Chase, p.6
Chase, page 6
"What kind of pie does she usually make?" The butterfly fluttered off.
"Custard." He smiled at her gasp. "I know. I gather they're difficult to make."
"Oh, I love custard pie, but rarely have the chance to eat any." Jessamine hesitated as they passed a store window with a fringed, paisley shawl on display. Her mother had one Jessamine had always admired. "And they waste it on a pie-eating contest?"
"Afraid so."
"Your mother came to see me. Did she tell you?" Jessamine asked, gazing out over a meadow where trout jumped in a small pond.
"Yes, she did." Chase drove the buggy onto the grass. "She likes you and helped to convince everyone to let you see the triplets. Want to walk a bit?"
"Yes, please." She hurried to get down, disappointing Chase, who'd looked forward to lifting her out of the buggy. It saddened him to think she couldn't bear his touch for even that long.
"She's very nice." Jessamine lifted her head and sniffed audibly. "This is so lovely."
"When we get back, I'll show you where her house is so you can visit her."
"I may take you up on that." Jessamine smiled up at him, and he felt as though he was soaring on air.
"I imagine you get lonely here, not knowing anyone." He took up his courage and reached for her hand. She didn't pull away.
"I do feel a bit isolated at times." She pointed at a squirrel. "Look, isn't that cute?"
"Sure is," he said, but he was looking at her.
Jessamine glanced at him, and he could almost swear she blushed. Did she feel the way he did, a bit giddy, and woozy? If he didn't know better, he'd think he was drunk. Bending, he picked a daisy and handed it to her. She put it to her nose and kissed its petals. Pretty ridiculous, he told himself, to be jealous of a flower.
"Reckon I'd best get you back." Chase turned and headed back toward the buggy. "I have work to do at home."
"Thank you for the ride. I enjoyed it very much."
"So did I." He edged closer, hoping for a kiss, but she slid away, climbed down and ran into the hotel.
The music of a fiddle, trumpet, and accordion rode the breeze clear across town as Chase drove the wagon down Main Street. Beside him, Jessamine twiddled with the ties to her purse. Her heart pumped hard, and her reluctance to attend this event multiplied. Memories of the last dance she’d participated in over four years ago flooded her head. Ruthlessly, she dashed them to the earth, only to have them resume.
"We'll stop and see if Ma wants a ride." Chase steered the buggy to the side of the road in front of his mother's home. Should she say that she didn't want to go, or simply get out and run back to the hotel?
The way she'd run out on him once before.
No, she couldn't do that again.
You're grown up now, Jess. Put the past behind you.
"Excellent." Jessamine debated whether to get down or not. "Should I come in?"
"Why don't you wait there? She may have already left." He opened the gate and strolled up the walk to the front door.
Before he could even knock, the door opened, and an older couple emerged. Jessamine recognized Chase's mother. She noticed something familiar about the man, too, though she couldn't lay her finger on it.
"Well, hello, Doc." Chase grabbed the man's hand and gave it a vigorous shaking.
Doc!
Another memory flashed through Jessamine's mind. An aging man who tried hard to keep her calm while he stitched her up after she'd given birth. The same doctor? Would he condemn her for abandoning her babies? She could see him now between her raised knees stitching her up in the most intimate, private area of her body. Heat surged into her neck and face. She had hoped never to see this man again in her life.
She began to inch toward the edge of her seat—and escape.
"'Evening, son." Doc grinned. "You shaking my hand or pumpin' for water?"
Chase and his mother laughed.
"We're heading for the dance," he told them. "Thought I'd offer Ma a ride."
Mrs. Givens peered through the gathering darkness. "Who's in the buggy? Jessamine, is that you?"
"Yes, Mrs. Givens," Jessamine called back reluctantly, her quivering voice exposing her jangled nerves. "It's nice to see you again."
"Lovely to see you, dear," Julia Givens replied.
"We were going to walk," Doc said. "How many seats you got in that thing?"
"Enough." Chase herded them toward the road. "Get in. We'll go together."
The older couple climbed onto the rear bench seat. Chase ran around, took his place, and off they went.
