Counterfeit Cowboy

by Lacy Williams

“You got a fine girl like that looking at you like you hung the moon, and you haven’t settled the deal?” she asked.

  “Ma!” he protested, looking over her shoulder to make sure Erin hadn’t snuck up on them and heard.

  “You love her, don’tcha? So ask her to marry you already,” his ma insisted.

  He rubbed his palm on the back of his neck. “There’s a lot of differences between us. She’s from a wealthy family, and I’m barely making ends meet. She’s got important work here in Boston—”

  “What your son is trying to say—” came Erin’s voice from behind him. He started to turn, but she slipped her arm around his waist and joined them. “Is that we love each other, and we’re working on those other things.”

  His ma’s face softened. It was obvious she and Erin had hit it off.

  “In that case, you’ll need a ring.” His ma slipped her hand a pocket of her dress and pulled out a simple silver band, one Jesse recognized. “It was mine when I married Jesse’s father...”

  “Ma, she hasn’t agreed to marry me.” His face got hot like a fire iron, aware of Erin at his side.

  “Well, you haven’t asked me,” Erin said matter-of-factly.

  He froze. Turned toward her slowly, because he was suddenly afraid of saying the wrong thing, of messing up the best thing that had ever happened to him. Erin faced him with her blue eyes serious and steady as they met his.

  “I don’t have anything to offer you,” he said hoarsely. “No home, not much money. Only—” He swallowed. “Only myself.”

  “It’s enough,” she said softly, steadily, still meeting his gaze.

  “Then, will you—”

  “Yes,” she interrupted him, standing on tiptoe and throwing her arms around his shoulders.

  He caught her tightly to him, shaken, grateful, joy pouring out of every thud of his heart.

  “I love you,” he whispered into her hair.

  “I love you back,” she said into his neck.

  “Put the ring on.” Pete’s voice rang out joyfully from somewhere outside Jesse’s realm of concentration, but Erin pushed gently on his chest.

  His ma handed him the simple silver band and his hand was shaking when Erin placed her smaller hand in his palm. “If you want something fancier...or...”

  She wiggled her fingers, as if in anticipation of him sliding the ring on. “I don’t want anything else.”

  And when she looked up at him with her expressive eyes, he knew she really meant his heart.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “You’re still here.”

  Jesse’s shoulders tensed at the familiar mix of surprise and disdain in Shamus O’Grady’s voice. The tone so similar to his stepfather’s that Jesse was momentarily transported back in time nearly every time he encountered Erin’s father. Especially when O’Grady surprised him on the job, like now. Erin’s father usually reserved his visits for Fridays, but today was Thursday.

  After a year of proving himself, Jesse hoped the older man would have accepted his presence in Erin’s life by now.

  “Still here, sir.” Jesse gritted his teeth against what he really wanted to say. He heaved a crate—O’Grady’s warehouse was always more full than empty—with help from another worker and placed it carefully atop a growing pile to be moved to the docks for transport later.

  The other worker shot Jesse a sympathetic look as they moved toward the next box, but Jesse had no need of his pity.

  He was the most blessed man on earth. Erin was going to marry him tomorrow.

  And suddenly the reason for Shamus O’Grady’s unexpected presence became clear. He was going to try something to make the wedding go away. Would he try to anger Jesse? A bribe?

  The older man could try all he wanted but Jesse wasn’t walking away from the best thing that had ever happened to him.

  Jesse remembered that first night he’d met Erin’s parents and how her father had exploded when they’d shared their plans to eventually marry.

  Erin had borne her father’s tirade in silence, sitting next to Jesse on a fancy brocade sofa. He’d had to force himself to do the same, when he wanted to jump to her defense—not his own. The deep connection they shared had made him aware of how each one of her father’s comments hurt her, but he hadn’t known whether to intervene or just bear it for her sake.

  “I think you should leave, young man,” her father had finally come out and said.

  Erin’s face had crumpled, and that’s when Jesse had stood from the couch and put himself between her and her father. “I’ll leave when you’ve apologized to your daughter. You might not like the choice she’s making in wanting to marry me, but you’ve no right to hurt her with your temper.”

  For a moment he thought he’d seen a glimpse of grudging admiration in the other man’s eyes, but it might’ve been a trick of the flickering lamplight because the man had turned his tirade onto Jesse for an interminable time, while Jesse stood his ground before Erin, hoping that in some way he was blocking her from her father’s hurtful words. O’Grady’s anger hadn’t been anything compared to what he’d seen in prison from the guards and other prisoners.

  When Shamus O’Grady had finally run out of bluster, he’d said a grudging apology to Erin, who had then walked Jesse to the door.

  “Are you sure you want to do this—marry me?” he’d whispered in the grand front hall of her grand home, Pete giving them a bit of privacy by standing on the front stoop. “I don’t want to cause a rift between your father and you.”

