& Moira Purnell
aPart Oneb
The midday
sun was shining brightly as a very weary and dust-covered dark-haired young man
slowly made his way through the familiar yard and past the main corral, heading
toward the quiet little ranch house, eager to reach the cool well-water that he
knew he would find there.
“Arrghh,”
he groaned, throwing up his arms in surprise as a stream of warm soapy water
splashed across his face. Pulling off his dripping hat, he roughly wiped his wet
face with his sleeve and looked up in irritation.
Humming
softly to herself and completely unaware of the scowling young man standing just
outside the doorway, Daisy stepped out from the kitchen into the yard and
stopped dead in her tracks when she looked up. She simply stared at the drenched
newcomer, mortified as she realized what she had just done.
“Oh! I’m
sorry, Jess,” she apologized, rushing to his side and using her apron to help
him dry his face. “I didn’t realize that you were out here. I was just
finishing up the laundry and-,” she paused and frowned at him. “I thought
you went with Slim this morning.”
Jess simply
rubbed his eyes and nodded slowly.
“I did go
with Slim, but my horse threw a shoe so I had to come back to get something to
try to fix it with. Slim forgot to bring any useful tools with him – lately
seems likely he’d forget his head if it wasn’t attached…” he grumbled,
blinking his watering eyes as he tried to rub the stinging soapy water from
them.
Daisy patted
his arm sympathetically and looked at his dusty clothing, frowning in concern.
“You walked all the way back,” she asked, knowing that the two men had
planned on rounding up some strays that had settled in the east meadow, a fair
distance away from the ranch house.
“It ain’t
really that far…sides, I could use the exercise,” he said, cringing as he
turned his head from side to side and massaged the back of his neck.
Daisy noticed
his discomfort and squeezed his arm. “Are you all right? You weren’t thrown,
were you, Jess?” She spoke gently, recognizing the all too familiar signs.
Realizing the
distress he was causing her, he stopped rubbing his aching neck muscles and
smiled, trying to reassure her. “Yeah Daisy, but I’m fine. Just a coupla
bruises. Nothin’ I haven’t had before… I better get busy or Slim’s gonna
wonder what happened to me.” He didn’t want to worry her but he had not been
feeling well since getting up that morning and the tumble from Traveler’s back
followed by the long walk back home had done nothing to improve his day. In
fact, he still couldn’t figure out how he had been thrown so easily…’Probably
too much on my mind these days for my own good,’ he thought.
He shook the few remaining suds from his damp hat then jammed it back on his head and turned toward the barn. Daisy watched him limp away, a frown of concern on her face then she hurried back to the house to finish up with the laundry. On any other day, she was sure that Jess would have simply laughed at the incident that had just taken place; but she could tell that today was different. He was hiding something from her, something that was really bothering him, but she knew it was pointless to ask him about it if he was not up to volunteering any information. She hoped that he would feel like talking to her about it later…Maybe once he had a chance to take care of Traveler. ‘Hmmm… just like Jess to walk all the way back after he has been thrown… all to spare Traveler the pain of walking without a shoe,’ she smiled to herself. Jess’ gentle and caring manner with animals, and especially horses, was one of the things that she dearly loved about him.
As she
stepped out from the kitchen a few minutes later, a large basket of damp
clothing in her arms, she was startled by a loud thud followed by the sound of
metal crashing and Jess cried out in pain. Dropping her laundry, she rushed to
the barn, eager to see what had caused such a ruckus, and concerned about what
could have made Jess cry out.
Daisy
carefully pushed open the barn door and stepped into the dim space, gasping as
she saw Jess sitting on a pile of hay and splintered timbers, his legs stretched
out in front of him and several shovels and other farm implements spread across
his lap. Looking up above where Jess was sitting, she could see dust and straw
wafting down from a new hole in the floor of the hayloft. She rushed to
his side.
“What
happened?” She reached over to help him as he tried to stand.
