by Barbara Goss
“Well,” Wyatt said, standing, “I’m taking my bride up to bed before I end up carrying her.”
Vera laughed. “This has been the most wonderful day ever. Thank you all. I will never forget this Christmas.”
~~~~***~~~~
Everyone had gone upstairs, but Thea was still doing some chores in the kitchen. When she came out, she smiled, having noticed that Jack was sitting on the settee, engrossed in one of the new books.
Thea sat in the chair opposite him. “I’ll give you fair warning: if you start that book tonight, you will end up not sleeping a wink.”
“It’s that good?”
She nodded. “But it’s all right. Tomorrow is our lazy day. Most of us do little except relax. You can always go up to the boys’ room and nap.”
Jack laid the open book down and said, “The books...they were the first Christmas gifts I’ve ever received ... my first gift ever, actually. You and your family have filled an emptiness inside of me I never knew I had, and I’m speechless. Thank you, Thea.”
“Didn’t they celebrate Christmas at the orphan home?”
Jack nodded. “They celebrated it but with prayers, singing, and such. They also gave us a Christmas dinner that was actually decent, but there were too many of us for them to gift. The thing is, we didn’t miss it because we didn’t know people exchanged gifts on Christmas.”
“How sad,” she said. “I’m glad you came and got to experience a family Christmas.”
“I think I’d love to have a family like yours someday.”
“What was it like growing up in a place like that?”
“Someone brought me there as an infant. The staff told me my mother died of smallpox, and I had no father or siblings. The orphanage was the only home I knew, so I had nothing to compare it to. It was just my life. We were schooled, fed, and clothed. What bothered me most was that there were so many of us that no one ever called us by name. “You, in the blue,” or “You, in the corner.” It was like you didn’t have an identity. You’re surrounded by hundreds of other children, but essentially alone.
“When I was sixteen, they packed me a lunch, gave me a handful of pennies, and told me they needed my bed for the next orphan to come in. They had no room for me anymore. It scared me to death. I was being set free into a world I’d never entered before.
“Although it was scary, I had to admit that it was also a wonderful experience to walk away from that place. I’ll never forget that day. It was a mild June day, the sun was shining, and there was a slight breeze. I just walked and walked until I came to the next town, and I used some of my pennies to buy a warm biscuit smeared with butter. I can still feel the warmth of the butter rolling down my chin.” Jack smiled.
“I asked around town for a job and ended up on my first of many farms. I worked myself all the way to El Paso, and after that fateful day, on to Kansas. I asked around Hays and someone led me to the Stones’ farm. End of story.”
“Jack,” Thea began slowly, “would you write to me when you get back to Hays? I’d love to hear from you.”
Jack looked surprised. “Why, sure I could. I’d like that.”
Thea stood. “Good. I’ll look forward to hearing from you. Good night.”
Thea went up to bed feeling blessed. She’d become frustrated with the work involved in running the household so many times, just as Vera had, but they were blessed by having a home and loved ones. Sometimes, it took a man like Jack to walk into your life to show you how truly fortunate your life was. She liked Jack, and she hoped he would keep his word and write to her.
Chapter Eleven
The ride home was tedious, cold, and long. They were all eager to get home, especially Wyatt who was worried about the farm.
“I wonder how much snow we got in Hays.” he said. “Will Clay be able to tend to the animals?”
“If he missed caring for them for a day it wouldn’t hurt them none,” Jack said.
“Wyatt,” Vera drawled, “how does the train get through all the snow? Will we get stuck somewhere? It’s cold enough in here.”
“The cow catchers,” Wyatt answered. “They not only shove the cows off the tracks, but they also push away the snow.”
“I’ve read,” Jack said, “that in the mountains out west they have to build sheds on mountain sides to keep the snow off the tracks.”
“I don’t think you need to worry, sweetheart,” Wyatt said, hugging her to him. “We’ll make it home safe.”
