Rocky Mountain Oasis

by Lynnette Bonner

  A man stepped through a curtained alcove at the back of the store and paused to straighten a display of hunting knives.

  “Hello, Fraser,” Sky said. “How are things?”

  “Sky!” Fraser’s friendly face broadened into a grin. “Things are going just fine. Jed told me a lot has happened to you since we last saw each other.” He punctuated this last statement with a pointed look in Brooke’s direction.

  “Jed’s never far wrong, Fraser. I’d like you to meet my wife, Brooke. Brooke, Fraser is the owner of this rundown-bit-of-a-store,” Sky concluded teasingly with a gesture around the room.

  Brooke immediately knew these men were very good friends.

  Fraser laughed as he extended his hand to Brooke. “Ma’am, it is a pleasure to meet you. It’s about time ol’ Sky here had some feminine influence on his manners, as you can see. You have your work cut out for you.”

  For some reason Brooke felt instantly at ease in the presence of Fraser’s kindness. She chuckled, and said sweetly, “My first goal was to fatten him up a bit. Did you notice how much weight he’s put on?”

  A pained look crossed Sky’s face, and he made an obvious effort to suck in his perfectly toned stomach and smooth the front of his shirt. But as Fraser threw back his head with a belly laugh, Sky relaxed, raising one eyebrow in Brooke’s direction.

  “She has got your number, Skyler Jordan. You had best watch out for this one.” Fraser moved off behind the counter still chuckling to himself. “Snoop around and pick out whatever you need,” he called over his shoulder. “I’ll tally it all up when you’re through.”

  As soon as Fraser moved out of earshot, Sky turned to Brooke. “You just wait.” His eyes sparkled with suppressed mirth. “When you are least expecting it, you’re going to pay for that one. That’s the second time.” He held aloft two fingers.

  Brooke smiled cheekily, not really believing him. “It was worth it. You should have seen the look on your face. Your pride is going to be your downfall someday, you know.” She moved down the first aisle to start filling her list, Sky chuckling behind her.

  9

  As they were leaving the Mercantile, Brooke asked Sky, “Do you think it would be all right if I went and visited with Jenny for a little while?”

  “Sure. I’ll head on down to the livery—” he pointed it out just across the street to the right—“and get some of these things loaded up. As soon as I’m done, I’ll come pick you up at the Chang’s store. It’s right there.” He pointed to a building two doors down to the left and across the street.

  Holding her elbow, Sky escorted Brooke across the dusty street, then headed in the direction of the livery to get the saddle packs the mule would carry on the way home.

  Brooke suddenly felt very excited to see Jenny again. She smoothed her hair and swiped at the front of her skirt, wishing she didn’t look so dusty and trail-worn, even though Jenny would understand.

  A small bell jangled over the door as Brooke stepped into the store owned by Jenny’s husband. It took only a moment for Brooke’s eyes to adjust to the darkened interior. Then she spotted Jenny walking toward her from the back of the room, a large smile wreathing her plump face.

  “Brooke! It so good to see you! You come!”

  Brooke giggled. “Of course I came. How did your pies sell?”

  “Sell just fine. Just like dat.” She snapped her fingers and smiled.

  “Oh good. I’m so glad. Sky and I came to town to buy supplies, and I wanted to make sure I came by to say hello. I miss female company so much out at the farm that I head to the barn to have a chat with Bess, the milk cow.”

  Jenny’s melodic laugh rang through the store. “You come. I haf tea in back. We drink?”

  “That would be nice.”

  As they made their way toward the back of the store, though, the bell over the front door rang again and Brooke turned to see a corpulent, mustached Chinese man with beady eyes entering the store. A pipe drooped from one corner of his mouth. His assessing gaze took Brooke in from head to toe as he pulled a packet of matches out of his front shirt pocket. A scar puckered one cheek. He gave Jenny a calculating look as he struck the match and held it to the bowl of the pipe, puffing a few times.

  Shaking out the match, he flicked it into the corner as he spoke to Jenny. “Who is this?” He nodded in Brooke’s direction as though the room was crowded and Jenny might not know to whom he referred.

