Mail Order Bride - Westward Sunrise: Historical Cowboy Romance (Montana Mail Order Brides Book 9) (17 page)

              At the Watering Hole that night, things were in full swing.  Jake was selling alcohol at a rapid pace.  Some people were staying to have a last drink in the place until it reopened in its new location, but many were buying it by the case to take home with them.  Calvin had been put on a stool behind the bar where he served drinks and talked with some of the customers who knew him.  At one point, Jake had Ben help escort the frail man out to the dance floor.  He pounded on the piano and the crowd quieted down.

              “Everyone here knows me, but some of you don’t know who this man at my side is.  This is my father, Calvin Henderson, the founder and original owner of the Watering Hole.  He’s the one responsible for all the years of good times and memories in this place,” Jake said.

              Stomping and cheering arose to a deafening level and Calvin waved while he grinned at them all.  Jake continued when they quieted again.  “This man started this place in a tent with a few bottles of whiskey and some rickety tables.  The bar was a few boards nailed together and put on top of saw horses.  I was ten years old when I first started serving drinks alongside him and some of the happiest years of my life were the ones I spent slingin’ drinks and jugglin’ shot glasses.

              “Everything I know about runnin’ a saloon, I learned from him, so you have him to thank for not only starting the place, but for teaching me good customer service and how you’re supposed to treat your friends,” Jake said.

              More applause ensued and Jake was close to tears.  He shook it off as he said, “Thank you all for supporting us and I’m asking that you keep doing that until we move and even after that. 
The good times are not over
!” he hollered.

              The last roar was put to shame as the one that emerged made the walls vibrate.  Calvin was escorted back behind the bar where people clamored to shake his hand and thank him.  The man was in his glory even though his heart was heavy with sorrow.

              Abby didn’t feel like staying at the bar anymore after that and asked Reckless to take her home.  Ben told him he’d do it because Reckless should stay and get used to doing the job.  Abby had agreed because she didn’t really care who walked her.  Her misery was too complete to worry about it.

              Ben wasn’t planning on starting his campaign to woo her; it was way too soon.  However, it was just fine with him to continue being her friend.  He hadn’t seen her engagement to Elliot ending so soon, but as always, he didn’t waste opportunities when they arose.

              Abby began crying as she tried to unlock her door and couldn’t see through her tears.  Her heart felt as though a great chasm had opened within it and she was falling down into a quagmire of despair.  Her hands shook and she couldn’t get the key in the door.  Ben took it from her and unlocked the door as Abby swayed on her feet.

              He got the door open and put a supporting around her.  There was enough moonlight outside so that he could guide her to the sofa and sit her down.  Ben quickly lit a lamp and then got a fire going in her little stove.  He put some water on to heat.  Then Ben looked through the few cabinets in the tiny kitchen and found some tea.  He went back to the parlor and sat down by Abby and leaned her against him as she sobbed out her grief.

              Abby hadn’t felt this kind of pain since her parents had been killed when she was eleven.  Her love for Elliot had been so complete, so consuming and now she felt bereft.  She’d thought he was the kind of person a friend could count on, that she could count on, but he’d shown his true colors.  It devastated her that she’d surrendered herself to him in every way and he’d turned on her like this.

              Ben’s presence was comforting and eventually his soothing words started getting through to her.  She pulled away from him a little and took the hanky he held out to her.  When she blew it came out as a little honk and Ben chuckled.  It made her smile a little and she looked at Ben.

              “Thank you.  I’m sorry to fall apart like that,” Abby said.

              Ben said, “Who could blame you at a time like this?  How about a little tea?  It doesn’t heal heartache, but it does steady the nerves a little.”

              Abby nodded.  “Thanks.”

              The kettle whistled and Ben quickly made two cups of tea and took them into the parlor.  He handed her one and sat back down.  Abby thought he looked a little funny drinking tea.  He didn’t look like the tea drinking type. She watched him take a sip and started laughing.

              His green eyes met hers and he said, “What’s tickling your funny bone?”

