“We don’t keep money there. That’s what the bank is for,” Julip answered, trying to think of any reason not to be alone with him upstairs.
“Then you can pay me with sweet kisses,” he sneered.
No! She was never going to do that again. She was only kissing one man now, her husband, the man she’d said her wedding vows to.
“No! No!” Julip screamed as she stomped on Meaner’s foot and tried to push him away. He kept a hold of her arm, dragging her around the barbershop to the back alley.
Mr. Tolbert came out of the barbershop and Julip knew he saw her trying to pull away from Meaner.
Julip heard Mr. Tolbert call out, “what’s the problem?” but Meaner had his hand over Julip’s mouth so she couldn’t answer back.
“Just talking to my wife as we walk back to the train,” Meaner called back while keeping Julip from being seen. “Sorry to bother you.”
“Your wife? Well, I’ll be. Train leaves in about fifteen minutes so you better get her on the train then,” Tolbert said before walking back to his shop.
What? Julip knew Tolbert saw her and his wife outside talking to Meaner and now in the alley, but he wasn’t going to help her? He was just as bad as his wife! Southerners who thought slaves should still be returned to their owners.
“Momma?” Tara’s one-word crushed Julip. Oh no. They must be on their way to café. Why did the children have to see this?
“Do we have to go to the outhouse while you’re with Mr. Meaner?”
“No, you don’t, Tara,” Dan Clancy answered with anger when he realized Mr. Meaner was menacingly holding Julip. “Run to the café and get Nolan, Marshal Wilerson, or whoever you trust to come back here and help your ma. Run! Now!!”
“Stay out of this, old man. This soiled dove owes me money and she’s going to pay me.”
“Julip’s a good person but bad men like you took advantage of her!” Edna yelled as she struggled to get her hand in her reticule.
Julip would have crumpled into a sobbing mess if Meaner hadn’t been holding her against his side. Now the Clancy’s knew about her past too.
“Lady, put your peashooter away before you hurt yourself.”
Julip looked up as Edna wobbled toward them, a tiny gun in her hand.
“Edna, Dan, please leave. I don’t want you hurt,” Julip pleaded.
“Nope, we’re going to stay here until help arrives!” Dan shouted.
Meaner reached into his coat and pulled out a small revolver.
“Back off and let us leave, old man. You’re the one making this situation worse than it needs to be. She owes me money and needs to pay it. Simple as that.”
“How much does my wife owe you?” Jasper growled behind them. “Show me the bills. I need to know down to the penny.”
Julip turned to see Jasper behind them, with Mack and Sheriff Wilerson standing on either side of him. Could Julip’s humiliation get any worse?
Yes, because now Mr. and Mrs. Tolbert, besides other townspeople were now standing around gawking at her.
Meaner looked at the crowd around them, visibly shaken by how out of hand his confronting her had become.
“Uh, I don’t have the bills with me. When I get back from my trip, I’ll send you a letter,” Meaner said as he looked around for a way to dodge through the crowd.
“Arrest him for trying to kidnap Julip, Marshal Wilerson. We are witnesses to his crime,” Dan shouted.
“Now wait a minute,” Meaner indignantly said. “Julip and I had a deal on how she paid her rent. She agreed to give me a percentage of the cut for the men she entertained.”
Jasper lunged at Meaner, but Mack pulled him back saying, “let the marshal take care of this.”
Murmurs went through the crowd. Julip barely remembered being sold at the slave market, but her humiliation here was even worse.
“Mister, if you have a bill on you that states Mrs. Kerns owes you money, it will be paid. Let go of Mrs. Kerns arm,” Marshal Wilerson said.
Julip ran to Jasper’s arms as soon as she was free.
“Now I am arresting you for assaulting a woman and you’re going to jail right now. Go peacefully or I’ll use force,” Marshal Wilerson continued.
“You can’t do that! I need to get back on the train! My bags are still on it!”
“Too bad. Makes you feel a little desperate, doesn’t it,” the marshal replied as he grabbed Meaner’s arm.
“Before you go, Marshal, I want to make two citizen arrests and send them to jail with you,” Edna Clancy piped up.
The marshal sighed but turned to Edna. “Who are you wanting to arrest, Edna?”
