Mary Louise looked at her. “Diane, are you and Jeff having problems?”
“Why would you say that?”
Looking somewhat taken aback, Mary Louise glanced at Kate and then back to her. “Well, you don’t look happy. Have you set a date yet?”
Through tears and a quivering chin, Diane shook her head. “No. I don’t even know if Jeff loves me. I saw him talking to—” She stopped talking as the offending woman walked in the door, saw them, and smiled.
Before Diane could finish her sentence, Jennifer came and sat next to Mary Louise. “I hope I’m not too late.”
Kate nudged Diane under the table. “We’re glad you came.”
Flipping her hair, Jennifer grabbed the menu. “I’m ready for something new. I think I’ll have the roast tonight. It’s cold outside, and a heavy meal sounds good.”
Mary Louise agreed.
Diane held her head high. “I’m having the pork chops.”
“That’s no surprise. You have them every Thursday.” Jennifer stared at her. “Don’t you ever want to do something different?”
Diane glared at her. There it was, the accusation that she was boring. Well, she might be, but was that a crime?
Jennifer sat back in her chair. “I like to mix things up. Try different ways to do things. See new things.”
Biting her tongue, Diane refrained from telling her to go and find a new town. At least, to leave Jeff alone.
Kate nodded. “I like your refreshing attitude. Have you had any ideas on how to find the man of your dreams?”
Diane stared at her friend and wondered whose side she was on. It was clear to her that Jennifer had set her sights on Jeff. Diane glanced at Mary Louise, who looked unsettled.
“The man of my dreams. To tell you the truth, I’m looking for the man who will take me out of my nightmare. Maybe when I was a little girl, I had such dreams, but after the last year, I’m just ready to find a man who can protect me.” She paused and caught Diane’s eye. “I’ve found a couple of men who might do, but nothing definite yet.”
A cold shiver walked Diane’s spine. That the siren was talking about Jeff, was sure. Kirk was the other unmarried man.
Kate cleared her throat. “I met the new schoolteacher today. He’s an interesting man.”
Jennifer took a drink of water and set her glass down with a bit of a thud. “I met him the other day. An odd man. Not my type at all.”
Diane rolled her eyes and didn’t care that Jennifer had seen her do it. That the siren had any men who weren’t her type was debatable. All it would take would be for someone to go after the poor guy, and Jennifer would be there to interfere.
“No, I wouldn’t think he’d be your type. He’s educated, and from what I could tell interested only in teaching.” Kate smiled at Jennifer, but Diane caught a twinkle in her friend’s eyes.
“Well, I’m sure there will be a man for me in the future. I might have a few things to work out in the meantime.” Jennifer smiled at Diane. Yet there wasn’t a twinkle in her eye, more like a warning.
Diane knew what she was saying. The siren had Jeff in her sights, and Diane felt helpless to do anything about it. Either Jeff loved her, or he didn’t. She’d have to find out. Tomorrow. Like it or not, if she didn’t see him in town, she’d have to go to the ranch and talk with him.
***
The next morning Diane awoke to a sunrise that took her breath away. Surely, the Lord was still with her. She stared out the window and wished that someday, she would not have to look at such beauty alone.
Today, she was taking matters into her own hands. This morning, they were shaking hands, and that wasn’t like her. She didn’t do dangerous things or take risky steps. No, she always looked where she would place her feet to make sure she wouldn’t stumble. As a result, she walked with her head down.
She dressed and grabbed her warm coat. Although the sun was out in all its glory, there was frost on the ground. The first thing she would do was to have breakfast, look about the town to see if Jeff was in, and then rent a buggy.
She knew the way to Jeff’s ranch. It wasn’t far from town at all. The old Ingalls’s place held such promise. Diane tried to get excited about living on the ranch, but it would be a long trip to town to keep her business open every day. Then again, she hadn’t really discussed with Jeff how he felt about her having the dress shop.
Really, she and Jeff had very little time to talk things over between themselves. They’d been so caught up in the past, they never thought to talk about the present, let alone the future. She hoped she would find him in town. Often, he came in early to get supplies.
