Darling Jenny

by Janet Dailey

  Several minutes later, with their silence never broken, Logan and Sheila, Jennifer and Dirk filed out of the church.

  'The Chapel of the Transfiguration,' Jennifer whispered reverently, once outside. 'I thought it was such a peculiar name. But now…'

  The unfinished sentence needed no explanation.

  'It's so perfect.' She searched inadequately for the words again as she turned towards Logan. 'Who? How?'

  'A family from California who spent several summers here were mainly responsible for raising the money to build it.' He smiled his agreement with speechlessness. 'It was built in 1925, an Episcopal church, but open to all faiths. Although we've barely entered the Park, I couldn't think of a better way to start our tour.'

  'Neither could I!' Jennifer agreed.

  Their short conversation had separated them from Sheila and Dirk, who had already reached the jeep. It was as if a truce had now been called between the warring parties. Everyone had gained peace in those few minutes spent inside the chapel.

  'Over there is the Maude Noble Cabin.' Logan gestured towards the building opposite the Chapel. 'That's where the meeting was held that led to the establishment of the Grand Teton National Park. To the north is the Bill Menor Cabin. He was the first settler west of the Snake River and operated a ferry for over twenty-five years here. I'm afraid there's too much to see and do, for us to do more than skim the top. The Park roads are closed in the winter, so we'll have to give you the highlights via the highway running through it.'

  'I don't mind. Perhaps there'll be another time.' A wistfulness coloured her words, knowing she wouldn't be there long enough to see the mountains in their summer dress.

  'There will be, Jenny.'

  There was such a marked degree of certainty in his voice that Jennifer raised her head to look at him, but they had already reached their vehicle and Logan was holding the rear door open for her. His gaze was soft as it rested briefly on her face, yet there was nothing there to reveal that his comment held any special meaning.

  Once again they were all back in the jeep, Sheila safely in front with Logan, Jennifer behind with Dirk. But the strain that had been evident in the foursome was gone, and Jennifer knew the rest of the trip would be made in this companionable air of mutual enjoyment.

  Back on the main road, Logan pointed out the wooded mesa called Blacktail Butte, named for the large number of blacktail or mule deer that were formerly found in the area. They travelled slowly, pausing along the roadside to watch an occasional moose grazing among the bushes and trees of the Snake River that coiled and uncoiled between the highway and the mountains. The austere grandeur of the craggy peaks decked out in winter splendour were presented in ever-changing views. Wispy trails of blowing snow danced down a slope, flirting in crevices before fading into stillness where the wind died. The cottonwoods along the riverbank and the aspens sprinkled through the slopes were dressed in shimmering ice while the pines wore garlands of snow. The scenes were some times ethereal in their beauty, sometimes majestic and imposing, but Jennifer's eyes were always drawn to the towering mountains.

  At last Logan puffed to the side of the road and turned off the motor.

  'Snake River Overlook,' he announced, glancing back at Jennifer before getting out of the jeep to open her door.

  Jennifer stood quietly at his side to wait for Shelia and Dirk to join them. But Logan took her elbow and guided her across the road without waiting for the other pair. For one unwelcome moment she was reminded of the real reason for this trip, so Sheila could be with Dirk. Quickly, Jennifer shoved the thought aside. It was a perfect day, and she wasn't going to allow anything to spoil it. Still she couldn't prevent herself from glancing over her shoulder at her sister, who looked like a fashion model in black ski pants and black parka, trimmed in white fur with a white hood that framed her own raven black hair beautifully. She sighed inwardly that her own brown and gold outfit could never give her the air of sophistication that Sheila created, not when her button nose practically got lost between her brown eyes.

  'There are the Grand Teton Mountains.' Logan's voice was quiet as his arm swept out before him.

  She had never ceased being conscious of the mountains spreading before her, but now Jennifer stopped beside him to stare in awe at the magnificent citadels.

