Heart Of Loyalty
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“I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry,” Jamie said as he pulled away from the last outpost. “Why don’t we stop in at the saloon for a drink and then eat?”
She shook her head. “We’re not going to the saloon.”
He laughed. “You’ll have your chance tonight.” He took her hand and led her through the swinging doors of the saloon. The place was dimly lit with only one candle burning on a table near the door. A couple of men were playing cards by it.
One turned to look when they entered but quickly returned to his game after seeing that the newcomers weren’t interested in joining them. She could see the bar up front where another man was wiping down a glass. But no sign of the bartender yet.
Jamie held open the swinging doors so she could walk ahead of him. There wasn’t much room between tables. Men sat alone or in groups around them. It looked like most had already finished their meals since there were few plates left on any of the tables.
A young woman came out of the kitchen carrying a tray. “Two beers, please,” Jamie told her. She nodded and headed toward the bar.
As soon as they reached the counter, a man appeared. His hair hung below his shoulders. He wore a black shirt tucked into gray trousers. And he didn’t seem pleased to see them. As soon as he saw who she was, his eyes widened. Then he put down his towel and walked toward them. “What are you doing here? You should be back at your ranch.”
“It’s just us.”
“Just me.” He smiled and took a step closer to her. “And this is my wife, Missy. We’ve been married almost two years now.”
The name sounded familiar, but she couldn’t remember why. She also wondered what happened to her first husband. Did he die? Or did she marry again? If it was the latter, how long ago was it? How many husbands would a woman like this have had before meeting Jamie?
Jamie placed a ten-dollar gold piece on the counter. “Can you make a change for that?”
The man looked at the coin, then back at Jamie. “That will cover both our drinks.” He handed over a five-dollar bill, which Jamie pocketed. “But you can leave the coins for tip. Most people do.”
Jamie gave him a nod. “Thank you.”
When the bartender returned with their beer, he set it down next to Jamie. “Sorry for the wait.” He wiped down the glasses with his towel. “Here ya go.”
“Thanks.” Jamie picked up his beer. He noticed the other man watching him. “Don’t mind me. Just trying to get used to riding with someone else.”
Missy leaned against the wall behind him. Her dark hair fell across her shoulder. She must have felt the same way because she followed suit by putting her arm around his waist.
Jamie lifted the glass to his lips. It smelled like anise. He drank half the contents without even noticing.
They waited until the bartender brought the second round to the table. By the time he got there, Missy had drained her first pint of beer. Now she was leaning against him while sipping from the bottle. He could feel her warm breath on his neck. When the bartender approached, Jamie ordered another round. This time Missy joined him.
Jamie paid the bartender. He was halfway home before he realized the other man hadn’t asked for payment. They left together and headed out the door. Missy tried to take his hand, but he kept moving. He thought about asking the bartender if the man was his brother-in-law.
By the time they reached the stable yard, Missy’s breathing seemed labored. In fact, her entire body was trembling. That made him realize that she probably shouldn’t have drunk that much. He hoped the saloon wouldn’t give her a hangover.
Her horse was still waiting under the shed. So were all the others. Jamie walked up to her stall. She’d taken off her hat, gloves, and jacket and laid them neatly on the floor. “Let’s saddle up.”
Missy took a deep breath and stepped forward. He helped her mount, then swung onto his own horse. They rode side by side toward the trail leading out of town. After several minutes, she finally spoke.
“Where are we going?”
“To meet some friends.”
“Friends?” She looked up at him. “I thought I was the hired help.”
“Not anymore.” He pulled her close to him and kissed her. The kiss lasted longer than the one before. Much longer.
She moaned softly when he released her. “God, you’re good at that.”
“I’m learning.” He stroked her cheek and watched as she closed her eyes. “Are you feeling better?”
“Yes… more relaxed actually.”
He wanted to ask her about the saloon visit but decided not to mention it. For now. Instead, he turned his attention to the road ahead. With each passing mile, he felt himself relaxing more. But when they passed through the small settlement that served as a station for cattlemen heading south, he began to think twice about taking her farther away.
There might be trouble in the area. Maybe there already was trouble.