Jess waved
his hand at her and slowly stood up with a grunt, tossing one of the rakes aside
in annoyance.
“Dad-gum
floor fell out from under me. I thought Slim said he fixed that,” he mused in
frustration.
Daisy smiled
at him thoughtfully. “I’m sure that he meant to but he’s been very
busy-” she started to say.
“Yeah, I know – he’s been very
busy with a pretty little brunette,” interrupted Jess, shaking his head and
brushing the dust from his clothing. “That’s all that’s been floatin’
through that thick head of his lately,” he said angrily, instantly regretting
having said it as he saw Daisy’s expression change. He put his hand on her
shoulder and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Daisy. I don’t know what’s
gotten into me lately. I’m happy for Slim, it’s just-.” He looked into her
kind eyes, not knowing how to put into words what he was feeling, and frustrated
that he really didn’t even understand it himself.
She simply smiled at him and wrapped
her arm around his slender waist, squeezing him in a gentle embrace and
completely unaware of the pain the normally comforting gesture caused him. “I
know what you mean, Jess. You’re worried about him, aren’t you?”
“Nah,” he
said, pausing as he lowered his eyes and tried to ignore the stabbing pain in
his side. “Well, maybe a little.” He looked up and she smiled warmly.
“And maybe
a little worried about what will happen if he goes through with his plans,”
she continued quietly.
Jess’ head shot up and his face
clouded over. “I’m happy for him, Daisy. Really, I am. It’s just that,”
he repeated. He shook his head in annoyance.
It seemed that lately, all he kept
telling everyone was how happy he was for Slim and his fiancée, but was he
really happy? The thought of Slim settling down with a wife was very
disconcerting to him; what would it do to their friendship, their
partnership, and most important – what would it do to the family that he had
allowed himself to become a part of? Although Slim had toyed with the
idea of getting married several times in the past, it had never really been
serious and it had never unnerved Jess. This time was different, though – the
date was set and there was no turning back.
Jess’
thoughts were interrupted as Daisy gently patted his arm, beckoning him from the
barn and into the sunny yard. “I made some fresh lemonade. I’m sure you must
be thirsty after your long walk,” she paused, looking at his sad eyes. “We
can talk about it if you’d like.”
He tried to
pull away from her gentle touch but she held onto his arm firmly. Not having the
energy to resist, he allowed himself to be led into the house where he sat down
at the small kitchen table and watched her pour two large glasses of the tart
liquid. She placed them on the table and sat down across from him, sipping her
lemonade and watching his face.
Jess refused
to look at her, preferring to rub his finger along the top rim of his glass as
he tried to ignore the gnawing pain in his side – it had started after his
tumble from Traveler and his latest fall in the barn had only served to
aggravate it. He reminded himself to take a look at it later to see what kind of
damage he’d caused. But he resolved not to mention anything to Daisy, knowing
very well how it would worry her. She just sat silently and he could hear her
soft breathing as she waited patiently. When he finally did look up at her, her
eyes were warm and inviting, and he felt a terrible sadness come over him.
“What am I
gonna do if he gets married, Daisy? I can’t stay here if he has a wife. I’d
be in the way,” he said, staring at the pale yellow liquid in his glass,
refusing to let her see the anguish in his eyes.
Daisy’s
heart ached for him and she reached across the table to take his hand. He tried
to pull away from her touch, but she refused to let him push her away.
“Have you
talked to Slim about how you’re feeling, Jess,” she asked gently, concerned
at how deeply this appeared to be affecting him. It wasn’t like Jess to behave
this way.
He shook his
head in frustration. “It ain’t that easy, Daisy. He’s so happy and even
Mike is okay with Maggie…I can’t ruin that for him by telling him,” he
looked up at her, not knowing how to continue. He was never one to easily share
his feelings and finding the right words to explain how scared he was of what
this new development would do to his special family was tearing him up inside.
