Hannah's Wishes

by Agnes Alexander

  “Well, there’s a new minister in town…”

  “Don’t tell me you’ve had some kind of strange religious experience.”

  “No, Jarrett, I’ve not had anything of the sort. The religion we were brought up in is good enough for me. It just so happens that Reverend Dench has a daughter I’ve kind of taken a liking to. Been going to church every Sunday just to get to take a walk with the pretty redheaded lady after the service ends.”

  Jarrett stared at him. “Are you telling me you’ve fallen in love with some preacher’s daughter?”

  Everett shrugged. “Could be heading that way.”

  Jarrett stood, put on his Stetson and held out his hand. “I’ve got to digest this. Give me the money back. I’m taking it to the bank.”

  “Gonna stop on Chester Street?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Maybe you should. Might put you in a better mood.”

  Jarrett shook his head and went out the door without further conversation.

  On the way to the bank, Jarrett let his mind wander over what had just happened. It wasn’t that he thought Everett would never meet the right woman and want to get married; it was just that he thought that right woman would be somebody more like Felicia Newell, not some preacher’s daughter. A preacher’s daughter wasn’t off limits. In fact, mom and dad would be thrilled to see Everett settle down with any woman, and a preacher’s kid would be a bonus. Though the MacMichaels had always gone to church and tried to live right, Everett was the one who rebelled the most. Said he didn’t need church to make him a good man and he didn’t have much to do with it. Now, he was saying he was going to services every Sunday so he could walk around with the Reverend’s offspring. It didn’t make a lot of sense.

  Wonder what he’d say if he knew I can’t get sweet Hannah Hamilton off my mind? I miss that young woman more than I thought I’d ever miss anyone. Maybe Everett is right. Maybe I should make a trip down to Chester Street and see if it makes me forget what might have been.

  But he didn’t go to Chester Street. He went back to the office. As he came through the door, Everett said, “Now, I know.”

  “Know what?”

  “Why you’re in such a rotten mood, and why you’re not interested in going to Chester Street.”

  “How do you know I didn’t go?”

  “Look, Jarrett, for one reason, you haven’t been gone long enough to go down there and back, much less spend any time with Miss Felicia. For another, you’re in love with Hannah Hamilton.”

  “Who says so?”

  Everett held up the report. “You do. You say it on every page you write. That woman has your heart clutched in her little hands, and you might as well admit it.”

  “I admit I like Hannah a lot, but she’s as naïve as they come. Besides, she’s only eighteen years old. That’s too young for me.”

  “Who says age has anything to do with it? Miss Dench is only nineteen, and I lied to you when I said I was only interested in getting to know her.”

  Jarrett’s brow shot up. “Then tell me what you’re trying to say.”

  “Have a seat. This may come as a shock.”

  Jarrett sat, but he didn’t say anything.

  “I met Callie the day she and her father arrived in town. I’ve never believed in such a thing, but I swear, Jarrett, it was love at first sight. She seems to feel the same way, because I asked her to marry me two days ago…and she said yes.”

  Jarrett stared at him. “How do you know it’s love and not just lust?”

  “Brother, I know, just like you know how you feel about Miss Hamilton.”

  “I said I liked the girl. That’s all there is to it. I’m not ready to tie myself to any one woman–even the beautiful Miss Hamilton.”

  “Deny it all you want to, brother, but it won’t change the facts. You’re in love with this woman, whether you want to admit it or not.”

  Jarrett shook his head and changed the subject. “So, when do you plan to marry this Callie Dench?”

  “We want to get married soon, but there’s only one problem.”

  “What problem?”

  “She’s hesitant because of my job.”

  Jarrett frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  “I hate to tell you this, but she says she’d worry about me traipsing all over the country trying to find criminals and poking into other people’s business where I might get shot or some such thing. To ease her mind, I told her when we were married, I’d give up the detective business and find something to do that is more stable and can be done around here so I wouldn’t have to travel. Hell, I might even go back into ranching. The older I get, the more interesting it becomes.”

