Hannah's Dream

by Lenore Butler

  He thought Hannah would be at the social and followed the sound of music to the big house at the edge of town. He couldn't go inside and risk being seen, so he went to the back of the house, hoping he could look inside from the balcony. When he saw that there were people standing on it, he climbed a tree and looked inside. He was too far away. He couldn't see their faces.

  He got down and started walking toward the house. It was darker now, and the torches on the porch were lit. As he drew near, he saw two people standing on the balcony. He recognized Hannah immediately. Then he saw the man he recognized as the doctor kiss the top of his beloved's head, and he seethed with jealousy. He ran to the front of the house and found a boy loitering outside. He told him if he fetched the doctor, Jean would give him a silver dollar. He stood near Owen's buggy and waited. When Owen got into the buggy and urged the horse forward, Jean climbed onto the back of the buggy.

  When they were far enough down the road, Jean began to turn around and almost fell. Owen must have sensed his presence because he stopped the buggy, but before he could turn around, Jean shoved the Bowie knife in his back. Owen succumbed instantly.

  Jean unhitched the doctor's horse and rode him to the ranch. When he got there, he rode the horse to the sheep farm and left him behind the house. Then he walked back to the ranch, went into the stable, and found Jasper.

  "Mon ami," he said as he stroked the horse's forelock. "Je vous ai manqué."

  He heard someone cough, left the stable, and headed to the barn. He climbed the ladder to the loft and stayed there overnight.

  He saw the family come home from the social and saw James and Evan go to their house. He saw Hannah standing next to Adam and became enraged. He wanted to go to her as soon as the lights went out, but he kept telling himself he had to be patient and wait till they were asleep. While he waited, he fell asleep.

  He woke when he heard the cowboys yelling to each other. They were jostling each other and kidding around. He cursed himself for sleeping too long because now he would have to wait until dark. He was hungry and had nothing in his pocket to eat. He couldn't remember when he had last eaten. He didn't dare go down the ladder or someone might see him. He had no choice but to watch from the door of the loft and wait for a chance to find her alone. At least he could see her from here.

  The cowboys got on their horses and headed out for the day. Jean was growing tired of waiting, and he tried to imagine something that would get everyone's attention long enough for him to grab Hannah and go. She was small; he could carry her easily. She loved him. She would be so grateful he had come to take her from this miserable place that she would show him her undying gratitude by making love to him all night long.

  The loft was filled with hay in preparation for winter. It was dry, and one match would set it ablaze. The men and women would run for water, and as they ran, he would catch Hannah in his arms and take her to the woods where they could make their escape. He would need to fetch Jasper from the stable, too. It would require precise timing, but Jean was sure he could do it. In his deluded mind, his plan made perfect sense.

  Then he saw Adam ride into the yard. He saw Hannah run to him and jump into his arms. His jealousy erupted and he lost all control. He climbed down the ladder with one thought in mind -- to kill his rival. He reached for the Bowie knife but it wasn't there. He had left it in the doctor's back. He cursed himself again. He looked around the barn for something heavy. If he got a running start, he could easily knock Adam down and crush his skull before he knew what had hit him. He saw a pitchfork against the wall and grabbed it before heading outside.

  He ran toward Adam like a banshee, screaming and holding the pitchfork aloft. Adam turned to see the madman running toward him and tried to pull his gun out of its holster, but Jean was already upon him and knocked him down. As he stood over Adam ready to shove the pitchfork in his chest, a shot rang out. On the porch of Marian's house,. Jimmy had stood, lifted the gun, and when he saw Adam was out of harm's way, fired.

  Everyone came out of the house when they heard the shot. Even Tom Beasley limped over from the back of the barn. Adam rolled away as Jean's body fell forward. Jimmy's shot had hit Jean in the chest. Adam rolled the body over. Jean's lifeless eyes stared at the sky, and Adam reached over and closed them.

