Sarah's Heart (22 page)

“For
what?”
Sarah raised an
inquisitive brow.

“A
house.
I’m anxious to
clear a place for it.”

 
“I can imagine you are.” Her heart ached at
the idea of him continuing to live in a small cave.

“If the bank extends
my loan, I plan to pick up some building supplies.” He knelt, cupped his hand,
and drew a cool drink from the creek to his lips.

Jonathan’s mouth
pulled into a frown, but Sarah couldn’t dispel a feeling of glee. “I’m sure
they‘ll accept your proposition for an extension, Wolf. I know from all our
conversations on the trail that this is a life-long dream for you. Nothing
would make me happier than to see it come true.”

He stood and flashed
that blinding smile that melted her heart, yet he viewed her companion with a
hint of wariness. “Thank you, Sarah. That means a lot coming from you. Might I
add that you look mighty pretty in your new dress? I had no idea the tomboy I
spent time with on the trail would turn into such a beauty.”

She lowered her
eyes, her mouth feeling like cotton and her stomach aflutter. There was so much
she wanted to say, but not with Jonathan leering at them. Discomfort outweighed
her thirst, and she turned to her escort. “Can you please take me back to town
now? The heat is getting the best of me.” It was only a partial lie. She
withdrew a hanky from her sleeve and blotted her brow.

“Of
course, my dear.”
He
moved closer to pick her up, but she backed away.

“Thank you, but I’ll
make my own way this time.”

Jonathan offered his
arm and Sarah reluctantly took it. She glanced back at Wolf as they walked
away.
“Best of luck to you.
I’ll keep my fingers
crossed that everything works out the way you planned.” Amidst her feeling of
joy, a pang of loneliness stabbed at her heart.

“That’s very nice of
you, Sarah, but….” Jonathan patted her hand. Raising his voice, he cast a leery
stare at Wolf. “Don’t offer up congratulations just yet. I plan to check with
the bank, too, and I have enough to pay the full amount. He may not get his
land after all.”

* * *

The ride back to
town started on a quiet note.
Sarah’s jaw clenched in anger
at Jonathan.
She saw no reason for him to compete with Wolf when there
was so much open land available. Surely his client would be satisfied building
somewhere else; the man had never laid eyes on the place.

 
Pulling up the hem of her dress, she picked
stickers and foxtails from the material, annoyed that she’d dressed up to tramp
through weeds and eat in the middle of a field. She hoped the outing would
provide a respite from thinking about Wolf, but instead it renewed feelings she
wanted desperately to forget.

“Did I make you
angry?” Jonathan finally broke the silence.

With a sigh, she
dropped her skirt back down over her shoes and stared forward at the horse’s
dappled rump. “I’m not sure how I feel at the moment. I thought you were a
gentleman, but hearing you provoke Wolf and watching your actions disappoints
me. He’s my friend.” She turned to see Jonathan’s reaction.

With an inquisitive
cock to his head, he blinked his blue eyes. “I’m sorry if I didn’t live up to
your expectations, but business takes priority over impressing people. Mr. Asa
Whitney is a very important man. If I can close this deal, I stand to make a
lot of money. I fail to see what I did that was so wrong. Did I mistreat you in
any way?”

An exasperated
breath whooshed past her lips. “You just don’t understand, do you?”

“I guess not. Why
don’t you explain?”

“I don’t expect you
to care, but Wolf has had a difficult life. This land represents a dream to
him; he’s already invested money in it.”

“He can find another
plot.” Jonathan’s tone was emotionless.

“He has his heart
set on this one,” she insisted. “It’s got water for the cattle he plans to buy,
and…”

 
“Sarah, you’re being too kindhearted where
Wolf is concerned. Just think of how many people will be served by a train
station this close to Independence
and the river. Sure, the land’s not right in middle of things but within a few
years, this town is going to grow like wildfire, with houses and businesses
popping up all around the proposed site. Mark my words.”

Sarah stared off
into the distance, realizing nothing she said would change Jonathan’s mind.

