by Zina Abbott
Annie hid the completed dress and called to the children.
“’Bout time!” Samuel grumbled as he burst through the door. “Do we get our presents now?”
“No, not until the mornin’, Samuel,” Annie responded in the calm manner she had cultivated over the years from dealing with her wayward husband and disruptive son. “You know that.”
“Mrs. Clayton was a-sayin’ they open a gift on Christmas Eve,” Samuel countered. “Reckon we oughtta, too.”
“That’s not how our family does it, Sam. You know that. If we open our gifts tonight, there won’t be anything for Christmas morning.”
“Figures,” Samuel snorted. “That’s mighty sorry, Ma.”
“I’m sorry, Samuel, but that’s how it’s a-goin’ to be. I guess we might read the Christmas story from the New Testament,” Annie said in an attempt to steer her son away from his disappointment. “Reckon it’d be best, what with it being what Christmas is all about, not just a-gettin’ presents.”
“But we like a-gettin’ presents, Ma,” Arletta piped up.
“I know, Letta,” Annie remained calm, refusing to allow the frustration she felt worming its way through her insides to erupt in her voice or expression. “But we need to remember that it’s because Jesus was born into this world to save us that we celebrate Christmas. And, if you both listen to just a smidgen of the story, I’ve a special treat I’ve saved for you all. But, you gotta wait until we’re done a-readin’. Come around the table, now, and I’ll get the lamp.”
The three had no sooner settled in their chairs than they heard the sound of boots stomping on the back porch. A knocking on the outside door to the kitchen followed.
“That Saint Nicholas, Ma?” Arletta asked, her voice full of wonder. Samuel snickered in response. Annie glanced over to Samuel with a warning frown.
“Too early for him, Letta. Probably one of the hands a-needin’ something from Mr. Clayton. You two wait here while I see who it is.”
Annie picked up the oil lamp that had been sitting in the middle of the table. She heard the knock again before she could get to the door that separated the kitchen from the partially-covered porch that served as a mud room and winter laundry room.
“Who’s there?” she called through the solid wood.
“It’s Sgt. Jenkins, ma’am.”
Annie almost dropped the oil lamp in surprise. She took a deep breath and yanked the door open. Before her, backlit by the almost-full moon, stood a man bundled up against the cold. Even with the front of him being cast in shadow and with most of his face swathed in a knit muffler, she could see enough of his form and features to recognize the man who had been so much in her thoughts this evening.
Once over the initial surprise, a sparkle began to light her eyes that had nothing to do with the light from the lamp. She knew that if the truth were to be known, he had been in her thoughts during most evenings, not just this one.
The lantern light reflected off the glazing of frost on Isaiah’s slouch hat that was held to his head by his muffler. His heavy buffalo coat was dotted with tiny icicles. He pulled his heavy fur mittens off one hand and tugged down the part of the muffler covering his mouth to reveal his bushy moustache and a wide smile full of his even white teeth. It had always surprised Annie that, considering his age, Sgt. Jenkins’s teeth were in excellent shape. In response, her own face blossomed with one of her rare smiles to reveal the pleasure coursing through her at the sight of this man.
I need to stop staring like a silly goose, Annie thought as she gave her head a slight shake.
“Evening, Mrs. Murdock,” Isaiah said, his dark brown eyes shining. The deep voice coming from such a slightly built man once again caught Annie by surprise. “Might I come in?”
“Please, Sgt. Jenkins. Come and sit by the stove for a spell. I’ll build up the fire a mite.”
“Don’t want to bother you none. After the last two hours of riding out in this weather, it feels right balmy in here.”
Annie took Isaiah’s hat, muffler and gloves while he shrugged off of his heavy coat.
“Mighty glad it didn’t snow today. Still, I was right grateful to have this old buffalo hide covering me. It don’t smell so sweet, but it sure keeps a body warm. You look well, Annie.”
“Thank you, Sergeant. You’re a-lookin’ right smart yourself.”
