She looked into his dark eyes and saw concern, she also saw kindness. “This is a kind man,” she thought to herself. “He seems to like the boys and they like him.”
When Trace looked into the deep green pools that were her eyes, he saw a kind and gentle person who was also vulnerable. As he gazed into these pools, he tilted her chin up and kissed her gently on the lips. He felt the warm soft lips, they were firm and unmoving at first and then he felt a relaxation as she returned the tenderness he was offering.
When they broke apart, Trace saw a fleeting smile on her face. “If I offended you, I apologize, Sarah. I didn’t like seeing you cry.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for, Trace. Nothing at all.” She made no effort to move away from him.
Her two sons came racing up, sweating from the exertion of their run. “Mama, we’re thirsty,” Joshua said. She stood and looked into the picnic basket. She came up with a jar and poured them some lemonade to quench their thirst.
“I should have put that in the well house to keep it cool,” he said.
“It doesn’t make any difference to them,” she said. “They wouldn’t have noticed.”
* * *
The riders came back. This time it was daylight and there were five of them, one of which was Jess Clayton himself. They reined in but didn’t dismount. Clayton called out, “Trace Atkins, come out and let’s talk. Our guns are holstered, there’ll be no shooting today.”
Trace emerged from the shadows of the new walls, the Winchester 73 he had won in a shooting contest, by his side, ready if needed. “What do you want Clayton?”
“I’ll make you a fair price for the land. I’ll pay you for the cabin that was burned. You come up with whatever you think is fair and I’ll pay it. We’re going to leave now.”
To himself Trace said, “Now that was interesting. Wonder what brought all that on? Something doesn’t smell right. I wonder what he knows that I don’t? What ever it is, he’s not getting the Rocking A while I‘m alive. ”
Trace went back to work on the bed frame he had been making when the riders showed up. He had a frame made from lumber he had purchased. He attached tightly stretched ropes across it to act as springs. A mattress was made from the prairie grass so abundant. By no stretch could it be considered comfortable but it beat sleeping on the dirt floor of the barn. He used old boxes for the chairs and he rescued his cooking utensils from the ashes of the fire.
He lived mostly off beans, he didn’t want to slaughter any of his precious cattle for food for himself.
He was still depressingly lonely and had formed an idea in his mind that might alleviate his loneliness if she would have him. He didn’t have much to offer, but he decided to ask Sarah Bartlett to marry him, when next he saw her.
-
Chapter 3 A Marriage Proposal
After church on Sunday, Trace asked Sarah if she had time to talk to him. She did and they sat under one of the trees, while the boys played elsewhere.
After they were seated, Trace asked, “Sarah, excuse my being blunt but I don’t know how else to go about this. Have you thought about getting married again?”
“I’ve given it quite a bit of thought, actually. Let me turn the question around on you. Have you thought about it?”
“Yes, I have been giving it a lot of thought lately and I would like to remarry. Would I be the sort of feller you would be interested in?”
“Trace, I think you are a wonderful man and I think you would make a great father.”
“Do I hear a but in there somewhere?”
“No, are you asking me if I will marry you?”
“Sarah Bartlett, would you do me the great honor of being my wife?
“Let me ask you; have you gotten over the death of Clara?”
“I’ll always have a spot in my heart for Clara, but I would like very much for you to be my wife.”
“Trace Atkins, I’ve been hoping you would ask. Yes, I will marry you. You have made me a very happy woman.”
He pulled her close, squeezed her shoulder and kissed her. There were people around so it was a relatively short kiss, but it was a tender kiss with the promise of what was to come. “I want to tell you something but I don’t want you to think I’m crazy or anything. I talk to Clara. I go to her grave on the hill above the house and sit under the cottonwood tree and we talk. She told me she had seen you and us and she approves.”
“I don’t think you’re crazy at all. I talk with Joshua frequently. I don’t have him close like you do Clara, but I ask him things. When would you like to announce it?”
“Why don’t we tell the boys now, and then we’ll tell the preacher. He’ll be very pleased. After all, he was the matchmaker.”
By way of an answer to when, Sarah stood and called out. “Thomas, Joshua, would you please come here?” She sat back down beside Trace. They came running at their usual pace. “Thomas, Joshua, Mr. Atkins has asked me to marry him and I have agreed. What do you think about having Trace live with us and become your father?”
Thomas was ever the serious one. He said, “Mama, that’s good. You need someone so you won’t be lonely anymore. When?”
“What do you think Joshua?”
“You can have my bed,”
Sarah and Trace both laughed. “I take that as an approval. Now, Thomas, we haven’t decided on a date but it will be soon. Would you like to go with us to tell the preacher?”
“Yes,” shouted both boys.
They found the preacher talking with some of the remaining congregation members. They stood to the side until he finished and approached him.
“Preacher, I’ve asked Sarah to be my wife and she has agreed. We wanted you to be the first to know after we told the boys.”
“Sarah, Trace, that is wonderful. I’m so happy for all of you. I think you’re perfectly suited to be man and wife. I presume you would like for me to perform the service?”
“Is there anyone else?” Trace asked.
