by Linda Bridey
“Hey, Seth. This is my wife, Lacey. Lacey, this is Luke’s cousin, Seth,” Joe said.
Seth held out a hand to Lacey. “Pleased to meet you, Lacey. It’s about time Joe brought you around, since we didn’t get to come to the wedding.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Lacey said as they shook hands.
“C’mon now, Seth, you know why that was,” Joe said. “We had to keep everything secret.”
“Yeah, I know. So how’s all that going?” Seth asked.
Joe smiled. “Really well. Daddy’s in the middle of moving back to Texas.”
Seth’s eyebrows rose. “Really? Wow. I didn’t expect that.”
“I made him an excellent offer and he took it,” Joe said.
“Good. So when am I gonna get to ride this beautiful animal?” Seth asked as he stroked Lance’s neck.
“Never. No one rides him but me. He’s too valuable. Sorry, Seth,” Joe said.
“Fine,” Seth groused. “Well, put your horses in the paddock. Luke is around somewhere. Jamie’s with Tessa.”
Joe made a face at the mention of Seth’s sister-in-law. “Can you let Jamie know that we’re here? I would just as well not deal with Tessa. I have no idea why she doesn’t like me. I’ve never done anything to her.”
Seth chuckled. “I’ll take Lacey to see her. I’m sure Tessa will like Lacey.”
“Ok,” Joe said.
Once the horses were put in the paddock, Seth led Lacey to Dean and Tessa’s house. He stepped into the kitchen and called out, “Hello?”
“In the parlor, Seth,” Jamie answered.
Seth gestured to Lacey that she should go in. Jamie saw her and came over to hug her. “This is a nice surprise.”
“Joe wanted to come see you and introduce me to everyone,” Lacey said.
Jamie picked up one of the twins who were holding onto the sofa for support while they took hesitant steps. “This is D.J. Isn’t he adorable? And the one over there is Katie. She keeps trying to escape.”
Katie misjudged a step and ended up sitting on her rear end. She was not happy about this and began crying. Seth stepped over to her and picked her up, blowing raspberries on her belly. Katie laughed. Lacey smiled at the sight of a big man like Seth comfortably playing with a baby.
Seth held her high in the air and said, “Don’t you cry, sweetheart. You’ll get the hang of it soon and you’ll be running all over the place like your cousin, Aiyana.” He put her down and she went back to trying to walk.
“Well, I’ll let you two ladies talk,” he said. “Don’t be a stranger, Lacey.”
“I won’t. Thanks,” Lacey said.
Seth gave Jamie a pat on the shoulder and then exited the house.
Lacey said, “He’s almost as big as Luke.”
Jamie nodded. “Yeah. They play fiddle together. He’s the one that taught Luke how to play. They also sing.”
Lacey said, “I’d love to hear them play together some time.”
“You will, I’m sure,” Jamie said as she sat D.J. down on the floor.
Tessa Samuels came out of her bedroom and stopped when she saw Lacey.
“Tessa, this is my best friend Lacey, Joe’s new wife,” Jamie said.
Tessa stepped forward. “Hello, Lacey. It’s nice to meet you. Congratulations,” Tessa said as she covered her initial reaction to Joe’s name with a smile.
“Nice to meet you, too,” Lacey said. “Your twins are adorable.”
“Thank you,” Tessa said. “How do you like it here so far?”
Lacey smiled and said, “I love it. Everyone has been so friendly and kind, especially Joe. He’s been very good to me.”
“I’m glad you’re settling in well,” Tessa said. “Would you like some tea?”
“Yes. That would be nice,” Lacey said.
Tessa smiled. Lacey seemed like a sweet girl and she wondered how she’d come to be married to Joe. Jamie hadn’t said much about it and Tessa was curious. Dean was always teasing her that she and Seth were the most nosey people he knew.
Tea was made and they sat at the kitchen table.
Lacey decided that she was going to be direct with Tessa. “Tessa, Joe says that you don’t like him very much. Why is that?”