“I can tell by your
silence that you’re still angry with me.” Jonathan touched her arm.

She shrugged him
off. “I see no point in discussing this further. I just want to go back to
Maggie’s place.”

“What about the
riverboats? I thought you wanted to see one close up.”

“I’ve changed my
mind.” She added an icy tone to her voice.

Jonathan cracked the
reins, quickening the horse’s pace. The remainder of the ride passed in silence.
Sarah simmered over his behavior toward Wolf while Jonathan focused on the road
ahead, his normally smooth brow etched with deep furrows.

When he halted the
rig at the boarding house front door, Sarah climbed out before he came around
to help her down. She stood, smoothing her skirt as he rounded the back of the
buggy. Sarah flashed a forced smile. “Thank you for the outing.”She turned to
go inside.

“Please wait.” He
sighed and walked closer when she faced him. “I appreciate that you want to see
your friend’s dream come true, but surely you can’t believe that a filthy
half-breed is ever going to earn enough money to buy a herd, let alone pay off
the land.”

Sarah’s mouth gaped.
The blood in her veins burned hot. Her hand shot out and connected with Jonathan’s
cheek. The slap echoed beneath the covered porch. “You have no right to judge
Wolf. You barely know him. He’s not filthy, and the circumstance of his birth
has no bearing on the type of man he is. I would much rather be in the company
of someone like him than a…a…scalawag like you.” She whirled, went inside and
slammed the door behind her.

* * *

Sarah walked away
with Montgomery,
and Wolf’s gut wrenched. Seeing her stirred emotions he wanted to deny. He
groaned, knowing he had no right to the jealousy eating at him. Sarah was a
friend and nothing more. He’d made that decision.

But denying his
feelings did nothing to ease his turmoil. Even though he’d heard the easterner
invite her on an outing, it pained him to know she’d actually accepted. What did
she see in Montgomery
that he didn’t? The man’s demeanor niggled at Wolf. He bit his bottom lip. What
if he lost his bid for the land to the Yankee, too? He couldn’t let that
happen—wouldn’t.

He knelt and
splashed cool creek water in his face, still justifying things. Sarah had every
right to pick her escort. Besides, Jonathan Montgomery had resources to provide
her with a life she deserved. Wolf certainly didn’t have anything to offer.

Standing, he wiped
his damp hands on his chest. He needed to keep busy. Once he involved himself
in the hard labor of building his ranch, thoughts of Sarah would fade. She’d be
just a memory—one seared into his heart and mind.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Sarah leaned against
the door, her hand against her thudding heart.
First, the
outburst at the mercantile and now this.
How could she have slapped
Jonathan? She’d never raised her hand to another person in her life, but his
abrasive words about Wolf had ignited an explosion of emotions.

Maggie peeked out
from the kitchen. “I heard… or felt the door close. Is everything all right?”

“I suppose that
would depend on who you ask.” Sarah removed her bonnet then splayed fingers
through her flattened hair. “Jonathan’s opinion might be different than mine.”
Her jaw tensed.

“My
goodness.”
The older
woman stepped into the doorway, wiping her hands on her apron. “What happened
to rile you so? Come in and tell me all about it. I’ll put on some water for
tea.”

* * *

Sarah took a breath
after sharing the entire saga of her morning outing. At the description of the
slap, Maggie leaned back in her chair, her mouth agape. She’d been leaning on
her elbows, obviously immersed in the story since the beginning.

Standing, Sarah
carried her teacup to the sideboard. “So, I imagine I’ve created a pretty uncomfortable
situation between myself and your other boarder, wouldn’t you think?”

“I’d say so.” Maggie
gave a half-hearted chuckle. “How do you plan to handle things? Mr. Montgomery
is going to be here for a while yet.”

Sarah stared out the
kitchen window, into the alley between Maggie’s boarding house and the building
next door. A calico cat sat on a shady step, licking itself clean. She likened
the animal to herself, creating a big fur ball she’d have to eventually spit
out. Sarah turned to Maggie, her shoulders sagging. “What choice do I have?
I’ll apologize.”