“Well, I like to talk with the couple first but I would say I will be ready whenever you are. I’m sure Sarah has some planning to do and you as well.”
“Actually, I do,” Sarah said. “Trace, is it all right with you if the ceremonies are in the church?”
“Yes, of course. I don’t mind where they are as long as you’ll be there.”
“I’ll definitely be there,” Sarah said.
“Preacher, Jess Clayton made me another offer. He told me to come up with whatever I considered a fair price and he would pay it.”
“I don’t like to think evil of any man, however I would be tempted to ignore that in Jess Clayton’s regard. I think something is up. Either he knows something or thinks he knows something.”
“I sure wish I knew what. It would be hard to keep that place and live at Sarah’s and I wouldn’t bring them there.”
“Trace, it’s just about finished. Why couldn’t we live there, even if it were temporary?”
“Honey, I can’t ask you to live there. It just wouldn’t be fitting.”
“What if I decide it myself? At least until we find out something.”
“We can talk about it later, honey. Let's decide on a date.”
“How about two weeks from today, after church? Does that give you enough time?”
Sarah said, “That should be plenty. Preacher, is that okay with you?”
“It’s good for me. I am so happy for the four of you. I’m pleased that God chose me to be the instrument that brought you together.”
Sarah and Trace walked out of the church holding hands. Thomas was holding Sarah’s hand and Joshua had a firm grip on Trace’s hand. There were smiles all around.
After the Atkins family left, the preacher went to his study and sat there pondering the words he was putting on a scrap of paper. Taking the paper, he walked to the telegrapher’s office and gave him the paper and asked him to send it out as soon as possible.
* * *
Trace kissed Sarah goodbye and solemnly
shook hands with the boys. He told them he would see them in a couple of days. He rode out to the Rocking A and walked around, looking at what he had to do. He had a good well and well house. That was not going to be a problem. The roof was on, the windows were in. It needed some fancying up inside. The fireplace and mantle had been built, but there were no shelves. He needed beds and chairs, and some lamps. The cook stove would be serviceable with a lot of cleaning and elbow grease. He set to work on the smoky, sooty cast iron range. He had to get new pipes for it; the old ones had melted in the fire.
He was going to have to sell some cattle to get the money to pay for the things he needed. He hated to do that, this was not the time of year to get the best price for cattle. That would be in the spring.
The next time he rode into town , he took a list of items and gave it to the storekeeper and asked him to work up a price. When he got the price he whistled. It was going to cost almost one hundred dollars for the things he needed. He had that, but barely. He was thinking, “What would we live on? How would I feed my family? I told the preacher I didn’t have anything to offer a woman. What am I to do now?”
He rode out to Sarah’s place. She invited him in, after kissing him hello. She said, “Trace, you’re looking real down. Sit down and tell me what’s wrong.”
“Sarah, I had no business asking you to marry me. I don’t have a thing to bring to the marriage. My ranch has a nice barn and a serviceable cabin, but that is all it is, a hut. I won’t ask you and your boys to live there. I just won’t. I don’t have any beds, chairs or places to put your clothes and I don’t have enough money to buy them. I will release you from your promise to marry me.”
“Release me? Release me!” she sputtered. “ I’m not yours to release. I wish you would listen to yourself whining like a little boy. You don’t sound like the man that I started to love and not the one that asked me to be his wife. You certainly don’t sound like the man the preacher told me about.”
“A man that can’t support his family doesn’t deserve one.”
“Trace, did it dawn on you that if we married, this ranch and everything in it and on it would be partly yours? All the resources we could ever need.”
He didn’t say anything. In his years married to Clara he had never seen her mad. Here was Sarah, madder than an old setting hen. All he had tried to do was to let her know she wasn’t beholden to marry him under the circumstances. He just sat there. “Maybe I had better go,” he muttered.
“Maybe you had,” Sarah said.
One of her boys asked, “Where’s Mr. Trace going?”
“He’s going home.”
“Is he still going to be our Papa?”
“We’ll see.”
* * *
Trace rode the long ride home, bewildered by the outburst from Sarah. Rarely had he been talked to like that and never by a woman.
At home, with his horse taken care of and eating some non-satisfying jerky, he didn’t know whether he was getting married or not. “What do I do now,” he wondered? In frustration, he threw the jerky against the wall of the cabin. He lay back on the makeshift pillow atop the his makeshift bed and tried unsuccessfully to sleep. The next day, he rode out on the grazing area to check on his cattle. At last count, his herd had numbered around 100 head. The grass looked pretty good and was not overgrazed.
He decided it was time to get things settled so, two days later he rode to Sarah’s ranch. This was a lot of riding on a daily basis and he was tired. He was also not in a very good mood. His mood changed when, Joshua came out to meet him as he rode up.
“Are you still going to be our papa?”
“That’s what I need to talk to your mama about, Joshua. Is she in the house?”
“Yes sir.”
“Can you see to my horse?’
“Yes sir.”
“Good, thank you, I appreciate it.”
Knocking on the door, he called out, “Sarah, it’s Trace. Can I come in?”
She came into the living room, wiping her hands on her apron as she walked. “Hello Trace. Are you getting enough sleep? You look tired.”
“I am tired. Can we sit down and talk?”
