Rimfire Bride Read online

“I don’t want to like her. She’s not my mama.”

  Drew went to Sam and sat beside him. “Sam, nobody said she was your mama. Your mama is gone, and no matter how much we all want her to be here, she’s never coming back. We can love her as much as we ever did, but that can’t stop us from finding other people to be in our lives.”

  “Do you love Miss Hartmann?”

  “No, I don’t. I like her. I like being around her. She makes me laugh and she makes me feel good. And she would make you feel better, too, if you would let her. I think Benji likes her.”

  “Benji likes everybody. I’m not Benji.”

  Drew took Sam into his arms. “No, you’re not, and I wouldn’t want you to be. I have one Benji and I have one Sam, and I want both of you to be just who you are.” Drew held his son for several minutes, with neither of them saying a word as both looked out at the empty prairie. “I have to go back downstairs. Will you come down and meet her? You can call her Jana if you’d like.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Good, because I need you to carry the pumpkin pies. Nobody can do that as well as you can.” Drew gave Sam one last big hug and held him close. “I love you, Sam, and no matter what happens, I want you to always remember that.”

  “I love you, too, Daddy,” Sam said as Drew stood to leave.

  Drew closed the door to Sam’s room, then walked slowly down the hall. How was he going to handle this? He could see right now that Sam was going to be a challenge to his new resolve to find the boys a mother. But was his interest in Jana Hartmann for the benefit of the boys, or for his?

  He knew the answer without even thinking. He was hungry for a woman’s companionship, not just any woman, but a woman who had substance. So far, Jana was the first to come along that seriously interested him, but could he ever really love another woman? He couldn’t answer that question. And then, did it matter if he loved her or not?

  When Drew returned to the parlor, Jana and Benji were sitting on the floor playing snakes and ladders, a board game that Benji loved. It was played with a die, and if your marker landed on a ladder where the virtues were, you moved forward, and if you landed on a snake, where the vices were, you went backward.

  Jana had just thrown the die and counted as she moved her piece. “One, two, three—oh, no!”

  “You have to go one more, you have to,” Benji said as he rolled on the floor in laughter. “You got drunkenness. You have to go all the way back.”

  “Drunkenness. Oh, Miss Hartmann, that is bad,” Drew said when he came into the room, sitting down on the floor.

  “Daddy, you don’t have to call her Miss Hartmann. Her name is Jana.”

  “Yes, did you forget?” Jana teased.

  “No, I’ve not forgotten,” Drew said with a devastating grin. “But who’s helping Mrs. Considine? I leave you two, and what do you do? You start playing when there’s work to be done.”

  “Come on, Jana. Daddy will clean this mess up,” Benji said as he pulled on her hand.

  “He’s right. Daddy cleans up.” Drew began picking up the game.

  Just as Jana stood, she saw another child sitting on the top step of the stairway. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs, wanting to say something, but she thought the child should be the first to speak. When he did not, she smiled and waved, then followed Benji through the swinging door that went into the kitchen.

  “Oh, it smells lovely in here,” Jana said.

  “I’m just waiting on the gravy to thicken and everything will be ready,” Elfrieda said. “Start putting the stuff in these crates.”

  Jana put the mashed potatoes and turnips in one crate while Benji put the pudding in another.

  Just then Drew and Sam came through the door.

  “The pie man’s here,” Drew said. “We can put the mince pies in the crates, but we have to carry the pumpkin pies, and Sam’s the best there is.”

  “Hi, Sam,” Jana said.

  “Hi.” Sam picked up a pie and went through the swinging door.

  Drew looked toward Jana and shrugged his shoulders.

  “It’s all right,” Jana said as she picked up the vegetable crate.

  “Mr. Malone, you carry the turkey and the roast pork,” Elfrieda said.

  “Hey, what are we gonna eat?” Benji asked.

  “Don’t worry, there’s plenty for us, and Mr. Malone and Miss Hartmann will eat at the church.”

  “We’re eating at the church?” Jana asked.

