Gilbert soberly shook his head. “No, try again.”
“It would be my pleasure, darling.”
Chapter 20
Joseph’s Advice
It was harvest time and the sweet autumn scent was in the air. The maple trees were turning color, creating a most beautiful atmosphere. It was the last week of September and Edith decided to take a stroll. It was dusk but still bright enough to see her way about. The evenings were cooling down and she had a wrap around her shoulders.
As Edith walked, her mind strayed to Joseph and how he had helped her with Sam. He had insisted on helping and had not weakened once. She smiled when she remembered how he had studiously made each strip of cloth just right, measuring it so it would be what she wanted. She had told him to make them six inches wide, and he had done exactly what he had been told. She grinned at the memory.
There was something about Joseph that softened her—the way he spoke, his mannerisms, the way he looked at her. She was not quite sure what it was. Edith shook the sentimental feeling away. He was not what she had imagined for a husband.
Edith had a list, and she was going to stick to it. This list helped her to know what kind of man she wanted to marry, and Joseph did not qualify. Between Henry and Joseph—Henry was closer by far because they had a lot more in common. So, why was she thinking about Joseph, instead of Henry?
As she walked slowly down the lane, she heard a horse trotting behind her. She stood off to the side to allow it to pass. But instead of passing, the horse came to a stop right beside her. Edith looked up and saw Joseph grinning down upon her.
“Well, I’ll be…What are you doing out this late in the evening, Miss Edith?”
“It’s not so late,” she defended. “Besides, what are you doing out this late, Joseph?”
“Oh, feeling restless. We’re getting ready for the cattle drive tomorrow.”
“Why are you restless? You’ve gone on many cattle drives before.”
Joseph slid off his horse and held the reins in his hand. “Can we talk?”
Edith nodded. As they walked, the horse trailed behind them.
“Well, you see, something doesn’t feel right, Edith. I’m not sure what it is. It’s a gut feeling.” As they strolled down the lane, he turned toward her and asked, “You know what I mean?”
Edith nodded, listening intently to what he had to say.
“Well, Gilbert’s getting extra men, more than usual. I think he feels it, too. This restlessness didn’t come until I started packing this afternoon, and it just won’t leave.” He shook his head. “I don’t know what it is, but I wish I did.”
“Is it an uneasy feeling?”
“Yup, and something more. Like a warning, sort of. I just wish I knew what it was.”
She nodded. “I’ve had those feelings before, usually just before an emergency, like the birth of a baby. Sometimes I’ll have a hunch I should stick around home. And sure enough, someone comes knocking at the door.”
When Joseph noticed they were unconsciously walking in rhythm, one step at a time, it made him grin. As he lifted his right leg, so did she, and the same with his left leg, one foot at a time. He wanted to mention it, but decided it might throw her off rhythm.
When their arms brushed together, warmth crept through him, and he wished he could tell her his true feelings. He wanted to let her know that she had found a special place in his heart. He wanted to reveal that every time he thought of her, his heart would accelerate, that every moment of the day, he seemed to be thinking about her. But it was not time. Not yet. She needed to warm up to him first.
“So, Joseph! Tell me your feelings.”
He stopped in mid-stride, losing their rhythm. His feelings? Joseph’s mouth fell open, and he stared into her eyes. Licking the dryness from his lips, he whispered, “What feelings?”
“About the cattle drive.”
Joseph started to breathe again. “Oh. That.”
“What did you think I meant?”
He wasn’t about to tell Edith how he felt about her. When he saw her dark eyes looking curiously into his, he wiped his brow and cleared his throat. “Well, I talked to Gilbert about it. He’s going to warn all the men to be aware of every little noise, and if something isn’t right, to tell him.” He waved toward her home and said, “Shall we?”
Edith nodded as they strolled toward the porch. Joseph hitched his horse to the post and followed her to the door. When she came to a stop, Joseph’s hand brushed against hers and he unconsciously took it in his. He held it up and examined it curiously, rubbing her hand with his thumb and feeling the softness of it.