“Of course.”
“I would like to explain the other day.”
Wisely, Sarah said nothing, so he continued. “I just didn’t think a lady such as yourself should live in the kind of conditions my ranch would have. I still don’t, but we need to come up with something to make this work out.”
“I agree with you. Do you have any ideas?”
“I could sell the ranch and we could live here. It’s just dirt and you and the boys are more important to me than than dirt.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that. I have been thinking about this too and I have an idea if you’re interested.”
“Certainly, I’m interested.”
“We have some furniture here we could use. The spare bedroom furniture could be used for our bed and the boy’s bunks aren’t that big we could haul them out there. Do you have a stove?”
“I do. The rest of it sounds workable too. One thing, the first sign of trouble, you and the boys move back here.”
“Trace, I’m not sure I can do that. Our place is with you.”
“Jess Clayton might come back with his crew. Depending on his reasons for wanting the ranch, it could get pretty rough.”
“Josh taught me how to shoot and I’ve got guns. The walls are rock and should block any shots from coming through.”
“They could always set fire to the roof, it’s a wood roof and if there hasn’t been any rain it gets pretty dry and wood burns easily.”
“Trace, we can make it work and we’d always have this to fall back on. You’re not talking about living there permanently are you?”
“No, unless you decide to sell this place.” He grinned. They had reached a solution.
Chapter 4 The Wedding and Consumation
Joshua Bartlett didn’t look like the traditional ring bearer you see, all dressed in a frilly dress, no Josh looked formidable in the suit Sarah had made for him. Thomas would escort his mother down the aisle and give her away.
The matron of honor was the pastor’s wife while the best man was one of the men who had helped with the rebuilding of the Atkins burned out home.
Trace was decked out in pair of store bought pants, a button down shirt and a string tie.
No one, at least no one talking knew what Sarah was wearing. She had kept it secret.
When the first hard chords of the wedding march sounded, Thomas stepped out of an anteroom, his mother on his arm. When the congregation received their first glimpse of the bride there was an audible gasp. She was wearing a wedding gown of pale green lending even more luminescence to her sparkling eyes. She wore a veil and a wide beautiful smile. There were those in the congregation who would later swear that Trace’s jaw dropped when he saw her. She was truly beautiful, a vision to behold.
The ceremony proceeded without incident. When the preacher pronounced them man and wife and then presented Trace and Sarah Atkins as man and wife, there was not a dry eye in the sanctuary. “You may kiss the bride, Trace.” Trace lifted the veil and leaned to kiss his beautiful bride to the applause of the congregation.
Trace received the best wishes of those attending with dignity and aplomb. Sarah, likewise received the congratulations of the attendees with grace and a mind blowing smile.
Trace went to the preacher and thanked him effusively. “You have helped make me the happiest man alive today preacher.
They climbed in the buckboard with the boys in back and Trace’s horse hitched to the wagon drove off to one of their homes. They had decided to spend the first week at Sarah’s home. Trace had arranged to have a neighbor care for his cattle during the time period.
When they arrived at the ranch, Trace asked the boys if they could help him bring in his things. “Yes, Pa,” they responded. When Sarah looked, she noticed tears in his eyes. They carried his things to the master bed
room while he helped Sarah from the buckboard. They walked up the steps and to the door. He surprised Sarah by scooping her into his arms and carrying her across the threshold into the house.
“I’m going to change clothes,” she told Trace. She started away, turned and said, “Are you coming or not?” His face flushed a bright crimson and she smiled, took his hand and led him to their bedroom. She closed the door and turned to face him. “You may kiss the bride again, Mr. Atkins.” He did so with considerably more vigor than he had earlier.
“Will you help me with this, please, Trace?”
He didn’t understand at first, but then the light dawned on him. He began unbuttoning the wedding dress in back. He expected to see a corset but found she didn’t wear one. She did, however, wear something he had never seen. She said, “It is called a brassiere and has only become available in the past ten years. “Undo it too, please”
This was becoming too much for Trace. He was embarrassed to find he had a huge erection. “If I’m embarrassing you, I’ll go behind the screen over there.”
“No, it’s just that I uh… uh…”
“Trace, we are man and wife I love you and you love me. I’m not going to be shy around you in private, and you should not be shy around me. I want you to enjoy me and my body, just as I want to enjoy you. Do you think that’s wrong? If you do, I’ll try to change.”
“No, it’s just that I haven’t been with anyone but Clara and she was shy. I just guessed all women were like that.”
“Well, they’re not. My mother wasn’t and I’m not. I haven’t been with anyone except Joshua and it has been a long time.”
“Aren’t you afraid your boys will come in?”
“Our boys. They won’t open the bedroom door if it’s closed. Now, where were we? I believe you were going to untie my brassiere, while I unbutton your shirt.” She finished with his shirt leaving him standing there in his store bought pants. He shed those remaining in his drawers. He pulled her to him and kissed her. He gasped, then realized the brassiere had somehow been removed and her bare breasts were against his chest, burning holes in the flesh, he tingled throughout his body as well. And then, she was totally nude in front of him.
The Lonely Cowboy (Trace Atkins Family) Page 2
