ROMANCE: Military: SEALED BY APACHE (Military Soldier Navy SEAL Romance) (Alpha Male Billionaire Bad Boy Romance Short Stories) (11 page)

Chapter Three

Jake approached the new stallion, which had arrived on the ranch just a couple of hours before. He had strong features, and when he saw Jake approach the stall, he locked eyes with him. The stallion was alone in the barn; the other six mares were out with the ranch hands seeing to the herd.

He touched its thick golden mane and stroked it softly, murmuring soothing words. Jake took a brush from a wooden chest and used to brush the stallion down. He started with the neck, using quick long motions. That done, he went to the well, which stood between the barn and the house, and filled two pails with water. He then slid each pail at the ends of the pole.

As he carried the water back to the barn, his mind strayed to the letter he had received this morning. It was the fourth reply he had received from his advert. So far Jake had replied to none, but tonight, he would make a decision. He wanted a wife, someone to share his life with and to make a family.

Life in the ranch was lonely. On the advice of his friend, he had gone to all the social places, but one thing struck him, where there were ten men, only one was a woman. The women that he saw were the hard type, hardly suited to domestic life. He had no problem getting their interest, for he had been told several times that he was easy on the eye, but he knew straight out, that these types of women were not what he wanted in a wife. Then he heard about placing an advert for a mail order bride.

Jake hated to jump into a situation without knowing what he was getting himself into. This mail order bride business was a risk. He could end up with a wild woman or worse, a lazy one, and what could he do about it, nothing. Still, he had prayed about it and he believed that the Lord would lead him to the right person for him. He pushed his mind away from his potential bride. He saddled his own stallion, a black horse with an attitude and which only Jake could ride. He wanted to inspect the herd due to be sold and see if there were any that looked unhealthy.

He galloped out of the barn, on his left, the double story ranch house, which stood empty until he returned in the evening. He had a nice stretch of land, which he was proud of. It stretched out over a hill and on the side of the ranch house was a cluster of wooded land, which provided much needed shade for the porch.

The herd was divided into two, the one due for sale smaller than the other group. He made for the western pasture, where he saw the cows grazing contentedly, two ranch hands on horses keeping an eye. Coyotes were common around these parts, and they could gang up on a lone cow and kill it. The loss of even one cow made an impact on the profitability of the ranch, although for the seven years since he bought the ranch, Jake had been lucky.

He knew ranch owners who had lost as much as five hundred heads of cattle in a drive, forcing them to sell up. Jake himself never enjoyed the drives, they were too full of risk and he was only too glad when the railway reached them and the drives ended. Now, to get the cows to the markets in the East simply involved getting them on the train. Things were so much easier now.

Jake had quite a bit of savings which he steadily used to increase his herd. The only thing missing now was a wife. That evening, tired after a hard day’s job, Jake entered the ranch house through the kitchen door. It was already dark, and his shadow was cast against the wall. He washed his hands in the wooden sink, fetching water from a huge drum near the sink. Next, he lit a kerosene lamp and used the light to get a chunk of cold meat and bread for his dinner.

It was too much to cook at this time. The best he could do was put the kettle on the still warm fire for a mug of tea. When the tea was ready, he poured it out into a mug and sat down at the table. He chewed, ignoring the bland taste of his dinner. When he finished, he washed it down with the hot tea. His stomach full, he remembered the letters under a pull out drawer on the table. He took them out and read them again.

The one from the girl in New York stood out. She was a Christian and honest about not knowing how a ranch was run. She was more of a city girl but was hard working and ready to learn. Her name was Jenny Garner. She told him about the death of her mother and how she lived with a father who drank too much. He liked that she wrote matter of fact, with no self-pity.

She had always longed for her own family and this was her opportunity to start life on a clean slate. He understood that more than anybody. His father too had been a drunk. His mother had run way when Jake was five and his brother Mathew only three. He thought back to those early years without someone to care for them and his heart hardened.

The constant gnawing hunger and the dirt until Jake learned to wash himself and his brother. The church had been their refuge. They got second hand clothes as well food from members of the church, and for that Jake was forever grateful. A neighbor, a kindly woman had taken them on and taught them how to read and write along with her four sons.

Unfortunately, Mathew did not make it to adulthood. When he was thirteen, he had contracted the deadly yellow fever and died soon after. What saddened Jake was that all his life, his brother had not known a moment of happiness. How he wished Mathew had grown up and come with him to the West.

Jake stayed on for two more years and when he heard that there were opportunities for young people out West, he had saved up and taken a coach. He had worked as a ranch hand for several years, all the while looking out for opportunities.

The opportunity came in the form of a man who was tired of ranching and wanted to go to California to prospect for gold. Jake bought the five hundred acre ranch in several installments, and then worked for another year or so, until he bought his own herd. Years later, he was where he had always dreamed to be—with his own ranch and cattle.

