After work, Jake took the horse-drawn buggy to his house. It wasn’t a mansion, but it was elegant in appearance. He prided himself on the way he kept the white two story home with blue trim. The gardener did an excellent job trimming the shrubbery and trees. The grass was cut short. The inside of the house was spotless and cared for by his maid and butler. Though he had six bedrooms, four bathrooms, two parlors, a large dining room, a kitchen, and a den, he rarely had visitors. He was content to stay by himself, but he enjoyed owning fine things and spared no expense for his furnishings. Mr. Reynolds stopped the buggy so he could get out. “Henry,” he told the taxi driver, “I’m going to need to go to the board meeting tonight at seven. Can you have the buggy ready at 6:30?” “Yes, sir,” Henry replied. “Thank you.” He walked to his house which was similar to other houses in the area. He enjoyed the Virginia city life for things rarely got boring. There were plenty of things a single man could do without the headache of dragging a woman along with him. He wasn’t opposed to women such as they were, but he had seen enough men lose their freedom to a wife. He was determined that such a fate would never happen to him. He had no intention of giving up his life of adventure. “Good day, sir,” his butler greeted as he opened the door. “Good day, Ralph. How is the misses doing?” Jake asked as he entered the house and took off his coat.“Very well, sir. She is expecting any day now. The doctor says she is doing well.” Ralph Border was married to Lydia, who was also the maid. When Jake hired them, they had just gotten married but had no means to support themselves, so Jake decided that he could use some help keeping up his house and gave them a job. They resided in one of the two bedrooms on the lower level of the house, and their soon-to-be-born baby would be in the next bedroom. Jake didn’t mind the company they provided, though he kept his distance. He didn’t believe in getting too close to anyone. Jake went to his den that was decorated with a bear’s head and two deer heads, which he had mounted after hunting them. He had various collectible items, such as cigar boxes he never opened and paintings that he had collected from Europe on his travels. His den was his safe haven from the world. In it, he could relax and enjoy doing extra work he didn’t have time to accomplish during business hours. The large fireplace and the two plush blue chairs that sat in front of it was his secret reading place. The large oak desk contained his business documents which he kept in the top drawer on the right side. Other items in the room included a globe of the world, a bookcase full of his books, and antiques from his travels. It was a man’s room, with walls that resembled a log cabin and oak flooring to give it a rustic atmosphere. No other room in his house was like it. He sat at the desk and pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil. He would be leading the meeting that night since the president, Conrad Leroy, decided he was too old to be attending the board meetings anymore. He wondered why George wasn’t already in the president’s position. He considered that his father wasn’t too sure of George’s competency. He realized George knew the job well enough, but did he have the leadership ability to run a bank?Jake sighed. Such matters did not concern him. He had decided long ago that he would not work at that bank forever. He had his sights set on opening his own bank as soon as Conrad officially retired. Something about George bothered him, though he could never put his finger on it. He knew it was in his best interest to offer the people an alternative to the only bank that was currently in town. Competition was a good thing when it improved people’s lives. He hated to agree with Sue Lewis, but he did often wonder how much George cared for the customer. Conrad was an honorable man, but would George follow in his father’s footsteps? Deep down, Jake seriously questioned George’s professional ethics when his personal ethics were shoddy. A light knocking on the door interrupted his thoughts. “Enter,” he called out. Lydia opened the door. “Dinner is ready, sir,” she softly said. He smiled. Her face glowed with the impending arrival of her child. “Are you sure you feel up to cooking these days? I can always hire a temporary cook while you rest.” He folded the piece of paper and put it in the breast pocket of his dark blue suit. “Oh, I am feeling fine.” He could tell that she appreciated his concern by the way she smiled. “I need something to do or else I’ll go crazy waiting for the little one to be born. It looks like he or she will be a Christmas baby.” “Just don’t push yourself too hard. Ralph worries about you.” “I know. He’s a wonderful husband.” “And he’ll make a good father.” Jake wasn’t opposed to marriage or children for others. He just didn’t wish those things for himself. “Tonight’s menu is rib eye steak, baked potato, and