But he was interrupted.