  She’d had tears in her eyes but to Jesse’s surprise they’d been for him, not about her relationship with her father. “I’m sorry for what he said to you,” she said with a mighty sniff. Then she’d set her jaw, looking quite a bit like a stubborn Pete. “And I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

  Erin had come to him the next day with an offer from her father to work in his shipping business as a warehouse worker. It was a surprise, and had changed his plans to return to the Cheyenne ranch. The pay was about the same, which meant it would take him a while to save enough to get a small apartment in a decent part of town.

  But it had kept him close to Erin, and she would be able to continue her work with the hospital. And it would allow him to grow closer to his mother, who’d insisted he and Pete stay with her.

  After he’d started working for Erin’s father, Shamus O’Grady had made a habit of “checking on” Jesse, often questioning his boss about his behavior and even attempting to goad Jesse into losing his temper. After two months with little response from Jesse, the man had told him he would spend half his time in the warehouse and the other half as a collector for the same business—collecting from customers when they were past due on their payments.

  Erin had been elated at the raised pay and additional responsibility, thinking Jesse might be winning her father over, but within days, Jesse understood that the purpose of the job was to try to get him to leave the shipping company on his own accord. Many of the past-due customers were difficult to deal with and often they got irate with him. It wasn’t a pleasant job, but Jesse stuck it out, often using his skills at reading people from running cons to get the job done.

  He was determined to win O’Grady’s respect, no matter how long it took.

  But after a year of proving himself, there was no hope of that happening in sight. And with the wedding tomorrow, Jesse wondered if the man wasn’t making one last-ditch effort to cause trouble between him and Erin.

  “What can I do for you, sir?” Jesse asked breathlessly as he moved another crate. He would be kind to the other man if it killed him. Though this “turning the other cheek” stuff was harder than he’d thought. “About time to wrap up for the day.”

  O’Grady nodded, smoothing the lapel of his dark suit. “I don’t suppose there is anything I can off
er you that will make you walk away from my daughter at this point.”

  Jesse shook his head, so angry it was all he could do to keep his jaw clenched shut.

  “And I suppose it doesn’t matter to you that she’ll live in poverty compared to what she’s used to. And to become an instant mother to a brat off the streets?”

  Jesse bristled. It bothered him that the man didn’t like him, but bringing Pete into the equation was too much.

  “If you think I’m going to give you any connections with business or otherwise...”

  Jesse’s shoulders tightened against the man’s threats. Thinking about Erin living in poorer circumstances than she was used to did bother him. He wanted Erin’s life to be better because he was in it, not the other way around.

  But she’d insisted she wouldn’t miss out on what she loved—her work at the hospital and visiting with her friends.

  “Her mother and I have no intention of supporting the two of you once you are married.”

  Ignoring O’Grady, Jesse moved to the small satchel he’d brought his lunch in, against one wall close to the other door of the warehouse. He used his sleeve to wipe sweat from his brow and told himself not to react. No doubt O’Grady wanted him to get angry, but he wouldn’t.

  Besides, he was going to see Erin in a few moments, something that always brightened his day.

  He went to the water bucket behind the warehouse and washed off as best he could, aware that the other man watched his every move.

  He’d kept a clean shirt in his satchel and he donned it now, just as he noticed a carriage roll up the street toward the warehouse.

  When O’Grady’s personal conveyance pulled to a stop near the warehouse, Erin disembarked and ran to Jesse, throwing her arms around him in exuberance.

  He was conscious of her father watching, but couldn’t resist burying his face in her hair near her ear. He couldn’t believe that tomorrow they were getting married!

  He felt her stiffen and knew she must’ve spotted her father in the shadows near the warehouse door.

  “Papa, what are you doing here?”

  “I came out to check on your young man.”

  She pushed lightly against his chest and Jesse released her. She looked up at him questioningly. He hadn’t told her about her father’s workplace visits. He didn’t want to cause any more trouble between Erin and Shamus than he already was.

  “Your pa’s been visiting me at work occasionally.” He shrugged as her eyes sharpened and she guessed what the visits had been about.

  Her face reddened and he knew her temper was about to spark. Was this what O’Grady wanted? Jesse didn’t want Erin to say anything that she might regret later or that might cause dissention right before the wedding.

  “Maybe he’d like to come with us to the hospital,” Jesse blurted, his focus on Erin but his words mostly for O’Grady’s benefit.

  “What?” father and daughter echoed.

  “You should come and see why St. Michael’s matters so much to your daughter.”

  O’Grady grumbled something Jesse couldn’t make out but he sensed the man had agreed.

  When Erin questioned him with her eyes, Jesse leaned forward and reassured her softly. “We’ll be married in a little more than twenty-four hours. He can’t separate us now.”

  She continued to look doubtful, but Jesse took her hand in his and led her to the carriage, boosting her in and following her, leaving O’Grady to climb in last.

  The driver already knew their destination, so they set off without delay. The sun began to wane in the sky, casting shadows between the buildings.

  “I’m to understand that you usually accompany my daughter on her trips to this institution?” O’Grady asked, directing his question to Jesse. “Why?”

  “Because visiting the children of St. Michael’s is important to Erin,” said Jesse simply.

  O’Grady looked skeptical.

  “Erin matters to me and those kids matter to her. Since I’ve been visiting, I’ve grown real close to a couple of the little guys.”