  When he stood, he saw Hannah running toward him. She stopped short of Jean's body and stared down at him. His beard was unkempt and his hair had grown inches past his ears. He was very thin. Despite what he had done, she felt sad that her old teacher should have such a terrible end.

  Adam took her hand and looked into her eyes.

  "I thought that was the end for me," he said, "and all I could think about was you."

  She put her arms around his neck and hugged him. All she wanted was to hold her man.

  Chapter 62

  Sheriff Pete came to the ranch with the undertaker to retrieve Jean's body. They took him to the outskirts of town and buried him in an unmarked grave as befitted the likes of a murderer.

  Evan sent Louise a telegram telling her of Pierre's death. He also told her they hadn't found the jewels, but that Jean had quite a bit of money on his body and probably sold them in Denver. She asked him to see if he could find them, saying that she would pay whatever they wanted to get them back, and he promised he would look for them.

  Back in New Jersey, Louise opened a bottle of champagne and celebrated the death of the man she felt was responsible for the death of Margaret Mason. She could move on now. She felt Margaret was finally at peace.

  James and Becky set a date for their wedding. They wanted to do it before winter set in in case the pass closed again, so it was set for the end of September. While Marian was happy for the couple, she felt envious of their commitment. Though Evan had professed his love for her, he had never asked for her hand.

  As the day of the wedding approached, she became more anxious. She knew Evan had contacted Louise, and this only added to her anxiety. The thought of losing him again was breaking her heart, and there was nothing she could do.

  Marian understood that for a man Evan's age, choosing to leave your home and family to start a new life was hard, and she and Evan were set in their ways. She failed to notice that Becky and James were the same age, and set in their ways or not, were running to the altar. When she did see it, however, she came to the only conclusion she could under the circumstances -- while Evan did love her, he didn't love her enough to marry her. She spent several hours in her room looking at his picture until she finally accepted that this truly was not meant to be, and she tore the photograph in half. She had given him more than half her life, and now she would have a life of her own.

  One morning, as Marian sipped her breakfast tea, Evan came to see her. He asked her to come to the train station with him.

  "Why are you going to the train station?" she asked, dreading the answer.

  "I just want you to come with me," he said.

  He was smiling. He seemed very happy. He must have decided to go home and was catching the train to Denver.

  "I may not be good company today," she said.

  "Marian, please come with me."

  She thought about how she would feel if he left and she hadn't been there to see him off. She knew she'd regret it. She stood and, after putting on her hat and shawl, followed Evan to the wagon waiting outside.

  "Why are we taking the wagon?" she asked. "The carriage is smaller. I can drive the carriage."

  "I have my reasons," he said.

  He went to the wagon and put out his hand. She took it and climbed up to the seat. He walked to the other side, pulled himself up, took the reins, and snapped them. The horses took off and Marian grabbed Evan's arm.

  Evan kept smiling. He didn't say much as they went down the road and Marian was so sad she couldn't think of anything to say. She wished she hadn't torn his picture. She wished she could go with him to Denver and have another one taken, but she didn't know how much time he had between trains.

 
"When is your train?" she asked.

  "It's due in at ten," he said.

  "But you'll be late. They won't hold it for you."

  "I'll be there right on time."

  She looked behind her at the empty wagon.

  "Where's your bag? And what about Old Mike?"

  "Marian, what are you talking about?"

  She blushed beet red and stopped talking. He obviously didn't want to talk to her about it. They came to town and as they passed the doctor's office, a young man was hanging a sign that read "J. Farnsworth, Medical Doctor." She could see smoke rising from behind the train station and knew the train was ready to depart.

  "You're going to miss that train," she said.

  "I can't miss it," he replied.

  Now she was truly flummoxed. What was going on?

  He parked the wagon near the station. He got off the wagon and came to her side to help her down. As she took his hand, she felt an ache in her chest.

  "Come," he said.

  She took his arm and they walked to the platform. She heard the conductor yell "All aboard," and turned to Evan.

