by Kit Morgan
They mended all morning, broke for some lunch, mended some more. She did her best to sew some patches and fix tears not only on Jefferson’s denims, but Thackary’s and Sam’s too. She also realized she’d have to memorize certain names for different things. The denims vs. Levis incident was proof of that. Thank Heaven she had the excuse of being a city girl who didn’t have a clue about ranch or farm life. That would serve her well as she tried to learn as much as she could about how these people lived their lives so she could blend in.
Belle came into the parlor and smiled. “How are you feeling, Lorelei?”
“Good,” she said with a nod. “Much better than yesterday.”
“Wonderful. Do you think you’re up to a trip to town?”
“Why are you going to town?” Adele asked.
“We’re all going. Mrs. King is casting the rest of the play, and I know you wanted to be involved this year.”
Parthena jumped to her feet with a loud “Whoopee!”
Adele smiled as she stood. “Really?”
“Yes, but we must hurry.”
“Is Father coming?”
“We’ll meet him in town. And if we want to get there, take care of business and get back before dark, we need to leave soon.”
“I’ll go change!” Adele said happily, putting her needle and thread back into the basket.
“There’s no need. Mrs. King won’t care what you’re wearing.”
Lorelei glanced at her own dress. What were they going to do when they saw what she had on underneath it? No one saw her change yesterday. Did they even have underwear in the 1870s? She swallowed hard and hoped they didn’t notice her blushing. The girls were excited, and she wondered if they didn’t travel to town often. But Parthena and two of her brothers were just there. Was it the play that was causing all the excitement? And would Jefferson be coming? She hadn’t seen him since breakfast and wondered what he’d been doing all this time.
“Are you sure you’re feeling up to this?” Belle asked.
“I could stay behind,” she offered.
“No, I wouldn’t think of it. You shouldn’t be alone.”
Lorelei felt disappointed. Did the woman not trust her? Did Belle think she’d rob them blind while they were away? Or was she just worried about her health? “I understand,” she finally said. “I’ll be fine.”
Belle smiled. “Good. My family looks forward to this every year.”
Lorelei recalled Colin mentioning the play yesterday at the doctor’s but didn’t remember what he said. Her mind was so jumbled at the time; she was surprised she could remember even that.
The family filed out the back door to the barnyard where Jefferson and another man were hitching up the wagon. Lorelei watched in fascination. She’d never seen anyone do that before. As soon as they were done, Jefferson approached. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m all right. No need to worry.”
“Glad to hear it.” He glanced at the wagon as his siblings began to climb into the back. “I’ll help you up.”
She met his gaze, warm and comforting. “Thank you.” She recalled the last trip she had in the same wagon and hoped fear didn’t take hold again as they journeyed to town. The shock of recognizing the landscape around Canyon Park from her time was too much. That was less than twenty-four hours ago. It was as if she was functioning in a bubble, her mind hanging onto everything within her immediate surroundings: the people, the horses, even the chickens. They were living, breathing things. Therefore all this must be real.
She followed Jefferson to the wagon. His presence helped settle her nerves. He helped her into the back of the buckboard, his hands sure and strong. When he lifted her, she felt weightless. It wasn’t a gym that kept him fit, but hard work. She smiled at the thought as he jumped in and sat beside her.
“Are we ready?” Belle called from the driver’s seat.
A rapid succession of yeses was returned, and she got the wagon moving. Lorelei was a little apprehensive when they climbed the rise, but the horses did all right. She noticed smoke rising from the chimney of the cabin halfway up and pointed at it. “Who lives there?”
“Grandma Edith and Grandpa Jefferson. I’m named after him. Edith is his third wife.”
“Oh?” Had he been divorced twice?
“His first wife died – I think her name was Mary - then he married Grandma Honoria, Father’s mother, before they came west. Father was maybe twelve or fourteen at the time.”
“And your cousin Honoria is named after her?”
