by Joyce Alec
A fair-haired man with eyes green like grass saturated with morning dew stepped into the light from the oil lamps.
"When James drinks, his personality changes, and it's not always a good change," explained the man. "You don't deserve that. He shouldn't have spoken to you like that, and he shouldn't have left you to fend for yourself."
"I don't know what you mean," said Laura, not wanting to gossip about her current situation. "It doesn't matter. It's not like anybody noticed when I walked off alone."
"I noticed, and I thought he was rude. You've been here a few weeks, which is plenty of time for folks around her to notice you."
"How do you know how long I have been in town?"
"This town is small. You'll learn quickly that secrets aren't easy to keep. Besides, a big city girl is exciting news around here." He paused, then continued as if answering her next question, "I'm Michael. Michael Cummings."
"Laura Brooks." Laura extended her hand to Michael in greeting, when a large, strong hand took hold of her wrist.
"We don't need help from the likes of you," screamed James at Michael.
"Kindly remove your hand from Miss Brooks," said Michael.
"Please, James, you're hurting me," said Laura.
James let go of Laura's wrist as Laura noticed stares coming from every direction.
"Miss Brooks, are you alright? Do you need to sit down?" asked Michael in a tender voice.
James answered for Laura, "Of course she's alright."
Laura wanted to escape and turned towards the door to avoid the questions and incriminating glances that were coming her way. James followed quickly at her heels, as if giving the illusion of protecting her from Michael.
Thomas rushed up to Laura, grabbed her arm gently, and told James to sober up. Thomas led Laura outside and got her settled in the buggy. "I'm just gonna get Ma, Annie and Pa. I promise I'll be right back."
Michael came out from the barn and walked over to his buggy. He grabbed a blanket and brought it over to Laura. "I wanted to make sure you weren't hurt."
"Only my reputation seems to be in peril," said Laura, unwilling to make eye contact with Michael.
Michael wrapped the blanket around Laura. "Nobody believes any of that was your fault. They know Rebecca and James. This isn't their first public argument," he started to walk away, but turned back, "Oh, and don't tell your aunt and uncle where you got the blanket."
Thomas appeared with the other family members. She wanted to thank Michael, but had already left.
The ride home was awkward, as nobody quite knew what to say. Uncle Robert and Thomas avoided making eye contact, while Annie just held her hand.
Aunt June finally broke the silence, "Rebecca is always causing trouble, dear. James has a little bit of a temper, but he is such a good boy. Pay no attention to anything that happened. We'll set things straight with James tomorrow."
Laura smiled. She couldn't find the right words to say because James's behavior couldn't be justified, but she didn't want to argue with her aunt. Even though Laura was technically family, they had known James a lot longer
***
The next morning, Laura woke up early to help Aunt June make breakfast. To her surprise, James was sitting at the table sipping on a cup of coffee. When Laura entered the kitchen, Aunt June simply smiled and left the two alone to talk.
"I want to apologize for my behavior last night," said James. "You didn't deserve that."
"No, I didn't," said Laura, joining James at the table. "I was completely embarrassed."
"I know. Again, I'm sorry."
Laura watched as James hung his head in shame. She wasn't planning on accepting an apology, but he did seem sincere. Besides, he was her only friend.
James continued, "I don't want to take up too much of your time, but I was wondering if you might take a walk with me after church tomorrow."
Without thinking, Laura answered, "Yes. I think that would be nice."
James raised his big brown eyes to meet her gaze. "Does that mean you're gonna forgive me?"
"No. It simply means that I will join you for a walk after church."
This seemed to satisfy James. He kissed her hand and left.
Aunt June came back into the kitchen within seconds. Laura assumed that she had been eavesdropping, but it didn't matter.
"Well, I am glad that you two kids worked that out," smiled Aunt June. "James is such a sweet boy. I know he didn't mean no harm."
Laura smiled. Aunt June had known James his whole life. If Aunt June believed that James was a good person, he really must be.