He wanted to tell Daisy but he did not know where to begin.
“Would it
help if I told you that I may know how you are feeling,” she asked softly.
He looked up
at her and tried to swallow the lump that had started to form in his throat as
he saw the tenderness in her eyes, and he didn’t think he could deal with the
thought of leaving.
“You are his family, Jess, as close
to a brother as any man can be; perhaps, in many ways, even closer. Slim is
never going to forget that,” she smiled. “And no matter how wonderful the
woman may be, she can’t make him forget that…. or at least, not for very
long.”
Her words cut
right to the heart of what had been bothering him and it was almost too much for
Jess. He shoved his chair back and abruptly stood up, running a hand through his
hair and turning his back to Daisy. He lowered his head and slowly turned back
to look at her; gripping the back of the chair he’d been sitting on.
“He hardly even knows her, Daisy!
How in blazes can he be so sure about this?” He looked up at the ceiling, his
expression pained. “He just met her a few weeks ago – he doesn’t know
anything about her, and she’s so doggone-,” he stopped and looked at Daisy.
“Nice?”
She smiled at him. “Perfect for him,” she continued, watching the corners of
his mouth start to twitch.
He just shook
his head at her and sat back down on his chair. How could he explain to Daisy
what kind of person Slim was falling in love with? ‘Everyone thinks the
world of Maggie. How can I tell them what she really is? Or am I seeing
something that isn’t really there because I don’t want Slim to marry her?’
He wished he could tell Daisy what was on his mind.
“What’s
wrong with me, Daisy? She seems to be perfect for him and he’s so happy. Why
can’t I just be happy for him and leave it at that?”
“Because
he’s your friend - you care for him and you’ve seen him hurt before. And you
are right – we know very little about her but that doesn’t mean that she is
not…. well, that doesn’t necessarily mean that something is dreadfully wrong
with her. Jess, she loves Slim; that has to count for something.” She smiled
as the weak grin on his face widened.
“I guess
I’m just used to his track record, Daisy. Poor Slim’s had his fair share of
bad outcomes and I don’t want him to get hurt again.” His expression became
serious as he recalled a few of the women that his friend had tangled with in
the past. There was something about Maggie that he just didn’t like but he
couldn’t put his finger on it. He decided it was best not to mention anything
to Daisy, at least until he was more convinced of his own feelings on the
matter.
“Not that
my judgement in that department has been any better,” he continued, a rueful
grin on his face.
Daisy took
his hand and squeezed it gently, rubbing his arm with her other hand. She was
surprised to find the ordinarily warm hands were cold and clammy and despite
having spent the morning out in the hot sun, his tanned face had taken on an
ashen appearance. She frowned at him as he stared at her hands.
“That
isn’t all that’s disturbing you, is it? You aren’t feeling well today, are
you, Jess?” She waited for his answer, knowing how rarely he took ill and how
much he hated to admit to any weakness when it did happen.
When he
looked up at her, she noticed how glazed his usually clear blue eyes had become.
“No, Daisy.
I’m fine. Probably just spent too much time in that blazing sun out there.”
He stood up and gripped the edge of the table, squeezing his eyes shut as he
tried to control the light-headed feeling that the sudden movement had created.
He hoped that Daisy had not noticed his discomfort as he continued, “That
reminds me, I have to get back out to help Slim. There’s no way he’ll ever
finish that job without any help. Sides, Traveler’ll wonder where I’ve
gone…”
He reached
across the table for his hat and stood staring at it for a moment before placing
it back on his head. As he walked toward the back door, he turned to look at
Daisy. “Don’t worry about us, Daisy. Slim and me’ll be fine. Maybe I’ll
get a chance to talk to him later…. Should be back well before supper,” he
said and hurriedly shut the door behind him, not wanting her to prevent him from
going back to work.
