Westward Holiday

by Linda Bridey

“Ok, Pa. So how you feelin’?”

  “Some days better than others. That new doctor says my ticker’s just a hair worse, but not too bad considering. If someone had told me that Ralph Samuels’ youngest boy would become a doctor someday, I’d have told them they were as crazy as bat. But, Doc kept tellin’ me how good he was and dang if he ain’t. He’s always got that big wolf with him, too. I love that wolf. He does all kinds of tricks,” Calvin said.

  Jake smiled. He appreciated Marcus coming to see his father every week. “Yeah, Roscoe’s something else all right. Once in a while Marcus brings him to the bar and Roscoe wants beer. I give him just a little bit. We don’t want a drunken wolf running around town.”

  Calvin laughed. “I’d like to see that just once.”

  “Well, Pa, I think I found her,” Jake said.

  Calvin put down his fork and gave Jake his full attention. “So this woman that came, you think it’ll work out between you?”

  Jake smiled. “Yeah, Pa. I’d like to bring her to meet you some morning this week. You’ll like her. She’s a real lady and beautiful. And her accent is like warm honey and melted butter all in one. You’ll see.”

  Calvin laughed again. “Sounds like my boy got shot in the rear end by Cupid.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. I’m trying not to move too fast, Pa,” Jake said.

  “Maybe you’re just like your ma and me. It took me five minutes to know that your mother was the woman I was gonna marry. From the first moment we looked each other in the eyes, it was all over. I never looked at another woman, Jakey. Go with your heart on it, son. It won’t steer you wrong.”

  Jake nodded. “I’m gonna ask her next weekend. I know you’re right about not waiting too long. I’m not sure if I can.”

  “Oh, Lordy,” Calvin said and got laughing so hard that he started to cough. When Jake would have gone to him, he held up a hand and the coughing fit passed. “I’m all right. It catches me like that sometimes. Don’t worry. I’m not gonna keel over right now.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Jake said. He tried not to make too much of it, but it always scared him when that happened to his father.

  “Well, you bring her around whenever you want. So assumin’ she says yes next weekend, how soon you gonna get hitched?” Calvin asked.

  Jake replied, “Depends on her, really. You know how women are about weddings. I’d love to do it before the first of the year, but I don’t know if she’ll go for that or not.”

  “Maybe there’s somethin’ you can do to convince her,” Calvin said with a wink.

  “Pa!”

  Calvin laughed at Jake’s embarrassed expression. “Oh, c’mon, son. Do you think everyone waits? How do you think you were born so soon after your ma and me got married?”

  “You always said it was because I was impatient to be born and wanted to come out a month early,” Jake said.

  “That was your mother’s idea to tell you that,” Calvin said and chuckled. “She didn’t want to embarrass you.”

  Jake absorbed that information and started laughing. “I can’t believe I fell for that all these years, but Ma could be sneaky like that.”

  “Hell, sneaky ain’t the word for it. That woman could spin a yarn and make you believe every word of it,” Calvin said.

  “Yeah, like the time she dropped the Thanksgiving turkey on the floor and rinsed it off and cooked it a little more. You kept saying it tasted funny and she just said it was a new recipe and that she wouldn’t try it again. I don’t know how I kept my mouth shut about it for a whole year. I wish you coulda seen her face when it skidded across the floor. I laughed like hell,” Jake said.

  Calvin pointed his fork at Jake. “You two were always in cahoots about one thing or another.”

  “You’re right about that. I wish she coulda met Joe. Can you imagine the two of them together?” Jake said.

  “No, cause she’d have run off with him. That smooth-talkin’ devil,” Calvin said with a laugh.

  “Looks like there’s gonna be another Samuels kid. Luke and Jamie are having a baby,” Jake said.

  “I swear there must be something in the water out at that ranch. They just keep poppin’ them out like rabbits,” Calvin said.

  Jake said, “I think you might be right, although it did take them a little while for this one to come along.”

