by Cyndi Raye
“This town isn’t that big that we can’t find someone.” Rebecca didn’t realize she spoke out loud.
Heads popped up. “My thoughts exactly,” Ruby mentioned. Rebecca smiled at her. They would find out who this man was sooner or later, maybe give Miss Addie some of her own matchmaking services.
A lone rider galloped through town, stirring up dust along the way. From the front porch of the Land Office the saloon sat in full view. The man jumped from his mare and ran into the saloon. Each and every lady on the front porch stood at attention, trying to see what they could.
“Wonder why one rider is back and not the others. Do you see anything out there?”
Heads turned to the edge of town but it was too black to see anything at all. Eight heads whipped back to the saloon when the rider came out with his hands full. He lunged back on the horse and took off like a rabbit leaping from his hole.
The bartender, Salem Nightingale, stood at the door watching the lone rider. He had a mug in one hand and a towel slung over his shoulder.
“What in carnation happened?” Rebecca stood hanging on to the rail, trying to see into the distance.
“Not sure but I aim to find out,” Sophia told the others. She was halfway across the street before anyone knew what she was doing.
“Come back here! You can’t go in to a saloon,” Ruby told her.
Sophie walked backwards, smiling and determined. “Who says I’m going in there. Why, that fine gentleman may be able to answer our questions.”
Rebecca and the others watched as the two exchanged words. Salem Nightingale’s voice carried in the wind, but it was still too far away to discern. All at once, Sophie put her arms out and curtsied as if he were a gentleman in a parlor hall.
The girls began to giggle as Sophie ran across the street, Salem shouting after her. He leaned up against the wall staring after her, a wide grin on his face. Rebecca could see that clearly.
When Sophie returned to the porch she was fuming and out of breath. “What an intolerable man! To think I was endeared at first at his tall and dark features, let alone his surly deep voice. Well, this girl will never get close to the likes of him again!”
Then Rebecca noticed how Sophie turned to watch Salem staring at her. She curtsied once again from her place on the porch right before the bartender pushed away from the wall and went inside. A few moments later the place went dark.
“Sophie, what did you learn?” Rebecca wrung her hands. There was still no sign of her husband or anyone else except that one lone rider.
“You’ll be happy to know most of the men are on there way here. One of the men was in bad shape, so that fellow came to get more supplies. They had to stop a few miles down the road because he was bleeding so bad. Name of Jackson something or other.”
Rebecca gripped on to the wooden railing with all her might. “Jackson,” she whispered. “My husband was hurt?”
Sophie gasped. “I didn’t realize Jackson and the Sheriff were one and the same!” She tried to smooth things over but all Rebecca had heard was her husband was in bad shape. She turned to the others. “I have to get to him. Now.”
“It’s too dark to go out there, Rebecca. Let’s go inside. Have a cup of tea. We will have to wait there.”
“No. I can’t wait.” She looked at each and every one of them. “If that was your husband out there, what would you do?”
Miss Addie stood. “I’ll get the buggy.” She ran down the street, holding tight onto the rifle while Charity, Ruby and Lily went to help get the buggy.
“I’ll stay with the children,” Sophie offered.
“So will I,” Grace told her. “Between the two of us, we can start making some breakfast. It will be daylight soon and the men will be starving after their night.”
Rebecca turned to the others. Tears welled in her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered, unable to speak any louder less she choke on her own words. Devastated to the core, the thought of her husband not making it was torn from her thoughts. She had to go to him.
The buggy pulled to a stop in front of the Land Office.
Salem Nightingale was locking up the saloon. He strolled across the street when he saw the buggy filled with women. “What is going on here this time of night?”
Sophie placed her hands on her hips. “Well, hello to you, Sir Nightingale. Need I curtsey again? Unfortunately, I don’t have time. Rebecca is going to Sheriff Montana.”
A hurl of cuss words erupted from Salem’s mouth. The women ignored him as they planned to persue their original idea.
He looked at Sophie then at the four women inside the open air buggy. “Move on over, ladies.” His tall frame jumped up on the driver seat as he took the reins, mumbling as the horse was guided down the street.
Sophie grinned.
Rebecca blew her a kiss. Thank you, she mouthed at her new friend. With Salem driving the buggy, she felt reassured they would get there in one piece with an experienced driver. And quicker than Miss Addie could.