He understood Jenny’s need to go off and start life elsewhere. His father still drunk and Jake regularly sent him some money for his needs. He could never bring himself to cut the ties with the only family he had left.

Jake realized that he had made up his mind. He gave a cursory glance to the other letters, and then shoved them back into the drawer. Having decided whom he wanted, Jake wrote, inviting her to Montana, and when he finished he enclosed two hundred dollars for Jenny to buy necessities and whatever she needed for the move.

He knew from experience with a drunkard father, that she probably owned very little and the money would take her a long way. He felt accomplished when the letter was sealed, and to his surprise, a feeling of excitement. This would be a new chapter in his life, a happy one he hoped. The peace in his heart told Jake that he had done the right thing.

How did this Jenny look? As much as he admired beautiful women, physical beauty was not a priority for him. What he wanted the most was a kind and an honest lady. A lady with a good heart and was hard working. Life on a ranch was hard work and everybody chipped in so that it could run smoothly.

He worried that she had never even lived on a farm. What if she hated it here? Jake chuckled to himself. There were so many ways his plan could go wrong. The best thing for him was to trust in the Lord and know that all would be well.

From the same pullout drawer, he fished out his old and worn bible and turned to his favorite book and verse
. For I know the plans that have for you, declares the Lord, Plans to do you good and not evil.

Chapter Four

Jenny sat on her bed, her hands trembling as she held the dollar bills in her hands. She had never seen so much money all her life. She read the letter again. His name was Jake and he wanted to marry
her
. She closed her eyes and said a quick prayer of thanks. If she had had any doubts before, they were gone.

The Lord was with her and guiding her path. She thought of her father and as though a curtain had opened she understood why he was the way he was. He had steered away from the Lord. If only she could make him see that he only had to open his heart, and the Lord was right there waiting to enter his life.

How else could you explain all this? Jenny looked at the letter and the money. Jake had probably received many letters from interested women, yet he had picked her, a person he knew nothing about and who had never lived on a ranch. She inhaled deeply and for the first time in weeks, she smiled to herself.

A loud knock on the door interrupted her musings and she quickly shoved the bills and the letter back in the envelope. She straightened her shabby brown dress and rushed out of her bedroom. James stood to the side to let someone in. It was her Aunty Florence.

‘You ought to take a bath more often James, you smell of dirt.’ She said, pinching her nose with two fingers.

‘Jenny, just the person I wanted to see.’ Aunty Florence said, shaking off flakes of snow from her jacket.

The weather had improved, spring being just round the corner. Jenny managed a smile, this time. Aunty Florence looked at her and frowned.

‘I take it you have some good news. Come to the front room and you can tell me all about it. Have you lit a fire?’

Aunty Florence wrapped her arms around her upper body. Jenny was on a high and barely felt the biting cold.

‘Why haven’t you lit the fire? It’s so cold in here, and where’s your father?’ She said.

‘In his work room’ Jenny said. ‘Father hasn’t chopped wood and the stock we had is all gone.’

Aunty Florence clicked her mouth.

‘Your father is a very busy man. Can you not chop wood yourself? What about you James, you’re a young man now.’

Jenny’s mouth fell. She imagined herself and James chopping down the huge trees that bordered their land, and stifled back a laugh. She and James exchanged a silent exchange at the suggestion and he covered his mouth. Aunty Florence was too much. Unfortunately, she saw the laughter bubbling up from Jenny’s mouth and her anger flared up.

‘That is funny to you Jenny? I tell you my brother is a cursed man to end up with children like you. You’ll end up in a very bad way I tell you. Nothing good will come out of the two of you.’

Jenny’s humor disappeared. She looked at James. His face looked fearful and he inched closer to her. She didn’t mind when Aunty Florence told her all those nasty things but saying them to James was horrible. Please help me be calm. She ignored her Aunt’s words and sat serenely on the chaise as though she was a queen awaiting a report.

It worked and her mind calmed down.

‘Now to more important matters’ Aunt Florence continued briskly. ‘I take it your letter have received a favorable response?’

Jenny thought hard. If she told the truth, she might jeopardize her chances of leaving, yet if she told a lie, she knew it was a sin against God. Her mind whirled round weighing the possibilities. If her Aunty Florence knew that she had in her possession so much money, she would alert her father, who without a doubt would take it for himself. In addition, she would not be able to make the journey to the man who had just proposed, and most likely her only chance at happiness and her own family. This would be the very last time she would lie, Jenny told herself. Her very life seemed to depend on her next move.

‘I haven’t received any letter,
lately.
’ Jenny said softly, fibbing by omission, hoping it a lesser sin.

Her Aunty Florence looked at her in disbelief. She screwed her eyes and Jenny felt as though she could see right into her soul.

‘Then what is that in your pocket?’ she asked loudly.

Jenny’s face went white with fear, having just tucked in the letter moments before.

‘It’s n…nothing Aunty’, Jenny blurted, feeling as though about to faint.

‘Show me’, her Aunt demanded.

