To Jake's surprise, she didn't elaborate. Apparently she had no intention of telling the others he'd bought it for her. Why? He thought back for a moment, and then stifled a groan as he realized he'd forgotten to sign the note.
Beneath the cover of the tablecloth, he reached for her hand. "Kate, the moment I saw that dress I knew it would fit you perfectly."
Theo's lips twitched in amusement. "I'm guessing that moment was when you saw it lying on the floor of Emily's room? She's always been generous to you with her body; stands to reason she'd sell you her dress too."
"You're out of line," Jake muttered, then winced as Kate yanked her hand from his.
Theo ignored the warning and dug deeper. "In fact, Emily has visited my hotel several times looking for you." He lowered his voice to a brash whisper. "I prefer keeping her kind away from my guests, so when you two have business to attend to, I'd prefer it take place at the saloon."
"Kate, don't listen to him." Jake hated the desperation he heard in his tone, and the man who had put it there with his twisted insinuations. "He's lying."
"I most certainly am not," Theo declared, puffing up his chest in feigned indignation. "Are you implying you haven't had the pleasure of Emily's company? Or that she hasn't been trying to reconnect with you since your arrival?"
Kate fled the room.
Chapter Twenty-One
Wavering
Kate stormed into her hotel room, kicked the door shut behind her, and reached back for the first in the long line of buttons trapping her in the dress of shame. She freed the easiest ones and then clawed at the center of her back until buttons clattered to the floor like hail on a tin roof.
After several minutes her arms were weary, but anger and humiliation fueled her on until the dress lay in a twisted heap at her feet. Naked and near tears, she remembered how nearly every piece of clothing she owned was downstairs in the kitchen, soaking in the washtub or drying before the stove.
Kate snatched up the quilt, wrapped it around her shoulders and chest, and then plopped down on the edge of the bed.
How dare he! How dare Jake shroud her in his harlot's dress, then smile as she'd proudly paraded herself through the dining room? Deplorable!
She'd overheard Theodore informing Jake of someone visiting the hotel to see him while they'd been away in Champoeg, but it hadn't made sense. Until now.
On the second day across the trail, Jake had warned her of the presence of saloon girls and ladies of easy virtue in Oregon City. Now she understood how he knew of such things. Firsthand knowledge.
Cheeks flaming, Kate sprang to her feet and paced the room, her boot heels thumping a steady rhythm against the floorboards. She'd already suffered through a similar disgrace by her childhood sweetheart. Though Crandall's indiscretion—courting Kate and hinting at marriage all while impregnating the town trollop—had merely made her realize she'd been played for a fool. Seconds after learning the truth, she'd bid good riddance to Crandall and never looked back.
This was different.
She loved Jake.
Kate crossed the room to stand at the corner of the window and peer out at the town below. It wasn't as if she expected Jake to have a pristine past. He was thirty-one years old. But what kind of man was he to have sought solace in the arms of a saloon girl the same week he'd asked for her hand in marriage?
Of course, ultimately his proposal had meant nothing. Jake was, quite simply, a man who'd asked based on obligation, not love.
With a heavy sigh, Kate slumped against the wall and rested her damp cheek on the window's glass pane. She was so confused. Jake's final words before departing her room the morning after they'd returned from Champoeg had led her to believe he wanted to pursue a romance. Why else would he say he'd never been a quitter and didn't intend on starting with her?
Why hadn't he just been truthful and explained his interests were elsewhere?
Why would he think it acceptable to dally with a whore, and then buy the dress off her back to give away as a gift?
Three soft knocks on her door interrupted her thoughts.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Righting a Wrong
"Who is it?" Kate called, clutching the quilt tighter around herself while evaluating the number of steps to the knife hidden inside her saddlebags.
"It's me, dear." Clara's voice carried through the door. "I've got fresh water, your clothes, and a treat."
With a sigh of relief, Kate unlocked and opened the door.
