by Rita Hestand
"Two weeks from Saturday," Jen told him without hesitating.
"Fine, I'll get it recorded. Now, do you want a fancy wedding, with gown and flowers and guests?"
"No, we want something simple and private." Jen told the Reverend with a calm she wasn't feeling.
"Very well, I'll arrange that too. Say ten o'clock in the morning?"
"That will be fine."
The Reverend straightened his collar and moved away. "Jen has been in my church many times. She's been very welcome. I only mentioned her…work because I like to know if my couples are aware of situations before they marry. I've had some that marry with secrets that separate them later in life and I don't want to see that for her. And you are right sir, we all have a past."
Chance relaxed a bit.
"We all sin Reverend." Chance smiled. "And I'll bet I've done more of that than most."
"True, that's very true that we all sin. Not everyone admits it so easily." He seemed to give Chance a real looking over then he turned to Jen. "It would seem you have chosen well, Jen."
"You see; I know why she had to do it. And, to tell the truth, I've probably done a lot worse, myself. For less reason. First of all, I know her like a book. And she knows me. We've never had relations; in case you are wondering. I respect her too much for that. However, if we don't marry and soon, that might have to change. I love her very much, if you really want to know. And not for her looks, although she certainly has those too, but for her heart and soul. She quite possibly is the nicest person I know. I love her because she has a heart of gold, because she can finish a sentence for me when I'm talking, she knows me so well. She's honest, and she works hard. She's loyal even when you don't deserve the loyalty. That's why I want to marry her. She's the sweetest woman in the world. Does that satisfy you?"
The Reverend smiled shyly. "It does sir!"
"Good, see you in a couple of weeks." He smiled and took her arm and left.
The Reverend smiled, watching them walk out.
When they were outside, she chastised him. "He was only making sure we were suited."
"That's not his concern, it's ours. And we couldn’t be more suited."
She laughed, "You're right there."
"Now, I want you to pick out a dress to be married in." He told her. "I'll pay for it."
"But you've already bought me more than I can repay you for now." She protested.
He chuckled, "Honey, we are fixing to be married, the money will be as much yours as mine. But I want you to have the nicest dress you can find. I want to make that day very special for you."
She squeezed his hand.
"It means going back to the general store." Jen snarled her nose.
"I can handle it if you can." He smiled.
She hung on his arm and they went inside the store.
Chapter Twenty
It was midafternoon Jen had already found the dress she wanted to be married in. It was the loveliest dress in the shop. It was a lovely ivory dress of soft silk, it had a dainty matching hat to go with it and Jen fell in love with it, especially after she tried it on and saw how it fit her.
Mrs. Cox had helped her button it and brought a full length mirror for her to see herself in the back of the store.
When Jace saw her pick it out, he moved to look at it, but she jumped in front of him. "The groom can't see these things until the wedding, it's bad luck."
He smiled, and leaned to kiss her on the nose, "There's nothing bad about our luck right now."
She smiled.
"You're getting married Jen?" Mrs. Cox incredulous look flew all over Jen as though she couldn't quite believe it. For some reason she hadn't thought the dress was for Jen.
"Yes ma'am, I am." Jen smiled sweetly. "You helped me get into the dress yourself. I thought you'd figured that out for yourself."
"To whom?" the woman's nose rose to the air.
"To me," Jace cut into their conversation with a big smile.
"But—I thought he was your cousin or something."
"I am…or something." Jace replied and paid for the dress.
"Well, I'm sure the Reverend won't marry you. Marrying kin is unseemly, or didn't you know that?" Mrs. Cox huffed.
"No, but thanks for that information." Jen smiled, took the package, tucking it under her arm and left with a huge smile on her face.
"Well, I never…."
Jace turned at the door and stared at her with a smile, "No, you probably haven't…"
Mrs. Cox was left staring after them with her mouth open.
"That was evil of us not to tell her…" Jen giggled.