Jenny’s fear was overwhelming. She couldn’t reveal the letter and her plan to escape the household. She and her brother would be trapped, probably for life, one of total and utter misery.

‘I… I was working on a letter of my own’, she managed a fib. I thought maybe if I shared a little more about what I can help out with, then I may stand a better chance of someone responding’ she fibbed, asking God for forgiveness the very moment the words escaped her mouth. ‘I didn’t want to show you yet, because it’s not finished.’ She added, cautiously.

Her Aunt conceded to her humility and attempt to do right by her. ‘Then what was that about? Did you not affirm that you had received favorable news?’

‘No, I just woke up this morning filled with the joy of the Lord.’ Jenny said, relieved that her life may be worth living after all.

‘You’re a foolish girl, making me think that we were getting somewhere. You have wasted my time.’ She stood up abruptly. ‘If you do get a letter, the first thing you do is come to me and we can look at it together.’

‘Give my regards to your father. I feel too upset to stay any longer.’ She said as she walked out.  At the door, she turned back. ‘Your mother should have instilled better manners in you Jenny. When a visitor calls, you ought to offer them tea and a bite of something.’

Jenny kept her thoughts to herself and instead murmured a heartfelt apology. She would have liked nothing better than to prepare some tea and maybe hot scones for her Aunty. The truth was that there was nothing in the pantry. They had taken the last chunk of bread last night with bean stew. The little stew that remained was only enough for James’s lunch. As soon as her Aunty left, she turned to James.

‘Let’s go to town, we need a few things which I’ll explain later. But James, you must agree not tell father what we buy, do you understand?’

‘Yes Jenny I know. Father would not like it if you had some pennies and never told him.’ He said solemnly, looking up to his sister as best friend whom he would never betray.

Jenny pushed away tendrils of his dirty brown hair from his face. There was so much to do and so little time. Jenny rushed to her bedroom, and peeled off a few notes from the bunch that Jake had sent, and also pocketed his letter which contained instructions on how to get to his ranch in Montana.

She took James’s hand and walked down the snow covered road with him. The small town was almost a kilometer away, but they were both used to the distance and soon enough they were there. Her first stop was the railway station at the edge of town.

Jenny stood in line behind a middle aged man and waited her turn.

‘I’d kindly like to buy two tickets to Weigh Bridge, in Montana.’ Jenny said, adopting a mature tone.

The bespectacled man behind the counter looked up at her.

‘That’s a long way away. You sure about that?’

‘Yes, my Uncle will be waiting to meet us there.’ Jenny said, the lie rolling off her tongue, again finding herself asking for forgiveness.

She didn’t know who knew her Aunty Florence or her father, and the less she said the better for them. The man took out a large map and laid it on the table. He trailed a finger along it, and from where she stood, Jenny stared at the map in wonder. Montana was a long way away, and for the first time felt a note of apprehension. Would they be able to travel all that way, alone? She thought to herself.

‘You’re in luck young lady. The whole journey is connected to the railway, otherwise you would have to go on stage coach and I can tell you, that’s only fit for very strong people.’

He then went on to tell the cost of the different classes. Jenny took the cheapest option which was the third class.

‘The third class can be a tad bit uncomfortable.’ The man warned looking up at her. ‘Should you fall asleep, an unscrupulous person may steal your luggage.’

Jenny thought about the luggage which she did not own, and brushed away the man’s concerns.

‘I’ll take the third class please.’ She said firmly. ‘When is the next train due?’

‘There’s one two days from now. If you take that one, it will take you all the way to Weigh Bridge and you won’t have to make another connection. I take it that is what you prefer?’

Jenny nodded.

He held her stare a little longer then with a sigh, he gave her the tickets. Thankfully, James’s ticket cost half of hers, which left her with over a hundred and twenty dollars. She held the tickets tightly in her hand, feeling their implication. She and James would be on their way in two days. The journey to Montana would take four days.

‘Are we going somewhere Jenny?’ James said his eyes bright with excitement.

She halted to a stop and turned to James.

‘Yes, we are me and you. We are going to start a new life somewhere far from here. I’m getting married to a farmer in Montana.’ She said, enjoying the feel of the words as they left her mouth.

‘But James, this is very important. You must not tell a soul, our very lives depend on it, ok?’ she warned gravely.

‘Even father?’

‘Especially father. It has to be our secret otherwise if you tell; I’ll have to go alone.’

Fear crept into his eyes, and Jenny hated to scare him a possible separation between them, and worse. Still, it was the only way to ensure that he told no one.

‘I promise, I will not tell a soul. You won’t leave me, will you? I promise to be good and keep the secret.’

Jenny pulled him into a tight embrace. ‘Never. I will never leave you.’ She said with deep conviction and love. 

‘Now come, we have to buy material and quickly make a pair or two of decent clothes for you and myself. After all, we do want to look presentable when we reach the ranch.’

‘What’s a ranch?’