Jodi's Journey

by Rita Hestand

  One of the men in hoods got off his horse, put the body on it, and rode away without a word.

  Hunt still had his gun pointed at their backs. His anger was out of control, and it was Jodi who finally walked up to him and pushed the gun barrel down. “Its okay, Hunt. They are leaving.”

  Cole came up to him; Hunt shook his hand and smiled. “Thanks, Cole.”

  Cole screwed up his face at him. “I never knew you had such a temper, Hunt. I never saw anything like what you just did.”

  Hunt was puzzled by the remark. “Me? What did I do? You done most of the shooting.”

  “I’m not talking about shooting. I'm talking about standing up to those people. Those maniacs could have gunned us down easy enough. There were enough of them. But you stood there in front of them and actually called them out for what they were. I've never seen such guts in my life. They could have killed you, but you must have hit a nerve somewhere. Otherwise, they would have.” Cole shook his head. “You won't go down in history, but I'll never in all my years forget what you just said, and how you said it.”

  “Sorry.” Hunt shook himself a little to control the white rage inside him. “They touched a sore spot with me.”

  Willy came up to him and smiled slowly. “No one's ever said anything like that for me, or my people, that I know of.”

  Hunt eyed Willy with respect. “Well maybe it's time they did, Willy.”

  Jodi put her arm around him and walked him back to the wagon. “Do you think they'll be back?”

  “No, because I wasn't kidding. I would have killed as many of them as I could. And they know it. And they know why.”

  Concho looked at Jodi, then Hunt. “I told you, he's no coward. It is strange, those men. I mean, you would think here in Texas they would be after the Mexicans because it is the Mexicans who fought to have Texas. But they are after the Negro people. It makes no sense.”

  Jodi kissed Hunt's cheek. “Concho, I should have listened to you from the very beginning.”

  Matt finally coughed. “Humph….can somebody help me? I think I been shot.”

  Jodi glanced his way and was dressing his wound before he knew what hit him. It wasn't bad, just a flesh wound, but it had scared him witless.

  “The boss sure showed them, didn't he?” Matt puffed up.

  “Yes…he did,” Jodi said, smiling at her husband, who was so weary he flopped down by the side of the wagon and took a long drink of water as though he'd been starved in the desert for it.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  At Salado they stopped at Bill Williams' ranch. The man was more than a little glad to see them, too. His wife came out on the porch and waved them into the house, promising them a good meal before they got back on the road.

  Jodi was exhausted. Mrs. Williams could tell and she told her to sit still while she prepared them a meal. Jodi felt guilty for not jumping up to help, but she had a mother and aunt who lived with them. They all pitched in.

  “My Bill, he's so happy. When your man offered to take those cattle up the trail for him, he came back here whoopin' and hollerin' and makin' such a fuss I thought there was something wrong. But he was just so relieved. And sure enough, we had a visit from the Indians not long afterwards. Once they discovered we didn't have any horses or cattle here, they took off.”

  “I'm glad. Hunt said the Indians would have stolen them from you. It was no trouble at all to take them.” Jodi smiled as she watched them cook. She watched all of the women because she suddenly wanted to learn more. She was going to have a full crew when they got home and she had to learn as much as she could. She quickly realized that Mrs. Williams was some cook.

  She had taken to wearing one of Hunt's shirts over her so that it didn't squeeze the baby. They all noticed and asked her about it.

  “Oh…yeah, I’m expecting in about four months.” She blushed.

  “And you went on that drive?” Mrs. Williams shook her head. “You've got gall, girl.”

  Jodi laughed.

  It was one of the best meals they'd eaten since they left home and everyone had seconds and thirds. Mrs. Williams laughed at them, but she was obviously very proud, too.

  The Williams’ three children were seated at the table and the grandmother held the baby and fed it a bottle. Jodi watched the interplay with interest, her eyes escaping to Hunt every now and then.

  Mr. Williams was so happy to get the money; the amount really astounded him. He insisted they stay the night and leave the next morning. Hunt nodded his approval, knowing that everyone was bone tired, especially Jodi.

