by Rosie Harper
“Jealous are we?” Caleb helped him back into the cart, determined not to let the drunken sot rile him up. “Wish you’d written her first?” He hopped onto the wagon and took the reins. He motioned for to the horse to get moving. They rumbled off slowly.
“Don’t be ridiculous Bartlett. Now, I’m going to drive you home where you can sober up, have a long bath – with soap – before you even think about heading into town to meet Melissa.”
“On first name terms already,” Bartlett observed. “Should I be worried that you’re gonna steal my girl?”
“Don’t be so ridiculous. You know me better than that.” Caleb prayed that Greive was drunk enough not to notice just how much it was hurting him to be polite, to deny his true feelings for Melissa. What he really wanted to do was just drive him into town now, to show Melissa exactly what she was in for. But he didn’t want to upset her, didn’t want to see anyone hurt her.
“Hell, don’t you lie to me boy, I can see it in your eyes. You fancy her for yourself, well she’s mine. You ain’tgonna get her. I’ll have her down at that church before you can even blink.” Thankfully it seemed that Bartlett had slumped into unconsciousness, and Caleb was more than happy to leave him that way until he got him home. He pulled up outside the large house that his neighbor had only built two years previously. It already looked as if it had been abandoned for a decade. The yard was overgrown with weeds, the house itself dusty and covered in cobwebs.
“I can’t believe you intend to bring a bride here Greive,” he said in disgust. “Get inside, sleep this off, then get yourself and this place cleaned up before you even think about paying your respects to Melissa.”
“Don’t need to take no orders from the likes of you. I’ll get her to clean it soon as she’s my wife.” Bartlett laughed, a wheezy sound that spoke of hours in the saloon. Caleb left in disgust.
“I’ll bring your horse and cart back in the morning,” he yelled over his shoulder.
Caleb drove home, wondering if he should send Melissa some kind of note, to warn her that Bartlett was home. But, he was tired and doubted if the man would be up before midday. He had time to go first thing. He took the tired old horse into one of the stalls and rubbed him down. He wasn’t surprised to find that he was showing signs lameness. His eyes were rheumy and his teeth were all but gone. It made him despise Bartlett even more, if that were even possible. He was now determined to buy the animal from Greive, couldn’t bear to think of such a defenseless animal being so badly treated.
It was pouring rain when he awoke. He rolled over, the cattle would have found themselves shelter. He had nothing he had to be up for, so rolled over and allowed himself to drift back off to sleep. When he awoke two hours later he was furious with himself. He had meant to call on Melissa, and now he was probably too late. He pulled on his clothes, and ran down to the stable. Sam nickered at him happily. “Come on fella,” he said to him as he saddled him up. “We need to get to town and fast.”
He had never ridden so fast in his life, the wind and rain tearing through his thin shirt. He was grateful for the wide brim of his hat, as it kept the worst of the weather from his eyes. He had the worst sense of foreboding. But, what was the worst Greive could do? Show up and embarrass himself. That would surely help his cause, would get Melissa to see that he was most definitely not marriage material. But, there was something else. Even drunk Bartlett had been possessive, so certain of himself. Caleb couldn’t help but worry that the scoundrel had something in mind for Melissa that may not give her any choice in the matter.
“Oh Caleb, I am so pleased to see you. I called the Sheriff, but he says he can do nothing. He says that as they are affianced and that it is up to Bartlett to do what he likes.” Mrs. Suttle was hysterical, and though she wasn’t speaking clearly, it told him he was right to have been so fearful.
“Slow down Mrs. Suttle please, breathe,” he said soothingly as he leapt from Sam’s back and put his arm around her. She looked up into his face, her own was pale and her eyes red from crying. “Bartlett barged in here this morning. We had barely even had breakfast. He demanded to see his fiancé. I could hardly refuse him. But Melissa, oh she was so wonderful. She stood right up to him. Said she had no intention of marrying him; that he should leave.”
“But he didn’t listen did he?” Caleb asked softly, as this usually indomitable woman sobbed into his shoulder.
