Truly Yours Historical Collection December 2014

by Susan Page Davis, Paige Winship Dooly, Connie Stevens

  “And just how did they all hear that?” Megan took a step closer. Jesse bit back a smile at the thought that Megan might throw these people out without any help from him. “Did you make sure they knew all about what happened? I know my parents talked to you and your husband. They trusted you not to spread that information all over.” The chill in the room rivaled the freezing temperatures outside.

  Mrs. Porter’s face reddened. “I. . .I don’t know how the townspeople learned of your misfortune. Perhaps your parents told others.”

  “They wouldn’t have told anyone else.” Megan took another step closer, her fists clenched at her sides. “The only reason they talked to you was because they believed in being open with their pastor. Our whole family was hurt by those false accusations, and they needed to talk to you.”

  Megan turned away, and Jesse could see the tears in her eyes. She half-turned to face Mrs. Porter. Jesse strained to hear what she said. “You betrayed my parents’ trust. I think that’s worse than anything you’re accusing me of doing.”

  “That’s enough.” Reverend Porter towered over Megan. He yanked on his black coat and glared at her. “I won’t have you maligning my wife. You’re the one in the wrong here.”

  He faced the banker. “Mr. Sparks, I’m sorry, but I don’t believe you’ll be wanting to marry this young lady now.”

  The banker stuttered. Yanking a handkerchief from his pocket, he wiped his face, even though the room was chilly. “I realize the circumstances have changed somewhat, but I’m still willing to be wed. It’s obvious to me this young lady needs a strong man to care for her and keep her in line.”

  Jesse couldn’t see the look the banker gave Megan, but her reaction made his insides tighten. He longed to be able to help her. He wanted to force these people out of the house, but his body wouldn’t respond to any of the commands he tried to give. Even his brain felt fuzzy from exhaustion. Something had to happen soon or he would end up in a heap on the floor.

  “I will not marry you.” Megan glared at the banker, and Jesse wanted to cheer for her.

  “I’m astonished at Mr. Sparks’s generosity toward you, Megan.” The reverend’s smile for the banker changed to a scowl as he faced Megan. “I refuse to leave here today without seeing you become a respectable woman. It’s obvious to my wife and me that you need someone to care for you. Mr. Sparks is a good match. I’m appalled at your lack of enthusiasm over his offer.” He stepped closer, his tone becoming threatening. “Would you rather marry that poor excuse for a man who’s standing half-naked over there? Is a penniless drifter better than a respected man like Mr. Sparks?”

  Hands on her hips, Megan matched him glare for glare. “I would rather marry anyone than Mr. Sparks. I don’t consider this a generous offer. He only wants to get his grubby hands on my father’s land, just as he’s done with countless others around here. He makes generous loans and then forecloses on the land without any consideration for who lives there. My parents would never approve of a marriage between Mr. Sparks and me. Now, will you kindly leave my home?” She flung her arm in a gesture toward the door.

  “You have no choice about the matter, Megan. With your parents dead and you alone, the sheriff and I have taken it on ourselves to look after you. Mr. Sparks says you won’t be able to pay off the loan. We can’t have you thrown off your land. You have your sister to think about, too. She’ll need caring for.”

  “He’s right, Dear.” Mrs. Porter tried to pat Megan’s shoulder, but Megan jerked out of her reach. “I don’t know where you got those horrible ideas about Mr. Sparks. He’s a fine, upstanding citizen. He’ll take good care of you.”

  Reverend Porter opened his black book again and cleared his throat. The sheriff moved to stand beside the banker. Mrs. Porter took a firm grip on Megan’s arm. Jesse could see the look of panic that crossed Megan’s face. His angel. He couldn’t allow this to happen to her.

  “I’ll marry her.” Before he could glance around to see who had spoken, Jesse realized the words had come from his mouth.

  Six

  “I believe that’s highly inappropriate.” Reverend Porter spoke first. “Since we are in charge of this young lady’s welfare, my dear wife and I would never see her married to a common drifter.”

  “I am not a common drifter.” Jesse tried to stand taller.

  “And just who would you be?” The sheriff took one threatening step forward.

