“As a matter of fact, we have traveled all the way from England to find Jebediah Whittaker. Does that tell you how badly we want him?” Jeremy looked at Austin signaling that they should give nothing away. Ordering another ale for the thirsty, trail weary Swartz they waited until he finished his second glass before prodding him further. “So the bastard stole from you eh? Tell us, how did he do that?” The second glass seemed to loosen the man's tongue.
“That son of a bitch tricked me out of my land. Pretended to be so generous and caring. Kept lending us money after he got us to sign that piece of paper. Then he comes and orders us to leave, says it's his land now- we were left homeless. Felt sorry for his wife and kids, seemed like a nice woman that Mrs. Whittaker. My wife and I tried to make it to California. Broke but determined we headed west, but Indians attacked not forty miles out. We put up a fight. Did no good though, I was injured and she was killed.” Arnold Swartz drew in a deep breath before continuing. He was talking more to himself than to Jeremy and Austin. “That Bastard Whittaker took my wife and my land. I could kill him with my bare hands.” He unconsciously reached up and stroked the scar on his face. A look of deep sadness filled his eyes but was quickly replaced with pure hatred. With that the man rose slowly and walked away. His fists were clenched and his shoulders drooped. Austin and Jeremy just sat and stared after him.
Now armed with more information, but apprehensive about the possible revenge on Jebediah by Swartz, they put their heads together. At least they knew that both Jebediah and Martha were here and now they had to devise a plan of action. Word might reach Jebediah in a few days and Jeremy wanted to arrive unexpected and without Austin.
Chapter Twelve- Martha and Jeremy meet
Details settled, Jeremy left the fort and headed out to the small town where his brother lived. Austin would travel separately from Jeremy to a location close by. They had learned that the buffalo hunt was in progress and that Jebediah and the rest of the men from the small community would be gone for a few days. Hopefully, Martha would be alone on the homestead and they could approach her with their plan.
It was dusk when Jeremy rode into the small but growing town. A General Store, a blacksmith shop and a few wooden homes made up the main street. A small church sat at the end of the street, which Jeremy surmised was his destination. Stopping in the General Store he inquired casually of the buffalo hunt.
“All the men left this morning, even the Pastor. You know men, can't wait to go out and kill something. If you are looking to join them you better ride hard to the north.” Jeremy enjoyed talking with Mrs. Mueller. He felt comfortable with the sturdy, smiling woman with a German accent. He chatted while she filled the freshly scrubbed shelves.
“No I think I'll just wait until the hunt is over, thank you for your time Ma'am.” He walked out of the small store into the dusty street, which contained only a few children.
Jeremy mounted his horse and rode towards the church. Mrs. Mueller continued stocking the shelves smiling to herself, thoughts of the handsome young stranger fueling her imagination.
Jeremy watched the log house and yard for some time before approaching. A young boy was tending to the stock. Jeremy thought he would start with him.” Hello young man, is your Mother or Father here?” Jeremy approached slowly scrutinizing Abraham who looked up from his chores. The blond angelic face reminded Jeremy immediately of Alicia.
“Martha's in the church sir and Father is gone on the buffalo hunt with my brother Isaac.” Shielding his eyes from the sun, Abraham stared at the stranger's silhouette.
“Thank you son, I'll ride to the church and talk to, who did you say?”
“Martha, she is our step mother.” Abraham was feeling uneasy. A memory prickled at the back of his mind. The stranger rode off towards the church. Intuition made Abraham follow him. Martha was all alone except for Ezekiel and Abraham was the man of the house when his father and Isaac were away.
“Hello, anyone here?” Jeremy entered the little church and looked for signs of life. A small, blond boy was seated on the alter reading a book. The smell of lye soap filled the air. He looked up when he heard Jeremy and nodded to his left. There on her hands and knees was the long awaited Martha. Beautiful, was not the first thing that sprang to Jeremy's mind. He was expecting the woman in the portrait and was met by the scrubwoman. The woman rose, brushed a stray hair from her face and turned toward him. As he walked closer he realized that in spite of the drab clothing and the severe hairstyle this was indeed a magnetically, beautiful woman. Taken aback by her appearance, he stood silently.
