Jake (11 page)

CHAPTER 8

“Liam. Zach,” called Jake as they reached the outskirts of the camp. He didn’t want to get shot by accident.

“Here,” said Liam, as he ducked out of his tent. “What did you find out?”

“See for yourself.” Jake handed the package of posters to him.

Liam took the parcel and saw the two posters for Zach and Jake on top where Jake had left them. “There’s coffee and beans with cornbread that should still be hot, if you’re hungry.” Liam nodded toward the campfire then began to read the posters.

“Starving,” said Jake and Becky together.

Jake got cups, plates, and utensils from the cook tent and they dished themselves generous portions of the food. He liked that about Becky, she ate like a person should. Not the tiny portions that could barely keep a bird alive, like Elizabeth and her mother did.

He hadn’t thought about Elizabeth in a long time. Pretty much since he met Becky. And now wasn’t the time to start thinking about that part of his life. This was his life now and he better keep on his toes if he wanted to continue living it. Those bounty hunters had proved that to him.

After they finished eating they went to the Finnegan camp and were surprised to find Billy there. He should have still been at
The Gem
getting drunk. Instead he sat calmly by the fire. Sober. He wondered what Billy was going to try next.

“What are you doing here?” asked Jake, when they got close to Billy.

“I live here. What’s your business? Sniffing around my daughter, keeping me from raising her as I see fit,” spat Billy.

“She’s a grown woman and you abused her, but not anymore because if you do, I’ll see it’s the last time you raise a fist to anyone.”

Billy turned red and the vein popped out in his forehead. Jake struck a nerve but Billy didn’t say anything. Instead he turned to Becky, “Pack yer things. Yer leaving.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Don’t sass me, girl. Yer leaving” His Irish brogue was more prominent the angrier he got. “Yer new husband will make ya mind him even though ya don’t mind me. You think I was bad, wait until Winters gets hold of ya. He’ll take the starch out of ya.”

“Husband? What are you talking about? I’m not married and I’m not getting married.”

Billy looked away. “I got the gold and already spent it. You belong to Edgar Winters now.”

“You sold me?! To that old lecher? How could you?” Becky yelled at Billy and pushed him away from her.

“I needed the money and he had it.” Billy said, no remorse evident.

Becky burst into tears and went into the tent. Jake had had enough. He lifted Billy by the front of the shirt and sent his fist into his face. He landed on the ground next to the camp fire. Jake advanced on him, picked him up and sent another blow into his stomach and a second one into his face.

Billy got back up, wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. “You can beat me as much as you want, you can even kill me but it isn’t goin’ to change the fact that Winters’ owns Becky now.”

Jake went into the tent where he found Becky on her cot crying. He sat down next to her and took her into his arms, holding her while she cried.

“I always knew he didn’t love me, but I thought if I was good enough, worked hard enough, he’d change his mind,” she said between sobs.

“That’s never going to happen, sweet girl. But he can’t sell you. It’s illegal.”

She grimaced. “You, of all people, know the law has nothing to do with Deadwood. He can do as he pleases.”

“Then we’ll fix it so he can’t sell you. We can run away. Go someplace else far away from Billy.”

She laughed. A sad, mournful laugh. “We can’t go anywhere with that bounty hanging over your head.”

“Then, we’ll,” he grasped for a solution. “We’ll get married. If you’re already married to me, he can’t sell you to Winters.”

She was quiet for a long time. So long that he thought she hadn’t heard him.

“Becky?”

“You would do that for me?” she sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve.

“Yes. Anything. But it won’t be easy on you, I’m still a wanted man.”

She wiped the tears away with her hands. “All right, let’s do it before I change my mind.”

They walked out of the tent and went over to Buster. Jake saddled him while Becky put the bit in his mouth and buckled it on.

“Where do you two think yer goin’? Winters will be here soon to get Becky.”

“You deal with it old man. Becky isn’t going anywhere but with me.” Jake climbed on behind Becky and they took off down the trail.

Billy called after them, “You can’t do this. I tell ya she’s mine to do with as I see fit.”

Becky and Jake galloped past the Anderson claim and on into Deadwood ten minutes later. They went directly Reverend Smith’s tent. The canvas structure was big. One of the biggest tents Jake had ever seen outside a circus. He lived there with his daughter and held his services in it during the winter.

“Reverend, you have to help us. We want to get married,” said Jake.

The Reverend smiled broadly. “Wonderful. When would you like the special day to be?”

“Now.”

“Now? But young man, there are no witnesses and you have no family here.”

“How many witnesses do you need?”

“Well, my daughter Eleanor can be one witness, so we would need one more.”

“Wait here,” said Jake. He went out to the street, talked to a man walking by and they both came back into the tent.

“Will this man do?” asked Jake.

“Hello, Mr. Swearengen,” smiled Becky. “Would you mind being a witness to my marriage?”

“Does Billy know about this?” asked Al Swearengen, owner of
The Gem
.

“No sir. Billy sold me to some miner. If I get married he can’t sell me and he’ll have to give the miner back his money.”

“Who was the miner?”

“Edgar Winters.”

Swearengen guffawed. “I’d be delighted to put both those men in their places, so I’d be happy to witness your marriage. Who is the lucky groom?”

Becky had mentioned Al Swearengen to Jake before. He was supposed to be a complete reprobate but he was available and it seemed willing to help them.

“Jake Anderson.”

“Well, Jake, I’m going to witness this ceremony of yours and then I expect not to see Becky in my place again. She’s bad for business.”

“You can count on it, sir.”

“Very well then,” said Reverend Smith calmly. “Take your places. Jake and Mr. Swearengen on my left, Becky and Eleanor on my right.”