Daisy just stared at his back as he stepped out the door and closed it quietly behind himself. As she sipped her remaining lemonade, she looked to where he’d been sitting and sighed as she noticed his full glass. She was worried about him – he had not eaten at breakfast that morning and now he had left his drink untouched. She was certain that something was terribly wrong with him and she knew that he couldn’t tell her about it. She decided that she would speak to Slim about it later.
As Jess
stepped away from the door, he pulled off his hat and wiped his shirtsleeve
across his face as a sudden wave of heat rushed to his cheeks. He squinted up at
the sun and jammed his hat back on his head as he walked toward the barn.
“Okay,
let’s try this one more time and see what happens,” he said to himself as he
stepped into the barn and made his way through the shadowy interior. Finding the
tools that he needed, he quickly saddled one of the quarter horses and strapped
the tools to the saddle. As he climbed onto the horse and looked around the
cluttered little barn, he was again struck by how much he would miss the place
that he had come to call home as soon as Slim brought home his new bride and he
would have no choice but to move on.
Though he
couldn’t tell Daisy, he knew that was what he had to do. Slim was turning a
new page in the book of life and as much as Jess hated to admit it, things were
now going to be different. In fact,
things already were different.
He had not
said anything to Slim, for fear of hurting him, but in a private conversation
with Maggie the night after Slim proposed, she made it very clear to Jess that
he was no longer the ideal company for her new fiancé to keep.
The future
Mrs. Slim Sherman was going to make sure that her new husband found new friends
of a much higher calibre fairly quickly. The last thing she needed to have
around was an ex-drifter with an indifferent education and a chequered past. She
had repeated it again to Jess last night when she had sat with him on the porch
while Slim prepared the buckboard to take her home.
With that unhappy thought in his mind and the growing pain in his chest, Jess quickly rode out toward his best friend, eager to spend as many hours with him as he could before he would forever ride out of Slim’s life…
CHAPTER 2
Slim looked
up from where he was kneeling next to Traveler and frowned as Jess rode up.
“Well,
I’m glad you decided to come back. What on earth took you so long? As usual,
your timing is impeccable,” he said as he stood and swept his hand out in a
wide arc, showing the dozen or so cattle that now stood casually grazing in the
meadow. “All back where they belong and although I had to improvise a bit,
even Traveler is feeling a mite better, now that I repaired his shoe.” He
patted the horse’s hind leg then stood up and put his hands on his hips while
trying to scowl at Jess.
Jess didn’t
smile or rise to the ribbing. He slowly got down from his horse and walked
stiffly over to his friend, rubbing his hands along Traveler’s nose as the
contented animal nuzzled his head fondly. “Sorry Slim,” he mumbled. “Took
a bit longer to get back home than I thought. Ain’t easy to walk that far on
such a hot day, you know.”
Slim frowned
slightly and moved closer to him, placing a gloved hand on his shoulder.
“Something wrong, Pard? You’ve been awfully quiet all day and now you
don’t even sound like yourself. What’s wrong, Jess,” he asked softly, a
look of concern on his face.
Jess refused
to look at him, preferring to continue to stroke Traveler’s nose. Although he
wanted to tell Slim how unwell he was feeling, he decided it was best not to
worry him. Besides, it wasn’t like he’d never been sick or hurt before but
he couldn’t recall the last time he’d felt so ill and sore. “It’s nothin’,
Slim. Just tired after that long trek back home,” he said. Then, noticing the
deep frown on Slim’s face, he smiled weakly and cocked his head sideways.
“Sides, how else was I going to get out of doin’ all that work you just
finished up?” He looked up at Slim, hoping that his friend would not see that
the smile on his face did not reach up to his eyes.
If Slim noticed, he did not comment
on it. He playfully punched Jess in the shoulder and shook his head in mock
disgust as he turned away from Jess and started to pick up the tools that he had
been using. “Well, best get headin’ home. Afternoon stage will be getting in
pretty soon and I don’t think Mose is up to changing the team alone again
today,” he said with a grin.
