by Jaclyn Hardy
Papa ran his hands along the barn wall. “This is good construction. David built it?”
“He had help, but it was his design. His family worked on homes for money when the gold digging was slow.” Samantha led Clover over to the stall that had just been finished. “There you go, girl. Your own space.”
“Might I suggest that you go get cleaned up and changed before your mother gets out here? We don’t want to start the day with her lecturing on the importance of behaving and looking like a lady at all times.” Papa took Clover’s reins from her. “I’ll take care of Clover.”
Samantha hesitated before turning to leave. Clover could be stubborn—especially in front of Samantha’s parents. “There are carrots in the bag over there if she gets antsy.”
She jogged out of the barn and slowed to a walk as she rounded the corner. She went inside to find Mama sitting at the table drinking a cup of tea.
“I’ll be ready soon.” Samantha didn’t wait for an answer as she strode into her bedroom. She chose a dress Mama had bought for her and pulled her hair up. If she could keep Mama happy, maybe the next several days could be bearable for both of them. Once her hair was done, Samantha slipped her boots on and went out to the living room.
Mama set her cup in the sink and straightened. “I thought we could walk this morning. I’d like to see the general store and tour the rest of the town if you don’t mind.”
“You’ll love it here. Everyone is so nice.” Samantha opened the door and waited for Mama to go through.
The morning air was cool, making it perfect for a walk through the town. Mama stayed silent, eyeing everyone with suspicion as they went past. The path to the store had never seemed so long.
The general store was enough to get a reaction from Mama. She stared in awe at everything that was available for sale.
“How do you have all of this available here?” Mama leaned closer to the displays of watches.
Samantha smiled at Clarence who stood nearby. “Merchants who come through, and the train has helped as well. Then you have people like David who sell their products here for a small percentage.”
“Remarkable.” Mama continued through the store asking the same types of questions. She was particularly taken by the gowns that were available. “Surely these were imported.”
“No, I believe they were made locally.” Samantha sighed. “Should we move on? There’s a bank, David’s shop, a post office. To name a few.”
Mama sniffed, but allowed Papa to guide her out of the store. “It’s quite a bit nicer than I’d expected. What they’re missing is your father’s cotton. Have you even tried to offer his cotton here?”
Samantha shrugged. “I wasn’t sure how he would get it here. Besides, I didn’t know if you’d be interested in sending it here.”
“It’s quite all right. Our shipments have to be fairly large to make it worth shipping.” Papa nodded toward the butcher shop. “That’s David’s?”
“Yes. We were going to go there later when it closes so he can take us to the stagecoach station.” Samantha hoped they wouldn’t want to go in yet. She wasn’t quite ready for that to happen. For now, she could pretend that Mama wouldn’t make a snide remark about his work.
Papa nodded, most likely noticing the panic on her face. “We will do that then. Where would you like us to go next?”
Mama brightened. “You mentioned a mansion. I would love to see it.”
“I wouldn’t want to bother them—”
“Nonsense. I’m sure they would love company.”
Samantha sighed. When Mama got this way, there was no use arguing with her. “We’ll visit them after I let them know we’d like to visit. For now, we can walk by, on our way to see the church. It’s the cutest little building.”
Mama sniffed. “I suppose you’re right. Very well. Set up a dinner with them.”
Samantha sighed in relief as they walked toward the mansion. She hadn’t actually met Eleanor or Edmond, but she’d seen them from afar and they reminded her too much of the people she’d left behind. Samantha looked back at the butcher shop as they walked away. Closing time couldn’t come soon enough.
David locked the freezer and made sure that all the lights were turned off. The door opened at the front, and Samantha’s voice drifted back to him. They were here. He grabbed his jacket and ran his fingers through his hair. Samantha was right. He did need a haircut.
“You’re early.” David smiled and slipped an arm around Samantha. “I thought I’d meet you outside.”
“Papa wanted to see your shop.” Samantha’s smile was strained, and her voice was slightly higher in pitch. Spending the day with her parents must have taken its toll on her.
David stepped back. “You’re welcome to come in. There’s not much to see since I put away the rest of the inventory.”
Papa studied the area around him. “It’s nice. I assume Samantha helped with the decorating?”
“How did you know?” David asked, surprised.
“It has a woman’s touch. I figured it would be either her or your mother, but it didn’t seem like her style.” Papa chuckled.
David shook his head. “It’s most definitely not her style. Now, if we’re going to get to the settlement, we should leave soon, or we’ll be stuck in the dark.”
“We wouldn’t want to miss that.” Samantha gestured for her parents to the leave the shop so David could lock the front door.
David slipped the key in his pocket and took Samantha’s elbow. “My wagon is at the house. You can come and see what the barn looks like.”
“Papa saw it this morning.” Samantha glanced over at him. “I finished the stall and moved Clover into it.”
“I’m sure she was happy about that.” David waved at Clarence, who was just leaving the general store for the day.
Samantha nodded. “Yes, she was.”
Mama huffed behind them, clearly out of breath. “I have had a long day. Do you think you could bring the carriage here?”