“Can I help you sir? The pastor is not in but I'm his wife.” Martha was used to strangers arriving in the church for various pastoral reasons. Nothing about this man alarmed her. She dried her hands on her apron as she spoke. She could not help but think the stranger was quite handsome and very polite. Her long forgotten vanity showed itself as she smoothed loose tendrils of her hair back from her face.
“May I speak to you in private Ma'am? Perhaps the boy could leave us alone for just a minute?” Jeremy removed his Stetson and ran his fingers through his hair.
Unsure of what to do, Martha was growing nervous. Why does this stranger want Ezekiel to leave? What does he want? Just then Abraham arrived panting and out of breath.
“Martha, it's him, the man in the dream, it's him.” Forgetting that Ezekiel and the stranger were present, Abraham blurted out his realization with no thought of consequences.
Jeremy turned and looked at Abraham, then back at the now shocked and paralyzed face of Martha Whittaker. Abraham ran past him towards Martha and Ezekiel.
“Ezekiel, Abraham come here. Who are you sir and what do you want?” Martha gathered the boys to her and began to back away but Jeremy's words stopped her.
“I'm Jeremy Whittaker and I must speak to you on an important family matter. Please ask the boys to wait outside, I assure you I mean you no harm.” Jeremy did his best to assure Martha that his intentions were honorable and he needed to speak to her in private. Still frightened, Martha assessed this stranger but trusted her intuition that she was not in danger. Her curiosity raised; the appearance of Jebediah's brother after Abraham's dream was more than coincidental. Her first priority was not to upset the boys and she was anxious to remove them from harm's way.
“Abraham and Ezekiel go to the cabin and stay there until I come for you. I'll not be long, now do as I say. This is your uncle Jeremy and there is no need for concern.”
Martha was not sure why, but she was not afraid of this man. Something in the back of her mind told her he meant no harm to her or the boys. Perhaps God was giving her direction.
“But Martha, I…..” Martha raised her palm and stopped Abraham in mid sentence. Abraham stared at his uncle nervously. Ezekiel picked up his book and started towards the door.
“Abraham, please take Ezekiel and go now.” Abraham and Ezekiel walked slowly, looking over their shoulders several times. Martha watched from the door as they returned to the cabin. She took a deep breath and turned slowly to stare into the green eyes of Jeremy Whitaker.
“Now sir, what do you want?” Martha sat in the pew, fear mixed with curiosity, inviting Jeremy to sit beside her but maintaining a safe distance between them.
“I was sent by your father to help you. My brother has committed a terrible injustice upon your family and I want you to know I'm traveling with Austin Wells.” Jeremy wanted to give Martha as much information as possible to ease her mind and let her understand the urgency of this conversation. He noticed the shocked look on her face at the mention of her father and Austin. He also noticed the mistrust in her blue eyes.
“My father sent you? How do you know my Father? Austin is here, where is he?” Martha was stunned. Austin was here with Jebediah's brother? Her father had sent him? This man wanted to help her? What was going on? Was this someone's idea of a cruel joke?
“I'll take you to him shortly. Let me explain but first, our meeting must be kept confidential. Is
it correct that Jebediah will not be back for two or three days?” Jeremy was very cautious with this woman. He really did not know the situation between her and his brother and wanted to be very careful.
“Yes at least two days possibly four but why don't you want anyone to know you are here?” Martha's head was spinning. She was starting to feel some glimmer of hope that perhaps this ordeal was finally over. Emotions wrestling, her lack of trust was winning out.
“Just listen, I'll start at the beginning. Your father and some of his business partners bought some land from Jebediah. Your father gave Jebediah your hand in marriage as part of that land transfer. Please do not interrupt.” Jeremy raised his hand to silence her. The involuntary flinch as his hand raised spoke volumes of how this woman had been treated. “Once they discovered that I was the real owner of the land, your father contacted Austin Wells and myself and requested our help.” Jeremy continued the tale as Martha sat open-mouthed but listening.