  “Yeah, well, Seth better get crackin’ on that score if he wants to have another one. He’s not gettin’ any younger. Dean’s a grandpa for Pete’s sake. That still tickles me no end. Speakin’ of that, you get crackin’ on that, too. I’d like to hold my grandbaby. Make it happen. Don’t worry about waitin’. I’m not getting’ any younger, either,” Calvin said.

  Jake laughed. “Ok, Pa, simmer down.”

  They finished their breakfast and Jake reminded his father about taking his pill at supper before he left. He smiled as he recalled his conversation with his father. Calvin never pulled any punches about anything. As Jake rode back into town, he laughed over his father ordering him to give him a grandbaby.

  Rebecca wasn’t expecting to see Jake so early in the day. She opened her hotel room door and smiled when she saw him.

  “What a pleasant surprise,” she said. “Come in.”

  “Thanks. I had breakfast with Pa today. I usually do on Tuesdays. He wants to meet you, so I thought maybe Thursday we’d go out. Would that be all right with you?” Jake asked.

  Her face lit up. “I would love to meet your father. Is he as handsome as you?”

  Jake smiled. “You’ll have to be the judge of that. I look like my ma, so I’m not sure how to answer that.”

  Rebecca said, “I hope he likes me.”

  “Trust me; he will,” Jake said. “So are you playing tonight?”

  “Yes, I am. I hope Sammi is all right,” Rebecca said. “I went by the sheriff’s office a bit ago, but she wasn’t there.”

  “That was nice of you to think about her. If I know her, she’ll be extra hard on the customers tonight. That’s how you can always tell if there’s something bothering her,” Jake said. “Would you like to go for a walk? I’ve got some time before I have to open.”

  Rebecca gave him a coquettish glance and said, “Why, Mr. Henderson, I thought you’d never ask.”

  Jake’s heart did a crazy little dance and he knew they’d better get out of her room. “Ok.”

  Rebecca stepped closer and said, “Ok, what?”

  He backed up and said, “We’ll go for a walk.”

  “Where shall we walk?” she asked as she moved towards him again.

  “I have no idea,” Jake said as he made contact with the door behind him and her hands made contact with his chest.

  Rebecca’s laugh was soft and knowing. “What’s the matter, Jake?”

  “Nothing. We’d better go,” Jake said.

  “Why are you in such a hurry, sugar?” she said using her accent to the fullest as she remembered what Seth had said to her about it on Saturday night.

  Jake groaned. “You know why.”

  “I surely don’t,” Rebecca said. “Tell me.”

  Jake decided to show her instead. His kiss was not gentle but Rebecca didn’t mind. She’d lain awake during the night thinking about how she felt when he kissed her. Though she’d tried to think about other things, she hadn’t been successful. His hands roamed over her possessively and his mouth was wonderfully demanding.

  Jake took what she offered and pulled her against him as she answered his demands with ones of her own. Then he tore his mouth from hers and kissed her neck as she held on tightly to him. She shuddered and Jake groaned as his conscience wouldn’t let him unzip her dress. Rebecca felt him become still and could have stomped her foot in frustration.

  They were both breathing hard at this point. Rebecca said, “Why did you stop?”

  Jake sighed and looked down into her gorgeous eyes. “Rebecca, I have to open the bar in a little over an hour. When we make love for the first time, I don’t want to be in a hurry. I want
us to be able to take our time.”

  Rebecca asked, “How long does it take?”

  Her question was so absurd that Jake couldn’t help laughing. “Oh, boy. You need to talk to some of your new girlfriends. I’m not answering that question.”

  Rebecca was embarrassed and became angry. “Fine. Don’t then. I don’t want to go for a walk any longer. You’ve got other things to do and I have somewhere I need to go.”

  Jake saw that he’d offended her and regretted his laughter. “I’m sorry, Rebecca. You’ve just got my brain so twisted up right now that I can’t half think straight.”

  Rebecca could see that he was telling the truth. His chest still rose and fell a little faster than usual and his eyes were stormy with what she now recognized as desire. She smiled a little as her anger faded. “What exactly makes your mind become twisted like that?” she asked as she ran a hand down his arm.

  Jake took her hand, kissed her palm, kissed her mouth and said, “Ask your friends,” and fled the room.

