Lawfully Matched, Justified, and Redeemed

by Lorana Hoopes

  When everything was ready, she loaded up two plates and brought one to Jesse and set the other down for herself. Before he picked up his fork, he closed his eyes and Kate followed suit.

  “Lord, thank you for this food you have provided for us. Help keep us safe and help us to keep our focus on you. Amen.”

  “Amen,” Kate echoed. She watched with bated breath while Jesse took a bite of his food, hoping it would meet his standard.

  His eyebrows arched up as he glanced up at her. “This is really good, Kate. Much better than the fare I was making myself.”

  “I wasn’t going to say anything,” Kate said with a smile, “but you could use some cooking lessons.”

  “I’m sorry you had to wake up to your first day in Sage Creek to my cooking. I’m glad you’re taking over that chore, as I might very well end up poisoning the both of us,” he said with a chuckle as he returned her smile.

  It was amazing how much it changed his face. The hard lines disappeared, and tiny crinkles appeared at the corner of his eyes. Kate wasn’t sure how, but she was determined to bring that smile around more often.

  * * *

  Jesse glanced at Kate as they pulled into town. While she wasn’t Pauline, she had a charm about her, and her cooking was definitely an improvement on his own.

  “I need to stop in and talk to Sheriff Johnson for a bit. Are you good to get the food items you need on your own?” Jesse asked as he pulled up in front of the general store.

  “I think I can manage,” Kate replied.

  Jesse helped her down from the wagon and placed a few bills in her palm. “Get whatever you need, and I’ll be back in a minute to help you load it up.” Jesse watched her walk into the general store and then turned toward the sheriff’s office.

  “I see you couldn’t wait to replace Pauline,” James said as he stepped out of the saloon and into Jesse’s path. The smell of alcohol filled the surrounding air.

  “It’s not like that, James. Kate is the only person who knows what the man who killed Pauline looks like, and she needed a home. I had one. It’s as simple as that.”

  “You can tell yourself that all you want,” James said, poking a finger in Jesse’s chest, “but it looks like you’ve replaced her to everyone else.”

  “James, go home and sleep it off,” Jesse said, stepping out of the way. “We can talk more when you have a clearer head.”

  “This isn’t finished, Jesse Jennings,” James roared, but he lumbered the opposite direction, using the sides of the buildings to keep himself upright.

  Jesse sighed as he continued to the sheriff’s office. James was another problem he would have to deal with soon, but his most pressing concern was still Bill Easterly.

  The sheriff was seated at his desk, scanning papers.

  “Any word on Easterly, sheriff?” Jesse asked as he sat across from the sheriff.

  “He hasn’t returned to his house, but a few nearby towns have telegraphed they have seen him, so apparently he’s still in the area. Unfortunately, they are out of my jurisdiction, and we can’t just go mounting up without an invitation.”

  “So, are we still just waiting and hoping he shows up again?” Jesse tried to contain the frustration in his voice.

  “It’s all we can do right now. I’m sorry.”

  Jesse sent up a silent prayer for patience before saying, “Understood, sheriff. I’ll just be sure to keep my eyes open should the opportunity arise.”

  Kate was exiting the general store as he returned, her arms laden with packages.

  “Here, let me help you with those,” he said, relieving her of a few of the parcels. “Did you find everything you needed?”

  “Yes, thank you,” Kate said, but her eyes were cast down.

  “What is it?” Jesse asked as he placed the parcels in the wagon.

  “Nothing, let’s just go,” Kate said.

  Jesse wanted to press the issue, but he didn’t want to cause a scene. As the wagon pulled out of town though, he turned to her. “Please tell me what happened.”

  Kate sniffed. “There was a woman in the store who heard we got married. She told me I had no respect for Pauline marrying you so quickly after her death. Will they all treat me like this? What good is staying if I’m to be an outcast?”