They changed trains in Kansas City. This one was even colder than the one they’d been on. The car had a stove, but it was small and the car was long. It wasn’t enough. Vera wished they could have afforded first-class seating as those cars had the bigger stoves.
The things they viewed out the windows finally started to look familiar. “Look, Wyatt, we’re crossing the Smoky Hill River. We’re nearly home!”
“It looks like we didn’t get as much snow as Oakville,” he said.
Minutes later, they pulled to a stop in front of the Hays depot. Wyatt had wired from Kansas City to let Clay know the time they’d be arriving. He spotted Clay’s buggy as soon as he stepped off the train.
Instead of waiting patiently for them to get their luggage and walk to the buggy, Clay came running to meet them. “Hurry. Get into the carriage.” Clay pulled on Wyatt’s arm.
Wyatt pulled free of his brother. “What’s going on?”
“We need to get Jack out of sight … now.”
They all ran to the buggy, but before they could get inside, a tall man with a sly mustache stepped in front of them.
They looked up at him in surprise, not knowing who he might be or why Clay didn’t want him to see Jack.
The man’s eyes passed over them but stopped on Jack. “You killed my brother,” he yelled.
Jack didn’t shy away from the man, but he said boldly, “He drew first, and you know it.”
The man spit on the ground. “Let’s see how fast on the draw you are against me.”
Vera overheard Clay whisper to Wyatt, “That’s Beau Masters.”
Jack said, “You name the time and I’ll oblige, but I’ll warn you: I might clip you, but I won’t kill you. Your brother’s death has caused me enough guilt and shame. I will never kill again.”
Beau walked closer to Jack and said, “Well, I ain’t so nice. I will shoot to kill. Tomorrow at nine in the morning. Behind the livery.”
“Excuse me,” Wyatt said, “I believe shoot-outs are no longer allowed here, in Hays.”
The man turned to Wyatt and sneered, “That so? Well, who’ll run and tell the sheriff—you?”
Jack moved to stand in front of Wyatt. “Your gripe is with me, not my friend. No one will tell the sheriff. I’m not afraid to die, either. I’ll be there.”
They got their luggage, and Clay drove them home. “I’ll accompany you tomorrow, Jack, to make sure things are fair.”
“No need, Clay. Thank you, though. This is something I need to do myself. If I die, I’d rather not have an audience.”
Vera gasped.
Clay turned the buggy around after helping with the luggage, and rode away.
Jack headed for the barn, but Wyatt pulled him back. “You’re coming inside with us. There’s no heat in the barn. Besides, I could use your help to start up the coal stoves.”
Once inside, Vera lit the stove in the kitchen while Jack and Wyatt lit the heaters. The house was cold, and it took a few hours for them to finally feel the heat. Hot tea helped while they waited.
They sat at the kitchen table, warming their hands on the hot tea cups.
“Where have you been living?” Wyatt asked Jack. “Surely, not in our cold barn all these months.”
“No, the widow Henderson rented me a room. Actually, I pay for the room, doing odd jobs for her. She’s near eighty and can’t do a whole lot on her own. It’s only a mile down the road. I’ll head over there after I warm up.”
“I don’t want an argument, but I’m going with you in t
he morning. I don’t trust that Masters not to cheat like his brother did. I’ll do the countdown.” When Jack opened his mouth to argue, Wyatt put his hands up. “I’m going.”
Jack nodded. “I’ll stop by at eight, then.”
After Jack had left, Vera and Wyatt took their luggage upstairs to unpack.
“Vera, this would be a good time to move into the master bedroom.”
Vera smiled. “I’d love to.” She walked into the room and gazed around. “It’s a huge room.”
The wallpaper was brown with tan flowers, and there was a large canopy bed with a dark green quilt. The solid oak furniture gave the room a rich look. It was a lovely room. She wondered if this is where she’d conceive their first child. The curtains were sheer white with window shades—that had been pulled down. Wyatt opened the shades so she could look out.
“The room faces the road.”
“This is lovely. I can’t wait to sleep here.”
