A Kiss To Build A Dream On
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“It’s a beautiful day,” Morgan said. “The sun is out and the birds are singing.”
Katie turned from her window where she was looking at the mountains in the distance, toward him with an appreciative smile. It made her look so young to see how much happier she looked when it wasn’t raining or snowing outside.
He hadn’t realized that until this morning; now he knew exactly what kind of weather to expect on any given day. And for some reason, it brought back memories of his mother and father sitting together on their porch watching the rain fall.
He took off his hat and leaned against the door frame as he watched Katie put away her sewing kit and pick up the book she had been reading yesterday. She flipped through the pages as if she were looking for something, but then she closed it and laid it aside. When she came closer, she saw him standing there and smiled.
“Did you sleep well?” she asked. “You must be tired after all your work today.”
“I slept like a log,” he said. “And I feel great. You’re not going to believe me when I tell you this, but I actually got my exercise by climbing a mountain.”
Her eyes widened. “Really? Did you find any gold?”
“No, I didn’t even get close enough to find anything worth taking home with us. But I did have a lot of fun and felt better than I ever remember feeling before.”
She laughed softly. “Well, that’s good news anyway. So what did you do on top of the mountain?”
“We ate lunch—you know, hot dogs and hamburgers, potato salad, fried chicken—and we played games while we waited for our food to cook. We played three-legged race, egg toss, and sack races.”
“Sounds like a nice way to spend part of the day.”
Morgan grinned. “Yes, it sure was. What about you? How was your day?”
“Mine was busy too,” she said, picking up her book again and returning to reading it. “There’s a man who has come into town several times since we arrived here and each time he comes, I’m forced to help him find whatever he’s lost.
I can’t say that I enjoy being bothered by someone else’s problems, but I don’t mind helping him once every few days. There are other things I could be doing, such as cleaning the house, washing clothes, and working on the furniture, but I’ve learned over the years that people appreciate being helped when they need it most. They’ll return the favor someday.”
“So you’re just doing what you think needs to be done.”
“That’s right.” Her answer was matter-of-factly, almost without emotion, and it reminded him of a conversation he’d overheard between his parents when he was younger.
His mother had told his father that she couldn’t stand people coming to them and asking for handouts because she knew that one day those same people would turn around and take advantage of others when they needed help themselves.
This woman might be different from many women in Colorado, but she seemed to share his mother’s attitude. He liked that. He thought it made her more real, more down-to-earth. If he ever decided to marry, he wanted to make sure it was with someone who shared his values and beliefs.
Not only would he never want to live apart from her, but he also wouldn’t want her to feel obligated to support him financially.
When Morgan returned to his room, he found a note lying beside his bed. It read: Dear Mr. Ryan, please come downstairs to the parlor. Miss Katherine wants to speak with you. Sincerely, Miss Katherine.
Reluctantly, Morgan followed her downstairs and found himself sitting across from her on a couch. After she poured two glasses of iced tea, she sat down next to him.
“Do you remember that I told you I planned to go back to New York soon?”
“I remember,” he replied.
“Well, I am leaving tomorrow. The trip will take six weeks or more depending on the train schedules. That means I won’t be able to meet you here anymore unless I stay overnight. Do you understand why?”
He nodded. “But if you’re staying in town long enough to visit, then why leave at all?”
“Because I have business in Chicago first, and I can’t afford to be gone that long. Plus, I need to save money for our wedding.”
“Wedding?”
“Yes, we plan to get married sometime in the future, but we haven’t set a date yet.”
“What about your family?” he asked. “Wouldn’t they object to an elopement?”
Katie shrugged. “My family is far away, so they aren’t likely to notice until after the fact. And if they do, I’ll deal with their objections later.”
“Why do you keep mentioning your family? Don’t they approve of what we’re doing?”
She hesitated a moment and then looked straight into his eyes. “They have no idea.”
Morgan stared at her. “Are you telling me that your folks don’t know what you’re doing?”
She shook her head slowly. “Of course, they know what I’m doing. I’ve told them everything. I just haven’t told them where.”
Morgan chuckled. “You mean to tell me you kept this whole thing hidden from your parents?”
“Not really. They already knew what I was doing, but I hadn’t told them how or exactly who I was involved with. Now you know.”
“And now you’ve told me. Does this mean you’re going to tell them yourself?”
