"You truly are a remarkable woman Mrs. Paine, and you have behaved just like all the Irish mothers that I knew back home." Cora had a huge smile on her face as if she were telling the best story in the world. "Irish women are overly protective of their sons and you really must be one of us. I am thankful because you are so thoughtful, so as to have made me feel quite at home here. I truly feel like I am among my own people." One cowboy snickered and at Myra's sharp look his laughter turned into a cough.
"You see Mrs. Paine, I am most grateful to you for extending your lunch invitation to me but," she shook her head and shrugged. "The likes of me are happy to share the fare with the hired hands in the barn, and I guess that's where Jeremy eats most of his meals too. By doing this, I will not put you off your lunch because it is clear that sitting at the same table with me will offend your delicate sensibilities." She dismounted from Thunder and as if it was the most normal thing for her to do and tethered him to the porch railing. "It's a good thing that Jeremy has such a thoughtful friend like me, one who respects the wishes of the lady of the house and does not darken her table with her presence."
She tipped her hat at Myra who gasped with indignation, but before she could say a word Cora had turned and winked at Joe, even as the hired hands broke into laughter. They had never seen their mistress put in her place. Jeremy could not believe that Cora had stood up to his mother and he joined in the laughter. With a final toss of her head Myra turned around and stormed back to her house.
"Well, that's it folks, let's eat," Cora said, following the cowboys into the barn. Janet and Samantha smothered their laughter, trying to keep straight faces as they served their mistress, sitting alone, while gales of laughter seeped through the windows from the barn for the duration of the meal.
~#~#~#~
Chapter Six
Jeremy rode around his ranch, helping his workers as was his habit. It was time to brand the new calves. He'd culled the herd and separated the weak from the strong. The owner of the town's meat works would be coming later in the day to buy the ones he wanted. Tipton was a small town but its inhabitants loved their steak, and it was a well known fact that Dancing Stars Ranch produced choice beef. The bulk of their cattle though, would be driven by his cowboys to the nearest railhead to be shipped off to the East. That was where the real profits lay.
He worked automatically from experience, though his thoughts were miles away with one chit of a girl who loved riding out on the range. He was in love with Cora O'Malley and he knew that it was not a young boy's infatuation. This was true love, Cora was his soul mate. He could not believe that Cora still enjoyed spending time with him out on the range. After the fiasco that had been lunch at his house, he had expected she would never speak to him again. For a few days he kept away from the Wests' place but in the end, decided his friendship with Richard was too important for him to stay away. To his surprise the first person he met when he arrived at the farm was Cora. She had just finished working with one of the new horses she had caught and invited him over.
Cora behaved as though nothing untoward had happened and it seemed as though she had put the whole unfortunate scene behind her. He had been afraid that his mother's hostility would drive her away and when he tried to apologize she brushed it off with her usual good natured banter.
"It's something you would not understand Jeremy," she laughed lightly. "A mother's heart is her son and Mrs. Paine is justified in her actions. You are all she has so she has a vested interest in your whole life. Think nothing of it."
"I am not her only child. I have an older brother Paul, who is in the army." He told her. "But I'm sorry she was so rude to you."
"I also behaved badly and derided her in front of the workers. It was not a wise thing to do, so let's just call it even and never speak of the matter again."
"That's fine by me."
He broke from his reveries when he saw Richard riding up and the two men exchanged greetings. "I've come to check on the four calves you told me were up for sale," the latter said. "I hope your boys have not branded them."
"No, those were left aside. I selected the strong ones which I know will make a good addition to your dairy herd." Jeremy slacked Dancer's reins, "Would you like to see some more? I realize this year my cows are throwing more heifers than before, and it's a pity to just fatten them for slaughter."
"I wouldn't mind adding another two. You have good stock and I'm sure when the time comes to start milking them, I'll be one happy dairy farmer." The two men grinned at each other.
Theirs was a friendship they did not take lightly. Jeremy could confide anything to Richard and vice versa which was why he found himself telling him about his relationship with Cora.
"I feel like we've made progress in the past few months, though Cora is still very evasive when it comes to matters about her past. She either ignores my questions or gives me vague answers." He sighed. "My heart tells me this is the woman for me, my soul mate and the love of my life, but my mind wants to know everything about her."
"Patience will win the day for you my friend," Richard empathized with his friend. "Avoid harboring suspicions because that will kill any chance of your getting together. I nearly blew it with Annie when I insisted on digging too much into her background. Some things are best left until Cora is ready to share them with you. Don't borrow trouble where there is none."
"I hear you but I just wish it was easy to tell Cora that I love her. My fear is that if I open my mouth any time soon she'll run off in the opposite direction."
"Like I said, patience and then I'll add in a few prayers for you. That should do it. Pray about your relationship and let the good Lord do His work."
"Thank you for coming over even though you're here on other business. In spite of all this I'm convinced that Cora has feelings for me because even after my mother was so hostile to her, she didn't stop being my friend. God willing, one day soon I'm going to be able to declare my intentions and tell her how I feel."