              “You.”

              “Me?”

              “You’re drinking tea,” Abby said, as if that explained it all.

              Ben smiled and said, “Yes, I am.  You think that’s funny?”

              “Yep.  I would never take you for a tea drinker,” she said.

              “Well, we had a British governess growing up and she would make us tea and cookies for a snack in the afternoons.  I developed a taste for it and I’ve drank it ever since.  Sometimes it has a little something extra in it, though,” Ben said.  He was happy that he could make her smile a little.  He loved seeing her smile.

              “I keep forgetting that you used to be rich,” Abby said.

              “I haven’t.  I think if Daddy hadn’t committed suicide, I would have eventually murdered him,” Ben said.

              Abby waited for him to smile, but when he didn’t she realized that he meant it.  “You’re serious.”

              “I am.  He ruined so many things for me and my sister.  You have never known a life of power and privilege, so the life you now live is natural to you.  Not so for us.  We never wanted for anything and never had to worry about getting into trouble because we could always get out again just by uttering Daddy’s name,” Ben said.

              “I can’t even imagine a life like that,” Abby said.

              Ben nodded understandingly.  “I’m sure not, but try.  For a moment, picture suddenly inheriting millions of dollars and a huge estate full of servants and beautiful things.  And don’t forget a lake house and a second home in Vermont.  Fine horses, clothing, and the very best food prepared to your specifications.  Imagine that for a moment.”

              Abby closed her eyes and saw it all.

              Ben let her go for a moment and then said, “Now imagine having it all taken away in a matter of days.  Every single thing except what you can smuggle out.  No more expensive food or lake house.  You have no more home, no more fine horses to ride.  All you have are some clothes and a name that has been ruined by your father’s criminal activity.”

              “Oh, Ben, I’m so sorry,” Abby said as she opened her eyes again.

              “I didn’t really mind all the trappings, Abby.  See, my family didn’t know it, but when I moved to Atlanta a few years ago, it was because I went to medical school.  I would just write home every so often and tell my father that I needed so much money and he sent it to me without question.  I put it in my account and paid my tuition that way.  However, everyone knew that I was the son of Lewis Walker, the wealthiest business tycoon in the south.  But when it was discovered that he’d been part of a big corruption scheme and had cheated many people out of money, my career as a medical student was over.”

              “So you didn’t get to graduate,” Abby said. 

              “No, I did not.  But it’s water under the bridge now,” Ben said.  “Would you like me to stay?  I could sleep on the sofa.”

              Abby thought about it but said, “No, thank you.  You should get back to the bar and I would like to be alone, if you don’t mind.”

              “As you like, sugar.  Good night, Abby.  I’ll check on you tomorrow,” Ben said.  He kissed her forehead and stood up.  “Lock up, okay?” he said.

              Abby nodded and followed him to the door.  He gave her a last smile and went out into the night.  She locked the door and leaned against it.  Maybe she should have had Ben stay.  At least it distracted her from the pain when she talked to him.  But Abby knew she had to face it sometime ,and Ben couldn’t be around forever.  No one could.  Everyone had their own lives to live. 

              She blew out the lamp and lay down on the sofa.  Abby yearned for Elliot.  If things had gone differently that night, she’d be in his arms right then.  They’d have made love and fallen asleep curled together in his bed.  He’d have teased her about something and made her laugh.  She thought about how he could always keep track of all the topics she rattled off at him and respond to each one without fail.

              Abby tried not to think about his beautiful brown eyes that reminded her of brown sugar when they watched the sunrise together.  She sobbed as she knew she’d never be able to look at another sunrise without thinking about him.  Everything they had planned together was now gone and Abby didn’t know how to pick up the pieces of her shattered life.

              The sunrise found Elliot sitting on the ridge watching the sun come up.  This time he was alone, though.  A creature of habit, he’d risen like always and gone running.  It was better than lying in bed awake like he had all night.  There was a part of him that had hoped that Abby might come up there even though common sense told him she wouldn’t.  He held her ring and watched the sunlight reflect off it as he remembered how happy they were the day he’d proposed to her.