green beans,” she informed him. “No one makes steak like you do. Ralph is a lucky man.” She blushed at his compliment. “We both think the world of you, sir,” she said. “Well, I think of you two as the brother and sister I never had. But enough emotional talk. I’m hungry.” After he ate dinner, he insisted that Ralph and Lydia take the rest of the night off so they could enjoy their remaining moments alone before the little one arrived. He took Henry’s taxi to the bank and paid him the usual fare plus tip. A long time ago, Henry offered to taxi him anywhere he wanted to go. “It’s hard to find a man who tips as well you do, sir,” he admitted. Since Henry was punctual and maintained a clean buggy and horse and dressed nicely, Jake was glad to have his services every time he needed to go somewhere. As soon as the five board members of the bank assembled into the backroom at the maple table, Jake began the meeting. He knew he had to mention Sue Lewis at the end of it. “We need to figure out what we can do about her,” he began. “Sheds not going to leave us alone until we foreclose or prevent a foreclosure. Are there any ideas?” “Just foreclose,” George replied. “In three weeks, the Lewis farm and house will be ours. Then she won’t be a problem anymore.” Justin Monroe spoke up. “Maybe we could work out an agreement where they could take another loan to get current on their payments.” “But that will only delay foreclosure,” George argued. “If they keep getting deeper into debt, how will they ever get out of the mess they’re in?” “Actually, Justin makes a good point,” Jake intervened. “The problems they are having are due to extraordinary circumstances. The boy’s surgery and the hail and tornado are not likely to happen again. It might even help if we could talk the hospital into settling for half the debt they owe.”“Perhaps we can settle on some of their debts with us,” Justin added. “We won’t be too bad off if we forgive some of the debt. At least it would keep them from sinking into the quicksand they’re in.” “Are you crazy?” George shook his head. “We won’t make any profit if we do that.” “Not with the Lewis family,” Jake began, “but there are other customers who make us a suitable profit from their investments.” “Then we’ll have to do this for everyone else who comes to us with a sob story.” “I think people will understand that given the circumstances the Lewis’s find themselves in that we wouldn’t offer everyone a break. We might even attract more loyal customers since people seem to like mercy.” “I disagree. People need to know that they will be treated fairly. If other customers have to pay their full amount on a debt while someone else gets off with less, then there will be unfairness.” “People can see that the Lewis’s are hurting,” Justin protested. “They will understand.” “Let’s take a vote,” Jake said. “All in favor of Justin’s proposal, say aye.” To his dismay, he and Justin were the only ones in favor of it. “All opposed, say nay,” he continued, already knowing that the other two members would agree with George. Had Conrad been there, Justin’s idea would have succeeded since he would have voted to help Sue’s family, and being the president, he would be the tie breaker. He sighed and stood up. “That is all. This meeting is adjourned until next month.” When he left the bank that night, he was in a sour mood. He thought Justin had a good idea. When I open my own bank, Justin will be the vice president.
Suse Lewis was distressed that night as she paced back and forth in her one room apartment in town. She could barely afford the place and was forced to eat bean soup again. She was at her wits‟ end. She hated to tell her parents that her efforts had been in vain. Nothing she told the bank employees made any difference. They were all a cold hearted lot. Her father wasn’t able to come in to make his case because he threw out his back and couldn’t afford the wagon ride into town. Her mother was an emotional wreck over the stress of losing her home. Her twenty-seven year old brother and his wife were busy trying to maintain the farm so they could put food on the table. Her sister Emma would have been twenty-four that year but had died three years ago due to pneumonia. Trevor was seventeen, so he couldn’t do anything until he was an adult. The ten year old twins, Luke and Patty, were still children. The burden rested on her shoulders. She tried not to cry, but her situation se
“Good evening, Mr. Mitchell,” she softly spoke. Her eyes met his and she offered him a gentle smile. “It is nice to see you here.” He warmly smiled back. “Miss Gordon, the pleasure is all mine.” Even though Sue didn’t know either of them well, she could tell they were lying to one another. Neither one really found the other one interesting. “I do hope you’ll come to my dinner party this Sunday,” she invited. “I saved a seat especially for you.” “I will try to make it,” he replied. Sue could tell he was lying. Jennifer Gordon continued to stand by him. “I would ask you to dance, but I already promised this one to Miss Lewis,” he politely said. Turning to Sue, he asked, “Are you ready?” She almost said no but there was an anxious look in his eyes that stopped her. She silently nodded and took his hand to the dance floor. She tried to ignore the way his strong arm felt around her waist and how his firm hand felt on hers. He was six inches ta