~#~#~#~
Cora laughed softly as she counted the money in her small safe. She had over five hundred dollars saved and she was waiting for Annie to get ready so they could leave for town. It was Saturday and Annie wanted to do the household shopping. Cora was going along to help with Alexander who was now almost nine months old and he was already learning how to walk. He was a very active baby and Annie could not handle him and the shopping on her own.
After they finished, Cora intended to go to the bank and deposit her money. She did this regularly and her account was growing steadily. She had made it her mission to deposit her savings each week after deducting the money she gave Annie as her contribution to the household budget. She smiled in satisfaction. Soon she would ask Richard to give her the land he had promised and she could begin building her own small house. She would never ever be put in a position of being homeless and helpless again. Sometimes she woke up in the middle of the night, heart pounding and sweat pouring down her face after having a nightmare where she had nowhere to go and had to return to Boston to marry an Irishman. It wasn't that she didn't like them. It was more a case of the Irishmen she knew were drunks and domineering. It was not something she could accept for her life.
Jeremy Paine was becoming a regular fixture in her heart and though she harbored strong feelings for him, she was sure they would come to naught because of his mother. One crazy mother in law was enough to last her for a life time, thank you very much. No one would ever boss her around as if she didn't matter, and she would not give up her independence, not even for love.
~#~#~#~
Richard had brought back a beautiful black, shiny buggy from one of his visits to Granger when he'd gone to deliver a stallion to one of their buyers. The two women spent hours just riding around the farm, much to his amusement. It was a happy day because until now they'd always had to borrow a buggy from Jeremy. It was embarrassing because sometimes Myra Paine deliberately withheld it from them, saying she would be using it,
even if she had no intention of doing so. Now they had their own and did not have to place themselves at her mercy ever again.
One fine Saturday in the middle of summer they decided to go into town in their new buggy. It was large enough for four adults and there was also enough space for them to pack the eggs they were delivering to Robin and Sarah Watson, the owners of the Tipton mercantile. Thunder was hitched to the traces and the two ladies put Alex between them in the special seat his father had had made to contain his energy packed body.
"This boy is going to be a good horseman," Cora restrained him from climbing out of his seat. He was trying to grab the reins from his mother. "If only he would wait until he is older," she sighed.
"No such luck. Richard was talking of starting him on a pony so he can get used to being on horseback. He's already commissioned a baby's saddle from the local saddler and now my little boy will become a man before his time."
"Not to worry, you and Richard will probably have a few more little ones to fill in the void," Cora was looking at Alex and so she didn't see the look of pain that crossed Annie's face. That was one secret Annie had not shared with her friend, the fact that her husband would never be able to father any children of his own as a result of an accident he had when he was fifteen years old, after a horse had kicked him in the groin. Though she secretly longed for another child, Annie knew it was never going to happen. She'd seen the sadness on Richard's face when he thought she wasn't looking and she knew that he longed to have more children. However, they shared their pain and bit by bit they were slowly coming to accept that it was God's will for them to have only one child. It was possible they could maybe adopt one or two orphans when the time came. They were not ready yet, but the time would come.
"Oh yes indeed, I hope for two more and girls this time," Annie quashed her pain, "Two girls who will help me around the house and be my little flowers."
"Huh!" Cora snorted. "If I have anything to say about it you can be sure that they will turn out to be just like me. Good at housework but preferring the outdoors."
"We shall see then," the two ladies bantered playfully all the way to town, taking turns to tease each other. "When you and Jeremy have your own, they can marry ours and then we shall be one big happy family."
Cora blushed, much to Annie's delight. So the woman was not immune to Jeremy after all. "You jest too much Mrs. Annie West."
"Let the truth be told, nothing but the truth. Cora O'Malley is in love with Jeremy Paine and I know that in her heart she yearns for his love to be returned."
"Will you stop it Annie?" Cora had never blushed the way she did now. Her friend knew her so well. "Someone could hear you."
"Really? Alex and Thunder are the only two beings within hearing distance, and both are not likely to repeat any gossip they hear to anyone."
Cora was glad when they got to the mercantile and she hurriedly got down, ignoring Annie's soft mocking laughter. "Run all you can, but you cannot hide forever," she said softly and received a glare from the former.
As usual Robin and Sarah were both in the store. Alex had a natural fondness for Sarah, who was a plump middle aged woman with an untidy blond bun. She always had a smile for everyone and especially liked the two women from the West's farm. Her blue eyes twinkled at them.
"You've brought my favorite man to me," she said, throwing a cheeky glance at her husband who pretended to shake his fist at Alex. The little boy gurgled with laughter, making his mother smile. He looked so much like Jaime Duvall, her first husband, but he was clearly Richard West's son.
Robin turned to the two women. "As you can see we've made a lot of changes since you were last here." Indeed they had, because there were now two short shelves forming three aisles in the middle of the large store, and a larger one taking up the whole of the back wall. "You just pick whatever you need then bring it to the counter and I'll add up the items for you."
