Melinda and the Wild West

by Linda Weaver Clarke

  It did not take long to arrive at Mr. Roberts’s home. It was a large, beautiful house and the grounds were neat and clean. The house had shrubs around it and there was a small lawn in front. She reined in the horse and, holding her skirts with one hand, stepped down from the carriage.

  Melinda looked up and found Gilbert standing on the porch, leaning against the post with his arms folded across his chest, watching her intently. She could tell that he was a very strong man as she glanced at the tanned muscles in his arms. Trying not to stare at his bulging biceps, Melinda walked toward him. As she approached, she noticed that he was watching her carefully in a curious manner.

  “Mr. Roberts, I’m here about Jenny. I’m Miss Gamble, her teacher.”

  Gilbert’s eyes widened in disbelief and his eyebrows lifted. “You’re Jenny’s teacher? You’re the one I saw at the creek walking barefooted right in the middle of the stream.”

  Melinda blushed. “Yes, I’m afraid I was and I should have asked permission from you since it was your property.”

  “No harm done.”

  Wiping her hands nervously against her skirt, she continued. “Speaking of permission, I’m here to get permission from you to take Jenny to the mountains.”

  “I’m real glad the way you’ve been treating my Jenny. You’re a real good teacher, better than the other one she had. She likes you and talks about you a lot. But, Miss Gamble, I can’t give permission.”

  “Why not?”

  “Too dangerous.” His eyes narrowed as he stared at her, as if challenging Melinda to contradict him.

  “I would never take the children into harm’s way,” she said. “And the other parents have given permission. They must think it’s all right. So, please won’t you…”

  Gilbert dropped his hands to his side, apparently annoyed with her persistence. “Miss Gamble, I thank you for this visit, but I must go now. I have work to do.” Then he stepped down from the porch.

  Melinda felt that she could not allow him to leave until she had told him exactly how she felt. She immediately raised her voice a bit and said firmly, “Mr. Roberts, please don’t leave. I want Jenny to go. Please listen to what I have to say.”

  Gilbert was surprised by her persistence but he turned around to face her, folded his arms across his chest once again, and looked at her intently as she spoke.

  Looking at his imposing frame, she swallowed. “Mr. Roberts, Jenny needs to feel like she’s part of the class. These children have shunned her just because their former teacher was judgmental and helped them to form wrong opinions about her. I want to undo all that. I want her to be accepted. But she needs to socialize with these students in a fun atmosphere outside the classroom. Please let her go.”

  Gilbert gazed into Melinda’s eyes as she spoke and he grinned. “That was a nice speech, Miss Gamble. But it doesn’t lessen the fact that she might get hurt.”

  “Then come with us to the mountains.”

  Gilbert raised his eyebrows. “Me? I’m too busy.” Then he turned and started toward the barn in large strides.

  Melinda became frustrated with his attitude and quickly picked her skirts up and followed him. As soon as she caught up to him, she asked, “Mr. Roberts, is this your answer to everything? When you are done talking, then you simply walk away whether or not the other person is done talking?”

  “Are you still here, Miss Gamble?” Gilbert asked, as if wearied by her presence.

  “Yes, and I’m not leaving until we talk about this further.”

  Melinda was slightly out of breath as she tried to keep up with Gilbert’s fast pace.

  “Miss Gamble, I’m done talking.”

  “But I’m not,” Melinda said with a firm and stubborn tone.

  Gilbert suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to look into her eyes. Her determination was annoying him greatly. “It seems to me, Miss Gamble, that unless I give in to your demands, you won’t leave me alone. Is that correct?”

  Melinda did not like the way he put that. But, when she thought about it, he was right. The fact was… she wanted to convince Gilbert that Jenny really needed this outing and she was quite certain that she could convince him of it.

  Without waiting for her answer, Gilbert turned and continued striding toward the barn.

  “Mr. Roberts, please wait,” Melinda begged as she tried to catch up to him. “You said that you won’t come with us to the mountains because you are too busy.”

  “That is correct, Miss Gamble.”

