by C. J. Petit
“That’s what I think, but I want to ask Mister Wright to be sure.”
John shook Jake’s hand as he said, “Good luck.”
“Thanks, John. Hopefully, I’ll be back sooner than I expect.”
Jake stood, then nodded to John before he turned and stepped across the lobby. He couldn’t help but notice that many of the folks in the bank, employees and customers alike, were either looking at him or taking furtive glances. He could understand their curiosity and wasn’t offended. They were probably all wondering what he would do now that he was back.
He stepped onto the boardwalk in the bright morning sun and pulled on his Stetson. He looked west almost wishing to see his father riding into town, so he’d end it now, but he only found normal road traffic. He exhaled sharply, then stepped onto the street to mount Mars. He untied his reins from the hitchrail but didn’t get a chance to place his foot into his stirrup.
Sara had expected Jake to come into town, so she’d been helping her father and brothers in her father’s store but had been monitoring street traffic through the windows and the open door in hope of seeing him. When she’d finally spotted him as he entered the bank, she left the store and took a seat on the bench outside. The moment he left the bank, she stood and waited for a carriage to pass before quickly stepping across the dirt roadway. She was just ten feet behind Mars when Jake reached for his saddle horn.
She smiled as she said, “Hello, Jake.”
Jake turned and smiled back before he replied, “Good morning, Sara.”
“This isn’t an accidental meeting, Jake. Can we talk on the bench across the street?”
Jake was more than just curious as he nodded then tied Mars’ reins again before he stepped beside Sara. She took his arm and almost dragged him across the street. Jake hoped that she wasn’t going to deliver bad news about Kay, but maybe she had seen his father as he escaped.
After being hauled to the opposite boardwalk, Jake waited for Sara to release his arm from her viselike grip and sit down before he lowered his behind onto the bench and massaged his forearm.
She quickly said, “When we had our near collision yesterday, you took me by surprise. After the tragedy on the Elk, I expected that you’d return within days. But after two weeks, I began to believe that you weren’t returning at all.”
Jake said, “That’s what everyone seemed to believe. Or worse.”
“I know. But when I saw you yesterday, I didn’t want to delay your visit to the sheriff. Then I knew you’d have to return to the ranch, so I hoped to see you this morning. I was helping my father and brothers in the store just to keep an eye on the street because I thought you’d want to come into town this morning.”
“Well, you found me, Sara. What did you need to tell me? Is it about Kay or my father?”
She seemed befuddled by his question, so after a short delay, she slowly shook her head before replying, "I can understand why you might be curious about Kay, and I don’t know anything about your father other than the gossip. But I wanted to talk to you about something else.”
“And that is?”
“When I thought you would be coming back, I wanted to stake my claim as soon as you arrived.”
Jake blinked then asked, “Stake your claim for what? We don’t have any gold or silver on the ranch.”
Sara laughed before replying, “Not gold or silver, Jake. I wanted to stake my claim for you. I lost you once before to my sister, and I didn’t want it to happen again.”
Jake didn’t know how to respond to Sara’s declaration. It wasn’t that he wasn’t pleased. After all, he’d talked to his mother last night about Sara and had continued to think about her when he returned to the house. He simply couldn’t imagine that she didn’t have a fiancé, or at least a boyfriend.
Sara let another thirty seconds of silence pass before she said, “I’m not Kay, Jake. I’m not coy and flirty, and I’m not as fully figured, either. But as you noticed, I’m a blunt and outspoken young woman. I say what’s on my mind, but I’m not afraid to admit it when I’m wrong. Ever since you started visiting Kay, you have been on my mind, and I wanted to tell you, but you were entranced by my more mature sister. When you enlisted, I was heartbroken but happy that you hadn’t married Kay. Now that you’ve returned, will you start courting me?”
Jake had been close to answering when she added her second wave of startling sentences and had to take another ten seconds to let it smash into the shores of his mind then recede.
He looked into her intense blue eyes and smiled before he said, “I’m leaving to find my father, Sara. But when I return, you will be the only woman I’ll even think of visiting.”
She grinned as she said, “Good. I was worried that I might scare you away with my fierce nature. After I heard that you had returned, I set my trap. When I left the house this morning, I put on my most alluring dress and brushed my hair to offset my harsh nature. My mother noticed and already knew why I had chosen this dress.”
Jake was startled again before he quickly asked, “Your mother is alive? That’s wonderful news. I was going to ask you about her but didn’t want to get you upset.”
Sara tilted her head slightly before asking, “Why are you surprised to learn that my mother is still alive?”
It was Jake’s turn to be confused as he replied, “She was so sick before I left, that I expected she wouldn’t last for three months.”
“Who told you my mother was ill? I can’t recall the last time my mother even had a summer cold. She bore four children and helped each of us through all of our childhood diseases yet never came down with any of them. You met my mother, so why would you believe she wasn’t well?”
“I didn’t talk to her that often, but when I asked Kay to elope, she said she couldn’t leave Fort Benton because your mother was deathly ill, and she had to take care of you and your brothers. That’s why I enlisted.”
