& Moira Purnell
aPart Oneb
“Where’s
Jess,” asked Mike as he dried his hands on a small towel and sat down at the
table.
Slim placed
the small roast and a plate of fresh biscuits on the table and Daisy poured Mike
a glass of milk as they sat down for supper.
Slim looked
up and seemed surprised to notice that Jess’ chair was empty. In fact, he had
not seen Jess since shortly after the afternoon stage had gone through.
“I don’t
know, Mike. But you know Jess – he’s never one to miss a meal, especially
when Daisy has prepared such a tasty roast,” he said as he cut into the meat
and closed his eyes in contentment as the heavenly aroma reached his nose.
“Shouldn’t
we perhaps wait for him,” asked Daisy, frowning as she listened for the
familiar sound of Jess’ footfall.
Slim shook
his head and smiled, “Don’t worry, Daisy. He’s probably just out there,
too busy to remember what time it is, or too stubborn to give up on something to
get here in time for supper.” He cut a slice of meat and placed it on Mike’s
plate. As he lifted another slice and held it up between his knife and fork for
Daisy, she simply shook her head at him and held up her hand.
“My, my. I
don’t know what’s going on around here but everyone seems to be losing their
appetites,” said Slim, a wide grin on his face. “I appreciate you trying to
help me save up for the wedding expenses but you don’t have to stop eating for
that,” he chuckled.
“Aunt
Daisy?”
She looked up
from her plate and said, “Yes Mike?”
“Is
something wrong with Jess,” he asked quietly.
“Why do you
say that, Mike,” interrupted Slim. He cut another piece of roast and waited
for the little boy to continue. When there was no answer, he rested his wrists
against the edge of the table and looked at Mike. “Why do you think something
is wrong with Jess?”
Daisy bit her bottom lip as Mike
looked up at Slim, deep concern on his face. “I don’t know,” he said,
shrugging his shoulders. “It’s just that he’s been real quiet lately and
he didn’t eat much at breakfast, then he wasn’t here for lunch, and now
he’s missing his supper, too. So something must be wrong.”
“Hmm, you
may have a point,” said Slim, looking at Daisy and trying to read her
expression. “What is it, Daisy? Do you know something you’re not telling
me?”
She looked at him and closed her eyes
for a moment. When she opened them again, her expression was blank. “He
didn’t seem to be feeling very well today. When he walked home at noon, he was
very pale.”
“It was a
hot day, though Daisy. And Jess did have to walk a fair distance. He told me he
was just tired,” said Slim, trying to relieve the growing tension in the room.
“I think
that he got hurt when…” she stopped, not wanting to tell Slim how Jess had
reacted that afternoon.
“What do
you mean, hurt? Daisy, how did he get hurt?” Slim put his knife and
fork down on the table and pushed his chair back.
“He needed
to go into the hayloft to get some tools and the floor gave way with him on it.
He fell, along with most of the tools that were up there with him,” she said
quietly.
Mike
sniggered in his chair and Slim shot him a dirty look. “This isn’t funny,
Mike,” he scolded.
“Did he get
hurt, Daisy,” asked Slim gently, finally showing some concern for his
friend.
She shook her
head slowly. “No, I think he was more angry than hurt. He said that you told
him that you had fixed that section of floor.” She looked up at him, her eyes
accusing.
Slim looked
down in shame, refusing to meet her disapproving stare. “I started to do it
the other day but when Maggie stopped by, I guess I got distracted and just
never got back to it.” He stood up and pushed his chair under the table, his
supper forgotten. “I better go find him. Something’s wrong with him and I
think I may know what it is.”
Daisy stood
up and rushed to his side. “Please try to be understanding with him. He may
not be up to talking to you,” she said softly as she tried to convey to him
how concerned she was over Jess. She had watched Jess move much of his gear from
his room to the bunkhouse shortly after Maggie had gone home that afternoon.
