Jake pushed his hat toward the back of his head. “Sorry, didn’t mean to offend.” He nervously adjusted the reins in his hands. “I meant, is that what they taught you in medical school?”
Still slightly peeved, the words came unchecked. “Only ignorant people would believe such a thing.” Evangeline immediately regretted her retort and placed her hand over her mouth. “I’m so sorry. That came out wrong. I meant the professor was ignorant, not you.”
“No offense taken.” Jake’s smile reached all the way to his eyes as he laughed at her discomfort. “As I said before, I appreciate you speakin’ your mind.”
“Most people don’t, especially men.”
“If you have a mind to say somethin’, do it. Juliet’s always sayin’ what’s on her mind. Guess I’m used to it.”
“I’m sorely rebuked being compared to a child. Now it’s my turn to apologize. We certainly aren’t getting this conversation off on a pleasant road.”
Jake turned his head in her direction. “I’ll admit, until I took on the responsibility of Juliet, I had no idea how to care for a young’un. I sorta figured it out as I went along. I’ll have to figure out how to care for a wife, as well, ‘specially such an educated one.”
“The fact you are raising your orphan niece shows a good heart. I’ll take a man with those qualities over a well-educated, impeccably dressed know-it-all any day.” Evangeline surprised herself with her declaration.
Jake remained silent a moment. “Thank you, ma’am. You can keep speakin’ your mind anytime if it’s of a complimentary nature.”
The twinkle in his eye unnerved her.
“Raising a child is nothing like living with a wife.” She turned to face him, daring that twinkle to reappear. His brows rose and disappeared underneath his Stetson. His hand adjusted his bandana before he faced forward.
“Of that, I have no doubt.” His voice was laced with a chuckle.
The majestic mountains appeared close enough to reach out and touch. The vista spread out like a soft blanket. The quiet kept them company for a time.
***
Jake enjoyed her nearness as they rode along, making the quiet ride pleasant. She smelled of lavender, and the wind blew tendrils of her thick hair loose from her braid. He wondered how she would respond if he ran those strands between his fingers. But the daydreams were interrupted when Evangeline began to ask questions. Several hours passed while he answered her many inquiries about life on the ranch. He couldn’t believe how much he was talking. It seemed like he spoke a month’s worth of words during their journey. He found her easy to talk to, at least about his ranch.
After a light lunch on the trail, they traveled a few more hours. Determined to reach their evening lodging before dark, he pressed the horses hard. He had added a few hours to the return trip by skirting the river crossing. The thought of embarrassing himself in her presence if the wagon got stuck weighed heavily in the decision.
Near dusk, Jake pulled the wagon to a stop. Before them, two sod walls protruded from the hill with a wooden framed window and door on the third wall. A chimney rose above the grassy roof. The soddie appeared to be one with the hill.
“A house made from the earth, how ingenious.”
Her attempted enthusiasm wasn’t lost on Jake. “Hope this’ll do. It’s a little rough.” Jake waited for a reaction, but her face revealed nothing but fatigue. “This is one of my line cabins. My men use this place when they’re too far to get back to the bunkhouse before nightfall.”
“It will be fine. As long as it has a bed, I will be happy.”
“It has bunk beds. Can’t say how comfortable it’ll be for you,” Jake said, beginning to regret his choice for the evening’s lodging. He retrieved the provisions from the wagon.
“As long as it doesn’t move, it will be heavenly.”
“You’ll find a rain barrel over yonder. There’s an empty bucket too. You can wash up,” Jake said as he entered the soddie and placed a box on the table. “Time for me to get a fire started.”
***
Evangeline scanned the dimly lit room. The lantern revealed bunk beds built right into the dirt wall, inhabited by insects. “That bed might move after all,” she muttered under her breath. “Would you prefer I cook?” She hoped her reluctance wasn’t obvious in her voice. “Show me what supplies you have.”
“I generally keep a few things on hand, but there’s other provisions in that box on the table. I’m gonna tend the horses. Watch the damper on the fireplace. It has a mind of its own.”
Evangeline’s hand trembled as she began the simple meal preparation. After placing two potatoes to bake in the hot ashes and securing a pan of beans on the fire, she set about cleaning the table with the underside of her dress. A spider met its demise as it crawled across the table.
“God,” she whispered. “I asked for a change. Help me make the best of it.”
As she reached into the box for the tin plates, she gave thanks for one blessing. “This is the least romantic place I could imagine. I hope Jake agrees.”
***
Jake unhitched the horses from the wagon and led them to the creek for water. He allowed them time to rub their backs in the grass before staking them out under a nearby tree to graze, smiling as he thought about sharing a meal his wife had prepared. “My wife,” he said out loud, liking how comfortable the words felt on his tongue.
He turned toward the soddie to see smoke billowing from the door and window.
Racing to dip his neckerchief in the rain bucket, he tied the dripping cloth around his face. Through the smoke he spotted Evangeline, desperately searching for the damper. Even though he’d opened the damper, it had apparently chosen to close. In two steps, he reached her and guided her outside. She gulped in the fresh air as Jake returned to open the damper wide. Once it was securely open, he removed the pan from the flames and headed back outside.