“What’s
your hurry,” Jess shot back. “There’s nearly two hours fore that stage is
due in. I thought maybe we could…” He stopped, not knowing how to
continue. ‘Maybe we could talk…and I could tell you I’m going away so
that you can get on with your life and I can try to start a new one,’ he
thought.
“Maybe we
could what, Jess,” asked Slim, his back to Jess while busily securing
his saddle to Alamo and putting the tools into his saddlebags.
Jess just
stood still, looking at the ground. “Aw, nothin’, Pard. Just tired, I guess.”
Slim finally
turned and looked at him with a wide grin on his face. “That’s because you
stayed up so late chatting up a storm with Maggie last night.
Don’t think you’re gonna steal her away from me with your boyish
charms, Jess Harper,” he said, teasing.
Jess shifted
uncomfortably and decided that his best course of action was to let Slim have
his fun with him. This was obviously not the time to try to talk seriously and
he didn’t want to ruin his best friend’s happy mood. “Aw, shucks, Slim!
How did you know,” he asked with a mischievous grin.
Slim sighed
inwardly as he saw the familiar smile return to his friend’s face. He could
sense that something was wrong with Jess but he couldn’t fathom what it could
be. Everything was going so well and Jess had told him how happy he was about
his decision to marry Maggie. Jess had even made the effort to get to know her
better last night and she had seemed pleased with their conversation when Slim
asked her about it when he had taken her home.
“Come on,
I’ll race you home!” Slim hopped onto Alamo’s back and grabbed the reins
from the quarter horse that Jess had ridden back on. “I’ll even take care of
Lightning here so you’ve got the advantage, Pard,” he said, looking over his
shoulder at a stunned Jess. He grinned wickedly and took off at a full gallop
with the somewhat surprised quarter horse trailing behind him.
“You just
wait,” Jess yelled back, hopping onto Traveler’s back and kicking his
horse’s flanks, trailing after the dust cloud that Slim had just created.
Daisy stepped
out into the yard as the two men approached the main corral at full gallop. As
Slim pulled back on the reins to slow his horse, his hat went flying from his
head and he whooped loudly as he cleared the corral, only steps ahead of Jess.
He threw down Alamo and Lightning’s reins and hopped off his horse as Jess
guided Traveler toward the barn.
“Looks like
I beat you this time!” He beamed as Jess gingerly hopped down from the saddle.
Daisy smiled
and brushed flour from her apron as she walked across the yard to retrieve
Slim’s hat. ‘Those two are always horsing around,’ she thought. She
turned to look at the two friends and felt a twinge of sadness as she watched
the taller man walk over and flip Jess’ hat off his head. Jess just calmly
bent over and picked it up, dusted it off across his pant leg, and placed it
back on his head. Then, he silently grabbed the reins from Slim’s hands and
led the horses into the barn, leaving a stunned Slim to stare at his back.
Noticing
Daisy across the yard, Slim shrugged and walked toward her, gratefully taking
his hat from her hands and placing it on his head.
“What’s
wrong with Jess, today,” he asked her, deep confusion on his face. “That’s
twice now that he hasn’t risen to the punch, not so much as a scowl or a
smile. I’ve been trying to get a rise out of him all day and all I’ve been
getting are solemn stares and mumblings.”
Daisy looped
her arm around his and walked back toward the house with him. “Maybe we should
talk inside, Slim.”
As they
reached the porch, both turned at the sound of an approaching carriage. Slim let
go of Daisy’s arm and ran to greet the driver, a huge smile on his face when
he realized who it was.
“Well,
hello there Miss Margaret,” he said playfully, taking off his hat and bowing
his head at her. “What brings you out here on such a fine day,” he asked,
reaching up to help her down from the carriage.
