The Kissing Bridge: Cassie's Story (Hearts of Hays Series #3)

by Barbara Goss

  “Because he what?” Silas demanded between clenched teeth.

  “Well, you may as well tell him, now, Jesse!” Cassie cried, and she maneuvered around Meg in order to run up the stairs.

  “I’m afraid I’ve said too much,” Jesse said, sheepishly.

  Silas stood and faced Jesse. “Because. He. What?” he demanded.

  Jesse sighed. “Uriah touched her breast.”

  “What? I’ve heard enough!” Silas stormed out of the house, and moments later, they heard his buggy barreling down the path.

  “Oh, Jesse!” Laura exclaimed. “What have you done?”

  “Jesse!” Meg scolded.

  “I’m sorry, I never thought…I thought he’d be glad I punished him for offending Cassie. I had no idea he’d react like that.”

  “Men!” murmured Meg. “How did you think he’d react to news of another man touching is fiancée?”

  “I thought Cassie had told him everything,” Jesse said.

  “I guess,” Oliver said, “I’m staying here tonight after all.”

  The sofa's very comfortable,” Meg said. “I’ll get you some bedding.”

  At breakfast the next morning, a red-eyed Cassie sat glumly at the table drinking coffee, but she pushed her food away. No one spoke of what had happened, but Oliver and Beth looked very uncomfortable, in a strange house with their hostess heartbroken and upset.

  Finally Oliver broke the silence. “If someone will take me to Silas, I’ll try to talk to him.”

  “I’m sorry the two of you two had to witness this, and on your first night here. I’d better tell you the whole story so you can reason with Silas,” Cassie explained.

  “Silas promised to write me from Kansas City, but when I didn’t hear from him for three months, I figured he no longer cared about me, and had maybe mended things with his wife, because I had no idea what else to think. I became friends with the so-called minister, and one day he kissed me. All it did was make me miss Silas more. He put his arm around me one day and his hand touched my breast. He claimed it was an accident, but then he said that he found it hard to believe that a woman who had been courted for three years could be so innocent, so I know that is why he tried it with me.”

  “My brother courted you for three years?”

  Cassie nodded.

  “Then it’s his fault and not yours,” Oliver reasoned.

  “If only I’d have thought of going to Kansas City sooner, none of this would have happened,” Cassie said, wiping away a tear that had begun to roll down her cheek. I finally got Silas back and now…now…” Cassie ran from the table and back up to her room.

  Meg said to Oliver, “I’ll have Jesse take you to Silas’s house, and if he’s not there, then he’ll take you to the livery. It’s his fault for blabbing. He should’ve known better. Let him help you talk to Silas.”

  Meg didn’t have to send for Jesse, because at that moment, he walked into the house.

  “I came to apologize to Cassie,” Jesse said. “Where is she?”

  “Upstairs crying her eyes out, no thanks to you, Jesse!” Meg scolded.

  “I assumed she’d told him,” he said. “I don’t know what made me go on and on and, well, I guess it’s because I was so glad to have him back. He and I were always friends, and I couldn’t wait to share the latest news with him. It never dawned on me until I got to that part…” Jesse, hit himself in the head. "I’m sorry.”

  “You can still fix things. You can take Oliver to Silas and the both of you can try talking to him," Meg said. "Maybe the two of you can talk some sense into him.”

  They found Silas at home, sitting on his front steps, with his head in his hands. He barely looked up when they approached.

  “Nice house,” Oliver said, looking up at the two-story white house with red shutters.

  Jesse sat down beside Silas. “I’m sorry, I thought she’d told you.”

  “It’s not your fault, Jesse. I can’t believe that Cassie took up with another man while I was gone. I thought she’d wait for me.”

  “She did, but when she didn’t hear from you for months—”

  “She should have known I’d be back. She knew how much I loved her.”

  Oliver said, “The reason the impostor touched her was because he’d heard that she’d been courted for three years by the same man. He thought she'd be easy because of that.”

