Savage storm

by Conn, Phoebe

  To escape the depression he felt when he dwelt on that thought, Jason threw himself into becoming a farmer with almost fanatic zeal. He bought a dozen young hens and a rooster from a neighbor, as well as a cow, so they had a ready supply of eggs and milk to supplement their diet. He spent a considerable amount of time hunting, with sufficient success to assure himself he'd be able to provide fresh meat for their table all winter. He made repairs to the barn roof, then cleaned out the sturdy structure so it would provide a comfortable home for Sunny, Duke, and the cow during the winter. In short, he was as busy as Gabrielle, occupying himself with such useful work that he had no time to brood over his wife's lost love. Still, he did not believe she would ever forget the man who had claimed her heart when she'd been no more than a child.

  Now Gabrielle tied" the ribbons on her bonnet securely beneath her chin and made a few last-minute additions to their shopping list. Once in their home, they'd soon discovered they'd forgotten several of the most common necessities, so in addition to purchasing material to make new curtains, they needed to do some other shopping. "I have looked everywhere, Jason. I know your mother must have had at least one iron, but I simply can't find it."

  Jason looked around the large living room, trying to recall where everything had been kept. "The expense is slight, buy a dozen if you wish."

  "Two would be sufficient—one to use while the other is heating. I'll not need more than two." Gabrielle had found her husband to be an extremely generous man. Whenever she happened to think of an item she needed he told her to add it to the list regardless of the expense, but she had not taken advantage of his openhandedness. "I'm ready if you are, shall we go.'

  Jason smiled agreeably. "Yes, I'll have to think of some way to return Clay's wagon before too much longer. We also have his team of horses, but Sunny and Duke would never work

  together so Vm not certain how I can get my own wagon into town and back. My father had a pair of mules, but I'm not fond of those beasts since they can be so contrary/'

  As Gabrielle walked by her husband's side to the front door, she seized the opportunity to discuss buying additional horses. "Why don't we pair our stallions with Clay's horses today? That way they wouldn't have to be together."

  Jason shook his head. "That's a good idea, but how do we get our own wagon back here after we return Clayton's horses? We'll have only the two stallions and they won't work as a team."

  "Well," Gabrielle began, as if she'd not given the matter a great deal of consideration beforehand, "I just thought maybe we could purchase a mare or two from him. You know how fond I am of horses, and since Sunny is such a fine stallion, it would be a shame not to use him to breed a fine herd of our own."

  After slamming the front door closed, Jason remained standing on the porch. He was astonished by Gabrielle's suggestion because it was so completely unexpected. He stared down at her with a troubled gaze. "You want to raise horses?" he asked incredulously.

  His puzzled expression was enough to warn her to be cautious, but Gabrielle thought her idea a sensible one and wouldn't back down on it. "Well, yes. I spoke with almost all of the men who came to the parties at Clayton's and not one had any interest in raising horses. With so little competition, the opportunity to earn a profit seems assured. Everybody needs a horse or two for transportation even those who use oxen or mules for the heavy labor on their farms."

  Jason took his bride's arm to lead her to the wagon. He helped her climb up and then walked around to the other side and slid onto the seat beside her. He could think of no good reason to refuse her request, but he was loath to grant it. He wanted to be the recipient of her affection and he was afraid she'd lavish much of it upon her horses. "The only horses

  Clayton owns now are those your friends rode on the way here. They do not include the prize brood mares you'd need to produce the best cohs."

  'That's certainly true." Gabrielle sighed unhappily. "Well, do you know where we might buy a few mares from better stock?"

  **Not offhand I don't, but this mild weather won't last much longer. If we wait until spring, I can build a fence to create a proper pasture, and after that's ready, I can go shopping for mares."

  "Oh, Jason, could we do that?" Gabrielle asked with unabashed glee. "It's not that I'm not content here, farming is worthwhile work, I know it is, but I prefer raising animals to growing crops."