  "I'm going to miss you," she said. Her eyes were brimming with tears. "I love you, Evan."

  "Marian, why are you crying?"

  He looked over her shoulder and waved to someone behind her. A large red dog appeared out of nowhere and jumped on Evan. He kept jumping and running in circles while Evan rubbed its neck and smiled.

  "Chester, you old dog, you look great!" he cried. "Marian, this is Chester."

  "Chester? From New Jersey?" she asked.

  A man came over and stood next to Evan.

  "Yes, and this is my brother, Moss."

  Marian shook Moss's hand and smiled. He smiled and took off his hat. He and Evan had similar features, but Moss had less hair.

  "Moss brought Chester to me because he missed me. Chester, not Moss, although I hope you missed me, too."

  Moss nodded his head. "I sure did."

  "So, where is your luggage?"

  "It's just over there."

  Two large trunks and a small bag sat on the platform. Moss put his hat on and together he and Evan put the trunks on the wagon. Moss carried the bag in his hand and climbed in the back of the wagon and waited for Evan and Marian. She grabbed Evan's arm and held it so he couldn't walk away.

  "Why didn't you tell me your brother was coming?" she said. "What is going on?"

  "I wanted this to be a surprise. I didn't want you to know he was coming until I'd gotten everything settled. Marian, I sold my house. I made a list of things I wanted to keep and Moss put them in those trunks, and then he brought Chester here. I asked him to come because I want him to be my best man."

  She gazed up at him trying to comprehend what he was saying. Then she understood and threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

  "I didn't want to risk losing you again," he said when they parted. "Marian, will you marry me?"

  "Oh, Evan, yes, yes!" she cried as she hugged him again.

  Chester began to bark and they separated and walked with the excited setter to the wagon. Chester jumped in and sat next to Moss. Evan helped Marian climb into the wagon and then got on himself. As they road through town, she held his arm and smiled. Then she had a thought.

  "Why not have a double wedding?" she asked.

  "You mean have ours the same day as James and Becky?"

  "Why not? The house will be decorated and Becky will be moving in with him. Then you could move to my house."

  They looked at each other and smiled.

  "I like the sound of that," Evan replied. "Hopefully they will like it, too."

  Chapter 63

  Hannah sat on the hill looking toward the mountains. She had come to love them and her paintings had begun to reflect the depth of her emotions. The colors she created on her palette matched those she saw before her, but with a hint of something else, something only she understood. A bit more pigment, or a swirl of the brush, gave life to her two-dimensional canvas, and word of her talent was spreading across the valley.

  Mrs. Gray herself had come to the ranch to see Hannah's paintings. She had said they rivaled any artist's she had seen either in Denver or in Europe, and Hannah's heart swelled with joy. Mrs. Gray offered her twenty-five dollars for one of her mountain scenes, and Hannah put the money in her dresser drawer. She hoped to make enough selling her paintings to go to Paris one day. She hoped it would be for her honeymoon, if Adam ever got around to popping the question.

  Louise had written asking Hannah to come east for a visit, and Hannah was planning to go in the spring, and if Adam didn't ask her to marry him soon, she would go alone. Louise had sent her money for a ticket, which also lay in her dresser drawer. She had enough to pay for a private car and she was looking forward to seeing her friend again. She wanted to show her how she had grown as an artist and see Louise's paintings, too.

  She was just finishing up when she saw Adam coming up the hill. She waved and as he drew near, she saw a big smile on his face. He slid off Blue's back and ran over to her.

  "Your ma just got home. She and Evan are getting married."

  "Truly? Oh, that's so nice," she said. "She'll be so happy."

  "She's happy now. There's gonna be a double wedding!"

  "All of them on the same day?"

  "Yup. It was your ma's idea, but Becky and James were all for it." Adam sat next to Hannah. "It got me thinking, too, that since the house is gonna be all decorated and the preacher will be here, that maybe we should get married, too."