“Do you know anything about this place?”
“No.”
“How far to the nearest sheriff?”
“About eight miles.”
“Okay. Let’s ride slowly past the ranch house.”
She nodded and guided her horse into a walk beside his. Once they rounded the bend, he dismounted and led the animal to its stall. Then he returned to Missy. He put his arms around her shoulders. “Ready?”
She nodded. He mounted and started out again. As soon as they cleared the last bend, he saw three men standing outside the ranch house. Two were talking while the third stared at the horses. One of the men waved. Jamie stopped and dismounted.
“What is it?” Missy said.
“Three men are here.”
“Who?”
“You’ll see.” He went inside the building and found the owner sitting at a desk. His name tag read ‘Reed.’ He pointed to a chair. “Have a seat.” Reed sat down opposite them. “This is my wife, Gail. And our daughter, Jenny.”
Jenny stood next to the desk. Her brown hair hung just below her shoulders. A gold band glinted on her ring finger.
“And these two men are my brothers-in-law,” Reed continued.
The younger man who’d greeted them came over. He wore a black Stetson and a gun belt.
“Mr. Reed, I’ve been meaning to stop by and introduce myself. We met at the church earlier today.”
“That’s right. How did your meeting go?”
Jamie told the story about the preacher.
“It sounds like he has a problem with alcohol.”
“Yeah. But I don’t think he needs to worry about being kicked out of the pulpit yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because I plan on helping him.”
Reed chuckled. “I guess you heard about what happened to Mr. Smith’s family.”
“We sure did.”
“Well, my father-in-law would rather keep things quiet. He doesn’t want people thinking he can’t control his drinking.”
Jamie nodded. “But if anyone finds out about it, it will cause problems. You could lose your business. People won’t come back because they’ll assume the food isn’t any good.”
“That’s true.”
“So why haven’t you done anything about it?”
Reed leaned closer to them. “My father-in-law thinks he can handle it.”
“Sounds like you need someone else to do something.”
Gail spoke up. “Maybe if you had an outsider working alongside him, he’d change his ways.”
Jamie looked at Missy. She gave him a nod. He knew how much she hated seeing people mistreated. It didn’t matter whether they were black or white—or even a little mixed blood. “I have a friend who might be able to help. If you agree, I’ll send her over tomorrow morning.”
Reed looked at his wife. “You know my feelings on this subject. What do you think?”
“I hate to admit it, but I agree. My husband knows too many people. Too many influential people.” She paused to look at Missy. “If he tries to get help from some other source, word may reach those very same people.”
Missy smiled. “I understand.”
“Then we’ll take care of it,” Reed said. “Thank you for coming.”
They left the building and walked across the yard. Missy asked, “Will you tell me who your friend is? Is she pretty?”
Jamie laughed. “You sound so jealous.”
“I am not! Not anymore. Just curious.”
When he reached the fence, he swung his leg over. He helped Missy onto the top rail then took hold of his horse.
“Now what?” she said.
“Now we wait for your brother-in-law.”
As soon as he entered the corral, one of the men yelled, “There you are!” The others rushed toward them.
Jamie stepped between them. “Hey, fellas. Calm down.”
One of the men pushed forward. “Don’t tell us to calm down.”
He was obviously drunk. Jamie held his hand up. “I’m not going to hurt anybody unless you attack.”
A woman shouted, “You’re in no position to talk. Your wife was shot at last night.”
Another voice said, “Didn’t she tell you?”
“No, ma’am.”
“She thought it was all over when that boy got killed.”
“Was it over?”
“Nope. Then another man tried to kill her.”
“How did you find out?”
“Her friend called us after hearing about what happened. That’s why we’re here now.”
“Good. Now let’s settle down and figure out what to do about this.”
The men agreed and backed away from each other.
Jamie waited until they turned their attention elsewhere before he led Missy out of the corral. They rode around the block, and when they returned to the house, they found Reed waiting outside. His sons also sat nearby.
“I wanted to thank you for taking the time to meet with me tonight. I hope your sister-in-law gets better soon.”
“Me, too.”
Missy put her arm around him. “Can you believe they were trying to kill her? Why would anyone try to shoot her?”