“The Tolberts. Both saw Julip being harassed by the man, but they didn’t lift a finger to help.
“Lock them in a cell without food for a few weeks and see what’d they do to feed themselves and their delinquent son, who should have been in jail anyway for trying to burn Main Street down earlier in the year.”
Mack stepped up. “Edna has a good point, Marshal. And if you don’t want to put them in jail, I’d be happy to drive them to live in one of the hill’s caves for a while. With no food, money, knife or gun, it might be interesting to see how long they last before they get desperate.”
“You can’t do that! We didn’t break the law!” cried Mrs. Tolbert.
“You broke the ninth commandment though. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. You preferred to hurt Julip instead of help her,” Mack continued. “When your son tried to burn down your barbershop—and the whole block—people rushed to put out the fire, and get your building repaired so you could open up for business again. And we didn’t charge you for our time and materials either.”
Julip hid her face against Jasper’s shoulder, embarrassed this outburst happened because of her past.
“I suggest we boycott the barbershop. Grow long hair and beards or go to another town for our barbering. Let’s see a show of hands who will do it!” Dan yelled and held up his hand.
Julip looked up, amazed every man, and woman, in the group had raised their hands high in the air.
“You can’t do that! Then we won’t have any income!” Mrs. Tolbert cried.
Edna walked up to Mrs. Tolbert. “That’s true. Then you lose your house and can’t afford food. Then what?”
Edna pointed an arthritic finger close to Mrs. Tolbert’s nose.
“When you get desperate to feed your family and you do what you have to do. I suggest you sincerely apologize to Mrs. Kerns or you may as well move out of town,” Edna quietly suggested before lowering her finger.
Mrs. Tolbert stared at Edna, and then Julip, but pushed her way through the crowd without saying anything else.
Edna hobbled over to Julip and enveloped her in a hug. “You hold your head up, Julip. You’re ten times a better woman than that hussy. You protected your children by sacrificing your health.”
As soon as Edna let go of Julip, other women came forward to hug and console her, easing the pain and shame that had held her heart prisoner for months.
Julip felt Jasper’s arms around her shoulders and looked over to see Jasper holding Tyrell on his hip with his other arm. Tara was holding onto Jasper’s leg, looking around it to stare at Mr. Meaner, who was walking away with the marshal.
“Tara and Tyrell,” Jasper waited until they looked up to him, “you and your momma are always safe here, but if you see any kind of trouble—be it a bad person or a fire—go tell an adult immediately to get help right away.”
“Like I did when Grandpa Dan told me to get you?” Tara asked.
“Exactly. You did the right thing, sweetheart,” Jasper told Tara.
“You doing okay, Julip? I want you to take Edna’s advice. You’re a good woman who saved our children.”
“It’ll take me a while, but I’ll get there,” Julip said as Jasper leaned over and kissed her temple.
“You ready to say our family vows in church? I’m ready to show the town I love you and the kids,” Ja
sper whispered in her ear.
Was she ready? It had been embarrassing for people to find out about her past, but she was relieved at the same time. Julip did what she had to do for Tara and Tyrell, and she’d do it again if she ever had to. But thanks to Jasper and Clear Creek, she knew she’d never have to.
Chapter 10
“Dearly beloved,” Pastor Reagan started the ceremony as he smiled at Julip and then Jasper, “we have come together in the presence of God to renew and bless the joining together of Jasper and Julip Kerns—and their children, Tara and Tyrell—in Holy Matrimony.”
“Jasper please take Julip’s hands and repeat after me,” Pastor Reagan instructed while giving each of them a serious look.
Julip was beaming at him with love. Her rust-colored gown, made by Mary Jenkins, accented Julip’s dark eyes and skin. Tara, in a matching dress to her mother’s, and Tyrell in his new brown suit, stood in front of Jasper and Julip.
“Jasper, will you have this woman to be your wife and Tara and Tyrell to be your children? Will you love them, comfort them, honor and keep them, in sickness and in health? Will you be faithful unto your wife as long as you both shall live?”
“I will,” Jasper stated with a clear, strong voice.
Jasper slid a thin gold band on her left ring finger and then squeezed her hand as he said, “Julip, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
***
Pastor Reagan nodded at Julip. “Julip, now it’s your turn to repeat the vows.”
