by Linda Bridey
“Hi, Pa,” Luke said with a smile. “How’re things?”
John looked at his son with disapproval on his face. “I guess they’re ok. Your ma is in a snit, though.”
Luke’s brows drew together. “Why?”
John shut the door to the office so they could speak privately.
“Well, she and your woman had a spat in the store earlier today.”
Luke ran a hand through his hair. “Damn. What happened?”
“Your ma doesn’t see Jamie the way you and I do. She thinks Jamie is a loose woman who’s out to latch onto a good thing. She also thinks that Jamie is going to cause you trouble once you’re married,” John said.
“Jamie is sensitive enough about this and Ma certainly isn’t helping matters,” Luke said.
“Something else,” John said. “Jamie let it slip that you and she have, um, been physical.”
Luke was stunned by this information. Why would Jamie do such a thing? Embarrassment colored Luke’s face a ruddy red. He was also angry that his mother was continuing to put Jamie down. He’d never been angry with his mother before, but he was now. He wasn’t going to put up with her behavior.
Luke gave his father a stern look. “What Jamie and I do is our business and ours alone. I’d appreciate it that you and Ma keep quiet about this. I can see that I’m going to have to have a talk with Ma,” Luke said.
“Now, Luke,” John said. “Don’t get huffy with her. She’s just lookin’ out for her baby boy.”
“Pa, I’m not a little boy anymore. I can take care of myself. If she keeps this up, I’m gonna lose the woman I love,” Luke said, and then realized what he’d just said.
He thought about it and knew that it was true. He’d fallen hard for Jamie and he found a new resolve to ask Jamie for her hand.
John said, “I didn’t know that things had gotten that far, son.”
“Well, they have and I’m not gonna let Ma ruin it for me. I’ll see you later, Pa,” Luke said and left.
Towards evening Jamie found Luke cleaning stalls.
“Hi, Hercules,” she said. She was trying to be playful, but it fell flat.
“Hi, Jamie. Pa says you had a run-in with Ma today.”
Jamie groaned. “You already know? I was just going to tell you. I’m so sorry, Luke. When I get angry I can’t seem to stop stupid things from coming out of my mouth. She had me rattled and I just couldn’t help myself.”
Luke nodded. “I understand. I’m going to talk to her about her attitude towards you. I don’t want her making you feel bad.”
“Thank you,” Jamie said.
“However, you shouldn’t stay with me at night again until after the wedding.”
Jamie was stung by his words. “Why not? I don’t understand.”
“I don’t want people talking about us because we’re doing that and we’re not married. I should have done the right thing in the beginning. I wanted you so badly and I still do, but we gotta stop for now,” Luke said as he leaned his rake against a wall. As he turned, Luke saw the stricken expression on her face. He suddenly realized how what he’d said must have sounded to her. He came towards her, but Jamie backed away.
She swallowed her tears and said, “I have to get back to work. I just wanted to apologize about today.”
Luke reached for her, but she shouted, “Don’t touch me!” and walked away quickly.
Luke stood staring after her as she left the barn. He swore and threw the rake against the wall to vent his frustration. It was true that Jamie shouldn’t have said anything about their private time together to his mother, but he understood that she’d been provoked.
Now, he had hurt Jamie in a way that was certain to make her think that he was siding with his mother. That hadn’t been his intention at all. He was doing this not only for his sake, but for Jamie’s. He was going to have to talk to her right away after work. Luke desperately needed to clear the air with her.
Jamie had come back early from supper, Tessa had questioned her about it.
“Did you eat?” she asked.
“I’m not hungry,” Jamie answered. However, her real reason for not going to supper was that she didn’t want to see Luke. It hurt too much to know that he regretted their nights of passion and thought less of her for them. She told Tessa that she had a headache and was going to lie down.
Now she lay on her bed upstairs. Tears dripped down her face and dampened the bedspread. Eventually she fell asleep.