  Jason found his bride's adoring gaze difficult to return since his motivation for putting off buying the horses had been a purely selfish one. But if she truly wanted a few mares, he knew he'd be foolish not to buy them without argument. He wanted her to be happy, and if all it cost him to make her so was the expense of brood mares, he'd consider himself lucky. "Now is there anything else you'd like? Perhaps a few goats so we could make cheese, or some geese so we'd have feathers for our pillows? Sheep are quite useful too. Do you know how to weave.'

  Gabrielle gave her husband's arm a playful squeeze. "Shame on you for teasing me! I want only a few brood mares, not a whole zoo!"

  "How about pigs?" Jason asked, winking slyly. "Fresh pork is delicious to say nothing of the money we'd save if we cured our own hams and bacon."

  "Jason!" The pretty young woman punched his arm this time, but he kept right on teasing her.

  "We ought to have a dog, and a cat too, don't you think?"

  Gabrielle gave up then. The man was having too much fun for her to be angry with him so she sighed resignedly. "By all means we must have a dog and cat. My aunt had a canary once,

  but we spent more time keeping his cage clean than we did enjoying the sweetness of his melodies so I'll not insist upon owning a bird."

  "Good," Jason replied. "The cat would probably just eat the little fellow anyway." Pleased that she'd responded to his playful jests with amusement rather than anger, he did his best to keep their conversation lively all the way into town. He knew Gabrielle might never come to love him, but at the very least, he'd see she never grew bored with his company.

  They first stopped at Clayton's house to see if any weddings had been scheduled for that day. While three were to take place, the brides were not among Gabrielle's closest friends.

  "I'd like to stay and attend anyway," she said. "Is that all right with you?"

  "Of course," Jason replied. "Why don't you stay here and visit with Erica while I do some of the shopping. We can buy material for the curtains this afternoon."

  After agreeing to meet her husband later at the church, Gabrielle ran up the stairs; she was so anxious to see her friends. The house was filled with laughter that morning. The women were all busy dressing for the weddings and chattering happily as they did so. Gabrielle knocked lightly on the bedroom door before she peeked inside.

  "May I come in?"

  "Gabrielle!"

  Erica ran to embrace her friend, drawing her into the center of the crowded room. Marlene stood in front of the dresser, brushing out her hair, while Margaret and Barbara were both helping Iris dress. Johanna sat on a bed, her Bible in her lap, trying to concentrate on her reading despite the flurry of activity which surrounded her, but she looked up to smile at Gabrielle.

  "I was hoping you'd come into town today. Will Jason bring you every Saturday?" Erica asked excitedly.

  "Yes, I think so." Gabrielle greeted each of her former roommates warmly but was happy to see they were so involved

  in their own preparations for the upcoming weddings they paid little attention to her. "I thought perhaps one of you would be getting married today. Has none of you any good news to tell me?" When that question met with a deathly silence, she turned to Erica with a bewildered gaze. ''What's happened to you all? Out with it. Just because Tm not living here with you ^ doesn't mean I'm not interested in what's happening anymore."

  "John Randolph is marrying Christina this morning," Erica whispered nervously.

  "You needn't pretend I'm deaf. Erica," Iris remarked spitefully. "If he wants that little fortune hunter for a wife, then he can have her."


  "Fortune hunter? Isn't that a rather ridiculous accusation for you to make?" Gabrielle replied instantly. "You've made no secret that financial success is your main criteria for selecting a mate."

  Iris tossed her raven-hued curls as she turned away. "A woman would be a fool to marry for any other reason, but John Randolph is not the only successful man I've met so his choice of wife does not upset me."

  Erica gave Gabrielle a skeptical glance but kept still until the obrK>xious Iris had left the room. "She's absolutely livid over losing John. None of us is fooled by her pretense to the contrary. One by one, the men who used to stand in line for a minute of her time have found more attentive young women to court, and last night I doubt she danced with more than three partners all evening."

  "You don't mean it!" Gabrielle gasped in dismay. "I can't really say I'm surprised, except that it took the men so long to see through her flirtatious manner."

  "Enough of Iris, we've missed you!" Barbara squealed with delight as she came forward to give Gabrielle a warm hug. "I must say you look even more beautiful than ever. Is Jason good to you?"

  "Very," Gabrielle admitted, smiling enchantingly before

  she changed the subject to a less dangerous one. "Have you not decided to accept a proposal yet?"

