“Everyone ready?” Dawn Star called from
her seat at the front of the buckboard.
She was dressed in her finest white man’s clothes, a pretty pink frock
with white lace at the wrists, neck and hem, covered with a dark, rose colored
cape to keep her warm. Her eldest
daughter, Morning Star sat at her side.
All the other adults were mounted on horseback, the pride of the
Hotheads and Misfits Ranch, most with a child, or two, mounted in front of
them.
Jamie sat astride his favorite mare,
Katelyn. Her grand-dam had been his Pa’s
mount back in the Express. He’d been
there when she was born and trained her himself. He patted the paint’s pretty neck, keeping
his other arm firmly around his little sister Mary Margaret’s waist. But, try though he might, he couldn’t keep
his eyes off of Julia. She looked so
pretty.
Today she was wearing a white dress with
dark blue stripes of color. It was
trimmed in black velvet that matched her long, ankle length winter cape. She was so pretty. He sighed.
Mary Margaret giggled.
“What are you gigglin’ ‘bout?” he asked
his nine year old sister.
“You’re funny,” she smiled up at
him. “Yer in love and won’t admit
it. Why don’t ya just buy her basket at
the social? That’d get her to like you. It’s the big one there on the back of the
buckboard with the blue and white ribbons on the handle.”
Jamie just shook his head at his
sister’s simplistic view of life. “Yer
too young ta understand, sis,” he said.
“Things ‘re more complicated than that when yer an adult.”
Urging Katelyn into motion, he rode up
next to the wagon, his usual position on a family trip like this. Harry Sleepy Boy Cross sat on his bay gelding
on the other side of the buckboard. Kid
and Lou would ride lead, as always. Buck
would follow at the end, to make sure no one got left behind. With a group as large as their combined
families, they had to be very organized about things like this or risk losing
someone, somewhere.
Once again, Jamie found his eyes drawn
to Julia’s animated face as she smiled in response to something her mother
said. He watched as little laugh lines
appeared at the corners of her mouth and eyes.
He could see how she would look one day in those lines and he wanted to
be there to see it in person with every fiber of his being.
As if feeling his gaze on her, Julia
glanced in his direction, the laughter fading from her eyes, leaving behind a
cold glare that froze his innards.
Luckily it didn’t last long as she deliberately turned her back toward
him and said something to her mother.
Jamie nodded to himself, forlornly, as
Dawn Star started the buckboard into motion and he urged Katelyn forward to
keep pace. He just hoped Julia didn’t
marry someone from out of town. At least
that way he’d still get to see her occasionally.
**********
Kid laughed as Lou looked back over her
shoulder for the dozenth time.
“What’s the matter, Lou? Scared one of the young’un’s is gonna sneak
up on ya or somethin’?” he teased. “Yer
so busy lookin’ back, you wouldn’t notice a whole band of outlaws until ya rode
right over ‘em.”
Lou shook her head. “No, just can’t seem to stop watchin’ our son
make a fool of himself is all.”
Kid looked back himself this time, just
in time to catch Jamie sneaking a peak at Julia then quickly turning away. He laughed again.
“So that’s the way the wind’s blowin’,
hunh?” he said. “Can’t say as I’m
surprised. I allus figured those two’d
make a go of it.”
“Not if he has his way they won’t,” Lou
said acerbically. “He’s bound and
determined to push her away. Stupid
child.” She turned to glare at her
husband. “Wonder where he gets it from?”
“I’d say that’s a slight case of the pot
callin’ the kettle black, there, darlin’,” Kid teased, reaching out to tickle
her side.
“I had good reasons,” Lou sniffed,
poking her nose into the air in a superior manner.
“And I’m sure he does, too,” Kid
said. “Don’t mean they won’t work things
out. We did.”
“Let’s just hope they don’t’ have to go
gettin’ one of ‘em kidnapped and held hostage!” Lou retorted, thinking back to
the Pike brothers and her own capture.
“These children are too soft to handle some of the things we went
through.”
Kid just laughed again. “They’ll figure it out.”
**********
“Come on, Jamie!” his best friend,
outside the family at least, urged, grabbing his sleeve and tugging him in the
direction of the church steps. Tables
were set up alongside the steps leading to the church doors, heavily ladened
with picnic baskets full of various goodies lovingly prepared by the town’s
fairest, and most eligible, citizens.
Its young ladies.
“Alright, already,” he muttered,
reluctantly allowing his friend to drag him along. “I’m comin’, Lewis, no need ta rip a new hole
in my best shirt.”
“That’s fer danged sure,” Lewis laughed,
playfully patting at the shirtsleeve he’d been yanking on. “You do that jest fine on yer own. How’d ya ever make it all the way inta town
without rippin’ it ta shreds, anyhow?”
“He was too busy eyein’ my sister ta
find anythin’ ta tear it on,” Harry grinned, shoving Jamie toward Lewis, who
just punched him in the arm to get him moving back in the other direction.
Jamie shoved his hands in his pockets
and tried to ignore the both of them, missing the significant look they shared
behind his back.
The next half hour was one of the
longest of his life. He watched with
little interest as basket after basket was sold to the town’s eager
swains. The whole thing was supposed to
be anonymous, but it was easy to tell that many a young man had already sussed
out, or been simply informed directly by his sweetheart, which basket belonged
to his preferred young lady.
Despite his disinterest in the majority
of the auction, Jamie couldn’t keep his eyes from drifting toward the big
picnic basket sitting on the end of one table, a large bow made up of blue and
white ribbons decorating its handle. The
curiosity was killing him. Had she
cooked his favorite foods? Or something
fancy she’d learned to make while off at college? Had she thought about him at all while
preparing the meal?
Shrugging his shoulders, he ducked his
head and determinedly stared down at his toes.
