by Angela Lain
He pulled his horse around and headed off towards the cattle.
He closed in on his father, who was as gruff as normal.
“What do you want? And who was that?” He motioned to where Charis was disappearing over the ridge.
“That is Miss Lovell.”
“What in tarnation is she doing here?”
“Looking out for the welfare of this family,” Ben snapped. “She heard David trying to talk Joe into some scheme a day or two back. This morning she was in the barn when he went in and removed saddle bags he had hidden in the straw, then he went to town. He is up to something, and I need to find out what. And another thing, Charis is going to marry me, not Abe, and we are going to live at the Lovell place.” Maybelle had ridden up in time to hear the last words, and she exclaimed in surprise. Ben turned to her. “You had better get her to teach you to cook, ‘cos she won’t be cooking for the rest of you for much longer.”
He turned and headed towards town at a sharp lope, before Zac Ferguson could say anything at all.
***
Ben rode back into town to the sound of shooting from the direction of the saloon. He rode swiftly along the street, it time to see three horses speeding out of town. To his dismay, lying in the street, pinned down by the sheriff and another citizen, was David.
He pulled up and leapt from his horse.
“What is going on? David? Are you hurt? What…”
“He’s not hurt, just drunk. He was the one doing the shooting,” Sheriff Hempson growled. “Keep still, you son of a…”
“My father!” Ben finished loudly. “He is the son of my father, and I’ll thank you not to curse about him! What is going on?”
“Stop them!” David gasped. “They took it, the money.”
“What money?”
“From the saddlebags.”
“The saddlebags you were hiding in the barn?”
“Yes… No… I mean… I didn’t know!”
“You were hiding money and you didn’t know?” Sheriff Hempson’s tone was derisive.
“I didn’t, honestly, I didn’t. I thought… they gave me a job to do, I thought I was helping them but…”
“Where did the money come from? Was it stolen?” Ben questioned. “Let him up Sheriff, he can’t talk when you are sitting on him. He won’t try to run, I promise.”
David struggled to his feet, they hadn’t been wrong about his sobriety, he wasn’t falling down drunk, but he stunk of whisky.
“I tried to get it back, the money.”
“So where did it come from?”
“The cattle. They had been stealing the cattle. I didn’t know. You know I would never do a thing like that. Please Ben, you know I wouldn’t.”
“Dagnabbit, if that’s the case, we need to get after them!” Sheriff Hempson growled. “You, sir, are for the jail.” He pushed David before him.
Ben followed.
“Ferguson, round up a couple to ride with us.”
Ben glanced about and raised his voice. “Volunteers to chase the cattle thieves, get your horses and come to the jail.” Too his relief several men dashed off, leaving him free to follow the sheriff back to the office, and the jail.
He got there in time to see Hempson shut the cell door behind David,
“Please, I am telling you the truth, I didn’t know, and I tried to stop them. You can’t keep me here. Ben, you have to listen,” David begged.
Sheriff Hempson locked the door. “Later. And you ain’t getting’ out of this because your brother is the deputy. Come on Ferguson, we have to ride.”
Ben regarded his brother sadly. “Sorry, David, you brought this on yourself.”
“But I tried to stop them! Ben, please…”
Ben closed the office door firmly. David’s full explanations would have to wait, and when they happened, they had better be good!
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I t was after midnight when Ben rode back into town, they had chased the three men nearly to Laramie before they caught them. Sheriff Hempson and Mr. Sealy (a powerful rancher) had taken them in to Laramie jailhouse. He had been sent home to guard the prisoner in their cells.
David.
What was he going to do about this? The penalty for cattle rustling was usually death.
As he entered the jail room with a lantern, David was already on his feet clutching the bars.
“Ben. What is happening?”
“We caught them, they have been taken to jail in Laramie.”
“Oh, thank the Lord.”
“But that doesn’t get you out of this. What is your explanation?”
“I was only looking after the saddle bags for them. I was stupid, I trusted them because… they said they could find a job for a man like me. I didn’t think about what was in the saddle bags. Then I looked, and found the money… and I tried to find out where it came from.”
“Really?” Ben found it hard to believe his brother had been so naive.
“I… they made me feel… useful. Which is more than anyone else ever does! I was doing a job for them. I never went near any cattle, I didn’t know, not at first… I would never steal cattle. That was why I tried to take it back from them last night, the fight…”
“You were hiding ill-gotten gains.” Ben sighed. “Think yourself lucky you are here, not in Laramie jail with them. They can hang cattle thieves. At least here Father’s good name may help.”
“Hanged?” David sat down on the bunk, his face ashen in the lamp light.
“It has happened. Get some rest, we will see what can be done in the morning.”
***
Early the next morning Charis arrived at the sheriff’s office.
“Charis! What are you doing here? Did Pa send you, or…?”
“You didn’t come back, I was worried. As to your father, he actually tried to stop me, said it ‘wasn’t fitting’, I told him… well I told him several things, mainly I was coming and he wasn’t going to stop me. Did you find David?”