“Yes.” He smiled. “I know it’s a lot to keep track of. There are more of us in Clear Creek than any other family if you count all the cousins.”
Lorelei nodded – that was still the case in her time.
“We have relatives in England too.”
She looked at him and smiled. “You do? Have you ever been there?”
He nodded. “Father and Mother went years ago. Honoria was real little, maybe two, I was just a baby. Neither of us remember any of it.”
She laughed. “I’ve always wanted to go to England. It looks like such a wonderful place. There’s so much history there.”
He stared at her a moment. “Looks?”
“Oh, um, I’ve seen pictures.”
He nodded in understanding. Another close call.
They bumped along and soon were passing the future Canyon Park. The road they traveled was a state highway in her time, the cut off to the park just up ahead. Out of curiosity, she had to ask, “Do you go into the canyon much?”
“All the time. Not in winter but when spring comes. We hold the town picnic down there every year.”
She tried not to get too excited. How fascinating! “So, um, when did that start, the picnic in the canyon?”
He smiled. “Now there’s a story. Right, Mother?”
Belle laughed. “Oh, no, not that story!”
“Tell it, tell it!” Parthena said with a laugh. Even Thackary smiled and looked at his mother with a hopeful gleam in his eyes.
Belle turned on the wagon seat as best she could while still keeping track of the horses. “That’s where your father and I fell in love.”
Lorelei grinned. “Really?”
“Well, a few things led up to it, but I won’t go into that,” she said. “The picnic itself was Grandma Waller’s and Aunt Sadie’s idea.”
Jefferson touched her arm. “You met Grandma yesterday.”
A tingle went up her spine at the contact and she smiled at him. “Yes, I remember.”
“It was quite the affair,” Belle said. “Colin and I shared our first kiss on the ride to the picnic.”
“How sweet,” Lorelei said without thinking.
“It was,” Belle quipped, then whistled at the horses. They picked up the pace.
Lorelei grinned ear to ear. This was how families should be. The Cookes were happy, hard-working people that didn’t take things for granted. They lived a simple life, everyone doing their part to make things run smoothly. None of them appeared to be independent like most people she knew, herself included.
Moreover, they were trusting, accepting of each other’s faults. She shied away from others until she trusted them. It was difficult for her to get close to anyone, for if she did, they might be gone in a flash. Like her parents, then her first set of foster parents, then … her entire life in the 21st century. That was enough to give anyone issues, and she had her share.
How was she going to survive if she never made it back? What if the MacDonalds never returned for her? Kidnapping was a felony – they could go to jail for a long time. But what could she do about it? No judge would ever believe her. “Your Honor, they drugged me with aerosol cheese and stashed me in the 19th century …” They’d think she was certifiable.
“Something wrong?”
She looked at Jefferson. “No, just thinking.”
He smiled. “Have you had any headaches today?”
She sighed in relief. The last thing was wanted was for
him to think she was bananas. “No, it’s fine.”
“Good. I’d hate to think we’ve dragged you to this when you didn’t feel well.”
“To town?”
He smiled. “To the play.”
“No problem,” Lorelei insisted. “What’s it like?”
He grinned. “Wonderful.”
Chapter Twelve
Josiah King was the town preacher but didn’t look like any clergyman Lorelei had ever seen – more like an outlaw pretending to be a clergyman. He was tall with short dark hair and intense grey eyes. According to Jefferson, he’d been the only preacher in town since the church was built in 1858. His wife Annie had chestnut hair streaked with grey and a quiet, kind demeanor. They stood before her, looking her up and down with warm smiles. “Welcome,” Annie said. “We heard yesterday was rough for you. You’ll let us know if you need anything?”
Lorelei noticed Doc Drake sitting in a pew with his wife – Elsie, was it? That probably explained how Annie knew. “Yes, of course.”
The doctor stood and headed over with an odd look on his face, as if he knew everything about her. Maybe he did. That made one of them. “How are you feeling today, Lorelei?” he asked when he reached them.