“No, not before I see what happens between us.” She paused, and then added quietly, “If you still want me to.”
“Don’t worry about my feelings,” he said lightly, trying to hide his disappointment. “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”
After finishing her glass of iced tea, Katie rose from the couch. “Now, I should probably go upstairs and prepare for bed.”
“It’s late, and you’ve been traveling quite a bit lately.”
“Thank you, but I don’t need to rest.” With a quick smile, she turned toward the stairs. “Good night, Morgan.”
***
The next morning, Morgan went outside and saddled his horse while Katie prepared breakfast. While eating breakfast alone in the kitchen, he considered calling his parents to let them know he’d be out of touch for several days, but instead, he waited until he got home that afternoon.
When Morgan walked inside, he found his mother waiting by the front door. “Where have you been, son? Your father and I were worried sick. We didn’t hear from you since last week.”
Morgan held up his hand. “Hold on, Ma. Let me explain.”
“There isn’t anything to explain, son. You disappeared without even letting us know. What kind of man does something like that?”
His father joined the argument. “Your mother’s right, Morgan. Where were you? Why did you suddenly disappear? How could you leave us without saying goodbye?” His voice sounded choked, which surprised Morgan because he’d never seen his father cry before.
Morgan had always felt close to his father, but now he wondered if his father would accept him for who he was. Did he truly love him for being gay? Or did he love him only because he was part of the family? Could his parents accept him for who he was? Was there any chance of reconciliation?
Morgan closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. He opened his mouth to reply when he heard a knock at the door. When he answered it, he found Miss Katherine standing on the other side.
“Miss Katherine!” he exclaimed.
She smiled. “How are things here?”
“Fine,” he replied, looking around the ranch house. “Everything seems to be running smoothly.”
“That’s good, especially since you’re planning to stay awhile longer.”
“Is there something wrong with that?” Morgan demanded. “I told you I planned to stay until after you left.”
“So you did. But we assumed you meant to return home once I was gone. Not to mention the fact that you wouldn’t be staying in the same house as me.”
“Oh,” he replied, realizing that he hadn’t thought about that detail.
“Did you forget that I work here too?” she asked. “We both need separate quarters.”
Morgan stepped aside, motioning for her to enter. “Well, I guess I can find somewhere else to sleep.”
“You may think otherwise, but I believe this will work out well.”
He glared at her. “Do you really expect me to believe you two won’t get along? The way you look at each other tells me otherwise.”
Her dark brown eyes flashed with anger. “Who says I look at him?”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have come back,” he mumbled under his breath. Then louder, “But I am home now. So is everyone else. And I’ll be living with you again.”
Katie reached over and patted his shoulder. “Things will be fine, Morgan. It might take some time, but I know we all love each other very much.”
“Just so long as you don’t mind sharing a room with another woman,” he muttered. “Because I sure don’t.”
“Don’t worry, son,” his father said, putting his arm around his shoulders. “We understand. In fact, I think Katie will make an excellent housekeeper.”
With that, he led the way into the dining room where Katie sat at the table. As soon as they entered, the others stopped talking. “Welcome back, son.” His father gave him a warm embrace.
Katie offered a smile, then turned to Morgan. “Please call me Katherine.”
“Yes, ma’am.” After sitting down, he glanced across the table. “Why do you ask me to call you Katherine?”
“To avoid confusion, of course.” Her gaze met his, and he saw her lips form a tight smile.
After giving Katie a brief tour of the house, Morgan returned to his bedroom. He changed into dry clothes, put away the wet ones, and tidied his closet. For a few minutes, he looked through his bookshelves, trying to decide what to read. Finally deciding on one of his favorite novels, he picked it off the shelf, then pulled out his bedside lamp.
A loud knock sounded on the front door, followed by footsteps hurrying toward his room. A moment later, Katie rushed past Morgan and shut the bedroom door behind her.
Morgan waited for her to speak. She stared straight ahead, not meeting his eyes.
Finally, she sighed and turned to face him. “I’m sorry, Morgan. If I knew how to keep my thoughts private, I would. But sometimes, it’s hard. Sometimes, I just can’t help myself.”
“What exactly are your thoughts, Katie? Do you mean that you feel attracted to men?”
“No,” she said quickly, shaking her head. “I’ve never felt anything for anyone except my brother and sister, or maybe my uncle. That’s why I never married.”
“Then what are these thoughts of yours?”
