Lincoln County Series 1-3 (12 page)

“I see,” she said.

He saw that she didn’t. This was when he was supposed to step back and wait for God to do it His way. It was a very difficult thing for him to do.

“I best start setting up the place for supper,” Cameron said. “Thank you...Andrew.”

*** *** ***

The supper hour called for the restaurant to be packed full of folks gearing up for winter. Andrew had barely a spot open next to him but waived Mack Owens over his way just the same. He couldn’t leave a man standing to eat his meal. He smiled to himself when Mack searched high and low for anywhere else to sit other than next to the preacher.

Patsy was their server, and she set down two glasses of milk for them.

“Mack, you a church going man?” Andrew asked right out.

“Not one bit.”

“Care to tell me why?” Andrew pressed.

“Never really thought much of it, I suppose. Been on my own since I was a boy and it just never crossed my mind to go, that’s all.”

Thomas came over to the table and glared at Mack. “Where have you been? Been lookin’ all over this blasted town for ya and I find you sittin’ here all cozy-like having a glass of milk?” Thomas swore.

“The
Reverend
and I are waiting for our supper—care to join us?”

Thomas remained standing and looked hard at Andrew. “Been a long time.”

“It has.” Andrew felt like he’d just looked into Cameron’s eyes.

Patsy came with plates of hot food and looked at them all. “Do I need to fetch another?”

“Fine,” Thomas said and squished in next to Mack.

*** *** ***

As the hour went on, Cameron steered clear of her brother’s table. One run in with him a day had been enough. She didn’t know if he’d even seen her. Either that, or he was really good at pretending she didn’t exist.

There were so many people crammed into the place that even Lacey appeared out of sorts, which was a first. If business kept up at this pace, the town was going to need another fine establishment to choose from. There was no way they could keep up. Why, even Thomas had to eat with Andrew. She’d love to be able to hear how
that
conversation was going. She decided he deserved a little dose of goodness, and he’d get that from Andrew for sure. Such a genuine and kindhearted man he was, nearly without a fault. She’d never before met anyone so… pure.

The evening was made complete when Jake came around the corner and politely greeted her. Then he announced he wanted a drink from the saloon.

He’d rather go and drink then stay with her. A bit put out she said, “All right.”

Possessively, he took her in. “When you’re finished here, come over and spend some time with me.”

She nearly melted at the way he looked at her. Hadn’t she always wanted to be desired?

*** *** ***

Jake stood when Cameron later entered the saloon and drew near him. Instantly he ignored the card game. One of his playing partners was Thomas, and that had not been by choice. It was how the rules were and the outcome of the process of elimination; this was the final hand of the competition. Thomas had the nerve to order him to sit down and play or deal out. He looked down at Thomas and stated clearly, “I’m out.”

He was going to enjoy his night with Cameron and to heck with the card game.

Thomas grunted. Charlotte came purring up to the table and placed a jeweled hand on Thomas’s shoulder and whispered something. He nodded once and continued to deal a deck of cards. Jake look at them both, puzzled, but decided not to get caught up in anything with them. They could have each other for all he cared. Before he and Cameron made away, a man began to taunt him. “Come on, man! Finish what you started. Play.”

“Said I was done.”

Thomas became annoyed with everyone and said, “Are you gonna just sit there and take this, man?”

“He’s drunk. What do you expect me to do?” Jake said dismissively before turning his attention back to Cameron. “Come on, let’s go.”

The drunk started up again. “When you’re done with her, can I have her?”

“Jake, no--” Cameron pleaded.

Jake had pulled him out of his seat before she could finish the sentence. He warned him to knock it off.

“Does that mean no?” the sodden man pushed.

It took one punch for Jake to knock him clean out. The drunk landed backwards into the wall, eyes wide open as he slid slowly to the ground. Not a moment later, he started snoring. “Drunken idiot,” Jake cursed. Then he turned to Thomas and said levelly, “I’m surprised you would let a man talk about your sister like that.”

“You were just faster than me is all.” He’d not moved an inch to defend her—still sat lazily in his chair. “Well, now you’ve taken out one of our players, you’ll need to replace him.” Thomas’s eyes flashed. Before Jake could say no, Thomas added, “Look at it this way, you have a chance to get me back for
bein’ so slow
.”

Jake looked down for a minute in thought. He ought to put this jerk of a brother in his place and he knew he could. Falling into Thomas’s hands or not, he pulled out his still warm chair. “Deal me in.”

*** *** ***

Cameron looked at the two in disgust. She was mad at Thomas simply for being the way he was, cold-hearted—and mad at Jake for wasting an evening meant for her. Thomas smiled at her coolly, puffing on a cigar, while Jake avoided her altogether, naturally not wanting to see the glare he knew was shooting his way.

The final straw was the smug look that Charlotte was providing her with as she sidled up to the back of Jake’s chair. Cameron huffed and strode out, arms clenched tight at her sides.

She stayed up waiting for Jake as long as she could, finally letting herself give in to fatigue when she realized he wasn’t coming. The notes rising through the floorboards from the piano slowly faded away as they lulled her to a sound sleep.

In the morning after waking up alone, Cameron got ready for the day and unlocked the front door of the hotel. She saw Jake staggering down the staircase leading to the whores’ rooms. He was holding the back of his head and looked drunk, his clothes were a disheveled mess.

She was so shocked she didn’t know whether to run or hold her ground. Her feet decided for her. She flew right passed him, grateful for his slow reflexes as he reached for her.