  “Isn’t your daughter more important than work?” It had come out sharper than she had planned but she was not sorry and continued. “It’s only a half-day away from work. Isn’t your daughter worth it?”

  Melinda had emphasized the words “worth it” in a firm tone, hoping he would get the point and respond to it. But the response she had triggered was not what she had expected.

  He had gotten the point all right because suddenly Gilbert came to an abrupt stop and stared into Melinda’s eyes. His broad chest seemed to puff out and his eyes were cold. He stood rigid and unbending. His jaw became stiff and his voice was stern.

  “This is none of your business. My relationship with my daughter is no concern of yours, Miss Gamble.” He had snapped at her, and Melinda unconsciously took a step back.

  She took a deep breath and regained her courage. Then, with firmness and determination in her voice, she continued, “Oh, but I beg to differ with you, Mr. Roberts. The way you treat your daughter affects her behavior and she brings it to school with her. She brings her joy, her frustrations, her disappointments, and her happiness with her each day. I see it in her eyes when she arrives at school. She is a very happy little girl when she first arrives from home and then the children pull her down. Suddenly she’s not the same person anymore. I’m trying to change all that, but I can’t do it alone. I need your help.”

  Gilbert searched her face as she spoke and did not say a word.

  Melinda stared into his eyes, wondering what he was thinking. Had she been too outspoken? She had stood up to him and she had not cowered to the firmness of his voice. She had pulled her shoulders back and spoke with confidence. Perhaps no one had ever spoken to him in this manner before and he was offended. But that did not matter to Melinda. It was Jenny who mattered.

  “Mr. Roberts, please help me,” Melinda went on. “I want these children to accept Jenny. Will you accompany your daughter and put your work second just this once? And I promise that I won’t ask any more of you.” She paused. “Unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

  Gilbert did not take his eyes off Melinda. He breathed in a deep breath and slowly let it out. “You win, Miss Gamble. Besides, it’s the only way to get you to leave. I don’t need you following me around all day.”

  Melinda smiled. “Nor would I want to follow you around all day, Mr. Roberts. But if I had to, I would.”

  “I believe you would, Miss Gamble.” Gilbert had a slight smirk on his face, as if he were amused by this unexpected confrontation.

  “Thank you very much,” Melinda said with a smile. “You will not regret it. Meet us at the school Monday morning at nine thirty.” With a big grin, she added, “Wear a jacket and sturdy shoes. It will be a short climb and the mountains will be chilly.”

  Then Melinda turned on her heels and strode back to the carriage, grinning all the way. She felt like singing. She had won a very important battle.

  Gilbert watched her as she walked away. “Dad blame it, but she’s a stubborn and strong-willed woman,” he murmured.

  Aside from her strong will, Gilbert had noticed a few things about her that he liked. He liked the way she defended his daughter. Jenny had told him how Miss Gamble would compliment her at school and he liked that, too. Another thing he liked was Melinda’s self-confidence and determined attitude. He also noticed how beautiful she was, which was not difficult to see. He saw her expressive green eyes as she spoke and how they flamed when she was annoyed with him. And last, he noticed how graceful she
was as she walked away from him, her skirts swaying with each step she took.

  He remembered her delightful laughter at the stream and how happy she had been. She seemed unfettered and free, and there had been an almost ethereal beauty about her as Gilbert watched her walk in the middle of the stream. When she held her skirts above the water, he had noticed her shapely legs and slender ankles and Gilbert knew he should not have noticed such things, but they seemed to add to her charm.

  Chapter 7

  THE PARIS SPRINGS

  It was Monday morning and the children were excited about their excursion to the mountains. Jenny’s father arrived on horseback precisely at nine thirty.

  Melinda smiled as she walked up to him and said, “I’m glad you came.”

  Gilbert grinned. “I had to ’cause I gave my word. I don’t back down when I give my word.”

  “That’s admirable,” she replied.

