by Ruby Hill
Over the next few weeks, Laura got to know James as he joined them for many meals. He found ways to sit next to her at church. He taught her how to ride a horse, and he even taught her how to fetch water from a well. James took a keen interest in her knowledge of ranch living, and she was taking it all in. Her aunt and uncle were thrilled to see Laura and James together.
Although her days were filled with chores, and she always seemed to be busy, Laura missed having the companionship of other girls her age. Annie was only 13 years old, so they got along well, but Laura surely wouldn't be sharing her deepest secrets with her young cousin. Laura was shy, so she had a hard time meeting potential friends. Some of the women at church seemed friendly, but nobody invited her into their circle of friends. Aunt June assured her it would just take some time. Everyone was busy this time of year, so she encouraged Laura to be patient.
Annie confided in Laura one day that some of the young women in town were gossiping about how much time she was spending with James. Apparently, James was a favorite among the town's women, and there was one girl that once had James's interest until Laura came along. Laura was heartbroken. More than anything, she wanted to find her place in this town and unbeknownst to her, she had already ruined her chances of making friends.
* * *
James joined the family for dinner for the third time in one week. As always, James sat next to Thomas, but he managed to steal glances at Laura when he thought nobody else noticed. Everybody noticed.
Aunt June asked James if he was planning on attending the Harvest dance on Friday evening. It was the town's annual get-together that took place before Christmas celebrations began. Laura smiled in delight at the thought of a dance. James saw this as his chance to make his claim on this beautiful girl who had landed at the Williams's ranch.
Addressing Laura's Uncle Robert, James asked, "Mr. Williams, would it be okay if I invited Miss Brooks to go to the dance with me?"
Laura's palms felt cold. She brimmed with excitement that James wanted to take her to the dance. Yet, a sadness overcame her that James had asked her uncle for permission to court her, rather than asking her father. It was an unexpected reminder that her grief was unabated.
Uncle Robert, noticeably uncomfortable, responded, "Well, that would be mighty nice for Laura. I think she could use some friends."
James formally asked Laura to attend the dance with him. She accepted. James took his leave, and Laura walked him to the door. James took her hand in his and placed a gentle kiss on the tops of her fingers. Her fingers tingled with the warmth from his lips.
3
Laura took a long time getting ready the night of the dance. She styled her hair with a loose braid that created a crown-like circle around her head. Annie burst into her room and took a long look at Laura.
"Is that what you're wearing?" asked Annie. "I mean, you look beautiful, but that dress is so fancy. What if it gets dirty?"
Suddenly self-conscious, Laura said, "This is the nicest dress I own. I don't know what else I would wear."
Annie said, "Well, never mind. James won't be able to take his eyes off of you. Your hair looks fancy, too. Will you teach me how to do that to my hair?"
Laura laughed. She had always wanted a little sister, and Annie was quickly becoming one of her favorite people to be around. Annie was so full of life and always found the positive in every situation.
Laura helped Annie with her hair when Aunt June walked in with a pretty, yet simple, blue dress.
"I wasn't sure you'd have something to wear, so I made this for you as a surprise," said Aunt June with eyes gleaming from the nearby fire.
"Oh, Aunt June. The dress is just lovely. Thank you so much."
Aunt June helped Laura out of her dress that was too formal for this event and helped her into the much more appropriate blue dress. Laura wondered if this was something mothers typically did for their daughters. Aunt June was really going above and beyond to make her feel welcome.
Annie linked arms with Laura as they walked down the stairs. Aunt June followed close behind. Uncle Robert, Thomas and James were at the bottom of the stairs waiting for the ladies to descend.
Laura noticed the smile spread across James's face. He took her hand to help her down the last couple stairs and whispered, "You look beautiful."
The flattering words made Laura blush. She had experienced crushes before, but James knew exactly what to say and do to make her melt. She wondered if she had found her future husband. Of course, this was a thought she kept to herself.
The dance took place in a barn, which surprised Laura. The dances she had attended in Boston were much more formal. Laura was nervous, but the casual atmosphere took a lot of pressure off of formalities, which put her at ease.
James asked Laura to dance almost immediately. Laura noticed sneering glances she received from one woman in particular. She ignored her. Laura wasn't familiar with the dancing style that everybody knew, but James was patient with her. They laughed a lot as Laura turned the wrong way or stepped on James's feet.
Laura needed a break, so she sat down next to her cousin, Annie, while James went to get a drink. A couple songs played while Annie introduced Laura to some of the women. Surprisingly, many of them were friendly and were eager to get to know Laura.
Laura danced with Thomas, Uncle Robert, and James. As the night progressed, Laura smelled alcohol on James's breath, and his dancing seemed to be a bit clumsier. She asked him to take a break from dancing.
"I'll tell you when I need a break," said James, more loudly than he meant to speak.
Laura was taken aback at his brash statement. James quickly apologized, and Laura brushed off his behavior. She insisted upon a break, to which he conceded.
James excused himself, leaving Laura alone once again. She accidentally bumped into another woman who quickly turned around and stared at Laura with a scowl. This was the same woman who had been staring at Laura all night.