Clara walked into the room, handing Kate a stack of folded clothes as she passed. "Here's everything you left drying downstairs." She set a water pitcher on the washstand and a dishtowel-covered plate on the bedside table. Brushing her hands together, she turned to face Kate. "I also went ahead and washed those clothes you had soaking in the tub. They're hanging by the stove and should be ready to wear by morning."
"Thank you so much! If you don't mind, I'll just be a moment." Kate hurried behind the dressing screen. She slipped into the camisole and calico, hung her nightgown on a wall peg, and then emerged with the quilt in her hand.
"I appreciate you bringing everything up." She folded the quilt and placed it on the end of the bed.
"Sorry you had to wait so long." Clara grimaced. "Theodore had me so busy all afternoon I didn't have a chance to get to them earlier."
"Yes," Kate said. "That was quite an extravagant meal you prepared."
"Too bad you missed half of it." Clara raised a brow, then motioned to the covered plate. "I saved you some cobbler. No cream left though; Margaret's finally found something she'll eat."
Kate shifted her weight and let out a nervous chuckle. "I apologize if my leaving early caused you any trouble."
"No trouble for me." Clara's gaze wandered to the dress still lying on the floor, then settled on Kate. "Appears as though you can't say the same?"
Kate opened her mouth, intent on declaring everything was fine, but after seeing the sympathy in Clara's eyes she simply shook her head. "You're right. I can't."
Clara pointed to the chair by the door. "May I?"
Kate nodded eagerly. "Please."
"I knew trouble was afoot the moment I brought in the third course," Clara said, settling herself. "Your chair was empty and Jake's face was mottled with rage. Then things got exciting. I hadn't even set down the serving tray when Jake sprang to his feet, took a few steps as if he were leaving, but instead stopped behind Theodore's chair. He then leaned down and muttered something into Theodore's ear. I didn't catch what was said, but it must have been interesting since Theodore looked as though he wished the floor would swallow him whole. Jake then left the room without a backward glance."
"Where is he now?" Kate asked, struggling to sound composed even as her mind screamed of Jake's betrayal.
"I saw him leave the hotel shortly afterward. I'm not certain where he went, but I do know that he hasn't returned."
Kate gritted her teeth. "He probably went back to the saloon to buy another dress from a soiled dove."
Clara tapped her index finger against her lips several times, then threw up her hands. "Jake swore me to secrecy, but I don't think he'll mind me breaking my word if it clears up your confusion."
Immediate questions sprang to mind, but Kate stayed silent and waited for Clara to continue.
"Aside from how that dress is lying on your dusty floor in a careless heap, there's nothing improper about it. Jake bought that dress from a friend of mine."
Kate gasped. "What?"
"Jake came to me the day after you two arrived in town. He asked if I knew of anyone who could make you a dress. I told him I had a better idea. A woman I know had brought several dresses over the trail, but two kids and twenty pounds later she decided none would fit properly again. She put out word she was eager to trade them for food, supplies, or cash. Jake agreed on the latter and selected the one he thought would suit you best. It was delivered to the hotel this afternoon while you were repairing your calico."
Cl
ara chuckled. "That's why I became so interested in—and a little bit pushy about—your bathing habits. I couldn't bear thinking of you in that fancy dress without a proper bath first. Do you like it?"
"I love it," Kate said, eager to assure her she'd done the right thing in breaking her word. "Thank you so much for taking the time to lay it out on my bed."
"Wasn't me," Clara said. "However, I did let Jake in your room, and then I stood in the doorway while he fussed and fidgeted over how to arrange it perfectly. I finally had to remind him you were waiting downstairs for an iron and he needed to hurry."
"I don't understand why he went through such trouble when he's…" Kate trailed off, embarrassed to continue. Embarrassed to tell Clara her confusion as to why would Jake purchase such an expensive gift for her, all while carousing with a saloon girl.
Or was he?