“You have small hands, Edith.”
She shook her head and laughed. “No. Yours are large. Mine are really quite normal, like Mom’s.”
Joseph looked down at her palm and squeezed it tenderly. Then he traced his finger along a small line, noticing the softness of her hand in his. He looked up into her face and saw her blushing furiously and he smiled. Then she bit her lip and instantly pulled her hand away.
Edith shrugged. “It tickled,” she said timidly as she wiped it on her skirt to take away the tingling sensation.
Joseph grinned as he watched her. “Hmmm. You’re a very curious woman, Edith.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because of what Gilbert and your mother have told me.”
Edith laughed. “And what have they told you?”
Joseph sobered and said, “Edith, you’ve had a life of unselfish service. And because of this, you’ve neglected yourself so you can take care of others. I admire this very much, but your social life seems to come last. Just from the little bit I know about you, I feel that you’re searching for something. Perhaps true happiness.”
She listened but didn’t say a word.
He smiled as he asked, “Edith, why don’t you give men a chance to get to know you? And why don’t you try harder to find out more about them?”
Edith looked up curiously, staring into Joseph’s eyes, and became uncomfortable. She bit her lip nervously and said, “I’ve got to go, Joseph. Please excuse me.”
Edith quickly turned, opened the door, and slipped inside, leaving Joseph by himself.
He raised a brow, pursed his lips in thought and sighed. He had said what was on his mind. Now it was up to her. He sauntered toward his horse, unhitched it, and climbed on.
Edith leaned against the door, breathing uneasily. The words he had said were true and she knew it. But why did he care so much? Then she remembered the warmth of his hand in hers and how she enjoyed it. When he traced his finger along the palm of her hand, why did it send a tingling sensation right down to her toes? Was she beginning to have feelings for Joseph? She shook her head and frowned. No, that couldn’t be. He was a farmer, a cowhand. She wanted more in a husband.
Besides, she already had someone that she was growing fond of. And she couldn’t wait for another letter to arrive.
Chapter 21
The Cattle Drive
Twenty five hundred steers had been rounded up and were headed for market. As Gilbert rode along, he searched the surrounding hills and trees for anything suspicious. He had never had any problems in the past, but he didn’t want to be unprepared. He stood up in his stirrups and stretched the muscles in his legs.
Gilbert noticed Joseph and David talking and joking around. He turned to Jenny and said, “Since those two don’t have much to do in the evenings, Joe’s been spending time with David and teaching him to play the harmonica. Joe told me that he’s a good kid.” Gilbert slowly shook his head. “I’m glad that Joe cares about others so much, but he doesn’t seem to have a social life. I wanted to introduce Edith to Joe but after hearing how badly it went with Martha’s introduction to Henry, I thought it wasn’t such a good idea after all.”
“Joseph’s a good man, Pa. I think he would be a good match for Aunt Edith. Why don’t you introduce them, anyway? A man’s introduction isn’t so obvious, I’d think.”
&n
bsp; Gilbert chuckled. “You think so?”
Jenny nodded.
“But it’s too late.”
“Too late? Too late for what, Pa?”
“I think she’s falling for this mysterious stranger of hers.”
“Mysterious stranger?”
“Yup. One day this stranger just up and wrote to her. But someone set it up.”
“Who?”
“Don’t know. Could be Aunt Martha.” Then he chuckled. “Or it could be your mother because she heard the introduction with Henry didn’t turn out so well.”
“Think so?”
Gilbert shook his head. “Don’t know, but I wouldn’t underestimate your mother. I wouldn’t put it past her. She’d do anything to win a bet.”
Jenny laughed. “Yeah, I heard about your little bet. What if he just did it on his own?”
Gilbert lifted his brow. “Why, I never thought of that. Could be.”
“But how can a person fall in love when you’re just writing letters? Isn’t courting much better?”
