An old building at the end of town was their destination. Jake simply wanted to get the Wattses in jail and find a place to sleep. He knew he’d stay at the Julesburg home station with the other pony express riders. He might be making his bed on the floor, but at least it was a fairly safe place to spend the night.
The town of Julesburg really had no law but it did have one man, Jack Slade. Jake knew he stayed in the old building at the edge of town. He led the way and tied up their horses in front of the building. Making sure to stomp his boots on the wooden porch, Jake climbed the short steps and banged on the door.
“You better have a good reason for waking me up,” a deep voice called.
“Mr. Slade, it’s Jake Bridges.”
The door opened and Slade stood with his shirt and boots off. His hair was disheveled and he smelled of whisky. “What do you want, Jake?”
“I have a couple of horse thieves here. Thought you might know what to do with them,” he answered.
Jack pushed past him and jerked first Savannah’s head up by the hair and then did the same to Michael. He spit in the dirt. “They tried to steal express mounts?” He directed his question to Jake.
“Sure did.”
Slade grunted. “Take them out back and shoot them.”
Jake grinned. “No, sir.”
“You disobeying an order, boy?” Slade swaggered toward him.
Jake didn’t want a fight but he also had no intention of killing the Watts siblings. “Yep.”
Slade’s booming laughter filled the night air. “I figured you would.” He walked toward Jake and passed him.
Jake motioned for Will to stay put. He noticed the boy had lost the grin that had stretched his lips the whole trip. Taking a deep breath, Jake followed the superintendent, Slade, into the building.
“Well, since you won’t shoot them, bring them in,” Jack ordered from the army cot he’d fallen onto. He waved his arm toward the far corner of the room and said, “Put them over there.”
Jake turned and saw that Will was already down and untying Savannah. He moved to Michael and did the same. Together they carried their captives inside, first Savannah and then Michael.
Tears streamed down Savannah’s face. Somewhere along the trail she’d lost her mean attitude. Had she just realized that stealing horses was a hanging offence? Michael scooted closer to his sister as if to offer comfort.
Deep snores filled the room along with the scent of stale whiskey. Slade had passed out on the cot.
“Now what?” Will asked.
Jake looked to Slade. “We leave them.”
“Do you think he’ll remember why they’re here in the morning?”
Once more he thought about the price for stealing horses. Slade wasn’t known for his mercy toward horse thieves. For a moment, Jake felt pity for the Watts siblings. But he couldn’t have them loose stealing from innocent people or the pony express. He sighed. “I’ll leave him a note.”
Will nodded.
Jake went to the small desk that sat against the wall. He found a wanted poster and turned it over. Next he moved to the stove and pulled out a piece of cold coal. Flipping the paper over Jake wrote, Horse thieves from the South Platte station. He noticed a nail in the wall above Michael’s head. Walking over, he stuck the paper on it so that Slade would be sure to see it in the morning.
“Can we go now?” Will asked impatiently.
Tiredness pulled at Jake’s shoulder. “Yep, let’s put the horses in the corral by the pony express station and then hit the hay.”
Will looked disappointed. Jake slapped him on the back as they headed out the door. “Get up early enough in the morning and you can see that gal of yours before we head home.”
“I’d like to see her tonight,” Will grumbled under his breath.
Jake nodded. “You are a grown man, Will. I can’t tell you what to do but I can remind you that you’ve volunteered for Ike’s run tomorrow. Besides, I don’t think her Papa would appreciate you knocking on their door at this time of night.”
As expected, Will’s shoulders came up. His duty and common sense overruled his desire to see the girl. “You’re right. I’ll need a good night’s sleep to make that run. Ike said the Indians are getting braver. I’ll need to be alert to ride through the canyon.”
Being a pony express rider wasn’t for the faint of heart. Jake and Will entered the station. They went straight to the riders’ room and bedded down. One other young man was there, and his soft snores told them he was already sound asleep.