When she had tried to ask him about it, he had stonewalled her, telling her not
to worry about it.
“I’ll try
to be, Daisy. But he has to realize that some things are just more important
than fixing a hayloft floor. He should know that by now,” he said, mildly
irritated.
*****
As Slim
stepped onto the porch, he picked up one of the lanterns and looked around the
yard, hoping to catch a glimpse of his missing friend. Seeing a faint light in
the bunkhouse, he walked toward the small building and opened the door.
“Jess,”
he called out into the darkness, holding up the lantern and looking around the
small space for his partner.
“Over
here,” came a quiet voice from the bottom bunk in the far corner of the room.
Slim walked
over and pulled up a chair next to the bed on which Jess lay on his back, his
hands clasped behind his head. Slim put the lantern down and reached over to
feel Jess’ forehead, concerned that he may be ill.
Seeing him approach, Jess pulled away and turned toward the wall, his
back to Slim. Surprised at the unusual reaction, Slim pulled back his hand and
sat down, waiting for an explanation.
“Jess, what
are you doing out here?” He looked around the room and noticed that most of
Jess’ belongings were now piled in a corner and strewn across the floor.
“You movin’ out? My snoring can’t be that bad,” said Slim, teasing. He
leaned back in his chair and waited.
“Fine,
Slim, since you won’t leave me be, I’ll tell ya why I’m out here.” Jess
turned onto his side and propped himself up on an elbow, facing Slim.
“You’re going to be plenty busy getting your room ready for Maggie and you.
You’re bringing a new bride home in a week or have you forgotten that?
It’s just easier for me to move my gear out here now, then I’ll be out of
your way and she can get on with her plans.”
The sudden
outburst ended as quickly as it had started. Jess leaned back and again turned
to face the wall.
Slim stared
at the back of Jess’ head, a frown of confusion on his face. “But Jess, you
can bunk with Mike. There’s an extra bed in there. You don’t have to move
out of the house – it’s your home, too. That’s not going to change just
because I’m marrying Maggie.”
“Yeah,
sure,” he said dejectedly, pausing. “Slim, there is an extra bed in Mike’s
room and Andy’s gonna be needing it when he comes home tomorrow.”
“Oh, yeah.
I almost forgot about that,” said Slim quietly.
“Yeah, I
know. Now can you just leave me alone for a while?”
“What’s
the matter with you Jess? Are you sick,” he asked, trying to hide the
irritation in his voice.
“Nothin’s
wrong with me, Slim,” muttered Jess, rubbing his temples and closing his eyes.
‘At least I hope not. I just wish this darned headache would go away…’
Slim sighed
in frustration and stood up, putting his hands on his hips and staring at
Jess’ back. “Then, what in blazes are you hiding out here for? Just because
you’ve moved your gear out here doesn’t mean you have to spend the whole
evening alone. Your supper is still sitting on the table and Daisy’s beside
herself with worry over you. Even Mike thinks something’s wrong with you. This
isn’t like you, Jess,” he said in exasperation. “I can’t read your mind,
what’s bothering you? Do you want to talk about it,” he asked, slightly more
gently.
“Nothin’
to talk about, Slim. It’s been a long day and I’m tired and I just want to
be alone right now.” Jess jammed his hands beneath his pillow and clutched it
against his cheek, all the while keeping his back to Slim.
“Don’t
try that with me, Jess Harper. I know you too well for you to think you’re
gonna get out of this that easily. Come on, what’s bothering you,” he
repeated, trying to keep his tone even.
Jess abruptly
rolled onto his back and threw the pillow on the floor, clenching his fists in
frustration. “Can’t a man just want some time alone without having to give
an explanation,” he asked angrily.
Slim was
stunned at the anger in Jess’ voice and he sat down again, reaching out to
place his hand on Jess’ shoulder. Jess pulled away at the familiar gesture and
glared at him.