  Jarrett was surprised. “So, you’re just going to walk out on our business?”

  “I wouldn’t do you like that. I’d stay until you found a new partner.”

  Jarrett frowned. “That’s nice of you.”

  “Well, it’s the truth, and as a matter of fact, I may have already found a partner for you.”

  “Oh?”

  “Remember I mentioned a new banker in town? Well, he’s not only interested in Miss Newell, but he’s interested in buying into our firm. You’ll like him. He has the assets, and he’s had some training with Pinkerton.”

  “I don’t know about this. I’m not sure I’d like working with a stranger.”

  “Then we could sell him the entire business and you could start your own firm.” Everett grinned at him. “You might even want to set it up in this town called Hatchet Sprigs instead of Flagstaff. That way, you could be close to your lady love.”

  Still somewhat stunned, Jarrett muttered, “I’ll think about it. In the meantime, tell me about Miss Dench and why you’re willing to give up everything we’ve built here for her.”

  Chapter 22

  It was three in the afternoon when Drina pushed the door open to Hannah’s huge room. “It’s time you took a break. I brought you some tea.”

  “Good. I’m ready for it.” Hannah laid the pink dress she was sewing for Geneva Ragsdale aside. “I’ve had to sew this tucked front three times and I’m still not sure I have it right.”

  Drina smiled. “That’s not like you, honey. You never seem to have any trouble with your sewing back in Savannah. What’s the matter?”

  “I’m not sure. Maybe it’s the change in scenery.” She took the cup Drina handed her.

  “I think it might be more than that. I know you were glad to get away from Aunt Verbena, but for some reason, you’ve seemed a little blue since you arrived. Do you miss Lydia?”

  “Of course I miss her, but she was glad that I was getting out of town. Especially after Aunt Verbena’s house burned down.”

  “As much as I detested our aunt, that was a terrible way to die. I don’t understand why she chose to burn herself to death.”

  “Neither do I, but we decided it might be because we’d found out she killed her husband and was afraid she’d have to go to prison.”

  “That is one way to look at it.”

  “Of course, nobody knew that fact except us. The paper speculated she killed herself because she must have gone soft in the head.”

  “You and I both know Aunt Verbena would have never gone soft in the head.” Drina looked at Hannah and sighed. “You don’t suppose somebody killed her and set her house on fire, do you?”

  “I have no idea. Jarrett said he’d stay in town and investigate if we wanted him to, but Lydia said since the police had ruled it a suicide, let’s just let it go. I agreed with her.”

  “I guess there is nothing that can be done about it now.” Drina sipped her tea. “Speaking of Jarrett MacMichael, Aaron and I were thrilled at the job he did in Savannah. Not only bringing you here, but also in finding out why you’d had to live with our aunt for so long.”

  Hannah dropped her eyes. “Yes, he’s a good man. It’s too bad…” Her voice dropped off and a tear slid down her cheek.

  Drina set her tea aside and reached for Hanna
h. “What’s the matter, little sister?”

  “Oh, Drina if I tell you something, will you not laugh at me?”

  “Of course I won’t laugh. Tell me anything you want to.”

  “I thought when I got here it would stop, but it hasn’t. It seems to get stronger and stronger.”

  “You’re frightening me, Hannah. What is it?”

  “Don’t be frightened, Drina. It’s just that I thought when I got here and saw you and started my sewing business, I’d forget it, but I can’t.”

  “Forget what?”

  “That I love Jarrett MacMichael. And before you say anything, let me assure you, I know how I feel. I’ve tried to look at other men and think I could love somebody else, but I can’t. It always comes back to the fact that Jarrett is the man I wished for and the man I fell in love with.” She snuffed and added, “I wish that he would love me back.”

  “Oh, Hannah, I don’t know what to say.”

  “You don’t have to say anything, Drina. There’s nothing to be said, anyway.”