  Barbara's shake of the head sent her bright curls flying. "I have narrowed it down to two men, Mark Bowman and Roger Delaney, but I simply can't make up my mind between them."

  "Well, when you do, perhaps I should just take whichever man you don't want," Margaret offered sweetly, for she liked all the men equally well and could not make up her mind either.

  "That's just the trouble!" Barbara explained to Gabrielle. "I know as soon as I choose one man, all the girls will pounce on the other and I'll regret my decision no matter which it is!"

  Amid much teasing and laughter, the young women finished making their toilet and one by one left the room to go downstairs. When only Johanna and Erica remained, Gabrielle inquired curiously, "What has happened with Frank Fischer in the last week, Johanna? Has he been able to impress you more favorably or not?"

  Johanna marked her place carefully and then closed her Bible before getting up from her comfortable perch in the middle of her bed. "I asked him to recite his favorite verse of scripture, and when he could not recall even one, I knew he had been lying to me about his interest in religion. He seemed to be such a serious young man, but apparently he just pretended to be religious to impress me. I suggested he spend his time with one of the others, and he did not object too strenuously."

  "Is there someone else in whom you're interested now?" Gabrielle asked hopefully, for Johanna's disappointment in Frank was revealed in her downcast expression.

  "You'll laugh if I tell you who he is," Johanna admitted shyly, her pale cheeks filling with color.

  "Never!" Erica promised, too anxious to know the man's name to worry over the possibility that his identity would send her into peals of laughter. "You can trust us to keep your secret forever."

  Johanna looked at the rapt glance of each young woman and was certain her secret would be safe with them. "Well, I was impressed by the Reverend Murdock*s sermon last Sunday, and,when I learned he had a group which met on Wednesday morning for Bible study I decided to attend."

  Erica frowned, not understanding where Johanna's story was leading. "Does one of the bachelors attend those meetings?" she asked curiously.

  "The Reverend Murdock is the only man in the group," Johanna said softly, her brown eyes filling with mischief as she waited for Erica to guess the truth.

  "The preacher? He is the man you're interested in now?" Erica finally realized what Johanna had revealed.

  "You'll have to forgive Erica, Johanna, she seems a bit slow this morning." Gabrielle gave Johanna a fond hug as she continued. "We'll not breathe a word of this to the others. Perhaps the reverend will come back to the house after the weddings and you can speak with him again."

  "Yes, I would like that," Johanna agreed with a bright smile.

  "Now why didn't I think of him?" Erica shook her head in dismay. "The preacher would be perfect for you, the best match possible."

  "Well, what's happened between you and Michael? You two seemed to be having a very good time together after our wedding," Gabrielle commented sincerely.

  Erica took a deep breath and then rushed through an explanation she'd obviously rehearsed. "He is being very cautious, Gabrielle. I know he likes me, but perhaps that just isn't enough to inspire him to offer marriage. I don't know whether it's because of my reaction to Lewis that he's so reticent to speak about his feelings, or because he hasn't gotten over losing you. Either way, he's been very careful not to make any promises. He's not even invited me to go out to his home."

  "Has he taken any of the others out there?" Gabrielle asked sympathetically.

  "No. So while I know he's not fallen madly in love with me,

  he hasn't fallen for anyone else either."

  ''I think you hoth need a little more time. You needn't rush into marriage."

  As the three young women walked toward the door, Erica said mischievously, "I can't believe you'd give such advice. After all, your marriage was certainly a sudden one."

  Cabrielle responded with no more than a slight smile. She'd not admit that her relationship with Jason had been established during the months they'd shared on the Oregon trail. If her marriage appeared to be a hasty one it mattered little, for she'd already made up her mind before Jason had proposed that she'd never marry any man but him. "Husband," she whispered softly to herself as they moved down the stairs. Erica had once thought that the best of words, and now she had to agree.

  Jason was standing in front of the white frame church. He'd intended to offer encouragement to the three bachelors about to join theranksof married men, but each was so eager to take a bride further inspiration was scarcely needed. They'd all been smart enough to purchase rings for their brides, and as soon as Jason learned that, he assured them they'd all make the best of husbands. His enthusiastic recommendation of marriage provoked several coarsely worded jests, but he turned the jokes aside with good humor and was still in a jovial mood when Cabrielle arrived.