“No, he flew into a rage. He spoke whole lot of nonsense about how he wasn’t prepared to let her go so she could go off running to you, and then picked her up, tossed her over his shoulder and left the house. He was gone before I could even work out what direction he went in.”
“It isn’t your fault. I don’t know where to start, but I’ll find her. Don’t you worry about that. I just hope I get there in time, before he has her down the aisle. Get inside, and keep warm. I’ll have her back to you before you know it.” He waited only until she was back inside her door. Then jumped on to Sam’s back and was about to urge him to a gallop when he heard her call out.
“Caleb, Mariette offered her a job. She was going to stay here, was going to build herself a life. She said Mariette told her things about Bartlett. Maybe she might know where he would go.” Caleb turned his horse’s head in the direction of Mariette’s house and sped off. He prayed Mrs. Suttle was right.
“Caleb what a nice surprise,” Mariette greeted him brightly.
“I’ve no time for niceties Mariette,” he said impatiently. “Melissa has been taken by Bartlett Greive. Mrs. Suttle said you told Melissa all about him, about his rather more unpleasant habits. How do you know about them? No scratch that, it isn’t important. Do you have any clue where he may have taken her?” Caleb barely stopped to breathe he was so anxious for information.
“He ran the claim next to mine,” Mariette said, as she put a hand in Caleb’s arm. It soothed him a little. “He didn’t ever do that well, and like so many prospectors spent his profits. But he got lucky. Found a huge lump of gold, decided to come down here and buy his ranch. Loved being all proper, having the money meant he didn’t have to work so hard even though he was never a lazy man. He could actually, at times even be charming. I’m sad to say I almost fell prey to his pretty words. Not that he has many these days I know. But he was different back then. The money started to run a little low. So he had to start working. He took it all more seriously, but there were always visits to his ‘sister’. I followed him once. Was sure he had another woman. I was wrong. He paid for a number of women.
“I ended our relationship, have never been so glad of any decision ever before or since. He may be happy to take such risks with his health, but I wasn’t. I could have handled the booze and the gambling, and it was tough enough to make sure he got them under control, but I didn’t want to fall ill because of his whoring around. I was right as it turned out. He started to get sicker, and more and more unpleasant over the last few years.” Caleb looked at her, astonished that she of all people had once been in love with the crusty old reprobate.
“So, do you know anywhere he may have taken Melissa?” he begged her. “She apparently told him she wouldn’t marry him, he got mad and just picked her up and took her.”
“Well, there was a place he used to go to, whether it is still his haunt of choice I don’t know, but the place I followed him to was up near Huckabay. There isn’t much out that way, but there is a chapel. I could show you, give me just a minute and I’ll get my horse.” Caleb nodded. He had no other leads, and at least he would be able to feel he had tried.
Mariette joined him outside, dressed in her suede riding clothes, the clothes she had worn for three years as a prospector. She leapt onto her horse, and the two rode north. Caleb had no idea where she was leading him, had never headed out this way before. The terrain was sometimes tricky, but it wasn’t too long before they rode along Huckabay’s short Main Street. Mariette hadn’t lied, there wasn’t much here. A saloon, which advertised that it had rooms to let; a tiny chapel; and a
large General Store were flanked by just a few houses.
Caleb dismounted, he was sure that Bartlett would wed her before he did anything else. He burst into the chapel and his heart jumped for joy when he saw Melissa’s golden locks, standing next to Bartlett at the altar. He was holding on to her arm, with a grip hard enough that she was squirming in pain. The Minister jumped nervously. Clearly he was unhappy about the proceedings. When Caleb looked closer he could see why. Greive was holding both Melissa, and the timid looking man of God hostage with his pistol. “You’re not welcome here Green,” Bartlett yelled angrily. “Get your butt out of here before I use this on you.” He brandished the silver-barrelled pistol agitatedly.
“You’ll need witnesses surely?” Caleb said coolly, inside he felt a rage boiling so hot he could barely see straight, but he knew he had to keep his temper under control. Bartlett laughed.
“You may be right, but I believe I need two and there’s only one of you.”