Chapter Fourteen
When she woke it was dark. Jamie looked at her windup clock and saw that it was almost midnight. Since she’d slept so long, she wasn’t tired now. The events of the day rose in her mind and made her feel restless. She needed a drink. A lot to drink, actually. And a good time. Her smile was bitter as she changed her dress and fixed her hair.
When she left the house, she looked over at Luke’s bunkhouse and saw that his light was still on. She ignored it and went to the barn. Let him sit and wait on me all night. I’m not going to sit and weep over him. She went to the stall of a horse named Stella and got her out. She saddled up and walked the mare down the road until she was safely away from the ranch.
Jamie knew her way into town and wasn’t afraid of being out at night on her own. She kicked Stella into a canter and enjoyed the wind in her hair as they moved over the ground. Once in town she found her way to the Watering Hole. She tied Stella outside with the other horses and entered the saloon.
She breathed in the familiar scents of sweat, smoke and booze and smiled. It had been a while since she’d had a night out and she’d missed it. She walked to the bar and saw the men watching her progress. Jamie smiled a little at a few of them.
Jake Henderson, the bartender asked, “What can I get you, miss?”
“Two shots of whiskey,” she said.
“Two? Are you here with someone?” Jake asked.
“I am now, sugar. One for me and one for you,” Jamie said. It was always good to butter up the bartender.
Jake smiled. “I’ll drink to that.”
He poured the drinks and they clinked their shot glasses together. Jamie rapidly downed her whiskey and asked for another, which she drank just as fast.
“That’ll do for now,” Jamie said. “Do you have a piano?”
“Yeah,” Jake said.
“Do you have a piano player?” she asked.
“Yeah. Why?” Jake asked.
“I feel like singing, that’s why,” Jamie said with a bright smile at Jake.
“I’ll get him,” Jake said, and went into the back.
A portly man came out front and went to the piano. He took in Jamie’s hourglass figure in her low-cut gold dress that fit her like a second skin and smiled up into her beautiful face.
“What it’ll be, little lady?” he asked.
“La Paloma,” Jamie said.
“You got it,” the piano player said, and started the intro.
Some of the men saw Jamie standing by the piano and quieted down. Word quickly spread through the crowd that the beautiful redhead was going to sing and the bar became almost silent.
Jamie began singing and it only took two bars for the men to become entranced by her melodic voice. “My dear, la paloma sings in the tree above; He sings with his sweetheart softly their songs of love,” she sang. Her voice rose and fell with the high notes and the emotion she put into the song was genuine. Her audience felt Jamie’s passion and more than one man had a tear in his eye as she finished.
Applause and whistling followed a brief moment of silence. Jamie curtsied and smiled. She felt at home here and enjoyed the attention.
“Sing another one, darlin’!” someone shouted.
“Happily,” she said. To the piano player she said, “Always Look on the Sunny Side, please.”
He began playing and Jamie enthralled her audience once again. A male voice joined her and she looked over to see Joe Dwyer coming towards her. She smiled, but never stopped singing. Joe smiled back and put hi
s arm around her and they finished the song together.
More whistling and clapping ensued. Jake came over and put two shots on the piano.
“Gotta keep your whistle wet, miss,” Jake said with a wink.
Jamie handed one to Joe and clinked glasses with him and tossed the drink back. Joe’s eyebrows rose over that but he followed suit with his shot. They sang three more songs together and then Jamie said that was enough for one evening. The men protested but she stuck to her guns.
“That was so fun, Joe,” she said.
“I’ll say,” he agreed. “What are you doing here on your own? Where’s Hercules?”
Jamie said, “We’re having a difference of opinion and I needed a night out. So, where are the cards? I’m feeling lucky.”
“You play poker?” Joe said.
“Yep. Texas Hold ’em, Five Card Stud, you name it, I play it,” Jamie told him.
Joe grinned. “Well, then right this way, Miss Jamie,” he said.
He led her to a table and seated her and then sat with her. “Hey, Stan! Get your ass over here and bring your cards! We got a lady here that wants to play.”
Stan was a thin little man with a huge mustache and watery blue eyes. He tipped his hat to Jamie and said, “Your singin’ brought tears to my eyes, I don’t mind tellin’ ya.”