  “Yes. Oh, did I forget to tell you? The whole town has a potluck dinner on Thanksgiving, and then we all go to the dance. Elfrieda is making her oyster stew for us to take.”

  Drew hitched a horse to a wagon that was now loaded with food, and the four headed toward the jail.

  “Daddy, I beat Jana in ladders and snakes,” Benji said. “You know why I beat her?”

  “No, why did you beat her?”

  “Because I’m a very good player.”

  “That’s right,” Jana said. “You are a very good player because you’ve practiced. You’re certainly a better player than I am.”

  Jana looked over at Sam, who seemed to find something interesting to look at outside the wagon.

  When they reached the jail, Drew jumped down, leaving the boys and Jana in the wagon.

  “Are you gonna stay with us?” Benji asked.

  “No, I have to go home,” Jana said.

  “Where do you live?” Sam asked.

  Jana was glad that Sam had spoken to her. “I live at the Custer Hotel.”

  “Why do you live there?” Benji asked.

  “Because she doesn’t have a house,” Sam said.

  “You mean you don’t have a house to live in?”

  “No.”

  “That’s all right, we have a house, you could live with us,” Benji said.

  “Oh, I think it would be better if I stayed where I am. Besides, you have Mrs. Considine to take care of you.”

  “Yeah, it would be better if she stayed in the hotel. Where would Elfrieda go?” Sam asked. “Miss Hartmann can’t live at our house, Benji.”

  Sheriff McKenzie and his deputy met Drew when he came into the jail.

  “Well, now,” McKenzie said. “The boys are certainly going to appreciate this. They’ve been waiting all day.”

  “How many prisoners do you have?”

  “There are four. Of course, Deputy Ames and I plan to eat with them, if there’s enough food.”

  “You don’t have to worry, there’s plenty of food,” Drew said. “Come give me a hand bringing it in.”

  Sheriff McKenzie and Deputy Ames followed Drew back out to the spring wagon, where Jana, Sam, and Benji were waiting.

  “Sam, you’re going to have to carry the pumpkin pie in,” Drew said. “I don’t trust these guys with it.”

  “Can he carry it without dropping it?” Sheriff McKenzie asked.

  “Are you kidding? He’s the best pumpkin-pie carrier in the world,” Drew said.

  Sam climbed down from the wagon carefully and, with great attention to his responsibility, carried the pie into the jail.

  The sheriff had put a table into one of the cells, and all the prisoners were brought into that cell for their dinner.

  “Mr. Malone, I want you to know how much we appreciate this,” one of the prisoners said. “Sometimes people forget about prisoners when the holidays come around. But you didn’t.”

  “Well, just because you’re in jail is no reason why you can’t celebrate the holiday like the rest of us.”

  “And now, Sheriff, if you don’t mind, I’d like to say a little blessin’ before we eat,” one of the prisoners said.

  “I don’t mind at all, Adam. You go right ahead.” Sheriff McKenzie and Deputy Ames removed their hats, and all bowed their heads.

  “Most gracious Father, we thank you for this food we are about to eat, and for those good people who prepared and are serving it to us. Look with pity on those of us who are housed here. Grant us true contrition for past sins, and st
rengthen us in our good resolutions. Amen.”

  After telling everyone good-bye, Drew and Sam returned to the wagon, where Jana and Benji had patiently been waiting.

  “We made some hungry men very happy. Now let’s hurry home and eat our dinner.”

  “Drew, I think I should go back to the hotel.”

  “Why?”

  “I just think it would be better.”

  “You aren’t changing your mind about dinner and the dance tonight, are you?”

  “No, I haven’t changed my mind. But I really do think I should go back for now.”

  “All right, but I’m going to pick you up at four o’clock.”

  When Jana returned to the hotel, she went straight upstairs, even though the sounds coming from the saloon were inviting. The men were singing patriotic songs and hymns, which seemed incongruous to Jana. Hymns and a bar just didn’t seem to go together.

  When she went into her room, she lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling for a long time, thinking about Sam Malone. He was going to be a big problem.