“You haven’t even questioned how I knew to find you here, can you not think of anybody you know who might have told me?” Caleb asked, almost enjoying being able to thwart this odious man’s intentions. As Bartlett had kept his eyes on Caleb from the moment he had burst through the doors, he hadn’t noticed Mariette sneak into the chapel through the side door.
“Just a lucky guess, or maybe you’re just an excellent tracker,” Greive sneered.
“No Bartlett,” Mariette said firmly, taking a place by the altar, levelling a pistol right at him. “Not a lucky guess. You’re just too predictable. Now, let the poor Minister go, and let Melissa go and nobody will get hurt. Oh, and by the way that loan I gave you to buy your cattle has just come due,” she said with some satisfaction. “If you can’t pay it, I’ll just have to take the whole ranch to cover the cattle, and the interest you owe me. So, there’s no need to return to Stephenville. You may as well stay here and see if any of your painted ladies will want you now.”
Bartlett paled visibly before their eyes. “You wouldn’t?” he said desperately. Caleb stared at Mariette open-mouthed. She was magnificent, resplendent even in her icy cold rage.
“Just try me. You’ve gone a step too far this time. It’s time you started to make payment for your mistakes. You’ve hurt enough people. I am certainly not going to let you do to one of my employees what you did to me.” This time it was Bartlett who stood and stared at her with his mouth wide open.
“Your employee,” he spluttered. “What kind of nonsense is this? My wife isn’t going to work for a living.”
“You still haven’t got it have you, you are not going to be leaving here with a wife Bartlett,” Caleb said firmly. “If you hadn’t noticed, Melissa is already here, standing by my side, not yours. I understand that she has no wish to marry you, and if that is the case then I am sure you will have no reason to worry about her employment with Mariette.”
“Curse you both,” Bartlett screamed. “You can’t take my ranch, and you can’t take my damn wife.”
“Oh we can, and we will.” Mariette grinned maliciously. “I had already instructed the bank to foreclose on your loan and get me what you owed me before I even knew what you intended for poor Melissa. Your own folly Bartlett. You should have done the work, rather than blowing every penny on booze, women and cards. Shall we go home?” She turned to Caleb and Melissa. Caleb nodded.
“Don’t see why not. I may need to have a word with you Mariette, I’ve been looking to expand my ranch, and it would seem that you have the ideal property. Maybe you would permit me an audience to discuss it,” he said cheekily, enjoying the look of pure disbelief on Bartlett’s face.
“It would be my pleasure.” Caleb walked out of the chapel, Melissa on one arm and Mariette on the other, as they listened to the anguished wails of a broken man. The Minister hurried after them, panting to keep up.
“So, there is to be no wedding today?” he asked, clearly confused and more than a little bit scared.
“No, no wedding today,” Mariette said then turned to Melissa with a big wink. “Unless you can think of anyone you might like to wed today?” Melissa bowed her head, but they could see the rush of red that suffused her neck with embarrassment. Caleb suddenly realized that she felt the same way about him as he did about her.
“I’m game if you are?” he said cheekily. “I fell in love with you as soon as the smoke cleared on the damn station. But, if you’d maybe like a little time to get used to the idea, that’d be just fine. Would like me to maybe court you properly?” He shrugged, hoping she would say something, anything as long as she didn’t rebuff him completely.
“I fell in love with you then too,” she said. “But Mariette truly has offered me a job. I don’t need you to marry me because you think you should, or because I need supporting. And I really want to work for the newspaper. If you’d want me to be a stay at home wife, to just be there to cook and clean for you then my answer to you will be the same as the one Bartlett ignored,” she said seriously.
“My darling girl, as long as you are happy you may do whatever you please, but marry me?” Caleb said with a grin. “I don’t want to have to go through all this again if some over ardent suitor of yours suddenly tries to whisk you away. It’s so very exhausting!”
Chapter Seven
Melissa could hardly believe what was happening to her. One moment she was happy, about to be an independent woman with her own income, and the next she was slung over the back of a mangy looking horse with the foulest smelling, and most foul-mouthed man she had ever met. Then, scared out of her wits. She was then held captive in the chapel, about to be forced to wed at the point of a gun. She had of course read stories in the papers back in Chicago, warning women of the dangers of heading out West – but she had always assumed that they had been somehow sensationalised. She had never truly believed that such things could ever really happen to anyone. It was all so very farfetched.