Slim looked
down at his feet. “Look Jess, I know we haven’t really had a chance to talk
much lately, what with me spending all my time with Maggie, but if you
got a problem we should talk about it.”
“I’m not
the one with the problem,” mumbled Jess under his breath.
Slim looked
up at him, a frown on his face. “What did you say? I didn’t hear you.”
“Nothin’,”
he said again.
“All right
Jess! I’ve just about had enough of this and my patience with you is really
starting to wear thin,” scolded Slim in a tone that Jess had almost never
heard him use before. “Either you tell me what’s wrong with you right now or
I stay here until you do. It’s your choice - I’m not leaving.” He leaned
back in his chair and crossed his arms.
Jess sighed
loudly as he rolled onto his side and sat up in the small bed, planting his feet
firmly on the floor. It was now or never.
“Why are
you marrying Maggie,” he asked bluntly.
Slim looked
at him in stunned silence, not sure if he had heard Jess correctly. “What?”
“It’s a
simple question, Slim. Why are you marrying her,” Jess asked again, his eyes
meeting Slim’s.
Slim smiled.
“You know, Jess, of all people, I would have thought that you would appreciate
a beautiful woman when you saw one. She’s something else, Pard, and she loves
me and I love her. I know that she’s the one that I want to spend my life
with.”
“But you
hardly even know her, Slim. How can you be so sure? This is your whole life
we’re talking about here. What’s the hurry? Why don’t you just wait a
while and get to know her a bit more?”
Slim’s
reaction was not what Jess would have expected. He stood up and kicked his chair
back in anger. He glared at Jess.
“Maggie’s
right! You are jealous!”
Jess jumped
up off the bed and stood directly in front of Slim, staring him straight in the
face.
“Jealous!
You think I’m jealous,” he asked incredulously, matching Slim’s tone.
“Yeah.
Jealous! I shoulda known you’d be this way. Just can’t be happy for me, can
you? Well Jess, not all of us want to spend the rest of our lives alone and
I’ve finally found someone that I want to spend forever with. And you’re not
going to ruin that for me!”
“But Slim,
I’m not jealous,” Jess protested. He paused, trying to calm himself and find
the right words to say, wishing the pounding in his head would ease. “I’m
just worried about you. You don’t know anything about this girl. Why is she in
such a hurry to get married? For all we know, she could have a past that you
know nothing about-” Jess’ response was abruptly interrupted as Slim rushed
at him and swung a punch that landed squarely on his jaw. Jess’ head snapped back at the impact and he flew across
the room, smashing into the wall next to the bed and hitting his head on the
floor hard, knocking him out cold.
Slim stared
at his friend in silence, dumbfounded at what he had just done. Rubbing his sore
hand, he rushed to Jess’ side and gently tapped his cheek with the back of his
hand, trying to revive him. Blood
seeped from a cut on Jess’ lip and he did not move.
“I’m so
sorry, Jess. How could I…?” Slim mumbled as he carefully lifted the
unconscious man into his arms and carried him to the bed. Taking his bandana, he
dampened it in the washbasin that Jess had set up next to the bed and carefully
swabbed Jess’ swollen lip.
Within a few
minutes, Jess started to stir and he opened his eyes, blinking a few times while
he tried to focus. Seeing Slim’s worried face hovering above him, he reached
up and pushed the taller man away, then he gingerly sat up on the bed, rubbing
his bruised jaw.
“Well, at
least now I know how you really feel,” he said gravely, his tone flat.
Slim crouched
next to the bed where Jess sat and hung his head. “Gosh, I’m sorry Jess. I
didn’t mean to,” he looked up at Jess, willing him to shrug it off as he had
in the past.
Jess’
expression was hard as he stared at the man he considered his best and closest
friend.
“Don’t
you see what this is doing to you, Slim,” he asked softly, finding it
difficult to speak as his split lip continued to throb.