She rushed to eat her breakfast and ran to the store. She went inside and asked Mr. Trent if he thought Jeff would be in today, but he said no. Seems Jeff had been in yesterday. Yet, he’d never stopped in at the dress shop to see her.
With a numb heart, she walked to the livery and rented a buggy. The man gave her a nice rig and a well-mannered horse. She prayed that she’d have the nerve to drive the cart to Jeff’s ranch.
They needed to talk.
Diane fought with the horse to make him mind but finally got underway. As she neared the ranch, her resolve began to melt under the noonday sun. What was she doing? Jeff had told her not to come to the ranch while his family was there. Could she so casually break his wishes?
A picture of Jennifer talking to him in town the other day took over her mind. Yes, she could break his rules. He needed to know that she cared, and she needed to see if he did. Why didn’t he bother to see her in her dress shop?
Diane drove the wagon through the gate and toward the house. She didn’t see anyone out working the ranch. Where was Jeff? She stopped the horse and waited to see if anyone would come out of the house.
She feared it would be Jeff’s pa or brother, but she worried why Jeff wouldn’t be out working. What if he had fallen back into the lazy ways of his family? She didn’t know anything about running a ranch.
Diane was about to turn around and head back to town when she heard someone coming. She turned and saw Sheriff Taylor riding toward her.
He grabbed her horse’s reins. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to talk to Jeff.” Diane squared her shoulders. For once, she wasn’t going to play the mouse. She had every right to talk to Jeff.
“Let me go and see if he is in. I know he’s warned you about his family. Believe me, you don’t want to be around them. Stay here, and I’ll see if Jeff is in. If anyone other than myself or Jeff comes out of that house or barn toward you, whip that horse and get back to town. Understand?”
“Yes.”
The sheriff stared at her and then led her horse around until she was faced toward the road to town. “There, I’ve made it easy for you. Remember what I said. If Jeff is in the house, I’ll bring him out here.”
Diane nodded. Her heart was in her throat, making words impossible. Jeff would be upset when he found out what she’d done. How foolish. She started to withdraw when she remembered Adelaide scolding her.
“Stop being a mouse.” She’d said.
Diane glanced over her shoulder and watched the sheriff ride to the ranch house. Well, Addy was right. Diane was no longer going to retreat from life. She loved Jeff, or at least thought she did. Her experience in that department was relatively shallow and consisted only of Jeff ten years ago.
But she needed to know how he truly felt. If he loved her, he would make sure his father and brother left the ranch. Good intentions or not, if she couldn't count enough in Jeff’s life for him to make a change, she needed to know that now so she could move on.
She could write mystery bride letters. When she smiled, her green eyes had life and beauty in them. Diane had to admit that she was actually pretty when she wasn’t hunkered down in defeat and surrender. She said a silent prayer that the Lord would give her strength.
Right now, she wasn’t even sure if she wanted to talk to Jeff. What if he rejected her? Diane squared her
shoulders and faced the ranch house. She needed to talk to Jeff for herself. She’d already waited for years for him once. She was not going to wait longer.
The sheriff went inside the house. No one came out for some time. Finally, Jeff came out with him and looked toward her. He didn’t look happy.
Diane held back the urge to wave excitedly. Something inside her told her to wait. Let him explain. Usually, she was the first to make amends and give excuses for the behavior of others, even Jennifer. Diane had been the one to make excuses for her that is until she went after Jeff.
So, she sat, watching him walk toward her. Finally, she turned and faced the road. She did not want to play the waiting little woman to see what her man would say. He was going to have to explain to her what he was doing.
Here it was already past noon, and Jeff looked like the sheriff had awakened him. Anger gave her a boost of energy. Diane folded her arms. “This better be good, Jeff Worthington. I am no longer a mouse.”
Footsteps approached the buggy. In seconds, he was at the front, looking up at her. “Diane, what are you doing out here?”
