Lazy Days (5 page)

The
Mirabella
was finally loaded and readied
for departure on the Missouri River in the early afternoon. Standing at the
railing of the promenade on the boiler deck, Hallie watched Cooper's approach.

Looking plumb tuckered out, he said, "Guess
ya'll had a bird's eye view of us trying to calm that spooked horse."

Hallie nodded. "That was friendly of you to
help. Too bad the horse had to be led off ship. I thought he was going to
charge into the drink a couple of times."

Timmy asked, "What's going to happen to
him?"

Cooper shrugged. "His owner said he'll
catch the boat again when it returns in ten days and put blinders on the
horse."

Emmett glanced at his pocket watch, "Even
after all that, we're only a couple of hours off schedule. Considering the
trouble with that horse, that's pretty good."

From their vantage point, they observed
roustabouts, mates, and stewards, under the watchful eye of the captain, hasten
the ship for departure. In a short time, the whistle shrilled, the stacks
puffed black smoke, and the paddles eased the ship into murky waters. Hallie
squeezed Tim's hand. His voice held a sense of wonder. "Ma, we did it. Pa
would be right proud."

Hallie felt so choked up, she couldn't respond.

After the
Mirabella
was well under way, a
goodly portion of the crowd of passengers on the promenade drifted back to
their rooms or found amusements elsewhere. Emmett and Lydia excused themselves
and returned to their stateroom with Sammy.

Hallie said, "Timmy, run on to our room.
I'll be there in a minute. I just need to discuss something with Mr. Jerome
first." After Timmy left, she asked, "Where are you sleeping?"

"I'm on the main deck, bedding down outside
Sweet Pea's stall."

Hallie frowned. "Please let me see if I can
buy you a stateroom."

Cooper grinned, "No, ma'am. Sweet Pea and I
have often been bed partners. Like I said before, she gets kinda lonely without
me."

Although Cooper had been speaking of his horse,
Hallie felt color rise to her face.

Chuckling again, his eyes captured hers and twinkled
with a hint of amusement, "Don't worry about me, Hallie."

Now, hours later, after eating a supper of roast
beef and potatoes with the Hankersons in the dining room on the same deck as
their staterooms, Hallie lay on her narrow, lumpy bed, wondering what Cooper
had eaten. She was disappointed when he didn't join them, and made a mental note
to be sure he knew his meals were inclusive in the price of their tickets.

Trying to take her mind off her suffocating
quarters, she thought about the view from the hurricane deck that she and Timmy
had discovered with Emmett, Lydia, and Sam. Before supper, they had all gone to
explore the ship, climbing the stairs to the top deck to enjoy the unobstructed
views. The steamboat had moved into deep water and away from civilization and
the scenery was simply breathtaking. Now, remembering the wonderful sights, Hallie
wanted to escape her stuffy room and stargaze. How beautiful the stars would be
on such a clear night. And maybe a little exercise would help her sleep when
she returned.
No one will know.

Hallie quickly lit her lamp and dimmed it,
allowing just enough light to slip on the dress she had worn that day. Dealing
with her corset wasn't something she relished, so she just pulled the dress over
her nightgown; besides, who would see her in the dark if she kept to the
shadows. Fastening the front buttons, she wished she could be this lax with her
clothing all the time. On the farm, she hadn't worn a corset, but now, traveling
and being around so many people, she didn't feel properly clothed without it.

Grabbing her cloak and donning her bonnet, she
tied the ribbons under her chin and then as quietly as she could, pulled on her
high top walking shoes, foregoing her stockings. With a glance at Timmy to make
sure he was sleeping soundly, she smiled at his quiet snores and then slipped
out the door, locking it.

The promenade was empty and she wished she'd looked
at her watch. She decided it had to be after midnight since she'd lain in bed
unable to sleep for hours.

Making her way to the stairs leading to the hurricane
deck, she glanced over the railing enclosing the promenade and into the murky
depths of black water glinting here and there under a full moon. Anxious to
reach her destination, she almost tripped in her haste.
Maybe this wasn't
such a good idea. Maybe I should just go back to my room. No! I'm almost there.