Chapter 9
The buggy rolled to a stop. Jackson tried hard to keep his eyes focused. His whole body felt as if he were in a cloud, floating around the men who surrounded him, dabbing at the blood on his shoulder and head. He saw Salem jump down, then reached out a hand to help Rebecca. She didn’t wait for him though, instead took a leap from the buggy as if her life depended on it.
A smile curved at his mouth.
“You think this is funny?” Marshall Montgomery mumbled.
Jackson tried to form her name to let Marshall know why he smiled now. Nothing came out, his mouth was cracked and dry. His head felt as if it were split open from the pounding of horse’s hooves that got him this far. It was no fun to be slumped over the saddle immobile while the large animal pounded the dirt. Every single bone and joint ached with a fierceness like no other.
He felt her presence before she was up close, kissing his cheek through the blood that splotched his face. “Oh, my Jackson, be strong. You are my best friend. My love.”
Her soft hands cupped his face. Soft lips touched his own hard, dry ones. He felt himself drifting off again, the air around him fading while he floated on thick blades of grass. I love you, he told her even if no words came out.
She continued to cling to him. He felt her softness, even as he was lifted in to the buggy. She placed herself by his side, her hands caressing his skin, sliding up and down his arm. The burning sensation from the wound on his shoulder lightened. He focused on her worried face, couldn’t peel his eyes from her beautiful skin.
“I love you,” he was able to croak out at last. She stirred beside him, running her finger along his jaw. “As I love you, Jackson. Always. Forever. Don’t leave me, I beg of you.”
He tried to lift a hand to touch her. His head banged like a warrior’s drum when he tried to shake it back and forth so he stilled. Closing heavy lids, it was okay now to sleep. His love was here. She would care for him. “Sleep, darling,” she whispered. “Take care. Go to sleep.”
So, he did.
<><>
Jackson was in his bed. He knew it before he tried to open his eyes. He didn’t want to get up. Funny, his shoulder no longer hurt, his head felt fine. No banging kept him awake at night any more. He knew he had been in and out of consciousness for awhile. Even if he had no idea of how long. Was it hours or days?
With a bold movement, he sat straight up to find himself alone in an empty room.
Where was she? “Becky?” he croaked, his voice still raspy.
Movement from the other side of the door stirred his curiosity. He stumbled from the blankets, cautious to stand for a moment until the dizziness passed. His legs were wobbly as if he hadn’t been using them in a long time. He reached out to place a hand on the wall to keep him steady. With focused steps, Jackson made his way to the door, turning the knob to find his wife pushing a rocking chair from one end of the room to the other.
“Hi,” he told her, before she looked up and screamed!
&n
bsp; “Jackson!” she whispered as if she had seen a ghost.
He pushed off the wall, taking a few steps to her side. She reached out to him, placing her arms around his waist. “Let’s get you to the chair.” She turned the rocker towards him and helped him to sit.
“It feels as if I haven’t used my legs in months.”
Rebecca turned her head at a slight angle. She had tears dripping from her face. Getting on her knees, she placed her head in his lap, her shoulders shaking like he’d never seen before. It seemed like just yesterday when he felt her touch as he was lifted in to the buggy.
The wetness from her tears seeped on to his shirt. “Hey now, settle down, Becky. I’m fine. I could use a glass of water.”
She struggled to her feet and quickly poured him a glass. As he drank, she touched his face, tears still streaming down as she touched every part of him as if he were indeed a ghost. “Becky, why the tears? I’m fine, really.”
Becky curled on to his lap, her face in his shoulder. She breathed in his scent and began to cry again. He held her, not understanding her strange behavior. Had something happened to her? Was she touched now that she had gone through all of this with John Abbott? Was his wife’s mind too far gone?
After several minutes, Jackson nudged her to look at him. “Becky, what is it? What’s wrong?”
She took a shattering deep breath. “You were gone, Jackson. Your brain was not working.”
He laughed. “What do you mean my brain was not working?”
“Your body was in such a deep state of sleep, when you didn’t wake up after a few days, we called for the doctor in Dallas. We were too afraid to move you. He came and told us you were brain dead, like a vegetable in the garden. No movement, nothing would wake you. He said that you would be like this forever. That I should prepare for the worst.”
Jackson wiped the flowing tears from her face. “I’m not brain dead. As you can see, I’m fine. Except for feeling a bit weak and tired, my mind is the same as its always been.”
“We didn’t know. You were so still. I stayed by your side every single day, reading to you, talking, praying for you to wake up. God is good. The whole town has been praying for you and he answered our prayers.”