              Even in his sadness, Elliot smiled as he heard her list all the wonderful things they were going to do together.  Everything about Abby was full of life; her voice, her eyes, her curly hair.  There was a vitality to her that was even more attractive to Elliot than her physical beauty.

That was what had attracted him to her in her letters.  Her quick wit, intelligence, and kindness had come through loud and clear in her writings to him and he knew her appearance wouldn’t have mattered much to him.  Abby was much more than a pretty face to him. 

Elliot pocketed the ring again.  She might have given it back to him, but he didn’t intend to keep it.  No, he knew he was going to put it back on her finger at some point.  Elliot wasn’t showy about working towards a goal, but he was quietly tenacious. 

It was what had kept Bradbury’s going when his father’s health had started to fail.  He could have closed up, sold the place and paid someone to take care of his father.  Elliot wasn’t made that way, however.  He’d cared for his pa because he loved him and kept the store running for the same reason.  It made his father happy to know that Elliot was following in his footsteps and that made Elliot happy.  Making others happy was what made him happy.

Once the sun had fully risen, Elliot got up and started running again.  He knew Abby backwards and forwards and was going to use that to make her see that they were meant to be together, that he was the man she knew.  No one pushed Abby to do something, he knew.  Doing that would cause her to resist him.  Elliot could be patient.  Little by little he was going to win her back.

              Elliot was surprised when Ben knocked on his open office door a few hours later.

              “What do you want?” he asked him.  He wasn’t going to be polite to the man who had designs on his fiancée.  In his mind, she was still engaged to him; Abby just didn’t know it yet.

              Ben shut the door and sat down in the other chair.  He propped an ankle on the opposite ankle and looked at Elliot a moment.

              “I think it’s only fair to warn you that now that Abby isn’t wearing your ring, that she’s fair game,” Ben said.  “It’s the gentlemanly thing to do.  I think it’s time we stop pussyfootin’ around about this issue.  We both want her.  You had her and you lost her.  What do you intend to do?”

              Elliot grinned and took out Abby’s ring.  “See this?  I’m going to put this back on her finger and marry her.  That’s what I intend to do because that’s what Abby really wants, Ben.  You forget how well I know her.  Even before we met, I knew her.  I loved her before I laid eyes on her.  You can’t say that.  I have a successful business, a home, and I’m a good provider.  I want to marry her and have a family with her.  What do you have to offer her?”

              Ben smiled.  “All of those are good points, Elliot.  You know, I think a lot of people underestimate you, but not me.  I know what I’m up against, but you’re gonna lose, sir.  I have to play some catch up, that’s true, but you see, you’ve bought me some time.  You may know her better than I, but I didn’t break her heart.  I didn’t stab her friends in the back.  My brother-in-law and sister in the back.  I won’t ever forget that, Elliot.  Rebecca is my sister, my twin sister, and she and I have become closer over the past several months and I don’t take kindly to you or anyone else hurting her.  Jake is a great man and I don’t like anyone hurting him, either.  So I’ve got revenge as an incentive, too.”

              Elliot leaned forward and pointed at Ben.  “Abby is not a pawn in a game of revenge, Ben.  She’s a beautiful, intelligent woman who deserves to be loved and appreciated for the wonderful person she is and not as a piece on a chessboard.”

              Ben said, “I am aware of that and I would never dream of using her that way.  No, the two issues are separate for me.  Winning Abby’s heart is my main objective, but if I can put you out of business like you put Jake out of business, then that’s just the icing on the cake.  As for what I can offer Abby?  You just wait and see what I can offer her.”

              He stood and held out a hand to Elliot.  “May the best man win.”

              Elliot rose and took Ben’s hand.  “May the best man win, but that’ll be me.”

              Ben released his hand and smiled. “I like a man with confidence.  It’s too bad this is happening, Elliot.  I really do like you.”