Jake lay in his blanket for several long minutes. Was Leah sleeping? Trembling in her room with fear? Or so angry at being left out of their plan that she couldn’t sleep?
*
Leah hadn’t been able to sleep. She was angry. Not just at Jake, but at everyone, with the exception of Molly. They had all known what they planned to do about the Watts family but they hadn’t told her. Didn’t they realize that not knowing would be more dangerous than knowing? Surely they knew she’d come out of her room at the first sign of trouble. Maybe they didn’t care about her as much as she cared about them. What had she been thinking? That maybe they were becoming her family? That they cared about her? She’d allowed those thoughts and questions to plague her all night until they had festered into an ugly sore on her heart.
When she got downstairs, Molly and Agnes were already in the kitchen and Agnes was making breakfast for the men. “After last night, I thought you might sleep in this morning,” Agnes said by way of greeting.
Leah didn’t have an answer. Her head hurt from the thinking and the hair pulling of the night before. “Do you have any headache powder?” she asked, walking into the room.
Molly stopped playing with her doll and searched Leah’s face. “Are you sick?” she asked, laying her baby down and coming across the room to give Leah a hug. Worry etched the child’s face.
She hugged the little girl back. Would Molly always be frightened when someone had a headache or a sniffle? “No, I’m not sick. I just have a headache this morning,” Leah assured the child.
“Look in the cupboard where I keep the spices,” Agnes answered.
Picking up a mug, Leah poured herself a cup of coffee and found the medicine. After taking it, she looked about the kitchen.
Automatically she set about doing her part to get breakfast on the table. She placed the plates and poured coffee for the men. As soon as she’d done all she could to help Agnes, Leah excused herself and stepped out onto the front porch with the intention of sitting quietly and letting the headache powder work.
“Good morning, Miss Hollister.”
She turned to see Reverend Rice sitting in one of the two chairs. “Good morning.”
“Would you care to join me?”
Leah walked to the empty chair and sat down. “Thank you. I’d be happy to.” She realized that her voice was coming out in a whisper instead of a normal tone.
“Are you feeling all right, child?” he asked, pushing off and setting the rocker into motion.
Was she feeling all right? That was a tricky question. No, she wasn’t all right. She felt hurt, betrayed and unloved. Who could be all right feeling like that? “I have a headache,” she answered, resting her head on the wood of the chair back.
“I’m sorry to hear that. It’s my understanding that you had a rough night.” The creaking of his chair did nothing to help her head.
Had he heard her pacing in her room last night? Or had someone else told him about her abduction? Probably the latter, at least she hoped it was not the pacing. “I’m sorry if I disturbed you last night.” The reflection of sun on the bright snow caused shooting pains between her temples. Leah closed her eyes to shut out the brilliance.
“Not at all. I couldn’t sleep either after that dreadful business with the Wattses.”
Leah continued to keep her eyes shut. The darkness seemed to be helping her aching head. Why couldn’t he sleep? Had being a part of the scheme to catch the Watts family ke
pt him up? Only one way to find out. “If you don’t mind my asking, what kept you awake?”
He stopped rocking. “You might find this silly but I was up asking myself if I am so old that others thought I wouldn’t be helpful.”
She cracked an eye and looked at him. He was staring across the yard as if seeking answers. “Why would you think such a thing?”
“Why else would I be the last one to know about the trap that had been set for the Wattses last night? I’m a foolish old man who thought he’d be able to help, but learned later the young ones had the situation under control.” He sighed and then began rocking again, a frown marring his features.
So, he hadn’t known either. Leah got no comfort from the knowledge. She sighed and stood up. “You weren’t the only one who was left out of the plan.” She left before he could comment on her statement. Just before she reentered the house Leah heard him make a tsking noise.
She saw that Agnes had placed the food on the table and Molly was already in her place.
“Oh, good. I’m glad you are here. Would you mind asking the reverend to ring the dinner bell? I’d do it but I need to get the biscuits out of the oven,” Agnes said, setting a large plate of bacon on the table.