“Apology accepted.”
Jonathan’s deep voice drew the women’s attention to the parlor doorway. He
rubbed the side of his face. “Though I do have to say you pack a mean wallop.”

Beneath his gaze,
heat rose in Sarah’s cheeks. His habit of showing up at the most inopportune
time unnerved her, but she swallowed her annoyance. “I’m really sorry I slapped
you. I don’t know what came over me. I do hope you’ll pardon my inexcusable
behavior.”She put sincerity in her tone but not in her heart. The apology was
offered only to keep peace in Maggie’s house. He deserved what he got.

Fidgeting and
clearly uncomfortable, Maggie rose. “If you two will excuse me, I still have
chores to tend to.” She scurried from the room.

Jonathan pulled out
a chair and sat at the table. “Like I said, your request for forgiveness is
accepted. You must be a very true friend to defend Wolf so… so
enthusiastically. He’s lucky to have you on his side.”

Sarah squared her
shoulders. “There shouldn’t have to be sides. The truth is, Wolf found the land
first, and he’s making an honest attempt to pay for it. Then you come
along…with… with your heavy pockets, and try to snatch his dream away. Wouldn’t
you be angry if someone did that to your friend?”

Jonathan lowered his
gaze. “When you put it like that, I reckon I would.”

“So… so does that
mean you’ll try to find other land?”

“Whoa! Don’t put
words in my mouth. That spot is perfect for Mr. Whitney’s project. I doubt I’d
find another equally so.”

“Then we have
nothing more to say to one another.” Sarah turned and glared out the window,
her anger simmering. Upon hearing the kitchen door creak open and slam shut,
she peered over her shoulder. Jonathan had gone.

“Damn!” She pounded
her fist on the sideboard.

“Who are you
cursin’, child?” Maggie stood in the doorway, balancing a basket on her hip.
She scanned the room. “Since I don’t see Jonathan, I assume it’s him?”

“Sorry for the
outburst. I seem to be doing a lot of that lately.” She sighed. “I told him I
have nothing more to say to him as long as he continues to pursue Wolf’s land.
The only problem is I forgot I owe the man money. I could kick myself for
accepting his loan.” She sagged into a chair. “Oh, Maggie, I need a job.”

“Drat my faulty
memory!” Maggie rested the basket on the table. “I ran into Martha Lawson at
the mercantile. Her husband is on the town council, and she tells me they’re
lookin’ for a teacher. I mentioned that I had a houseguest in need of
employment. Are you interested?”

Sarah flashed back
to the Indian children at the mission and what fun she’d had watching them
discover new things. She straightened in her chair.
“Of
course!
Who do I see to apply?”

“I supposed you
might feel this way, so I told Martha I’d send you round to see her husband
first thing tomorrow mornin’.” Maggie chuckled and hefted her laundry. She
headed for the washroom. “You can find Judge Lawson at the courthouse.”

With her bonnet
dangling from her hand, Sarah sailed up the stairs, feeling elated at the prospect
of landing the teaching position. Surely, she could convince the judge she was
capable. She opened her door, planning to freshen up a bit and return to help
Maggie with supper, but her mouth gaped at the surprise on her bed.

A large bouquet of
wildflowers lay propped against her pillow. A delicate ribbon held them
together, a piece of paper tucked beneath. Crossing the room, Sarah did a quick
glance around, confirming it empty. “Who in the world...”

She placed her
stylish head covering on the quilt and unfolded the note.

My dearest Sarah,

I truly enjoyed
our day together, and I’m so sorry it was cut short. I wanted to spend more
time showing you around town and sharing the awe I knew you would experience at
seeing a riverboat up close. I was wrong to speak ill of your friend. I hope
you’ll accept these flowers as my way of begging your forgiveness. I hope my
business plans and our personal interactions can be viewed separately. I
understand there is a social planned in a few weeks, and I would like very much
to be your escort. I can think of nothing more pleasant than seeing the jealous
faces of all the other gentlemen when I walk in with such a beauty on my arm.