Jake spent four hours preparing the contract that he and Justin planned out in hopes of helping Sue’s family. He hoped that they could go over the board members‟ vote by discussing the situation rationally with Conrad who would be in his office on Monday. He and Justin waited in the lobby of the bank a little before nine for Sue’s arrival. Justin chuckled next to him. “What’s so funny?” he asked. He didn’t see what was so comical about a business meeting. “Did you hear what Miss Lewis did to Mr. Wilkins?” He shook his head. “On Saturday, she went over to Mr. Wilkins‟ house and threatened to lasso his buggy and hang it by the barn rafters unless he paid her father the money he rightfully owed him. When he refused to listen to her, she lassoed the front wheel and used a horse she borrowed to pull it to his barn. He realized she was serious, so he made the proper restitution. Then she thanked him as if nothing was wrong and went her way.”Jake stared
The next day, Jake sat in the lawyer’s office. He deliberately skipped the funeral to show how little he thought of his father. To his surprise, no one else attended the funeral either. It was hard to feel sorry for his father, though it did make him wonder who would bother to come to his funeral. He pushed aside the funny sensation in the back of his mind as the lawyer entered the office. “Jake Mitchell, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Mr. Barnett said as he shook his hand. “I wish I could say the same but I would rather be doing something else.” “Your father wasn’t an easy man to deal with.” “I’m sorry, Mr. Barnett. It’s hard to think of him without getting upset. I’m sure you are a decent man.” “I try to be.” He smiled to show that he took no offense to Jake’s earlier bland greeting. They sat across from each other. “Your father had no other children besides you. At least, there were no children that we are aware of, and he didn’t marry any women after t
As he walked into the ballroom, he saw Jennifer Gordon laughing and whispering to one her friends who was just as gossipy and giggly as she was. He sighed when he realized the two girls were making fun of Sue who was dancing with the seventy year old man who had his eyes glued to her last time. He didn’t know what was worse. Watching old man York staring at her bosom or the fact that Jennifer and a few others in the room believed Sue was making a public spectacle of herself. Two things are for sure: one, I’m not going to let York ogle her for the rest of the night and two, I’m buying her a new wardrobe as soon as she agrees to my plan. Just as he was about to walk onto the dance floor, Chad Walker stopped him. Chad Walker was one of the wealthiest clients at the bank, so he had to talk to him. At least York wouldn’t grope her in public. “Mr. Walker, how are you this fine December evening? Are you looking forward to Christmas?” he warmly greeted. “With Christmas being
Suse’s head was spinning by the time she got home that evening. She didn’t know whether to trust Jake Mitchell or not. He asked for her coat and slipped it over her shoulders by the end of the dance and escorted her to his personal taxi driver, Henry Reynolds, who congratulated them on their engagement and took her home. Jake walked with her to the front door of the apartment and wished her a good night and said he would see her at the bank on Monday. It almost seemed too good to be true, except she wasn’t marrying for love. She had always hoped to marry for love, but a spinster whose father was up to his eyeballs in debt could hardly expect her prince to waltz through the door and take her off to his enchanted castle where they would live happily ever after. She read enough books to understand the difference between fairytales and reality. She could be content with marrying Jake to fulfill a business agreement. The next day, Belinda sent her a telegram asking her to come by for
On Monday, Sue arrived at the bank around ten. As soon as George saw her, he stomped up to her and ordered her to leave. “I don’t appreciate you coming by here after all those vicious rumors you spread about me,” he hissed at her. She placed her hands on her hips and smiled in satisfaction. “You mean people actually care about what I think? How flattering.” He scowled at her. “You’re a thorn in my side and I’ll do everything I can to bring you down.” She laughed. “I’m just a simple librarian. Good luck on finding a deep dark secret looming in my closet.” “Get out of my bank.” “What are you doing with my fiancé?” Jake barked at him as he walked up to her. He put his arm around her shoulders. “Is he being mean to you?” She found Jake’s protective stance unexpectedly pleasing. “You can’t be serious.” George rolled his eyes. “Since when did you want to be with her?” “Ever since she showed up at the dance on Friday night. You would be