Sara stared wide-eyed at Jake for a few seconds before she snapped, “Now I understand everything! She never told me about your plans to elope. She said that you and your father had a big argument and that you were joining the army. If I’d known that you’d asked her and she’d come up with that excuse, I would have begged you to wait until I was at least sixteen.”
Jake’s eyebrows rose as he said, “She seemed to be so distraught about your mother that I never even questioned what she told me. Why would she lie to me?”
“Let me think about it for a little bit.”
As Sara lapsed into silence, Jake tried to recall Kay’s reaction when he’d told her he was leaving and wanted to take her with him. She’d been shocked initially, but it was the reaction he’d expected. But then she’d asked him if he could return to the ranch and apologize to his father and he had replied that his mind was made up. He said that he was going to take the money out of his bank account and make his own way.
As he continued to let the memories reveal themselves, one that he’d almost forgotten returned. She’d asked him how much money he had in his own account. At the time, it was almost four hundred dollars, which he believed was more than enough to get a good start. After he told her, she asked him again if he could return to the ranch and his father’s good graces. But after Jake’s second confirmation of his decision to leave, Kay had sadly told him of her mother’s illness. Her light blue eyes seemed so sad and sincere, that Jake hadn’t even asked her which evil disease had infected her mother.
Just as he was reaching that point in the final meeting with Kay, Sara arrived at her own conclusion.
She said, “She only wanted to marry you when she expected that you’d take her to the Elk and build a nice house for her. Then, when your father died, the ranch would be yours. When you asked her to elope, she probably tried to talk you into staying, but when you confirmed your decision to take her away, she didn’t want to face an uncertain future. After you enlisted, she didn’t waste any time in accepting Homer James, either. What a fool I’ve been! All this time, I believed that Kay had
been shattered when you left and then settled for Homer. But Homer offered her a nice house and would inherit his father’s mill when he passed on.”
Jake said, “I was the one who was a fool, Sara. I didn’t even remember that she’d asked me how much money I had in my personal account until a few seconds ago. The most dominant memory of that talk was her big, sad eyes when she told me of your mother’s illness. Where are Kay and Homer living these days?”
“They have a house on Missouri Avenue, number twelve. It’s a nice house, but Kay is a bit busy with her children, so I go over a couple of times a week to clean and help her with the babies.”
“Babies? She has more than one? I’m guessing that the older child is more than a year old and the second is around three or four months old.”
Sara smiled as she said, “She has three children. The oldest is a boy they named Homer, Junior. He just celebrated his second birthday on the eleventh of July. Then she had twin boys on April Fool’s Day in ‘80. One is named Hector after his father and the other was christened Horace. I imagine the next boy will be Harry or if it’s a girl, she’ll be Hortensia. But that’s assuming she even let’s Homer get close enough to start another child. She hasn’t conceived since delivering the twins. I haven’t asked about the gap and she hasn’t confided in me. But that’s not unusual. She hasn’t told me any secrets since I was six.”
Jake laughed, but didn’t bother doing the math because it wasn’t necessary. She had married Homer in November of ’78, and Junior was born just seven months later. He wasn’t going to ask Sara if the boy had been born early.
Instead, he asked, “Does she know I’m back?”
“I didn’t see her, but it’s possible. I wouldn’t recommend visiting her at her house, though.”
“I hadn’t intended to stop by. But why did you caution me?”
“After she gave birth to Homer, she continued to eat at the same rate that she had when she was pregnant. She put on some weight before her second pregnancy, so it stayed that way until she delivered the twins. That was more than a year ago, and even though she began to control her diet, she still is a bit heavier than when you knew her. I think she just isn’t worried about her appearance as much as she did when she was looking for a husband. I’m only telling you because I didn’t want you to see her without knowing what to expect.”
“Thank you. Would she even greet me if she saw me in town?”
“I have no idea. But I will make you one promise. When I start having our babies, I won’t gain a pound after each of them enters this world.”
Jake stared at her serious face for a few seconds before she began to smile, and he started laughing.
After he stopped, he said, “I’ll hold you to that, Sara.”
She quickly asked, “So, you really will court me, Jake? I haven’t scared you off?”
“No, you haven’t. If anything, your manner and honesty have made you even more attractive. Speaking of attraction; why haven’t you already married? I was actually thinking about you last night and was convinced that you had long line of prospective beaus.”
“I’ve had a few who wanted to visit, but I didn’t let them say more than a few words. I’m still only eighteen and I could afford to wait until your enlistment ended. You never even noticed me when you were visiting Kay, but I had my dreams. I wanted to mature faster, but you left before that happened.”
“Kay may have dominated my attention when I visited, but I most assuredly did notice you. You were still just a slim girl when I left, but you were far from a wallflower. I wonder if Kay intentionally tried to keep me from talking to you. Most of the time we spent together was away from your house.”
“I noticed that she kept you away from the family most of the time but didn’t think it was unusual. It doesn’t matter now, though; does it?”
“Not at all. I assume that you won’t talk to Kay about any of this conversation.”
“If she asks me if we talked, I’ll tell her parts of it, but nothing that involves her.”
“Will you tell her that I agreed to court you?”