  “My father, Richard Coulter, is the owner of the First Central Bank of Chicago.” He gave a tight smile. “So you see, Megan would be changing from one banker to another.”

  “You said you were going to the gold mines.” Sheriff Armstrong narrowed his eyes.

  “I have recently taken a leave of absence from the bank. I wanted to do a bit of traveling.” Jesse swallowed hard against the half-lie. He had wanted to travel, but he hadn’t intended to ever return to the bank or to the Chicago area. He couldn’t look at Megan, fearing to see a look of disappointment in her eyes. Most likely she didn’t want to marry him, either, but he could see no other way to keep her from being tied to a man she despised.

  “This is preposterous.” Mr. Sparks huffed. “We have no proof that he is who he says. This man could be anyone posing as a banker.”

  “He’s telling the truth.” Megan’s soft whisper caused a hush to fall.

  “How do you know that, Child?” Reverend Porter asked.

  “When he was so sick, I looked through his things.” She hesitated, glancing at Jesse and then away. “I wanted to see who to inform if he didn’t live. He was so sick.” She squared her shoulders. “He had some papers in his bag from the First Central Bank. I didn’t read through them closely, but I did see the name of Richard Coulter on the papers.”

  “He could be making this up.” Mr. Sparks wiped at his face with his handkerchief.

  “No, he had a Bible in his belongings. That’s how Seana and I knew his name.”

  “Meggie?” Seana peeked around the curtain. Megan held out her arms, and her sister dashed across the room and flung herself at Megan. “Meggie, please don’t marry Mr. Sparks. You know what Papa said about him.” Seana gave Mr. Sparks a pointed look as she tried to whisper, but everyone could hear what she said.

  “I won’t marry him, Seana.”

  “You will have to be wed, Megan.” Reverend Porter frowned at her. “Your virtue has been brought into question. We can’t have your reputation sullied further than it is.” He glanced at his wife. “However, I will give you the choice of which banker you will marry.”

  Megan’s eyes sparkled with unshed tears. Jesse ached for her. How could these people be so thoughtless? To be forced to make such a decision, when her family wasn’t even buried, was cruel. “Perhaps you would give the young lady a few days to consider the choice before she makes it.”

  “That would never work.” Mrs. Porter looked horrified. “Megan either has to marry you in order to stay here tonight, or she has to marry Mr. Sparks and leave with us. Knowing that you are here virtually unchaperoned leaves us no other choice, isn’t that right, Dear?”

  Reverend Porter nodded. “Megan, you must choose now or we will make the decision for you. We have to get back to town before too much time passes.”

  “I will never marry Mr. Sparks.” Megan repeated the words with such force that Jesse had no doubts, but he wondered why she didn’t say she would rather marry him. Didn’t she like him, either? Confusion swirled through his mind. He couldn’t seem to focus on anything any longer. His legs turned soft, and he slid down to sit on the floor with a thump. He tried to force a smile when they all turned to look at him, but none of his muscles seemed to be in working order.

  ❧

  “Jesse.” Megan’s heart thudded as she watched him slump to the floor. He’d been so sick. He shouldn’t have been out of bed at all, let alone for this long. Eternity seemed to have passed as they stood here debating her future, as if she had no significance. Megan hurried across the room and knelt beside Jesse. Her fin
gers touched his brow to find him slightly warmer than he should have been. She hoped his fever wasn’t returning.

  “What’s the matter with him?” Sheriff Armstrong knelt beside her.

  “I told you he’s been sick. He’s had pneumonia from the exposure he suffered during the blizzard. He shouldn’t even be up and about. Help me get him back to bed.” Megan tried to get her shoulder underneath his arm. Jesse tried to stand, but he didn’t appear to have any strength left.

  “Here, let me help with that.” Reverend Porter pushed her aside. Between them, he and the sheriff managed to get Jesse back to bed. Megan tucked the covers around him and wiped the sweat from his brow with a damp cloth.

  “Now, you see, we can’t possibly go through with this. This man is as sick as I told you.”