“I suppose I can do that.” He let go of Samantha’s arm. “I’ll be back soon.”
He broke into a jog, hoping Samantha would be all right with her parents for just a little longer. There had to be a way to get her mother to go to California. Samantha wouldn’t survive having her here for the next few days. The weight she’d had when she first arrived seemed to be back, and David would do anything to make it go away.
David passed his house and went straight back to the barn. He hooked the horses up to the wagon, and stopped long enough to examine her work. It was much better than when she first started.
He climbed up into the wagon and flicked the reins. The carriage lurched forward as they left the barn. He shut the barn and latched it since they would be gone for a while. He rounded the corner of his house and found Samantha and her parents a block past where he’d left them.
David waited for Samantha to climb up next to him. Papa set a step down for his wife, then climbed up himself. Once they were settled, David steered the horses toward the road out of town.
Samantha held tightly to David’s arm, and wouldn’t say much about how their day had been when he asked. He’d hoped this would be relaxing, but he seemed to be the only one enjoying himself.
It was a relief when the settlement came into view. Perhaps he could talk them into taking a room at the inn—but no. That wouldn’t be appropriate.
The sun was just starting to set when Samantha straightened in her seat. “There. I see the inn. It’s just as nice as I remember it.”
“It’s quite nice. And their food is wonderful. We should have dinner here before heading back home.” David found a place to park the wagon, then helped Samantha down. “We’ll go to the inn first to see if they know where the photographer is.”
“It’s even smaller than the last town.” Mama’s whisper carried, and several people looked up as they went past.
“Mama, behave. These people were very kind to me when I first arrived. They are to be treated as
friends.” Samantha’s voice was sharp as she glared at her mother.
David caught the amusement on her father’s face before he quickly covered it. David shook his head. What a strange pair the two of them made. David took Samantha’s elbow and they crossed the street to the inn.
The inn was filled with people being served their dinner for the night. His mother sat at one of the tables near the front and waved them over as soon as she saw them. David waved back and made his way over to her.
“I didn’t expect to see you so soon. What are you doing out here?” Mother stood and pulled him into a hug.
“Samantha wanted to see if we could find the pictures from our wedding and thought we’d let her parents see where we were married.”
Mother brightened. “I have them. They gave them to me as soon as I checked in. Oh, David, they’re wonderful.”
“What I want to know is what you’re doing here. I dropped you off at Nathaniel’s last night. You didn’t get kicked out already, did you?” David sat next to her.
“No, it’s those pesky cattlemen. Another battle . . .” She trailed off. “What?”
David pointed at Samantha’s parents, hoping she would get the hint, but it was too late.
“Battle? What battle?” Mama leaned forward. “Samantha, what’s she talking about? What cattleman?”
Samantha’s face reddened. “It’s nothing, Mama. There’s just a little unrest. Nothing serious.”
“No, you won’t keep this from me. What battle?” Mama yanked her arm away from her husband who was trying to calm her down.
“Oh dear.” Mother wiped her mouth. “Perhaps we should take this to my room. Room 203. Just up the stairs to your right. I’ll order food and meet you up there.”
Samantha put a hand on her mother’s shoulder and pushed her toward the stairs, her face a storm cloud. Papa grabbed David’s arm as soon as they left the busy common room.
“Is this battle something we should worry about?” Papa asked, wringing his hands.
David shook his head. “We’re in the middle of town, so we’ve been left alone. Well, except the night of the ball, but those people were caught. Anyway, most of the unrest has happened on the outskirts of town—right where my brother lives.”
“And you sent your mother there?” Papa’s eyes widened.
“She chose to go there, and things had quieted down, or I wouldn’t have.” David rubbed his face. This was going worse than he’d hoped. “Look, I’m doing my best to protect your daughter. Nothing will happen to her.”
Papa clapped him on the shoulder. “You’d better hope not. Now we’d better get up there before a fight breaks out between the women.”
Samantha and her mother were in a shouting match by the time David and Papa arrived. David stepped between them.
“I appreciate your need to understand, but people are trying to sleep in the rooms around us. Please be civil.” He waited for them to nod before stepping back. “This war is between the sheepherders and the cattlemen. Since we don’t own either, we aren’t part of it. I would not have brought your daughter here if I’d thought any harm would come to her.”
“You.” Mama darted forward and jabbed her finger into his chest. “You were selfish to bring her here when you knew this was happening. How could you?” Papa tried to pull her back, but she shoved him away. “Not only do I lose my daughter to a bunch of farmers in this . . . wild land, I find out that she’s been dragged into a war. How dare you?”
David put his hands up. “I understand why you’re upset, but I can assure you—”
“Can you?” Samantha’s voice was quiet, but everyone turned to her. She lifted her eyes to meet David’s. “They were right outside our house only a few weeks ago. Can you really guarantee that nothing will happen?”
“I . . . no. I can’t. But neither can your parents. Anything could happen. Anything. Bandits could rob your carriage, thieves could break into your plantation. Living in fear means the enemy wins. I choose to live my life and have a wife and children. I choose to push away the fear and make my town a better place.”
