Chapter 3

Elise accepted the money Jake received for the sale of her cattle to a nearby rancher with genuine gratitude. He managed to round up enough livestock to sell to get her the funds needed to buy passage back east.  Now, she just had to make the arrangements.  Why she did not ask him for help when she first arrived was a mystery to her.

“So, Mrs. Meacham, we’ll be losing ya soon,” Jake said as he mounted his horse.  “That’s a damned shame.  I got used to looking at that pretty face of yours while having my morning coffee.”

“Such teasing,” Elise giggled.  “I want to go to town and wire my father before I do anything else.”

“Wantin’ to let him know your comin’?” Jake asked.

“I want to see if I’m welcome back,” Elise confessed.

“I can’t imagine no pa not lettin’ his little girl back into his home,” Jake mused.

“My father has strong opinions on things,” she explained. “Not only did I go against his wishes when I secretly married Douglas by proxy, but I embarrassed him within our social circle.  Judd Turnham comes from the most prominent family in Boston. He was the one my father wanted me to marry, not Douglas.”

“Just proves ya ain’t no fortune hunter,” Jake said with a nod as he lifted the reins and nudged his horse with a manner that displayed an ease and confidence that practically living in the saddle created.  “Tell the missus I’ll be home for supper.”

Elise shaded her eyes from the piercing late morning sun as she watched her rugged, yet gentle host ride off to meet with the other riders who waited near the ranch entrance.  The intense Texas sun and heat was something she was sure not to miss. Jake told her it was a tradeoff.  The Texas heat for the Boston winters.  At that point, Elise wasn’t sure which was worse.

“So, he’s gone?” Nellie asked as she walked up and stood next to Elise.

“Just now,” Elise replied with a sigh.

“Not to worry gal,” Nellie assured her.  “My Jake’s a tough old buzzard.  It’ll take more than a few renegade Indians to put him in his grave.”

“I’m not used to this,” Elise complained.

“You’ve been out here half a year, gal,” Nellie mused.  “It would do ya good to toughen up a bit.”

“I have the money to return home,” Elise said with satisfaction.

“That’s a fine thing,” Nellie said with a smile.  “I’ll sure miss ya.”

“I’m not sure what to do,” Elise confessed.

“What are ya talking about?” Nellie said with surprise. “You’re gonna go to town and purchase the passage back home.  That’s what you’re gonna do.”

“What if I’m not welcome?” Elise asked with trepidation.

“I can’t imagine a pa not letting his little girl come home.  No matter what she did,” Nellie said.

“Jake said the same thing,” Elise mused.

“We’re a lot alike,” Nellie chuckled.  “Comes with living together so long.”

“How long have you been married?” Elise asked.

“Nigh on twenty years,” Nellie replied with a wistful sigh. “Just me and Jake for nigh on twenty years.”

 “I’m sorry you never had the children you wanted,” Elise said with genuine affection.

“That’s nothing for ya to be sorry for,” Nellie said as she turned back toward the house.  “I boiled some water for tea.  Now that you’re fixin’ to leave, I’m finally getting the hang of drinking it.  It figures.”

“I won’t be leaving right away,” Elise said as she hastened to catch up with her weathered friend.  “I want to send a telegraph to father to make sure I’m welcome back before I purchase passage.”

“That’s something I’ll never understand,” Nellie said as she slowly shook her head.

“It is not my father as much as it is the society we live in,” Elise explained.  “He arranged for me to marry into the wealthiest family in Boston.  It was quite a boon for our family.  We are in the top percentile of wealth in Boston.  Under normal circumstances it would be difficult to find a match to compare with our status without having to go outside of Boston; maybe even to Europe. To add to such a handicap, the war was unforgiving and cared not whether the soldier it took was of high society or lowly born.  It left the selection of eligible men of any social status severely lacking. Father hates to travel long distances.  He thought that pairing me up with Judd was the perfect solution.”

“But, ya thought different,” Nellie said in a surprisingly soft tone.

“Oh Nellie, I still cringe when I remember that awful kiss he stole in our garden. It makes me want to run to the creek and wash every time.  I cannot imagine him doing more,” Elise said with angst as she sat down at the small wooden table in the center of the large room that served as both the kitchen and the sitting area.

“Do ya even know what that more might be?” Nellie asked with a chuckle as she poured hot water from the kettle onto the tea leaves she placed in the pot she normally used for brewing coffee.  “Ya only had a paper marriage, after all.”

“Such things are not spoken about,” Elise gasped.

Nellie tossed her head back and emitted a hearty laugh and her weathered eyes lit up with amusement.

This ain’t polite society, missy,” she said.  “You’d be surprised what’s talked about in these parts.”

“I- I guess,” Elise stammered.

“Didn’t your mother never talk to ya about it?” Nellie asked with genuine curiosity.

“That is something we do on the eve of our wedding,” Elise said.

“Since ya married on the sly by proxy and then snuck out of town, ya never had the talk,” Nellie continued.

“I don’t need it now,” Elise said with embarrassment.  “I’m fine the way I am.”

“I guess ya don’t,” Nellie said with amusement, “but if ya ever do need it, I’m here to help.”

“That is kind of you, Nellie. Truly it is, but I think we should change the subject now,” Elise said with a voice that showed her uneasiness.

“Do ya plan on going back to your ranch to harvest the rest of those vegetables?” Nellie asked while she slid a tea cup in front of Elise.

Grateful for the reprieve of a topic that made her extremely uncomfortable, Elise nodded.  She stood up to relieve Nellie of the makeshift tea pot, secured a small piece of cheesecloth over the spout to catch the loose tea leaves, and poured the aromatic liquid into their cups.

When Nellie’s unsightly gnarled hands lifted the delicate cup to her lips, Elise noticed a chip on its edge.  She sighed.  Nellie and Jake were born and raised in the Wichita Falls territory of Texas.  They knew nothing of the wealth and privileges Elise grew up taking for granted, except the little bit she told them.  How Elise longed to have them experience it, even just a little. She made a mental note to send a new set of china to them once she was home and settled.  She would also send them some proper furnishings.  Just because they lived in a small, two-room house with a loft did not mean they could not furnish it with quality pieces.  She smiled when she thought of their reaction to receiving such finery. 

“Take the wagon when ya go,” Nellie said.

“I don’t drive it well,” Elise admitted.

“It will make it easier to transport the vegetables.  I noticed some good-sized squash the last time I was there,” Nellie said.

“When did you go there?” Elise asked.

“It’s become a habit,” Nellie said with a shrug as she sipped at her tea. “You’ll need to tend to those hands of yours before ya reenter society.”