Leah knew that she couldn’t sit and have breakfast with the very people who hadn’t confided in her. She didn’t think she’d be able to contain her anger. “All right.” Leah opened the front door and called, “Reverend, Agnes has asked that you ring the dinner bell.”
The rocking stopped. “Be happy to,” he said, picking up the stick that they used on the inside of a metal triangle.
“Thank you.” Leah closed the door and hurried to the kitchen so she wouldn’t be forced to hear the high pitch of the dinner bell as the reverend rang it for all he was worth.
Agnes shut the oven door and smiled at her over her shoulder. “Thank you.”
Leah asked herself if she was overreacting to last night. She needed time to think, time to heal from last night’s events. “Agnes, do you mind keeping an eye on Molly for a few hours?”
“Not at all. Why don’t you get some rest? Mr. Frontz said that Watts woman was pretty rough on you last night.” She took the biscuits from the pan and proceeded to put them on a platter.
Leah didn’t want to talk about last night. “Thank you. Don’t worry if I’m gone most of the day. I didn’t sleep last night, so I thought I’d go back to bed and then go over to the general store. I want to get something for Molly for Christmas.”
Agnes waved her away. “Take the whole day, child. After what you’ve been through, a day of rest will do you good.”
A lump formed in Leah’s throat. She swallowed and then said, “Thank you.”
Tears threatened to spill down her face. She hurried from the kitchen and was at the bottom of the stairs when Mr. Frontz, Ike and the reverend entered the house. Leah ducked her head and continued upstairs, she didn’t trust her voice to say anything to them. She didn’t want them to see her cry, either.
Once in her room, Leah stumbled to the bed. She unbuttoned her shoes and then crawled up on the soft mattress. For the first time since she’d been grabbed by Savannah, Leah allowed herself to weep. As she cried, Leah asked God to help her get over the hurt of being left out.
The sun was high up in the sky when she woke. Sitting up, Leah was glad that her headache was gone. Her scalp still felt tender as she brushed her hair and placed it in a loose bun. She replaced her wrinkled dress with a soft green one. She hadn’t been aware of the aches and pains in her body until now.
Once dressed, Leah slipped out the front door. She heard Molly playing at the side of the house and knew that soon Agnes would come get her for her afternoon nap. Leah hurried away from the home station and walked as fast as she could to the general store.
The little bell over the door rang, alerting the clerk that she’d entered. Leah inhaled the various fragrances that made up the general store.
“Hello, Miss Hollister. What can I help you with today?”
Leah looked up, surprised to see a younger version of the previous store clerk standing behind the counter. How did he know who she was? They’d never met.
He came around the counter and walked the short distance to her with his hand extended. “I’m Lester Perkins. My father and I own the store.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Perkins.” She allowed him to shake her hand. When it became obvious he wasn’t going to let it go, she gently pulled it from his grasp. “Where is your father?”
“Pa had to go to Julesburg so I’m running the store today.” Pride filled his voice and he balanced on the heels of his shoes.
“Oh, I see.” She walked over to the yellow yarn and picked up what she’d come in to buy. The idea had come to her that Molly might like a knitted scarf for Christmas.
“Miss Hollister, may I ask you a personal question?” He walked over to her and took the yarn.
Lester Perkins didn’t look much older than the pony express riders. She decided it would be safe to let him ask his question. Leah nodded.
“It may sound strange, but, well, I’ve been watching you and I know you don’t know me but, well…” He paused and scuffed the toe of his shoe against the wooden floor.
The sound of the bell clanking over the door alerted them that someone had entered the store. Leah’s back was to the new customer and Lester didn’t seem to notice or care that someone else had joined them.
“I was wondering if you love Mr. Bridges,” he finally blurted out.
Leah felt like a fish out of water. When he’d said a personal question, she hadn’t expected that. “I really don’t think…”
“I know, but I love you and if you don’t love him, you could marry me.” Lester laid the yarn down and grabbed her free hand.
