"Mrs. Reagan only birthed their youngest son. The rest of them are adopted in one way or another. One son's mother was a soiled dove. Can you tell which one?"
Julip looked sharply at Jasper, then back at the photograph.
"Of course, I can't. The men are all smiling and happy."
"Exactly," Jasper said while raising one eyebrow. He meant to point out that her children, no matter their parentage, could be a family.
“Here are two photographs showing Main Street, one from each direction,” Jasper said as he laid them out on the table.
“Got the Paulson Hotel down here run by the Paulson’s. Helen had four girls, all by different fathers, when she married Ethan Paulson. They added four more girls to their family.”
Jasper was hinting again that children were accepted no matter their parentage. Julip studied the photographs, seeing the usual businesses any town has; a bank, marshal’s office, post office, and dress shop for starters. The other photograph showed the other side of the street with Fergus’ Photography sign prominent on one building.
“Where do you live, Mr. Kerns?” Julip was glad Tara was starting to talk to Jasper.
A sleepy Tyrell patted Jasper's thigh, and Jasper picked him up and set him on his lap without saying anything. Tyrell sighed as he sat back against Jasper's chest and stuck his thumb back in his mouth.
Jasper cleared his throat. "See that building on the end of the street? Now, look at this second photo of Mack and me. That's the same building. There's a staircase to the top story through that door," Jasper pointed out to Tara and Tyrell. "I live up there. There's room for a big family to live with me. I got a front room, kitchen, bath room, and three bedrooms."
Jasper looked up at Julip. "I've been making furniture for my home as I have time. It's not all furnished yet, but it's more than livable."
"There's no trees?" Tara's question, as she pointed to the photographs, pulled Julip back to the present instead of thinking of a possible future.
"Clear Creek is a frontier town sitting out in the middle of the prairie. There's no trees around except down by the river or a few that people have planted in town. Mostly orchards for fruit."
Jasper stared at her, apparently wanting an answer. Tyrell was already comfortable with Jasper and Tara was talking to him at least. How could she say no to a future for her children? Hopefully, in time she and Jasper would love each other again, but thinking she might be pregnant bothered her.
"Don't overthink it, Julip. Everything will work out for us this time."
This time. Julip was getting a second chance with the boy she'd loved for two decades. She'd be a fool to turn him down.
"Children, how would you like to live in this town? We'd live with Mr. Kerns, upstairs in this building he pointed out."
"Would I go to school here?" Tara's finger pointed to the group of students pictured on the steps of the school.
"Yes, you would, and I already know these children and their parents, so they'd be your friends right away."
"We haven't had friends since we moved out here," Tara whispered, cracking Julip's heart. She was glad the children were young and would forget these trying months as soon as they were settled in Clear Creek.
"Jasper, I'm ready to marry you whenever you'll take us," Julip said in a rush. She was so ready to live the life she saw in these pictures instead of living in this drafty cabin.
"Thank you, Julip. You've made me a happy man. I'll fix breakfast, and we can plan our future."
Chapter 5
Why was Jasper panicking now about Julip’s decision? He wanted to marry her, but now he was feeling guilty and disloyal to his deceased wife and son.
Rebekah, I’m getting married again. Please forgive me, but I need to do this for Julip and her children.
It felt so good to hold Tyrell, but it reminded Jasper that his own son, Billy, would have been this age now. Was he trying to replace his son with Julip’s?
“Mr. Kerns, can I have more milk?” Tara’s thin arm held up the tin she was sharing with her brother.
Jasper added a complete set of china place settings to his mental list of things to buy when they returned to Clear Creek. Dishes, furniture, bedding, clothing…He’d had all of this with Rebekah and Billy in their home, but he sold or gave it away when he lost his family and started wandering.
Julip’s family didn’t have much to bring with them, so they’d be starting over together. This was good. A new home without memories of their past. How he wished he had a photograph of Rebekah and Billy though.
“Do you have a wedding photograph of you and Vernen? Or of you with your children?” Jasper asked without thinking how Julip would react.
“No, Vernen didn’t want to spend the money. What about your family?”
Jasper shook his head. He’d have to get used to talking around children again without them hearing bits of conversation and becoming confused or worried. Tara was watching him, still not sure what to think about him.
“I’d like Fergus to take a family portrait when we arrive in Clear Creek.”
“Oh, but we look so…”
Tired, thin, down on their luck?
“A few weeks and new clothes will make a world of difference. Do you want to be married by Reverend Nelson before we travel to Clear Creek, or wait to be married there?” It didn’t matter to Jasper, but it might to Julip.
Julip rubbed her belly and looked at Tara and Tyrell now concentrating on their hot oatmeal spread out on the tin plates.
“I’d like to marry here, so the children have a father if something happens…”
Food and care would improve Julip’s health, but Julip was down to her bones and last strength.
“I’ll check with Reverend Nelson this afternoon to find out when we can marry. The train picks up passengers twice a week, so if we’re ready in a few days, we’ll leave then, or the next week.
“We don’t have much to pack, so we can leave anytime. We can sleep on the train just as well as here.”