“Why thank you, Stan. I’m glad you enjoyed my performance,” Jamie said.
Two other men joined them, and they played Texas Hold ’em. Jamie won three hands and had quite a nice amount of winnings. Joe looked at her admiringly.
“You sing, play poker like a pro, and look good enough to eat. Luke sure is one lucky man,” Joe said. “There’s only one other person that beats me at poker and that’s him. And now you.”
“Tell him that,” Jamie said.
Joe frowned. “What happened?”
“His mother is what happened,” Jamie said. “She thinks I’m a two-bit whore so I might as well act like one.”
Joe laughed. “Yeah, I’ve come up against ole Pricilla. She hates me too, so don’t feel bad. You and I both know we’re good people.”
“Yeah, we are. I mean, who are we hurting? We sing, we play cards, and laugh a lot. So what?” Jamie said. “I need more to drink. Joe would you be a dear and get me a bottle to share with all of you gentlemen?”
Grinning Joe got up. “Sure thing, darlin’”
He was back in no time with a bottle and shot glasses. Soon the whiskey flowed and the card game resumed. Over and over Jamie beat the men, and a couple of them dropped out completely. One of them got angry and accused her of cheating.
Joe’s glare was enough to shut the man up and make him leave. Stan chuckled and said, “That’s right. They know better than to mess with you.” He patted Jamie’s hand. “Don’t mind him. He’s just a sore loser.”
Jamie could hold her liquor, but she’d ingested more than she normally drank and was incredibly drunk. She started sweeping her winnings off the table into her reticule. Some of it dropped on the floor and Joe helped her pick it up and put it in.
She got up and wobbled a little. “Well, gentlemen, it’s been a very pleasant night. I hope to see you again soon.”
Jamie bent and kissed Joe’s cheek and then turned to leave. Joe got up and followed her. What there was of the gentleman in him wouldn’t let her ride home alone. Besides, Luke was his best friend and he felt that he owed it to Luke to see his girl home safely. Jamie was feeling no pain as she left the saloon and made for her horse.
She tried to get her foot in the stirrup but it seemed to keep eluding her. Joe laughed and held it so she could put it in. Then she went to mount but didn’t have the coordination to pull herself up properly. Joe had no compunction about boosting her by her rear end. Once she was in the saddle, he made sure her other foot was in the stirrup.
He mounted up and said, “Hey, darlin’, how about I come with you to the Samuels’ place? I could use a ride and some company. What do you say?”
Jamie gave him a sloppy smile and said, “Sure, sugar. Let’s go.” She started Stella off in the wrong direction. Joe laughed and grabbed Stella’s reins and pulled the horse around to follow him.
“I’ll tell you what, Miss Jamie. I’ll just take this one rein here so we stay together. How would that be?” Joe said.
“You know, Joe, you are such a gentleman. I appreciate your chivalry. Lead on!” she said loudly.
Joe laughed and thought that if it were any other woman he’d take her home and have some more fun with her. But this was Luke’s intended bride, and there was no way he was going to put the moves on her. He recognized a kindred spirit in Jamie and didn’t want to see any harm come to her.
She chatted with him the whole way to the ranch, telling him about her childhood and all kinds of things. He found out that she was a widow and that she enjoyed men. Jamie told him how unhappy she’d been in Walhalla and that’s why she’d answered the ad in the paper. Then she started crying as she remembered how Pricilla had hurt her. The whole story came out, including what Luke had said about no more nights together until after they were married.
“He thinks I’m a whore,” Jamie said.
Joe handed her a hanky and she blew her nose. The sound rivaled the honk of a goose and Joe laughed.
“I don’t think he thinks you’re a whore, Jamie. See he was just raised pretty strict and he has high morals. He’s been raised to not have, um, relations with a woman until they’re married,” Joe said.
“He and Charlene didn’t wait. He told me that,” Jamie said. “What makes me different?”
Joe didn’t know that. “They didn’t?”
