by Lower, Becky
The barkeep took her hand and squeezed it so hard tears came to her eyes. “Well, Jerry, the girls will be happy to see a young man such as yourself. Any new face in town is a cause for celebration for them.” He plunked down two mugs of ale in front of them and walked off to his next customer.
“Jeremiah? That’s the name you came up with?” Basil spoke in a low voice.
“I panicked, and that’s all I could think of.”
Basil ran his hand through his hair. “Hopefully, we won’t have any more cause to introduce you to anyone tonight. Drink up.”
She took a tentative sip of her beer, and coughed as it made its way down her windpipe. Basil thumped her on her back, laughing.
“Can I get in on the fun?” a female voice drifted between them. Temperance risked a look up and stared straight into the eyes of the woman she had seen Basil with on the sidewalk a few days ago. The woman who had barely any clothing on as she paraded through the streets of town. She planted herself between Basil and Temperance and wrapped her arms around Basil, kissing him. He unwound her arms and opened up some space between them. He even seemed a bit embarrassed.
“Good evening, Desireé,” he said. “It’s nice to see you again, too.” He took one more step away from the woman. She turned her gaze to Temperance.
“And what do we have here?” She ran her hand down Temperance’s arm and flicked a glance over her face. “I’ve never seen you before. Has Basil been hiding you so he could keep me all to himself?”
Basil reached over and took Temperance’s other arm, pulling her away from Desireé’s grasp. “This is my nephew, newly arrived in town. He’s a mite shy.”
Desireé took another step forward. “I am attracted to shy men,” she purred as her hand moved from Temperance’s arm and slid down her back. When she cupped Temperance’s buttock and gave it a little slap, Temperance let out a small squeak.
“Leave him alone, Desireé. He’s only a youngster.”
“Umm, young and shy. Just my type.” She boldly pressed her body up against Temperance’s and bit her earlobe. Temperance squirmed away.
Suddenly Basil was in between them, making certain Temperance would not be accosted further. She breathed a sigh of relief.
But Desireé would not be deterred. She reached around Basil, and growled, “I want a closer look at this sweet young man who you seem to think is too precious for me to touch,” she grabbed Temperance’s big hat and knocked it off her head.
Temperance gasped as the hat went flying across the room. Her long hair spilled around her face. One by one, the men in the bar turned to look at her. Cards quit being shuffled, conversations came to a halt. When the piano man cut short his song, she raised her eyes and glanced around the quiet room.
“I apologize for interrupting your evening, gentlemen. And ladies.” She turned to Desireé and bowed slightly. “I merely asked to see the inside of a tavern and Mr. Fitzpatrick went along with my crazy idea. I’ll leave now.” She turned on her heel and headed toward the door.
“Are you any good at poker, young miss?” She turned around and her gaze darted to the table where a group of grisly, dirty men were playing with a battered deck of cards. The man who spoke lifted his sweat-stained hat from his head and nodded in her direction.
A gleam lit her eyes as she answered. “Even though my father was a preacher, he often unwound by playing cards at the end of the day. It’s how I learned to count. Do you have room for one more?” She began to stride across the room when suddenly she was whisked off her feet.
Basil glanced at the table of men as he hoisted Temperance over his shoulder. “Gentlemen, I think Miss Jones has provided all of us with enough entertainment for one night. We’ll take our leave.” He walked out of the tavern, with her kicking and screaming at him. Laughter echoed from the place as the swinging double doors closed behind them.
When he got to the other side of the street, he set her down on the wooden sidewalk. She lashed out at him with her foot, kicking him in the shin. As he bent over, grabbing his leg in pain, her fist connected with his face. A solid left hook got him smack-dab in the eye. He yelped and backed away from her.
“What has gotten into you, for Christ’s sake?” He held his hand over the damaged eye.