"I know, but it sure was fun." Jace laughed. "It's probably a sin not to tell her we aren't kin, but why spoil the fun."
Jen chuckled.
"So did you get a preacher lined up?" Noah asked as he walked up to them on the boardwalk and helped Jace load the wagon with supplies.
"We did. In two weeks." Jace told him.
"Two weeks, well that's fine." Noah sighed rather heavily. "I couldn't be happier."
Jen walked up to him close, "Will you walk me down the aisle?"
Noah blushed, "You want me give you away? Well, I'd be proud to, honey."
Jen smile wrapped around them like a cat supping milk. "So tell us, what have you been up to this morning?"
Noah squinted a look at her.
"I think we shocked Mrs. Cox just now. She found out we were getting married and informed us of our sinful nature." Jace chuckled.
"What sinful nature?" Noah frowned.
"She's under the impression that Jace and I are cousins."
"Oh for cryin' out loud, she'll have that all over town before nightfall." Noah shook his head.
Jen chuckled. "You will absolutely have to be at our wedding, otherwise she might get up a committee to run us out of town on our wedding day, Noah."
"You two never stop, do you?" Noah objected. "Always stirrin' up trouble."
Jen came close to him and beamed. "That's why we need you so bad, to keep us on the straight and narrow."
But when Noah grew quiet, Jen cast Jace a glance.
"Something wrong, Noah?" Jen asked as she sat close to the wagon seat in the back.
"Let's go get a cup of coffee, I have a lot to tell you." Noah shook his head.
Jace helped her down, kissing her on the cheek, then taking her arm as they went across the street.
Surprised by Noah's demeanor they headed for the café across the street.
They ordered coffee with biscuits and gravy then sat waiting for Noah to tell them all about his morning.
Jace and Jen sat together and Noah sat across from them. Noah didn't say anything at first and Jace and Jen waited. Their coffee and biscuits arrived and they began eating.
Noah sighed again and then looked up at their waiting faces. "First off, Elizabeth died."
"Oh no!" Jen cried. "Poor Hank. How's he taking it?"
Noah smiled sadly, "Much better than I thought he would."
"What do you mean? I figured he'd be devastated." Jen asked.
"Well, I was about to tell you. You see, he took off work for a week before she died, feeling the end was near. I don't know how he figured it, but he had that part right. They had a whole week of nothing but each other. And when she died, it was in his arms. The way it should be, between a man and a woman he loves. She must have made him understand that she'd always be with him, because he has a better attitude than I do about it." Noah looked up at them with shock.
Jace frowned. "I'm really sorry to hear of her passing, but she did look in a lot of pain the time I saw her. She must have been some kind of woman to turn him around the way she did."
"One of the best I ever knew." Noah stared at him. Then he added, "But…that's not all. I got other news that don't end as well as this did."
"Oh? We could see something put a bur under your saddle." Jace said with a furrowed brow.
"Well, this news ain't good. In any way. For anyone around here. S
am Williams is dead too!" Noah told them, looking from one to the other with curious intent.
Jace's eyes rounded on him, "Dead? But I spoke to him just days ago. How can that be? What happened? He sure didn't look sick or anything."
"Yeah, that was my reaction to. Hank told me about it. It is nothing but really bad news. You see, Hank thinks Kate or Kate's lover killed him."
"Kate's lover?" Jen frowned. "I didn't know she had one!"
"Bill Peterson, the horse wrangler. Apparently, they've been having an affair for years, right under Sam's nose. But there's more to this sordid tale."
Jace and Jen couldn't take their eyes off Noah. Jace scooted his chair back and leaned as he waited for the story.
"The story goes, Sam fell down the stairs, in his chair, but that wasn't what killed him. Not according to the doc. He died of a heart attack brought on by the fall. So when he fell, he wasn't really dead, for a bit."
"How terrible. Did anyone do anything for him?"
"Not nary a one. 'Course Doug was out in the pasture when it happened or he'd have taken some action. And she was in her bedroom at the time. They just let him die." Noah shook his head.
