“Would you like to be alone, son?” he asked gently.
“If you don’t mind, Papa, I’d like for you to stay with me,” the boy said.
They sat quietly, with Jeremy’s hand on the marker. Cody produced a small paper bag he had brought with him. “Why don’t you put some of the dirt in this and you’ll always have it,” he said.
“Thanks Papa,” the boy said, and took the bag. He scratched some dirt and grass from around the crude marker, put it into the sack and tucked it inside his shirt.
chapter Fifteen
Let’s Go Home Papa
Jeremy sat by his mother’s grave for a few more minutes with his eyes closed.
A few minutes later, his eyes moist, he looked at Cody and said, “Let’s go home, Papa.”
Cody put his arms across his son’s shoulder and they walked back to the carriage. He looked back over his shoulder. “Goodbye Bethany, I’m so sorry for the pain I caused you,” he said silently.
. . .
At the Western Union office, Cody sent a telegram that said: Be home Friday stop Meet us stop Love stop Cody and Jeremy.end
* * *
The trip home was uneventful. Thunder was in the horse car, Jeremy and Cody had Pullman tickets. In the dining car the first night, Jeremy said, “This is a lot different from the way I went out.”
“I imagine so,” Cody said. “Your aunt is going to be so excited to see you,” he said to Jeremy.
“It will be good to see her too. I hope she isn’t too mad at me for what I did. Sometimes, there’s things a man has to do.”
Cody was somber at the expression of wisdom from his son. “You’re right, sometimes, there’s things a man just has to do.” He was thinking back to the time he had decided he had to go off to the Army to fight in the war, and how much the decision had affected his life.
Jeremy was getting worried. In an hour they would be in Helena. He was going to have to face his aunt. Before he left home, he had given no thought to the effect his leaving might have on his aunt. He just knew she would never agree to let him go. Just as surely as he knew he had to go.
“Papa, what if she doesn’t want me back?” he asked.
“Do you think she would have written me for help if she didn’t want you back?” Cody said.
“Well, no, but she’s going to really be mad,” Jeremy said.
“You shouldn’t have left the way you did, but you know that. At least you wrote, and let her know you were safe. She still worried, regardless. You felt you had to do something and you did it.
“Your aunt is a loving woman. She was worried sick about you. Let me tell you what is going to happen when we get there. You’re going to go and tell her you’re sorry for what you did. Then she is going to cry, and tell you how glad she is you’re safe.
“I’m not going to make excuses for you did, but just between us men, look at what happened as a result. You found your mother’s grave. You also found me, and I found your aunt. That’s a lot for a fourteen year old to accomplish. I’m proud of you, but if you tell her I said this, I will beat you within an inch of your life.” He tousled Jeremy’s hair to make sure he knew he was joking, at least about the last part.
The train pulled into the Helena station, where the usual onlookers were standing on the platform. Jeremy was the first passenger off the train, and anxiously scanned the people waiting. He caught sight of his aunt and ran to her.
“I’m sorry, Aunt Annabel, please don’t be mad at me. I had to do it. I just had to. I’m sorry I made you worry,” he said, unashamed of the tears flowing down his cheeks.
Her eyes were also overflowing. “I’m not mad at you. I’m just glad you’re safe and back home. Where’s C…” she started to say.
“I’m right here, Annabel. I promised I’d bring him back.”
He kissed her. A tender but brief kiss. “Let me get Thunder and our things before the train carries them off to God knows where. Come on, son, let’s get our stuff.”
They retrieved the baggage, and loaded it into the wagon. He had started to give Annabel a helping hand into the wagon, when Jeremy said, “Papa, don’t you think this might be a good time?”
“He’s calling you Papa?” she whispered..
“He has been since I assured him I would help him find his mother. In fact, he asked me what he should call me and I told him.”
Cody looked at Jeremy and said, “You’re right, son. This is a perfect time.” He reached into his jacket pocket and took out the small box he had been carrying since its purchase in Sacramento.