“It’s not bad enough that I was made a spectacle of when your little girlfriend pulled my hat off. If only I hadn’t listened to you, and cut my hair, I could have kept up the charade. That’s what the kick in the shin was for. But then, I almost made things right again by taking the gentleman up on his offer to play cards when you sweep me off my feet and carry me from the tavern as if I were a sack of potatoes! That’s why I punched you. And, from the look of your eye, you’ll have quite a nice shiner in the morning.” She grinned.
His fingers touched the skin around his eye. He winced as he scowled at her. “Yes, you may resemble a girl, even when you’re dressed in your brother’s clothing, but you sure as hell don’t fight like one.”
Frustrated tears welled up in her eyes. “That was my last chance to get my family to Oregon.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.”
She fought back the tears as he gazed at her intently.
“Perhaps now you’ll consider staying in St. Louis a bit longer. You’re about to move into the Lafontaines’ hunter’s cabin so your accommodations will be better.”
“We can’t continue to accept the hospitality of the Lafontaines, Basil. The Jones family always makes our own way. If we stay, we will find lodging here in town in the spring. Ma can take in washing while she’s nursing the new baby. Lord knows there are enough dirty men in this town. And I can find something more to do … ”
Basil took her arm gently and turned her toward the bank. “Tomorrow’s soon enough to sort out your family’s future, be it here or further to the west. Right now, you need to wipe the ash from your face and put your dress back on before you head for home.”
A man yelled out a greeting to Basil from across the street. Basil waved and kept moving toward the bank.
“Who is that?” Temperance asked. “I haven’t seen him before.” She got a good glimpse of a rugged, tall man with a shock of light brown hair. Lovely hair, actually.
“That’s Jake Shelton. He must have just returned from out west. He’s a wagon master and led a wagon train last spring.”
Temperance craned her neck for another look as Basil hustled her down the sidewalk. Mr. Shelton, from what she could tell, was a mighty handsome man. And strong. And brave, if he was a wagon master. If he wasn’t already married, maybe there was yet one more way to get to Oregon.
• • •
The following morning, Ginger arrived at the little soddy. She pulled up in a small buggy, drawn by one horse. Temperance and her mother exited the house as soon as they spied the buggy and helped Ginger down from the conveyance. She was swollen with child and was having a difficult time moving around. She ran a hand down her bulging belly as she alighted. Even with her discomfort, she still radiated warmth and humor.
“Why are you here, for land’s sakes?” Martha Jones exclaimed. “You shouldn’t be out and about by yourself. How are you feeling?”
“I’m feeling well, just a few twinges here and there. I can’t climb up on a horse anymore, but my baby’s still a month away from being born, and I couldn’t wait to tell you my news.”
“Well, please do come in out of this cold air, and let us know what’s going on.”
Together, they hustled inside the warm room and sat at the small table. After a quick hello, the children moved to the loft with their books, in order to give the three women room to move about. Temperance dropped a tea ball into some hot water on the stove and let the fragrant herbal leaves steep for a few minutes while Martha and Ginger made small talk. Only when the three of them had hot, aromatic cups of tea in front of them and Tempe
rance was seated at the table did Ginger share her news.
“I’m so excited for you! Joseph and his brothers moved our belongings yesterday into our new house, so you can move out of this little soddy today. I’ve come to take Temperance out and show her where the hunter’s cabin is. You can be there by nightfall.”
From the loft above, the excited whispers of her siblings bubbled over at the news. They would not be spending another cramped night in this dismal place! Temperance was happy, too, and couldn’t wait to see the cabin. It would still be small, but a considerable step up from where they were currently living. As Martha and Ginger chatted away about their impending new motherhood, Temperance barely contained her desire to climb into the buggy and head out.
Finally, they pulled on their capes and bonnets and exited into the cold November air.
“The cabin is only about two miles from here, so we’ll barely have time to get chilled before we’re there.” Ginger said. “It’s a small place, no doubt, but at least you can all stand in the same room at once, unlike where you are now. I think you’ll be much more comfortable.”