Tessa was surprised by her blunt question. “Um, well.” She put a hand to her forehead. “I have no idea. I can’t put my finger on it. I’ve tried and failed. I can’t tell you how badly I feel about it.”
Lacey nodded. “I just want you to know that if it weren’t for Joe, I’d probably be dead by now.”
That made Tessa even more curious. “What do you mean?”
Lacey told Tessa her story and by the time she was done, Tessa’s opinion of Joe was slightly improved.
“I commend him for helping you. Is the arrangement working out well for you?” Tessa said.
Lacey smiled. “Yes. Very well, in fact.”
Tessa said, “I’m glad to hear that. I hope it continues. I was a mail-order-bride, too. I met Dean and fell in love with him soon afterwards, so I understand how a connection like that can be made.”
Jamie said, “It certainly worked out for me, although there were a couple of rough patches there.”
“I would say being shot and close to death qualifies as more than a rough patch,” Tessa said.
“Me, too,” Lacey said. “I was so shocked when you wrote me about everything that happened.”
“It was not fun, that’s for sure,” Jamie said. “I’m grateful to Marcus for everything he did, but those concoctions he makes taste horrible.”
“Yes, but they work,” Tessa said. She then began telling stories about all of the things with which Marcus helped.
*****
Luke greeted Joe as he saw his friend come into the barn.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” Luke asked.
“I’m here to visit a little,” Joe said. “Plus, I thought it would be nice for everyone to meet Lacey. She’s at Tessa’s house right now.”
Luke laughed. “Your favorite person. Why don’t you go say hi?”
“Shut up, Luke. What’s Dean got you doin’?”
“I just got back with a load of sweet feed. Wanna help me unload it?” Luke asked.
“Sure,” Joe said. He wasn’t above lending a hand. He took his jacket and vest off and sat them on a nearby hay bale.
Luke shook his head. “I don’t know how you stand wearing that stuff all the time,” he said as he and Joe started working.
“I just like lookin’ good, I guess. It’s how I was raised and I guess it just stuck with me,” Joe answered as he hefted a fifty pound bag of feed. “Where are we putting these?”
“Over there,” Luke said indicating a corner where a few bags sat on pallets.
“Ok.”
“So are things still going good with Lacey?” Luke said.
Joe said, “Yep. Real good. And, Daddy will be gone by this time next week and then we can move up to the main house.”
“That’s good,” Luke said. “I know you’ve wanted that for a long time. You two are going to rattle around in that big house. You’ll have to get working on filling it up with kids.”
Joe laughed. “There you go with the ‘kids’ thing again. All in due time. Give me a break. I just got married.”
“Yeah, about that; are you going to still run around with other women?” Luke said.
Joe heard the critical tone of Luke’s voice and threw the sack of feed he was carrying on the pile. Then he put his hands on his hips and said, “I hadn’t really thought about it. Look, I explained all about my lifestyle to Lacey before we got married and she understood. I’ll tell you this, though; I haven’t wanted to be with anyone else yet. So don’t act high and mighty with me, Luke.”
“Simmer down, Joe. I was just wondering,” Luke said.
Joe started putting on his vest and jacket.
“What are you doing?” Luke asked. “We’re not done.”
“I am. I don’t need your crap, Luk
e,” Joe said.
Luke frowned at his angry tone. “What crap?”
“You’re holier than thou, judgmental crap. Keep it to yourself from now on, huh?” Joe said and stomped away.
*****
Joe was ready to leave, but hesitated about going to Dean’s house because of Tessa. Then he decided the hell with it. He was not in the mood to deal with Tessa’s crap any more than he was Luke’s. He went up on the porch and knocked on the kitchen door.
“Come in,” Tessa called.
Joe took a deep breath and opened the door. “Hello, ladies,” he said, and smiled.
Jamie jumped up and hugged him. “Joey! I wondered when you were gonna come see me.”
“Well, you didn’t think I was gonna come out here without stoppin’ to see your lovely self, did you?” he said with genuine fondness.
Jamie gave him a noisy kiss on the cheek and said, “You know better than to ignore me.”
