For the first mile, he allowed his feelings to stew, glancing back once to find the Brights about an eighth of a mile behind them. Megan sat board stiff beside him on the seat, her gaze straight ahead. He wanted to talk to her, but he didn’t know how to start. Since their marriage, they’d only talked of farm-related concerns. The realization dawned that they hadn’t ever talked about anything husbands and wives usually shared. He found he wanted to tell her about his call to be a pastor, and he wanted to know her likes and dislikes. He especially wanted to know what had hurt her so much and what dark cloud followed her when she moved out West with her parents.
A quiet sniff broke his concentration. From the corner of his eye, he could see the way Megan’s fingers trembled as they clasped together in her lap. From the movement of the material in her dress, he knew her whole body shook with her effort to hold in her hurt. A single tear rolled down her cheek, but she still didn’t relax or let her gaze drift his way.
The horses were going on their own now. They’d been over this road often enough to know the way home. Jesse loosened his grip on the reins. The tension and anger inside him flowed away, replaced with compassion and caring for his wife, something that he’d never expected to feel. Shifting the reins to one hand, he put his other arm around Megan’s shoulder and drew her close. She resisted for a moment, then leaned her head against his shoulder.
Jesse marveled at how natural it felt to have Megan leaning against him. Her head fit just right in the curve of his shoulder. Closing his eyes, he breathed deeply, loving the scent of soap mixed with the fresh smell of outdoors and sun. He wanted to rest his cheek on her head, to caress her arm. He wanted to kiss her and care for her as a true husband should.
“Megan, I’m so sorry I made you go to church. I had no idea you would be treated that way.” Jesse stroked her arm.
She shuddered. With a sob, she erupted in tears. He held her tight until the crying eased, murmuring soft words of comfort, praying God would guide him as a husband.
“I’m sorry.” Megan pushed away from him, wiping at her cheeks. “I don’t usually act like this.”
“You don’t usually get attacked in front of a crowd of people.” Jesse pulled out his handkerchief and offered it to her. “I’ve never known a preacher to be so vicious.”
“I’ve seen him do worse.” Megan gave a slight hiccup as she wiped her eyes.
“Worse than this?”
Megan nodded. “A few years ago we had a family in town whose boys were. . .rambunctious.” She glanced up at Jesse with reddened eyes. “The boys weren’t bad; they were full of energy and life. They liked to play practical jokes, and some people didn’t like that. Reverend Porter has always been stern and doesn’t see amusement in much of anything.”
She paused to blow her nose. “Anyway, the boys played a practical joke on the Porters. It was harmless, but the reverend took offense. He called the parents up in front of the congregation the next Sunday and chastised them for not having control of their children. He read Scripture, although much of it out of context, according to my father. By the time he finished, the family was so humiliated, they left.”
“They left town or church?”
“Church that morning. They tried to stay in town, but Reverend Porter has a lot of influence here. So many people were against them, the family ended up leaving. I only hope they found a good church and a pastor who will not be so condemning.
“Papa often said if there was any other church to attend, he would change in an instant. I know of others who agreed with him.”
“I suppose there aren’t any other churches close enough to ride to.” Jesse pursed his mouth in thought. A seed of an idea began to sprout.
“No.” Megan glanced behind them, a thoughtful expression on her face. “You know, you have a lot of knowledge of the Bible. Seana and I both appreciate the lessons you’ve done on the Sundays we stayed home.” She fell quiet, nibbling at her bottom lip.
“What if—”
“I’ve been thinking—”
Megan blushed as she and Jesse both spoke at once. Jesse flashed her a grin. “Go ahead, you first.”
She hesitated, smoothing her skirt with her gloved hands. “What if you started a church? I guess that would never work because we live so far from town, but I think a lot of people around here would welcome someone other than Reverend Porter. If only we weren’t so far from Yankton.”