Annie had trouble keeping her eyes off Isaiah Jenkins as she busied herself with spreading his things out to dry. He still looked the same, except for a bit more gray in his beard and at the temples of his brown hair that was just a shade lighter than her own.
Isaiah eased his cold-stiffened limbs on to the wooden chair Annie had placed next to the cookstove. He straightened up only to discover he was staring into the face of Samuel Murdock.
“How come you’re here and not at the fort, Sergeant? You here to see Mr. Clayton about some beeves?”
“Samuel Edward Murdock! Mind your manners,” Annie exclaimed as she draped the heavy coat over another chair she had placed next to the stove so it would dry. “That’s no way to greet someone. Besides, young man, you don’t go a-questionin’ grown-ups. Sgt. Jenkins will offer to tell us what brings him here if he’s a mind to. ’Til then, it’s none of your business.”
Samuel looked up at his mother and then back at Isaiah, his face void of expression.
“You here to see Ma? You a-plannin’ on a-steppin’ out in the dark with her like you done last fall?”
Mortified, Annie froze in place while in the act of laying Isaiah’s gloves and hat flat on the seat of the chair that held the buffalo coat.
“Enough, Samuel!”
“Why, Sammy, I come here to see you and to wish you a Merry Christmas,” Isaiah said the whiskers of his full beard fanning out with a smile.
“Me, too?” Arletta asked as she bounced over and stood next to her brother.
“Of, course, you, too, Letta. I come to see you both.”
“Mr. Clayton says I should go by Sam now.” Samuel declared. “He says Sammy is a little boy’s name, but Sam is what you call a man. He says long as I act like a man, I’m to go by Sam.”
“Sounds about right to me,” Isaiah gave a slow nod. “You’ve done growed up some since you left the fort, so I reckon you’re ready to go by Sam. Now, ’til I get used of it, you remind me if I slip up and call you Sammy. Got us a deal?”
As though something of significance had been settled between them, Samuel nodded and took a step back. He glanced over at his mother.
“I like you a-callin’ me Letta,” said Arletta, all coquet. Unwilling to let her brother hog all of the attention, she clasped her hands and leaned forward until she almost rested her elbows on Isaiah’s knee. Her upturned face with her big eyes and pixie smile waited for his response.
“That’s right sweet of you, little Miss Letta. I think Letta’s a right special nickname for Arletta, no matter how old you grow.”
Satisfied with Isaiah’s statement, Arletta straightened and skipped to her mother’s side. She slipped her hand into Annie’s.
“Sgt. Jenkins, if you’ve got business with Mr. Clayton, I’ll go get him, see if he can join you now,” Annie offered. “He’s a-celebratin’ Christmas Eve with his family, but I reckon he’ll be a-willin’ to speak with you a moment.”
“Mrs. Murdock, I do have some business with Mr. Clayton, but it’ll wait ’til the day after Christmas. If I’m not imposing none, I really and truly did stop by to wish you and the youngsters a Merry Christmas.”
“All the way from the fort? Just for a-wishin’ us Merry Christmas?” Samuel glared at Isaiah, his voice unmistakably laced with suspicion. He glanced again at his mother.
“No, Sam, I’ll be up front and tell you straight out what brung me here tonight. I usually don’t take leave on Christmas. I generally let the men with families and all have it. But, this year I reckoned with my seniority, it was high time I claimed it for myself. Figure I’ll spend the day in Laramie. The city, not the fort. And the
first thing I decided on was stopping by here so’s I can wish you all a Merry Christmas. Just wanted to see how things are working out for you and Letta and your ma.”
“This time of year it’s mighty late to be a-ridin’ into town,” Samuel pointed out.
“Well, I was kind of hoping Mr. Clayton would be willing to let me throw down my bedroll in the bunkhouse for the night so’s I can ride into town in the morning. I’ll be spending Christmas day there with some of the others from the fort. Then, I figure I’ll be stopping by and speaking with Mr. Clayton on the way back to the fort the day after.”