“Really, Mr. Perkins. We just met and I am engaged to Mr. Bridges.” She saw the stricken look on his young face. His neck and cheeks turned red and he looked down at the wooden floor. Leah tried to soften her words. “Look, Mr. Perkins, even if you and I were madly in love, I’d tell you no. I made a commitment to Jake and I wouldn’t break his trust for anyone, not even you.”
The bell over the door clanged again. Leah removed her hand from his. “Would you put my yarn on Mr. Bridges’s account, please?”
At his nod, Leah picked up her yarn and turned around, expecting to see two other customers in the store. She was shocked to see there was no one else there. Leah realized that the clanging bell had indicated that the other customer had left instead of a second customer arriving as she’d thought earlier.
Leah hurried from the store. Lester Perkins was a strange young man. She was beginning to wonder if anyone in these parts was normal. Her head began to hurt again so Leah silently prayed. Lord, please give me the wisdom to be able to read people. I feel so lost.
Chapter Sixteen
Jake’s mind swirled like a Texas tornado. He continued to replay the morning in his mind.
After praying all morning, he had come to the conclusion that Leah needed to know that he’d only been trying to protect her by not including her in the Watts capture. He wasn’t sure how he knew, but he knew that she was upset and that being excluded from their plan was the reason.
When she hadn’t shown up for lunch, he’d gone to Leah’s room to check on her. The door had been open, the bed made, but Leah was nowhere in sight.
After lunch, he and Mr. Frontz were going to a town council meeting at the livery. The men were to discuss the attacks on the stagecoaches and what to do about them. It seemed the Indians were growing more and more hostile about the settlers invading their land. Even so, Jake really didn’t want to go to the meeting without first making things right with Leah.
He walked down the stairs. Where could she be? Agnes came out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a dish towel. “Do you know where Leah is, Agnes?”
“If she’s not in her room, she’s probably over at the general store. Said something about getting a gift for Molly’s Chr
istmas. I declare you two are going to spoil that child rotten.”
Jake looked behind Agnes, expecting to see his niece but she wasn’t there. “Where is Molly?”
“At the side of the house playing. I’m going to go get her in a little bit and put her down for her nap.” Agnes wiped off the table.
He nodded. “I guess I should head on over to the meeting.” Jake was disappointed that he’d missed Leah. He walked out on the porch and then headed to town.
As he was walking past the general store, Jake saw Leah talking to the Perkins kid. Maybe, he thought, he might have a few moments to talk to her after all.
Entering the store, the bell rang over his head but neither Leah nor the Perkins kid had responded. Her back had been to him and the kid was looking at the ground.
Jake had listened as the boy had proposed to Leah, asking her if she loved him. He’d held his breath, waiting to hear her answer. When she’d said, ‘“Really, Mr. Perkins. We just met and I am engaged to Mr. Bridges,’” she’d paused, searching the young man’s face. Her tone changed to one of kindness. ‘“Look, Mr. Perkins, even if you and I were madly in love, I’d tell you no. I made a commitment to Jake and I wouldn’t break his trust for anyone, not even you.”’
Jake had left as quickly as he’d arrived. Once on the boardwalk, he’d turned to see if either of them had noticed his departure. They hadn’t. He darted down the alley between the general store and the restaurant.
His heart pounded in his chest. Jake felt as if his world had just been turned upside down. Leah hadn’t said she loved him but she had, without even knowing it, assured him she’d never break his trust. Could he believe her? It wasn’t as though she had been forced to say the words.
His thoughts had no choice but to turn to Sally and John. All the signs had been there that the two of them were in love. After all these years, Jake looked back and saw them.
Memories of the day of their betrayal flooded his mind. They’d tried to explain they were in love and had been for some time. They hadn’t meant to hurt him. He hadn’t listened. For years he’d allowed bitterness to eat at him. How many missed opportunities at happiness had he allowed to pass him by?
Love Inspired Historical November 2014 Page 67