As he gently
put her down, she stood up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck,
smiling warmly at him. “Why, you do of course, Mr. Sherman!” She reached up
and kissed him. “We have so much to talk about, Slim, and I have wonderful
news for you! Do you want to help
me-” she stopped short as Jess walked toward them.
Seeing Slim
and Maggie in a warm embrace, Jess did his best to smile at her and held out his
hand. Her smile was replaced by a
scowl and she refused to shake the proffered hand, preferring to snuggle deeper
into Slim’s embrace.
“Good
afternoon, Jess,” she said, her tone cold.
Daisy quietly
watched the proceedings from the porch, shocked at the manner in which Maggie
was addressing Jess. She could see the hurt on his face but Slim was oblivious,
apparently too pleased to be holding his fiancée in his arms.
They all
looked up as the afternoon stage noisily made its way into the yard, bringing
with it a cloud of dust and a team of very weary horses.
“Road must
be in good shape. It’s early today,” said Jess, as he turned to walk toward
it. “Come on, Slim-” he started to say, looking over his shoulder. He
stopped abruptly as Slim seemingly ignored him and wrapped his arm around
Maggie’s shoulders then walked toward the house.
Not bothering
to look over his shoulder, Slim simply yelled back. “Jess, could you take care
of the teams? I’m a little busy right now…Thanks Jess!” he said, as he
walked into the house with Maggie.
Daisy stepped
down from the small porch and rushed to Jess. His head was bowed and he seemed
lost. As she reached out to take his arm, he roughly pulled away and turned to
the stage. “Better make sure the coffee’s on, Daisy. I doubt Slim’ll be
too helpful with the passengers today,” he said quietly.
She again
reached to touch him and he spun around and looked at her in anger. “Daisy!
I’m fine,” he nearly yelled then he closed his eyes and gently put his hands
on her shoulders. “Oh, Daisy, I’m sorry. Just go and help Slim, okay? I’ve
got to help Mose with the teams,” he said as he let go of her and greeted Mose
and the passengers.
Daisy ushered
the two passengers into the house and served coffee, all the while deeply
troubled by Jess’ behaviour. He had never before raised his voice at her and
the pain that she had seen in his eyes when he did was almost unbearable for
her. She poured him a cup of coffee and waited for him to come in but he stayed
outside with Mose. Finally, he
popped his head through the front door and summoned the passengers back to the
stage.
As Daisy
rushed over to him, he quickly stepped away from the door and all but ran to the
barn. Defeated, she turned back to
the house and washed the soiled coffee cups and saucers as she listened to the
stage leave.
“Are you
sure that’s what you’d like to do? It will probably be a lot of extra work
for you, especially if Daisy leaves,” said Slim as he looked at Maggie.
They had
settled in Slim and Jess’ room to discuss her news. Maggie was sitting on
Slim’s bunk and Slim sat across from her on Jess’ bunk, holding her hands.
“Oh, yes,
Slim. I love little Mike and he needs a real family. It’s not right for a
young child to live with two men and an old lady,” she said, smiling at him.
“Even if you all are so nice to him. But he needs a more positive and stable
influence on his life.”
Slim was
slightly taken aback at Daisy being called an “old lady” but when Maggie
flashed her winning smile at him, he forgot any concerns he may have had.
“He’s
been happy so far and I’d have to say that Jess and I have done quite well.
Daisy has been a wonderful help to us; you can’t imagine how
important she has been,” he said, trying to steer the conversation back on
track as Maggie stood up and perched herself on his lap, resting her head on his
shoulder.
“But Slim,
Jess is not the best influence for him. Just think, he wasn’t much older than
Mike is now when he left home and went on the drift. You told me how much he
affected Andy when Andy still lived here. Besides, Mike will soon be able to go
away to school like Andy did. Together we can give him such a promising future,
Slim,” she said, cooing softly in his ear.
“Although I
admit Jess wasn’t always the best influence, he’s been good for Andy and now
for Mike. He’s also partly Mike’s legal guardian so I’ll have to talk to
him about this,” he said, trying not to smile as she nibbled on his earlobe
and blew softly in his ear.