"We brought you about sixty eggs," Cora announced. "Let me get them for you."
Once their shopping was done and loaded onto the buggy, Cora turned to Annie. "I need to go to the bank for a minute. Why don't you and Alex stay here and visit with Sarah for a bit? Once I'm done, I'll come back and we can go home."
"Go on ahead," Annie was happy for her friend. They had both come a long way since they'd first met on the train. These days people treated them like royalty because of their industrious and hardworking approach to life on the Prairie. From the scruffy looking clothes they wore when they first arrived, they now wore the latest designs, lovingly stitched by Annie. She still supplied the mercantile with her finely stitched garments and there were several women who now sported her creations. Sometimes Annie blushed and protested when her husband went all out bought her new clothes from his various trips to Tipton and the neighboring towns.
"I made a promise to God and myself my love, that when we were prosperous, you would never lack for anything. You've put up with so many hard times Annie that I never want you to feel you have to go with out the things you need and want ever again."
Annie smiled as Robin and Sarah forgot about the store for a short while since there were no other customers, and just played with Alex. The little boy was in his element.
~#~#~#~
There was a small queue at the bank when Cora got there. Only one teller was serving since it was Saturday and there were only a few customers. She groaned inwardly when she spotted Myra Paine at the counter being served. There were two other people in front of Cora and she girded herself to face the hostile woman. Immediately Myra saw Cora, she curled her lip in disdain, her nose in the air.
"Good morning to you Mrs. Paine," Cora greeted her pleasantly but her efforts were rebuffed when the woman barely even looked at her. She continued smiling as though it was the most natural thing for her to do after being publicly snubbed. She expected Myra to leave the bank since her business was apparently concluded, but the woman walked across the hall to speak to someone she knew.
Cora shrugged. It was Myra's problem if she decided to remain hostile. As for her, she had no ill feelings towards the woman. She was thinking about Jeremy when she heard a commotion behind her. A woman screamed and Cora turned to find three masked men had entered the bank. Her heart sank. All her hard earned money would be grabbed by these thieves and she said a silent prayer that they would not harm anyone.
"Everyone lay down," a gruff voice shouted and the customers, as well as the teller and the manager, hurriedly did so. The three men worked quickly, stuffing money into the bags they were carrying. Since the Pony Express had been the day before and taken the bulk of the bank's cash to the larger branch in Granger, there wasn't much left, and they soon took all they could lay their hands on. They were holding their guns ready for anything. "If anyone tries to stop us we will shoot them."
Cora prayed hard. Masked men were dangerous because it could be anyone. There was no way of identifying them and the men would definitely get away with their crimes.
"All of you on the queue there, you must have been coming to bank cash. Give us what you have," another one of the bandits shouted. "Give us all your money and jewelry."
Cora was glad she wasn't wearing any of the beautiful pieces she'd bought for herself. Jeremy had given her a gold chain with a ruby stone too, and this was hidden under her clothes. She didn't want to part with it and so she handed over her money and hoped the robbers would not take it upon themselves to search her.
She gave a sigh of relief when the man grabbed the money from her hands and moved away. Her relief was short lived however, when the same man returned and prodded her on the side with his boot. "Stand up woman," he shouted. She got up on shaky legs and made the mistake of looking into the man's eyes. A shiver ran down her spine. The look was evil and she feared for herself.
"Leave me be," Myra Paine shouted and Cora looked over towards where she standing and saw the other bandit roughing her up. The third man seemed to be the look-out.
&n
bsp; 'I'll go with you, please let her go," Cora begged. She felt sorry for the older woman who did not look like she could take any more harassment. "Please take me and leave this lady alone. She's feeble and may not handle the rough riding too well."
The three bandits scorned her efforts even as Mrs. Paine glared at Cora. "This is your fault," she hissed at Cora, who took a step back but was immediately pushed forwards again by the bandit with the evil eyes..
"Let's go," one of the bandits, clearly the leader, opened the door and shot into the air, causing the curious onlookers gathered outside the bank to scamper to safety. "We will shoot anyone who tries to stop us," he shot in the air again.
Cora found herself face down on the back of a horse and one of the men jumped on it. Without looking, she knew that Myra was suffering the same fate. The bandits shot their way through town, shouting for everyone to stay back.
"If anyone dares to follow us we'll shoot these women."
~#~#~#
Chapter Seven
Annie heard the commotion and rushed out of the store, leaving Alex behind in case there was trouble. She was just in time to see Cora and Myra jackknifed across horses and being carried away. She rushed back into the shop and after hurriedly explaining what had happened to the Watsons, took her son and quickly got into the buggy. Alex also seemed to sense the solemnity of the moment and clung to her as she sped back home.
Richard and Jeremy were relaxing on the porch when they saw the buggy being driven unsteadily.
"Something has happened, maybe Alex has fallen ill," Richard stood up quickly and ran towards the buggy. Annie stopped abruptly and he held out his arms while she fell into them, baby and all. She was sobbing and at first the men couldn't understand what she was saying.
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