He turned to Annabel and said, “Annabel, I love you with all of my heart. Jeremy and I would like for you to be our wife and mother. Will you marry me?”
“Yes. Yes, Yes,” she said, and threw herself into his arms. Those on the platform stared, and smiled. He opened the box, removed the ring and slid it onto her thin outstretched finger. Crying, she said, “It seems everything you do makes me cry. Oh Cody, I’ve loved you all of my life.” She pulled his head down and kissed him. Thoroughly.
“Let’s get to the clerk’s office and get a license,” he said. “I want to do this before you change your mind,” he said.
“As if,” she said. “This is unbelievable. Jeremy is home safely, and I’m getting married.” Still in his arms, her eyes glistening, she looked at him and said, “Mrs. Cody Thompson. I can’t believe it.”
“Believe it,” he said. “Now let’s get to the clerk’s office, before he closes.”
License in hand, they went to the church, with Jeremy driving the wagon.
At the church, he took two of the boxes from the wagon, and handed one to Jeremy. They went to Jack and Letty’s house behind the church. Letty answered the knock on the door. “Mrs. Owens, we would like to get married. Is Jack here?” Cody asked.
“I’m Letty,” she reminded him. “Jack,” she called out. “Would you come here, please.”
When Jack came in, Cody said, “Mr. Owens, uh, Jack, we would like to get married. We have the license. Would you perform the ceremony for us, please?”
“Why, I would be delighted,” the preacher said.
“Honey,” Cody said to Annabel, “You might want to go in another room and open these first.”
Jeremy handed the boxes to her and said, “Here, Mama.”
“Oh, I can’t stand it, this is all too much. Look at me, I’m crying again,” she said.
Letty led her to her bedroom. When they emerged ten minutes later, Annabel was dressed in the blue dress Cody had picked out in Sacramento. “I told you, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I meant it then, and I mean it now.”
The tears flowed down her cheeks as she took Cody’s hand. They stood in front of Jack as he read the ceremony.After they exchanged vows, Jack said, “I now pronounce you man and wife.”
Cody shook hands with Jack. “Thank you. I appreciate your making time for us.” He turned to Letty, and clasped her hand in both of his. “Thank you for being a good friend to my Annabel.”
Letty squeezed his hand, and said, “Being Annabel’s friend is easy. She is a really good person.”
“I know,” Cody said. He turned to his new family, and said, “Are you folks about ready to go home?”
“Yes, sir,” said Jeremy emphatically.
“I am too,” said Annabel, maintaining a tight grip on his hand, and never taking her eyes off him as they made their way to the wagon.
At the wagon, Cody paused before helping Annabel into the wagon. “I just want to tell you again, how much I love you, Annabel.” He brought his lips to hers, she closed her eyes and parted her lips, ready for the kiss she knew was coming.
“Jeremy, why don’t you ride Thunder? Let him have his head. He needs to run.”
“Yes, sir,” Jeremy said and swung into the saddle. “Yee haw,” he yelled and galloped off.
chapter Sixteen
We’re Home
“I’ll take care of the horses, Papa”, Jeremy said, when the w
agon stopped beside the barn.
“Thanks, son,” Cody said, and then gave Annabel a hand down from the wagon. “I’ll get the packages, honey,” he said.
“I love it when you call me that,” she said. Once inside, she took his hand. “You know you totally surprised me today. The last thing I expected was hearing a proposal from you.”
Taking her other hand, and pulling it to his cheek, he grinned and said, “With Jeremy in the house, I couldn’t very well sleep in your bedroom otherwise, could I?”
“I would have,” she said. She stood on her tiptoe, and wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him. Looking into his eyes, she said, “Our night before you left, kept me going while you were gone. Every time I thought about it, I ached.”
“I thought about you too. I tried to put it into the letters, but I’m not very good at writing,” he said.
“Well, I thought you did pretty well, myself,” She gave him a peck on the cheek. “Let me see what I can scare up for dinner.”