  Rebecca laughed as she watched for Jake out her window. She saw him jog across the street while he raked a hand through his hair. Then she gathered her cloak and reticule and went to find Hannah. She knew she’d be at the clinic and might have time to see her.

  Tuesday flew by. The bar was busy as always but no real problems came up and Sammi was able to sit with her friends quite a bit. She and Jamie had talked and Sammi had assured Jamie that she was very happy for her and Luke and harbored no ill feelings about the situation. Jamie had commiserated with her. It had been frustrating for her and Luke, but Jamie told Sammi not to give up hope. Sammi knew Jamie was right.

  Owl gave her much the same advice that night when he walked her home.

  “You will have a baby when you are meant to,” Owl said. “It’s the same for me and Hannah. Our little one will come along when he or she is meant to.”

  “I know.” It was strange how comfortable she felt talking to Owl about these things. He never seemed to mind, either. “I feel like I’m letting Mitch down somehow.”

  “That’s ridiculous. You haven’t let him down. Does he love you any less because there has been no baby before now?” Owl asked.

  “No.”

  “Has he acted as if he’s upset with you about it?”

  “No.”

  “Then I wouldn’t worry about that. If you keep thinking negatively, your body will not help make a baby,” Owl said.

  “Huh?” Sammi said. “What does that mean?”

  Owl frowned as he thought about how to tell her. “Negative energy can affect many things in our bodies. If you keep thinking you’re not going to have a baby, then you won’t. But if you believe that you’ll have a baby, you will. Keep picturing your baby. Talk to your baby. Keep telling them that you are ready when they are.”

  Sammi gave him a look that told him she thought he was nuts.

  He laughed. “You might think I’m crazy now, but if you do what I’m telling you and what Marcus says, you’ll have a baby. And if it’s a boy, you can name it after me.”

  “Owl Taylor? I don’t think so. No offense. Mitch would probably like a junior,” Sammi said.

  “No offense taken, but you’ll see that I’m right,” Owl said.

  “I hope so,” Sammi said.

  Wednesday night Jake was surprised to see Jack Samuels come in the bar. He wasn’t wearing his deputy’s badge so he assumed Jack was off duty.

  “Hey, Jack. How are you?” Jake asked with a smile.

  Jack sat at the bar and said. “I’ve been better. Whiskey, please.”

  Jake’s eyebrows rose. Jack was of age, but Jake had never known the young man to drink. Something must be really bothering him, Jake thought. His bartender instincts were rarely wrong about this sort of thing. People would sometimes tell him their troubles when they wouldn’t tell anyone else.

  Jake gave him a shot of whiskey and said, “What’s going on? Everything ok out home?”

  “Yep,” Jack said and downed the whiskey. Jack made a face as the alcohol burned his esophagus. He put the glass back down and said, “Another.”

  Jake smiled and said, “How about you pace yourself? You’re not used to drinking.”

  Jack fixed his blue eyes on Jake and said, “How about you give me another one like I asked?”

  He reminded Jake of Dean. Jack’s father had a way of looking at people with a stern authority that made them listen to him. Jake poured another shot for Jack but gave the deputy a displeased look as Jack downed it.

  “What’s bothering you?” Jake asked.

  “You.”

  Jake slammed the bottle of whiskey down on the bar, startling Jack. “Listen, Jack, I don’t have to take your smart mouth. I don’t take it from anyone else, and I sure as hell ain’t takin’ it from you. Do you understand me?”

  Jack closed his eyes and said, “I’m sorry, Jake. I’m sorry.”

  Jake was surprised to see that Jack was on the verge of tears. “Gus, take over a minute! Jack, come with me. Now.”

  Jack snatched the bottle of whiskey from the bar and followed Jake into his office. Jake sat behind his desk and motioned for Jack to sit in one of the other chairs.

  “Now, what’s going on?” Jake asked.

  Jack took a healthy swig from the bottle and coughed a little.

  “Hey, slow down on that, ok?” Jake admonished him. “Now spill it.”

  “She’s gone,” Jack said.

  “Who?”