She cast a sideways glance at Temperance. “Is my brother treating you all right?”
Surprised, Temperance took her eyes off the path and glanced at Ginger. Had Basil confided something to her? “Of course he is. He’s been most generous. Why do you ask?”
“He has taken a special interest in your family’s welfare, which is a good sign. Up until now, Basil has only been interested in himself. Don’t get me wrong.” She laughed. “I love my brother dearly, but he is a bit of a rascal. I’m hopeful he keeps himself in check around you, since I know what a pious family yours is.”
Temperance hoped the brisk air would be enough of a reason for her cheeks to suddenly flame with color. Just reliving the night she spent with Basil was enough to cause her blush to rise.
“His manner has been above reproach with me, not to worry. And, as for him being a rascal, I think he’s giving that up, too. He hasn’t talked about dance hall girls for some time now.”
“I’m glad to hear that. It’s about time Basil grows into himself. Unless I miss my guess, there’s a reason why he’s taming his behavior. And that reason is you, Miss Temperance.” She glanced over again.
Temperance squirmed in her seat. “Surely you jest. Mr. Fitzpatrick is a businessman, and I’m merely the help. He has no interest in me beyond a friendship.”
Ginger flicked the reins. “I’m not so sure.” She turned in her seat to look at Temperance again. “What news have you gotten from home? Is Jeremiah on his way here yet?”
Temperance fingered her cape. Slowly, she answered, “He’s not coming. He decided to marry Rebecca Stoughton instead of me.”
Ginger laid a hand over Temperance’s and squeezed it gently. “Ah, I’m sorry to hear that. But, selfishly, in a way I’m glad, since you’ll stay here in St. Louis now. I miss my sisters a lot, and it’s been nice having you close by.”
Temperance smiled. “I miss having my friends about me, too. Back in Pennsylvania, there was a group of us, all about the same age. We did everything together, and when Da decided it was time to move on, I had to leave them all behind. It was hard. Prudence and I became closer on the trip out here, but now she spends almost every minute with Etienne, and I’m working so many hours, I don’t get to see much of her anymore.”
Smiling, Ginger urged the horse to a trot. “Of all Joseph’s brothers, Etienne is my favorite, too. Gaston is too reserved and Raoul is too angry. But Etienne is a real sweetheart. How old is Prudence again?”
“She’s fourteen to his seventeen. I worry that they’ll begin to experiment with each other’s feelings soon, rather than remaining platonic friends.”
“Would that be so bad? The Lafontaines have a good business going here, and are well-respected members of the community. True, there are some in town who give them a hard time because of their Indian background, but it doesn’t hurt that all the men in the family are big and strong. They are a force to be reckoned with. I’d love for Prudence to someday marry into the family.”
“But we aren’t staying in St. Louis.” Temperance wrung her hands together as she talked. “Da wanted us to move to Oregon. He thought it would be a good place for our family to be, where Justice and Valor could be safe from the war that’s coming, and I need to honor his last request. I must see the family through the rest of the journey, one way or the other. I promised him I would do it.”
“But how can you do that, with no man at the helm of the wagon? It’s not allowed. And Jeremiah isn’t coming.”
“I know, and I’ve thought of every option that I can. There’s only one left.” She took a deep breath. “There was a man in town yesterday who I’d not seen before. Basil said he was a wagon master named Jake Shelton, who just came back from leading a wagon train out last spring. Do you know him?”
“So Jake Shelton has turned your head, has he? He is one handsome devil, is he not?” Ginger grinned. “He came out to the ranch last spring to buy some horses for the wagon train. I’m sure he’s back in town getting his supplies in place for the upcoming spring rush of homesteaders. So we’ll see him again out here shortly, I suppose.”
“Does his wife go with him on the wagon train each year, or does she stay behind?” Temperance fished for information.