She looked at the ring on her finger, moving it around to catch the light from different angles. “This is the first diamond I’ve ever seen. It’s beautiful.”
“I thought it might help persuade you to say yes,” Cody said. Then, smiling at the memory, he said, “When we went into the jewelry store in Sacramento, I told Jeremy I was going to ask you when the time was right. That’s what he meant at the depot, when he said, “This might be a good time.” He was right. It was a good time.
“Come on,” he said. “I’m anxious to find out how you like my taste in women’s clothes.”
She spun around slowly. “If they’re anything like this dress, I’m going to love them.” In the bedroom, she said, “I’m really curious to know how you managed this, pointing to the undergarments.”
“I cheated,” he said. I pointed to a woman that looked to be about your size, and told the clerk to pick out three or four of everything you might need. Then Jeremy and I went out and bought the ring, had lunch and came back to pick them up,”
She opened one of the larger boxes, and gasped. Inside was a long black dress, with lace around the scooped neckline. “This is so elegant, I’ll be afraid to wear it,” she said. When she opened the box with the yellow dress, she said, “I’m going to be the envy of every woman in Helena.”
His hands on her shoulders, he said, “You already are honey. You already are. When the men find you are taken, they are going to be jealous. And I’m going to love every minute of it.”
They heard Jeremy come in from the barn. “Say something about his clothes,” Cody whispered to Annabel. She gave his hand a squeeze, and they went to the kitchen.
“Jeremy, are these new?” she asked, as she fingered the shirt.
“Yes ma’am. Papa bought them for me. You like them?” he asked.
“I think they make you look more grown up. You have changed since you left. You’re not a little boy anymore.”
“Hey, I just remembered something,” he said, and went to his carpet bag. He pulled out the paper bag, and showed her the contents.
“Is that…” she started to say, but he interrupted.
“It’s dirt and grass from Mama’s grave. We found it, and we sat there for a long time. It felt like she was there with me.”
“Us,” said Cody. “It felt like she was with us. I wish you had been there too.” He said to Annabel, “It was a good experience.”
“Now, you’ve done it again,” she said.
“Done what?” Jeremy asked.
“He made me cry again,” Annabel said. “I’ve cried more times since he came than I ever did in my life before.”
Jeremy came over to them. “I love you both. I’m glad you agreed to marry Papa,” he said.
“Now see there, you’ve done it too. You’re as bad as he is. Now if you don’t get out of here, there won’t be any dinner.”
After dinner, Cody said, “Come on son, let’s go feed and water the stock before it gets dark.” Together, they walked outside and headed to the barn.
Thank you God, for bringing my man and my son back safely. Annabel cleaned up the kitchen and the dinner dishes and was sitting in the living room when they returned from their chores. Cody started a fire in the fireplace and sat on the davenport. Annabel moved over and sat close to him. He put his arm over her shoulder and pulled her close. “Get used to this, Jeremy. You’re going to see a lot of it,” she said. She leaned over and kissed his dad lightly. “Now tell me about your trip”
Jeremy told them how he rode in the boxcars, and told about being rousted by a railroad detective in Reno, and how he worked for a few days in the livery stable there. He told them about the owner’s wife bringing him food, and how kind all of the people were, especially the wives.
Cody said, “The man in Reno remembered you when he saw the picture and told me about his wife feeding you and worrying after you left. That’s when I was pretty sure I was on the right track.”
Cody told Annabel about Jim Gillespie in Sacramento and the story he might write. “He promised to send us a copy if he decided to write it.”
It was getting pretty late, when Jeremy came over and hugged his father, and kissed his new mother goodnight, As he walked down the hall, Annabel moved onto Cody’s lap, and nuzzled his neck. “Tell me about when you decided you wanted to marry me,”
“Well, Cody began, “It all started, when you were in my bed waiting for me…”
“Oh you…” she laughed. “That was as good a time as any.”
