Westward Holiday

by Linda Bridey

They arrived at the hotel and Sammi said, “Here ya go, Becky. Get some sleep. See ya tomorrow night.”

  Rebecca smiled and said, “Thank you both for seeing me here. Sleep well.”

  “You’re welcome,” Owl said. “We’ll make sure you’re safely inside.”

  Rebecca went up the steps and through the front door. Up in her room, she prepared for bed and thought about all that had happened in the space of one day. The saloon wasn’t what she’d expected. She’d pictured a more genteel operation in an opulent setting. Instead she’d found a rougher crowd in a barroom that was better than most, but certainly not refined.

  Jake was not quite what she’d expected, either. Joe was more along the lines she’d been picturing. Of course, the mayor seemed to have two sides of him, too. On one hand, he was a smoothing talking, gentlemanly politician and on the other a hard-drinking, rowdy saloon patron. Jake was certainly handsome and skilled at what he did. He’d surprised her by having fine wine hidden in his office.

  As she slipped under the covers, Rebecca had the feeling that she was in for a lot more surprises from the people of Dawson.

  Chapter Seven

  Hannah finished Sammi’s examination and left the room while Sammi dressed again. It had taken Sammi a long time to take Hannah up on her offer of checking her out to see why she couldn’t get pregnant. Hannah knocked on the other examination room door and Marcus told her to enter.

  “When you’re finished with Mrs. Silverman, I’d like to speak with you,” Hannah said in a professional manner.

  “Sure thing,” Marcus said.

  Hannah closed the door and waited for Marcus in his office. It wasn’t too long before he came in.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  “I’ve just examined Sammi and I wanted to fill you in on her condition,” Hannah said.

  “Ok. Shoot.”

  Sammi was sitting on the chair in the room when Marcus and Hannah came in. She grew nervous as Hannah shut the door.

  “Hey, Sammi. Hannah told me about your history of trauma to your ovaries and so forth. It appears that everything is normal, but my concern is your lack of a monthly. It tells me that you’re not ovulating, which falls in line with what the doctor who treated you previously told you,” Marcus said.

  “So I’ll never be able to have a baby,” Sammi said.

  Marcus rushed to reassure her. “Oh, no. I didn’t mean that. We’ve just got to get you ovulating. There’s a Lakota potion I’d like to give you. It worked for Seth and Maddie. They tried for three years to have a baby. Then I gave it to Maddie and it worked. I can’t guarantee anything, but I think it’ll help your chances of getting pregnant. Are you game?”

  Sammi wiped at a tear that had escaped her eye. “I’ll try anything. I really want to have a baby with Mitch.”

  Marcus smiled. “I understand. Hannah is going to give you the medicine and write down the instructions for you. They must be followed exactly as they’re given. I need you to let Hannah know if and when you start getting a monthly again, ok?”

  “Ok. This is embarrassing,” Sammi said.

  Marcus said, “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Now, we’re going to think positive. When you get pregnant, you know you’re going to have to quit working for Jake and most likely Mitch, too. You can’t be doing anything rough like that while you’re pregnant.”

  “I know. That’s fine,” Sammi said. “I’ll figure out something else to do.”

  “Ok. Good. Hannah will fix you up,” Marcus said with a pat on Sammi’s shoulder and left the room.

  When Sammi read the instructions that went along with the medicine Hannah gave her, she grinned. “I think Mitch and I can handle that kind of ‘homework’. I like how Marcus puts that.”

  Hannah laughed. “I know. I don’t know where he comes up with some of the things he does.”

  “Me, neither. Thanks, Hannah. I really appreciate all your help,” Sammi said.

  “That’s what friends are for,” Hannah said.

  Sammi nodded and left to go find her husband.

  Rebecca explored the town more the next day. She found the post office, general store, and medical clinic. As she was passing by it, Sammi came out with another woman. Sammi spied her and called to her.

  “Hey, Becky! Hold up,” Sammi said.

  “Hello,” Rebecca said. She was starting to get used to Sammi calling her “Becky”.