*** *** ***

The pain in the back of his head cut through to the front of Jake’s eyes, which he promptly clenched shut. After giving himself a moment, he turned around and slowly climbed the stairs to Cameron’s living quarters.

Her door was locked, just what he needed. He was still unclear as to what had happened and had no idea what he was doing in Charlotte’s room. He cursed when he woke up next to her. He was fully clothed and didn’t remember going to her room at all. In fact he knew he wasn’t
that
drunk last night.

“Cameron,” he said, quietly. He leaned his head on the door and almost fell in when she yanked it open, her eyes swollen from crying.

“Go away, Jake. You’ve had your fun with me. I guess I’m not woman enough for you, is that it?”

He pulled his eyebrows together, trying to register what she was saying, but before he could answer the charge, she’d slammed the door in his face, nearly taking the end of his nose off. He already hurt so much, and the pain she’d just inflicted was nearly unbearable. All he could think about was going home to numb the pain with whiskey and to sleep for a long, long time.

Chapter Nineteen

After so many weeks of witnessing Cameron’s ongoing melancholy, it was becoming more difficult for Andrew to stand by. He was at a loss as to how to reach her. Whatever had been affecting her was more than her brother’s rejection; there was something else in her eyes, a different kind of hurt. Cameron had accepted her brother’s resolute position on keeping her out of his hardened life. Secretly he was glad for that, for the time being, sure that Thomas would be a hindrance to Cameron and to the openness she’d been showing lately.

Even now, as she sat next to him in the buggy, she was just there. Eyes void of emotion. Church services didn’t seem to be doing anything for her, although she went often—Andrew was sure it was out of friendship to him.

“It was a good service today,” Cameron said, pulling the blanket snug around her. Her ears and nose were red.

“I especially liked the story about Rahab. So, Jesus really is a descendant of a harlot?”

Andrew smiled. “Yes, incredible isn’t it? We think that God would only do things a certain way. For instance, one would never think He would allow His Son to be in a lineage such as that. He makes it clear to us that He can never be figured out.”

He sensed her mind was turning, processing what he had said as she always did. She never just believed, she questioned him a lot, sometimes right out of the blue, when they weren’t even talking about such things.

“Andrew, is it all right if we don’t go back just yet?”

“It’s awfully chilly out and I worry you’ll be too cold.” He looked at her forlorn expression and caved. “What did you want to do?”

“Can we go to Spillman’s Creek?” she asked. “I just want to see it. We won’t have to stay long. I’ve been there once and it was so beautiful. I just need to see something beautiful, Andrew. You don’t mind?”

“I would never mind.”

*** *** ***

The creek had a thin layer of ice on top of it. Cameron exhaled a stream of cold air, then deeply breathed in the cool scent of freshness, water, plant life and winter. She tucked her hands into the slits in front of her coat. “It’s really co-cold down here by the water.” She shivered.

Andrew offered to fetch the blanket she’d left in the buggy.

“No, I won’t be long.” Her eyes rested onto a hollowed out log, decaying in the tall grasses.

Her eyes welled up with tears. “That’s how I feel.”

He stepped up beside her to see what she was looking at. “I don’t understand.”

“Like that log over there. Hollow, rotting because of its lack of life. Useless.”

“I honestly don’t know what to say, other than I wish you didn’t feel like that.”

“You don’t need to say anything, Andrew. It’s my fault, the way my life is. After coming to church the past four weeks, I think maybe I’m beginning to believe there’s more to life than just living it however I want to.” She shrugged. “Maybe I don’t even know what I’m talking about.”

Chapter Twenty

Jake entered his Gun Shop to find Lacey sitting there dressed in her finest, as if she were at an afternoon tea party.

He hung his jacket on the peg behind the door, ignoring her.

“Would you like some tea, or coffee?” She said coyly, trying to irritate him, and succeeding.

“What are you doing here? You’re a sight! Did you think of my customers when you brought in your china cups and trumpets? What kind of gun business would they think I run?”

“Crumpets,” she said, smiling.

“What?”

“Crumpets, not
trumpets.
And you haven’t had any customers since I’ve been here, so don’t worry.”

He paced a moment. “Well, get this cleaned up before I do have one!”

“My, aren’t we testy this morning, Jake Collins!” Lacey rose and slowly packed up her basket.

“You still haven’t answered me. What are you doing here, making a spectacle of my business, disrupting my employees and God knows what else?”

In a huff, she walked over to him. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve had a heartbroken girl over at
my
place. You sleep with her and then you don’t come around for over a month? What’s the matter with you?” She raised herself taller than her five feet and jabbed her slender finger into his chest.

He grabbed her fingers and lightly squeezed them. “If you’ll kindly shut up and listen to me, I’ll tell you why.”

She backed down.

“Have you bothered to ask
her
about it? She’s
the one who slammed the door in
my
face. Oh! I see you didn’t know that. Surprised are you?” He folded his arms across his chest waiting for her to speak again.

“I’ve asked her repeatedly, but she won’t tell me. Why doesn’t she want to see you anymore?”

“I can’t blame her after what she saw, but she won’t give me a chance to explain. I’m at the point where I don’t even care anymore—let her think what she wants. It should have never gotten to that place anyway,” he said, regret hanging from his words, his voice wary on the matter. He sighed. “She saw me come out of Charlotte’s room.”