Jesse nodded. “That’s sort of what I wanted to talk to you about.” He took her hand, needing the contact. She didn’t pull away. “I’ve been thinking about how we don’t really know each other. Ever since the wedding, we’ve talked about Seana or the farm, but we’ve never learned much about one another.” He paused as she looked away. Had he seen a look of fear in her eyes? What was she afraid of?
“Yoo-hoo, Megan.” Mrs. Bright called from behind them.
Jesse hadn’t realized how close the neighbors had gotten to them. They must have pushed their team some to catch up. He tried not to show his disappointment. They could talk later. Jesse hauled on the reins, pulling the horses to a halt. He and Megan both turned in their seats to face the Brights.
“Megan, these boys are just about to starve to death.” Mrs. Bright’s laugh tinkled in the chilly air. “I think that includes William. Men and boys are always hungry. Are you and Jesse ready to stop for a bite to eat?”
Glancing first at Jesse, Megan pointed at a small rise of land. “We’re ready. Momma and Papa used to have lunch at the next rise. The ground will be a little drier there. Is that okay?”
“Lead on.” William clucked to his team at the same time Jesse did. The wagons rattled along the road for a few minutes to the small hill.
As soon as they halted, the children tumbled over the side of the wagon and scampered to the top of the hill. Seana and Sally climbed at a more sedate pace, the pair still in deep conversation. Jesse smiled, remembering how his sisters and their friends giggled and talked for hours.
Handing Megan a blanket, Jesse lifted the basket of food from the back of the wagon. One of the many things he appreciated about Megan was her cooking skill. Without the hard work needed to keep up a farm, he would be as fat as one of their hogs by now. She made the lightest biscuits and the tastiest stew he’d ever eaten. He knew she had packed a fried chicken in the lunch this morning, and his mouth watered at the thought.
“Here, let me take that.” Megan stretched out her hand for the blankets Edith Bright was juggling along with the baby.
“Do you want the blankets or Henry?” Edith asked. “If you don’t mind, I’d love a break from this one. He’s done nothing but squirm all the way from town.”
Megan held out her arms. Henry gurgled as he almost jumped at her. The look of utter delight on Megan’s face as she cuddled the wiggling infant close in her arms told Jesse she would make a great mother. He’d never given much thought to being a father; but watching Megan, his heart filled with a longing so strong, he thought anyone would be able to see.
As the women strolled up the rise after the children, William stepped up beside Jesse, lugging a much bigger basket. “I heard in town that you’re about to lose the farm. Sometime soon I’d like to talk about Mr. Sparks and the shenanigans he’s pulling around here. Something just doesn’t smell right.”
Ten
Before the man had a chance to say more, Edith called for them to hurry up and bring the food. The older boys raced back and forth between their parents as Jesse and William climbed the hill, toting the baskets. The two boys were full of energy, as only the young possessed. They settled down when the food was laid out, however, and everyone dug into the food with gusto.
“More chicken?” Megan lifted the bowl, still half full of fried chicken, and offered it to Jesse. He shook his head, then sighed.
“You’re going to fatten me up, Megan. I think there is one more piece calling my name.” Jesse felt a thrill of satisfaction at Megan’s blush. “I don’t know how I managed to be the one to h
ave you as a wife.” He leaned forward, noting the Brights were taking care of a fight between the boys. “You are a blessing.” He winked. Megan’s cheeks turned bright red. Jesse snatched a chicken leg from the bowl and took a big bite to hide his grin. He didn’t want her to think him insincere, but he couldn’t help being delighted to watch her. Giving her a compliment was like watching a rose blossom. He knew her parents were very good and loved her. The uncertainty must come from whatever hurt she’d endured before they moved here. He hoped someday she would be able to get past that pain.
“Jesse, we’ve heard you’re from the Chicago area.” Edith gave a frazzled smile, relaxing as her boys calmed down. “Do you still have family there?”
“Yes, Ma’am. My parents and two sisters still live there. Both of my sisters are married.”
“Whatever made you decide to ride out West—and in the middle of the winter?” Edith served William a piece of chocolate cake.