“Do you have anyone who needs to know you’re leaving?” Jasper would check to see if he needed to pay her credit at the mercantile. He wasn’t going to worry about her so-called landlord. The derelict cabin wasn’t worth paying rent for anyway.
“I suppose we should check at the post office in case I’d have any mail. After we left the widow’s house, our life in Miller Springs ceased to exist.”
Jasper knew what Julip meant. He didn’t have a home base after Rebekah died—until he found his sister in Clear Creek.
*
“Are you sure I look alright?” Julip fussed with her new hat.
“Pretty as a picture, Julip,” Jasper assured her because he’d been married before and knew you didn’t say anything negative to a woman about her looks.
The first stop in town was the Mercantile, and Jasper insisted they buy a new wardrobe for all three of them. Even though the children were thin, they’d still outgrown their clothes, shoes, and coats. Julip made sure the children’s clothing were a size bigger than what fitted since the children would put on weight now that they were eating three meals a day.
It was harder for Jasper to convince Julip she needed new clothing. There wasn’t a mirror in the cabin, and Julip hadn’t seen her reflection in a full-length for a long time. “Oh, my!” was her exclamation behind the dressing room curtain when she’d slipped off her clothing to try on new ones. Julip hadn’t realized how thin and weak she looked until that moment.
The stop at the post office revealed no letters, but Julip left a forwarding address in case someone wanted to contact her.
The last stop in Miller Springs was the parsonage to see Reverend and Mrs. Nelson. Jasper knocked on the door, trying to calm his nerves. He was getting married again, not to a child he’d known for years, but to a woman he’d known for two days.
“Are you sure, Jasper? You’ll take on a family of three, or four.”
He sucked in a deep breath, knowing Julip was as nervous as
himself. He looked down at Julip, her children wrapped around her legs as if they were worried about their future too.
“Do you believe in the wedding vows, Julip? Will you take them seriously?” Her answer would help him decide he was making the right or wrong decision about marrying her.
Julip straightened her back and looked straight into his eyes.
“Yes, Jasper, I believe in the vows and will honor them for the rest of our lives. Do you?”
“I kept my vows until death released me from Rebekah. I’ll do the same with you, but I pray the Good Lord gives us decades together instead of a few years as we had with our spouses.”
“I do too. Thank you, Jasper, for looking for me.”
The parsonage door opened, stopping their conversation.
“Hello, Mrs. Grover and Mr. Kerns. What can I do for you?” Reverend Nelson asked as he ushered them into the living room.
“Mrs. Grover and her children are moving to Kansas with me. We’d like to be married today,” Jasper stated.
“I see. How well do you know each other?” the reverend looked back and forth between Julip and himself. Was the preacher going to deny doing their ceremony?
“We’ve known each other since we were these children’s ages, sir,” Jasper pointed at Tara and Tyrell. “Circumstances had us marrying other spouses, but now we’re both widowed. I’d been looking for Mrs. Grover, my childhood friend, and now that I found her, we’d like to marry.”
“Excellent. I’m glad it’s going to work out for you. Would you like to marry here in the parsonage parlor, or go next door to marry in front of the church altar?”
Jasper would prefer the church, but it was up to Julip. She was worrying again, rubbing her belly.
“Which would you prefer, Julip?
She hesitated longer than was necessary for Jasper’s mind. Was she not going through with their marriage?
“Could we just say the vows here in the parlor to be legally married, and then repeat them again in your Clear Creek church later?”
Jasper was surprised by her question. He thought they should marry before they traveled, but he’d like to have celebrated his marriage with his sister and friends.
“I like that idea. Pastor Reagan has a special wedding ceremony when children are involved in the union, so the children feel like they are part of the new family.”
Julip genuinely smiled for the first time since he’d found her, and it eased his nervous stomach. They would make this marriage work.
Chapter 6
“We’re almost there. Watch for the wooden sign along the tracks that says, ‘Clear Creek.’”
Julip couldn’t tell who was more excited about arriving at the Clear Creek train depot, Jasper or the children. During their four days of travel, Jasper had talked non-stop about the townspeople, his and Mack’s building projects, the Kansas weather…just whatever was on his mind.
They’d studied Fergus’ photographs, so many times Jasper could point to a face, and the children could tell him the name of the person. Would the town and people be as Jasper described in such glowing terms? Or would people look down on them as a family of mulattos trying to home in on their established community?
Julip put a hand to her chest and took a deep breath as the train started slowing down. This was Clear Creek. Their new home. Jasper was talking and pointing to buildings as the train slowed down, but Julip couldn’t hear anything but the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears.
“Look outside, everyone!” Jasper proudly announced as the train pulled to a stop.
Julip did, realizing there was a group of people standing on the depot platform, craning their necks to see who was in the passenger car windows. Someone in the middle of the crowd was holding up a hand-painted sign saying, “Welcome Kerns Family.”
“What on earth, Jasper?”
“I telegraphed ahead to Fergus and Iris that we were arriving today.”
“Is that Mack holding the sign?” Tara pointed to the tallest man in the crowd.