"Oh, it's you. Are you having a nice time with James?" demanded the young woman, whom Laura assumed was about her age.
"I didn't mean to bump into you. I apologize," answered Laura, ignoring the question about James.
"You can't just come into town and steal another woman's man," said the angry woman.
"I didn't. I didn't know he was spoken for. If I did anything to offend you, I apologize. I would never do anything as dishonorable as you describe," pleaded Laura.
"Seriously, Rebecca?" interrupted James. "Laura, pay no attention to her. We was over before you even came to town. Rebecca likes to think I was in love with her, but I'm not," said James, once again speaking too loudly.
Laura walked away from the escalating situation. She didn't want any part of the drama that ensued. She hid in a corner near the door.
"James is having another rough night," said a voice from the shadows.
"Excuse me?" questioned Laura while she looked around for the voice's source.
A fair-haired man with eyes green like grass saturated with morning dew stepped into the light from the oil lamps.
"When James drinks, his personality changes, and it's not always a good change," explained the man. "You don't deserve that. He shouldn't have spoken to you like that, and he shouldn't have left you to fend for yourself."
"I don't know what you mean," said Laura, not wanting to gossip about her current situation. "It doesn't matter. It's not like anybody noticed when I walked off alone."
"I noticed, and I thought he was rude. You've been here a few weeks, which is plenty of time for folks around her to notice you."
"How do you know how long I have been in town?"
"This town is small. You'll learn quickly that secrets aren't easy to keep. Besides, a big city girl is exciting news around here." He paused, then continued as if answering her next question, "I'm Michael. Michael Cummings."
"Laura Brooks." Laura extended her hand to Michael in greeting, when a large, strong hand took hold of her wrist.
"We don't need help from the likes of you," screamed James at Michael.
"Kindly remove your hand from Miss Brooks," said Michael.
"Please, James, you're hurting me," said Laura.
James let go of Laura's wrist as Laura noticed stares coming from every direction.
"Miss Brooks, are you alright? Do you need to sit down?" asked Michael in a tender voice.
James answered for Laura, "Of course she's alright."
Laura wanted to escape and turned towards the door to avoid the questions and incriminating glances that were coming her way. James followed quickly at her heels, as if giving the illusion of protecting her from Michael.
Thomas rushed up to Laura, grabbed her arm gently, and told James to sober up. Thomas led Laura outside and got her settled in the buggy. "I'm just gonna get Ma, Annie and Pa. I promise I'll be right back."
Michael came out from the barn and walked over to his buggy. He grabbed a blanket and brought it over to Laura. "I wanted to make sure you weren't hurt."
"Only my reputation seems to be in peril," said Laura, unwilling to make eye contact with Michael.
Michael wrapped the blanket around Laura. "Nobody believes any of that was your fault. They know Rebecca and James. This isn't their first public argument," he started to walk away, but turned back, "Oh, and don't tell your aunt and uncle where you got the blanket."
Thomas appeared with the other family members. She wanted to thank Michael, but had already left.
The ride home was awkward, as nobody quite knew what to say. Uncle Robert and Thomas avoided making eye contact, while Annie just held her hand.
Aunt June finally broke the silence, "Rebecca is always causing trouble, dear. James has a little bit of a temper, but he is such a good boy. Pay no attention to anything that happened. We'll set things straight with James tomorrow."
Laura smiled. She couldn't find the right words to say because James's behavior couldn't be justified, but she didn't want to argue with her aunt. Even though Laura was technically family, they had known James a lot longer
* * *
The next morning, Laura woke up early to help Aunt June make breakfast. To her surprise, James was sitting at the table sipping on a cup of coffee. When Laura entered the kitchen, Aunt June simply smiled and left the two alone to talk.
"I want to apologize for my behavior last night," said James. "You didn't deserve that."
"No, I didn't," said Laura, joining James at the table. "I was completely embarrassed."
"I know. Again, I'm sorry."
Laura watched as James hung his head in shame. She wasn't planning on accepting an apology, but he did seem sincere. Besides, he was her only friend.
James continued, "I don't want to take up too much of your time, but I was wondering if you might take a walk with me after church tomorrow."
Without thinking, Laura answered, "Yes. I think that would be nice."
James raised his big brown eyes to meet her gaze. "Does that mean you're gonna forgive me?"
"No. It simply means that I will join you for a walk after church."
This seemed to satisfy James. He kissed her hand and left.
Aunt June came back into the kitchen within seconds. Laura assumed that she had been eavesdropping, but it didn't matter.
"Well, I am glad that you two kids worked that out," smiled Aunt June. "James is such a sweet boy. I know he didn't mean no harm."
Laura smiled. Aunt June had known James his whole life. If Aunt June believed that James was a good person, he really must be.
4
Laura helped with dishes after breakfast as her uncle and Thomas prepared the buggy for church. Upon arriving, Laura saw Michael Cummings with an older woman and a girl about Annie's age, who must be his mother and possibly his sister. She waved in greeting as Michael caught her eye. She noticed Michael smile in response, but then quickly looked around to make sure nobody was watching.
"How do you know that boy, dear?" asked Aunt June.