Worried. For him. Before he answered her he stepped around the desk and did exactly what he’d wanted to do for days. He swept her into his arms and planted a kiss on her lips. It wasn’t gentle, or tentative, because he needed to show her he was serious about this.
“Ben!” she protested, but she was smiling, he could see those green eyes glowing.
“Ben, yes or Ben, no? Or maybe, Ben, do it again?”
“No.” She rose onto her tiptoes and pulled his lips back to hers. “It’s my turn.” She kissed him back, before easing away slightly. “What about David?”
“He is here. You defied Pa?”
“If we are going to marry, it is you I should answer to, not him. I will respect him when he respects you. If we have to leave, so be it.”
He touched her cheek gently, looking down at her in wonder. This girl had changed everything. She was strong and wise and beautiful.
“I love you, Charis.”
She smiled shyly back at him, “I think I love you too. But that’s for later, what about David?”
He steered her to the jail room, where David was seated with his head in his hands.
“Oh. Oh dear. What is the charge?”
“Being an idiot, and getting drunk when he realized!”
“And you can jail him for that?”
Ben sighed, “There’s a bit more to it, but hopefully I can get him out of it, or Father can. He was holding the money for the cattle thieves. He said he didn’t know, until last night, which is what caused the drinking and the fight! The men ran, and we chased them near on to Laramie. Sheriff Hempson took them to Laramie Jail.”
Charis nodded thoughtfully. “Can I talk with him?” Ben glanced doubtfully between them, he didn’t think David was idiot enough, or desperate enough, to harm her, his girl.
“As long as he realizes you are my girl. Did Father say anything last night? About us?”
She smiled up at him, “No, absolutely nothing. He was a little odd; Maybelle, too.”
“Possibly because I told him straight that you were marrying me, not Abe.”
“Oh! I wonder what was said on their ride home?” she mused, “Obviously it had been discussed! Maybe that is why he didn’t say much when I said I was coming here this morning? I told him that he should respect people’s need to make their own choices. More of that later. Can I speak with David? I’ve had a great deal of experience of a man who behaved like an idiot.”
He knew she was referring to her father. He had to trust David. He opened the cell and let her in.
***
Charis seated herself on the bunk beside David. He looked far from the brash, mouthy man she done her best to avoid. She didn’t know the full story, but she understood the reason. David wanted to be his own man, and, as yet, he hadn’t stood up to be counted.
“David. Have you thought where that name originates?” He raised his bleary eyes to hers. “David fought Goliath, and he won. It is time you did the same.”
“What?”
“You have a life to live, David. Don’t waste it. If what you have at this time is not what you want, then you have to change things. Nothing is simple, there is no such thing as an easy way to make your living. I saw my father make that mistake time and again. If you want to succeed you have to make up your mind, make some hard choices, and work at it. Once you get out of here, your first job will be telling your father that you are leaving to make something of yourself.”
“But, he wants us all to stay put,” David mumbled, “He says he can’t manage without us and…”
“That is rubbish. He is a strong man; did he raise you to be weak? Stand up to him, and he will respect you. I don’t mean you need to fall out with him, but you have to make him see that it is no life for a man to never have the chance to make the best of himself, if that is what he wants to do.”
“I do want to.”
“Then tell him. If it makes it any easier, I will stand with you as a sister when you tell him.”
“Sister? You are marrying Abe?”
“No, I am marrying Ben. I too am defying your father. But we have to do what is right in our own lives, not allow others to rule us.”
“I… Oh… That is good. You should marry Ben.” He hesitated. “You would stand by me?”
“Of course. Will you do it?”
“Yes.”
“Good, now I have to go home. I think Maybelle is in need of cookery lessons.”
“You’d better help her or we’ll starve,” he paused. “No, they will starve, I have other things I need to do.”
“Like what?”
“I know cattle, maybe I can be useful to someone in the cattle business and be more than just a cowboy?”
“Maybe, the possibilities are out there.”
Charis rose to her feet, and David did too. To her surprise he swamped her in a hug. Ben took all of three seconds to be at the cell door.
“Hey, take your hands off her!”
Charis hugged David back and released him. “It’s all right, Ben. You just need to get David out of this present bind, and everything will be fine, won’t it?”
“Yes.” David’s voice was husky, but firm. “Thank you, Charis.” He looked at his brother. “Do you think, maybe, I could be your best man at your wedding?”
Charis had to laugh, Ben’s mouth had dropped open in utter amazement.
“Err, I… suppose so.”
“How soon?”
“I wonder if we could marry on Christmas Eve? That would be something pretty special,” Ben declared, smiling down at her.
“I would like that. I just hope your father sees sense.”
“He will,” Ben assured her. “He is a hard man, but he is fair, he only wants the best for us, for this family. And I am beginning to think that you, Miss Lovell, are one of the best things that has happened to this family in a very long time.”
Charis felt her cheeks bloom with color at this compliment.