“Mr. Clayton’s pretty good about cowboys riding the grub line stopping by,” Samuel said. “I guess he won’t mind you a-stayin’ over in the bunkhouse tonight.”
“You sound like you’ve learned a passel about ranch work, Sam.”
“Yes, sir. Mr. Clayton says I’m old enough to start a-makin’ my own way. After lessons with Mrs. Clayton, he lets me help with the barn and a-carin’ for his dogs. One of them, Gracie, is about to whelp. He says if I prove dependable a-carin’ for her and her litter, he’s a-goin’ to let me have one of the pups.”
“Sounds like you’re doing your ma proud, Sam.”
“Yes, sir.”
Isaiah studied the boy before him. Compared to the irresponsible trouble-maker who left Fort Laramie less than six months earlier, he could see that the boy had done a lot of maturing. At that moment, Isaiah felt inclined to admire Mr. Clayton. For a man who had no children of his own yet, but had taken on the responsibility to finish raising his youngest two sisters, he seemed to have a way with the boy.
Isaiah turned to face Annie.
“Am I interrupting your Christmas, Mrs. Murdock?”
“No, Sergeant. It’s right thoughtful of you to remember us and stop by.”
“Nothin’ to interrupt,” scowled Samuel. “Ma says we can’t have no presents ’til mornin’.”
“Samuel!” Annie groaned and shook her head. “Please, mind your manners.”
“There you go a-soundin’ like Mrs. Clayton now,” Samuel grumbled. “Can’t hardly move without her a-sayin’ that.”
“Best get used to it, Sam,” warned Isaiah. “Women tend to be big on minding manners.”
As if saying her name had conjured her up, all four turned in response to the knock on the door between the kitchen and the dining room. Thea Clayton cracked the door open and stuck her head in.
“I hope I’m not interrupting you, Annie,” Thea said. Then, noticing Isaiah, her eyes behind the thick lenses of her spectacles widened as she worked to focus them. Then she blinked with bewilderment. “Oh! Sgt. Jenkins, isn’t it? I didn’t know you would be here.”
Isaiah jumped to his feet.
“Sorry, ma’am, I didn’t have no time to send Mr. Clayton a message I was coming. I hope you don’t mind me stopping by to say Merry Christmas to Mrs. Murdock and her youngsters. Just wanted to see how they was doing since they left the fort and all.”
“No, of course not,” said Thea as she awkwardly stepped in the room, maneuvering her bulging abdomen past the door jamb before pushing the door almost closed behind her. Her eyes darted between Isaiah and Annie, putting together in her mind what she figured to be the true situation. “I just came to get the platter of Christmas treats Annie made for us this afternoon. You did hold some aside for your own family, didn’t you, Annie?”
“Yes, ma’am, and I thank you kindly for them.”
“I wish you would call me Thea instead of being so formal.” Then, turning to Isaiah, she asked, “Did you need to speak with my husband, Sgt. Jenkins?”
“Not ’til after Christmas, Mrs. Clayton. Well, except I need to ask him if he’d be adverse to me throwing my bedroll down in the bunkhouse for the night. I won’t be no bother and I’ll be gone first thing in the morning.”
“I’m sure he won’t mind, Sergeant. A couple of the men chose to keep an eye on the cattle and stay at the line shack over Christmas in order to have New Year’s off. I’m sure we have an empty bunk available for you, and Hardtack will be happy to include you when he cooks Christmas breakfast. I’ll let my husband know.”
“Appreciate it, Mrs. Clayton.”
Thea’s eyes once again surveyed the kitchen scene, first darting back and forth between Annie and Isaiah, and then settling on Samuel and Arletta.
“I have a suggestion,” Thea exclaimed, as if she had just been struck with a brilliant idea. “We are decorating the tree and we are about ready to sing some Christmas carols before we have our treats. Sam and Letta, why don’t you come join us? It is much more fun when there are more people to join in singing Christmas carols.”
“Can we, Ma?” Arletta bounced in place, her hands clasped under her chin. “I like a-singin’ with Victoria and Vera.”