“Jess,
let’s not talk about this right now, okay? Come back to the house and I’ll
try to clean you up,” entreated Slim. “You’re bleeding all over your
shirt.”
Jess shook
his head. “No Slim. It’s just easier this way. ‘Sides, wouldn’t want to
worry Mike and Daisy, would you?”
Defeated, Slim nodded and stood up,
smiling dolefully as he looked at Jess.
“What,”
asked Jess, noting the expression on Slim’s face.
“Sure a
good thing there’s still a week before the wedding. Your face is a mess –
it’s gonna take that long for it to look decent again.” He smiled as Jess
frowned. “Wouldn’t want my best man to have a banged up face…might not go
over too well with the ladies.”
Slim walked
to the door and turned back to Jess. “I know I’ve got a lousy way of showing
it but I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Jess, really, I do. I am going
to marry Maggie, with your blessing or not. But I’d feel a lot better if
you’d keep trying to make Maggie feel welcome like you’ve been doing. It
means a lot to me and I know it means a lot to her. ‘Night Jess,” he said
with a smile as he closed the door behind him.
Jess stood up
and walked to the window, watching as Slim made his way back to the house.
“Yeah,
Slim. I know just how much it means to her,” he said softly then he turned
back to the bed and rubbed his aching jaw.
He leaned
over and started to pack his belongings into his saddlebags, cursing himself for
having collected so many things since living at the ranch. It used to be easy to
travel light and packing up usually only took a few minutes. Looking at all of
his belongings, he frowned as he picked through them, trying to decide what he
was going to leave behind and what he would bring with him on the trail.
Trying to
ignore his gnawing hunger and the growing pain in his head, he sat down on the
edge of the bed and stared at his things. As he leaned back on the bed and
massaged his jaw, he came to a decision. He would wait until morning before
heading out. Everything would look better in the morning and he might even get a
chance to say goodbye to Andy when he arrived on the morning stage.
As he turned
onto his side and looked across the room through the small window, he sighed as
he watched the lights slowly go out in his home as one by one his family went to
bed. He cringed as he thought of them. ‘By this time tomorrow night, that
won’t be my home anymore and you won’t have to worry about me spoiling any
of your future plans, Slim.’
With that unpleasant thought, he pulled up the covers and closed his eyes.
CHAPTER 5
“Andy,”
called Slim, as he greeted his handsome dark-haired brother.
Andy stepped
down from the stage and smiled as he looked at his small welcoming committee
standing in front of the little ranch house. He picked up his bag and rushed
over to Slim, throwing his arms around the taller man.
“Aw, Slim!
I sure missed you,” he said, a huge grin on his face.
Slim hugged
him warmly. “I did too, little brother.” He let go of Andy and looked at
him. “I hope you don’t mind, Andy, but I’m going to have to help Mose with
the team. As you probably already know, shouldn’t take too long.” Andy
smiled and nodded his head as he watched his older brother walk over to help
Mose.
He smiled as
Mike walked up to him, holding a large toad in his hands and smiling shyly. Andy
leaned over and tousled the little boy’s hair and shook his head when he
noticed the little creature in his hands.
“Hi Mike!
Who’s your friend,” he asked, pointing at the toad.
Mike beamed
as Andy acknowledged his new pet. “His name’s Wally and he’s gonna be
stayin’ for a while.”
Andy
chuckled. “ Kinda like me,” he said happily while he stroked the toad.
“He’s
gonna share my room, I mean, our room,” continued Mike. He leaned
forward and winked. “That is, if Aunt Daisy doesn’t find out,” he
whispered, happy to have a co-conspirator.
Andy winked
back. “I won’t tell anyone if you don’t,” he said with a chuckle.
Daisy waited
for him to look up again then she rushed to the young man’s side, wrapping her
arms around him and kissing his cheek. “Welcome home, dear. I baked a special
pie just for you,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes.