  Jenny’s voice held a note of tension that had not been there a moment before. “Lee, this Brooke Jordan. She marry Skyler Jordan little while ago.”

  Lee Chang turned his focus back on Brooke but addressed Jenny again.

  “What is she doing here?”

  Jenny paused and Brooke instinctively knew her answer wouldn’t please Chang. She remembered the day they had met at the berry patch, when Jenny had said her husband didn’t like her to visit with white folks. Before Jenny could speak up and condemn herself, Brooke broke in. “I was asking your wife, sir, if she had any fabric in the store. I would like to see it if you do.”

  Chang gave her a speculative look as he took a couple of pulls on his pipe.

  Then he transferred his gaze back to his wife. Brooke cringed inwardly at the look she saw there. How many times had she seen that same expression in Hank’s eyes?

  Jenny did not say anything but stood mutely staring at the floor.

  Chang spoke around the stem of his pipe. “Do we have any fabric, Jenny?”

  Jenny silently shook her head.

  “Well then, I guess we cannot be of service to you, Mrs. Jordan. Have a pleasant afternoon.” With that, Chang took Jenny by the elbow and led her toward the back of the store, effectively dismissing Brooke.

  Brooke’s heart ached. She wanted to rush into the back room and pull Jenny away from that awful man. To take her away where she would be safe and never harmed again, but what could she do? She was just a woman, and the man was Jenny’s husband. With a heavy heart she made her way toward the door and out onto the street. She surmised what Jenny would face, now alone with her husband. Whatever form it took, it would not be pleasant.

  So many times she’d wished that someone would step in and rescue her from Uncle Jackson and then from Hank. But now she knew how helpless those who had seen her own abuse felt. What could one do? Surely something…but for right now she didn’t know what it might be. Turning, she headed toward the livery that Sky had pointed out to her earlier.

  Later that evening, Fraser whistled tunelessly as he moved around the store locking up all the windows. He was very happy for Skyler Jordan. He had heard from Jed of the circumstances under which Sky had gotten married and had felt sorry for the man. But after having met Brooke and seeing the way Sky’s eyes lit up when he looked at her, Fraser was sure that things were going to work out well for the couple. That pleased him, because he was very fond of Sky Jordan.

  He had just slid the last window latch into place when he heard the bell above his front door ring. A customer this late in the day?

  Four Chinamen entered, chatting easily with one another.

  “Hello, gentlemen. What can I do for you this evening?”

  One of them stepped forward as the other three began to browse through the store. “I looking for,” the man held one hand up to his neck in a choking motion, “how you say?… Neck tie?”

  “Ahhh!” Fraser’s face broke into a smile. “You have a girl?”

  The man nodded shyly.

  “I have just the one for you, my man.” Fraser clapped him on the shoulder as he led him toward a shelf at the back of the store. “I got some new ones the last time my packer, Jason, went to Lewiston.”

  “I take this one.” The young man Fraser was helping picked up the cheapest tie.

  “That’s fine. A good choice.” Fraser led the man to the counter. Marking the payment in his ledger book, he placed the tie in a small paper bag and handed it to the young man. “You have a nice evening now.”

  When all four of th
e men had left, Fraser chuckled to himself. “He must not have it too bad, or he would have bought the most expensive one.”

  Ping Chi, eighteen, licked his lips nervously as he left Fraser’s Mercantile with the bolo tie in his hand. His eyes darted nervously up and down the street to see if anyone had seen them exiting the building, but no one was in sight.

  Leaving his three companions, he made his way home to wait for the summons he expected would come later that evening. When he entered his little dark hut, he threw the paper bag into the corner.

  Sitting on his cot, Ping rested his head in both hands. Terror pulsed through his veins. What made me actually agree to be a part of this? He raised his head and pressed both trembling hands together between his knees. Lee Chang and his opium.

  Even now, as he held one hand out in front of him, it shook uncontrollably. His body was going to go through another fit of withdrawal; he could feel it coming on. Tears sprang to his eyes and he clutched at his forehead in torment as his old familiar hallucination began. He writhed on his bed in agony, pushing and slapping away imaginary bugs, snakes, and scorpions, and crying out for someone to save him. No one came.