Joe laughed. “I don’t think you’d let me.”
“Damn straight,” Jamie said. “Come on and sit down. Do you want some coffee or iced tea?”
“Yes, Joe, come sit down,” Tessa said.
Joe’s shock showed on his face. “Are you sure?” he asked Tessa.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Tessa said, and gave him a small smile.
Joe wondered if the world was coming to an end. Tessa’s invitation was completely unexpected. He smiled at her and said, “All right. Thank you. I’ll have iced tea, please.” He pulled a chair out next to Lacey and sat down. “So what is our topic of conversation?”
Lacey smiled. “You.”
“Uh oh. What about me?”
“Just that you’ve been teaching me about breeding charts and such,” Lacey answered.
Jamie put his drink in front of him and Joe thanked her. “You’re a good student, but then I’m not surprised. Y’all oughta see her with her nose in those charts, firing questions at me. I can’t get one answered before she’s on to the next,” he said with a grin. There was a newspaper on the table and he picked it up and demonstrated how Lacey looked at the charts.
“I do not hold them that close,” she protested, and snatched the newspaper out of his hands.
“Ok, maybe not quite, but it makes me wonder if you need glasses,” Joe said.
Lacey said, “No, I don’t need them.”
“All right, if you say so,” Joe teased.
“I do say so,” Lacey said.
Tessa watched Joe with Lacey and had to admit that he was funny and yet had complimented his wife at the same time.
Marcus and Mikey came in the door rattling something off to each other in Lakota. Marcus had taken him to the camp that morning and they were just returning.
“Hey, Lakota,” Joe said.
“Hey, Joe,” Marcus said. He looked at Joe and then at Tessa. It was odd that he should be sitting in the kitchen socializing with Tessa present.
“Lacey, this is Marcus Samuels. Marcus, my wife, Lacey,” Joe said.
Lacey said, “I saw you in town when I first got here. There was a woman who pulled your hair and kissed you.
Marcus laughed. “Yeah. That’s my wife, Claire.”
“It was very amusing,” Lacey said.
“So I’m told,” Marcus said.
Mikey tugged on Tessa’s arm. “Mama, I rode an Indian pony today!” he said.
“You did? I’m sure that was exciting,” Tessa said.
Marcus said, “Yeah. He Who Runs has a couple of smaller ponies that are just the right size for him now that he’s getting taller.”
“I’m almost seven now,” Mikey said.
“I know. You’re getting so big,” Tessa said as she cupped his face. “I remember when Jack was your age. That seems so long ago, but it really wasn’t.”
Joe said, “That Jack is one heck of a cook. Dean better be careful or I’ll steal him away from him.”
Marcus said, “I don’t think that’s possible. He rules that cookhouse with an iron fist. I don’t think he’d give it up for all the money in the world.”
“I’m hungry. Can I have a snack?” Mikey asked.
“You just ate before we came home,” Marcus said.
Mikey said, “Yeah, but it was a long ride and now I could eat a horse.”
Joe laughed at that. “I think he inherited Jack’s appetite.”
Tessa said, “Yes, you may have a snack.”
Jamie got up and said, “It’s a good thing that I made some fresh bread. How about some of that with strawberry jam?”
“Yeah!” Mikey said.
Joe watched as Jamie had Mikey help her make his snack. Mikey was a cute little boy who looked just like his mother. Joe wondered what it would be like to have a son. If he was anything like Mikey, he thought it would be a lot of fun.
Marcus tapped Tessa softly on the shoulder and pointed to the parlor. “Don’t say anything.”
Katie had gotten up off the floor where she’d been sleeping along with D.J. She had used the sofa to pull herself up and started walking along beside it. As they all gathered to watch, Katie let go of the sofa and began taking a few steps.
Tessa put her hands over her mouth and then knelt on the floor, holding out her hands to her baby girl. “Come to Mama, Katie. Come here,” she said, smiling.
Katie laughed and clapped her hands.
“Come to Mama, baby. You can do it,” Tessa said.