“You know
Jess,” she said. “Next thing you know, he’ll be heading out again and
he’ll completely forget about Mike and Daisy and you. Everything’s different
now, Slim. We’re going to be a real family and Mike will have a real father
and a real mother. And when Andy comes back, we’ll be a perfectly happy little
family.”
Slim sat
quietly and watched as she stood up and walked over to the tattered curtains
that hung on the small window. She softly ran her fingers across the faded
fabric then she turned and smiled at Slim.
“How soon
do you think it will be before Jess packs up his things and moves into the
bunkhouse?”
Slim was
taken aback at her question and he stood up and walked toward her, placing his
hands on her petite shoulders.
“What do
you mean by that?”
She giggled
and turned her head to the side. “Well, Mr. Sherman, you don’t honestly
think that I am going to share a room with him, do you,” she asked teasingly.
“This room needs a woman’s touch and I can’t do that with a ranch-hand’s
dirty things strewn across the floor.”
She walked
over to a pile of Jess’ neatly folded clothing and looked at it in revulsion.
“Slim, darling, he doesn’t even put his things away. How can you possibly
share a room with him,” she asked in disgust as she pointed to a pair of
Jess’ dusty chaps and coat.
“But-,”
started Slim. He hadn’t thought about Jess having to move out of the house.
“Maybe he can bunk in Mike’s room…”
Maggie’s
face turned hard as she glared at Slim and put her hands on her hips. “Are you
saying that you want a ranch-hand living in the house with us,” she snapped.
Then her face softened as she noticed Slim’s bewildered expression. “I know
that he is your friend, Slim, but his manners are, well…besides, where is Andy
going to sleep if Jess moves into Mike’s room?”
Slim
swallowed hard a few times as he tried to think of an answer. Seeing his
quandary, Maggie turned on her magic smile and sashayed closer to him, wrapping
her arms around his waist.
“Oh, Slim.
We don’t have to talk about this now. I don’t want to argue with you and I
can think of many things that are much nicer to be doing,” she cooed softly. ‘Besides,
Jess Harper will be out of your life much sooner than you realize,’ she
thought, even though she did not say anything out loud. This was not the time to
tell Slim.
Slim smiled
and kissed her then he walked over to the door and led her into the living room.
He wrapped her shawl around her shoulders then he took her arm and walked her
toward her carriage.
Reaching the
carriage, he wrapped his arms around her again and kissed her softly, looking
into her deep brown eyes and gently rubbing her cheek with his thumb.
“I don’t
like arguing with you, either. I’m sure everything will work out in the
end,” he said seriously. “As much as I would like you to stay, you really
should get going – you have a lot of wedding preparations to do if you insist
on getting married in a week.” He hugged her closely. “And I’d better go
help my best man with some of the chores before he decides to quit on me,” he
said with a grin.
Maggie looked
at him quizzically. “Your ‘best man’?”
“Oh,
that’s right, I forgot to tell you. I’ve asked Jess to be my best man at the
wedding.”
She frowned at him. “But what about
Andy? He is your brother and he is a very handsome young man now. Won’t he be
here for the wedding? Why Jess,” she asked, pouting.
“Oh, Andy
will be there too, but Jess is my best friend. Besides, nowhere does it say I
can’t have two best men,” he said with a grin as he lifted her into the
carriage.
“My dear,
dear Slim. Always so caring,” she said as she leaned over and tapped his cheek
with the back of her hand.
She blew him a kiss then urged the horse onward as Slim watched her drive away, not moving until she was lost from his view. Smiling, he strolled back to the house. He never noticed the forlorn figure standing in the shadows just inside the barn watching. As Slim went into the house and closed the door behind him, Jess turned miserably and walked back into the barn and set about doing the many chores that still needed to be done. Alone.