With renewed determination, Hallie carefully
ascended the stairs. Just as she had known, the stars were bright and big and
beckoning. Her breath caught and she twirled in a circle, never taking her eyes
off their teasing twinkles.
Oh, this was so worth it.

Walking to the railing on the starboard side, she
sighed with relief that the deck was empty. Soon she was marveling at the
beautiful sky staring back at her—so far away, and yet she felt as if she could
reach and capture a star. Finding the brightest one, she made a wish.
Starlight,
starbright, I make a wish tonight. I wish for a safe journey and a bright new
future. I wish…

She paused to consider her next wish,
I wish
for Cooper Jerome to find happiness because of his kindness to Timmy and me.

She paused again to think if she had another
wish.
I wish…

Distant sounds distracted her. She heard what
sounded like a slamming door and then muffled voices. For a second, she
wondered if she should flee, but the voices stopped and she didn't see anyone. Besides,
she was a long way from the card room in the aft of the ship and standing in
the shadows, surely no one would see her. Dismissing her fears, she returned to
stargazing and dreaming of the future.

Instead of allowing her mind to worry about the
daunting task of acquiring a wagon, oxen, and supplies, she envisioned it
already done, with Timmy and herself walking behind Cooper, who was walking
beside the oxen, cracking his whip overhead and guiding the team down dusty
trails. So engrossed was she in her daydream, she jumped when she heard a slurred,
"Well, howdy, li'l lady. Ain't you a nice surprise?"

Hallie inhaled sharply and lifted her hand to
her throat. Another voice said, "Ain't this our lucky night, Stubby."

"Shore is. My four aces put jingle in my
pocket and yer full house did you good, too. Now, we gots a woman's comp'ny.
What more could a man ask fer?"

Slowly, Hallie edged away. The men were blocking
her exit, not moving. She decided to run toward the pilot house if they came
closer.

"My husband just stepped away for an
instant. He…he'll be right back." Her words sounded like the lie they were.

For a man so inebriated, Stubby moved fast, and
before Hallie could run, he stepped to block any escape. A shaft of moonlight revealed
his slimy appearance and grease matted hair and she almost fainted when she got
a whiff of his foul breath. In a matter of seconds, the man named Harley snaked
behind her and thrust an arm around her waist, trapping her arms and pulling
her into the folds of his rotund body. When she opened her mouth to scream, a
fat, stinky hand clamped over it.

Oh, God. Oh, God. Somebody help me. Cooper!

Stubby laughed softly and stuck his face in
hers. "Either you ain't half bad lookin' or I'm too drunk to care."
He snickered to his friend, "I'm gonna give her a feel, Harley; see if
she's worth our time."

Hallie whimpered behind Harley's big hand and
tried to bite it as Stubby reached to fondle her breast. Harley said, "Oh,
she's gonna be worth it, Stubby. She just tried to bite my hand. She's got
sass."

Stubby added, "She's kinda skinny, but all
woman, that's fer sure. We's gonna have us a good ol' time tonight."

Out of nowhere, a deep-timbered voice calmly
spoke, "I highly doubt that. Let her go, step away, and maybe I'll let you
live." The click of a gun cocking, and then another, sounded as Cooper Jerome
stepped into view. Aiming one pistol at Stubby and the second at Harley, he
looked like the devil incarnate under the moon's glow, especially with the
ghostly floating of his duster in the breeze.

Stubby said, "Sheeit."

Harley said, "She weren't lyin' 'bout the
husband."

Cooper repeated, enunciating each word,
"Let her go. Step away. And I might let you live."

Stubby started backing up as Harley slowly removed
his hand from Hallie's mouth, released her waist, and lifted his hands in the
air.

Cooper motioned with one gun, "Hallie, come
over by me."

Hallie jerked away from the wretched man and in
the process purposefully jabbed his gut with her elbow. Although he grunted, her
angry attempt to inflict pain proved useless on his overweight body.

Rushing to stand behind Cooper, she stared
daggers at the men’s faces lit by the full moon.