  “You’re saying it was my fault?” Silas snapped.

  “Partly, yes.” Oliver sighed. “Look, don’t let something this petty spoil what you and Cassie have together. You’re free now, and you can get married, have babies, and live happily ever after.”

  “I get sick to my stomach thinking about her kissing someone else, and then I start to wonder what else they did together?”

  “I have to get back to my family,” Jesse said. “I apologize again for causing the trouble.”

  “I would have found out anyway," Silas said, "sooner or later."

  Despite all their differences, which didn’t seem so great anymore, the brothers enjoyed being together again. Beth and Oliver were kept busy traveling between Cassie’s house and Silas’s, until they finally told Silas it was time they were married. Jesse invited them to live with him until they got a place of their own. Oliver liked working at the livery, even though Silas and Cassie’s futures were on hold, which meant he’d continue as worker instead of a manager. It also meant he had more than one reason to hope Silas and Cassie patched things up. Even as just a worker at the livery he made enough to support a wife and a family. Oliver had a gut feeling that things would work out, and since they had a place to stay, he decided to take a risk and get married.

  After talking to Reverend Carter, the couple planned a quick informal wedding with only the family present.

  At the church on their wedding day, Silas stood with Oliver, and Cassie with Beth. But Silas and Cassie stood apart from each other. They did not speak to each other, which made for a very awkward atmosphere. Oliver thought that by having them witness his marriage; it would help bring them back together.

  Also present for the ceremony were Meg and Carl, Jesse and Laura, and the children. Afterwards, Meg threw a small dinner in her kitchen.

  Frost covered the ground, requiring everyone to bundle up in the lobby to prepare for the ride from the church to the Collins’s house. Silas had arranged for his best carriage and driver to transport the wedding party. The seating was tight, and Silas and Cassie somehow ended up squeezed together in the buggy seat.

  Cassie felt the warmth of Silas’s body, despite his cold demeanor. As she sat pressed against him, she closed her eyes and imagined it was her wedding day, and she and Silas were the bride and groom. He looked so handsome in his black suit and tie. She could smell Silas's pleasant aroma, reminiscent of the soapy lather he used to shave. The scent brought back memories, mostly of them on the bridge kissing.

  Silas berated himself. He should have provided a larger carriage, because, naturally, Jesse would push Cassie against him. It took all his willpower not to put his arms around her and hug her. As her body pressed against his, he realized that, in that moment, he loved her still. Despite his hurt and anger, he loved her more than he could measure.

  Could things be fixed between them? Or would that Uriah whatever-his-name-was always be a wedge between them? She looked beautiful today in her purple dress with a bustle that was pressing up against his ribs. Silas always thought her cute in her braids and riding pants, but when she put on a dress and pinned her blonde hair up, she always looked stunning.

  He inhaled, the scent of her hair drifted towards him. While he wasn’t an expert on flowery aromas, it seemed close to the Lilac flowers that had bloomed behind their home, years ago in Kansas City.

  As soon as the buggy unloaded in front of the Collins’s house, Silas stepped as far from Cassie as he could. He needed to keep his distance until he could resolve the issue that stood between them: Uriah the Impostor.

  Meg had prepared a dinner for
the occasion, but however festive, Silas remained on his own and brooding.

  On the way home in the buggy, Oliver sat with his arm around his new bride. Silas saw Beth nudging Oliver, and he wondered if they’d also been plotting to push him back to Cassie.

  “That could have been you and Cassie, today, brother,” he said. “You could, right now, be on your way to that wedding night you’ve waited so long for.”

  “I thought of nothing else all day,” Silas said. He saw Oliver and Beth exchange encouraging looks. “But whenever I envision it, I see that impostor minister in bed between us.” Silas was surprised at how bitter he sounded

  Oliver shrugged, and Beth frowned.

  “By the way, I’m not taking you two home,” he announced.

  “You’re not?” Oliver said. He and Beth looked at Silas with expectation.