“I. . .I guess I needed to get away for awhile.” Jesse knew the excuse sounded lame. He didn’t know these people well enough to go into detail about his personal life and failures. He wasn’t even sure if he could share that with Megan, yet he felt he would have to, soon. “I didn’t think about getting caught in a blizzard, though. I guess I should have waited until spring.”
William scooped up the baby before he rolled into the cake. The tot chortled. William grinned. “Were you headed to Lead or Deadwood? I heard you planned to work in the gold fields.”
“I hadn’t actually decided which town to settle in. I thought I’d wait and get a feel for the place.” Jesse began helping Megan pack up the lunch items. He didn’t want to admit that his going out West had been a result of running from God, not a desire for adventure, as most people thought.
Giving the baby to Sally, William began helping Edith pack up their basket. The boys, faces pocked with chocolate cake crumbs, darted away across the rise, running as fast as their little legs could move. The baby let out a squall as Sally rocked him in her arms. Edith held out her hands for the screaming infant.
“Edith, why don’t you and Megan sit here and visit while Jesse and I carry the baskets to the wagon? We can take a few minutes before we have to leave.”
Jesse felt his stomach clench. He nodded his agreement to Megan and strode toward the wagon, the lighter basket clasped in his hand. He hoped William would have some sort of information he could use to help them get out of debt and keep the farm. He knew how much this meant to Megan, and now it meant a lot to him, too. He’d come to love this place, with its rolling hills and wide-open spaces. This wasn’t at all like Chicago, where people were packed like animals in a pen. Neighbors were nice once in awhile, but he liked being able to go outside and stretch without everyone in a five-mile radius hearing about it.
Both baskets landed in their respective wagons with audible thumps. Jesse walked back to help William check the harnesses on his horses. He didn’t know how to broach the subject, so he waited for the older man to speak first.
William cleared his throat. He ran expert hands over the traces and buckles, but Jesse could see his mind wasn’t on the harnesses or horses.
“First the Sheffields, then the Murrays, the Reids, the Overtons, and last of all the Baxters.” William leaned his arms over his horse’s back as he stared at Jesse. “Those are the farmers who’ve had Sparks foreclose on their land in the last six months. Most of them were gone before anyone knew what had happened. I’ve heard the sheriff accompanies Sparks and escorts the family off their land before they even have a chance to pack much of anything.”
“Why are so many people taking out loans they can’t pay off? Have the crops been bad?”
William stared off into the distance. “I didn’t know any of the families that well, except Megan’s folks and Patrick Murray. They had the farm just past ours. Patrick and I talked on occasion, and the wives enjoyed getting together for a visit. Patrick mentioned having a loan, but I thought he said he paid it off with the proceeds from last year’s crops. In fact, he had an exceptional year and said he would be ahead some because of it.”
William combed his fingers through the horse’s mane. “I know because, after harvest, he and his wife invited us over for a little celebration. He said this year would be the first he wouldn’t have to borrow money for seed.”
“So what happened?”
William shrugged. “I don’t know. I went over one day a couple of months later. The house was deserted. Some of their belongings were still there, but no one had lived in the house for a long time. I rode to town, thinking something bad might have happened to them. The sheriff said they defaulted on their loan and had to be evicted. He heard they’d gone on west, but he didn’t know where.”
“I’d have thought they’d have contacted you before they left.”
“I know.” William gave the horse’s neck an affectionate slap and led the way to Jesse’s team. “That’s when I remembered hearing about others being evicted. I asked some discreet questions and found out about the others I mentioned. There may have been more I haven’t heard about. This is a big territory. Communication isn’t always the best.”
Jesse nodded, lost in thoughts of his own. Was this banker involved in something underhanded? If so, how would he ever prove that? He couldn’t even find the papers from the loan Megan’s father took out.
The chatter of the women and the squeals of the children drew Jesse back. He finished readying the horses and felt William’s hand on his shoulder.