Doc. Yes. Jessamine recognized him now. Much as she wished she could avoid it, she might as well face the music and take whatever criticism he wanted to throw at her. Twisting in her seat, she said, "Hello, Doctor Willoughby. I'm so glad for this chance to thank you properly for your help the night my triplets were born. Do you remember me?"
"'Evening, Miss Minnie. I do indeed recall visiting you that night. Don't see many newborn triplets, and they're growing up fine and healthy. You must be proud."
"Thank you. I am proud, but Cynara Givens is the one who deserves the credit." Jessamine did her best to smile, though it became more difficult by the second. So many recollections. "She's done a wonderful job of raising them."
"You gave me a mighty good scare, running off as you did." Doc shook a finger at her. "That went beyond foolish."
"I paid for it, Doctor Willoughby," Jessamine confessed. "I hemorrhaged and nearly died. The doctor in Pony saved me."
"Well, that's what we're for, by golly." Doc slapped his knee.
They reached the dance quickly, and Chase found a place to leave the buggy. "Here we are."
A mammoth barn loomed before them, lit up by lanterns hanging from trees and inside. It looked like a cave ready to swallow them.
Doc helped Ma down, and Chase did the same for Jessamine. Together, they strolled
to where dancers swirled, and feet stamped. Men and ladies lined the inner walls, the men too bashful to approach the ladies who were praying one of them would get up the courage. Jessamine's heart pumped double-time as she remembered a similar experience, though she hadn't been to many dances before.
Her heart went out to the girls and young women on the side of the cavernous barn, eyeing the men Jessamine imagined stood across the room. She wanted to go and tell them not to bother. Men weren't worth the agony and uncertainty they caused. She glanced at Chase and revised her thought—most men weren't worth the trouble.
A man lounging against the wall outside the barn winked at her, souring her stomach. She shouldn't have come. The entire scene was too familiar. She'd climbed out her bedroom window and joined her friends waiting in the road in a 'borrowed' buggy. They'd laughed and chattered and felt so mature. Somehow, she'd become separated from them. They had made it home that night. Jessamine had not.
Another man caught her eye and grinned at her. Ants crawled up her back. Hands clutched at her skirts, trying to pull them off. Faces flashed at her—Dirk Shindler, Hugh Grossman—men who'd beaten, used and humiliated her.
The memories blended with the present, blurring everything in her mind. Halting, Jessamine grabbed Chase's arm. "I can’t do this, Chase. I'm sorry. I have to leave."
She didn't wait for an answer, simply took off at a half-run.
"Hold up, Jess." He caught up with her. "What's wrong?"
She examined his familiar face. He wasn't one of the gang members. He was Chase, the one man she could trust. She threw herself into his arms, burying her face against his coat lapels, and holding on for dear life. "Take me home, Chase. Please. Take me home."
He held her closer. "It's going to be fine, sweetheart. I'm here. I won't let anyone, or anything harm you."
"Oh, Chase." She wanted to climb inside him and stay there forever, where she knew she'd be safe. Why had she come back from France? She'd been secure there.
He planted little kisses in her hair and stroked her back. Her chest tightened, and a delicious warmth filled her: kindness and love.
"Is she all right, Chase?" Ma asked, rushing up beside them with Doc.
"She's re-living the past, I fear," Doc said. "She was kidnapped from a dance like this. You need to face this, Minnie, so you can go on with your life and put it behind you."
"I can’t." She didn't want to open her eyes.
Just let me stay in this haven a little longer.
Doc turned to Chase. "Take her home, son. She can fight her demons another night. Your mother and I will be fine. We can walk back to her place."
"All right." Keeping an arm around Jessamine, Chase aimed her toward the buggy. "Come on, honey. Let's get out of here."
Cautiously, Jessamine opened her eyes. To the side, she saw the man who'd winked at her grinning. He winked again and rubbed himself.
Chase must have seen. He let go of her and approached the vulgar man, demanding that he apologize to her. She watched as Chase took a punch to his face, then his stomach. A shudder of terror swept over her.
No. No. Please.