“Fine.”
“No headaches, dizziness or nausea?”
“None.”
He watched her a moment. “Good.” He smiled at Annie. “Well, shall we start?”
“We’re still waiting on quite a few folks.” She motioned to the pews. “Why don’t you all sit down? Josiah will give you some parts to read.”
The preacher began to pass out sheets of paper. Lorelei took one and studied it. It was handwritten in wonderful cursive. Could she learn to write like that while she was here? People back home paid good money for calligraphy work …
“All right, everyone,” Annie called. “This afternoon we’re reading for the parts of Joseph, the three wise men, King Herod, and a few others.”
“Who got cast as Gabriel?” a man sitting in the back asked. He was tall and wiry, with salt-and-pepper hair and his front teeth missing.
Annie leafed through the papers in her hands. “Let’s see, Willie … that would be Cyrus.”
“Cyrus?! Can he stand on a chair for as long as he’s gonna hafta?”
“He assured me he’s able. But I plan to have some of the children help him.” She looked the Cookes’ way. “Parthena, Thackary and Sam if they’re so inclined.”
“Do we get to dress up like angels?” Parthena asked with excitement.
“Of course. You’ll be Cyrus’s assistant angels.”
Parthena and her brothers smiled at each other.
Jefferson leaned toward Lorelei and whispered, “Cyrus Van Cleet owns the hotel. He’s getting up in years, so that’s why she wants them to help. Besides, all my brothers and sister have to do is stand there and smile.”
“How old is he?” she whispered back.
“Don’t rightly know. At least seventy if he’s a day. Poor man’s liable to drop dead any time.”
She looked at him. In her world that was nothing. But here, this Cyrus must be considered ancient.
“Belle, Elsie, are you doing costumes this year?” Annie asked next.
Belle raised her hand. “I planned on it.”
“Me too,” Elsie said.
The church doors opened and more people filed into the pews. She recognized the man from the mercantile – Patrick Mulligan, the same one from the photograph in her apartment. The woman with him, probably his wife, matched the picture as well.
“Ah, Paddy, Mary,” Annie said. “Josiah has parts to read.”
The preacher hurried over and gave them each a sheet of paper. Lorelei looked again at the one in her hands. It wasn’t like any sort of paper she’d ever seen or felt.
More people came in and soon the church was almost full.
“How big is this play?” Lorelei asked.
“Not everyone is in it. Annie needs some folks for the choir,” Jefferson explained.
“I see.”
He shifted on the pew, his leg touching hers. Her belly did a flip and she put a hand over it. He looked at her, concerned. “I’m all right,” she insisted. But the look on his face gripped her. No one had ever looked at her the way he was in that moment. He cared, he really cared. Her heart melted at the thought.
She looked around to distract herself. She didn’t want him to care. She had no idea what would happen to her. From her viewpoint these people were all long dead. She couldn’t let them – no, him – affect her like this.
“Colin, Belle, good to see ya here.”
“Eli, Pleasant,” Colin said. “What parts are you trying for this year?”
Lorelei studied the couple. The man wore a silver star on his vest – a lawman! She sat up straighter.
They were soon joined by another couple with two children, who sat in the pew in front of them. “Howdy, folks,” the newcomer said.
“Tom, Rose,” Colin and Belle greeted them.
“We all know what part Colin wants,” Tom teased.
As if reading her thoughts, Jefferson bent his head to her ear. “That’s Sheriff Tom Turner and his brother Eli. Eli’s one of Tom’s deputies.”
“Colin, you have a guest, I see,” the sheriff said.
Lorelei stared at them in awe. An honest-to-goodness Old West sheriff and deputy! For some reason, an image of Yosemite Sam popped into her head and she quickly pressed her lips together to keep from giggling.
“Tom, Eli,” Colin began, “this is Lorelei Carson. She’s a … friend of the MacDonalds.”