  Sammi said, “This is Hannah. She’s Owl’s wife. Hannah, this is Rebecca Walker, Jake’s woman.”

  “Well, I’m not sure you can call him his ‘woman’, but I did come here as a possible bride,” Rebecca clarified.

  She and Hannah exchanged pleasantries.

  Sammi said, “C’mon and have lunch with us. We’re gonna get some sandwiches and eat at the sheriff’s office.”

  Rebecca noticed that Sammi wore her deputy badge. “Oh, I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

  Hannah said, “Nonsense. I remember what it was like to be new in town. We’d love to have you. I’m sure you have a lot of questions and we can help you get acquainted with some people.”

  “All right. If you’re sure,” Rebecca said.

  “Absolutely,” Hannah said.

  “Yeah. She can tell you all about what it’s like to be married to an Indian,” Sammi said.

  Hannah laughed. “It’s interesting to say the least.”

  Rebecca spent the next hour with the two women and couldn’t remember a time when she’d laughed so much. When she’d still been wealthy, she and her friends had enjoyed juicy gossip and spreading shocking stories, but the things that Sammi and Hannah discussed made anything her old friends had to say pale in comparison.

  She met Sammi’s husband, Mitch, and Jack the other deputy, who joined in the fun. Rebecca marveled at how comfortable they all were with each other. At one point, Sammi asked her why she wanted to come to Dawson and she wasn’t sure what to say at first. Then she opted for the truth.

  “My family was very prominent in Savannah until it was discovered that my daddy had been swindling people. We lost everything and I was forced to take a menial labor job in the house of a family with whom we used to socialize. I was so well known within Savannah that getting any other work was out of the question. My reputation was irreparably damaged by my father’s actions. No man of good standing would marry me and I had no training in any kind of trade at all. Therefore, I was reduced to working in the kitchen as a cook’s assistant. I know how that sounds, but it was very hard to adjust. I knew that no one in Montana would know of my family, so I thought I might get a fresh start here. I’d also like to marry, so when I saw Jake’s advertisement, it seemed like the perfect solution,” she said. It felt good to tell her story.

  Hannah nodded. “I can understand. All of us mail-order-brides in Dawson came here to find a better future for ourselves and we have. You will, too.”

  “I hope so,” Rebecca said.

  Sammi laughed. “I think Jake likes you. I saw how he watched you last night.”

  This surprised Rebecca. “You did? How was he looking at me?”

  Mitch said, “Be nice, Sammi.”

  Sammi rolled her eyes and said, “I could tell that he thinks you’re really pretty.” She looked at her husband. “How was that?”

  “Very good,” Mitch said.

  Rebecca gave them both a questioning look.

  Hannah chuckled. “Sammi has very colorful language sometimes, which is not always appropriate for all occasions.”

  Sammi smiled. “You put that so politely, Hannah.”

  Jack snickered. “That’s ‘cause she has tact and you have very little.”

  “Yeah, well, you oughta talk, Jack,” Sammi said.

  “I didn’t say I was any better, but we weren’t talkin’ about me at the moment,” Jack said with a smile.

  Rebecca noticed the time and said, “Thank ya’ll so much for lunch and all of the information. I had a very good time. I think I shall go to the saloon and practice
for tonight. Thank you again.”

  When Jake answered the knock on the back door of the bar, he was out of breath. Rebecca wondered what he’d been doing.

  “Hi, Rebecca,” Jake said. “C’mon in. How are you today?” He wiped sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt.

  “Did I come at a bad time?” she asked as she caught the scent of sweat. It was strange that she didn’t seem to mind it.

  “Nope. I was just bringing some kegs up for tonight. I’ll warn you; Saturdays are even worse than Fridays. I needed to stock up,” Jake said. He thought she looked very pretty in her dark blue dress.

  Rebecca smiled as they walked out to the bar. “That’s all right. It just means more money, right?”

  Jake laughed. “That’s right.”

  “Why don’t you hire someone to help you with all of the heavy lifting?” she asked.

  Jake went into the office and motioned for her to sit. “Can I get you something to drink? Some iced tea or something?” he asked.