              Elliot watched Ben leave and sat down in his chair again.  His mind began working through the problem at hand and anticipating what Ben might do. 

              Jake, Rebecca, Joe, Ben, and Abby sat in the barroom together that afternoon talking over their ideas for reopening without being able to serve alcohol.  It was going to greatly diminish business.  Jake had no experience serving food and their kitchen wasn’t equipped to do that. 

              Joe said, “We need someone who can give us some ideas about how to go about it.  There’s no sense asking Wes up at the Grady House because we’re gonna be competition for him now.”

              Jake said, “I got it!  Jack!  He’s been running their cookhouse for how long now?  Almost five years?  Plus, he’s got all sorts of recipes.  He’d tell us what we need.  I’ll go see if he’s at the Sheriff’s office and if he can come by tonight.”

              “Great idea, Jake.  See, that’s why I want to be partners with you,” Joe said.

              “I’ll be right back,” Jake said.

              Abby said, “I can help cook some, but if the food is too complicated, I’m not going to be able to keep up with the amount of people this place can seat.  We would need a bigger kitchen, I know that.”

              Rebecca nodded.  “I can cook as well, but then we’d still need to hire wait staff.”

              Ben said, “If we’re still offering gambling, you’re not going to want anything real involved anyway.  Maybe sandwiches and the like.”

              Joe kept writing down the things they were saying.  Brainstorming was one of his strong suits and he never dismissed anything because the one little thing you threw out might be the best idea in the world. 

              “Expanding the kitchen wouldn’t be hard, but the thing is, we’re not lookin’ to become a full-scale restaurant or anything.  We just want to keep revenue coming in until we can move.  It’s a good thing that you and Jake own this place free and clear, Rebecca, or we wouldn’t be able to move it,” Joe said. 

He leaned back in his seat and let ideas run through his mind even if they sounded silly.  Flashes of Ben and Reckless going at it kept invading his thoughts.  His comment to Jake about that being new entertainment came to him and he jumped up and started walking around the perimeter of the barroom.

              Ben watched Joe walk around in a circle three times and then stop and stand still.  That Joe was working on something was evident.  He got up and walked over to Joe.  “What are you thinking?”

              “When you were out here fighting Reckless day before last, did you think the amount of room here is sufficient for that sort of thing?” Joe said.

              Ben thought back to the fight.  “Yes.  Why?”

              Joe slapped Ben on the back and said, “Because the ordinance says no selling alcohol, but it doesn’t say anything about fighting sports, does it?”

              Ben began to see what Joe was getting at.  He grinned at Joe.  Joe certainly was a tricky devil, he thought.  “Let’s clarify the objectives here, Joe.  I think there are several.  Fighting would certainly bring in people, so we could sell admission instead of alcohol.  People like to eat when they watch those kinds of things, so if we could sell some inexpensive foods, we’d make money above and beyond the admission.”

              “Yep.  You got it.  Now, as far as fighters are concerned, I’m sure we can get some locals who feel like bustin’ some heads.  If I could convince Luke to take on some guys, it would start us off.  If you tick him off enough, he’s as dangerous as a tiger.  I know fellas who’ve been on the receiving end of his anger and they’ve never been the same,” Joe said. 

              “If you can convince him, I know who can piss him off,” Ben said.

              “You?” Joe asked.

              “Nope.  Reckless.  Imagine what a crowd that would draw.  Big Luke facing off against an Indian kid,” Ben said.

              “An Indian kid who bested you but good, remember,” Joe replied.

              Ben conceded the point.  “He’s creative, that’s for sure.  I never saw that thing with the bow and arrows coming.”

              “Like poetry in motion,” Joe said.  “All right, when Jake gets back, we talk to him about this and see what he says.”

              Marcus halted his horse, Arrow, at the clinic and ran inside for a moment and came back out.  He started running for the Watering Hole and then he saw Jake running up the street in the opposite direction.  He took off after Jake and caught up with him.