  Then Melinda quickly gathered the children together and they hopped into the back of two buckboards that were waiting. Mark was fourteen and had gotten permission to drive his father’s buckboard. So, with Melinda in the lead, they headed toward the mountains. It was a dusty five-mile ride to the mouth of the canyon, but the children laughed and sang as they headed up the mountain.

  As they rode, they passed one birch tree after another and the pine trees seemed to multiply as they headed up the mountain. The dirt road was rocky and the buckboard bounced and jolted about, but that did not stop the singing and chattering. After arriving at their destination, Melinda grabbed her lunch pail and the children piled out of the buckboard to begin their hike up the mountain.

  They only had to walk five hundred yards to the spring, but oh, how lovely this walk was. They passed one quaking aspen after another. There were pine trees, lavender flowers, Queen Anne’s lace, and bushes with white berries; shrub after shrub lined their path as they walked. There were scads of yellow daisy-like flowers that were nodding in the breeze on each side of the path, and the white rugged cliffs stood five hundred feet high in front of them, looking magnificent.

  While they hiked, Melinda noticed how gentle and attentive Gilbert was with Jenny as he helped her along. She also noticed that he was kind to the other children as well. When they came upon a rugged area, he stopped to help each of the children safely across.

  For the first time since Melinda had arrived, Jenny was talking and laughing with the other girls. Melinda had been teaching for one month now and this was the first time she had seen the girls even speak to Jenny. Jenny was laughing and joking as she hiked the hill. Melinda had not heard her laugh before and she thought it was one of the most delightful sounds she had ever heard.

  As they walked along the path, Melinda overheard Peggy tell Jenny, “I know that the boys can be rude. But they call all of us girls names, even me. The secret is to ignore them when they do. They just hate it when we don’t pay attention to them. I just walk away when they start up.”

  Peggy was a redhead with several freckles on her nose and upper cheeks, and she had a charming smile. She was ten years old and had decided to befriend Jenny.

  Jenny listened attentively to every word she said and asked, “They call you names, too?”

  Peggy nodded. “Remember when Billy put my braid in the inkwell?”

  Jenny giggled and nodded.

  “And do you remember the frog in my pail?”

  Both girls giggled and their laughter bounced off the canyon walls. Melinda knew this excursion was good for them and she couldn’t help but smile at her brilliant idea.

  The swift, white-foamed rapids rolled over the rocks and gradually became louder as they approached the cliff where the water was pouring out of the mountain. As they arrived at their destination, she noticed a large flat boulder in the pathway that led to the springs. Gilbert climbed upon it and held his hand out to help the children up to the flat boulder. Each girl took his hand to keep balance as Gilbert helped her up, but the boys wanted to be independent and they jumped up to the boulder without any help whatsoever.

  Melinda smiled as she saw Gilbert helping the children. He seemed so helpful and caring, and that impressed her. After he helped the last child up, he held his hand out to Melinda. She hesitated as she looked into his eyes.

  “Miss Gamble? May I help you up, also?”

  Gilbert steadily gazed into her eyes with a curious and questioning look. Then Melinda grabbed her skirts with one hand and gave Gilbert her free hand. He held it firmly in his as he helped her up to the flat boulder where he stood. His hand was strong and warm and she blushed from the touch of it.

  Looking into his eyes, she felt embarrassed and quickly pulled her hand away as she said, “Thank you, Mr. Roberts.”

  As she walked away, Gilbert found it hard not to smile when he saw her face turn a rosy glow and quickly avert her eyes from his. He was amused and enjoyed the effect he had on her.

  He said, with a slight upturn of his lips, “You’re welcome. I’m glad I could help.”

  Without another thought, Melinda walked to the head of the class and told the children, “Class, follow me.”

  The roaring sound of the water pouring out of the mountain was exhilarating to listen to, not to mention freezing cold. Melinda encouraged the children to take their cups and hold them at the opening where the water was pouring out of the cliff so they could have a drink. She told them this water was unpolluted and fresh from the mountain. It was delicious and remarkably refreshing.