Ginger drew in on the reins and stopped the horse and buggy. She turned in her seat so she could look Temperance in the eye. “I don’t believe it. So that’s how you’re planning to get to Oregon? Marry a wagon master?”
Temperance dropped her gaze and fingered her cape again. “If that’s the only way. And you did say he was one handsome devil, did you not?”
Ginger urged the horse to a walk again. She sat quietly for a moment, and Temperance feared she wouldn’t reveal Mr. Shelton’s marital status. Temperance’s stomach knotted tighter while she waited.
“Forgive me, Temperance, I’m only thinking of myself. I want you to marry Basil, not Jake Shelton.” Ginger took a deep breath. “And my brother is being stubborn about admitting his feelings for you. Stubborn to the point of possibly letting you get away before he realizes how much he loves you. I can see it, but until he does, there’s nothing that can be done. You did make a solemn promise to your father, and I respect that.” Ginger took a deep breath before she continued.
Temperance attempted to process the nugget of information she had just received from Ginger. Basil loved her? How did Ginger know something even Temperance did not? Admittedly, she was Basil’s sister, but still. Wouldn’t Temperance know it first?
“No, Mr. Shelton is not married, but not for a lack of effort on the part of just about every single woman in St. Louis. And some of the married ones, as well.” Ginger responded to her question, finally. Temperance tried to rein in her out of control thoughts, and remember what the question had been. Oh, yes, Jake Shelton’s marital status.
His lifestyle doesn’t encourage a partnership, and he’s smart enough to know that. If you were to marry just so he’d take your family on the wagon train, you’d end up in Oregon, and the only thing he does once he gets there is turn around and come back here. It certainly wouldn’t be much of a marriage for you.”
“But perhaps I could return to St. Louis in a few years, after I get the family settled, and live here instead?”
Ginger remained silent as Temperance’s mind ran wild. She hadn’t given an ounce of thought about what the arrangements would be if she did in fact have to marry Jake in order to get her family moved. If she stayed in Oregon to see to her family, she would only get to see Jake for a week or so out of the year. And if she relocated to St. Louis, she’d not only be separated from her family, but she’d spend months alone while Jake took that year’s crop of pioneers on their journey west.
Be alone in the same town as Basil, but married to someone else, someo
ne who was gone for months at a time. Could she handle that? Especially now that Ginger had revealed that he had feelings for her beyond friendship.
She sighed. “I just need to get my family there. We’ve imposed on the goodness of the Lafontaines long enough. In the spring, it’ll be time for us to move on. And if me marrying Jake Shelton is how we can accomplish that, so be it.”
Ginger shook her head as they pulled up to the cabin and climbed down from the buggy. “I can’t help but think what you’re planning is a mistake. My brother loves you. He just doesn’t want to admit it yet.”
Temperance took hold of Ginger’s arm as they mounted the steps to the cabin. She thought about the snowy evening she and Basil spent together and how she practically begged him to make love to her, but he resisted. No, Ginger was wrong in her assessment. “Maybe he doesn’t want to admit it because it’s not really there. We have a friendship, and maybe I want it to be more than that, but he’s made it quite clear he doesn’t. Besides, what I want for myself and what I must do for my family are two different things.”
Ginger wrapped her arm around Temperance’s shoulder. “If your mind is made up, there’s not much I can do to change it. Men only think they have drawn the long straw in life, don’t they? It’s us women who will settle the West. Come, let me show you where your family will be living for the next four months.”
The small cabin consisted of one central room, with a walled-off small room on one side, creating a private space for bathing. A bed, a real bed, Temperance noted, was pushed up against one wall. There was a wood stove in the corner. A kitchen table, and another cooking stove, were on the far side of the room. Temperance twirled in the center area, with her arms out on either side of her body. “This is wonderful! All this space.”
“Joseph and I loved it here, but with a baby coming soon, we’re happy our new house is completed enough to move in. But we spent some very romantic times here.” She ran her hand down the counterpane on the bed, and then doubled over, grabbing her belly.