  That evening, friends dropped by to pay their respects since it was a Sunday and the Williams family hadn't made it to church that day. There was a beautiful young woman almost the same age as Jodi who came in and eyed Cole with curiosity. She had long, dark hair and beautiful, aqua eyes. Cole was mesmerized by her beauty. He smiled and was introduced, but he kept to himself. Mrs. Williams was having none of that. “Cole, are you a married man?” she asked.

  Cole almost jumped out of his seat, but his glance quickly slid to the young lady. “No, ma'am.”

  “Well, how nice. Neither is Lucy,” she hinted strongly. “Lucy is one of our neighbors.”

  “I guess I never was in one place long enough,” Cole offered by way of explanation.

  Before the evening was over, Cole walked Ms. Lucy to her buggy, smiling, and even talking to her. Jodi jabbed Hunt in the ribs and grinned.

  “Now would you look at that,” she said.

  “Yeah, I see it.” Hunt smiled.

  It was almost sad to leave such good company, but come morning, they got up, and after a huge breakfast, they paid their respects and headed for home again.

  “Sometimes it's kind of sad to say goodbye to people you think a lot of,” Jodi noted, not wanting Hunt to see the tears in her eyes again.

  But now they were headed for Matt's home and Jodi wasn't sure she could say goodbye to him without crying aloud.

  It was a moment to behold when Matt walked in to the house and saw his mother at the stove. He stood there staring at her a full minute before he called out to her. When she saw her son, her face illuminated.

  “Ma…I'm home,” he cried and ran to kiss her on the cheek.

  His Ma was so flustered, she wiped at her eyes, unable to speak for a long while. Nervously, she fretted around Matt as though she couldn't quite move away from him.

  Hunt, Jodi and the rest stood at the door, waiting to be invited in.

  “Well now, you folks come on in and have some supper with us,” she insisted as she flittered about to put supper on the stove.

  They all nodded and Jodi made the introductions.

  At the table Matt was telling about all the adventures, and his mother was gasping when he told about the Indians and how nice they acted in camp. She shook her head. “Ain't it funny how they can raid some, and get along with others?”

  Everyone had a big laugh over their buffalo adventure. He didn't enlighten her about the bad parts and Jodi understood why. If he'd told her everything his ma might not let him go back up the trail. She noticed his wound right away, but he laughed that off. “It's just a scratch, Ma, really.”

  He'd be talking about getting shot for weeks, Jodi bet.

  As everyone finished up and complimented his ma on her cooking, Matt went to get his bedroll from his horse. As he came inside, he laid his money on the table.

  “Now, what's this…?” his mother asked, obviously surprised at his actions.

  “It's yours, Ma. I earned it for you. I got double wages, and now you can make curtains for the place and buy you a new dress, and the girls. And we can maybe go to church on Sunday 'cause you can buy the boys some shoes. It's for you, Ma. All for you.”

  Mrs. Pruitt looked at the money, and how much it was. Her mouth fell open. “But this is yours, son. You earned it. I can't take it from you,” she insisted, the tears rolling down her cheeks at the gesture he was making.

  “Well, you have to,”
Matt laughed. “That's why I went with them, Ma, for you. So you could have better now. And Mr. Hunt's already said I could go again next year. That way we'll have enough money so you won't have to work so hard, Ma.”

  She looked at her son. It was as though everyone in the room had disappeared. Her eyes clouded with real tears and she put her apron to her mouth. “Oh now…son…this is too much. I mean…you're a man now. You earned this…”

  “I know Ma…for you. Just like Daddy would have done if he'd have been here,” Matt declared proudly. The sunshine on his face illuminated the entire room. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. Even Cole had to excuse himself to go outside for a bit.

  When it was time to say goodbye to Matt, Jodi hugged him. “I’m so proud to know you, Mathew,” she whispered for his ears alone. “I don't know what I'll do without you. You are quite a man.”

  Matt cried too. But when he said his goodbyes to the men, he merely choked on his words and shook their hands the way a man would.