“I thought so, but I’ve heard Melinda and Edith talk about him, and I can tell that she’s quite smitten with him.”
“Smitten?” Jenny laughed with amusement. “Are you sure?”
“Yup. I think smitten is the right word for it.”
“Do you have any idea who he is?”
“Nope. But he’s a sweet talker, I can tell you that much.”
Everyone was relieved when it was time to set up camp. They had been in the saddle all day and were looking forward to a relaxing evening by the fire.
Crickets sang and a coyote howled in the distance. But the sound that brought everyone to attention was the soft, plaintive notes of Joseph’s guitar.
Jenny could not sleep. She tossed and turned. The night seemed to be filled with a sense of deep foreboding and she felt it. Not able to relax, she pulled herself out of her bedroll, grabbed her coat and hat, and picked up her rifle. She strolled toward the herd by the light of the full moon. As she scanned the cattle, she didn’t see anyone at their posts. She turned toward the horse corral. Where were the horses?
The same ominous feeling overtook her, and she knew that something was wrong. Before she had a chance to turn around and get help, she felt the barrel of a pistol push up against the small of her back.
“Don’t move! Drop your rifle or you’ll be a dead man,” came a forced harsh whisper from behind her.
As she stooped down to place her rifle on the ground, she could see the boots of the outlaw. With all the strength she could muster, she swung her rifle around and smacked his shins. The outlaw yelped in pain as she took off at a dead run.
It didn’t take long until she heard the pounding of feet behind her. The outlaw had caught up to her. He leapt toward her, grabbed her around the chest, and threw her to the ground. Her breath was forced from her as she hit the ground with a thud.
When Jenny moaned, she heard David’s voice, “Jenny? Is that you?”
He quickly crawled off her and knelt beside her. She pushed herself up and pointed toward the cattle as she whispered, “David! The rustlers are stealing our cattle.”
“I know,” he said softly, without emotion.
“We’ve got to do something about it.”
When David did not react to her concerns, her eyes widened. The oppressing feeling that came over her was frightening, as she said, “David! What have you done?”
Her voice tightened with emotion as she stared into his eyes. He had betrayed her and her father. The ache in her throat was unbearable as tears stung her eyes.
“How could you? Pa treated you like one of the family.”
When he saw tears falling to her checks, his heart filled with anguish and remorse began to set in. What had he done?
When he saw how he had broken her heart, he quickly said, “Jenny, it wasn’t supposed to work out this way.”
“What way?” Her voice was hard and cold.
“I was assigned to do a job. This was my first assignment, and I wanted to make good. I wasn’t supposed to be treated with such kindness by your pa. I wasn’t supposed to like him so much. Now, I don’t know what to do.”
“You seem to be standing at the edge of a cliff, wondering which direction to go. You have to make a choice, David.”
He stared into her accusing eyes and said softly, “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Jenny looked anxiously toward the rustlers as they drove her father’s cattle toward the horizon. With hope in her voice, she said, “It doesn’t have to end this way, you know. Don’t do this, David!”
As she stared at David, she could see he was wavering and was not sure of himself. “You’ve got a chance to turn your life around. You don’t want to be running for the rest of your life, do you?”
Before he could answer, he heard a pistol cock. David turned and found Gunplay riding toward them with his gun pointing at Jenny. The outlaw tossed him a coil of rope and growled, “Tie her up. We’re almost done.”
David had seen Gilbert’s men crouched down beside the cattle, stealthily making their way toward the outlaws. Gunplay had not seen them, yet. So David would have to distract him or all pandemonium would break loose and someone would get hurt.
Taking Jenny by the shoulders and pulling her to her feet, he demanded, “Turn around so I can tie your hands.”
Jenny’s eyes widened with disbelief. She thought he was softening and was about to change his mind.