  “I will tell you this. When I first got here, it didn’t take me long to fall in love with Aaron, but he wanted nothing to do with me.”

  Hannah pulled back and looked at her. “But when I see the two of you together, you act as if you’re very much in love with each other.”

  “Oh, honey, we are, now. It took him a while to feel that way about me, but I didn’t give up. He eventually realized that we could be happy together, and then he fell as much in love with me as I am with him.”

  “Do you think if I just be patient—”

  “I don’t know, Hannah. Jarrett lives a long way away from here, and Aaron and I were actually in the same house. But I don’t want you to give up wishing. You never know what will happen. It wouldn’t hurt to say a prayer here and there, too.”

  “Oh, Drina, I do that. In fact, my wishes often come out as prayers.”

  ♥♥♥

  The next week turned into a busy one for the MacMichaels. Late on Sunday, their mother and father arrived for Everett’s upcoming wedding. They took rooms at the hotel and insisted on meeting their sons for supper at the hotel dining room. Of course, Callie Dench and her father were invited to meet Everett’s parents. It turned out the Reverend Dench was a pleasant man, and they all enjoyed getting to know him and his delightful red-haired daughter. Unfortunately, Mrs. Dench had died when Callie was twelve, and there were no siblings. Abigail MacMichael assured her that as soon as their daughter and her husband and their twins arrived, there would be enough family around to celebrate…not only the wedding, but every event that came up in the future.

  Jarrett looked forward to seeing his sister and her family. It had been a long time. The only problem was, he kept wanting to tell his family about Hannah, but he refused to do so. He didn’t want to take away any of the attention from his twin brother at this special time in his life.

  Instead of selling the entire business, the MacMichaels decided to sell only the cases that had never been solved, which didn’t amount to very many. They decided to let their father take the closed files back to his ranch and store them for a while.

  “What do you plan to do with the rest of them?” Cyrus MacMichael asked Jarrett when they began cleaning out the office on Monday.

  “We’ve already weeded out the pending files and sent wires or got in touch with the people involved to ask if they want their cases handled by the new man.”

  “Have you got any answers?”

  “Most of them have come back and said they did want to stay active. Everett has gone to the telegraph office to see if we have any more replies.”

  “Looks like you have it all taken care of.”

  “Most of it, anyway.”

  “I know Everett is set, but what do you plan to do without this company, Jarrett?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “You can always come back and work on the ranch.”

  “I know, but I’ve been thinking about something else, Dad.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’m not sure yet.”

  Cyrus didn’t say anything else, and the two men continued to work. In a few minutes, Jarrett paused. “I want to ask you something, Dad.”

  “Sure, son. What?”

  “How did you know you were in love with Mom?”

  Cyrus laid down the file he had in his hand and looked at his son. “It may sound trite, but you’ll know it when it happens. Oh, you may fight it for all you’re worth, but it won’t do you any good, because you’re in love.”

  “Is that the way it was with you?”

  “It sure was. You know I was pretty wild when I was a young man. Made my living rambling from here to there, picking up any odd job I could land. Then I met your mama in Phoenix, and my rambling days were over.”

  “So you just quit rambling and settled down.”

  Cyrus chuckled. “Not by a long shot. I left there as fast as I could and made my way through New Mexico and Texas, but nothing I did would help me forget that auburn-haired young woman who made my heart turn flips, not only every time I saw her, but every time I thought about her, too. I finally gave up and went back to Phoenix. Two months later, I bought a little spread nearby and married Abigail Millsap in spite of her father’s protest. Been a happy man ever since. As you know, that spread has grown considerably and believe it or not, so has my love for Miss Abigail.”

  Jarrett smiled. “That sure answers my question.”

  “I’m assuming you’ve met someone who makes you have these feelings, but you’re running from it, just like I did.”

  “That I am. I’ve even thought about resuming an old affair I was having before I went to Savannah and met Hannah.”

  “Tell me about this Hannah, son.”