"My God!" Jen cried. "How could anyone be so cruel?"
"It's too contrived to believe that he just suddenly didn't use any precaution and fell down those stairs. He was always a careful man. Sam was meticulous in everything he did. Drove Kate crazy with it, but that's why I don't believe he just 'fell' down the stairs."
"Can anyone prove it, though?" Jace asked with a raised brow.
"Nary a one. Now Kate and Bill too, thought she'd get the ranch, that was their plan I'm sure. But Sam had that all taken care of and she didn't even know it."
"What do you mean?" Jace frowned.
"He left the ranch to Doug in a will." Noah chuckled. "I guess he managed to get the last laugh. However, according to the law, Kate can live there in the house as long as she wants. She just can't run the ranch any longer. And the sad part is, she's staying there, with Bill there too."
"He moved in?" Jen's mouth fell open. "To the big house?"
"Yep. He did."
Jen frowned, "Now wait a minute. Isn't Bill married?"
"Well, that's a question a lot of us are wondering about. According to his story long ago when he first came to work for them, he was married and sending money to his wife who was ill., She was in Tucson for her health and he'd been waiting to hear if she died. As far as we knew he was worried sick over her. But when we found out about him and Kate, we knew better. And also as far as we know the woman hasn't died yet. Least ways he hasn't taken off work to go to her funeral."
Jen frowned, "Waiting to hear if she died? My God, I can't believe some people. How cold! You mean he hasn't even been to see her, or help her? I wondered about that. At first he seemed to genuinely care and fret over her, but then now that you mention it, that fretting seemedto stop some time ago. He used to come into the saloon and talk about it all the time, then suddenly, he just quit coming. I didn't think anything of it. Thought he might have got some sense and quit drinking."
"When he first came here, he used to take a trip out there every now and then. Then suddenly that stopped. No one knew why. Some of us thought maybe she had died. But he hasn't taken any trips in the past five years. All he does is complain about the bills the doctor sends him." Noah chuckled. "Not a kind word about her. Poor woman."
Jace looked at Jen. "I only met Sam once, but I liked him right away. He was a straight shooter. Never met this Bill you are talking about. But I don't doubt it for a minute. And knowing Kate, I can see how a lonely man might get mixed up with her really quick. She's a selfish woman. And her flirting never stops."
"You're right about that. And Sam wasn't as dumb as his hands and most of the community thought either. Giving that land to Doug was the smartest thing he could have done."
"Thank God he did." Jace muttered. "You know, I knew she was evil, but to move her lover into the house as soon as her husband dies…and they probably pushed him down those stairs…."
"That's what I thought, too" Noah nodded. "Hank said according to some of the men, the doctor looked a might piqued at them both. But he never said a word. I know at the time he was thinking it, but if he'd said something all hell would've broke loose. Hank talked to Doug a while after the funeral. He said he would take care of the Indian problem and that he didn't want my land. He had a big enough spread to see after. He also told me, after I told him of course, that he's sorry he and his men beat you up. He had no idea what you were after." Noah chuckled. "He said honestly he was hoping you were going to take Kate away from there."
"I got a confession out of her about those Indians and the guns, but little good it did me, I couldn't prove it in a court of law, and she knew it."
"Is there no getting her out of that house?" Jen asked.
"Well Hank said at the funeral the people made it clear to her that they didn't buy his death as an accident. That she was not welcome in the community with her lover. So only time will tell about that. But they don't know Kate. She'll stay there just to spite everyone! Especially her brother Doug."
Jace thought on it a moment and nodded. "You know Noah, I believe that, myself. She'll stay until Doug pushes her out, I figure. If he ever does. I don't envy him."
"Well, despite the fact that they are kin, Doug's put up with a lot from her in the past, but I think he's at his wits end with her. It'd be best all-around if she'd move on. Because she's liable to push him too far, someday."