  'The tall, jagged peak towering over the rest is Grand Teton himself, 13,770 feet above sea level. There to the north, the flat-topped one is Mount Moran. Below us is the Snake River. It looks peaceful now, but those ripples hide its muscles. The Snake is born here in the Teton Wilderness Area. It twists and turns its way through Yellowstone Park and back through the Grand Tetons before gathering the strength to rage through Hell's Canyon in Idaho where it's earned the name "The River of No Return".' Her eyes followed his pointing hand eagerly, filled with a longing to be a part of this unearthly splendour. 'Are you impressed with the United States version of Switzerland, Jenny? I don't believe there's any place on this earth that can surpass the Grand Tetons and the Wind River Range in this kind of ragged, untouched beauty. It may be equalled but never surpassed.'

  She nodded her head in a breathless agreement, casting a shy glance up at Logan to see his intense interest in her reaction. His mouth lifted quickly into that familiar smile.

  'Did you know we have a lake named after you here in the Park?' he teased.

  'After me?'

  'Jenny Lake. Actually it was named for a Shoshone Indian woman.'

  'Tell me about it,' she urged.

  'She was the wife of one of the more colourful characters in the Grand Tetons' history, Richard Leigh, more commonly known as Beaver Dick. He was born in England, though he fought in the U.S. Mexican War of the 1840s. He came to the Rocky Mountains to live, and later he guided a government geological survey team through the Snake River Canyon. As a result a lake was named after him, Leigh Lake, and one for his wife, Jenny.'

  'And?' She sensed there was more to the story. 'What about his wife Jenny?'

  'The entire family was snowbound one winter in a one-room cabin. They all contracted smallpox. Jenny was the first to die. With no knowledge and virtually no medicine and Leigh sick himself, he straggled to save them, but within four days he had lost his wife and all six children. He remarried later and had another family, but years later, he admitted that visiting a place filled with memories of Jenny and their children brought tears to his eyes.'

  The long-ago tragedy silenced Jennifer as she gazed back at the mountain range, never changing, never revealing any hint of the many things they had seen.

  'Want some cocoa?' Logan offered, opening the thermos jug that had been tucked under one arm.

  Jennifer nodded, then glanced around to see where Dirk and Sheila were. They were standing some distance away, with Dirk gesturing with his hands towards a specific mountain. Logan's eyes followed Jennifer's. Her face paled when she finally looked back at him, though his expression revealed nothing of the inner jealousy she knew he must feel at the attentive expression on Sheila's face.

  'I suppose they're discussing exactly what colour the pines are in this light,' said Logan, his eyes again on Jennifer.

  'I suppose,' she agreed, watching him pour the steaming cocoa into a cup and hand it to her.

  'Have you decided what you're going to do yet?'

  An underlying tone of sharpness edged his voice in the casual question. Jennifer's hand trembled for a brief minute.

  'You mean about Minneapolis?' She knew very well what he meant, but she wanted time to think about her answer.

  'And your Mr. Stevenson.'

  'He's hardly "my" Mr. Stevenson.' Her laugh was too nervous to sound genuine.

  'I got a different impression. But you certainly are taking a long time making up your mind whether or not to accept his marriage proposal.'

  'I don't think marriage was part of what he proposed,' Jennifer shrugged, a cynical twist in the smile on her lips.

  Logan had been staring at mountains as if the idle conversati
on meant nothing to him, but at her wry statement, he turned his penetrating gaze on her.

  'A little affair, huh?' he said sarcastically. 'And you're holding out for a ring.'

  'Perhaps.' Her eyes strayed to the distant pair so engrossed in their conversation that they were unaware of anyone else. 'Perhaps I'm just waiting to see my sister settled, before…' Her voice trailed into silence.

  'Do you mean that when Sheila gets married you're actually considering going back to that man?' There was no masking the anger in Logan's face or voice as he stepped almost threateningly towards her.

  She couldn't help noticing, with sinking heart, he said 'when Sheila marries', not 'if'.

  'Don't point fingers, Logan,' she jeered, raising her head defiantly. 'You're far from immune to strange pretty skirts. I believe I stand as proof to that! I recall that not ten minutes after kissing my sister under the mistletoe you were trying to inflict yourself on me!'

  'I could shake you until your teeth rattled!'