  “I’m glad you’re coming, Papa,” said his kindhearted Erin. “I believe the kids will win you over. I wish Pete was here. You’d see how good he is with the kids, too. He and your mother are cooking up something for the wedding tomorrow,” she explained to Jesse.

  They pulled up to the austere brick building. Shamus paused outside the carriage, scrutinizing it. It looked much better than it had on Jesse’s first visit. Then, the grounds had been dirty and in need of paint. Some of the roof had been damaged by a previous storm.

  It had changed a lot in the ensuing months. Erin had obtained donations from her wealthy friends and convinced them to spread the word until all the repairs had been completed.

  But the real difference was inside.

  * * *

  The front desk attendant greeted Erin and her guests warmly.

  She couldn’t believe the two men slightly behind her. Jesse for trying to protect her from what she assumed was her father’s intimidating behavior. Or her father who couldn’t seem to grasp that she and Jesse were a matched pair.

  Jesse had sat through many interminable Sunday lunches with her parents and never complained. Why couldn’t her parents make a similar effort?

  She was surprised her father had agreed to come when he’d made his position clear many times—it made her suspicious of his motives.

  But Jesse’s words had calmed her. He was right. They’d learned so much about each other and come to love each other so much more these months together—there was no separating them now.

  One of the doctors stopped her before she entered the dorm where most of the boys stayed. Jesse must’ve caught the grave look on his face the same as she had, because he moved closer and put his hand to her back.

  “I’m afraid Saul passed late last night,” the doctor said softly.

  For a moment she couldn’t understand his meaning, and then tears filled her eyes.

  Jesse embraced her, his arm around her shoulders as proper and as comforting as could be in this public area with her father watching. She leaned into his comfort, clutching the book she’d brought to read to the children to her stomach. They wouldn’t read it today.

  She could feel the rumble of Jesse’s voice as he said something to the doctor and the doctor’s answer, but both were muffled as she tried to contain her grief. She knew Saul had battled the cancer valiantly and the doctors hadn’t held out much hope for his survival, but he’d come to have a special place in her heart.

  Jesse pressed a handkerchief into her hands with the hand not slung around her shoulders. She quickly dabbed at her eyes, working to compose herself.

  “You all right?” Jesse asked, voice low.

  She nodded, squeezing her eyes against another flow of tears, not because she was all right—her grief would ebb with time—but because the other children needed her. They would probably be scared and have questions.

  She straightened her spine and her shoulders and Jesse moved slightly away, removing his arm. She grabbed on to his hand, because she wanted the reassurance of his touch and because she knew he would likely be hurting, too.

  Taking a deep breath, she nodded to the doctor. “We’ll go in now.”

  Aware of her father’s gaze at her back, she and Jesse pushed through the doors to the dorm room, with its rows of fastidious cots.

  The boys looked up, obviously expecting their visit. Each one different, some with dark hair, some light, some curly, some straight. Some with brown eyes, blue eyes, hazel eyes. Many with obvious illnesses or injuries. All eyes dark with shadows and questions this afternoon.

  Erin found a tremulous smile for the nearest group of boys. With so many children, even making visits twice a week, there was little time for individual discussion, and she
did the best she could by moving into the center of a grouping of six beds. Jesse followed her, stood at her side, while her father hung back.

  “The doctor just told me that Saul left us last night,” she said, voice cracking. These children were sharp, and if she’d tried to divert their attention to something else, they would’ve known it.

  “I know you all must be missing him terribly.” Her voice shook and she swallowed hard.

  “I am,” Jesse said, and she wasn’t surprised at the huskiness in his voice. He laid his hand on the head of the small boy in the bed behind him and gently ruffled his hair, giving comfort.

  “Miss Erin,” whispered the nearest boy. “Is he...is he really in Heaven, like you said?”

  She leaned over and embraced the small body in the bed. “I believe so. I really believe so.”

  The small boy sniffled against her shoulder. “Am I...am I gonna die, too?”

  She knew he had had a spinal injury several years ago and his parents had abandoned him at a nearby orphanage. The doctors at the hospital were working to try to return some functionality to his legs. He deserved more than empty platitudes and, as most of the children in this room, was smart enough to know if she bent the truth.

  She hugged him to her. “Alan, no one knows when their time is up. I have every reason to believe you’ll live a long time.”

  He looked up at her with wide, trusting eyes.

  “And you, too, Henry,” said Jesse. She saw him rest his hand on the boy’s shoulder in the next bed over.

  She stayed for a moment, comforting him and his buddies as well as she could, before she moved to the next group of children, murmuring the same reassurances, sharing her touch with children who reminded her of her loneliest days when all she had wanted was a hug from her mother or father.

  She was half aware of her father trailing behind, though he didn’t speak to the children, only watched.

  * * *

  As Erin neared the end of her rounds, Jesse sidled next to Shamus O’Grady so they stood shoulder to shoulder, watching her interact with the last group of small girls. One particular girl, with dark curls about her shoulders, reminded Jesse of a younger Erin.