Sara grinned as she replied, “Of course. It won’t be a secret anyway.”
Then she asked, “When are you leaving and how long will you be gone?”
“I’m probably riding west on Tuesday morning. But I have no idea how long it will take for me to track down my father. I told the foreman, Dave Forrest, that I’d return once a month to pay everyone and check on things.”
“You think you’ll be gone that long?”
“I hope not, but it’s possible.”
“I’ll continue to wait and dream until you find justice for your mother. I only met her a few times and thought she was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. I understand why you have to do this, and I won’t plead for you to stay. But when you do stop by each month, set aside one day for me.”
He nodded before he said, “I’ll assign at least two days to spend with my fiancée. I want to make up for all those days we didn’t get to talk.”
She smiled as she said, “I’ll look forward to each of them, Jake. Now that I’ve made my case and won my prize, I’ll let you return to the Elk to begin your preparations. But before you leave, can I ask one favor?”
Jake assumed that she was about to ask him to kiss her to seal their strange engagement. No other woman he knew would have dared to ask the question, especially in the middle of the day while sitting in such a public place.
Sara disappointed him when she asked, “Will you write to me as often as you can? I won’t be able to reply, but I’d like to know where you are.”
Jake felt a bit foolish as he answered, “Of course, I will. You’re still living with your parents and brothers; aren’t you?”
“Until you marry me and take me wherever you call home. Your father could return and take the ranch back, you know.”
Jake nodded as he said, “I’m going to see my father’s lawyer on Monday to ask him about that. Your address is #26 Fourth Street; isn’t it?”
“It is,” then she smiled slightly as she asked, “You thought I was going to ask you to kiss me; didn’t you?”
“I’m not ashamed to admit that it crossed my mind. You may be the only woman in the territory that would have the nerve to ask to be kissed in the middle of the day while sitting on a boardwalk with all that street traffic.”
She laughed then said, “I almost did, but I think we can wait until you return in August and we’re not so exposed. You’d better leave, or I’ll forget about waiting and seduce you right now and offend the entire town.”
Jake was sure that she was joking, but he did have to leave. But even her humorous suggestion gave him pause about his decision to leave town. It was only a fleeting thought, but he suspected that Sara was the only person who could get him to change his mind. He was very grateful that she was also the only person who hadn’t tried to convince him to stay.
He rose then said, “I’m very happy that you saw me leaving the bank, Sara. I hope that when I return, I won’t have to leave again.”
Sara remained seated as she looked up at him and said, “I hope so, too. Maybe we can talk some more on Monday after you visit the lawyer. I’ll be in the store if you can spare the time.”
“I’ll make the time, Sara. I’ll plan on taking you to lunch at Finney’s. Okay?”
“That would be nice.”
Jake was smiling as he looked down at her for a few seconds before he turned and trotted across the street.
Sara watched him mount his big red horse and waved when he looked back. After he waved back, he rode away at a medium trot. She continued to watch Jake until he was out of sight. While she was very pleased with her decision to tell him how she felt and even happier with his response, what he’d told her about Kay disturbed her.
For the two years that Jake had been visiting Kay, Sara thought that her sister was as smitten with him as she was. But she was just a slim girl and Kay was not only older but was already ful
ly mature and well endowed. Sara could understand why any red-blooded male would be attracted to Kay. And her sister’s flirty, coy behavior only added to her alluring presence. But when Jake told her about how Kay had reacted to his suggestion of elopement, it had opened her eyes. Now, Kay’s seven-month pregnancy added a whole new dimension to her sister’s character.
She knew that Jake hadn’t reached that level of intimacy with her sister. While Kay no longer confided in her, she did express her frustration at Jake’s ‘gentlemanly inhibitions’. At the time, Sara was amused at her sister’s irritation, but was also proud of Jake for his honorable behavior. She now believed that Kay was trying to seduce Jake. If that had happened, Sara was convinced that Jake would immediately ask her to marry him. Kay wouldn’t even need to use the threat of pregnancy.
Then Jake ruined her sister’s plans when he said he was leaving and wanted to elope. Sara had been disgusted with Kay when Jake had told her that she’d asked him about the size of his bank balance. If Jake had asked her fifteen-year-old sister, Sara wouldn’t have cared if he was penniless.
Jake was probably still enroute to his first assignment as a soldier when Kay had shifted her attentions to Homer James. Homer had admired her openly for years, and once Jake left town, Homer was at the door asking to see her. Unlike Jake, Homer had probably eagerly succumbed to even the slightest suggestion of intimacy. She assumed that it was only when Kay told him that she was carrying their child that he proposed.
When Kay announced their engagement, Sara was surprised and thought that her sister had made a terrible second choice and was determined to not give Jake another option when he returned. But even then, Sara didn’t have a clue just how manipulative Kay had become. Now her sister was paying the penalty for that mistake but knew that she would never admit to it.
Sara finally rose from the bench and smiled as she headed back to the feed and grain store. It didn’t matter what Kay thought now. She only hoped that Jake found his father much sooner than he seemed to believe and they could take the next step in their very abrupt courtship.