She stared at him. “I came to see if my fiancé was my fiancé.”
He took her hand. “You know I am. I told you I couldn’t have you come out here because of my family. I’m only protecting you.”
His smooth words aimed for her heart. She shoved them away. “The other day, I saw you talk to Jennifer. Yet, you never came to the dress shop to talk to me. Right now, I don’t know where I stand with you. Or if I do at all.”
“Don’t think that way. You know how Jennifer is. She’s hard to put off, and I know she wants to make trouble between us. I—”
“What? You can’t tell her you’re not interested. That you’re in love with me? How long am I going to have to wait?” As she looked at him, she saw his pa and brother sitting on the porch. Probably drunk as their coarse laughter drifted on the wind to her.
“I’m trying to get them to leave.”
She glared at him. “And what were you doing today? Does your ranch run itself? You look like you just woke up.”
“I didn’t feel good. I slept until the sheriff woke me up. Some kind of fever, but I’ll be all right.” He leaned against the buggy as if to prove his word.
Diane fought her feelings. She wanted to give in and comfort him, But not today. She was angry and had the right to be. “Then get that lazy brother of yours to help. I will not wait forever.”
“No, no. I don’t expect you to. I was talking with the sheriff to see if he had any ideas on how I could get them to leave.” Jeff coughed into his sleeve.
Diane wasn’t ready to give in and play nurse. She couldn’t even tell if that had been a real cough. She wondered if he was trying to confuse her with sickness to garner her sympathy. Well, it wasn’t going to work today.
“Jeff, we need to talk. I would like you to meet me this Sunday after church. Whether you can make it to church or not, I expect to meet you at two o’clock. Be there, or I am moving on. I know there will be someone out there who can love me and care for me. If it can’t be you, I need to know now.” Diane grabbed the reins. “I’ll see you Sunday.” She looked at the sheriff and slapped the reins, driving the horse to the road.
There, she’d put away the mousy side of her, but she wasn’t sure she liked the person who had hidden behind the cowardly side. Was she being overly rude and inconsiderate? Was Jeff really sick?
His eyes hadn’t looked feverish. In fact, she thought she smelled alcohol on his breath. Sadness shook loose some tears, but she quickly held them back. This wasn’t a time to cry. Addy had encouraged her and told her that she was a beautiful woman, and someone would be happy to love her.
If it wasn’t Jeff, Diane was determined to find out who it could be.
Chapter 7
Mary Louise was waiting in the jail when Kirk returned. She was the last person he wanted to see. What he’d found out at Jeff’s ranch bothered him. For Diane’s sake, he was glad that he’d chosen to ride out to the ranch to check on him.
Now, he hated to tell Mary Louise what he had found out.
She stood when he opened the door. Her hands on her hips, her eyes hot, and lips hotter. Christmas Eve couldn’t come soon enough for him.
“Well, what was he doing? Was the old man and brother still there?”
Kirk nodded. “They were. Did you know that Diane was driving a buggy out there this morning?”
“No, I didn’t. If I had, I would have gone with her.”
“Good thing I happened along when I did. I told her to stop by the gate while I went in to check in on Jeff.”
“Were they all drunk?”
Kirk put his hat on the peg and sat down behind his desk. “The father and brother were drinking. Jeff was in his bedroom and said he didn’t feel good. He coughed a few times.”
“Had he been drinking?”
“I can’t say. But he did look like he didn’t feel good.”
Mary Louise huffed. “Likely story. I’m beginning to think Diane needs to tell him to get lost.”
“She might be doing just that. I didn’t hear all she said, but Jeff was pretty shook up when she drove off. You might need to find her and see how she’s doing.”
Mary Louise frowned. “That bad? Poor thing. Maybe I ought to encourage Jennifer to get involved with him. That would serve that family right.”
Kirk took her in his arms and held her tight. “We need to pray for them. All of them. Life isn’t easy, and they’ve all had a hard time of it, including Jennifer.”
“Yes, yes. You’re right, of course. I just feel so bad for Diane.”