  When the hallucination finally played itself out, he lay on the cot, drenched in sweat, the side of his face buried in his sweat-stained pillow, and cried. Pounding his fist on the metal frame of the bed, he wondered how his life had come to be such a mess. Every penny he earned, his body demanded that he spend for just one more smoke of the addictive drug that he could only get from Lee Chang.

  And now Lee Chang had denied him any more opium until he completed this task. Tonight he had to kill a man in cold blood, or he would never see the other side of a hallucination-halting high again. His companions were in no better shape than he was.

  He didn’t want to do this. But what else was he to do? Every last nerve in his body cried out for the calming effect of just one more puff on a pipe filled with the opiate. And if he completed his task as ordered, Chang had promised to give him a generous supply.

  As they walked from the Livery Stable to Jed’s boarding house for dinner, Sky eyed the dark clouds quickly gathering above them. Brooke noticed his concern and wondered how they would get all their groceries home without a soaking. They had led the mule and Bess’s calf behind them as they rode to town, and she knew that on the back of the mule the groceries would be drenched by the time they got them home.

  Brooke tried to get her mind off Jenny by focusing on the purchases they had made that day. I’ve never had such nice things before. She’d found everything on her list but canning jars, and she could live without those for a while. Sky insisted she buy several yards of a beautiful creamy peach fabric that Fraser kept behind the counter in his store, and she looked forward to sewing herself a new dress.

  The thought of the material brought Jenny to mind, and she again tried to push the thought away. Yet she had seen something in Jenny and Lee’s relationship that intrigued her. Jenny emitted calm and acceptance of the whole situation. Whenever Brooke had known Hank’s intentions, as Jenny surely had known Lee’s, she had been sullen and haughty, which, if the truth were known, had only worsened her predicament.

  It had become her way of protecting her spirit when she couldn’t protect her body. She remembered saying to Hank, “You may be able to bruise my body, but you will never be able to touch my soul!” That, of course, had not been true, but she had put up a good front. Jenny, on the other hand, seemed composed and almost serene about the whole situation. Brooke wondered what the difference between herself and Jenny was. Perhaps I misjudged the look on Lee Chang’s face? She shook her head. I don’t think so.

  One other thing bothered her; she had seen Sky dickering with Bill, the Livery owner, over Bess’s calf. Sky wanted to build up his herd, so why sell the calf? Yet she didn’t feel it her place to dig into his financial matters.

  Just as they entered Jed’s boarding house, the first fat drops of rain began to fall, and the wind picked up.

  10

  Jed’s face lit up when he saw Brooke and Sky enter the boarding house. He smoothed his mustache as he crossed the room to greet them. Holding his hand out to Brooke, he smiled genuinely. “Ma’am, it shorly is a great pleasure to meet you. I seen you two ride in earlier an’ I done cooked up a batch o’ my best fixin’s. I’m Jed Swanson. An’ you’re Brooke. I been waitin’ to meet ya.” He gestured proudly toward the table. “Come on in! Have a seat! Have a seat!”

  He took Brooke by the arm, leading her to the table where he pulled out a chair and seated her with great fanfare.

  As Sky seated himself next to her, he smiled broadly, realizing that he had never received the royal treatment Jed lavished on Brooke. When Jed turned his back, Sky leaned toward her from his chair. “Don’t expect it to taste like anything but shoe leather,” he whispered in her ear, his eyes sparkling.

  Brooke jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow, giving him a castigating look, to which he responded with an unrepentant grin.

  Jed set two plates in front of them with a flourish and, after prayer, Brooke, to her chagrin, discovered that Sky had not been far from wrong. She dug into the food, though, not wanting to insult their host by refusing to eat what he had worked hard to prepare for them. Fraser came in a few moments later and helped himself to some of the fare, eating with knife in one hand and fork in the other.

  “Where’s Jason?” asked Sky.