A chill settled over Kate as she realized Theodore had obviously lied about the dress, so it stood to reason he'd lied about everything else he'd said about Jake. She bowed her head in chagrin.
Though Jake had all but pleaded for her not to listen to Theodore's assertions, she'd left dinner in a huff without giving him a chance to explain. She'd believed the words of a man she barely knew, and had been warned about, instead of a man who'd repeatedly proven himself as honorable.
"When he's what, dear?" Clara asked. "What were you going to say?"
"Never mind," Kate said, shaking her head for emphasis. Though she knew the truth of Theodore's lies, she had no intention of gossiping about him with Clara. After all, he was still her employer, and the man who'd given her a job and shelter when she'd had no other options. "It's nothing."
"A man doesn't buy a woman a dress like that one for no reason." Clara gestured to the floor. "What does Jake mean to you?"
Seeking a distraction from the question since she didn't know how to answer, Kate plucked the dishtowel from the plate and hefted a heaping spoonful of cobbler into her mouth.
Clara's smile faded and her cheeks went pale. "Don't take such big bites, dear."
Kate swallowed hard and gave up. Not only was this woman a stickler for manners, apparently she could also see through ruses.
"Jake asked me to marry him. It wasn't for the right reasons, so I said no."
Clara placed a hand over her chest. "Sometimes any reason is better than nothing at all, if you're interested in return. You'll have a lifetime together to win his heart."
Kate set aside the plate, got to her feet, and picked up the dress. Holding it over one arm, she brushed it clean with her palm and then laid it gently across the end of the bed.
"I was married once," volunteered Clara. "Harper was the best thing that ever happened to me. Not a day went by without me telling him I loved him." She smiled a gentle, knowing smile. "He loved me, too, just as much."
"What happened?" Kate asked quietly.
"A few days after our wagon train left Fort Hall, someone shot two deer and we stopped to cook them over a fire. We were all half-starved by then, so everyone got a plate full of meat. Harper couldn't help himself—he ate too much too fast, and choked. Men slapped him on the back and even turned him upside down, but he died." Clara blinked back sudden tears, then continued. "I could have turned back, but figured I had more opportunities at a better life here."
Kate wiped tears from her own cheeks. No wonder she'd felt an instant kinship with this woman. "I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. You have my deepest sympathy."
"I figured you'd understand, especially given what happened to your family and possessions on the trail." Clara leaned over and patted her hand. "Margaret told me."
They shared teary smiles, and then the remainder of the cobbler. Once the plate had been scraped clean and the dishtowel folded beneath, Kate decided to ask a question that had been bothering her ever since hearing Jim's news.
"Don't you find it unfair that men younger than me can own land, yet a woman cannot, no matter her age?"
"Things will change, dear," Clara replied. "Not in my lifetime, but probably in yours."
Chapter Twenty-Three
Reasoned Deception
Tuesday, November 14, 1843
Jake spent most of the night lying in his bed with his hands tucked behind his head, staring at the ceiling and reviewing the events of the previous night's dinner.
He'd been so stunned when he'd first heard Theo's outright lie about where Kate's dress had come from that by the time he was ready to defend himself, Kate had already been up and running. He'd worked so hard to earn her trust it had physically pained him to watch her listen to the lies spewing from Theo's lips.
Except, to Jake's regret, not everything said had been a lie.
Though his transgressions were years in the past and weren't something he ever planned on repeating, Jake had spent time with harlots.
He knew for a fact Theo had done the same. During a visit, he'd imbibed too much and stumbled drunkenly into Jake while they'd passed each other in the saloon's upper hallway. Neither acknowledged the other at the time, but as was typical for Theo, he'd likely realized dinner was the perfect time to bring up Jake's sordid past. If Jake had told the other guests Theo had also been a regular participant in the debauchery on the upper floor, it would have just confirmed his own presence.