But, even now of all the things that had happened to her today, this seemed the least likely to have ever occurred. The man she adored was standing here, telling her he loved her and she was actually turning him down because she wanted to work for Mariette! He said now that he didn’t mind, but everyone was far too emotional to be making rational decisions. In the morning she knew it would all be different, he’d suddenly declare he had changed his mind and as his wife she would have no say in the matter.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know you well enough to accept that you truly feel that way,” she admitted. “I have lurched from one chaotic tragedy to the next throughout my life. I can’t help but think that maybe I should think about this one a little more carefully.” Caleb looked down at her with adoring eyes.
“So, that isn’t a no then, just a not today, thank you?” he clarified. She nodded as she bit at her lip. She had never dared to be so forthright with anyone before. Mariette grinned at her.
“Wise girl. I think we all need to go home and get over the excitement before any major decisions are made. But if you decide you really do want to talk to me about Bartlett’s ranch, I’d be more than happy to discuss it Caleb. I am no rancher, too damn dirty and smelly for my liking,” she laughed her deep and hearty laugh.
Caleb helped Melissa up onto Sam, and then vaulted up behind her. He had to put his arms around her to take the reins, and Melissa felt a wave of tiredness engulf her as she snuggled up into his warm body. He smiled down at her and she knew in her heart that this man would never expect her just do anything. He truly did want her to be happy. But she was too tired to tell him so, and so she allowed her eyes to close, and drifted off into well-deserved nap.
When she awoke, they were riding slowly through Stephenville. She wriggled a little, and Caleb glanced down at her. “You all right?” he asked her gently. She nodded. Mariette grinned at her. “Well, this is me. I shall wish you two love birds a good night.”
“Thank you Mariette, I owe you everything,” Melissa said.
“Not a problem. My life was getting a little dull
anyway. It was good to have a little excitement. Now, if you truly want to pay me back, then write me some wonderful stories. Get yourself involved in everything that is going on in this little town, and write it all down for the paper!”
“Good night Mariette,” Caleb said, and tipped his hat at her. “Glad you were on my side today.”
When they reached Mrs. Suttle’s Melissa could feel tears welling up inside her. “Do you have to leave me here?” she asked as an unusually wanton sensation took her over. She didn’t want to have to leave Caleb’s arms, and she knew now that she had made a huge mistake in not saying yes, right there and then, and coming back to town a married woman.
“Mrs. Suttle would have been worried out of her mind. She was at her wits end when I left. She is very fond of you,” Caleb admonished her. “You had your chance. Now you’ll just have to hope I make the offer some other time” he teased. He dipped his head to hers and kissed her affectionately on the lips. His lips were soft, and she felt shudders pass through her body as he deepened the kiss. She kissed him back, unsure of what to do, but glad to know that her body was more than aware. She parted her lips and his tongue darted inside. It felt peculiar, but in a wonderful way. His questing flickers encouraged her to make some of her own. He groaned and wrapped his arms around her even tighter.
“Miss Haldane, I think we had better get you inside before the entire neighborhood begins to talk. We’ll have them all twitching at their drapes!” Caleb said finally as he pulled away from her gently. Melissa felt like melted butter, every part of her was limp and fluid. She was more than grateful when he lifted her down from Sam’s back, and carried her to the front door. He set her on her feet, and squeezed her to him tightly. “We have all the time in the world,” he whispered to her as he knocked on the door.
Mrs. Suttle opened the door in her nightgown, she looked like she had been through the mill, and Melissa’s heart went out to her. It must have been terrible for the kindly woman to have to wait at home, awaiting the news. “Oh my little cherub,” she cried. “You’re safe.” Melissa was soon enveloped in the cuddly woman’s arms, her head pressed against her heaving bosom. “I cannot thank you enough Caleb,” she said as she reached up and kissed him on the cheek.