“Yes, you picked him out in the crowd. His sign says, “Welcome Kerns Family.” You are part of the Kerns family now, so that sign is for you.”
Tyrell’s thumb went back into his mouth. The sight of the twenty to thirty people standing on the platform was overwhelming to him.
“Tyrell, can you pick out your Aunt Iris? She’s standing next to Mack, the big man holding the sign.”
Tyrell yanked his thumb out to say, “yes!”
“Let’s go meet your new family, Tyrell. We’re going to like living here, aren’t we?” Julip tried to soothe her nerves as well as her children.
“Come on, it’s our turn to get off the train,” Jasper gathered their coats and two carpet bags from the shelf above their seats and ushered them down the aisle.
“They’re here!” someone said as Julip stepped down the car steps onto the platform. The group clapped and moved around them.
Jasper beamed with happiness, and Julip choked back tears. How could she have been so lucky to connect with her childhood friend again?
“Thanks for this warm welcome everyone. I’d like you to meet my wife, Julip, and our children Tara and Tyrell.”
Julip picked out Iris, Fergus, and Mack right away before introductions were made.
“Welcome to Clear Creek, Julip. I’m Kaitlyn Reagan,” the pastor’s wife said while giving her a hug instead of a handshake as everyone else had. “If you need anything, please come to the parsonage to see Pastor Patrick or me.”
It was overwhelming to meet so many people but seeing their photographs ahead of time had helped both her and the children.
“Ready to see our new home? Angus Reagan will bring our trunk over later,” Jasper said as he put his hand on the small of her back, steering her down the boardwalk.
“Children, can you pick out our business and home?”
Tara and Tyrell ran ahead, looking at each storefront window until they saw the one in the photograph.
“This one?” Tara asked.
“You’re correct. Open the door to the right of the window, and we’ll go upstairs to our new home.”
Julip slowly walked around the apartment, amazed at all the things she didn’t expect a bachelor’s home to have. There was even a canning jar of wildflowers sitting on the kitchen table.
“I think my sister broke into my home and transformed it while I was gone,” Jasper laughed as he pointed to the bouquet on the table.
“I liked her, Jasper, and all your friends. I’ve never felt so welcome,” Julip said as memories of her past caught up with her. This town was too good to be true. What would happen when they found out about her history and a possible baby on the way?
They walked through the rest of their home, noting which would be her and Jasper’s bedroom and the children’s. There wasn’t any furniture in the third bedroom yet.
“Julip, why don’t you lie down for a bit while I take the children on a walk?”
Julip was exhausted, and the children were wound up, so that was fine with her if they left with Jasper.
“We’ll be back later, and then we’ll have supper at the Clancy Café, so you can see Holly again,” Jasper said as he quietly shut the bedroom door. She listened to the children chatter as they left the apartment and clambered down the stairs.
Chapter 7
Jasper was worried about Julip as he ushered the children down the stairs and outside the building.
Julip was more than exhausted and overwhelmed, she was…what depressed? No, she was embarrassed at what she had to do for the last three months to feed her children. And Julip was worried she might be with child.
What could he do to help her? So far, they hadn’t had any more physical contact than a simple peck on the lips at their simple wedding ceremony. They’d slept on the train seats so hadn’t shared a bed yet.
Jasper was ready to share the marriage bed after being widowed two years, but he knew Julip wasn’t comfortable with the thought, after having t
o be with men for money.
“Jasper!” Mack called from across the street, and Jasper took the children’s hands and looked both ways before crossing the street. Mack was pounding in nails on the trim around a new window in a building that they were almost done with.
“Welcome back. Looks like your trip was successful, times three,” Mack winked, knowing the children were listening to every word between him and Mack.
“Uh, these are the best two. Not sure about the other one yet.” Jasper said, knowing Mack would understand what he meant.
“Not the same person as a decade ago?”
Jasper shook his mind and sighed. He was worried about Julip.
Mack set down his hammer on the saw horse. “How about I swing by my wife’s office and suggest she visit your wife?”
“Thanks, I’d appreciate that while we visit the photography studio.”
“It that where Aunt Iris lives?” Tara asked.
Jasper nodded his thanks to Mack while continuing down the street with the children.
“Yes, and we’re going to go see if your Uncle Fergus can take your photograph today.”
*
“Let’s put this pretty sapphire blue ribbon in your hair for your picture,” Iris said as she straightened the children’s clothing and combed their hair. “I can tint the photograph to show the color.”
Jasper stood back to watch the children talk to Iris while Fergus set up the equipment for the shot.
“How’d you handle Iris’ problems after she tried to commit suicide? I’m worried about Julip and not sure what to do,” Jasper quietly asked, so no one else heard his question.
“Time is the main thing. After meeting Julip, I’d say a few weeks of regular meals will turn her around. There’s plenty of women in town who’ve been through bad situations and could listen if she wants to talk about her problems.”
Since Fergus was a pastor’s son, Jasper knew his next words wouldn’t be passed on, except maybe to Iris.
“Julip had to do something really bad the past three months to feed her kids,” Jasper confessed.
Grooms with Honor Series, Books 10-12 Page 3