  "Adam, do you mean it?"

  "I wouldn't ask if I didn't. You know how I feel about you."

  She looked into his warm brown eyes and touched his cheek. "I do now."

  He leaned over and kissed her, and she kissed him back.

  "Come on," he said as he stood. "Let's go tell them the news."

  Becky put the finishing touches on Marian's dress while Marian looked in the mirror.

  "It's lovely," Marian said. "It's just like the picture in the catalog."

  "I'm just glad Mrs. Healy ordered those plain white dresses. All I had to do was frill them up."

  "Well, you did a wonderful job. Oh, Becky, we're getting married!"

  "I know. But how will you do without my cooking? You've never made a thing in your life."

  "I think I'm going to learn. You'll be right next door and you can teach me."

  "Cooking is like painting; you have to have a talent for it."

  "And you don't think I have a talent for it?"

  "You also need a desire, and you've never once shown an interest in cutting vegetables."

  "That is true. I may have to find someone in town. Or in Denver. Oh, Becky, we're getting married!"

  Becky rolled her eyes, but she understood Marian's excitement. She, too, could hardly wait to say "I do" to James Hughes.

  "Mama," Hannah called up the stairs.

  She ran up the stairs and burst into Marian's room just as Becky had finished stitching on a silk rosebud, and took Marian's hands.

  "Adam has asked me to marry him!"

  "We better send him to town," Becky said. "There was only one white dress left on Mrs. Healy's rack."

  The day of the weddings, the grooms were made to stay at James' house until the wedding ceremonies. James and Evan sat on the porch smoking cheroots while Adam paced the parlor floor. James had bought him a new suit as a wedding present, and the collar felt tight. Adam kept pulling on it with his finger, but it was starched and wouldn't give. He resigned himself to being uncomfortable on the most important day of his life.

  Evan also had a new suit. With the proceeds from the sale of his house, he bought a new frock coat, boots, and trousers. James lent him a silk puff tie. He was a dashing bridegroom.

  But James outdid them all. He had bought a new cutaway with striped trousers. He looked like the Prince of Wales. He couldn't wait for Becky to see him.

  Jimmy was kicking a stone across the yard in front of Jame
s' house. Marian had bought him a new set of clothes for the wedding, and he, like Adam, looked uncomfortable. James watched him kick the stone hard.

  "Jimmy," he said. "Come here."

  Jimmy walked over and stood by the porch steps.

  "Yeah, Uncle James?"

  "How you been?"

  Since shooting Jean, Jimmy had been quiet. At first he had been happy and boasted to his friends about killing the mad Frenchman, but when the reality of the event set in, Jimmy began to understand something Evan had told him afterwards.

  "It's something you never get over," he said. "Taking a life works on your soul."

  The boy seemed to be better, and James hoped he would return to his old self, but sometimes he would fall into a dark mood and would stay there for a while.

  "I'm fine, Uncle James," Jimmy said.

  "That's good, son. You're my best man. I need you to keep me from running away."

  "Ah, you ain't running away," Jimmy said.

  "You never know. I may just take off for the hills."

  Jimmy laughed, and James was glad the boy was feeling good. Marian had been fretting over him since the shooting and he'd hoped the boy would be well for the wedding. Now he could relax knowing Jimmy's dark mood had lifted.

  Marian had hired a woman named Ginger Jackson to help her around the house. She was a large black woman whose mother, Jane, had been a house slave in Georgia before the Civil War and when the war ended, she migrated to Chicago and then to Denver. She cooked in the best restaurant in town, but she was kept hidden in the kitchen for fear the customers wouldn't eat food prepared by her hand. She had a daughter by a man named Luke O'Malley, an Irishman from County Cork who found her dark skin exotic. He wouldn't marry her, though, and rejected his daughter. Jane called her daughter Ginger after her favorite spice and raised her alone. Jane taught Ginger everything she knew about cooking, and when Jane died, Ginger took her place at the restaurant.