“Dallan and Shona?” the sheriff said. “When were they in town?”
“They passed through two nights ago,” Belle explained. “They wanted Lorelei to stay with us while they took care of some business.”
“That so?” the sheriff drawled. He looked at his wife Rose. “We should have the Cookes to Sunday supper – whaddaya say, sweetheart?”
Rose had dark hair and blue eye bordering on violet. A young brown-haired girl, maybe seven or eight, sat next to her, holding the hand of a younger boy. “Well, perhaps we shouldn’t …”
Lorelei saw the worried look on the woman’s face. What was wrong? Did they not want to invite the family over because of her? She slumped a little in the pew.
“Our guest has had a trying journey – she’s under orders from Doc Drake not to overexert herself,” Colin said. “But why not join us? We could dine in the main house. That way if Lorelei gets tired, she can simply go home.”
She stared at him, her heart in her throat. Such a simple word. Home. Lorelei glanced around. These were families, friends who’d known each other for years. There was a sense of community here like nothing she’d ever seen or felt before, and she’d barely arrived. At the same time, she was eager to leave, to go back to her home.
“Welcome to Clear Creek,” the other woman said. Her Southern accent was just like Major’s next door. In fact, they looked alike. Were they related?
Lorelei smiled at her. “Thank you.”
“You and Eli are more than welcome to come too, Pleasant.” Belle offered.
“Why, thank you – that would be lovely.” She smiled at Lorelei. “Have you known the MacDonalds long?”
A chill went up her spine. “No, not very long.”
“They’re fine people,” she said. “A shame we missed them.”
“Do you know them well?” she hedged. She might as well find out as much about her abductors as she could. Thing was, kidnappers usually didn’t drop off their victims with nice families in the late 1800s.
“No, they’re new to me, but Tom’s known them for many years. So have the Cookes and quite a few others.”
Her eyes flicked to Doc Drake and back. “And the Drakes?”
“Yes, along with the Brodys.”
“Who are the Brodys?”
Pleasant nodded toward the church doors. A man and woman (who looked to be with child) were just entering
the building with a child in tow.
Jefferson leaned her way again. “You’d never know it,” he said as the man led his family up the church aisle, “but Mr. Brody’s blind.”
She did a double take as the family filed into a pew. “What?”
Jefferson smiled. “Like Pleasant said, welcome to Clear Creek.”
* * *
Watching the residents of Clear Creek read for parts was in and of itself entertaining. To find out they’d been performing the exact same play (with a few variations here and there) for the last twenty years was downright astounding. Everyone in the church knew every part. Why they had to read for Mrs. King was anyone’s guess, but the most obvious reason was that everyone was having such a good time. She’d never heard so many people laugh or seen so many smiling faces in one place.
She, too, laughed a few times, especially when Mr. Mulligan the saloon owner and Mr. Brody the blind hotel manager argued over who would play the tree this year. The part had been created specifically for a former Clear Creek resident, Andel Berg, who at the time had been the town blacksmith. Jefferson said he was as big as Mr. MacDonald, maybe broader. The part was perfect for him, and it was still referred to as the “Andel tree.”
“How about you, Lorelei,” Annie said during a break. “Would you like a part?”
She gaped. It was one thing to be horrified of heights, another of people. Getting up in front of others was simply not her cup of tea. “No, thank you.”
“Why not?” Annie asked. “The play is in two weeks. That gives you plenty of time to rehearse.”
“I really don’t like being in front of crowds.”
“You could always play a spectator in the audience,” Jefferson said with a smile. “I’ve gotten away with it for the last three years.”
His father glared at him. “Yes, you have, haven’t you? Annie, give Jefferson something.”
“Well, we don’t have anyone to play the part of the camel yet.”
“Oh, no, not the camel!” Jefferson said. “Besides, you need two people for that.”
She looked at Lorelei and smiled.
“What? Me? No!” Her last word came out a squeak.