Eleanor Smith, the Reverend’s daughter, walked solemnly toward them. She was tall and slender with brown hair. When she smiled, she was lovely.

“Come, Becky, stand with me.” Eleanor took her by the hand and positioned her farthest from the Reverend.

Al and Jake took their positions and the Reverend began. “Dearly beloved. We are gathered together to witness the marriage of this man, Jake Anderson to this woman, Becky Finnegan….”

The next thing he knew, the Reverend was asking about a ring.

“We don’t have a ring,” said Becky.

“Yes, we do,” said Jake and he pulled a simple gold band out of his pocket.

Becky shook her head, “No, Jake, that was for Eliz…”

He took her hand and put the ring on it, “Now it’s for you.”

“By the power vested in me by the Lord Almighty and the Dakota Territory, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Jake bent down and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips.

“Thank you, Reverend,” said Jake, handing the preacher a twenty dollar gold coin. He held his hand out, “Mr. Swearengen, thank you. I promise Becky will never be in your place again.”

“Good. Now I can’t wait to see Billy’s face when he finds out what you did. Or what his face is going to look like when Edgar Winters gets done rearranging it for him.” Al laughed and walked out of the tent.

“Miss Smith, thank you also for being our witness,” said Jake.

“Not at all Mr. Anderson. I often witness the nuptials my father performs.” Jake thought she might break shaking his hand she was so stiff. She stood there like there was a pole down her back.

Jake took Becky’s elbow and steered her out of the tent and back to where Buster waited, hobbled, because there was no hitching post.

“Now we’re going to go get your things and move them to my tent. You’re never to go near your father after this. Understood?”

“Yes. I don’t want to go anywhere near him.” She shivered and Jake didn’t think it was with excitement. “To think he would actually sell me. I guess I’m lucky he hadn’t done it before,” she said sadly. “I knew he was a bastard, but I was sure he loved me. I was wrong. I was just another possession to him. One he could sell if he wanted to.”

Tears welled in her eyes. Jake opened his arms and she ran into them, burying her face in his shoulder. “Some bride I make. I can’t even do my own wedding right.”

“What would you have different?” he asked, rubbing her back gently while her sobs subsided.

“I’d have done it in a real church and I’d have worn a dress,” she looked down at herself, “or at least a clean shirt and pants.”

Jake laughed and put her at arm’s length, holding her by her shoulders. “We just escaped Billy’s machinations and you’re worried about what you wore. When I’m exonerated for Elizabeth’s murder, I’m going to get you the fanciest dress you want and marry you in a church like you want. Deal?”

She nodded. “Deal.”

They climbed onto Busters back and returned to the Finnegan camp to get Becky’s things. She’d remembered to take her money stash with her before they left, afraid that Billy would find it.

When they got back to camp, Billy was gone. Her things were pulled out of the tent and tossed to one side. He’d been searching and would have found her money had she not taken it with her. There was a hole dug in the ground where she kept the box with the money in it.

Together Becky and Jake gathered her belongings, including her cot. Jake didn’t think she’d like sleeping on the ground like he did. He was used to it and it didn’t bother him anymore but the ground was damned uncomfortable if you weren’t accustomed to it.

He loaded Buster with the cot, packed the saddle bags with her books and clothes. She grabbed her gold pan and her rubber waders and carried them. They walked along the path to Jake’s campsite only one hundred yards away.

“Do you think he’s gone for good?” she asked.

“I doubt it. He still doesn’t know what we’ve done. He probably thinks you’ll come get him at
The Gem
, like you always do. That’s not going to happen. Not tonight, not ever again.” He narrowed his eyes. “Understand?”

Becky nodded. “I understand. You don’t have to keep telling me.”

He held her at arm’s length, his hands resting lightly on her shoulders. “I think I do. I know how much you want Billy to love you. It would be easy for you to fall back into those habits.”

She shook her head. “No. Not after he sold me like last night’s supper. He’s going to have to deal with Mr. Winters and if Al’s reaction was anything to go by, Mr. Winters is not going to be happy with Billy at all.”

Jake chuckled. “No, he isn’t is he. Maybe he’ll give Billy a taste of his own medicine after all.”

After they walked the short distance to Jakes camp, he held the tent flap open. “You’re new abode, Madam,” he said bowing low.

Becky giggled and went into the tent. It was much the same as hers, but bigger because he didn’t have a cook tent. Everything Jake owned was in here. Clothes, cooking utensils, food. The tent was where he slept, got out of the cold, sat in the rain…lived. And now she lived here, too. She stood there in the middle of the tent not knowing what to do. She’d never expected her life to turn out this way. But it could have been so much worse. She owed Jake so much. She owed him everything.

CHAPTER 9

Becky stood in the middle of the tent while Jake set up her cot next to his pallet. It was so close she could hear him breathe when he slept. This was her wedding night. Becky wasn’t so stupid as to think Jake wouldn’t want to bed her. She knew what men wanted. The whores in town could provide that as far as she was concerned. No way was anyone, Jake included, going to do that to her.

“Jake.”

“Hmm.” He continued setting up her cot.

“About our sleeping arrangements…,”

He stopped and turned to her. “What about them? Would you rather sleep on the ground with me? I thought you’d want your cot.”

“I do want my cot. That’s the point. I don’t want to sleep with you. I don’t want you to bed me.”

Jake took a deep breath and took her by the hand. “Come, sit with me.”

She sat on the unmade cot next to him. He didn’t release her hand but instead was now holding both of hers with both of his.

“I’m not going to force you to make love with me—”

“Thank you.”

“—but I do want to have children, so we’ll have to consummate this marriage at some point. However, I want you to get used to me. You tell me what you don’t like.”