Chapter Twenty-One
The next day, Noah and Jace decided to start painting the barn. After breakfast Jace pulled his hair back with a strip of leather and tied it. Jen busied herself with cleaning the house and mid-morning she took them a pitcher of lemonade. But she couldn't stop staring when she found Jace out back on a ladder, shirtless. It took her breath away and she wasn't even sure why. She was flustered when he came down the ladder.
"Oh…thanks honey, it sure is hot." He smiled at her.
She swallowed and brought her eyes back up to his. "Yeah, I thought it might cool you off."
She nodded and rushed back inside.
What was wrong with her? She licked her lips. She knew what. She'd been so physically attracted to him, and it was all she could do not to wrap her arms around him and make mad love to him.
But why? She loved him, she knew that, but it only hit her now that it was more than that. She wanted him. In all her days as a saloon girl, she'd never wanted a man. So why now?
When they came in to eat, he saw her expression when he slowly buttoned his shirt. He smiled and she turned away.
They all talked and laughed together, but she was obviously distracted and Jace wanted to get to the bottom of it, so when Noah took his usual nap, he guided her to the barn so she could look at the work they'd done.
"Something wrong?" He asked her when she looked at the barn blankly.
"N-no…of course not."
He pulled her through the door and led her up the ladder to the loft of the barn.
"What are we doing up here?" she asked.
He whirled her around and into his arms. "I wanted to be alone with you. Is that alright?"
She felt the thin material of his shirt and took a deep breath. "Y-yes, of course."
His finger lifted her chin. "Something is wrong. Why don't you tell me about what's bothering you?"
"It's …nothing… " She began.
"Honey, I know you too well." He pulled her down in the hay and they stared out into the huge oak tree that shaded the house and part of the barn. "Now, tell me what's wrong."
She blushed. "It's silly…"
"That's all right. Tell me anyway." He encouraged.
"When I came around back, and saw you with your …shirt off…I don't know…something happened to me."
"Saw me with my shirt off?" He chuckled.
She sat up, "I-I…wanted you."
He bolted upright, "You…wanted me?"
<
br /> "I know that sounds silly. Especially coming from a girl who…an especially because you were busy working."
"It doesn't sound silly at all. It sounds very normal to me. And I like that."
She shook her head, and pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. "It's not normal for me. I never…. wanted any man. I've never lusted after any man…I don't like myself for it. But from the moment you came back into my life, I've done nothing but think such lustful thoughts about you."
He pulled her back and leaned over her, "Don't you think I've lusted after you before?"
"No…. have you?" She looked at him now, mystified.
"For a long time now. One time when you were eleven, you were crying because your father had hurt you, I wanted to take you in my arms and comfort you. But…you were a kid, and that wouldn't have been acceptable, by anyone. And then when you put those men's britches on, God, I went out of my skull trying to figure out how to keep my hands off you. Every beautiful curve of your body seemed to scream out at me. And when you curled up against me, to watch the sunrise. I wanted to take you right there. The first time I kissed you, the last time I kissed you. And…now!" He admitted softly. "You sitting here telling me you wanted me, out of the blue. God, that's priceless, honey."
"It made me feel dirty again, because I wanted you so." She cried a real tear. "You don't understand, I became what I detested in others, lustful."
He reached to wipe it away, and kissed her lightly on the lips. "No, that isn't exactly lust, sweetheart. We're in love, Jen. People in love want each other. And I reckon God himself made us that way. There's nothing dirty about it. Sweetheart, we've done a lot of things wrong in our lives. Both of us, but the one thing I want to do right, is love you. When I do take you, it'll be because we are totally committed to each other. I don't say if, I say when. And I'm so looking forward to the day. But, there's nothing wrong in wanting each other. I could take you now, but I want it to mean something to you. I want to be that…different man in your life. The one that could control his urges. I know men have taken you with little regard. I don't want to add to that list. God knows I want to take you now, especially after you telling me that."