  “It’s still improper for you to be here with him.” Reverend Porter’s chin jutted out. “We’ll give him a few minutes to recover. When he’s awake enough to repeat his vows, we’ll get you married.”

  “She should marry me.” Mr. Sparks’s face reddened. “I offered to be her husband. It was a generous offer, considering her background. I won’t see her wed to some stranger we don’t even know.”

  “Sometimes God makes other choices for us.” Reverend Porter gestured at the man on the bed. “If you were to marry her, you would always have this hanging over your head. People would talk about how she spent these days with a stranger in her house. Having her wed him is the best way, especially since we know he’s a man of means.”

  A slight smile appeared on Jesse’s face. Megan watched him open his eyes, although he didn’t seem to focus. She couldn’t help but wonder what little joke ran through his mind at the reverend’s words. Had he lied about who he was? Her emotions swinging with the wind, Megan didn’t know what to think anymore. All she wanted was to curl up in a corner and grieve for her parents and Matt, to hold Seana and not think about the future.

  Hours later, only the glow of the fire lit the main room of the house. Flickering images danced across the walls, but Megan paid them little attention. Huddled in an old quilt her mother stitched for her years ago, she allowed the tears to flow unchecked. Pain, hard physical pain, flared through her chest as she thought of her mother, father, and brother, their frozen bodies waiting in the barn until the ground thawed enough to dig the graves.

  Dear God, what are we supposed to do now? How will I ever manage without Momma? Fresh tears traced down her cheeks. She could clearly recall the morning her parents left for town, although it seemed a lifetime ago now. The smell of cooking breakfast, ham and coffee, clung to her mother as she hugged Megan. Her father kissed her cheek, the touch of his beard tickling against her skin as he bid her good-bye. Matt with his saucy grin, hopping into the bed of the wagon in one easy jump. She could see how the legs of his pants were too short already, knowing her mother had left a big hem for this reason. Matt sprouted up faster than they could keep him in clothes. Never again would she hug them or talk to them.

  “Momma, I’m married now,” Megan whispered the words aloud. “I’m not sure Jesse even knows or understands that we’re married. He did say the words, but his fever was up and his eyes didn’t quite focus.” Megan closed her eyes and fought a wave of anguish at the travesty of being married on the same day her family’s bodies were brought home.

  If Seana hadn’t been there to see Reverend Porter perform the ceremony, Megan would be tempted to tell Jesse he’d had a dream. He’d been so sick, he would probably believe her. He would leave when he got well, and no one would bother her again. The townsfolk would still believe her married.

  “What am I to do about the loan, Papa? How did you plan to pay it off?” She shuddered at the thought of the greedy look in Mr. Sparks’s eyes. The man wanted all he could get. He saw the possibilities for this area to grow, and he wanted to own as much of it as possible. He wasn’t beyond doing anything to anyone to get his way. Her father had returned home one afternoon, grim and withdrawn after assisting a neighbor who’d been evicted by Mr. Sparks. The banker stood by with a smile on his face the whole time the family made haste to pack.

  “Where will we go if we can’t pay the loan? He’ll throw us out the same as he did the Sheffields, especially after I treated him so poorly today.” Megan pressed her fingers to her burning eyes. She couldn’t let this get her down. Her parents always insisted that God was in charge and He could be trusted, but Megan was beginning to wonder. Their trust in God left them frozen to death in a blizzard, with the possibility of eminent foreclosure on their property.

  God, I don’t know how You could do this to people who loved You as much as Momma and Papa did. If You’re in charge, why did You leave Seana and me without any family? Why did You allow me to marry a man I don’t even know and who probably has no desire to be married to me?

  No answers came, but then Megan hadn’t expected any.

  ❧

  The smell of frying bacon tickled Jesse’s nose. His stomach growled. He stretched, reveling in the warmth of the bed contrasted to the cold of the room he slept in. Drawing in a breath, he tested his lungs to see how much air he could pull in without coughing. When he felt the catch in his chest, he froze, then slowly breathed out.