Though stars still hung bright in the early morning sky, Jake knew when he was licked. He'd get no sleep until nightfall. Leaving town and spending the day in his saddle was just the medicine he needed to cure his misery.
Tossing the bed's quilt aside, he got to his feet, buried the white box deep in the bottom of one of his saddlebags, and then made quick work of packing another saddlebag with what he'd need to scout out land. When he finished, he dropped the bag and his hat by the door and then rested his rifle nearby against the wall.
He dressed in the outfit he'd bought the day before, grimacing at the outright stank wafting over the ragged pile of clothes he'd worn on the trail. Upon his return, he'd need to reacquaint them with soap and a washtub.
As he slipped on his boots, he heard footsteps echoing softly down the hallway. At first he paid them no mind. He'd heard many other guests on his floor walk by his room on their way downstairs.
This time the footsteps stopped at his door. And waited.
Jake eased his pistol from its holster and checked to see that his rifle was within easy reach.
"Who is it?" he bellowed, opting for intimidation over manners.
After a long pause, the answer finally came. "Kate."
He quickly replaced the pistol in the holster and set it aside. After taking several deep breaths, he opened the door to see Kate standing before him, wearing the dress he'd bought for her.
"Hello," she said quietly.
"Hello," he replied, trying to hide his surprise at seeing her.
Kate gave him an uneasy smile and then ran fidgeting fingers across the sleeves and bodice of her dress, pulling at seams and ruffles that were already straight. "I'm here for our walk around town," she said, her eyes and tone oddly hopeful. "If you're still interested."
He considered her words carefully. If she was seeking him out, perhaps she was willing to overlook his past?
Kate apparently took his silence for hesitation. "I'm so sorry about last night! You were so sweet to buy me this wonderful dress, and you've been nothing but kind to me, and given me no reason to doubt you about anything ever. You're such a good man. I'm so sorry! I wish I'd stayed for the whole dinner. I should have stayed by your side when Theodore was saying such horrific lies about you."
"Kate, what he said isn't all—"
"Please, Jake." Kate's voice cracked. "Please, just hear me out. I know about the dress. Clara told me everything. How you asked her where you could buy me a new one. How you picked out this one and laid it out on my bed with such care."
She paused to rub her palms over the sides of her hips several times, leaving two damp streaks on the dress's fabric. When she realized what she'd done, she clasped her hands
together at her waist and continued. "Jake, asking about the walk was just an excuse. I'm really here to tell you I know Theodore is a liar and I don't believe a word he said last night."
A chill settled over him. How could he admit that Theo hadn't lied about everything? How could he taint his lovely Katie—still pure and so naive as to the ways of the west—with the knowledge of his past indiscretions with loose women?
He'd much rather take her on a walk.
Using the side of his foot, Jake pushed his loaded saddlebag behind the open door, hiding it from Kate's view. He had three full days until the land office opened; he could spend today with her.
"Kate, let's try this again." He grinned and held his hand out before her, palm up. "I've been meaning to take a walk around town and see how it's grown and changed since my last trip out. Care to join me?"
She slid her hand over his. "I'd love to."
Chapter Twenty-Four
Reunions
After a quick breakfast of eggs and toast at the town's restaurant, which Kate happily noted wasn't nearly as dingy or rough as Theodore had claimed, she stepped back out onto the boardwalk and began walking with Jake at her side.
"We were on the trail for so long; I think it will take me some time to get used to living in a town again," she said, eyeing the buildings sprawled along the riverbank and up the hillside, and the range of mountains along the horizon.
Jake nodded his agreement. "It's a much different view than horses, forest, or grass and a campfire. Lots of changes here since my last time through. In addition to the hotel, there's a mercantile, a mill, an apothecary, a restaurant, a tannery, and countless new houses. It looks like there are plenty of buildings going up across the river as well. Only a matter of time before more businesses open with the amount of wagon trains due to arrive next spring."
"Spring?" Kate asked, wondering how travelers would dare cross the mountains during the winter months.
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