              “Jake, I need you to come to the Watering Hole with me, please,” Marcus said.

              “Why?” Jake asked.

              “Just come with me,” Marcus said, and took Jake’s arm.

              Jake resisted and said, “I’m in a hurry, Marcus.  I need to talk to Jack and I need to do it now.  I’m hoping he’s at the Sheriff’s office.”

              “Damn it, Jake!  This is important!  Come with me!” Marcus said.

              Something about the way Marcus was acting finally got through to Jake and he followed Marcus.  When they arrived back at the bar, Marcus ignored everyone else and said, “Rebecca, will you please come to the office with Jake and me?”

              “Certainly,” she said, and followed the two men while the other three exchanged confused glances.

              Marcus closed the door and had the both of them sit down.  He knelt next to Jake and said, “Jake, I went to check on your pa this morning.  He, um, passed away sometime during the night.  I’m so sorry, Jake.”

              The color drained from Jake’s face.  “No.  That can’t be.  He was just here last night having a great time.  We tended bar together and he told so many stories and everyone came to see him.  Please tell me it’s not true, Marcus.”

              Rebecca held both of Jake’s hands as Marcus said, “You don’t know how badly I wish I could, Jake.  He was a wonderful man and I’m gonna miss him like hell.”

              Jake’s chest felt like a pile of bricks had been dropped on it.  “Oh, Pa,” he said, and buried his face in his hands and cried as Rebecca put her arms around him.

              Marcus said, “Whatever you need, just let me know.”

              Rebecca nodded but couldn’t speak.

              Marcus left and went out to the barroom.  By the time he got there, his own sobs shook his shoulders.  Joe took one look at him and got ahold of him and sat him down.

              “What the hell happened?” Joe asked him.

              Marcus choked out, “Calvin.”

              Abby said, “Oh, no.”

              The doctor got control over his grief and cleared his throat.  “I just found him a little while ago.  I have to go prepare him now, but when Jake’s ready, you bring him and Rebecca to see him, Joe.  Okay?”

              “Of course,” Joe said.  “Damn.  I don’t believe it.”

              “Me, either,” Ben said.  He’d grown very fond of Calvin.

              Abby said, “He had such a good time last night, too.  Everyone just loved him.”

              Marcus abruptly got up and walked out.

              “Did I say something wrong?” Abby said.

              “No, darlin’,” Joe said.  “Marcus is one of the most sensitive guys you’ll ever meet and when one of his patients passes away, he takes it to heart like it was one of his own, because in his mind they are.  He’ll be all right.  It wasn’t anything any of us said or did.”

              “Oh, okay,” she said.  “How awful.”

              Joe nodded.  “Yeah.  How awful, indeed.”

              Three days later, Calvin Daniel Henderson was laid to rest while a large crowd gathered ‘round the grave.  Pastor John didn’t remember ever seeing so many people attend a graveside service before and knew that Calvin’s popularity was widespread.  Jake had cried so many tears that he didn’t have any left at the time.  Rebecca, however, couldn’t stop crying.  Jake held her and tried to comfort her, but he knew that sometimes there just was no comfort.

              Elliot attended and shed tears.  Having just lost his own father, he knew what Jake was going through.  He wanted to go to Jake in the worst way, but was afraid of his reception.  It was no secret that Jake blamed the council for his father’s death and Elliot didn’t want to cause Jake any more distress than he was already going through. 

              In the end he decided to risk it.  He waited until most of the other mourners had gone before walking over to Jake.

              “Jake, I’m so sorry about your pa.  I admired him and I know my pa did, too,” Elliot said.

              Jake looked at Elliot for a moment and said, “Thanks, Elliot, but you’re one of the people who helped put him here, so you’ll have to forgive me when I tell you that your words don’t mean crap to me.”

              Elliot wasn’t surprised by Jake’s response, but it hurt nonetheless.  He knew now wasn’t the time to press the issue.  “I’m sorry you feel that way and I am sorry about Calvin,” he said quietly, and walked away.