She watched Jeremy as he told her of how Jebediah had defrauded her father and his associates. As the words fell on her ears she could not help but take in Jeremy's appearance. How different from his brother he seemed. They were like opposite sides of a coin. Where Jebediah's essence was dark and full of dread, Jeremy's was light and airy, even physically they were different. Jeremy was a handsome man and very unlike his dark, sharp featured, plain brother. He instilled trust and confidence as he spoke.
“So you and Austin have come to take me home, well anything would be better than life with your brother, sir. But I don't think I want to go home to my father who you say, sold me in a land deal.” Martha was regaining her composure and anger was replacing confusion. If this man was telling the truth, she would never forgive her father for this but right now she wanted to see Austin. She desperately wanted to believe this stranger but prayed that she was not being tricked again. She clenched her hands firmly together as she waited for Jeremy to finish.
“Let's go and see Wells and I'll talk with the boys while you and he meet in private. We must not let the boys know he's here. That is most important and another thing, we must not trust anyone.” Jeremy stressed the last point.
“Trust is something I no longer give, even to you sir.” Martha rose and followed Jeremy out the door, taking in the length of his stride and the tilt of his broad shoulders.
After brief introductions and instruction from Martha for the boys, Jeremy directed her to Austin's location at the edge of the property and went back into the cabin to talk to his nephews. She was hesitant to leave the children with this stranger but her desire to see Austin was driving her on. She faltered for just a minute as she wrestled with the thought that this could be a trap. If Austin was here then she must go, pushing her doubts aside she climbed into the wagon.
Excitedly driving to her destination she could not believe she was actually going to see Austin. For the first time in almost a year, Martha actually thought about her appearance. If only she had stopped and fixed herself up. What would Austin think seeing her like this? Oh, what did it matter? Austin, dear Austin was waiting. Thank you God, thank you. She pulled her hair from the tight bun on the back of her head and shook it loose. She looked down sadly at her patched gray dress and dirty apron as she slowed the wagon to a stop. Climbing down, she looked around assessing the situation. Cautiously, she approached the storage shed; her footsteps silent on the earth but feeling like her feet were made of lead. Her heart was in her throat. Her hands were shaking.
“Austin, are you here?” Martha called out, her voice trembling uncontrollably. Tenuously she entered the shed hoping and praying she was not walking into a trap, her eyes scanning the dimly lit enclosure.
“Martha, over here.” Austin appeared just to her left and approached with arms open. Thankful and relieved, the breath she had been holding escaped from her lips, she ran into his arms sobbing uncontrollably. Austin's arms felt like a warm tender security blanket, the first embrace she had experienced in a year. She drew strength from him like a sponge. Tears rolled down her face. Unable to move away, she tried to memorize everything her senses were feeling. The smell of Austin's body, sweet with perspiration, the soft but secure feel of his arms, his gentle reassurances whispered in her ear, the touch of his hand on her hair, she would never forget this moment as long as she lived. She wasn't dreaming. Total relief poured through her veins. Her ordeal was over, it was really over. Austin too was experiencing the sensual pleasures of holding Martha. The smell of soap lingered on her clothing, her hair was soft against his skin, her thin but hard body against his, all recorded in his memory. At last he had found her and she was alive.
After several minutes she regained her composure and leaning back, looked into Austin's teary, deep brown eyes. She still could not believe she wasn't dreaming. Austin looked at her shabby clothes and realized that Martha, no longer innocent and carefree, had changed considerably in the course of a year. He hated Jebediah Whittaker even more for what he had done to her. Martha held his hand in her rough, calloused palm and eagerly told him everything that she had endured. The more she talked, the deeper the pain and the greater the hate for Jebediah grew in his heart.
In the cabin, Jeremy sat at the wooden table and looked at his two blond haired nephews. He realized they were very much like their mother, Alicia. Abraham seemed to have calmed down and Jeremy was curious about his comment about a dream. He decided to leave that for later, keeping the conversation light.