“What about Ma and Sgt. Jenkins?” asked a cautious Samuel.
“They may join us if they like,” Thea said with a shrug, “but perhaps they have some grown-up business to discuss. After all, your mother has agreed to take my place and chaperone Victoria to the New Year’s Eve dance at the fort next week. Perhaps they have some transportation details to work out that would bore you two to tears. I just know you would have so much more fun if you join us in the sitting room for a little while.”
Samuel slowly raised his eyes to Annie’s face. She nodded at him, encouraging him to go.
“I guess.”
With a smile, Thea picked up the platter of Christmas cakes and tarts and handed them to Samuel to carry into the next room. She shepherded Annie’s children through the door. As she prepared to follow behind them, she turned back long enough to offer the couple a raise of her eyebrows and an encouraging nod. Then she tightly closed the door behind her.
As soon as they were alone, Isaiah turned to face Annie, his voice edged with excitement.
“Is that true what Mrs. Clayton said? Are you going to be at the fort for New Year’s Eve?”
“Yes,” Annie said as she looked away and began to wring her hands. There was no mistaking the reluctance in her voice. “Mrs. Clayton, she’s too far along for her to be a-travelin’ that far, especially this time of year. They asked me to chaperone Miss Victoria. I know Lieutenant Preston is an honorable man and all, but it’s not proper a young woman like her to go a-travelin’ alone with just him and his detail and no other woman present. That’s why I said I’d go.”
“You’re right about that, it not being proper for her to come alone without no other woman along. But you sure don’t sound too happy to be the one going with her.”
Annie sighed and looked down at her feet.
“I don’t know about a-goin’ back to the fort, Sgt. Jenkins. I just don’t feel that’s a good idea.”
Isaiah reached his hand forward and lifted her chin until her eyes met his.
“Remember what we talked about last time, Annie?” He pulled his hand back when he saw she kept her hands clasped tightly. “When it’s just you and me, please call me Isaiah, and I’ll call you Annie. I hope that’s still agreeable with you.”
Annie sighed and offered him a smile before she looked off to the side.
“It’s agreeable, Isaiah. I just didn’t want to presume.”
“You’re not. Now, tell me. What’s got you so tied in knots?”
“It’ll be my first time back since we moved from the fort. And, considerin’ the cloud we left under...I don’t rightly know what folks will think a-seein’ me again. I figured on a-stayin’ out of the way once I got there, maybe a-helpin’ out in the kitchen where Lt. Preston has us a-stayin’. But, still, I’m all in a dither about it.”
“Annie, you got friends in Fort Laramie that will be right pleased to see you. They’ll want to talk to you and know you landed in a good situation. The rest, don’t you worry about them. Promise me you’ll stop fretting about going.”
“I’ll try, Isaiah. I promise I’ll do my best,” Annie said, glanced again at his smiling face. Then she looked away. She felt too sh
y to let on how much she enjoyed being able to call him by his given name.
“Will you come to the Sergeants’ Ball with me, Annie?”
“What?”
“You know we sergeants have our own New Year’s Eve party, Annie. We non-coms, we don’t go in with the other officers. But, we have to hold ourselves apart from the privates, too. So, we have our own party and dance. There’s a few wives and one or two of the laundresses who’ll be coming, but mostly it’s just us men. You know how to have enough dance partners we draw straws and the men who get the short ones tie a handkerchief around their arm and dance the woman’s part. I’d be right proud if you’d come with me, and not just so’s I can have a pretty woman to dance with, neither. I want to be there with you.”
Annie studied Isaiah’s face to see if he was joking. She knew she was a homely woman. She also knew enough to realize that if she went with Isaiah, he would not be able to keep her beside him the whole time. Other men would choose to dance with her rather than with another man. The thought unnerved her.
“But, I don’t really know how to dance, Isaiah. It’s been so long since I tried. Daniel never took me a-dancin’. I’ll be a-steppin’ all over those men’s feet. Besides, so many of them know me, knew Daniel...”