  She thought about her relationship with Frederick Kaiser. No matter how much her mother may have cared for him, if she ever did, Jana’s life had been miserable.

  She would see to it that any potential relationship between Drew and her would be nipped in the bud immediately. As she lay there, tears began to well in her eyes because he seemed to be such a perfect man.

  TWELVE

  Jana, Jana, wake up!” Greta was saying as she shook Jana’s shoulder.

  “What?” Jana responded groggily.

  “Wake up. Drew is here, and you’re not even dressed. Quick. Put this on.” Greta pulled the orange satin dress with the green velvet collar out of the chest.

  Jana took the dress without comment.

  “What are you doing sleeping? Don’t you want to go to the dance? That man is the most handsome man in town, and here you are taking a nap.”

  “Why don’t you go with him?”

  “Because I’m not the one he asked. You are.” Greta quickly worked Jana’s hair into a French braid. “Here. Put this on.” She dabbed lip coloring on her sister’s lips.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Making you look even prettier than usual. Now grab your cape and get out of here.”

  Jana did as she was told, moving down the hallway as slowly as she could. Of all things to do, she least of all wanted to go to a potluck dinner at a church with a man with whom she—with whom she wanted to do what?

  She saw Drew waiting for her at the foot of the steps, his eyes glowing in the reflected light of the gas chandeliers.

  “You look beautiful,” he said, his tone almost reverential.

  “I’m sorry I’m late.”

  “There’s no problem. I took Elfrieda’s oyster stew by the fellowship hall already. Now, if that had been late . . .”

  “It’s that good, huh?”

  “Greta could probably make it better, but that’s what Elfrieda thinks she makes best, so that’s what I take. I hope you don’t mind if we walk. I just enjoy it.”

  Stepping out into the street, Drew took her arm and held it snuggly against him. “You know what you need? A seal hat. I’ll get you one for Christmas.”

  “Drew, you can’t do that.”

  “Why not? If it’ll make you feel better, it’ll be my pay for your services.”

  “Sometimes you talk in riddles. I have no idea what you mean.”

  “I need your help. I need a woman to help me pick out furniture for Rimfire.”

  “Rimfire? That’s your ranch, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, but how did you know?”

  “Frank told me that’s where you had gone.”

  “You were wondering about me,” Drew said with an easy smile. “That’s the way it should be.”

  “What’s Rimfire like?”

  “It’s beautiful. You’ll have to see it someday.”

  “I’ll bet the boys like it.”

  “They do, but they’ll like it even more when I get their own horses for them. I’m waiting for them to be a little older though.”

  “Let me guess. Benji thinks he’s ready for his own horse now, but Sam is a bit more cautious.”

  Drew chuckled. “You’ve got ’em figured out, all right. Benji’s ready to try anything, anytime. Sam’s a little more . . . well, I guess the word is reserved.”

  “I could see that.”

  Drew stopped and looked at her, then he touched her lips with his finger as he pulled her closer to him.

  Jana closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. Despite her best intentions, she knew she was falling in love. How could she be around this man and not fall in love with him? For just this one night she would forget her pledge to try to shield one little boy from the heartache she had experienced at the hands of a stepparent. She would enjoy being with Drew, who, as Greta had so rightly said, was the most handsome man in Bismarck.

  When Jana and Drew walked into the church fellowship hall, there was a sudden lull in the conversation. Drew stepped forward and raised his hand.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, for those of you who don’t know her name, I would like to introduce Miss Jana Hartmann, or, as most of you know her, the ‘woman in Watson’s window.’ ”

  A loud cheering followed as several of the men stood up.

  “She’s the one who’s costing me a bloody fortune,” one man said as he yelled above the others.

  “And I for one can’t thank you enough,” a white-haired lady said as she patted the man on the arm. “Thurlow hasn’t bought me this many clothes in all forty years of marriage combined.”

  Although the Thanksgiving meal was held in the Methodist church, a great many non-Methodist townspeople were present for the nondenominational event. Four long tables had been prepared for the diners, with an array of native vegetation, pumpkins, fruits, and nuts interspersed with shafts of wheat running down the center length of the tables, each of which would accommodate fifty diners.