  Her cup of cocoa was jarred to the ground as he imprisoned her shoulders in a vicious grip. She stifled a cry of pain as he jerked her to his chest where her frightened eyes stared into his blazingly angry ones. His gaze left hers to travel over her flushed cheeks, to stop on her parted lips. Her heart hammered wildly against her ribs.

  'I think I've proved my point,' she managed to speak, although her voice was shaky.

  His eyes returned to meet hers, bemused, the anger gone.

  'I think I've learned something, too, Jenny Glenn. You're not totally immune to me either.'

  'Let me go!' she whispered angrily, averting her eyes before he could see more there than she wanted him to. 'I don't want you to touch me!'

  'Don't you?' he smiled.

  'No! You're a despicable, arrogant playboy and I hate you! You could never be faithful to anything but your own lustful desires.' Her fear of her own emotions brought her close to tears. 'When I think of how Sheila dotes on every word you say…'

  'You don't know me very well, nor your sister either.' Logan's eyes were mocking as he set her away from him. 'But I believe you'll change your mind, in time.'

  'That's what you think!' She tried to put as much scorn and haughty disregard as she could into her voice. But she only succeeded in feeling childish as Logan's lilting chuckle battered her words. 'I'll…I'll never bow to you the way Sheila does.'

  No, somehow, she thought to herself, her pride would prevent her love from showing and deflect the telling blow of humilation and embarrassment.

  A spark of rekindled anger flared briefly in Logan's brown eyes before it was replaced with amusement.

  'Some day you'll regret that vitriolic tongue of yours when you try my temper too far. But in the end, Jenny Glenn, you'll yield…' He broke off his sentence and smiled over Jennifer's shoulder at the approaching couple. 'Ready for some sandwiches and cocoa?'

  'Good idea,' Dirk smiled, his eyes resting intimately on Sheila, who quickly cast her own gaze down while murmuring agreement.

  They all tramped through the snow and across the road to the jeep together. Somehow, Jennifer was never quite sure how he arranged it, Logan settled himself in the back seat with her, opening the picnic hamper and passing the sandwiches, then packing the remnants back in when all their appetites had been satisfied. With galling nonchalance he tossed the ignition keys to Dirk, suggesting he drive the rest of the way.

  Despite the breathtaking scenery that was shown to her for the balance of the afternoon, Jennifer was miserable. Logan's intimate glances, the touch of his hand on her arm when he wanted to draw her attention somewhere else, all served to increase her already jittery nerves. She knew he was just using her to take his attention off Sheila and Dirk in the front seat, but she couldn't match his casual, flirtatious manner. There was nothing frivolous about her love for him and her emotions were too serious to indulge lightly in his meaningless attention.

  When Dirk, at last, parked in front of Sheila's house, it was all Jennifer could do to keep from bolting out of the jeep. She managed to wait politely for Logan to open her door and express her gratitude for the trip. But she could tell by the gleam of amusement in his eyes that he knew she could hardly wait to get into the house. She finally managed to stammer a good-bye to Dirk and flee inside, away from Logan's mocking eyes.

  Chapter Nine

  'GOOD morning, Jenny!' Sheila sang out gaily, the long blue and lavender print housecoat giving the effect that she was floating into the kitchen instead of walking.

  'Good morning,' Jenny replied, sighing as she glanced down at her own robe, a washed-out apple green sateen that stopped short of her knees. It could only be classified as adolescent, she decided. There was no chance of it matching the elegance of Sheila's.

  'I have a feeling it's going to be a spectacularly gorgeous day!' her sister exclaimed. The radiant expression on her face seemed to have attained an even greater glow than had been present in the past week.

  'Do you realize how long it's been since I've been skiing? I think I made it once last year.' Sheila poured herself a cup of coffee before sitting at the table with Jennifer. 'You're really going to enjoy it, Jenny.'

  'Will you please stop calling me Jenny! My name is Jennifer!'

  'I … didn't realize you were so touchy about it any more,' Sheila apologized, momentarily taken aback by her sister's unexpected display of temper.

  'I'm not really,' Jennifer was immediately contrite. 'I got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, I guess.'