  “No, not everyone will treat you like that,” Jesse said, gritting his teeth. He wanted to turn the wagon around and find out who the woman was and talk some sense into her. “Most people in Sage Creek are kind, decent folks, but you have to remember that Pauline was born here, so some folks have known her a very long time. I know they will come around once they get to know you.”

  As Kate flashed him a small smile, Jesse felt a sliver of the emotional wall he had built around his heart chip away. He hadn’t known her long, but he had been telling the truth. There was something about Kate that was endearing, and he knew the town would accept her if they would give her a chance.

  * * *

  After the incident at the general store, Kate didn’t much feel like attending church the following day, but she refused to stay home and become the subject of idle gossip. Besides, she had been missing the closeness to God she felt while at church and wanted to rekindle that emotion.

  She pulled on her nicest dress and grabbed a hat for her hair. A glance in the mirror showed her dark hair hanging in uniformed ringed curls around her face. Kate pinched her cheeks and pursed her lips to give them some color and then exited the bedroom.

  Jesse sat waiting for her in the main room, wearing a similar suit to the one he had gotten married in. “Are you ready?” he asked, glancing up from his Bible as she walked in.

  “As I’ll ever be, I guess,” Kate said with a false bravado.

  Several other wagons were in the church yard when they arrived, and they joined the throng of people walking in on foot. Kate squared her shoulders as they entered the small chapel, and she prepared for the onslaught of conspiratorial whispers and aside glances she expected. What she hadn’t been prepared for was Ellen calling her name and hurrying her direction.

  “So, it is true,” the elder woman said as she took in Jesse standing by Kate’s side. “I wasn’t sure if I should believe James as he was drunker than a skunk when he told me.”

  “Are you mad?” Kate asked, biting her lip. “I wanted to tell you, but it happened kind of suddenly. Jesse showed up after you left the hotel that night, and I don’t know,” she shrugged, “it just made sense.”

  “Mad? Of course I’m not mad, silly girl,” she said loudly, her voice carrying across the room. “In fact,” she lowered her voice and leaned in, “I rather feel like it makes us almost family. You marry the man who was almost my grandson-in-law? I’m glad you did it.”

  “You might be the only one,” Kate said, glancing around. “I don’t think everyone else is so happy.”

  “Nonsense. When they get to know you like I do, they will love you. Now, let’s go get a seat and let them gossip behind us.”

  Kate laughed at the elder woman’s nonchalance and felt her anxiety slide away. Ellen was the one person she had hoped not to anger in her decision, and if she could accept Kate and Jesse, then Kate would be fine.

  * * *

  When they returned from church, Kate asked Jesse for a pencil and some paper. It was high time she wrote her brother and let him know she was alright.

  Paper in hand, Kate closed the bedroom door behind her and sat down at the dresser to write.

  Dear Robert,

  I am sorry it has taken me so long to correspond. My trip has been adventurous to say the least. I met a wonderful woman on the trip. She reminds me very much of Mother as she’s young at heart. Our stagecoach was robbed. Don’t worry, I am alright, though the money I brought with me is gone. God has provided me with a kind, Christian man for a husband though and we are getting along fine. I hope all is well with you, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

  Kate

  Kate reread the letter. Well, it wasn’t the entire truth,
but that was a little much to write in one letter. Perhaps she could tell the story in little bits. Satisfied, she folded the letter and sealed it in an envelope. She would mail it out tomorrow.

  Chapter 12

  Jesse woke to the early morning sun’s rays coming in the window. He had overslept. With a start, he jumped up from the couch and reached for his trousers. He had just gotten them up when the bedroom door opened, and Kate walked in.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, holding a hand to her eyes. A soft pink blush flooded her cheeks.

  “It’s okay,” Jesse said, tucking his shirt in. “I’m dressed now. You can open your eyes.”

  “I suppose I should get used to seeing you like that,” Kate said, but he noticed her eyes remained focused in the opposite direction.