“Probably because they couldn’t stand to see her with a man who wasn’t part of the community.”
Missy shook her head. “This town is getting worse every day.”
“It does seem that way.”
“And where there’s trouble, you’ll always find me.”
Jamie grinned. “True.”
***
Missy spent most of the evening in Jamie’s arms. At first, she worried that her mother-in-law might hear them. After a while, though, she relaxed and forgot about everything except the warmth of his body next to hers. When she finally went home, she felt happy. And loved. For the first time since she married Tom, she had been kissed by a man. A kiss that made her feel special, and needed.
After she climbed into bed, she lay awake for a long time thinking about that kiss. It seemed like such a simple thing, yet it meant more to her than anything she had ever experienced. How strange life could be sometimes. She had never imagined being kissed by a stranger. But when she considered how close she was to falling apart, the kiss was the best medicine she’d ever taken.
Early the following morning, Jamie came to visit Missy again. This time he brought two bottles of whiskey. “We don’t want to cause any problems. So if you can drink these without making too much noise, then maybe we won’t get arrested.”
Missy laughed. “Sounds like fun.” She poured herself a glass. “To your health.”
“To yours.”
Neither drank much of the whiskey, but they shared several kisses. Finally, Missy said, “You must go back now. We don’t want to upset Mrs. Johnson.”
“I know. But I will come again soon. Maybe even tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir.”
He lifted his hat. “Until later, Missy.”
“See you soon.”
Before he left, Missy took his hand and kissed it. “Please take good care of yourself.”
He gave her a wink. “I’ll do my best.”
Reed watched as the strangers rode off.
“Why do they keep coming back?” Missy asked.
“Because they have nothing else to do.”
“Then why don’t they leave?”
“They probably think you need help.”
“That makes sense,” she admitted reluctantly. “But it doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“Well, I guess we can only pray that they stay away.”
“What if someone tries to rob our house again?”
“Let’s just hope it doesn’t happen.”
By late afternoon, Missy was exhausted. She hadn’t slept well. Every sound kept her on edge. Since Jamie had left, she had barely eaten. Instead, she paced the floor.
“Mommy!”
She jumped at the unexpected cry. The boys ran inside carrying their little brother. He wore an orange T-shirt, green shorts, and sandals. Missy picked him up and hugged him tightly.
“Are you feeling better today?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Do you remember what happened yesterday?”
“No.”
“Good.”
When she carried the boys out onto the front porch, Reed followed them.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“Out for some fresh air.”
“I’m sure the sheriff has enough work to occupy himself already.”
“Maybe not.”
Reed raised an eyebrow. “What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into now?”
“Nothing serious.”
“Didn’t you say something about a gunfight?”
“There was one.”
“And you weren’t hurt?”
“No. Only scared.”
Reed sighed. “So that’s why you look so tired. You’re having nightmares from all those gunshots.”
Missy nodded. “I’m sorry, Reed. I shouldn’t have told you.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He looked over Missy’s shoulder at the children. “I’m surprised you can walk around after working all day.”
The boys giggled.
“Watching kids isn’t easy, either,” Missy replied.
“Who taught you how to raise children?”
Missy shrugged. “Nobody really did.”
Reed shook his head. “It looks like you’ve done pretty well.”
“Thank you, Reed.”
With his eyes focused on Missy, Reed didn’t notice the three men who approached until they were right behind him.
One of them smiled at Missy. “Hey, honey.”
“Hello, Mr. Baker.”
“How’s business?”
“Not bad. Not great, either. What brings you here this early in the day?”
“Just wanted to see how things were going with you.”
Missy held her hands together. “Things aren’t looking so good. But we haven’t given up yet.”
Mr. Baker reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of bills. “Here, give us a few days. If you still need money, then we might have another job for you.”
“If there is, I will let you know.”
“All right.”
As Missy walked away, Reed put his arm around her waist and leaned closer to whisper in her ear. “Your husband is going to be very angry when he hears that.”
“Oh, he knows. He thinks I should be grateful.”
“Well, I would rather have a wife than a whore.”
Missy smiled. “You never fail to surprise me.”
The End