CHAPTER 4
Laura helped with dishes after breakfast as her uncle and Thomas prepared the buggy for church. Upon arriving, Laura saw Michael Cummings with an older woman and a girl about Annie's age, who must be his mother and possibly his sister. She waved in greeting as Michael caught her eye. She noticed Michael smile in response, but then quickly looked around to make sure nobody was watching.
"How do you know that boy, dear?" asked Aunt June.
"I met him at the dance last night when James was arguing with Rebecca."
"It's best you don't associate with him," said Aunt June with a smile.
Laura didn't have time to ask Aunt June what she meant before James arrived to walk Laura into church. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Michael watching her, and she could she the scowl on his face. Michael must be bad news if Aunt June didn't approve of him.
As Laura entered the church, along with her family and James, she immediately wished she would've stayed home. Nobody had taken much interest in her up to this point, but she seemed to be the most popular girl in town this particular Sunday. Everybody was vying for her attention. They all wanted details about the barn dance.
She didn't like the questions, but she did appreciate all of the invitations she was receiving. Two women slightly older than her invited her to their quilting gathering that took place every Wednesday. Another young woman invited Laura to join her in making Christmas pies for the families around town. The incident with James seemed to be a catalyst for new friendships.
Laura took her seat and placed her lace head covering in place. James sat down next to her.
After singing hymns, the pastor recited Ephesians 4:32, "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
The entire sermon was about forgiveness and loving they neighbor. Laura took the pastor's words to heart and believed it was a direct message from God to forgive James. James was grateful for the pastor's words as well as he saw the forgiveness in Laura's eyes.
After the sermon, Laura heard Annie's conversation with Aunt June, "Mama, don't you think the sermon was nice today?"
"Yes, dear. It seemed to be exactly what we needed to hear. God works in mysterious ways," Aunt June said smiling at Laura.
"I think so too, Mama," said Annie excitedly. "Don't you think it's time we forgive Mrs. Cummings? It sure would be a nice thing to do. Especially since Christmas is just around the corner. After all, Helen Cummings is in my class."
"What, dear?" asked Aunt June, startled by Annie's questions. "The pastor wasn't talking about that situation. The rift between me and Mrs. Cummings has been going on much too long to mend."
Disappointed, Annie answered, "Alright, Mama."
Laura was curious. This was the first she was hearing about a feud between the families. She couldn't imagine anybody making Aunt June angry. Mrs. Cummings must have done something terrible.
James wanted Laura to keep her promise to take a walk with him, so James asked Laura's uncle for permission. Uncle Robert obliged and asked Thomas to join as a chaperone. Thomas agreed. Thomas had his own plans of meeting up with a young woman he liked, so Thomas left James and Laura alone as soon as they were all out of the sight of the other churchgoers.
After offering apologies again, Laura offered her forgiveness. James took the liberty of holding Laura's hand. She ask
ed about Rebecca, and James admitted he had courted her at one time, but he broke it off long before Laura came to Colorado.
The conversation was controlled by James as he did most of the talking. Laura listened intently. He interrupted Laura on more than on occasion, but she figured he was just nervous. They finished their walk back at the church, where they met Thomas.
James brought Thomas and Laura home. James promised to stop by the Williams's ranch the next day to visit with Laura.
Thomas reminded James, "You're welcome to come by, but you know that tomorrow is the last day of November. Mama will be baking her gingerbread cookies all day. Don't you think for a minute she'll let you take any of Laura's time. Mama needs all the help she can get."
Thomas explained to Laura that every year, Aunt June spent the last day of November making cookies and the first day of December delivering cookies to all the families around town. Aunt June's gingerbread cookies were famous and everybody looked forward to December 1st each year. This was Aunt June's special way of welcoming in the Christmas season.
James kissed Laura's hand in farewell as he helped her down from the buggy and promised to come see her regardless of Aunt June's plans for making cookies. Thomas rolled his eyes. Once again, he was uncomfortable being the odd man out.