“Nope. It doesn’t matter,” she said as they turned down the lane to the ranch.
Jamie got talking about the card game then, and her voice was loud. Joe kept trying to shush her but wasn’t having much luck. He didn’t want her to wake up anyone. There was no way he could get her in Dean’s house. Dean would get the wrong idea and kill him, Joe knew.
The logical solution was Luke’s place. After he got Jamie off her horse, Joe clamped a hand over her mouth and picked her up. She never struggled as he carried her to Luke’s. She just kept talking a blue streak behind his hand. Joe chuckled as he set her on Luke’s porch and knocked on Luke’s door.
Luke was asleep when the knock at his door came. He sat up and hoped that it was Jamie. He opened the door and it was Jamie, but he didn’t expect to see Joe with her. Then he got a whiff of the both of them and the stench of booze and smoke almost knocked him over.
“What the hell is going on, Joe?”
“Can we come in? I’ll tell you then,” Joe said.
“I don’t want to see him,” Jamie protested. She poked Luke’s chest with her index finger. “You were mean. A big mean meanie.”
Joe laughed, and then shut his mouth when Luke glared at him. “Sorry, but that was funny.” He sat Jamie in a chair and then stood back.
“Joe, you better explain this to me,” Luke said.
Joe straightened his shirt and hat and said, “Your girl here was upset and came down to the Watering Hole for some fun. We sang together. She’s got one sweet voice, I’ll tell you. Then we played cards and she beat all of us. She’s as good as you if not better. As you can tell, she got soused and I made sure she got home all right. That’s the story.”
Jamie said, “That’s the story, Hercweees.”
A smile played around Luke’s mouth even though he wasn’t happy with what had happened. She sounded so cute that he was amused in spite of his displeasure.
Joe grinned. “Well, good luck, Luke. You gotta get her sobered up or your boss will have your hide for getting’ her drunk.”
Luke said, “Where are you going?”
“Home. I got her here, you do the rest,” Joe said.
“No, you got her drunk and then brought her here for me to take care of,” Luke said.
Joe said, “No, she got herself drunk. She was the one buyin’ the booze, Luke. She’s a
grown woman and she can do as she pleases. Don’t go blamin’ me. It ain’t nothing you haven’t done, so don’t get on your high horse. That’s what made her come to town. ‘Night, Luke.”
Luke watched incredulously as Joe walked out the door. He looked at Jamie who was now asleep in the chair. Sighing, Luke went over and picked her up. Even smelling like a brewery, Luke wanted her. He laid her on the bed and took off her shoes and pulled a sheet over her. It was a warm night so there was no need for a blanket.
Then Luke sat in one of the chairs and stretched his long legs out. He put his head back and thought about what Joe had said about him being on his high horse and that it was his fault that Jamie had gotten drunk. He believed that everyone was responsible for their own actions, so he didn’t feel that it was his fault, necessarily. However, he did think that it was Jamie’s way of coping with rejection. It seemed that she was just doing what people expected of her. She’d had a good time and he would have liked to watch her performing. The fact that Joe had been the one to have such a good time with her made him jealous.
Luke wanted to be the one she had fun with, sang with, and played cards with. And he wanted to be the one she came home with after a night out. He couldn’t sit still and got up to pace a little. He looked down at Jamie and moved a strand of silky hair away from her face. He looked at his clock and saw that it was only a couple hours until the time to get up for work.
There was no way that Jamie was going to be ready to work after the night she’d had. Her hangover was bound to be monumental and being around crying babies would be out of the question. He went over excuses in his mind but none of them were plausible. Luke opted for just telling Dean the truth and trying to run interference for Jamie.
He sat back down and waited for dawn.
Chapter Fifteen
Jamie stretched and opened her eyes as the sun started to stream in the windows of Luke’s bunkhouse. She opened them all the way when she recognized where she was. Sitting up quickly, Jamie looked down and saw that she was still in her dress from last night. She was trying to figure out how she’d gotten in Luke’s place when the man himself came in. He carried coffee with him. He kicked the door closed and looked at her.