The vulnerable look on Evangeline’s sooty, tear-streaked face moved him. He wanted to kiss her tears away but, instead, removed his neckerchief and used it to wash her face. “Are you sure you’re okay?” His fingers lingered a bit longer after the task was done.
Her chin quivered beneath his touch. She moved, placing a few feet between them. Her hand went to her throat. “I apologize. I should have watched the fire while setting the table. I have ruined dinner for you.” Her faltering words were suddenly joined by heart-wrenching sobs.
Jake closed the gap between them and patted her awkwardly on the shoulder. “It’ll be fine. I’ve done the same thing a time or two.”
“Cry?” Her voice squeaked as she wiped her nose.
The sound of Jake’s laugh seemed to help Evangeline gain her composure. It took several minutes for the smoke to clear.
She washed her face with water from the barrel before entering the soddie again.
“The table looks real nice.” Jake took in the green shawl covering the dirty table. A jar of peaches sat in the center between two tin plates.
“Thank you.” Evangeline sniffled. “I’m not much of a cook anyway. At least we can blame the bad taste on the damper.”
The food was burnt but palatable. The peaches were the only redeeming part of the meal.
Jake helped with the dishes and brought in more water. “You can get ready for sleep while I tend to the horses.” He left, closing the door behind him.
He curry-combed the horses and moved them to another area to graze after watering them again. His mind focused on his new wife. This was the only night they would be completely alone. Tomorrow, they would reach the ranch. The surroundings were depressing, and after that damper disaster, Jake doubted the evening could get any worse. Why hadn’t he taken her in his arms instead of lamely patting her shoulder? What man does that?
One trying to keep his promise. And that was going to be fairly easy tonight thanks to his poor choice. Lord, You knew I needed to be so thick about my plans to help Evangeline get comfortable. I suppose I should thank You for that.
“Sorry.” Jake wished he had asked some of his men to clean the soddie.
“As long as no creature joins me under the covers, I can manage a little dust.” Evangeline stood and shook out her blanket.
He rose up on his elbow to watch, and his eyes widened. Her petticoat showed off her figure, and Jake almost hoped some critter would invade her bed. Then maybe he could rescue her again.
Her own eyes widened as she turned to see him watching. She scrambled back into her bunk. “Good night.”
“Good night, Evie.”
“Evangeline. I prefer Evangeline.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Jake turned toward the wall with a grin.
***
In the darkness of the early morning hours, Evangeline’s foggy brain awakened to noise in the room. Forcing her exhausted mind to full alertness, she recognized Jake’s voice.
“Johnny, stay back!” His voice rose. “Keep your head down!”
Evangeline had seen her brother Charley have these nightmares. Rising from her bunk, she peered at Jake in the top bunk and spoke softly. “Jacob, are you alright?” When she touched his shoulder, he sprang upright, banging his head on the wooden ceiling beam. A moan of pain escaped his lips.
“Oh, my stars, are you alright?” Evangeline ventured closer. “You were having a nightmare. I attempted to wake you. I’m so sorry.”
“I’m awake now,” Jake growled, holding his head.
“Let me have a look.” She lit the lantern, helped him climb down, and guided him to a chair. His face was streaked with blood, and his eyes reflected both embarrassment and frustration. Sweat trickled down his bare, muscular chest. The darkness and his halfnaked presence brought back her own nightmare. Terror tried to force its way into her heart, but her mind schooled the emotion.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Swallowing her urge to flee, she assumed her professional manners and examined the wound. “I don’t see any splinters. Let me get my bag and clean this up. You’ll need a few stitches.” She tore off several lengths of material from the bottom of her petticoat and handed him one to apply pressure to the wound. “Hold this. Don’t move while I get my bag.”
With the light of the full moon, she climbed up into the wagon and found her bag in the first trunk she opened. Gripping the handle, she headed back to the cabin, confidence rising in her heart as the familiar pushed away the strange. As she set her bag on the table, Jake’s grin reminded her she was only in her undergarments. I can do this. Lord, help me.
“Now I know why women wear so many petticoats. Never know when they’ll be needin’ a bandage.”
Evangeline ignored his attempt at humor and poured antiseptic into a bowl. She filled another with clean water and used another piece of her petticoat to cleanse his wound, examining the cloth for dirt before she began. If Katie hadn’t insisted that her medical supplies be packed in the trunks, the bandages would have been more readily at hand. Once the wound was clean, she began stitching, focusing on his wound rather than his nearness.
“Ouch!”
“I’m doubly sorry. I caused you to injure your head, and now I’m hurting you again.”
“It’s not that bad.” The higher tone in his voice told a different story.
“This is the last stitch. There you are.” Evangeline moved efficiently as she wrapped his head. “After I finish, stay seated. You need to drink some chamomile tea. It will help you rest. And I want you to sleep in the lower bunk.”
“I can’t let a lady sleep up there,” Jake protested.
“But I insist. Besides, I’m not prone to nightmares.” Well, at least I don’t cry out in the night. Evangeline carefully adjusted the damper before stoking the fire for the tea.