“So how do you boys like the west? Tell me about your lives as cowboys.”
The boys giggled at Jeremy's reference to being cowboys and both of them were drawn to this newfound uncle. Stories were exchanged and Jeremy inquired as to Isaac's well being.
“He is a big meanie and a spy.” Ezekiel offered. “I don't like him, he does bad things and he is a tattle tale.”
“Isaac is fine Uncle Jeremy, Ezekiel is just a little boy and doesn't mean what he says.” Abraham, only two years older than Ezekiel reassured his uncle giving his brother a silencing look. “ Father took him on the buffalo hunt. Isaac likes to shoot and hunt. I don't like to kill animals; I love animals.” Abraham looked deeply into Jeremy's face. “ Why did you come Uncle Jeremy and how did you get here? Did you take a ship like we did and then a wagon train?” Abraham was still thinking of his dream where he saw Jeremy on a ship and was trying to find out as much as he could about this virtual stranger. He also wondered about the other strange man in the dream.
“Yes, I came on a ship but then I took a stagecoach. We even got shot at by robbers.” He continued telling the spellbound boys of the robbers and the runaway stagecoach. They were fascinated by the story and wanted to hear more of his adventures. Ezekiel even crawled in his lap and Abraham was very surprised. Their father never allowed contact and was not demonstrative in any way. In fact Jebediah never engaged in conversation with the younger boys. Abraham understood Ezekiel's feeling of comfort with Jeremy however, because he too felt very safe and relaxed.
The three adults had one day to devise a plan and Martha was very nervous. At first she just wanted to take the boys and leave immediately. This place held nothing but misery for her. She wanted to be gone. After learning that the next stagecoach wouldn't leave for a week and being reminded they were in the middle of nowhere, she calmed down and listened to her champions. She refused to leave Abraham and Ezekiel with Jebediah, even though she knew they were in for a battle. At least she had reserves on her side now and perhaps a solution could be reached. Martha was holding on to her secret of Jebediah's liens until she needed them and had not told either Austin or Jeremy what she knew. Jeremy was going to try and use the legal charges to convince his brother to let her and the younger boys go. Somehow she doubted it would work. Both Jeremy and Austin had issues with Jebediah and would not leave until they were settled. Some of her old resolve returning, Martha began to plan for her future.
Jeremy and Austin returned to the fort, Austin's identity remaining a secret. Martha and the s
ilenced boys, who were told Uncle Jeremy wanted to surprise Father, were left to wait for Jebediah and Isaac to return. Vegetables were picked and stored in the root cellar and the stock was cared for. She put her house in order and crawled into her cot spiritually hopeful for the first time in ages. She was unsure of Jeremy but Austin had assured her that he was sincere. Before laying down she brushed her hair slowly and carefully counting the strokes, something she had not done in many months. Martha lay in her bed reliving the reunion with Austin and the secure feel of his arms around her. Could it be true? Am I really going to escape this time? Do I dare hope for a future away from Jebediah? Just as she drifted off to sleep Abraham let out a blood- curdling scream.
“Father, Father.”
Martha rushed to Abraham's cot. Please God not again. Let me escape this torture once and for all. Shaking the small boy she prayed that he was not having another premonition. Jeremy's arrival had given more credence to Abraham's ability to see the future and right now, she didn't want to know what was coming next.
“Martha, someone shot him. Someone shot Father,” cried the shaking Abraham, who had just shattered Martha's momentary serenity with another unwanted prophecy.
Chapter Thirteen- Jeremy and Jebediah
The women were gathered in the main street of their small town, anxiously awaiting the arrival of their husbands and sons. Conversations on cooking, gardening and child rearing filled the street and the air was alive with their enthusiasm. Children played in the dust and food had been prepared and set up in the Church. Martha milled around the street, trying to maintain a casual appearance. She stopped to talk with Margaret Brown, who she had seen little of since winter set in. Margaret was pregnant and absolutely glowing with health.
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