Slim finished
up with the stage and walked over to Andy and took the bag from his hand. He
wrapped his arm around his younger brother’s shoulders and started to lead him
toward the house. Andy stopped abruptly and looked around in confusion.
“What is it, Andy,” Slim stopped
to look at him.
“Where’s
Jess?”
“Oh, he’s
around here somewhere. He wanted to make sure the chores were done so we could
spend some time together. I can’t wait for you to meet Maggie. Come on,
she’s in the house,” said Slim, walking ahead of Andy and joining Mike and
Daisy on the front porch. As Daisy and Mike disappeared into the house, a
beautiful dark-haired young woman stepped out and smiled at Slim as he reached
the doorway.
Andy still
stood there, looking across the yard at a dark shadow in the bunkhouse window.
As he squinted to see more clearly, the shadow moved and disappeared.
“Andy,”
called Slim, breaking him out of his reverie.
Andy looked
up at Slim, a frown on his face. “Slim, who’s in the bunkhouse?”
“Could be
Jess. He’s staying in there while you and Maggie are here. Don’t forget how
small this place is…Now come on Andy, I want you to meet the future Mrs.
Sherman,” he said, rushing to Andy’s side and pulling him toward the house.
“But
Slim-” he started but was abruptly cut off as Maggie reached out and kissed
him on the cheek.
“I’m so
pleased to finally meet you, Andy. Slim has told me so much about you,” she
cooed, smiling at a beaming Slim.
Andy blushed
and smiled reservedly. “Well, I wouldn’t believe most of what he’s told
you. It’s probably not all
true,” he said, teasing.
Maggie
wrapped her arm around his waist and led him into the house, with Slim following
closely behind.
As they
stepped into the house, Mike ran up to Andy and grabbed his arm, tugging on his
sleeve as he tried to get his attention.
“Come on,
Andy. I wanna show you my room! That’s where you’re gonna stay while
you’re here,” he said, trying to pull him away from the adults.
Andy
carefully extricated himself from Maggie’s embrace and smiled at Mike. “Sure
Partner. Lead the way; I’m right behind you,” he said as he followed
the excited little boy into the small room.
As the door
closed behind Mike and Andy, Maggie sighed and turned to look at Slim. “He is
a very handsome young man. You should be proud of him, Slim.”
“I am. I
was a bit worried about him for a while but he’s really turning out well.
School has been good for him. It was hard on him losing his father and
his mother at such a young age. I just hope Mike turns out that well,” he
said, smiling as he listened to the laughter coming from behind Mike’s bedroom
door.
“I must
say, Slim, I expected him to look a little bit more like you, though. You and he
are almost complete opposites,” said Maggie, wrapping her hands around his arm
and leading him to the couch.
Slim smiled
at her. “I know. We used to get that a lot. And we actually are quite
different. It’s funny; he looks a lot like Jess, even more as he gets older.
And even his personality is a lot like Jess.” He suddenly frowned and put his
head down.
Noticing his
uneasiness, Maggie leaned against him and rubbed his back with her hand.
“You
don’t have to keep talking about him, you know. Every time you mention Jess,
you get that sad look in your eyes,” she said, looking at him with a killer
smile on her face. “I don’t want you to be sad right now. Let’s talk about
something nicer than that.” She
looked up at him and kissed him gently, waiting for him to smile back at her in
response.
Daisy stood
and watched quietly from the kitchen, frowning as she witnessed the interchange.
*****
“I almost
forgot how small this room is,” said Andy with a smile, as he placed his bag
next to one of the beds in the small bedroom. He pulled up the curtain and
looked out through the window, hoping to see Jess.
Mike jumped
onto his own bed, sitting cross-legged and watching his new roommate.
“Whatcha
lookin’ for,” he asked, noticing how intently Andy was staring through the
dusty windowpane.
Andy turned
to look at him and sat down on the small bed, smiling. “Oh, I was just hoping
to see Jess. This is the first time I’ve come home and he hasn’t been right
there to greet me,” he said, frowning slightly.