Cooper's calm voice turned menacing. "If I
see either one of you even looking sideways at a woman as long as we're on this
boat, I'll shoot your hands off, and then I'll gouge your eyes out. Do. I.
Make. Myself. Clear?"

His tone sent shivers up Hallie's spine. In the
darkness, with moonlight reflecting from the hard planes of his face and his pistols
glinting ominously, he could have scared the demons in hell.

Stubby and Harley blubbered simultaneously,
evidence of their drunken state seemingly disappeared.

"Y-yes."

"Yes, sir."

Cooper motioned with a jerk of his head. "Get
the hell out of my sight."

Neither man waited for a second invitation
before stumbling over each other in their haste to retreat.

Much to Hallie's astonishment, Cooper then twirled
and holstered his guns like a gunslinger. She had to stop herself from throwing
her arms around his neck in grateful abandonment for saving her.

Unable to see his face clearly now because of
the angle of his head, she gasped at the anger in his voice when he practically
growled, "What the hell are you doing out at this time of night?
Especially on this deck."

She opened her mouth to reply, but her
explanation got stuck in her throat.

"Well?" he asked impatiently.

"I-I couldn't sleep and wanted to get some
fresh air and look at the stars."

Cooper sighed. "Mrs. Wells, if you want me
to get you to Oregon intact, you had best listen to my instructions. While we
were boarding, I
warned
you about this part of the ship. If I hadn't
come along, those men would have done things you don't even want to think
about."

Hallie felt the blood drain from her face at the
truth in his words and relived the feel of the horrible man's hand groping her.
She covered her mouth to keep from vomiting and made a retching sound.

Immediately, Cooper stepped close and pressed a
handkerchief into her hand. "Ah, shit. Take some deep breaths. Breathe
in…breathe out."

Hallie followed his instructions, mortified that
she might throw up in front of him. In all of her life, she had never been manhandled
by ruffians or spoken to harshly as Cooper had just done. She was brought up in
a loving family and married a dear, sweet-tempered man who never raised his
voice. The nausea finally faded.

"Better?" Cooper's voice had softened,
but an unreasonable anger crawled into Hallie's heart.

"Yes. I'm ready to return to my
cabin," she answered curtly, handing back his handkerchief. She started
forward and then turned quickly around. "In the future, Mr. Jerome, I
would appreciate it if you wouldn't speak to me as if I were a child. I apologize
for my lapse in judgment and I hope that puts an end to this unfortunate conversation."

Turning pridefully she walked toward the stairs.

* * *

Cooper watched Hallie's stiff-backed retreat and
almost smiled. So the timid mouse had some spunk. Rather than incense her more—an
itch he had to see how far he could push her—he just said, "Yes,
ma'am."

Cooper escorted Hallie back to her room and
politely tipped his hat when she turned to bid him good night. Still miffed,
she asked, "Since that deck houses the card tables and liquor, why were
you
there, Mr. Jerome?"

Her question took him off guard. He knew that if
he grinned at her schoolmarm interrogation, he would probably be in the
doghouse for days.

"Ah, ma'am, I was just scouting out the
lay-of-the-land, so to speak. It's a habit from my military training." His
explanation sounded plausible to his own ears, but the look on Hallie's face
told him that she knew it was a crock of shit as much as he did. "Night,
ma'am. Sorry if I was a little harsh with you." Before she could respond,
he hastened away.

Descending to the main deck, Cooper swiped a
hand across his nose at the pungent odor of animal excrement and body odor from
the mass of emigrants camped there. Making his way to the area set aside for animals,
he leaned against the pitiful stall housing Sweet Pea. His horse softly neighed
and lifted her head over the siding for her owner to rub. Absentmindedly,
Cooper crooned and stroked Sweet Pea's neck while Hallie's question bounced
around in his mind. What had he been doing on the hurricane deck? Hell, he'd
been wanting a drink and a woman's company, but instead of acting on either
desire, he, too, had been stargazing. Chuckling, he dropped to the blanket at
his feet, laid his head on his saddle, and pulled the bowl of his hat over his
face.