Julip proudly stood with Jasper and her children in front of a full church to proclaim her vows to the man she loved with her whole heart. Fate had moved her several times over her lifetime, but she was finally home and happy with Jasper in Clear Creek.
“Julip, will you have this man to be your husband; to live together with him in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful unto him as long as you both shall live?”
Julip stood straight and proud as she stated to Jasper, “I will.”
Jasper had been Julip’s friend ever since that fateful day at the slave auction, and she was so lucky when he went looking for her years later. Life had given them many trials with love, pain and loss, but God gave them another chance to be together… all because Jasper had a wish to become a groom of honor…
The End
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Dear Reader:
I hope you enjoyed reading Jasper’s Wish, the third book in the Montana Sky Kindle World and the Grooms with Honor Friends series. Please help other readers discover my books by either recommending them to family and friends, by word of mouth or writing a review. I’d appreciate it.
The historical romance series setting, based near the old cowtown of Ellsworth, Kansas, renowned for its cattle drive days in the 1870s. The town of Clear Creek though, is fictional, based on the many little towns built alongside railroads across Kansas.
This area is now the current Kanopolis State Park in central Kansas. Being local to where I live, I've hiked the park’s hiking trails where it’s easy to visualize what the area looked like in 1886—because it remains the same now—as then.
For more information on this series, please visit www.LindaHubalek.com or ask your favorite retailer or library to order them for you. You don’t have to, but I recommend reading the books to get the full benefit of the storyline.
If you see any errors or typos in this book, please email [email protected] about them. Even though this book was professionally edited, things can slip through which I want to correct for the next reader.
Please sign up for my newsletter at www.LindaHubalek.com to receive a free short story, and to hear about the release of future books, contests and more. And I love to connect with my readers, so please contact me through one of these social media sites.
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Many thanks from the Kansas prairie!
Linda K. Hubalek
~*~*~*~
Grooms with Honor Series in order (available and future titles)
Angus’ Trust (Angus and Daisy)
Fergus’ Honor (Fergus and Iris)
Gabe’s Pledge (Gabe and Iva Mae)
Mack’s Care (Mack and Pansy)
Cullen’s Love (Cullen and Rose)
Seth’s Promise (Seth and Lilly)
Tully’s Faith (Tully and Violet)
Grooms with Honor “Friends” Series in order:
Montana Sky: Nolan’s Vow (Nolan and Holly)
Montana Sky: Elof’s Mission (Elof and Linnea)
Montana Sky: Jasper’s Wish (Jasper and Julip)
Brides with Grit Series in order:
Rania Ropes a Rancher (Rania and Jacob)
Millie Marries a Marshal (Millie and Adam)
Hilda Hogties a Horseman (Hilda and Noah)
Cora Captures a Cowboy (Cora and Dagmar)
Sarah Snares a Soldier (Sarah and Marcus)
Cate Corrals a Cattleman (Cate and Isaac)
Darcie Desires a Drover (Darcie and Reuben)
Tina Tracks a Trail Boss (Tina and Leif)
Lorna Loves a Lawyer (Lorna and Lyle)
Helen Heals a Hotelier (Helen and Ethan)
~*~*~*~
Historical Fiction Books by Linda K. Hubalek
Trail of Thread Series
Trail of Thread
Thimble of Soil
Stitch of Courage
Butter in the Well Series
Butter in the Well
Prairie Bloomin’
Egg Gravy
Looking Back
Planting Dreams Series
Planting Dreams
Cultivating Hope
Harvesting Faith
Kansas Quilter Series
Tying the Knot
~*~*~*~
About the Author
Linda Hubalek grew up on the Kansas prairie, always wanting to be a farmer like her parents and ancestors. After earning a college degree in Agriculture, marriage took Linda away from Kansas as her husband worked on engineering jobs in several states.
Meanwhile, Linda wrote historical fiction books about pioneer women who homesteaded in Kansas between 1854 to the early 1900s, especially her Swedish immigrant ancestors.
Linda Hubalek and her husband eventually moved back home to Kansas, where they raised American buffalo (bison) for a dozen years.
Linda currently writes sweet historical western romance and an occasional contemporary western romance.
Montana Sky: Jasper's Wish (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Grooms with Honor Friends Book 3) Page 5