  At one side of the room a long buffet table was filled with food, featuring stuffed turkey and roasted venison in addition to the oyster stew, countless vegetables, freshly baked bread and rolls. Finally there were the desserts: pumpkin, mincemeat, and pecan pies, almost too many to count.

  Drew turned to Jana and took her hand. “Shall we get a plate of food and find a place to sit? I’m starved.”

  “I think that would be best, now that we’ve made an entrance worthy of the Opera House.”

  As Drew directed her toward the buffet table, Jana felt the light pressure of his hand on the small of her back, and the gesture sent rhythms of pleasure up her spine.

  “Elfrieda says everybody likes her stew, and I guess she’s right because it’s all gone, but there’s still enough food for an army,” Drew said as he picked up a turkey drumstick. “I can’t get this at home because drumsticks are the boys’ favorites.”

  “Was Sam all right after I left?”

  “I think so. Jana, I hope he didn’t—”

  “Drew, you forget. I haven’t always been the ‘woman in the window.’ At one time, I was a teacher, and I’ve been around a lot of children.”

  “I guess that’s why you were so patient with Sam today, and why you were so good at snakes and ladders.” Drew laughed. “Benji said you explained what asceticism was when he landed on that block, but he’s not convinced that doing without things is actually a virtue.”

  “I would rather explain that one than some of the others.”

  “You mean like lust.”

  “That would have been a bit challenging.”

  “I have changed the rules,” Drew said. “Benji and I say that lust is a virtue rather than a vice because, the way I explain it, it’s when you want too much ice cream.”

  “And when he gets older and some teacher tells him the real meaning of lust, he’s going to say, ‘My daddy says it’s good.’ ”

  All at once, Drew’s expression changed, and Jana knew they were
no longer talking about a child’s game.

  “Lust is good when you know what you want.”

  Jana looked down as her cheeks began to flush. She continued along the line, making her food choices silently.

  “Oh my, the woman in the window out among the real people,” someone said. Looking toward the sound of the voice, Jana saw an attractive, rather petite, blond-haired woman.

  “Hello, Drew, aren’t you going to introduce me to—your friend?” the woman asked, setting the words your friend apart for emphasis.

  “Jana Hartmann, this is Della Peterson. Miss Peterson is Sam’s teacher.”

  Jana smiled. “Well, Miss Peterson, I’ve very pleased to meet you. Sam’s a special young man.”

  “A special young man who needs a lot of work,” Della said. “I’ve tried to get Drew to meet with me so we can go over some things that could help the boy, but he’s always too busy.”

  “Sam is sensitive,” Jana said. “But I’m sure you can understand why.”

  “He was a very young child then. I don’t see how he can even remember the incident.”

  “You would be surprised at how far back children can remember, and what vivid impressions traumatic events can make on them.”

  “Oh, so now a woman who displays her body in a window for all to see is going to tell me about children?”

  “Della!” Drew said sharply.

  “I’m sorry,” Della said quickly, smiling and putting her hand on Jana’s arm. “It’s just that I have tried so hard with that child, and the results have been very frustrating. Please forgive me.”

  “Of course.”

  Della looked toward Drew and flashed her most coquettish smile. “And, Drew, my dance card is not yet filled for tonight, but it is filling rapidly.”

  “I’ve no doubt that it is,” Drew said. Then, looking out over the dining area, he spoke to Jana, effectively dismissing Della.

  “There’s Frank. Come, I’d like you to meet Caroline. She’s a good friend, and I think you’ll like her.”

  “It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Peterson,” Jana said.

  Della did not respond, and Jana couldn’t help but notice the glaring expression on the schoolteacher’s face as they moved through the crowd toward the Allens.

  After the Thanksgiving feast the diners all moved to the Sheridan House. The tables in the dining room had been pushed to the side to make room for dancing. More than a hundred couples had congregated. The hall was decorated with flags and emblems of the Pioneer Fire Company Number 1, which both sponsored and profited from the event.