  “I’ve rented you a room at the Royal Hotel for a whole week, including your meals, as a wedding gift.” He smiled, and then added, “If you have time to eat, that is.”

  Oliver leaned over and patted Silas’s shoulder, “Thank you, that’s very generous. Despite everything, I’m happy to be here in Hays. It’s comforting to be near family.”

  “Yes, I agree.” Silas smiled slightly as he drew up in front of the hotel. “See you next week.”

  Cassie had not heard from Silas for an entire week after the wedding, and she was sick about it. Was this the end for them? Would Silas never forgive her? She’d heard from Jesse that Silas had started training Oliver at the livery. Did he not even think about her at all?

  Cassie went to see Laura at the beginning of her third week without Silas. Once seated with Laura in her cozy kitchen, Cassie cried, “What can I do Laura?”

  Laura patted her hand. “I don’t know. If it would help I could talk to him. If he’ll listen to me, that is.”

  “He might listen. He admires and looks up to you, Laura. I’m sure he’d hear you out.”

  “If it doesn’t, you might have to face the possibility that he may never forgive you.”

  Cassie tried to say something, but Laura held up her hand to stop her from interrupting. “Some male egos can’t get past something like this.”

  “That’s not coming from personal experience—where did you hear that?” Cassie asked.

  Laura looked sheepish. “Jesse.”

  “He might be right, but I still have to keep trying. Please, I need you to tell Silas something important for me. Tell him I’ll wait for him on our bridge every night from dusk to dark. If and when he sees fit to forgive me, that’s where I’ll be.”

  Laura left the children with Cassie and rode to the livery to see Silas. He sat working at his desk, when Laura walked into his office.

  “This is a surprise,” Silas said, standing. “Is everything all right?”

  “Everything is fine with Jesse and the children, but Cassie is a heartbroken mess.”

  “Well, that makes two of us,” Silas said. He offered Laura a seat across from his paper-scattered desk and resumed his seat.

  “I’m glad God is such a forgiving God, for if he ever held back from forgiving us, we’d all be in trouble,” Laura said. “Yet, you can’t forgive Cassie for giving up on you after months of not hearing from you?”

  Silas frowned at the papers he’d been shuffling. “It’s called trust.”

  “Oh, trust is it? Is it trust when a man fails to tell a loved one for three years that he’s married?”

  Silas looked up, but said nothing.

  “Is it trust when someone courts you for three years, and leaves your reputation in shreds? And is it trust to lead other men to consider someone easy prey?”

  Silas grimly remained silent. He respected Laura too much to argue with her.

  “Cassie cried herself to sleep every single night you were gone, even while she was being courted by the impostor. She tried hard to get over you, but it didn’t work because she still loved you more than anything. That’s when she decided to go to Kansas City to see why you hadn’t written to her.”

  Silas continued to stare at the papers in front of him.

  “One other thing,” she got up and walked to the door to his office, “I have a message from Cassie. She said to tell you that she’d be on the bridge every night at dusk until dark, in case you decided to forgive her.”

  When Silas looked up, Laura was gone.

  Laura had given Silas so much to think about that he made an appointment to see Reverend Carter. He knew he needed help.

  As Silas entered the newly renovated minister’s home, Carter greeted him warmly and then led him to his consultation room, which was small, and conservatively lit, with two armchairs and matching end tables, as well as and bookshelf and a fireplace.

  When they were seated Silas felt heat the fireplace radiated, which warmed his chilled bones, and he forgot the speech he’d practiced all day.

  After Carter initiated small talk, and Silas became more at ease, he remembered what he wanted to say to Carter.

  “I need advice,” he began. “I’ve been courting Cassie Collins for over three years. I’m sure you heard about my arrest in Kansas City. While I was gone, the impostor courted her and I just can’t get past that.”

  Carter nodded. “Before you left, did you make some sort of an agreement with her that you each would remain faithful?”

  "Sort of," Silas said. "I asked her to wait for me and she said if I wrote to her she would most likely be here for me and we'd marry."