  The church had been decorated with great care that morning. The altar was trimmed with yellow and orange chrysanthemums entwined in fresh boughs of pine which scented the air with a tangy fragrance. When Jason escorted her into one of the front pews Cabrielle moved close to his side as she whispered, "I forgot flowers. We'll want to buy some bulbs so we'll have flowers in the spring."

  Jason nodded slightly as they took their seats. The last of his mother's flowers had died off years ago, and he should have realized Cabrielle would want to plant some near the house. There seemed to be no end to the things she wanted to do to add beauty to their home, but he gave her a reassuring smile so

  she'd know he thought flowers a fine idea too. He took her hand and patted it tenderly as they waited for the weddings to hegin. As he'd thought, the Reverend Murdock read the marriage ceremony only once, but he had each couple repeat their vows separately. He'd not really heard the words when they'd been said to him, but now he pondered them seriously. He prayed Gabrielle would be thinking of their own wedding as he was rather than of Beau, but as he looked down at her the tears upon her long lashes were unmistakable and he knew the sorrow of her memories had caused her present pain. He tightened his grip upon her slender fingers and hoped the small comfort he could give would be enough.

  Gabrielle smiled as she turned to look up at her husband. It i was foolish to cry at weddings, she knew that, and yet there was something about the seriousness of the ceremony that compelled her to weep. Her life seemed to be rushing past her with such haste when she longed to savor each minute for an eternity. All her life she'd attended weddings, christenings, confirmations, and all too frequently funerals at which beloved friends were laid to rest. There was a rhythm to the life of man just as there was in nature but it was rapid, far too rapid. She clung to her
husband's hand, wanting the sweet closeness they shared in that precious moment to last forever. Despite her hopes, however, the ceremony was soon over and the congregation filed outside. Everyone seemed to be in a joyful mood, eager to begin the celebration which would doubtless lead to more engagements and subsequent weddings the next weekend.

  As they stood outside the church making preparations to return to Clayton's home for the reception, Gabrielle gazed about the crowd with undisguised curiosity. A week's time had brought several changes among the couples, and she noted some pairings with surprise while others seemed so perfect a match she was astonished to think the men and women had not found each other sooner. Despite Erica's misgivings, Michael was at her side, smiling warmly as though pleased to be her

  escort. She saw Johanna approach the young minister when he was left standing alone and could not help but smile to herself at the ease with which the young woman had managed to speak with him again. Iris' brittle laughter rang out above the more polite level of conversation, but the brunette was at Clayton's side, teasing him about the price of champagne, rather than being with one of the bachelors she'd considered a good prospect. All in all, things seemed to be going very well and Gabrielle thought Clayton's hope that each bachelor and each young woman would live happily with a chosen spouse might become reality.

  The morning was warm, the sky clear, and Gabrielle breathed deeply, happy to be alive on such a perfect day. When a commotion in the street caught her attention, she turned away from her husband's side to watch a noisy group of men ride by. They were easily recognizable as trappers, by their buckskin clothing and their raucous behavior. They were laughing uproariously, perhaps still slightly drunk from the previous evening's revelry. The youngest of the men caught her eye. He had turned away and was calling over his shoulder to a man who lagged behind. In the noonday sun, his curly blond hair shone with golden highlights, and his size, coloring, and muscular build reminded her instantly of Beau. Fascinated, she could not look away as he rode by in a single file with his companions. His message completed, the blond man again sat straight in his saddle. Before moving on, he glanced toward the crowd standing in front of the church, and in that brief second, when she saw his face clearly, Gabrielle had no doubt as to the young man's identity. As if she'd been struck by a bolt of lightning, her heart ceased to beat and lay frozen in her chest. Her face turned a deathly pale. She reached for Jason's arm for support, but there was no strength in her fingers and had he not caught her she would have slipped to the grass at his feet as she fainted. She tried to run through the blackness which enveloped her. She called Beau's name, for if she were dead they could be together. A deafening silence was the