  As they stood in this small cove between the mountains, a new world opened up around them. It was like a fairyland of greenery that one could only imagine in storybooks and tales. The tall magnificent cliff above them was white with brown and green moss covering the jagged surface. In the river were large moss-covered rocks that were protruding above the water, and dark green shrubs surrounded them on every side.

  There was a stream of water pouring out of the mountain and amidst all this was a nest of white butterflies. Dozens of them flitted about merrily. Gilbert noticed Jenny’s immediate interest in God’s most beautiful creations, as if a reverent feeling had come over her. She said nothing as she slowly walked toward them and sat down to watch. He continued to watch his daughter’s expressions and noticed the effect the butterflies were having on her. How was it that nature could bring such joy to a person?

  He watched as Jenny slowly extended a finger towards them and kept very still. Soon a butterfly landed on her finger and her eyes brightened. He saw her look up at him with a smile, as if hoping he had seen the butterfly on her finger, and he chuckled softly. Gilbert had told her that certain varieties of butterflies would land on a person’s finger if one stood still enough, but she had disbelieved it at the time. And now, she was testing his knowledge. This made him chuckle even more.

  He noticed how still Jenny was sitting and as soon as one butterfly flew off her finger, another one landed. How incredible! This was one of the most peaceful places Gilbert had ever been.

  As Melinda looked around, she noticed that it was a sort of wonderland to these children and they were in awe of the beauty that nature had created here. She watched their eager faces and enjoyed seeing their curiosity as they walked around. The children laughed in delight and that made the effort of coming here all the more worthwhile.

  This was the first time Melinda had ever spent time in this kind of atmosphere and she could not take her eyes off the magnificence of this view. After all of them had dipped a toe into the freezing river and drank their fill of fresh cool water, they took out their lunch and began eating.

  Gilbert sat down beside Melinda and said humbly, “Thank you for asking me to come along. I can see that Jenny needed this little excursion.”

  Melinda smiled. “You’re welcome.”

  “I’m sorry I was so stubborn at the ranch and gave you such a bad time.”

  “I understand. Being an only parent can be hard.”

  He nodded. “I worry about Jenny a lot and I have to make decisions
that I think are right.”

  “I understand. I don’t know how you do it — being a single parent. But I do admire your independence in taking care of Jenny. She’s an intelligent young girl, but her former teacher made her feel otherwise. I’ve noticed that she has great qualities. She has a lot of love to share and I believe you have taught her that.”

  Gilbert steadily gazed into her eyes as she spoke. He liked what she was saying about Jenny and he enjoyed the pleasant sound of her voice. He noticed how her green eyes seemed to sparkle as she talked. She was a very positive person and he liked that about her.

  “I’ll let you finish eating,” he said as he rose to his feet. He turned and went back to the rock where he was sitting and watched his daughter as she conversed with Peggy. It was not long until Gilbert was joking around with them and making them giggle.

  “If you don’t watch out, these butterflies might follow you home like a lost puppy and then what would you do? What would you feed them?”

  This made the girls giggle as they tried to search for an answer, but they knew he was teasing them and that made it even more fun. When Melinda saw that the children were done eating, she rounded them up to leave.

  Gilbert stood on the ground below the large flat boulder and helped the children down by lifting each of them from the boulder to the ground where he stood. The older boys did not want help, though. They jumped down from the boulder with excitement and laughter.

  After the last child was down, he looked up into Melinda’s eyes and asked, “May I help you?”

  Melinda nodded and held her hand out for help. But instead, he took her by the waist and lifted her into the air with ease, without exertion, as if she did not weigh any more than the children did. His biceps pressed against the sleeves of his shirt as he lifted her to the ground.

  Melinda did not expect this and she gasped as he lifted her from the boulder.

  After he placed her on the ground, he said with a twinkle in his eyes, “I wouldn’t have dropped you.”

  Melinda had no comment to make as she tried to get her breath back. Her heart beat rapidly and her face flushed a rosy color. Trying not to let him see her reaction, she quickly turned and strode down the mountain at a fast pace. She did not understand why she was responding this way to the touch of this rugged rancher. Why had he taken her breath away in more ways than one? She didn’t even know him.