Jake spent the rest of the week fuming despite his best efforts to put Sue Lewis far from his mind. He wasn’t married to her yet, and he was already dreading having her around his house. He hadn’t even been aware of her a month ago, and suddenly, she was a big part of his world. Six months. All I have to do is survive the next six months and I’ll be free again. Justin did his best to console him. “I don’t think she’s that bad of a woman. My wife speaks highly of her. She may not be rich but she has found a way into the hearts of many prominent women in town. They can’t wait to invite her to their luncheons.” He grimaced. “Before I know it, she’ll insist on dinner parties at my house. The next six months of my life are going to be a living nightmare.” “I don’t know. She’s got a lot of passion. It could help warm up those cold winter nights. You might enjoy yourself so much you won’t want to end the marriage.” “No way, Justin. I’m not going to lay a hand on her exce
It was about time Jenny‘s brothers stopped their harassment, Owen thought as they took in the bright, shiny deputy badge that Sheriff Meyer returned to him. Owen‘s chest puffed up with a sense of pride as he closed the door of the jailhouse and placed his hat on his head. ―Afternoon, gentlemen,‖ he said and buttoned his coat. ―Getting ready for Christmas?‖ ―We had some errands to run,‖ Tom replied. ―Even if women say they don‘t want anything but our love, they don‘t mean it.‖ Joel snickered. ―And you had to learn that the hard way.‖ Tom‘s face grew red. ―I can‘t wait until you get married, Joel. I don‘t care what you argue about. I‘ll take her side each time.‖ ―Unlike you all, I have no desire to tie the knot,‖ he replied and gave them a smug smile. ―I‘m going to stay single forever.‖ ―Since when?‖ ―Since I saw how you all ended up. No woman is going to tell me what to do.‖ ―Oh really?‖ Dave asked. ―Then what are you doing in town looking for gifts?‖ Joel sighed. ―I g
Jenny flung a dish at Clyde‘s head. Drats! She missed! ―Get off my property!‖ She picked up another plate from the stack she held to her chest and threw it at him. Again, he expertly dodged it as he made his way to the porch. She grunted and threw the whole stack at him. This time two plates hit him in the face. He yelled and touched his cheek which had a bloody cut on it. Glaring at her, he took a step toward her. ―Not this time, Jenny! I‘m getting my boy.‖ She grabbed her broom and swung at him. Unlike last time, he jumped back. She stepped forward but someone came up behind her and held her arms in place. She screamed and kicked at her captor, but his hold only grew tighter. ―Get the boy and let‘s get out of here,‖ the man growled at Clyde. ―Run!‖ she yelled at Jeremy who was supposed to be in his room. She prayed he would make it to the attic before Clyde found him. Clyde climbed the rest of the porch steps, and as he passed her, sh
Owen recognized that gruff voice anywhere. And there was no way he was going to play possum now. He leapt over the counter, nearly knocking over the startled owner who ran to retrieve his gun. ―This is my store. You have no business being here!‖ the owner barked. Then he fired his rifle at the doorway. Owen didn‘t bother seeing if the man hit Big Roy or not. He just ran. He ran down the narrow space that led to the backdoor and found himself in another alley. The scene was eerily familiar. Except this time Mitch and Lance weren‘t chasing him. Nope. Big Roy was doing the honors this time. Owen raced past the dumpsters. He heard a door open and almost got hit with a bullet. He swerved to the right and found himself on a less traveled part of the business district. He bent to hide behind stagecoaches and buggies as he scampered as fast as he dared without giving Big Roy ample opportunity to get a clear shot. Where was Irving anyway? Some stellar deputy he was turnin
It was a week later when Big Roy finally arrived in Omaha. And Owen had just finished breakfast when the fateful knock came at the door. He put his napkin down and went to answer it. ―Amos?‖ he asked, surprised to see the boy with his two friends standing on his porch, holding fishing rods. ―Isn‘t it a little cold to be fishing?‖ It was December after all. ―Big Roy‘s in Omaha,‖ Amos said, looking unusually excited by the prospect. Owen‘s eyes grew wide. ―How do you know this?‖ ―We saw him. Oh, he‘s big and angry alright. He was asking where you were.‖ ―You didn‘t tell him, did you?‖ Owen demanded as he watched the boy practically dance with glee. Was everyone but Jenny and Jeremy eager to send him to an early grave? ―Course not! We‘d never do that,‖ Amos assured him. ―In fact, no one‘s telling him anything. But Irving wants you down at the jailhouse.‖ Amos motioned to his fishing rod. ―You don‘t need to worry about a thing. We‘re ready to help you!‖ Amos and h