***
Morning came too soon with the loud bell ringing earlier than usual. Aunt June didn't even wait for Laura to slowly make her way downstairs.
"Dear, what are you still doing in bed? We have the busiest day of the year ahead of us!" exclaimed Aunt June.
Laura came downstairs, and Annie was already measuring out ingredients. Annie wanted to help as much as possible with the cookies before she had to go to school. Laura felt extremely lucky to be included in the Christmas tradition.
A loud scream startled both Annie and Laura, "We don't have enough sugar." In a complete panic, Aunt Laura cried, "I am sure I bought enough sugar. I don't have time to fetch some. Where is Robert? He'll go to the store immediately."
Laura knew Uncle Robert and Thomas were busy tending to an ill horse, so she offered to go the store to fetch the sugar.
"You'd do that? Oh, you're a Godsend. I'll have Thomas prepare the horses and buggy," said Aunt June, obviously relieved.
Laura entered the general store and paid for the sugar. The store owner helped her out to the buggy because she couldn't carry the sugar on her own. She thanked the store owner and attempted to climb up into the buggy.
Losing her foothold while stepping up, she slipped and landed in a very cold, and very dirty, mud puddle. She sat there for a second contemplating her misfortune. She didn't want to look up out of fear of embarrassment.
She felt a hand securely grab her hand as she looked up into the familiar green eyes of Michael Cummings. They both laughed at the situation as Michael helped her to her feet.
"Ranch life isn't as easy as it looks, is it big city girl? I think you're doing a mighty fine job of fitting in though—especially now that you're covered in mud," said Michael trying to ease Laura's embarrassment.
Laura laughed as Michael continued to hold her hand while helping her into the buggy. But before Michael could help her into the buggy, James headed their way screaming.
"What's going on here? Laura, what do you think you're doing?"
The loud, familiar voice frightened Laura. Michael let go of Laura's hand as Laura turned around to face James. James pulled his arm back and quickly swung a balled up fist toward Michael's jaw. Michael ducked and backed up to avoid another angry encounter from James.
Deciding not to waste his energy on Michael, James turned toward Laura, "This is the second time I've caught you with Michael. You're my girl. That means you act respectable. Imagine what these old women are gonna say about your reputation."
"You're worried about my reputation? I fell into a mud puddle, and Mr. Cummings was kind enough to come to my aid. Would you rather he just ignored the fact that I needed help?"
Michael interrupted, "James, I didn't mean no harm. I was just helping her into her buggy."
James ignored Michael and continued his tirade against Laura, "After all that I've done for you, you go behind my back and flirt with other men. I don't know how ladies act in big cities, but out here, ladies stay true to their men."
Bewildered, Laura stayed quiet. People had started coming out of the store to see what the commotion was about. Laura hid her face in her hands and pretended that nobody could see her. She wanted to hide; she wanted to run away.
Quietly, she said to James, "After all that you've done for me? You have been kind to me on occasions, but I have not acted dishonorable. If anything, you've acted dishonorable. I will not continue to let you embarrass me in front of the whole town. You do not own me, and I kindly ask that you leave me alone."
"Leave you alone? I could have any woman in this town. You come to town with your fancy clothes and your fancy talk. You're an outsider. I was willing to take you in. You're lucky that I pay you any attention at all."
By this time, Laura was crying, and Michael came to her defense, "That's enough, James. Miss Brooks, can I take you home?"
Realizing that Michael's help would create even more gossip, she shook her head in refusal as she helped herself into the buggy. She was on her way home as fast as she could get the horses to move. More than anything, she wished her father would come to rescue her and take her back to Boston. How she longed for her friends back home and the comfort of familiarity.