Samantha rubbed her forehead. “I understand what you’re saying, but I can’t help thinking that Mama might be right. Why did you choose to send for a wife when you knew this was going on? You say it happens on the outskirts of town, but I went on the stagecoach right through that area.”
David had to hold onto the table. He looked to her father for support, but he simply looked away. He stood straight. “It’s late, and it’s been a long day. Why don’t we head home, and we can discuss it tomorrow? I’m sure things will make more sense then.”
Mama sneered. “So, you would send us back out there where people could be lying in wait.”
“No—that’s not—all right. We can stay here tonight. I know the owners, I’m sure I can get something for all of us.”
“But . . . your shop. You have to open in the morning.” Samantha shook her head. “We’d better go before it gets any later.”
Her parents exchanged glances before looking back at David. Papa sighed. “I’m sorry, David, but we can’t let her out there. Not when it’s dangerous.”
David could feel his blood boiling. Anger, fear, and pain coursed through him. “Fine. I’ll be back to get her as soon as I can find someone to take over at the butcher shop.”
He stormed past his mother in the hallway, ignoring her pleas to stop. He pushed through the inn doors and out into the cool night. Crickets sounded in the distance, and a coyote howled. David climbed up into the wagon and urged his horses into a gallop. How dare they accuse him of being careless? And selfish? He’d done everything he could to provide for their daughter. Every waking moment was spent waiting for the moment they could be back together.
But the worst part of all of it, the part that made him so angry, was that he knew that her parents were right. He’d put their daughter in danger by having her come to be his wife. He’d put them all in danger, and if anything happened, it would be on his head.
***
David woke with a pounding headache and climbed out of bed. Sleep hadn’t come for hours, and even then, the nightmares kept waking him. He rubbed his eyes and stood to wash his face and hands. The water was ice cold because Samantha wasn’t there to warm it for him, and he’d forgotten to do it himself.
The stove had gone out sometime during the night, which meant no breakfast for him either. He went down to the cellar to find something for lunch, then left for the butcher shop to get away. It was a shell of a house without her there.
Nathaniel leaned against his wagon in front of the butcher shop. He waved, but dropped his hand. “You look like you haven’t slept in days. What happened?”
“Samantha’s parents.” It took David three tries before he could get the door open. “Mother let slip that you’d sent her to the inn because of some unrest, and they turned on me.” He propped the door open so they could unload the wagon.
Nathaniel shook his head. “Mother went to the inn because she felt like she was in the way at our house. Mark screamed for most of the night, which made it hard for her to sleep. Sometime during the night, she heard gunshots, and decided that between the crying child and the chaos outside, she’d be better off at the inn until she can find somewhere to live.”
David froze. “So, there was no battle?”
“From what I heard, it was off near the mountains, and I don’t know who was involved. No one has been near our home.” Nathaniel placed a hand on David’s shoulder. “I’ll go to the inn and try to clear things up. Things will be okay.”
David went to the freezer and pulled out the payment he had for Nathaniel. “Here you go. And I don’t think anything will calm them down. Not for a while, at least.”
“That’s because they haven’t met me yet.” Nathaniel climbed up in his wagon. “Things will work out. We had our rough patches at first, too.”
David waved and went inside. He put on his apron and started on the meat that Nathaniel had bro
ught. It would take a bit to have everything prepared, but it took his mind off what was going on at home.
He’d placed the last bit into the freezer when the first customers arrived. He forced himself to smile and take their orders, relieved when they finally left. They came in regularly, but at that moment, David didn’t really want to see anyone.
Once lunch hit, David put the ‘Closed’ sign up and dropped into a chair. He picked up the vegetables he’d brought from home and washed them before taking a bite.
The door flew open, and David jumped to tell the customer that he was closed for the hour, but the words caught in his throat when he found Samantha’s father standing in front of him.
“Please tell me they’re at your house.” Papa gasped for air.
“Who?” David asked. “What happened?”
Papa shook his head and held up a finger until he caught his breath. “They’re both gone. I slipped out this morning to send a telegram ahead to let the clients know I would be late. When I got back to the room, both of them were gone. Your mother hadn’t seen them, and no one in the settlement would answer me. Apparently, several of them saw you storm out last night.”
David’s blood ran cold. “They’re gone? How? They didn’t even have their belongings, or a way to go anywhere.”
“That’s why I was hoping they were at your house. If they came to get their belongings, I could stop them.” Papa paced the small room.
“If they’re at the house, they came while I was here. Wait, how did you get here?”
Papa reddened. “I borrowed a horse. I’ll take it back later.”
David quickly wrapped up the meat in the displays. “You go on ahead and check the house. The key is under the mat. I’ll be there as soon as I have this put away.”
He was half-tempted to leave it there until he got back, but it would spoil the meat, and the smell would never leave. He quickly stored it all in the second freezer and locked both of them, before running for the door. After checking to make sure the door was locked, David took off at a sprint. He met Papa halfway and stopped at the look on his face.