  “No, thank you. I just lunched with Sammi and Hannah,” Rebecca replied.

  “Oh, boy. I’m sure you got an education,” Jake said.

  Rebecca chuckled. “It was very fun, actually, and I learned a lot about some of the people here.”

  “And yet you didn’t get on the next stage coach out of here. I’m impressed,” Jake teased. “Oh, I better give this to you before I forget it.” He opened a desk drawer and handed her a keychain with two keys on it. “One is for the back door here and the other one is for the apartment upstairs. That way you can get in and practice even if I’m not here.”

  Rebecca took the keys. “You would trust me to do that?”

  “Yeah. I mean, you’re not here to rob me or anything, right?” he said with a smile.

  “Of course not,” Rebecca said.

  “Oh, back to your question. Sorry. I got sidetracked. I do that a lot. I would have hired someone to help with the heavy lifting, but then I needed security and hired Sammi, so it wasn’t in the budget. But profits are increasing again and so it won’t be too long until I can hire someone part-time to help with that kind of thing,” Jake said.

  She smiled as she remembered Sammi saying that not only did Jake have a faulty memory but that he was easily distracted. “Yes. Money is always a factor.”

  “Mmm hmm.” Jake noticed a piece of paper on his desk and gave it to Rebecca. “See if you think that’s a fair weekly wage for you.”

  Rebecca looked at the amount he’d written down and her eyebrows rose. It was double what she’d been making in the Preston’s employ in Savannah. If he could afford to pay this kind of wage, the Watering Hole must be doing very well indeed.

  “Yes. This is very generous,” Rebecca said.

  “You’re worth it,” Jake said. “You look very pretty, by the way.”

  “Thank you.” Rebecca was pleased that he thought so. Sammi had said he did and the bouncer had been right.

  There was something about her accent that got to Jake. It played on his ear and stirred the more primal male part of him. “Are you always this shy?” he suddenly asked.

  Rebecca blinked at him in surprise. “Shy?”

  Jake nodded.

  “You think that I’m shy?” Rebecca asked.

  He nodded again.

  Her laughter was a musical sound and affected him as much as her accent. It was the first time he’d truly heard her laugh and he was mesmerized. He smiled.

  “I really am not a shy person, but I do find myself a little overwhelmed in such an unfamiliar atmosphere,” Rebecca confessed.

  “I’m not surprised.” Someone pounded on the front door. Jake looked at his watch. “Damn! I didn’t realize what time it was,” he said and hurried out to open the door for business.

  Gus was first through the door as usual. “Late opening two days in a row, huh? Betcha forgot the time again,” he said.

  “Shut up and watch the bar for me. I gotta run upstairs and change quick,” Jake said. He didn’t wait for Gus to answer. He ran by the office and then backed up. “I have to go upstairs to change. You can come up to see the place if you want before I do.”

  Rebecca wasn’t used to being alone with a single man in his residence but with people down below in the bar, she didn’t see where it would hurt. “All right. I’d like that.”

  Jake led her up the inside stairs to the large apartment. He’d cleaned up the place so he felt comfortable showing it to her. Rebecca entered and began looking around. The ceilings were high and the parlor boasted four large windows that let in plenty of light.

  She could see where Jake’s profits went. The apartment was furnished with high quality furniture and carpets. The kitchen was outfitted with an efficient stove and there was a sink pump. It was an orderly space and yet looked as if it was used frequently. His dining room was the same. The dining table was made of fine wood, but showed a few scratches.

  “Do you have dinner parties?” Rebecca said.

  Jake laughed. “I guess you could call them that. The Dwyers and Jamie and Luke come over to eat and play poker a couple times a month. Oh, and Sammi and Mitch, too.”

  “The women play cards?” Rebecca said.

  “Yeah. It’s pretty funny. Jamie usually ends up battling her husband for the pot because they’re the best two players,” Jake said. “You’ll see. We usually play one Monday a month, and we decided on this coming Monday night. I close early so we can play.”