David knew he had to act quickly, so he clenched the coil of rope tightly and swung it around, hitting Gunplay right in the face. The outlaw howled with excruciating pain. In reflex, he squeezed the trigger of his pistol. The blast pierced the atmosphere. Before David knew what was happening, his knees buckled under him. He fell to the ground, writhing in agonizing pain. He grabbed his thigh and held it.
When Gilbert’s men heard the shot, they jumped into view and stood their ground with rifles cocked and ready. When the outlaws turned and saw the rancher and his men all lined up, with guns in hand and pointing in their direction, they knew they were a prime target upon their horses and were outnumbered. They had no other choice but to run. So they kicked their horses and took off.
The cattle had been spooked, and a few had already taken off, so Gilbert shouted for his men to quiet the steers. One thing Gilbert did not need was a stampede.
Meanwhile, Jenny was sitting beside David. To her, he had been a hero. She had also seen her father and was worried he might be seen. But David had acted quickly.
As he lay twisting in pain, Jenny said, “Thank you, David.”
“Oh, it was nothin’,” he groaned. “I was trying to draw Gunplay’s attention away from your pa and…” He took a deep breath as pain shot through his leg.
“Don’t talk,” she said with empathy. “It’s okay.”
“Do you think your pa will turn me in?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure, David.”
Gilbert came up from behind, looking concerned. “Are you two all right?”
“He’s been shot, Pa.”
Gilbert knelt beside David and looked at his wound. “I’ll take him to the doctor in Montpelier while the men are rounding up the strays.”
Jenny turned toward her father and asked curiously, “Pa, how did you know the rustlers were here? Weren’t you able to sleep, either?”
“Oh, I was asleep, all right. That is, until I heard someone yelping in pain. It startled me. I quickly scanned the cattle, but couldn’t see anyone tending them. I got the rest of the men up so we could check things out. That was when I saw the rustlers.”
“A yelp?” asked David.
Gilbert nodded.
“That would have been me, sir. Your daughter has a powerful arm and she got me right in the shins.”
Gilbert was shocked by that announcement.
“Pa, we’ll explain everything as we head for the doctor. David’s got something very important to tell you.”
He nodded as they helped
David to his feet and led him toward camp.
Chapter 22
Edith’s Invitation
Edith was in a pensive mood as she looked down at her hands. “Melinda, lately I’ve been feeling quite discouraged with my life, as if I wasn’t progressing as I should be.”
They were seated side by side on Melinda’s sofa. Melinda looked at her with surprise and answered, “But, Edith, you have so many talents. How could you ever feel that way? You have accomplished so much. You got your nursing degree and you have a beautiful voice. What more are you asking for?”
“Melinda, don’t you ever get discouraged?”
“Sure.”
“Well, look at yourself. You went to college and got a degree in teaching, you married a wonderful man who adores you, and you have two adorable children with one on the way. You have what every woman desires in life—a family. Why do you get discouraged?”
Melinda patted her cousin’s hand affectionately. “Oh, I see what you mean.”
“So, I told my friend about my discouragement.”
“Do you mean the mysterious stranger?” Melinda said with a giggle.
Edith nodded. “Well, after I told him my dilemma, he wrote back this week and answered my letter. After reading it, I felt so much better. I’d like to read it to you.”
She looked around the room, searching for anyone who might be in hearing distance. “Where is everyone?”
“Well, the doctor said he wanted to check David’s thigh after a few days, so Gilbert took him to Montpelier. And Jenny took John for a walk.”
Edith slowly shook her head. “Melinda, I was so shocked when Jenny told me what had happened. I couldn’t believe it. And you’re still keeping the boy on?”
Melinda nodded. “Yes. Gilbert says that David had a change of heart. He helped by distracting one of the outlaws so they could sneak up on the gang. David got shot while trying to help.” She shook her head in dismay. “We’re lucky it didn’t end up in a gun battle.”
Edith nodded with empathy, not knowing what to say.
Edith and the Mysterious Stranger Page 11