The sounds of the blows thrown back and forth put her right back in the horror of that night four years ago.
The tearing, searching hands.
The hard lips and grinding teeth.
The searing pain.
Humiliation.
Shame.
"Jess." Arms wrapped around her, trapping her.
Instinctively, she fought.
"Easy, Honey." A familiar, soothing voice. "It's me, Chase. I'm not going to hurt you. Please, calm down."
"Chase?" She reached into her skirt pocket and closed her fingers around a smooth stone. The world righted itself.
"Yes, sweetheart. I've got you. No one's going to harm you."
"Oh, Chase. Please, take me home."
"Right now, Jess." He guided her to the buggy. "We're going now."
Once seated again, Chase clucked to the horse, and off they went. Jessamine sat close and leaned against him, her eyes closed.
Scenes from the past played through her mind.
Open your eyes, Jess. Sit up. Don't let those men defeat you.
She forced her eyelids up. Before her, she saw a typical town closed up for the night. Here and there, lamplight showed through a window, a dog barked, saloon doors stood open, and men laughed inside—nothing she hadn't seen hundreds of times before. Only the faint music in the distance told of where they had been.
You're okay, Jess. Everything's fine. Chase is here.
They reached the hotel, and Chase lifted her down.
"You want me to walk you to your room?" he asked.
"Yes, please." She slipped her arm through his, but her feet dragged. Once they reached her room, he'd leave her. She didn't want to be alone.
The lobby stood empty, the restaurant silent and dark. They climbed the stairs, arm in arm. When they reached Jessamine's room, Chase took the key, unlocked it for her, and pushed the door inward. She saw the bed, and wanted to lay down, wanted to sleep forever. But she didn't want to let go of Chase. Once he left, the memories and terror would overtake her again.
"Stay with me, Chase." She looked at him, pleading with her eyes. "Please. I don't mean sleep with me. Just stay until I go to sleep."
"Not a good idea, Jess. People will notice."
"I don't care." She clung to him tighter. "Remember me, the girl who disobeyed her parents got herself kidnapped, and…. I have no reputation to be ruined."
Silent, he drew her more snugly against him, arms wrapped around her. "I'll sleep in a chair if I have to, Jess. I'm not going anywhere."
They entered the room, and he locked the door. "I'll sit in that chair with my back turned. Let me know when you're ready for bed. I'll tuck you in."
She ducked behind a privacy screen, unfastened her skirt and let it drop. Her petticoats followed, then her corset. Dressed only in her shift and drawers, she hurried to the bed and slid inside.
"I'm in bed now."
Chase rose and came to the bed. Kneeling beside it, he tucked the covers around her and kissed her forehead. "Sleep, sweetheart. I'm right here."
"Lay next to me," she whispered. "On top of the covers. When I'm asleep, you can leave."
He went around to the other side and laid down. Jessamine rolled toward him, laid her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes, clutching his arm. Memories tugged at her mind. She needed a way to banish them.
Her stone. It had worked before. It could give her solace now.
"Wait." She sat up. "My stone. It's in my dress pocket."
He fetched it for her. She curled her hand around it and lay back again.
With Chase beside her and the sapphire in her hand, she felt more secure. Memories threatened, but she pushed them away. She was safe.
A knock on the door woke Jessamine.
She yawned, opened her eyes and stared straight into those of Chase Givens. "Oh! My! Chase, it's morning. What are you still doing here?"
"Hell." He leaped from the bed and glanced toward the window, running his hands through his tousled hair. "I fell asleep."
Jessamine wanted to laugh but realized the seriousness of the situation. Would Mrs. Givens force them to marry? Somehow, that didn't fill her with the usual terror such an idea engendered.
Another tap on the door. "Jessamine? It's Ma Givens, dear."
"Blazes." He stared at the door. "My mother's here. How am I going to explain this?"
Chapter Seven
"W ith honesty," Ma answered her son's question after he let her into Jessamine's room. "You explain with honesty. You should thank your guardian angel that I caught you and not someone else. I won't gossip."
Jessamine considered it a perfect answer.