  He bit back a smile as he answered, “Most days I’ll be up before you will. It’s not often I sleep in, but I can also take to changing in the washroom if it makes you feel more comfortable.”

  “Oh, that is not necessary,” Kate said as she entered the kitchen. “After all, this is your house.”

  “It’s our house now,” Jesse said as he filled the kettle with water to make the coffee. It was the one cooking area Kate was still challenged in as she didn’t drink it, so he often made it himself. In all other areas of the kitchen, though, Kate was extraordinary. She was not only a great cook, but an excellent baker. In fact, her cooking was so good that Jesse had been forced to let his belt out a notch.

  Another flood of pink filled her cheeks at his statement, and she turned quickly to the stove. She opened the fire box, but the matches kept going out before she got the wood lit. Had he made her nervous?

  “Here, let me help.” Jesse reached for the match in her hand but ended up grabbing her hand instead. Her eyes turned up to his, and Jesse found himself falling in their blue depths. He shook his head to clear the image of her lips that had flooded his brain and forced himself to focus on igniting the firebox for her.

  “Thank you,” she said and held his eyes a moment longer before reaching for the skillet.

  “You’re welcome,” Jesse said and finished his task of making the coffee. As it boiled, he thought about the last few nights with Kate. At first, she had just been a woman sharing his house, but he had come to see she was courteous and kind. In the evenings, she would often darn his socks or knit while he read from the Bible. It was for all these reasons that he felt the need to do something special for her.

  “Kate, would you like to go for a ride this afternoon?” he asked, after swallowing his mouthful of delicious pancake. “I’d like to show you the sage fields near here, and the weather is supposed to be warm.”

  “I would love that,” Kate said, and her blue eyes sparkled. “It feels like I haven’t been on a horse in forever, if you don’t count the night I was fleeing for my life, that is.”

  “Then it’s settled. I will saddle up the horses after I finish this wonderful meal, and we will go for a ride.”

  * * *

  Jesse found himself whistling as he saddled up the horses after breakfast. As he finished cinching the saddle on the mare, his whistling ceased, and he paused. He shouldn’t feel happy, should he? Shouldn’t he still be mourning Pauline’s death? He had felt, at the gravesite when he talked to her, that Pauline would be alright with his decision to marry Kate, but would she want him to be happy with her? Confusion clouded his previous happy mood as he gathered the reins of both horses. With a sigh, he walked back toward the house where Kate was waiting.

  Her dark hair flowed freely today and lay in waves against her shoulders, and he wondered briefly what it would feel like between his fingers.

  “Which one is mine?” she asked, breaking up his daydream. Her eyes held a mischievous gleam.

  “This is Sadie,” he said, holding out the mare’s reins to her.

  “Hello, Sadie,” she said as she placed her hand on the horse’s nose and rubbed. “She’s beautiful, Jesse.”

  “Thank you,” he said, “Shall we get going then?”

  She nodded, and he helped her into the saddle before returning to mount Molly.

  “So, are these fields how the town got its name?” Kate asked as he led the way to the lavender colored fields that lay on the outer edge of town.

  “That’s actually a funny story,” Jesse said. “Evidently, there was a family feud when the town was first being founded. One half moved out near the sage fields and wanted to name the town Sagewood. The other half moved out toward the creek and wanted to name it Creekville. Eventually, they reunited and decided to combine names. Hence, Sage Creek.”

  “Well, I think it’s a lovely name,” Kate said with a smile. “I’ve always loved sage. I think it’s because purple is my favorite color.”

  “Then you are in for a treat,” Jesse said.

  A few minutes later, the land sloped down, and a sea of purple lay before them. Kate gasped beside him.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said in a voice filled with awe.

  Jesse smiled and led the way down the slope. Huge purple sage bushes filled the area and looked like arcs of purple with only a thin row in between them. The sage brushed against their legs as they went down one of the rows. Near the far-left corner was a large weeping willow tree. Jesse led the way there, and they tied up the horses.