  “We'll be seeing you next spring, Matt,” Hunt declared.

  “I'll be ready.” He beamed as he grabbed his mother and hugged her. She was still crying when they left.

  Jodi was emotionally drained by the end of the day. She'd met so many nice people and had to say goodbye to too many friends.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  When they reached San Antonio, Concho and Jose promised to help with the spring roundup. They hugged everyone and kissed Jodi and left yelling and laughing.

  Jodi was glad they hadn't prolonged the leaving; she couldn't take much more of that. She didn't want to tell Hunt, but she'd had begun to feel very tired and many more goodbyes would have put her in bed.

  When the small, pitiful little ranch came into view, it was a welcome site for them all. Cole and Willy didn't seem a bit disappointed. The very fact that they were needed so badly made them happy.

  Smoke came from the chimney as they rode up. Clem was fussing at the Mexican girls who had been tending to him almost non-stop when Jodi walked inside.

  “You ornery old coot, why don't you leave those girls alone and let them wait on you?” Jodi fussed, brimming with a grin as she went to him.

  Clem cleared his throat and smiled bright, but he wasn't able to move.

  His gray eyes sought her out. “Did you get it done, girl?”

  “We did, Clem. We did. We got more money than we expected.”

  Clem smiled. “Now who's this fella lookin' so pie-eyed at you?” Clem asked as he spotted Hunt.

  “I have a feeling you know him almost as well as I do. It's Hunter Johnson, my husband.” She beamed.

  “Well now, ain't that somethin'.” He hoorayed her like he hadn't been expecting it all along.

  “Clem, this is Cole and Willy, they are our new hands. They are going to help fix this place up and we are going to have a real working ranch from now on,” Jodi declared.

  Clem could barely shake their hands as they all came close and smiled down at him. The old man seemed tickled to have so much company. Jodi surmised that he just might have missed her a bit.

  Clem had them telling all the tales along the trail, as he enjoyed every minute of their stories. Jodi was sure he was reliving a few of them himself.

  They all sat up drinking coffee most the night and telling tall tales about their adventure so Clem could actually be a part of it too. The old man seemed happier to Jodi than she'd seen him in years.

  Later that night, Jodi and Hunt walked around the place as Hunt got a feel for the land. He looked off into the distance and saw the mighty oak trees and pines, and heard the birds chirping. He also smelled the sweet smell of spring ending while summer began.

  “It's not a bad place, Jodi,” he surmised, casting his gaze over the land.

  “I'm so glad you like it. I was afraid you might not. I mean, it does need a lot of repair,” she began, only to be cut short by him.

  “That's part of its lure. Work is good for a man. Without it, he's not complete. Me and Cole and Willy, we can put our hearts into this land, sink our teeth here and make something of it. How many acres are yours?”

  “We got twenty-five hundred acres, Hunt.” She leveled that one on him and he rolled his eyes.

  “Good grief, girl, we can raise a lot of cattle on this land. I had no idea. Why…if Cole and Willy want to stay, we might even section off some land for them, if you'd agree to that.”

  Jodi smiled. “You know I would. It would be so much fun watching Cole and that Lucy girl get serious about each other. And who knows? Maybe someone will come along for Willy too. I mean…who knows?” She giggled as he drew her to him.

  “You're tired, aren't you?” he whispered as he kissed her ear.

  “Not that tired,” she giggled and pulled him back inside and into their bedroom.

  ≈≈≈

  The entire town was shocked at Jodi and Hunt coming home with so much money, and the other cattle owners were more than a little pleased at the price they’d gotten. Everyone seemed to be jubilant. Jodi and Hunt were able to inform the other ranchers that next year would be a dandy good drive. A lot of people seemed to have raised spirits hearing this.

  It was almost as if the whole town came alive after that. Men seemed to perk up and realize that, even though they'd lost the war, there could be a future.

  Hunt and Jodi began making repairs. With Cole and Willy's help, the place began to take on a ranch look. In less than two months they had made multiple improvements on the place.