“How so? I’ve done very little.”
“You have promised to teach Maybelle to cook, which will help everyone. You have showed David a way forward, and you have pushed the family back to God fearing ways. I’ve not heard grace at that table for years, and church attendance has been very poor. You have made them see the error of their ways. Lastly, and most importantly, you have agreed to marry me, and I couldn’t be happier.”
“You are one lucky man,” David murmured softly. “Maybe this Christmas will be one for us all to remember.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
C haris left the jail and headed for the ranch. Ben had promised her would return for supper, and he hoped to bring David with him.
To her surprise, Maybelle was in the ranch house.
“Charis, we need to talk. I realize I have not been exactly helpful to you, and I hope you realize that part of it was… because you are so much better at this than me. I went out of my way to do the things I was good at, just to prove I have worth in this household. I hope you will forgive me? I’m glad you are marrying Ben.”
“Has Mr. Ferguson expressed his disapproval?”
“Abe said he did not want to marry, so Ben would have to step up. Father growled a bit, but gave in. Josh and Adam have already started talking about repairing your old home, so you and Ben can live there.”
Charis felt a rush of gratitude. “They have? That is very good of them.”
“By the end of this week, no doubt Father will have all of them working on the place. He likes things done.”
“What about the cattle?”
“Today or tomorrow they will all be gathered back on the home range, it won’t take so much work and riding. There will be time for other things”
“In which case, we need to get your cooking lessons underway. There will be a great deal to do since I have agreed to cook for the social, and Christmas is coming and…” she paused, “Ben wants us to marry on Christmas Eve.”
“Oh! Oh that will be lovely. And you will need a wedding dress, so I can do something useful!” She moved to the table. “I have started the bread, what else will we do today?”
“We will make an apple pie, and some cookies. You can make them, and I will advise. How does that sound?”
Maybelle set to with more enthusiasm than before. Charis could only think that her decision to marry Ben, rather than Abe, had made her feel more secure.
Late afternoon and the family returned home for supper. A few moments after they had all trooped in, Ben and David arrived.
They entered the room, David looked a little sheepish, and to Charis’ surprise, she was the first person he greeted.
“Good evening, Charis.” He stepped to her side. “Thank you for this morning.”
“You are welcome.”
Ben arrived at her other side.
“How are things? No problems here?”
“None at all, Maybelle has made a lovely apple pie.”
Ben smiled down at her, “Really?”
“Yes, really. We have worked together all afternoon. Now sit down for your supper.”
Everyone sat, and everyone waited while Zac Ferguson said grace. Today he also said a little more.
“Thank you Lord for our food. Thank you too for family, for those who care, and take notice, and try to make life better for others. Grant us all the patience to deal fairly with each other. Amen.”
Hardly at well-known prayer, but as far as Charis was concerned, it meant more that many a prayer quoted and not well considered. Zac Ferguson spoke from the heart, and of acceptance of the way things would be.
The meal was friendly, and chatty, and one of the nicest atmospheres Charis had experienced since she had arrived here.
***
The next week passed in a flash. She and Maybelle baked, and they cleaned and they did it together. The menfolk descended on the Lovell house and repaired and cleaned too.
Maybelle sewed Charis’ wedding dress, and new curtains for the new house. Four days before Christmas she and Maybelle w
ere escorted to view the newly repaired and furnished house.
Charis could barely believe what was happening. Less than six weeks ago she had been in despair, now life was wonderful. She got to see Ben every day, and the more she knew of him, the happier she became. They belonged together.
***
Christmas Eve dawned with lowering clouds and the threat of snow. Charis viewed it with trepidation. All the arrangements were made, today she would marry Ben, she hoped with all her heart that the snow would not stop the wedding.
Breakfast was the usual chaotic meal, with people in and out as they dashed to do the chores before putting on their Sunday best.
“Hey, sweetheart, why are you looking worried?” Ben murmured, moving to put the washed plates back onto the shelf.
“The snow. What if it gets harder? What if…”
“It won’t be bad enough to stop us going to town.” He smiled down at her. “Don’t worry. By tonight we will be man and wife, and we will spend the night in our own house. It’s all ready, even the fire has been laid in the grate.”
“It has?”
“Oh yes, the pantry is full, and after Christmas Day we can have a few days alone. When this family decide to do something, they do it properly. Since you have arrived, everyone has remembered how they should behave. You have achieved a small miracle.”
***
Several hours later Charis was standing at the doorway to the church, with Zac Ferguson at her side. To her surprise he had insisted that he would give her away. His words on the matter had warmed her soul.
“Your father should never have done what he did, but I am glad he did. You are welcomed into our family, and I will be proud to give you to my son.”
And here they were. The marriage would take place before the Christmas Eve service. Most of the town was in attendance and Charis could only be happy that Maybelle had made her such a beautiful dress. It made her feel pretty. No-one could surely look at her today, and wonder why Ben Ferguson had chosen to marry such a plain little mouse.