  “Sparrow. My fiancée. She’s gone. They left,” Jack said.

  “Oh. I knew they’d be leaving for the winter soon. I know you’re going to miss her,” Jake said.

  “No, she’s gone for good. Uncle Black Fox just told me that her family left yesterday and they’re not coming back because they’re going to join up with the ones that left their tribe over the summer. You know when they split the tribe because of the whole thing with Uncle Owl and all?” Jack said. “I’m never gonna see her again, Jake. I lost her. I should have married her no matter what was going on and then there wouldn’t have been anything anyone could have done.”

  “Damn, Jack. I’m so sorry,” Jake said.

  “I didn’t even get to say goodbye to her, Jake. I didn’t get to see her one last time or anything,” Jack said. “I thought about going after her, but her family never knew about us. The only Lakota that did were my uncles and they never told anyone else. Not even their wives. Her father was never going to accept us because he didn’t want anything to do with whites after what happened this summer. I guess it was doomed to start with.”

  Jake’s heart went out to the boy. He knew how much in love Jack was with Sparrow and felt terrible about Jack having his heart broken. “Love is hard sometimes. I’m not going to tell you stuff like it’ll pass and you’ll feel better because right now you don’t want to hear that. You know what you need?”

  “What?” Jack said as tears filled his eyes.

  Jake grinned and said, “You need to get rip roaring drunk and have a good time and I know just the people to do it with. Come with me and bring that bottle.”

  Jake found Joe and Lacey. He had Jack sit at their table and pulled Joe aside for a moment. He filled Joe in on the situation.

  “Get him good and drunk, but keep an eye on him, ok?” Jack said.

  Joe smiled. “I can do that. Don’t worry; I’ll take good care of him.”

  “I knew you would. Poor kid,” Jake said. “I gotta get back to work. Thanks, Joe.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Rebecca arrived around eight-thirty that night and things were in full swing. Jake was slinging drinks down the bar and she watched the expert way he flicked his wrists to send them along their way. He laughed and started juggling shot glasses. He kept adding more until he had five going at one time.

  Those gathered around the bar cheered and clapped. One by one, Jake took them out of the rotation and lined them up on the bar. He filled them all at once, passed out four and kept one for himself.
He raised his and the other four drinkers clinked theirs against his and they all tossed them back.

  When she came behind the bar, Jake said, “There you are,” and kissed her soundly.

  She laughed and said, “You’re in a good mood.”

  “Why shouldn’t I be? It’s a good night and now that you’re here it’s even better,” Jake said.

  “Aren’t ya’ll sweet?” Rebecca said. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

  “Nope. Just a certain southern lady I know who plays piano like nobody’s business,” Jake said.

  The gang was singing and the song changed to one to which Jake liked to dance. He grabbed Rebecca and pulled her out onto the dance floor with him. She tried to protest, but Jake wouldn’t release her. “Just pretend we’re out here like we were the other night. Just concentrate on me, ok? Don’t be scared. I won’t let you down,” he said into her ear.

  Rebecca nodded and they began moving. She closed off her mind to all else but Jake and the steps came back to her. He smiled his encouragement at her and she started to really have fun. Then Jake started teaching her a new step at a time and she didn’t mind learning with other people watching. When she tripped up, he straightened her and they did it again. They laughed the whole time. Too soon the song ended and Jake had to get back to the bar.

  Luke and Seth started a waltz and Owl appeared before Rebecca before she left the dance floor. He gave her a deep bow and held out his hand to her. His black eyes smiled at her confusion but he never dropped his hand. She took it and curtsied to him and then they were off. They glided around the dance floor and Rebecca was astounded at his graceful movements. When the dance was over, they bowed and curtsied again and the crowd clapped. Rebecca was breathless by this time and slipped away to the bar to sit with Jake.

  She fanned herself a little as she perched on a stool. “Oh, my. I haven’t danced like that in quite a while. Where on earth did he learn to dance like that?”

  Jake laughed and said, “Seth and Maddie taught him. He gave Sammi away at her wedding and they had to dance so they showed him how to waltz. He’s damn good at it.”