“The sooner we get your clothes into the closet and drawers, the sooner we’ll give that a try.”
The fire crackled in the fireplace, throwing warm, friendly shadows around the room. The comforter on the bed was thick and warm. When Wyatt crawled in and took her into his arms, her joy was complete. This is where she belonged. She loved her husband with all her heart.
“Are you warm, sweetheart?” he asked.
“I am, now.”
“You fit perfectly in this room … and the bed, I might add. I thought about you in the room down the hall on so many nights, and wondering how it would be when you finally moved here. It’s heaven on earth. I have the most important and most loved person in the world in my bed and in my arms ... for the rest of my life.”
Vera snuggled closer. “I love you, Wyatt. You say things I never thought I'd ever hear. I’m plain and ordinary, and I didn’t know if I’d ever marry, especially not to a man I love so deeply. Luck? No, God matched us before we were born. I believe that.”
“Sweetheart, you are not plain or ordinary. You are a beautiful woman, but I had to view you from the inside first. Our correspondence told me everything I needed to know about you. I was relieved when I first saw you, because you were nothing like Lucy, but you were pleasing to the eyes. Then, as I came to know you and love you, suddenly, you became the most beautiful woman in the world.”
“Oh, Wyatt!” She put her arms around his neck and they made sweet love, each of them giving, receiving, and becoming as one.
When Vera awoke, the sun flooded through the room, but Wyatt’s space in bed was empty and she was struck by fear. Jack could already be dead; poor, sweet Jack. She’d hoped he and Thea would make a match. She knelt by the bed and prayed for Jack’s safety.
~~~~***~~~~
“Are you sure you want to go through with this?” Wyatt asked as they rode into town. “I could put you on a train back to Oakville. You’d be welcome there.”
Jack shook his head. “No, even though I know I’m forgiven, I have to pay for what I did. If I’m killed, I know I’ll go to heaven. God is in control and I trust him; I have to face that man.”
“How’d you get so fast on the draw doing farm work anyway?”
“I felt vulnerable after leaving the orphan home. I was alone and traveling through some rough towns, so I bought a gun and practiced every chance I got. I didn’t go into town to drink in the saloons like most of the farm help but went behind the barn and practiced shooting and drawing. I had to learn to protect myself in the rough world I was in.
“Sometimes, a few of the other farmhands would practice with me, and soon I could outdraw all of them. Only then did I feel secure enough to know I could protect myself. It never dawned on me that my skills would ever kill someone.”
Wyatt sighed. “It’s a kill or be killed world. Hays was worse a few years ago, but now that families are moving in, it’s calmed down a bit. “I’ll be praying for you.”
~~~~***~~~~
Wyatt and Jack rode behind the livery to find Beau Masters leaning against the outhouse, waiting for them. Beau straightened, walked over to where the men tied their horses, waved his finger in Wyatt’s face, and said, “Who invited you?”
“I invited myself. I’m here to make sure things go fairly. You’ll stand back to back, take ten steps, and when I say fire, you turn and fire. There’ll be no cheating.”
Beau grimaced. “You should have brought his coffin.”
Wyatt looked at Jack and wondered why he seemed so calm when he could be breathing his last breaths. He liked Jack, and he felt more nervous than Jack looked.
Jack winked at him. Jack looked upward to remind Wyatt who was in charge. Wyatt wished his faith was that strong. Jack had only known God for a short time. That he’d go to heaven was reassuring, but he’d miss him. Jack had felt like a part of the family since the trip to Oakville. Everyone there had liked him, too.
Wyatt cleared his throat loudly, “All right. Back to back. Over there.” He pointed to an open space, and the men complied. Wyatt counted the ten steps for them. He gulped before yelling, “Fire!”
Chapter Twelve
Jack’s gun went off first. He hit Beau in the right arm, causing the gun to fire as it fell. It was close. Jack hadn’t aimed to kill, Wyatt could see that. Beau had, however, and since his arm had been hit, his bullet had missed its mark and hit Jack’s right shoulder instead of his heart.