  "And did you write to her?" Carter asked, looking at him above his glasses.

  "I couldn't. The jailers refused me writing supplies. But after a few months a lawyer came to see me, and he delivered a handwritten note to her in which I explained I’d been unable to write."

  "But wasn't that after she'd already finished with the impostor?"

  "Yes, I think it might have been, but I felt too hurt to find out the details."

  "And even though you know she’d been courted by the impostor, you still love her, don’t you?"

  "I do still love her. But not only did he court her, he touched her!"

  “Touched her?” he asked.

  “Jesse told me that the impostor touched her intimately, and that was why he punched him when he identified the imposter for the sheriff. You have no idea how angry that makes me.”

  “Why do you feel so angry?” Carter asked. “It’s you she loves.”

  “I courted her for three years and never ever tried to touch her because I was waiting for our wedding night, and now this low-life touches my woman. The woman who I patiently waited to be the first one to touch?”

  “I can certainly understand your feelings, Silas, however, I urge you try to forget about this other man who means nothing to Cassie.” Carter paused. “And I think having Cassie here to express her feelings during our sessions would go a long way toward getting you over this hump. In fact, I’m not sure I can help you without her being here.”

  “I don’t know if I can face her,” Silas said.

  “Whyever not? She’ll sit right next to you and tell us how she feels. You’ll hear her side of the story, and I’ll hear you both, and tell you my conclusions. I’ve done this often with married couples, and I think it will make a big difference in your feelings, Silas.”

  “All right.” After a long hesitation, Silas said, “Let’s do it. ”

  Reverend Carter opened a drawer and took out an appointment book. “I’ll put you down for tomorrow night. There’s no sense wasting any more time, is there?”

  “I suppose not.”

  “I’ll contact Cassie. Be here tomorrow at six sharp.”

  Reverend Carter rode out to the Collins ranch early the next morning and Meg escorted him into the kitchen.

  “Come on in, Reverend, and have a seat. I’ll get her for you. She’s upstairs getting dressed.”

  Carter took a seat, and two minutes later Cassie appeared.

  “Cassie!” the Reverend said. He stood to take her hand. “Come si
t with me. I have something to talk over with you.”

  Cassie smiled at him and sat in the chair beside him. “Yes?”

  “Silas Martin has come to me for counseling regarding the problem between the two of you, and I’d like to conduct a few sessions—well, as many as needed—with you present. It’s a couples’ counseling session that allows you both to clear the air and express your feelings while I moderate and help you both with my input. How does that sound?”

  “It sounds like an answer to prayer. I’ll come. Of course, I’ll come. I’ll do anything I can to fix our relationship.” Tears began to roll down Cassie's cheeks “I love him, and I miss him so much!”

  Carter patted her hand. “I’m sure these sessions will do you both a world of good. Can you come to my house at six tonight?”

  Cassie nodded, and she wiped away tears with the back of her hand. “I’ll be there.”

  Chapter 12

  Laura had given Silas a lot to think about, and each day that went by he thought more about her words.

  Silas began to feel guilty—should he be asking Cassie for forgiveness? He knew that courting her for three years without telling her he had a wife was wrong. Could it be true that her reputation had suffered because of his courting her for three years? Probably, but what about his hurt? He told her he’d be back, and she'd let another man court her and kiss her, not to mention touch her!

  Now that Silas had returned and Oliver continued learning the livery business, Carl started doing his share on the ranch and that made life easier for Cassie. Carl was a fast learner and Cassie enjoyed working with him. Quiet, but diligent, he was also handy. He fixed things that Cassie thought could never be fixed. His help on the ranch also gave her the time to meet with the Reverend and Silas.

  Cassie took pains with her appearance for the meeting. She wanted to look just right. She chose a pink dress with a demure high-necked laced collar. She pulled her hair back with colored combs, because Silas had always complimented her when she wore it that way. She chose her heavy white coat and bright red gloves to wear.