“It’s nothing. Just a passing fancy. Nothing more than that.”
“I hope not,” Morgan said quietly. “Otherwise, I might have to leave before you do.”
***
The next morning, Morgan awoke early and decided to ride out alone. He saddled up Dancer and headed north. The sun rose high overhead as he rode along the winding road, watching the trees grow taller.
When he finally reached the main street of town, Morgan had almost forgotten about the strange events of last night. At least until he noticed the people who gathered outside the saloon.
At first, he couldn’t understand why the women were crying, and the men looked angry. Then he realized it wasn’t because of a fight between two cowboys. No, these women cried because of a murder.
One of them ran inside, yelling hysterically. “Someone killed Mr. Anderson!”
Another shouted, “Let’s go! Let’s go!”
They hurried past Morgan, racing into the saloon. Morgan watched them enter the building, then continued riding southward. There was no reason for any man to kill Mr. Anderson, especially someone like him, a harmless old man. Or so Morgan believed.
His father didn’t seem surprised when Morgan told him about the murder. “Mr. Anderson was quite elderly,” he remarked. “And he liked to gamble. Many times, we wondered if he lost enough money to warrant such action. Still, we did our best to protect him from the worst of it.”
As Morgan thought about the death of Mr. Anderson, he remembered his conversation with Katie after dinner. “Are you sure it was a stranger who did this?” he asked.
“Absolutely,” his mother replied. “In fact, I heard Mr. Anderson say something last night right before he died.”
“Something about a stranger?”
“Yes, sir. Something like that.”
Morgan pondered her words as he made his way back to the ranch. When he arrived home, he found everyone in the barn, including the hired hands. They stood around, staring at the ground while their boss paced nervously near the corral.
“Who could have done such a thing?” Sam muttered.
“Not a lot of folks live around here,” Johnny added.
Sam shook his head. “That leaves only a handful of possibilities.”
Johnny nodded. “You’re probably thinking a gang of outlaws. And since there’s been no word of trouble anywhere else, I’d have to agree.”
“Or maybe an Indian.” Sam paused, looking pointedly at Johnny. “Or even one of us.”
Johnny gave him a disgusted look. “None of us has ever shot anyone, much less killed anybody. It doesn’t make sense.”
“But what other choice is there?” Sam asked. “We don’t know anyone who fits your description, and we’ve all ridden together many times.”
For a long time, the three men stood silently. Finally, Morgan spoke up. “Well, I guess whoever killed Mr. Anderson will be caught soon. You know, it wouldn’t hurt to start searching the area. Maybe some clue will turn up.”
With that, they mounted their horses and set out to search. After a few hours of walking, the group returned to the house empty-handed. Everyone took turns washing up, then sat down at the table for lunch.
As Morgan ate, he tried to think of another explanation for Mr. Anderson’s death. Was it possible that Katie had lied? Could the killer have been one of them, or was it really a stranger?
He pushed aside the question and finished his meal. His mind wandered, wondering if Katie had lied or not. Why would she lie? What would she gain by doing so? Perhaps she hadn’t meant anything by it, but still, he wanted answers. He needed to talk to her.
After lunch, the family cleaned the kitchen, then went back upstairs. A few minutes later, Sam announced that he planned to saddle up and take care of business. With that, he left the house.
Morgan waited impatiently on the front porch, hoping Sam would return. He hated to wait, and now he wished he had gone with Sam instead of staying behind. But he knew it wouldn’t have helped. If Sam couldn’t find a lead, he would have just wasted time.
A half-hour passed before Sam finally reappeared. Morgan saw him dismount his horse and walk toward the barn.
“Where were you?” he asked when Sam came closer.
“I rode over to the livery stable to see if anything turned up.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing.” Sam shrugged. “The owner said he hasn’t seen anyone suspicious. That includes a young woman with dark hair and blue eyes. The name was Katie.”
“Katie! Now there’s a coincidence. We both met her yesterday.”
Sam raised an eyebrow. “She works there, does she? In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a married man. So, let me ask you again. Where were you?”
“Nowhere,” Morgan answered. “I was working in the barn.”
Sam frowned. “Don’t play games with me. I can tell when you’re lying. Don’t do it anymore. It’s very annoying.”
Morgan stared hard at his brother. “Okay. Okay. I’ll admit it. I rode with you. And yes, I did meet Katie. She seemed nice enough.”