Mike leaned
forward, resting his elbows against his knees, and tucked his fists under his
chin. “I think somethin’s wrong with him but nobody ever tells me anything
around here,” he said, looking at Andy, his face serious. “I don’t
understand why he had to move into the bunkhouse – there’s lots’a room in
here. And Maggie isn’t living here yet.”
Andy looked
at him and walked over to sit next to him on the bed. He leaned forward and
clasped his fingers together. “What do you mean something’s wrong with
Jess,” he asked quietly.
Mike sat up
straight and turned his body to face Andy. “I don’t know. He’s just
different lately. Kinda quiet-like and he didn’t even come in for supper last
night.”
“Hmmm, that
really doesn’t sound like Jess,” mused Andy, recalling how his friend was
never one to let anything ruin his appetite.
“I don’t
think he likes Maggie but he hasn’t said anything. ‘Sides, Slim thinks
she’s nice. He sure kisses her a lot,” continued Mike, staring intently at
Andy.
“What do
you think of Maggie?”
“Oh,
she’s alright I guess. She’s sorta nice to me and she buys me candy when we
go into town. She said she’s gonna be my new mother but I’m not too sure
about that yet.”
“But you
don’t think Jess likes her,” asked Andy, eyeing the little boy.
Mike looked
down at his hands and shook his head. “Well,” he started, and then paused
briefly. “Maybe it’s Maggie who doesn’t like him.
She’s always saying mean things to him, but never when Slim is around.
Jess tries to smile at her but she never smiles at him. And the other
night, I tried to say good night to them, Maggie and Jess… when they was on
the porch and Jess got real mad and told me to go back into the house. He looked
real sad and she wasn’t smiling much either.”
Andy sat and
quietly listened, all the while a frown of concern growing on his face. “And
it was the day after that when Jess moved into the bunkhouse?”
Mike looked
up at him and cocked his head to the side. “Yeah, how’d you know?”
“Oh, just
had a feeling. Have you seen Jess today, Mike?” Andy stood up and looked down
at the solemn young face.
Mike shook
his head slowly. “Not really. He was up real early this morning and I saw him
through the window after he came in to get his coffee. He didn’t even stay in
the house long enough to say good morning to Aunt Daisy or me. I heard her
telling Slim that Jess never ate breakfast and he didn’t take any food out to
the bunkhouse.”
Andy rubbed
his chin thoughtfully and looked at Mike. “I’m going to see if I can find
him. You stay here, okay Mike?”
“Aww, but
why can’t I come with you? I want to see Jess, too.”
“No Mike. I
need to talk to him alone, maybe I can find out what’s bothering him. Don’t
tell Slim where I’m going, alright Mike?”
The little
boy crossed his arms over his chest and sulked. Andy sat down next to him and
put his hand on Mike’s shoulder.
“Tell you
what – if you stay in here for a little while, I’ll go down to the creek
with you later on and we can try to find a friend for Wally. How does that
sound,” he asked, grinning.
Mike hopped
off the bed and stood looking at him. “Ya mean it,” he asked, raising an
eyebrow.
“Course I
mean it. Hasn’t Slim ever told
you about all the little critters I used to keep in here,” he asked with a
twinkle in his eyes.
Mike smiled
and nodded his head. “Oh, sure he has.” He paused for a moment then sat down
again. “Okay, I’ll stay here. But remember your promise,” he said,
smiling.
Andy tousled Mike’s hair and winked
at him. Then, he opened the door and let himself out quietly, tiptoeing across
the room to the back door. He lifted a finger to his lips and Daisy nodded as
she kept an eye on Slim and Maggie cuddling on the couch. Andy slowly opened the
back door and stepped out then Daisy closed it softly behind him.
She watched
him cross the yard in the direction of the bunkhouse. ‘I certainly hope
that you can get through to him, Andy. He really needs a friend right now.’