"I'm sorry, Ma. I'm at fault here." Chase straightened his shirt. "I promise, nothing happened."
"I know, son." Ma sat in the chair by the window, a serene smile on her crinkled face. Jess sat in the bed; the covers pulled up to her chin. Chase paced the floor.
Jessamine scolded herself for her continued urge to laugh until the memory of why he'd been in her room, sobered her. The dance last night and those awful men. She'd gone a bit mad. He must believe her to be weak-minded and weak-willed. "It's my fault. I thought I saw Dirk at the dance, one of the men from the gang that kidnapped me. I panicked."
"Stop fretting," Ma added. "I understand. Chase, you and I will leave together. Anyone who notices will think we visited Jessamine together."
"All right." He glanced at her, at Jessamine and Ma again, shifting weight from one foot to the other as he did so. "I guess we'd better go. Jess, I'm truly sorry."
"It's all right." Jessamine smiled but knew it to be a poor effort. If he left, the memories would start, and that frightened her. She couldn't lose control again. The people of Cutthroat would think her insane and put her in a sanitorium. She'd heard awful things about those places.
Besides, what if someone saw her and Chase enter her room together last night and notice him leaving this morning? Unable to think of a better resolution, she kept quiet.
Chase approached the bed, leaned down, and kissed her forehead. "I'll tell you what. I'm going to come back in an hour. Pack your bags. I'm moving you to the ranch. You'll feel safe there. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
She nodded. Chase turned to his mother. "What do you think, Ma?"
"An excellent idea, since the family extended an invitation for her to visit." Walking to the wardrobe, Julia took out Jessamine's valise and set it on the bed. "Pack. You can always come back here if it doesn't work out."
"Oh, it will. I'll see to it." She couldn't help it; she bounced a bit on the mattress, almost losing the covers. With an embarrassed glance at Julia, she asked, "Can we go now?"
"You want to dress first, don't you?" Ma asked with a grin.
"Yes, as soon as Chase turns his back."
Chase spun around immediately. "I think it would be better if I came back later. We've missed breakfast at the ranch. Why don't I eat at the café down the street? You two eat here. Then we'll go."
Ma Givens rose from her chair. "You'll both come to my house. I'll fix scrambled eggs and toast. I already have coffee made. Now, Chase, go out and wait for us in the hallway."
Chase glanced at Jessamine, winked, and slipped out, closing the door behind him.
Jessamine jumped from the bed and bathed quickly, while Julia stood at the window. From the wardrobe, Jessamine pulled out the dress she'd worn the day Chase nearly ran her down with his horse. She'd repaired the tear the skirt had suffered.
"That's a lovely dress," Julia said. "It will look beautiful on you."
"Thank you." Jessamine smiled. "It's my favorite."
Bending over, she ran her brush through her yard-long hair, over and over, then straightened and started again.
"Such lovely tresses." Ma sat by the window watching. "The reason I came by this morning, Jessamine, was to make sure you were all right. You were so frightened last night. Do you think you have it under control now? I hated seeing you like that."
Jessamine laid the brush on the dresser. Deftly she twisted her tresses into a tidy knot on top of her head and pinned it in place. "I'm grateful for your concern, Mrs. Givens. I'm sorry for what happened. It's embarrassing now. Doctor Willoughby was right. The dance reminded me of the past and I… Well, I panicked."
"I understand, dear. I hope spending a few days at the ranch will help you recover." Ma stood. "Are you ready now?"
"Yes." She went to the door, followed by Julia.
They found Chase waiting in the corridor. He hefted her bags and hauled them out to the buggy. The women climbed in while he stored the luggage. The evening before, he had lifted Jessamine in and out of the carriage, and she realized she'd liked feeling his warm, gentle hands on her. Years had passed since any other man had touched her, and she'd been sure she preferred it that way. Now, she wondered.
Less than an hour later, Jessamine and Chase waved goodbye to Julia and set off in the buggy again.
"I adore your mother." Jessamine tucked her hands into a muff to shield them from the crisp wind from the snow-capped mountains. Flood season would begin any day now as the spring melt got underway. "She reminds me of you."