  Before he could stop himself, Jarrett was telling his father all about Hannah and the way they met. He even recounted how he’d saved her from the horrible marriage and took her to his hotel. “One night, out of the blue, she told me she loved me, Dad. It threw me for a loop. I didn’t know what to say or do.”

  “So what did you do?”

  “I kissed her.”

  “And?”

  “That’s it. I just kissed her. Well, not ‘just kissed her’. I don’t think I’d ever been moved by a woman’s lips like I was by Hannah’s.”

  “I’ve only got one thing to say, Jarrett. You know it will be hard to be married to a woman who will never be able to walk, but on the other hand, if you love her, it’ll be harder to live without her.”

  Jarrett nodded. “You’re right, Dad. I’m not going to say anything to anyone else until after Everett and Callie are married, but as soon as all the festivities are over, I know exactly what I’m going to do.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’m going to Hatchet Springs and convince Hannah Hamilton to marry me.”

  ♥♥♥

  Geneva Ragsdale twirled around in her new pink dress. “Well, Hannah, I just love my new frock. I didn’t know a seamstress like you would ever come to Hatchet Springs, but I’m so glad you did. You’re such an asset.”

  “I’m pleased you like your dress so much.”

  “I just wish you were in town instead of way out here on the Wilcox ranch. You’d have a lot more business if you were there, I’m sure.”

  “I probably would, but I’m staying fairly busy now.”

  “Well, there are several ladies who plan to come out here and have you design a dress for them. I hear them talking when they come into my emporium. Your fame with the needle is spreading rapidly.”

  “I do the best I can, Mrs. Ragsdale.”

  “Now, dear, I want you to call me, Geneva. I’m proud to have you as a new friend and as a business woman in Hatchet Springs.”

  “Thank you.” Hannah stood on her crutches. “Do you plan to wear your dress, or should I wrap it up for you?”

  “I’m going to wear it, dear. I have to stop by Preacher Elliott Jamison’s house and I want his wife to
see your remarkable work. I’m sure she’ll want a dress, too. That is, if she can get it made before they move.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know they were moving.”

  “Yes, and it’s such a shame. We’ll be without a preacher in Hatchet Springs until we can find one who wants to come here.”

  “I’m sure you’ll be able to do that. And if Mrs. Jamison wants a dress before she goes, I’d be happy to make one for her.”

  “I’ll tell her, dear.”

  Hannah didn’t say anything. She simply smiled at Geneva and wrapped the brown dress the woman had worn into the shop and handed it to her.

  Geneva paid her the three dollars for the dress and bid her good-by.

  Hannah followed her to the door and waved as she climbed into her buggy.

  “Boy, that woman shore can talk,” Minerva said when Hannah came back into the room.

  “You’re right about that.” She took a seat in the stuffed chair beside the fireplace. “Minerva, is Beulah getting more comfortable letting you come into her kitchen to make things for me?”

  “She’s being plumb nice, but I can tell she’s not used to anybody being in what she considers her part of the house.”

  “Then, if it isn’t too much trouble will you please get me a cup of tea? Drina told me Beulah keeps hot water on the stove all the time for her.”

  “I’ll be more than happy to. You need to take a break afore you cut out another dress.” She headed for the door, then paused and looked at Hannah. “Sometimes I worries about you ’cause you works too hard.”

  “I enjoy being busy, Minerva. I don’t like just sitting around doing nothing.” She didn’t tell the dear woman that the busier she kept herself, the less she thought about Jarrett. Though, at unexpected times, he’d cross her mind. When Geneva had told her she’d have more business in town, she wished that someday she and Jarrett would have a house in town and she could work from there. Then, she’d wondered if he was working hard. Then, her mind asked her if he was with another woman and kissing her the way he had her? Most of all, she wondered if he ever thought of her. She couldn’t help hoping he did, at least occasionally, but logically she knew he probably didn’t. Most likely, he was on another job with another woman he had to help or rescue. A woman who would, more than likely, fall in love with him the way she had.