  His body didn’t feel as sluggish this morning, and he wondered if he could get out of bed. He hadn’t been up since this sickness weakened him. He frowned. Of course, there was that crazy dream he had last night. Shaking his head, he chuckled. Imagine him getting married. That had to be an illusion. He’d just promised God he would go wherever the Lord led, so he knew getting married and settling down wasn’t for him. He might live his whole life without a wife. His thoughts strayed to Megan. Of course, if he had to become a husband to someone, she would be a good choice. He would always carry a fondness for his angel.

  The bedroom door edged open, and Seana’s face peeked around. At the sight of him awake, she lit up like a summer day. “Meggie, he’s awake.” She flung the door the rest of the way open and bounded into the room, her braids bouncing across her shoulders.

  Sliding to a stop, Seana leaned her elbows on the bed and gave Jesse a peculiar smile. He couldn’t begin to guess what was going on behind those sparkling blue eyes. “Megan sent me to see if you were awake and if you wanted some real food for breakfast. She’s cooking bacon and eggs. I have to slice some bread, too, and there’s coffee.”

  Jesse chuckled. When had he last felt such enthusiasm? No wonder Jesus mentioned coming to Him as a child. Who wouldn’t be drawn to one like Seana? A loud rumble interrupted his thoughts. Seana covered her mouth with her hand and giggled.

  “I guess that’s your answer. The smell of that bacon woke me up. I can almost taste it from here.”

  “I’ll tell Meggie.” With that, Seana bounded across the room and disappeared from sight.

  A few minutes later, Megan came in carrying a tray laden with his breakfast. She appeared more shy than usual, her gaze downcast, a hesitancy about her that hadn’t been there before. Had he done something to offend her? Thinking hard, Jesse couldn’t recall anything he’d said or done. He bit back a grin. Thank goodness, she wasn’t privilege to his dreams. If she knew he’d dreamed about them having a wedding, she’d be running rather than bringing him food.

  “Good morning.”

  Megan flinched at his words, sloshing coffee from the cup onto the tray. A flush spread over her round cheeks, giving her a rosy fresh appeal. Jesse wanted to do something to make her smile so he could see the dimple in her cheek. He picked up the fork instead, wondering why he would be thinking of such things when he would be leaving this place soon and never see these people again.

  “Good morning, Mr. Coulter. Are you feeling better this morning?” Megan spoke so softly, he had to strain to catch the words even though she stood beside him. Her tone held a touch of something different. Fear? Uncertainty?

  “I’m feeling much stronger, thank you. I believe I’ll try to get up as soon as I eat.” He scooped up a bite of eggs. “
It will be good to finally get out of bed. I’ll see if I can remember how to walk. Maybe by tomorrow I can get out of your way.”

  Megan paled. She stepped back. “I’ll be back to get your tray.” She rushed from the room. Jesse stared after her, wondering what could possibly be wrong. Up until now Megan had been sweet and caring. He’d enjoyed the way she sat with him, talking on occasion, but mostly watching over him. After breakfast he would have to find out about the sudden change in behavior.

  Feeling stronger after eating, Jesse asked for some water to wash with and his clothes. Megan brought both, then retreated in uncharacteristic silence. This time he noted the dark circles under her red-rimmed eyes. Why had she been crying?

  Seana waited outside when he opened the door. Standing up took more energy than he thought it would. Just getting washed and dressed drained him so much, he wasn’t sure he could make the trek across the room to a chair. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Seana frowned at him as he rested one hand on the door frame.

  “Meggie, I think he’s gonna fall like he did yesterday.”

  Yesterday? When had he fallen yesterday? He hadn’t been out of bed until now. Before he could question Seana’s statement, Megan was beside him, helping him to a chair. He’d never felt so stupid as he did now having a woman assist him in walking. Jesse hated this sickness. He sank into the rocker with a grateful sigh.

  “I’m not sure you should be up and about yet, Mr. Coulter.” Megan wiped his brow.

  “Why not, Meggie?” Seana patted him on the arm. “He got up yesterday right before he married you.”

  Seven

  Lifting another shovel of manure from the stall floor, Jesse tried his best to ignore the pine boxes in the back of the barn. In the past few weeks, since he’d learned he was married to Megan, he’d done his best to take over the chores and save her the heartache of seeing these reminders of her family.