Katie’s chubby little legs moved forward one at a time until she was within Tessa’s reach. Tessa hugged Katie to her and told her what a good job she’d done. Everyone laughed and congratulated Katie.
“Oh, Dean’s going to be so disappointed that he missed it,” Tessa said. “You’ll have to walk for your pa as soon as he comes to the house.”
Katie struggled against Tessa’s embrace. She wanted to walk more. Tessa walked behind her to catch her if need be. Lacey watched and she suddenly desired a baby of her own. She wanted to experience that kind of joyous occasion and she wanted to do that with Joe.
Joe watched Lacey as she watched Tessa and Katie and saw a soft look steal over her face. Oh, boy. I think someone just caught baby fever, he thought.
“Well, we better be shoving off, darlin’,” Joe said. “There’s a couple things I need to do.”
Lacey said, “Ok.”
They said their goodbyes and went to collect their horses.
Chapter Ten
When they arrived home, there were three wagons lined up by the main house. Men were loading furniture into the wagons. Joe dismounted and handed Lance’s reins to Lacey. When he entered the house, Joe found his father in the master bedroom.
“What’s goin’ on?” Joe said.
“I’m leavin’ just like you wanted,” August said. “They’ll have everything that’s mine loaded soon and I’m gettin’ on the coach tomorrow.”
Joe said, “You’re leaving sooner than I expected.”
“Don’t tell me you’re disappointed,” August said, as he looked up from some packing he was doing.
“Nope. Not at all,” Joe replied. “Pleasantly surprised, I guess you’d say. The sooner you’re gone, the better.” Joe walked back down the hallway, leaving August to his packing.
*****
True to his word, August left for the coach in the morning. Joe saw him off, but there were no words of love. Joe simply told him good luck and watched as the buggy left. Tears stung the back of Joe’s eyes and he wondered why he would feel a little sad when he was finally free of the man he’d hated for so long.
Lacey came to him then. She saw the wistful expression on Joe’s face. “Are you ok?” she asked.
“Yeah, I guess. Don’t get me wrong; I’m glad he left, but there’s a part of me that remembers how he was when I was little. He was a good father back then, but something happened along the way,” Joe said. After a few more moments, he smiled at her. “Guess what? This means that we get to move into the big house tomorrow.”
“Are we going to use your room
?” Lacey asked.
Joe shook his head. “We’d have to clean it up and move out all of the office stuff. Nah. We’ll set up the master bedroom and use my room as an office.” He put his arms around Lacey and nibbled her earlobe. “How about we get a great big bed with lots of room?”
Lacey giggled and said, “You are so bad, but that sounds wonderful.”
Joe released her, but kept hold of her hand. “C’mon, darlin’, let’s go start seeing what furniture we need to buy.”
They entered the house and encountered Randall standing in the main parlor. He looked a little lost.
Joe said, “Randy, we’re free, my friend.”
“Yes,” Randall said with a smile. “I’m not sure what to do with myself now.”
Joe said, “Here’s what I think; you need a vacation. You deserve one after all you’ve put up with over the years. Why don’t you go to visit your family?”
Randall said, “Sir, you do realize that they live in England?”
“Yes, I know where they’re located. Wouldn’t you like to see them?” Joe asked. “I’ll pay for the trip. I think it would do you good.”
“But who would take care of you?” Randall asked.
“Listen, Cook is still here to make meals and the housekeeping staff will keep doing their job. As far as answering the door and such, I think we can manage, or you can put someone in charge while you’re gone. Besides, Lacey knows how to run a household. You’re goin’ and that’s that. As of the end of the day, you are officially on vacation,” Joe said.
Randall knew from Joe’s tone of voice that there was no use arguing and he did want to go home for a visit. He would come back because he was very attached to Joe and there was a certain woman in Dawson of whom he was very enamored.
“Very well, sir. I’ll see to everything before the day is through. I can’t thank you enough,” Randall said with a smile.
“No thanks needed. You’ve earned it. When you come back, things will be different. You won’t have someone yellin’ at you all the time,” Joe promised.
“That will be quite refreshing,” Randall said.