***
Jake’s head throbbed as Evangeline moved about. The firelight glistened in her hair. He was fascinated by her methodical motions as she placed the pan, adjusted the handle away from the fire, added a few tea leaves, then a few more.
“It shouldn’t be long now.” Evangeline dug a tin cup from the box, took yet another piece of petticoat to strain the tea leaves, and poured him a cup. “Hope I got all the leaves. It’s hard to tell in this light.” She placed the tea on the table and sat down next to him.
“Think I’ll sleep on the floor.” Jake took the cup from her. She looked so beautiful, even in the dim light.
“That is probably a better idea. I’ll fix your pallet while you drink this.”
She gathered the bedding off the top bunk and arranged it on the floor as he drank the tea. He admired her, hoping she didn’t notice him staring. Her graceful movements stirred him as the firelight complemented her curves. So much for rescuing her again.
“How’s your head? Any blurred vision?” She appeared unaware that her ripped petticoat—revealing her calf—had his full attention.
He had to focus on her words. What had she asked?
“My head aches like the Devil. But my vision is just fine.” Jake tried to keep his words matter-of-fact. “Sorry I scared you.”
“My brother Charley woke with nightmares after he returned from the war. If you didn’t wake him, he would be in a foul mood in the morning. When Shamus tried, he got a bloody nose, and Katie was almost strangled. My voice, however, would bring him back peacefully.” Wiping stray tea leaves from the table, she smiled. “Obviously, my voice does not have the same effect on you.”
“Obviously.” Jake groaned. “Best to leave me be. I generally wake up by myself, but it’s nice to know you understand. I was afraid it would scare ya.”
“As a nurse on the battlefield, I saw horrific things. It takes a lot to scare me now.”
“That’s an answer to my prayers.”
“You were concerned I would be afraid of your nightmares?”
“My neighbor’s wife went back East ’cause of his nightmares.”
“How sad. Whatever became of him?”
“Sold this soddie and his claim to me and went further West. Heard he died of influenza out in California.”
Jake’s words seemed to cause her to scan the interior. He wished he could read her thoughts. Her hand rested near her throat, and her lovely eyebrows were furrowed. But the expression fled in an instant.
“I promise never to wake you from your nightmares again. I’m sorely grieved I caused your injury. You need something for the headache, but I would have to search through boxes.”
“I’ll be fine. How was your brother about you leavin’ to come here?”
“Charley didn’t have anything to say about it.”
“What about the rest of your kin?”
“Katie and Shamus worry this was an unwise decision. Maggie thought it sounded romantic.”
“But Charley had nothin’ to say?”
“He died two years ago.”
“Oh, sorry. Was he ill?”
Tears pooled in her eyes. “My baby brother used to be so much fun. Everyone loved him. The war changed him. He brooded a lot, drank too much, and saw things that weren’t there. Shamus found him hanging from a rafter in the barn.”
Jake found himself startled by the depth of her emotion. Again, the thought of embracing her took a front seat in his mind, but it was soon booted out once she’d wiped her tears.
“That’s enough gloominess for one night. We have another weary day on the road tomorrow.”
“We should try to get more sleep before the sun comes up. Everyone will be expectin’ us by suppertime.”
“Let’s not be in a hurry if your head is hurting.”
�
��We’ll decide in the mornin’. For now, if you’ll help me to my new bed, I’ll try to get more shut-eye.” Jake knew he could have moved to the bed himself, but he couldn’t resist having her close a little longer.
As she helped him across the room, he breathed in her lavender scent and felt the softness of her burgundy hair against his hand as it rested on her back. Her closeness stirred up longings long buried. They began to overwhelm his resolve, but she released him before he could act on them. She covered him with the blanket and rose to her feet. Jake admired the curve of the now-exposed leg from his pallet.
“Should I turn out the lamp or leave it low?”
“Turn it out.” She extinguished the light and Jake’s eyes followed her silhouette in the moonlight. She banked the fire once again and crawled back into bed as the moonlight touched her face.
“Night, Evangeline.” His tender voice produced a brief smile from her, barely visible in the dim light.
“Good night, Jake. Don’t hesitate to call out if you need anything.”
Her words made him chuckle.
CHAPTER 8
Jake finished hitching the wagon as the sun rose over the horizon. When he peered in the door of the soddie, Evangeline stood before him trying to press the wrinkles out of her green dress with her hands. She’d re-braided her hair and had managed to set the small space in order. Her medical bag rested on the table with her valise.
“Ready to leave?”
“Yes.” Her flat tone reflected the fatigue etching her face. “Let me look at your wound before we get started.”
“No need.” Jake’s tiredness matched hers. He grabbed her bags. She stepped between him and the table.
“How are you feeling?”
“Fine.” Jake turned to leave. Don’t have time for this.
“I am not going another step until I get a good look at your head.”
Some women can be so stubborn. “Fine.” He took off his hat.
“I see you’ve removed the bandage.” She pulled his head down to get a better look. “I need to clean it before we go. It looks much better in the light of day.” She directed him to the chair. Even the smell of lavender and her close proximity could not distract him from his searing headache.
Secrets & Charades Page 5