“Then why are you acting so mysterious?”
“Because I want to figure things out myself.”
“Figures,” Sam muttered. “Just because you’re getting married, you won’t share anything with the rest of us. Well, I hope you two will be happy, but don’t expect any favors from the rest of us.”
“Favor? What favor do you mean?”
Sam glanced at his watch. “Time to get ready for church. Come along.”
They walked to the church, where the entire community attended services every Sunday. Since the day of the murder, Morgan had thought about Katie, and more than once, he had wondered if she had been involved somehow. Now he realized she must have been. How else could she have known where the body was hidden?
When the service ended, they stopped outside the church. “Do you plan to stay close to home today?” Morgan asked. “In case something happens?”
“Of course.”
“And what about tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow, we ride to town and visit the sheriff’s office.” Sam looked around. “It might help to have someone with us.”
“Me?” Morgan shook his head. “Why me? I’ve got work here, and I’m not trained like you are to deal with this kind of thing.”
Sam gave him a disapproving glare. “You know, you’re beginning to sound like our father sometimes.”
Morgan ignored him as they headed back to the house. At least Sam didn’t say anything more about being disappointed with him. For that alone, he should thank God.
***
On Monday morning, Morgan prepared for his first day of school since leaving the academy. When he stepped outside, he found his brothers already waiting. They all climbed into the wagon, which was pulled by a pair of mules, and rode to the small country schoolhouse.
At first glance, the building looked old. Inside, the wooden desks and chairs made the place feel even older. Two teachers taught the children who lived within five miles of the schoolhouse. On the wall, the teachers’ names and years of experience were listed. One was named Miss Miller, and the other was Mrs. Kelly.
Miss Miller greeted them as soon as they entered the room. “Good morning, boys. Welcome to my classroom.”
Mrs. Kelly smiled warmly at them. “Are you new students?”
“Yes,” Sam answered.
“Very well. You may sit wherever you wish. This is a good way to learn geography, history, science—you name it. It also gives everyone a chance to make friends.”
Both Sam and Morgan nodded their thanks, then took seats next to each other. Both boys sat quietly while the class settled down. Morgan tried to pay attention, but he found himself distracted. His thoughts kept going to Katie, and how much he liked her.
Even though they hadn’t really talked much yet, he felt comfortable talking with her. Maybe too comfortable. Why couldn’t he stop thinking about her? He wasn’t sure.
He watched her teach the children, and although he never spoke, he listened intently. He learned that Miss Miller had only graduated from college a year ago. A few months later, she would marry Dr. Jameson, whom she’d met during medical training.
She told the children stories of the time when the first settlers arrived on the frontier and built their homes. Then she moved on to the Gold Rush period. Finally, she explained the Civil War.
By the end of the day, Morgan knew he liked Miss Miller. She was smart, beautiful, funny…
As he walked toward the door, one child ran ahead. Another followed. Before long, several children trailed after them.
“Children, please wait until you reach the door before exiting,” Miss Miller called. “We wouldn’t want anyone to trip over your feet.”
The last student caught up with them just as they reached the door. As the boy passed him, he slipped. The little boy tumbled face-first onto the floor.
A number of kids laughed. “Look! Look!”
Morgan jumped off the bench and knelt beside the fallen child. “Whoa there. Are you hurt?”
“I think so,” the boy said between gasps for air.
“Let me see.” Morgan held the boy’s hand in his own. “Your fingers are bent backward.”
“Ouch.”
“Hold still.”
With quick, steady movements, Morgan straightened out the child’s fingers. The boy cried out softly, but he seemed to accept the pain.
“How does that feel?”
“Much better,” the boy replied.
Morgan stood up and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Come along now.” He helped the boy rise. “Now run along home, and tell your mother to come to get you.”
The boy skipped away with the rest of the children. Once he disappeared, Morgan returned to his seat.
Miss Miller continued teaching, and Sam stayed quiet. After the lesson, both boys left the room. Neither mentioned the incident again nor did either mention Katie. Instead, they went to the barn where Morgan tended to his horse. Sam watched from nearby, but he didn’t bother asking any questions.
That night, Morgan lay in bed wondering if he could ever be happy with anyone else. No matter what he did or who he married, he would always wonder why Katie couldn’t love him back. He fell asleep wondering why fate chose to send him to this place, and he prayed that someday he’d find some peace.
The End