  The time to attend the auction was near and the three men planned their trip to San Antonio to buy cattle.

  Summer’s end had the hills full of flowers and beautiful green trees just beginning to turn color, and the brook running behind the place was full of fish. They had everything they needed except what few supplies Jodi had to get at the local store.

  That's when she ran into Hershel again. She had just paid for her supplies and was loading her wagon when he bumped into her. She tried to ignore him, but he was quite insistent.

  “Now Jodi, what's all this?” He looked at her condition and frowned into her face. “When did this happen?”

  “I got married,” she snapped indignantly. “Not that it's any of your business.”

  “Married…to who?” Hershel laughed.

  “Hunter Johnson. Now will you please let me go?” She tried to push past him.

  Hershel laughed again, but spun her around. “Well, I'll be. Married. And to that no-good coward. That's okay by me. I'm not afraid of him. I'll be by to see you again. You can bet on that.”

  Pushing him away, she got in her buggy. “You better be careful, Hershel. You might get your head blown off.”

  “By that sniveling coward?” he chuckled aloud. “That'll be the day.”

  “Hershel, you really should grow up,” Jodi said.

  He bent close and whispered in her ear, “Now, honey, you know you're my woman.”

  “If I had a gun, I'd blow your head off.” She pushed him away.

  “Same old Jodi Parker I've always known,” he chuckled again. “That's what I like about you. You're so honest.”

  She whipped the horses and took off, leaving him laughing in the street.

  She knew she'd have trouble with him, but she thought maybe it might wait till she had the baby. Right now, she wasn't up to jostling with him.

  She hurried home. By the time she reached the house, she was in tears. Clem heard her and yelled for her. “What's wrong, girl?”

  “Nothing, Clem, I'm just tired. You know how women are when they're going to have a baby, don't you?”

  Clem sighed. “Then don't scare me like that, girl. I thought maybe the Devil himself was after you.”

  Drying her eyes, she went to make coffee and poured him a cup. He was ready for her and smiled. But his hand went to hers as she started to move away. “You ain't foolin' me, girl. I know you are upset about something. Have you grown up too much to tell ol’ Clem your troubles?”

  �
�Everything is fine, really. How you feeling today?” she asked, noticing he was getting color back in his ruddy cheeks again.

  “If I could jest stand up and walk, I'd feel like a new man. But I guess them days are over,” he admitted, still smiling.

  “You're still every bit the man you always was,” she said, and meant it.

  “I love you, Jodi, as though you were my own daughter. I just wanted you to know that,” he said, choking up a bit.

  Unprepared for this admission, she blubbered, “And I love you. You’ll be glad to know, I've really grown up since I left. I've put the war behind me, Clem. I've accepted my brother's death and my father's probable death. And Hunt…well, he's so…wonderful to me. I've never been this happy.”

  She began to cry again and Clem patted her hand. “Hey now, don't take on so. I believe every word of it. It shows in your face how happy you are. I'm glad I've lived to see it.”

  “I only wish I could get you outside so you could see the place. I mean, the boys have done so much. It looks like a new spread.”

  “That's good. I've heard them working. 'Bout time we had some hep around here, don't you think?” He laughed then eyeballed her. “Now, tell me, what happened in town?”

  “No…” She stopped, knowing she couldn't lie to Clem. “You know this isn't Hunt's baby, don't you?”

  “Yep, I knowed. But I’m right proud that Hunt wants to claim it as his, and I won't be tellin' what I know either, Jodi, so don't your fret none about that.”

  “I know you wouldn't, Clem. Hershel must never know this child is his,” she said with tears in her eyes. “That's his due...he'll never know.”

  “I'm glad you've come to that conclusion. I'm also glad you aren't bitter about bein' in a way. I was worried about that. Not that I didn't want to take care of it myself when it first happened. But it'd be hard to explain to the law why I blew his head off, you see.”

  At first Jodi laughed, but she knew Clem probably would have. Then Jodi hung her head. “I was bitter…at first. I guess I might still be. But Hunt has made the difference.”