  'This hasn't been the only morning. Honey, what's been bothering you lately? You just haven't been yourself, not since that Brad fellow left, but even more so this past week. You always seem to be going off by yourself. Can't you tell me about it?' cajoled Sheila. 'I heard you tossing and turning all night last night and there's circles under your eyes this morning. We've always been able to talk before, though I'll admit I've been almost too busy since you've been here to really sit down and hash anything over. But today—well, I've got the whole day, or at least, most of it.'

  'Sheila, you are the dearest sister in the whole world,' Jennifer reached out and squeezed her sister's hand affectionately, 'and I wouldn't trade you for a dozen of anyone else. It's just that I have some problems that I've got to work out for myself.'

  'That's what I'm getting at. Talk them over with me. Between the two of us, we could work out whatever's bothering you.'

  'No, you can't.' Jennifer shook her head sadly.

  'Is it Brad?'

  'Partly.' She ran a hand through her hair, wispy strands reflecting red in the morning sunlight. 'You might as well know I've been considering going back to Minneapolis.'

  'Jenny…Jennifer,' Sheila corrected herself. 'You're not going back to work for him?'

  'No.'

  'Then why go? I know lately you've been unhappy, but at first you really seemed to be enjoying yourself here. I know the children just love having you. They'd be positively lost without you.'

  'Not for long. It's just that I feel so useless.' Jennifer held up a hand to stave off the protest that Sheila was about to utter. 'I know I've pulled my share of the load and really lifted some of the burdens off your shoulders for a while, but I spent quite a bit of time and money on my secretarial schooling. Besides, I think I would be making a pretty good guess if I said that quite soon there's going to be someone else who's going to look after you and the children permanently.' Sheila blushed beautifully as Jennifer's morale slipped a notch lower. 'And I'm just not any good playing the mouse in the corner.' She tried to laugh.

  'If it's a job that's worrying you, I'm sure Logan could arrange…'

  'No!' Jennifer interrupted sharply before tempering her voice. 'I'm capable of getting a job for myself. I just really think I should go back to Minneapolis. It was silly for me to run away from there in the first place.' It had turned out to be the biggest mistake of her life.

  'When were you planning on leaving?'

  'I hadn't got that far.' Her mind
cried soon, very soon.

  'Well, I hope you stay for a while longer, for personal reasons,' Sheila beamed, her brilliant blue eyes revealing her secret happiness.

  Jennifer couldn't give an honest reply to that statement, so she made none at all.

  'I have a few errands to do in town. Is there anything you need while I'm there?' Jennifer offered instead.

  'No, I don't think so. Don't forget we're going skiing this afternoon.'

  'I won't,' Jennifer retorted quickly, walking out of the kitchen towards the bedrooms to dress.

  'I mean it.' Sheila followed behind her. 'No excuses and no cakes in the oven or any of those other tricks you've used this last week whenever Logan has made plans for something.'

  'And we mustn't upset Logan's plans.' A teasing smile hid the caustic sarcasm in Jennifer's voice.

  'Honestly, Jenny, he planned it specially for you, so the least you can do is come. I want your promise you'll be there.'

  'I'll be there,' Jennifer assured her emphatically before disappearing inside her bedroom.

  Minutes later, dressed in her russet brown and gold ski outfit, Jennifer hurried out the door with Sheila's voice ringing after her, reminding her to be at the slopes by one o'clock.

  She shuffled dejectedly through the snow once out of sight of the house. It had been unbearable this last week with Logan constantly forcing her to be the fourth. At first, it wasn't so bad. Jennifer had almost thought that Dirk had a chance at winning, but it only took one look at Sheila's face when she exchanged glances with Logan to understand the secret intimacy between them. And last night—last night had been the crushing blow.

  The children had been in bed. Jennifer had attempted to sink into the forgetfulness of sleep, but it had been denied her. Instead she had sat alone in the darkened living room trying to fight off the depression that hung over her head like thunderclouds on the Teton peaks. Then she had heard the crunching sound of snow as a car halted in front of the house. Although tempted to peep out the window, she had resisted, suffering her imagination rather than see what was really happening. Finally the sound of car doors opening and closing followed by Sheila's laughter, had roused her from the chair.