  “It sounds like fun,” Rebecca said. She’d never attended a poker game since in her circles the women didn’t attend such events. When she’d decided to come to Montana, she hadn’t expected to feel so far out of her depth. It was as if all the rules had been thrown out the window and there really weren’t any.

  Jake saw her confusion and sighed. “How about we finish the tour and then you can practice?”

  “All right,” she said.

  It only took ten more minutes to see the rest of his place and then Rebecca went back downstairs. Gus smiled at her as she came out to the bar area.

  “Hi, Miss Rebecca,” he said. “How’re things?”

  She smiled at him. “They’re fine. I’m going to practice for tonight.”

  “I’m lookin’ forward to hearin’ you play,” Gus told her.

  “Thank you,” she said and continued on her way.

  There were few patrons in the bar at that time of day, so it didn’t bother Rebecca to play. She found solace in the music and felt better when she was through than she had when she’d started. A smattering of applause greeted her.

  Joe Dwyer appeared beside her as she closed the lid over the keys. “Well, well, Miss Walker. It would appear that we have a concert pianist in our midst.”

  Rebecca smiled at him. “I would hardly say that I’m of that caliber, Mayor.”

  “Oh, come now. I’ve heard some concert pianists in my younger days, and I would dare say that you put more than a few to shame,” he responded.

  “Thank you for saying so. It’s very kind of you,” she said.

  She frowned and Joe cocked his head at her. “What’s troublin’ ya’ll?”

  Rebecca sighed and asked, “May I ask you something?”

  “Of course,” he said.

  “You’re obviously a man of refined breeding and tastes and yet ya’ll have chosen to settle here. May I ask why?” Rebecca said.

  Joe drew a chair over and sat down. “That is a complicated question, but I shall endeavor to answer it. My daddy moved us here when I was nineteen. We lived in Austin and I was so angry with him for uprooting us. I had everything I wanted there. Like your family, we were very prominent and well off. I was becoming more involved in the family horse ranching business and I was in no short supply of female companionship.”

  “Why did you come here?” Rebecca asked.

  “My Mama’s family lived here and convinced Daddy that this was a good place to raise horses because the weather conditions here would make them heartier animals. So we c
ame here and Daddy hated it right away. I didn’t like it either until I met Luke and his family. They started showing me that it was true that horses do well here. Not to toot my own horn, but I have excellent instincts when it comes to breeding and training horses. It was those instincts that began producing results and our profits soared.”

  “But it’s so rough here,” Rebecca said. “I just don’t know what to think about any of this.”

  Joe laughed. “I didn’t either, but I’ll tell you what; it allowed me to set my true self free. I didn’t have to be so bottled up all the time. I confess that I became even wilder than I had been in Austin but I never harmed anyone unless they were out to harm me or my friends. I went on a few cattle drives and played poker, drank and was rarely lonely, if you get my meaning.”

  Rebecca flushed a little. She knew that plenty of men exhibited this kind of behavior, but to hear one talk directly to her about it was a trifle embarrassing. “I get your meaning.”

  He smiled at her discomfort. It reminded him of Lacey when he’d first met her. “But the longer I’ve lived here, the more I love it and the people here. Sure some of them are pretty rough and ornery, but they’ve had to be. It can be a hard life in these parts and if I hadn’t toughened up some, I doubt I’d have made it. These ranchers work hard to make ends meet and feed their families. But some of the best beef comes from here and they’re constantly working at being innovative. They may be rough, but they’re not dumb or lazy.”

  “I see what you mean. Is it true that your wife plays poker?” Rebecca asked.

  “Yes, it is. She’s not the best player because you always know if she has a good hand or not, but she has fun and that’s all that matters,” Joe said. “Is that what’s bothering you? Women playing poker?”

  “Yes. That and other things.” Rebecca knew it sounded as if she were being snobbish. “I was shocked when I first saw Sammi.”

  Joe let out a shout of laughter. “Everyone usually is, even me, but I got a kick out of her right off. Look, it’s simple, Rebecca; Dawson has taught me to meet everyone where they’re at.”