  “So, tell me about your family,” Jesse asked as he spread a quilt down for them to sit on.

  Kate sat, curling her legs to the side. “What do you want to know?” she asked.

  “Honestly?” Jesse asked with a smile. Kate nodded. “Well, I want to know what happened that made you want to be a mail order bride?” He hoped she wouldn’t consider that too personal of a question.

  Kate tilted her head and pursed her lips. “It wasn’t in my grand plan if that’s what you are wondering, though I’m not sure what was. I loved learning, and I loved riding, but the right man never came along. I received two proposals of marriage; one was from a lecherous older man and the other from a non-Christian. I couldn’t bring myself to marry either of them. Shortly after the last proposal, my parents got sick with Yellow Fever and I took care of them while my brother finished college. They never fully recovered, and they passed away.

  “With my father being unable to work for many months, the house rent wasn’t met, and I was forced to move out and rely on the mercy of my brother, Robert. It might not have been so bad, but Robert had just gotten married and his wife detested having to take me in. With the lack of any new proposals, I decided to try something different.”

  “I’m sorry you had to go through all of that,” Jesse said tenderly.

  She paused and traced a pattern on the quilt before meeting his gaze again. “Will you tell me something about you now?”

  “I guess that’s only fair,” Jesse said, though he hoped she wouldn’t ask about Pauline.

  “How did you end up in Sage Creek?”

  Internally, he sighed with relief at the topic of her question. “I was actually born in the East like you. We lived there until I was about fifteen when my little sister died. My father took it hard and decided to move us out West, but my mother had a weak immune system. She died a year later, and I couldn’t forgive my father. I moved out here when I was old enough to make it on my own.”

  “Have you spoken to your father since?” Kate asked in a quiet voice.

  “I tried to a few years ago when I accepted Christ, wanting to make amends, but he had passed away a few years after I left. So, I’ve been on my own ever since.”

  Silence fell between the two until Kate said softly, “I guess we have each other now.”

  Jesse looked at her and smiled. “Yes, I guess we do. Would you like to go have lunch at the cafe today?”

  “I’d like that,” Kate said.

  They stayed a little longer watching the sage sway slightly in the breeze before packing up and heading back to town.

  After tying up the horses outside, they stepped into the Sage Creek C
afe and chose an empty table near the front.

  They had just finished enjoying a meal of roast and cornbread when James’s voice thundered behind them. “When will you get it in your head that we don’t want you and your fake replacement bride around here?”

  Kate’s eyes widened, and her hand flew to her face as everyone in the cafe turned and stared at them.

  “James, you are out of line,” Jesse said, standing. “Kate has done nothing to you. She didn’t even know Pauline. I know you miss your sister. I do too, but you have to let this go.”

  “You can’t tell me what to do.” James was trying to be forceful, but the slurring of his words diminished his effectiveness.

  “Actually, James, this badge here says that I’m the law and I can tell you what to do. Now, you’re making a scene, and I’m asking you nicely to leave this establishment. Go home and sleep off whatever liquor you drank.”

  James’s answer was to swing a fist wildly at Jesse. It missed its target and sent James off balance. His good leg couldn’t carry all the weight, and he fell to the floor with a great thud. A series of gasps and exclamations echoed throughout the room.

  “I’m going to see if I can find someone to take him home,” Jesse said to Kate. “Will you wait here for me?”

  Kate nodded, her eyes still wide.

  Jesse helped James stand and ushered him out the door. “You aren’t under arrest, James, but we’re going to find someone to take you home,” Jesse said as they walked out the door.

  * * *

  Kate watched Jesse and James exit before she allowed the tears that had been building up in her eyes to fall. She had finally been starting to feel like she was being accepted, but James’s outburst shattered that image. Would she always have to be reminded she wasn’t Jesse’s first choice and was only his wife because Pauline had been killed?