"I met him at the dance last night when James was arguing with Rebecca."
"It's best you don't associate with him," said Aunt June with a smile.
Laura didn't have time to ask Aunt June what she meant before James arrived to walk Laura into church. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Michael watching her, and she could she the scowl on his face. Michael must be bad news if Aunt June didn't approve of him.
As Laura entered the church, along with her family and James, she immediately wished she would've stayed home. Nobody had taken much interest in her up to this point, but she seemed to be the most popular girl in town this particular Sunday. Everybody was vying for her attention. They all wanted details about the barn dance.
She didn't like the questions, but she did appreciate all of the invitations she was receiving. Two women slightly older than her invited her to their quilting gathering that took place every Wednesday. Another young woman invited Laura to join her in making Christmas pies for the families around town. The incident with James seemed to be a catalyst for new friendships.
Laura took her seat and placed her lace head covering in place. James sat down next to her.
After singing hymns, the pastor recited Ephesians 4:32, "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
The entire sermon was about forgiveness and loving they neighbor. Laura took the pastor's words to heart and believed it was a direct message from God to forgive James. James was grateful for the pastor's words as well as he saw the forgiveness in Laura's eyes.
After the sermon, Laura heard Annie's conversation with Aunt June, "Mama, don't you think the sermon was nice today?"
"Yes, dear. It seemed to be exactly what we needed to hear. God works in mysterious ways," Aunt June said smiling at Laura.
"I think so too, Mama," said Annie excitedly. "Don't you think it's time we forgive Mrs. Cummings? It sure would be a nice thing to do. Especially since Christmas is just around the corner. After all, Helen Cummings is in my class."
"What, dear?" asked Aunt June, startled by Annie's questions. "The pastor wasn't talking about that situation. The rift between me and Mrs. Cummings has been going on much too long to mend."
Disappointed, Annie answered, "Alright, Mama."
Laura was curious. This was the first she was hearing about a feud between the families. She couldn't imagine anybody making Aunt June angry. Mrs. Cummings must have done something terrible.
James wanted Laura to keep her promise to take a walk with him, so James asked Laura's uncle for permission. Uncle Robert obliged and asked Thomas to join as a chaperone. Thomas agreed. Thomas had his own plans of meeting up with a young woman he liked, so Thomas left James and Laura alone as soon as they were all out of the sight of the other churchgoers.
After offering apologies again, Laura offered her forgiveness. James took the liberty of holding Laura's hand. She asked about Rebecca, and James admitted he had courted her at one time, but he broke it off long before Laura came to Colorado.
The conversation was controlled by James as he did most of the talking. Laura listened intently. He interrupted Laura on more than on occasion, but she figured he was just nervous. They finished their walk back at the church, where they met Thomas.
James brought Thomas and Laura home. James promised to stop by the Williams's ranch the next day to visit with Laura.
Thomas reminded James, "You're welcome to come by, but you know that tomorrow is the last day of November. Mama will be baking her gingerbread cookies all day. Don't you think for a minute she'll let you take any of Laura's time. Mama needs all the help she can get."
Thomas explained to Laura that every year, Aunt June spent the last day of November making cookies and the first day of December delivering cookies to all the families around town. Aunt June's gingerbread cookies were famous and everybody looked forward to December 1st each year. This was Aunt June's special way of welcoming in the Christmas sea
son.
James kissed Laura's hand in farewell as he helped her down from the buggy and promised to come see her regardless of Aunt June's plans for making cookies. Thomas rolled his eyes. Once again, he was uncomfortable being the odd man out.
* * *
Morning came too soon with the loud bell ringing earlier than usual. Aunt June didn't even wait for Laura to slowly make her way downstairs.
"Dear, what are you still doing in bed? We have the busiest day of the year ahead of us!" exclaimed Aunt June.
Laura came downstairs, and Annie was already measuring out ingredients. Annie wanted to help as much as possible with the cookies before she had to go to school. Laura felt extremely lucky to be included in the Christmas tradition.
A loud scream startled both Annie and Laura, "We don't have enough sugar." In a complete panic, Aunt Laura cried, "I am sure I bought enough sugar. I don't have time to fetch some. Where is Robert? He'll go to the store immediately."
Laura knew Uncle Robert and Thomas were busy tending to an ill horse, so she offered to go the store to fetch the sugar.
"You'd do that? Oh, you're a Godsend. I'll have Thomas prepare the horses and buggy," said Aunt June, obviously relieved.
Laura entered the general store and paid for the sugar. The store owner helped her out to the buggy because she couldn't carry the sugar on her own. She thanked the store owner and attempted to climb up into the buggy.
Losing her foothold while stepping up, she slipped and landed in a very cold, and very dirty, mud puddle. She sat there for a second contemplating her misfortune. She didn't want to look up out of fear of embarrassment.
She felt a hand securely grab her hand as she looked up into the familiar green eyes of Michael Cummings. They both laughed at the situation as Michael helped her to her feet.
"Ranch life isn't as easy as it looks, is it big city girl? I think you're doing a mighty fine job of fitting in though—especially now that you're covered in mud," said Michael trying to ease Laura's embarrassment.