She lay back in his arms and looked up at him. “We’re so lucky. Things came together just right, didn’t they?”
“Yes, they did.” Cody brought his mouth down on hers. The soft, warm feel sent was heightened when she parted her lips to allow him entry. His tongue gently probed the contours of her mouth. She allowed herself to enjoy the passion of his kiss. Spirals of ecstasy coursed thought her, as he cupped her breast.
“Let me show you one of the things I like about this dress,” she said and sat up. “It buttons down the front.” She unbuttoned three of the buttons and squirmed. She pushed the new bra she was wearing up, and said “Now”. He slid his hand inside and touched the smooth, sensitive flesh, hearing the low moan escape her throat, as he rolled the pebbly flesh of the nipple between his fingers.
“Why don’t I take you to bed,” he asked.
“Yes, why don’t you?” she murmured.
He stood and carried her down the hall and through the open door to their bedroom.
He stopped by the side of the bed, and lowered her until her feet touched the floor, His hand cupped her chin, and he kissed her forehead, and her ear. He brought his hand to her mouth, and traced the outline of her lips with his finger. The soft brushing of his fingers against her cheek sent shivers down her spine. His fingers fumbled with the buttons on her dress. Undone, he pushed it off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor.
Her arms were around his neck as he worked his hand under her chemise and pushed it up. She lifted her arms above her head and smiled at him as he pulled it up and over her head, letting it fall on top of the dress. Now in her pantaloons and the new brassiere, he held her at arm’s length. “The sight of you takes my breath away,” he said.
Her heart was pounding as she hastily undid the buttons, and slid her hands under his shirt. Surely he must hear it, she thought. The shirt was off, joining her clothes on the floor. He undid the buckle on his trousers, and stepped out of them as they fell to the floor. He kicked them aside, and shrugged out of his shirt.
“Untie me, darling,” she said, and turned so he could untie the bra. Now, her firm breasts were free; the nipples were dark and erect. She pressed her bare skin against his. “I just love the feel of me against you,” she said.
His eyes smiled as he took in her naked beauty. His approval was obvious, and sent her pulses racing. He bent to kiss her, as their lips touched; she felt a burning desire to feel him inside her. “Get out of those clothes,
please,” she whispered. He pushed his long johns to the floor, and before he stood, he pushed her pantaloons, down. She now stood before him, gloriously naked. He scooped her up and gently eased her down onto the bed, then lay down beside her. One hand outlined the circle of her breast, pushing it up and into his waiting mouth. The gentle massage of his lips sent surges of desire throughout. She could feel her love flowing, making her ready,for him.
His hand moved down the silken skin of her belly, further down, seeking her pleasure points. It reached the entrance and he extended a finger inside. An involuntary movement thrust her hips up. His probing finger found its target. She reacted instantly and began pushing upward against his hand, until she lost control of her body. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. When the wave began to wane, and control slowly returned, she said in a voice full of desire, “Make love to me.”
He lowered himself down and slowly moved with her and inside her. He felt her tense as her surge started again, He increased the speed of his thrusts, and together they climbed the peaks of ecstasy until they went over the top together.
Afterward, they lay, each fitted into the curves on the other, their skin moist from their love making. In a wave of emotion, she pulled him as close as possible. “I am going to love being married to you,” she said.
She turned over and spooned against him, her back to his chest. She could feel his manhood against her hips, one hand cupping her breast. “Yes, I am going to really love it.”
He didn’t hear her. He had fallen asleep. She squirmed back against him, and then she joined him in a peaceful, sated sleep.
Epilogue
Annabel’s father had claimed his land as a homestead; one-hundred-sixty acres for himself and the same for Annabel. Cody filed increasing them a holding of 640 acres. In 1877, the desert Land Act was passed allowing settlers to purchase up to 640 acres at 25¢ per acre. They took advantage of this opportunity.
Cody's Montana Sweetheart: A New Montana Brides Ebook (The New Montana Brides) Page 6