Colorado lost its beauty as Laura let her mind go down the path of everything that was going wrong. Ever since she arrived, she felt like a thin film of dirt was covering every inch of her body. Now, she was caked in mud. The people were different. They dressed differently, talked differently, and had completely different interests. She longed for discussions about literature or a trip to the theater. She wanted to shop for new bonnets and try new, expensive toiletries. This was not the life she wanted. She was filthy, cold, and tired of all the men in this small Colorado town.
When she arrived, Uncle Robert and Thomas saw Laura's tear-stained face and muddied dress.
"Girl, what happened? Are you alright? Did someone hurt you?" asked Uncle Robert, with a sincere worry in his voice.
His intensity made Laura realize how awful she must have looked. Uncle Robert helped her down from the buggy while Thomas ran inside to fetch Aunt June.
Aunt June came running and embraced Laura with force. Laura began to cry again. She thanked her family her for their concern but expressed she was alright and just wanted to get cleaned up. She told them the shortened version of the story, simply letting them know that she fell in a mud puddle and was embarrassed. She left out the part about the scuffle between James and Michael.
Laura decided she wasn't going to tell her aunt and uncle what happened at the general store. She would offer all of her worries up to God for the time being and focus on getting through the day without shedding any more tears. Yes, she would much rather be anywhere but Colorado, but that wasn't an option. She couldn't let her sorrow reach the point of no return. She had to accept her fate and make the best out of her situation. She took a few deep breaths and decided to do her best to enjoy making Christmas cookies, a tradition that was new to her.
She heard James's voice as she entered the kitchen, and her heart sunk. She wasn't ready to face him yet. Aunt June saw Laura before she had time to turn around and hide.
"Oh, you poor dear," cooed Aunt June. "James just told us what that awful Mr. Cummings did to you. Imagine, him trying to flirt with you when he knew that you and James were spending time together. You were lucky that James was there to rescue you."
This twisted version was so far from the truth that Laura sat silently in utter disbelief. Laura decided that avoidance was the best tactic until James was gone. She smiled, but did nothing to confirm the validity of James's story.
"Aunt June, I would like to put the day's events behind me. I think we better get back to making c
ookies if we plan to finish before nightfall."
Aunt June understood that Laura didn't want to talk about the situation.
"Okay, dear. Would you like to walk James out?"
"No, thank you, Aunt June. I believe that James can see himself out."
"Now don't be rude. James came all the way over to here to make sure you were in good spirits."
To appease her aunt, Laura walked James to the door. When he tried to engage in conversation, Laura turned her back to him and walked back to the kitchen. James slammed the door on his way out.
Laura felt the need to justify her behavior, "That man is unbelievable. He has a temper that would please the devil."
"Laura," said Aunt June with a firmness not to be reckoned with, "I won't have any talk of the devil in this house. James is like family to us."
"Sorry, Aunt June."
It was clear whose side Aunt June was on. Once again, she was alone. Coming to Colorado had been a big mistake. She could have found factory work in Boston until she received her inheritance. She might have even found a husband in Boston. Laura's entire body was hot with anger, disbelief, and grief. The overpowering emotions nearly took over her self-control, but she reined in her feelings and continued helping her aunt. Annie arrived home from school early to help finish the cookies. Even though she was still upset, she engaged in small talk because she didn't want to ruin the day for Annie.
Laura continued to make cookies with her aunt and cousin well into the night, but she regretted that decision when the loud bell once again startled her from a much-needed slumber. Breakfast was simple as Aunt June had a full day ahead of her delivering her famous gingerbread cookies. Annie headed off to school, and Laura bundled up in warm winter clothing to help Aunt June with the deliveries. She found the blanket that Michael had wrapped her in after barn dance and decided to bring it along to stay warm.
While delivering cookies, Aunt June introduced Laura to all the families and gushed over what a joyful addition Laura was to their household. It was clear that Aunt June wasn't holding any grudges from her treatment of James. Laura was reintroduced to a lot of the women she had met at the barn dance or at church. There were even a few distant relatives that Laura met that she didn't know existed.