It was none of his business. He’d
made that clear to her. She deserved
someone better than a dumb, half educated cowboy who smelled like the barn all
the time.
“Oh, damn!”
The softly exhaled exclamation and
stiffening body of Harry at his side, drew Jamie out of his inner musings. Looking up, he asked, “What?”
Harry pointed with his chin, as Buck had
taught him was polite, toward the figure of their school nemesis, Carl Wiggins,
pushing his way roughly toward the front of the crowd while digging
industriously in one pocket. Nervously,
Jamie looked toward the church steps to see which basket was being auctioned
just as his mother handed the preacher Julia’s picnic.
“Now here’s a pretty little meal,” the
preacher began his prattle. “Beautifully
decorated and even more wonderfully tasting, to judge by the smell.” He sniffed appreciatively at the basket,
while turning it around and around for all to see. “What am I bid for this wondrous concoction?”
Jamie started to turn away, not wanting
to see who won Julia’s lunch, and company for the afternoon. But he stopped when he heard Wiggins shout
out.
“Two bits!”
“I’ve got two bits,” the preacher smiled
at Wiggins. Looking around the crowd of
townsfolk, he asked exuberantly, “Am I bid three? Three bits, anyone?”
Jamie looked around, waiting for
someone, anyone to take up the call and outbid Wiggins. Never mind that most of the baskets had gone
for little more than two bits that day.
“Three bits? Last chance,” the preacher warned. “Are you sure you don’t want to outbid this
young gentleman for this delicious meal.
I smell fried chicken in there.”
Still no one answered the call. Some even shrank away from Wiggins possessive
glare.
“Two bits,” the preacher sighed. “Going…. going….”
“Three bits!”
Jamie gulped. Had that been him? Yep.
That was his hand waving in the air, three halves of a quarter clutched
in is clenched fist.
The preacher smiled beatifically,
perking up at the signs that there was about to be a bidding war.
“Three bits. We have three bits. Do I hear four? Fifty cents anyone?”
“Fifty cents,” Wiggins shouted.
“Seventy-five,” Jamie answered. He may not think he was good enough for his
Julia. But no way in hell was he letting
Wiggins get within spitting distance of her.
Unfortunately, Wiggins had other
ideas. “One dollar, fifty cents!”
The crowd gasped. No basket had gone for more than seventy-five
cents. Wiggins had just doubled that.
“A dollar fifty!” the preacher
crowed. “We have one fifty. Is there another bid?” He looked toward Jamie eagerly. “Remember, these funds go toward a good
cause. To support the War Orphans at the
Mission in St. Joe. Follow this young
man’s example,” he pointed toward Wiggins, “and bid generously.”
Jamie began to dig frantically through
his pockets, gathering every coin and bit he had on him. But, no matter how many times he counted them,
the paltry pile of coins resting in his palm only added up to a dollar. Looking up his eyes met those of the
preacher, and he started to shake his head. He couldn’t beat Wiggins bid. He swallowed hard, wanting to hurl.
“A dollar fifty,” the preacher
continued. “Going once…. Going twice….”
“Here,” Harry hissed, shoving more coins
into Jamie’s hand. “That’s all I’ve got. Don’t let that bastard win!”
Looking down, Jamie saw three brand new,
shiny silver coins resting on top of the pile of change in his hand.
“One seventy-five,” he crowed
exultantly. He refused to look in the direction
where the young ladies were gathered. He
didn’t know if he could do this if he saw the recrimination in Julia’s
eyes. He’d promised to leave her alone and,
less than a day later, he was breaking his promise. Just went to show how wrong he was for her.
If he had, he might have seen the glow
in her eyes, the blush on her cheek that rose a little bit higher each time he
bid and the fear that made her smile brittle every time he was outbid.
“Two fifty,” Wiggins countered.
Jamie almost staggered back. There was no way he could scrounge together
that much on such a short notice. He
looked at Harry, almost panicked. What
was he supposed to do now? A nudge at
his shoulder and Jamie looked up at Lewis, standing on his other side holding
something out to him.
“Take it,” Lewis urged, shoving the crisp
new bill at him.
“I can’t,” Jamie gasped, trying to push
Lewis’ hand back at him. “Not your
advance.”
Lewis shrugged. “What do I need it for? I’ve got a bed and food at the livery.
“But,” Jamie sputtered, “you had plans
for that money.”
“This is more important,” Lewis hissed
urgently. “You can’t let him win that
basket. Haven’t you figured it out yet?”
Jamie looked at his friend, confused. “What?”
“He doesn’t know who she is! You know how he feels about ‘Injuns’, sorry
Harry,” he muttered a quick apology for using the pejorative term. Harry waved it off understandingly. “The Crosses in particular. Can you imagine what he’ll do to her if he
wins?”
Jamie inhaled sharply. He’d been so caught up in his own turmoil he
truly hadn’t noticed. He snatched the
bill out of Lewis’ hand and, without even looking at the preacher, shouted, “Six
seventy-five!”
“Sold!” the preacher responded, pounding
his gavel on the wooden lectern in front of him. “For Six seventy-five to young James McCloud.”
Jamie slowly raised his head, turning to
push his way toward the front of the crowd, to claim the lunch and the woman he’d
bargained so hard for on this sunny morning.
In a daze, he came to a stop in front of the preacher, hearing none of
the murmurs or laughter echoing from the gathered townsfolk. He barely felt it as the preacher gently
pried the money out of his hand and hung the basket over Jamie’s arm.
But he felt it throughout his entire
body as a small hand snaked through the crook of his elbow and the warmth of
her body pressed against his side.
Slowly, unwillingly, he lowered his gaze to meet hers. Not sure what he expected to find there, he
marveled at the surprise that warmed him as he sank into the joyous exultation
of her smiling countenance.
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