  Fraser waved his fork in the air as he finished swallowing his bite. “He headed down to Lewiston to bring up some supplies for the store. He won’t be back until late tonight.”

  Brooke glanced at Sky. Did she see relief in his eyes? Yes, relief and something else. Sorrow? She turned back to her food thoughtfully, hoping that one day things would be different. Hoping that Jason would one day come to see the sorrow his actions brought into his own life and the lives of others.

  What was the difference between Sky and Jason? Something drew her to this man like she had never been drawn to anyone before—not even to Hank—and that scared her. There was something special about Sky. The difference? Jason acted like all the men she had ever known—unpredictable and uncontrolled. And Sky…well, he was just the opposite.

  Then there were men like Fraser and Jed. She didn’t know if they believed like Sky did about God, but she couldn’t imagine either one ever abusing a woman. She reflected over the last couple of months. She used to believe all men were the same—arrogant, inconsiderate, and abusive—but now, since knowing Sky, she could see the prejudice in that way of thinking. All men did not fit into her preconceived mold. Holes perforated the walls of logic built up around her heart.

  The rain came down harder now, the soothing muted sound vibrating through the roof. Conversation around the table was light and congenial, and Brooke relaxed until Jed offered, “I got a room, Sky. You cain’t travel home in these here cats and dogs. I’ll just go an’ make sure that everything is in tip shape for you an’ the Missus.”

  Sky said, “That’s fine, Jed.”

  Brooke rubbed her hands together in front of her. She looked around the room, trying to appear casual, but her gaze collided with Sky’s and she saw that he understood the deep turmoil churning within her. He took a sip of coffee, his eyes holding hers. Over the rim of the mug, his dark eyes were soft and tender, dropping momentarily to her hands as he set the cup on the table, and then moving back to her face. He shook his head almost imperceptibly and she knew that he was reminding her of his promise.

  The trouble was, she didn’t know if she wanted him to keep that promise anymore.

  Realizing that they were staring at one another, they both tore their eyes away at the same time, turning toward Fraser. He had stopped eating and grinned at them, his knife and fork pointed at the ceiling and unmoving by his plate. “It’s nice that things worked out for you two,” he said, eyes twinkling.

  Brooke wondered what he meant, but before she could ask, Jed returned. “The room’s all set, Sky, and don’t you wor
ry ‘bout a thing. You look at this here stay as a sort o’ weddin’ present.”

  “Thank you, Jed.” Sky downed the last of his coffee, stood, and pulled Brooke’s chair out for her. Leading the way across the room, he held the door to the hallway open. As she passed through, he followed close behind.

  The room that Jed had prepared for them was comfortably furnished, if somewhat bachelor-like in appearance. The bed, which Brooke noticed first, had its head pushed against the middle of the right-hand wall. It had no head or foot board but was supported on a frame of logs that rested directly on the floor. The quilts, though somewhat faded and ragged in appearance, looked clean. The room’s only oil lamp sat on a small stone ledge inset into the log wall to the right of the bed. One small window in the far wall looked out onto the alley between Jed’s boarding house and Fraser’s Mercantile.

  Lightning flashed and Brooke caught a glimpse of the rain streaking down from the heavens. The following rumble of thunder caused a shiver to run down her spine and she turned, without moving her feet, to finish her examination of the room. The only furnishing in the room, other than the bed, was a washstand next to the door, a broken piece of mirror hanging on the wall above it.

  Brooke heard the latch click shut. She stood with her back to the door and waited for Sky to speak. She felt, more than saw him approach, stopping just behind her. “Brooke?”

  She turned slowly after a brief pause, her eyes not rising any higher than the V at the neck of his buckskin shirt. If he asked, she would give him permission to touch her. That decision she had already made. Still, she knew she didn’t feel prepared to take this next step. She now knew he would never force himself on her. She didn’t fear him. No, her nervousness stemmed from the fact that this night might propel their relationship onto a whole new level. And she didn’t know if she was ready for that. I don’t want to love this man— any man. It was too risky.

  Sky bent down until her eyes met his. “Do you think this room will suit your needs?”