Beau stood, grabbed his arm, and let out a blast of swear words, calling Jack every name in the devil’s book.
Jack held his left hand on his right shoulder, looked upward, and moved his lips as if in silent prayer.
Beau turned, jumped on his horse, and rode toward the doctor’s clinic, still swearing.
Wyatt finally let out the breath he’d been holding. “Wow! You really are fast, Jack.”
“I admit to practicing a lot last night,” he said. “The thing that worried me the most was that I’d kill him, and I couldn’t live with that pain again.”
“Do you want to see the doctor for that wound?” Wyatt walked over and lifted the hand Jack was holding over the wound.
“It doesn’t hurt much; just stings,” Jack said.
Wyatt chuckled. “I can’t believe it. It’s just a nick. It ripped your shirt and just scraped off a bit of skin. You were mightily protected, Jack.”
Jack winked. “Yes, I was.”
“Vera can take care of this. When she’s done, you and I will talk about your future.”
“My future?”
“You can’t wander about from town to town, working on farms. You need a real job or a profession.”
Jack shrugged. “I’ve never thought that far ahead, but after meeting Thea, I think you’re right.”
~~~~***~~~~
Vera washed and treated Jack’s wound. “Thank the good Lord that nasty brute didn’t kill you.”
“After you bandage him up, Jack and I will have a talk about his future,” Wyatt said.
“That’s a good idea. You can’t go through life as a drifter. You need roots and a family someday.”
“There’s something I need to do first,” Jack said as he stood. “I need to go to church and thank God properly.”
“Why, Jack,” Vera said, “you can thank him anywhere. Use the spare room upstairs.”
“No, I want to do it where I first met God.”
Vera frowned. “What if you run into Beau?”
“I don’t think he’ll bother me anymore, eh, Wyatt?”
“I think he’ll avoid you from now on.” Wyatt clapped Jack’s back. “Come back after. I really want to talk.”
“I promise.”
“I’ll sweeten the pot,” Vera said. “Come for dinner. I have a fat beef roast in the oven.”
~~~~***~~~~
After dinner, Wyatt sat in the sitting room with Jack while Vera cleaned up the dishes.
“What do you think you’d like to do for a living?” Wyatt asked.
“I don’t know. Let me think.”
“You�
�ve worked on many farms—what job did you like doing the best?”
“I loved working with horses ... well, all animals, but mostly horses.”
“A livery job might be a good start for you. Then, if you save as much of your pay as you can, maybe one day you can own the livery or buy your own business. Hays could use another livery.”
“Is that how you got this farm?” Jack asked.
“No, I was fortunate—not everyone has a father who owns six hundred acres. He gave me three hundred and helped me to build the farm.”
“You’ve put a lot of hard work into it, though,” Jack said. “But it was lucky to get the land.”
“I want you to go to the livery in town and ask about a job. The owner is Hank Cramer, and he’s getting up in years. He may need some help since he had only daughters. His wife is dead, and his daughters have married and moved to other, nearby towns. He’s alone. I know he has a man named Stan helping, but he likes to tip the whiskey glass, so it’s worth a try.”
“All right, but who will work the farm for you? Come spring, you’ll need help,” Jack said.
“I won’t have a problem finding someone. There are young lads all over town looking for jobs. Last year, I had a sixteen-year-old who was one of the best workers I’ve ever had— except for you, of course.”
“I’ll talk to Mr. Cramer tomorrow,” Jack said, standing. “I’d better go home and get some sleep. I practiced my draw so late last night, I didn’t get much.”
~~~~***~~~~
Vera and Grace sat at the kitchen table, sipping tea. Vera had ridden over to tell her all the news.
“Is Jack all right?” Grace asked after hearing about the shoot-out.
“He’s fine. He put his trust in the Lord and has only a scratch on his shoulder.”
Grace stood to fill the teapot.
“Why, Grace, you’re looking a lot like a mother these days.”