Jeremy ran to the front door and jumped into Owen‘s arms. Surprised, Jenny turned from the sandwiches she‘d been making and went over to him. ―They let you out of jail?‖ ―As long as I promised not to run away.‖ He gave Jeremy a big hug. ―I missed you, squirt.‖ ―Was it scary in there?‖ Jeremy asked. ―No, but it was lonely. It‘s good to be home with my family.‖ He leaned forward and gave Jenny a kiss. ―I can‘t believe how much I missed you two.‖ ―We missed you too,‖ she said, hugging him as much as she could with Jeremy between them. ―I was just making supper. Are you hungry?‖ ―I didn‘t get much to eat, so yes.‖ He set Jeremy down and took off his coat and hat. ―It‘s nothing fancy. Just sandwiches,‖ she warned. He put up his holster on the hook next to his coat and hat. ―After eating nothing but beans and jerky, sandwiches will be a treat.‖ He turned to them and gave them another hug. ―It feels so good to be back home.‖ She laughed and hugged him back. ―It
Jenny heard Sally knock on the front door but hesitated to answer it. No one had been out to see her since the day they found out about Owen, probably because Mary managed to talk them into giving Jenny time to herself, so she didn‘t know why Sally came out. She pushed the curtain aside in the parlor. Sally was alone. She exhaled. At least, the cavalry wasn‘t coming out again. She quickly thought of a way to distract her sister from the matter at hand and opened the door while Sally was in mid-knock. ―Oh good! I wanted to talk to you.‖ Jenny pulled her into the house and peered out the door. Good. Sally really was alone, just as she thought. She shut the door and turned to Jeremy. ―Take your blocks and play upstairs. I have to talk to your aunt.‖ Jeremy obeyed and went up the steps. As soon as he was in his room, Jenny led Sally into the kitchen and sat her down. ―Would you like a snack?‖ ―No thanks,‖ Sally said. ―I came to talk to you.‖ ―Yes, and I‘m glad yo
She relaxed. ―Oh. I thought you meant...‖ She had thought he meant that he didn‘t want her to stay married to Owen. But he hadn‘t, and she didn‘t want to explain it. Looking at Irving, she knew that they wouldn‘t have made a good match. She would have married him for her son, but he wouldn‘t have been her first choice. She glanced inside the jailhouse. There, in the cell, sat the man she would have chosen. Returning her gaze to Irving, she asked, ―So I can talk to him?‖ ―Follow me.‖ He led her into the building. ―Meyer, I got the wife wanting to see her husband.‖ Jeremy broke free from her and ran over to the cell, calling out ―Pa!‖ Owen‘s face lit up and he eagerly ran over to the bars so he could hug Jeremy... Well, as much as he could with the bars between them. The tender moment brought tears to Jenny‘s eyes. How many times had she seen fathers and their sons and wished Jeremy could have a pa that loved him too? Wiping her eyes, she turned to the sheriff and de
Jenny didn‘t feel like dealing with anyone at the moment. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts, and her relatives weren‘t helping. Her brothers and Sally sat around the kitchen table trying to decide what to do about the situation while Greg, Jeremy, and Isaac played with the dog in the backyard. Mary stayed out there to watch them from where she sat in the chair next to the house. Maybe Jenny shouldn‘t have come to Sally‘s house after they left the jail. Maybe she should have just gone home. She watched the children as they laughed and took turns throwing the ball for the dog to catch. It was simple for them. Children didn‘t sit and analyze things. They either liked something or they didn‘t, and they acted accordingly. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the cool glass of the window. Her hand fell to her abdomen. She should‘ve realized it sooner, but she and Owen had stayed up well into the night to enjoy lovemaking. The fatigue was ea
Owen jumped up as soon as the door to the jailhouse opened. He rushed over to the bars to see if Jenny came. She did. But she also brought Sally and her four brothers with her. Four very angry looking brothers. He immediately stepped back as the four glaring men surrounded the cell. He examined the bars. He hoped the steel was strong enough to keep them out. They looked like they were ready to rip him apart and feed his remains to the vultures. ―You‘re lucky you‘re in there!‖ Tom barked, pointing an accusing finger at him. ―Because if you weren‘t, we‘d run you out of town.‖ ―How could you do this to our sister?‖ Richard demanded, shaking the bars. Owen swallowed the lump in his throat and backed up until he hit the wall. He glanced at the small window and wondered if he could escape if he squeezed through it. No. That was ridiculous. He was much safer here with the bars protecting him than in the open where these men could chase him down. ―First Clyde an