Kirk kissed the top of her head. “Go take her out for lunch. She needs a friend today. Addy went back to the ranch with Angus yesterday.”
“You’re right.” Mary Louise looked at him. “Please tell me you will stay away from Jennifer. I know we’re going to be married in a little more than a month, but she makes me nervous.”
This time he kissed her lips. “I love you, Mary Louise. That you can count on until the stars fall from heaven.”
She smiled. “I know. Thank you, Kirk. I’ll go and see about Diane.” She put on her coat and hat and gloves and went outside. The wind had died down some, so it wasn’t nearly as cold as it had been this morning.
With a disgusted look at the store where Jennifer worked, Mary Louise set out to go to the dress shop. She needed a new blouse and could engage Diane to sew her one. That would give her the reason to go. Then she could see how her friend was really doing.
***
Jeff went back to his house and stared at the mess. He felt regret that the sheriff had seen the house in such disarray. What was he going to do? It was true he didn’t feel that good, but really, he’d slipped back into a pit of depression. Last night he’d drank too much after Abel gave him a present.
After seeing the sheriff, his pa and brother had made themselves scarce. They were afraid of the law but wouldn’t tell Jeff exactly why. He believed they were wanted by some town or county. Maybe even another state.
Jeff started cleaning up the garbage, picking up half-filled bottles. Where his brother got the money for the whiskey, he wasn’t sure. Jeff wasn’t even sure where Abel had bought the stuff.
After finding all the bottles he could, Jeff poured out the liquor and vowed there’d never be another drop in his house. He’d poured out the last bottle when Abel came from out back. The way his brother staggered, Jeff figured he had some more bottles to find.
“What are you doing? That’s good stuff.” Abel reached for a bottle.
Jeff pulled out his pistol and shot the bottle, shattering it. “There will be no more whiskey on this ranch. Hear me, Abel?”
With a sneer, his brother walked toward him. “We’ll see about that. Wait till Pa sees what you’ve done.”
“I want you and Pa out of here by the end of the week. I’ve tried to help you, and all you’ve done is make a mess of my ranch. I don’t even kno
w if I have any cattle left. Seems I can’t find ten of them. Did you sell them for the whiskey?”
With a grin, Abel nodded. “We didn’t think you’d miss them. There’s a bunch more out on the plains. You can bring them in.”
“Get out. You’re no longer welcome in this house.”
Abel growled at him. “It’s cold out. You expect us to sleep in the barn?”
“I expect you to get off my land and out of my life. As of today, you’re no longer related to me. I mean it, Abel.”
Leaning against the porch post, Abel tipped his hat back. “I’ll believe it when you tell Pa.” He pointed. “Here, he comes now. I’ll just stand here and watch.”
Jeff turned to see his father stumbling toward him. Like an enraged bull, his pa started bellowing.
“What are you doing with our drink? Boy, I should have drowned you when you were born.” Pa kicked at the bottles, bent, and picked one up that had a sip left and downed the brown liquid.
“You sicken me, Pa. I want you and Abel off my land. I don’t want to ever see you again.”
With half-closed eyes, his father glared at him. “All because of that little gal, I suppose. Yep, Abel, we’ll have to call on little miss snooty. Teach her a lesson or two.”
Jeff aimed his pistol at his father. “If I thought for a minute that you would hurt her, I’d kill you right now.”
Pa walked to him and pushed the gun down. “Don’t ever aim your gun at me unless you intend to shoot me.” With that, he slugged Jeff, knocking him back.
Wiping the blood from his lip, Jeff vowed to never let his old man touch him again. “I mean it, Pa. Get off my land. You and Abel are no longer welcome in my house.”
“That so. Well, we’ll go into town then. We have some money that is ours. No way I’m sleeping in the cold. Get your stuff, Abel. Seems your brother has turned on us. A sad thing for him to turn his back on family and turn us out into the cold. Maybe you got some money you wouldn’t mind giving me just so’s we can have a couple of warm nights.”
A Present for Christmas Page 4