“Watch yourself, Jesse. I knew Lee Riley pretty well. I don’t recall him ever saying anything about a loan he owed the bank that was due this spring.”
The next few minutes passed in a flurry as women and children said good-bye and loaded into the wagons. In another few miles they would be parting ways and probably wouldn’t see one another for at least a month. Unease filled Jesse as he thought of how little time he had to solve this dilemma before the sheriff paid them a visit and they wouldn’t have a home anymore.
❧
The soft crackle of the fire soothed Megan as she relaxed in the rocking chair. Despite the difficult time at church, this had proved to be a wonderful day. She hadn’t realized how much she missed another woman’s company until she had the chance to visit with Edith. When she’d stayed with them last year, she and Edith had become very close. She loved those little rascals, too, and Sally.
The rhythmic scrape of Jesse sharpening knives, completing his evening chore, reminded her so much of her father that for a moment tears blinded her. Jesse worked so hard for her and Seana.
For the first time since they’d arrived home, she allowed herself the luxury of remembering the way Jesse stood up for her at church today. When they first walked into the church, she felt the animosity. She knew the instant Reverend Porter saw them and hadn’t thought she could continue walking down the aisle. Then Jesse took her elbow, and strength she didn’t know she had suffused her. She’d walked to that pew doing her best to ignore the townspeople who knew her terrible secret, or at least whatever version of that experience that had been spread about. Most likely the story didn’t contain an ounce of truth.
The whole service had been directed at her, the sinful woman who dared to disrupt the meeting. She’d always felt sorry for those who had Reverend Porter’s ire directed at them, and now she knew why. The man didn’t know how to show any godly compassion. He passed judgment instead as if it were his God-given right to do so.
When they drove away from Yankton, she wanted to have the earth swallow her up. She didn’t know how she could face anyone again, let alone her husband and her friends. Her body ached with the effort to hold in her feelings; but like a loose end, the thread of her emotions began to unravel. Then Jesse slipped an arm around her, urging her without a word to lean against him. He hadn’t said anything, just let her cry while he comforted her. He hadn’t asked why people treated her so poorly. He’d never asked about any of the references to her ruined reputation
. He’d simply shown her God’s love. She’d never had any man comfort her like that since she’d grown too old to sit on her father’s lap. Something inside her warmed at the idea that Jesse might see her differently than others did.
On the way home after lunch, Jesse had continued to hold her hand, as if he wanted to have contact with her. From the feelings fluttering through her as his thumb circled on the back of her hand, Megan couldn’t imagine what it would be like if they hadn’t been wearing gloves. The thought made her flush. She ducked her head, hoping Jesse wouldn’t notice and wonder what she was thinking.
She’d expected Jesse to notice the girls in town, but he hadn’t. He hadn’t even glanced at Belinda Parkins, with her gorgeous blond hair and slender figure. All the boys fought for the opportunity to sit with her. Even many of the older men earned angry nudges from their wives when Belinda walked past. Belinda had always been the one to laugh at Megan for her “cute chubbiness,” making all the others their age laugh while Megan wanted to die. That’s why she didn’t enjoy trips to town or attending church.
Jesse sighed and arched his back, which must ache from bending over so long. He checked the edge of the knife blade and nodded. Picking up his sharpening stone and rags, he took them to his room to put them away. She could never fault Jesse for being messy. Like her father, Jesse always cleaned up after himself. She appreciated that.
“I don’t suppose I could convince you to stop your mending for awhile.” Jesse stood in the doorway smiling at her. Megan’s heart thudded.
“Is there something you want me to do?”
“Yep.” He grinned, his cinnamon eyes twinkling dark in the firelight. “Since Seana seems to be asleep, I’d like you to take a walk with me. I know it’s cold, but we could check on the livestock and look at the stars.”
Her breath caught in her throat. She didn’t think she could answer. Stabbing the needle into the cloth, she set the piece aside before she hurt herself. Why did he want to walk with her? Did he plan to tell her he was leaving?
Truly Yours Historical Collection December 2014 Page 53