“I’m sorry you had to deal with this, Becky. I love you.”
“I love you right back, Jackson Montana.”
Jackson pushed back on the chair, rocking the two of them. “I didn’t know we had a rocking chair.”
“We didn’t. I just received this from Sears. I had ordered it a few weeks ago.”
“Thank you. It makes this room look nice. Much nicer than the old chairs I had.”
“Well, there’s a reason for everything, you know that, right?”
He was still a bit foggy but felt as if she were trying to tell him something. “Yes, most of the time there is a reason for every single thing under God’s green planet.”
“Jackson?”
“Hmm,” he murmured, liking the feel of his wife curled in his arms. He closed his eyes, taking in her lavender scent.
“When you were ten years old, did you ever think about having a family?”
“Not really. Not until I was older. I hated being an only child, an orphan. When you came along, it was like I had my own sister to hang out with. Except we weren’t sister and brother, of course.”
“What if I told you we have the chance to make our own family.”
He opened his eyes. “What are you saying, Becky? Are you with child?”
She nodded, tears pooling in her eyes now. The realization of what she had been dealing with, not knowing if he would ever come out of his stupor hit Jackson full force. “Oh Becky, darling.” He held her in his arms for so long it began to get dark in the room.
She reached up and took his hand, gently laying it across her stomach. “We’re going to be parents,” she whispered. “It’s still hard to believe.”
He left his hand there, in wonder, waiting to feel a tiny beat of this little life they created. It didn’t come but he knew in that moment that there would be many little hearts beating right where he placed his hand.
“We’ll need a bigger house.”
“Can we afford one on a sheriff’s salary?” she teased.
“What we need is a farm, not a house in town. It will be big enough to raise our own children and maybe a child or two from an orphanage.”
“Truly?”
When Jackson nodded, he was surprised to hear Becky had the same dream. “Let it be a child no one wants. Someone we can take in and give them all of our love.”
Jackson drew her in, touching his mouth to hers. “I’ll work two jobs if I have to, my love. We’ll find a way to provide a big enough home for our own kids as well as other lost orphans.”
“I think I saw just the place the other day. There’s an abandoned two story house about a mile from town. A family from the city bought it but then left so quickly they even left furniture behind. Sold it to the land office within a week of buying the place. It’s close enough for you to get to your job as sheriff and far enough from town where we can have chickens and maybe some horses and, oh, the possibilities!” Rebecca’s stomach tightened. Jackson thought he felt a tiny kick.
“Was that the baby?” he asked in awe.
“I think it’s too soon, but you never know.”
“My son will be very astute. He may be agreeing with us.”
Rebecca laughed. “How do you know she isn’t agreeing with us?”
Jackson kissed her. “How do we know there isn’t one of each?”
Her eyes grew as big as the saucer underneath the cup of tea sitting on the edge of the table. “That would be absolutely wonderful but I’m not sure my body can manage two at one time.”
“After what we’ve been through, our God can help us manage anything. Anything at all.”
“I love you, Jackson Montana.”
“I love you too, Rebecca Montana. I’m glad you let me sit with you under that library window so long ago.”
She smiled at him, her heart filled with love and joy. “I think we were meant to be.”
“It’s been so long since I’ve held you in my arms, darling. Let’s go to bed.”
Rebecca laughed. “I’ve been in your arms every single night.”
“Yes, but I was brain dead, remember? I never knew. I have a lot of making up to do.”
“You sure do, husband.”
<><>
Thank you for reading Rebecca and Jackson’s story. As always, if it weren’t for you readers, these stories wouldn’t continue. I wonder if Sophie will continue on her trek to find a husband? Her first journey as a mail order bride was delayed when John Abbott got in the way. Will Miss Addie complete her wish to send Sophie on her way now that all the girls agreed to let Miss Addie find them a husband. Or will Salem Nightingale get in Sophie’s way?
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About Cyndi Raye
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I am having so much fun building this pioneer town on the frontier. Finding likeable characters is so fulfilling as a writer. I’d love to hear what you think so far. If you would like to voice your opinion, you can email me any time at [email protected] Would you like to be a review reader? Email me to get put on the list. Just put in subject line that you want to be a review reader and I’ll send details...
Make sure not to miss any of the books out. Along with the mail order bride books, I also write some small town contemporary books. You can see both of them on my authors page.
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Hugs,
Cyndi
cca: Mail Order Brides of Wichita Falls Series - Book 6
