Westward Holiday (16 page)

              Seth laughed.  “He’s been doing it since he was a kid.  I don’t think it’s something you can learn overnight.”

              “I guess not,” Joe said. 

              Sammi came by the bar and shoved a guy out and then said, “Joe, you’re great.  You all are, but I miss Jake.”

              Seth nodded.  “Me, too.  He’d better pull through or I’ll kill Marcus.”

              “Now, now, Seth,” Joe said.  “You know that boy’s got his hands full with sick people right now.  He and Hannah have been doin’ all they can for everyone.  They’ve even got Sadie helping.  Lydia Benson, too.”

              “I know.  It still amazes me sometimes that my little brother is a doctor now,” Seth said proudly.

              Marcus came to see Jake every day, the same as he did for his sickest patients.  Calvin wanted to visit his son, but Marcus forbade him from doing so because his health was already frail and if he contracted the disease, it would kill Calvin.

              By the time a week had passed, Jake began to show signs of improvement.  His cough wasn’t as deep and his fever had abated.  However, he was still very weak and his head still hurt.  Rebecca hated to see that Jake had lost weight and had dark circles under his eyes.  Even so, he was still so very handsome and Rebecca ached for him.

              By the time Jake was back on his feet, Christmas was only a few days away.  When he opened the bar himself and let his patrons in, they were ecstatic to have their favorite bartender back.  That night, he didn’t dance, but he did pound on the piano and quiet the crowd.

              “I have the best friends in the world and I can’t thank all of you for helping to keep the Watering Hole going while I was sick.  I’m not sure how I’ll repay you all, but I’ll think of something.”  Jake cut a glance at Rebecca and said, “I’d also like to thank Rebecca for organizing all of this and for nursing me back to health.  I know it wasn’t easy and I wasn’t always the best patient, but I appreciate everything you did.”  He felt that he should give her the credit she deserved, even if her motives weren’t exactly altruistic.

              She smiled a little too brightly and said, “You’re very welcome.”  She left the bar then until it was time for her to play.

              It was easy to see that something wasn’t quite right between them, but no one commented on it except for Joe.  He got Jake in the office that night and read him the riot act.

              “What’s the matter with you?” Joe said.  “That’s your wife and she put in a hell of a lot of time and work to keep this place going and in getting you better.  You act like you’re strangers or something.  Now, what gives?”

              Jake told Joe the whole story.  When he was done, Joe took a page from Seth’s book and smacked Jake in the back of the head. 

              “You idiot!  You backed her into a corner.  What’s a cougar do when she gets backed into a corner?  She strikes back.  You don’t understand women.  That’s your problem.  I’ve spent some time with Ben and I like him, but I’ve seen the way he antagonizes her.  I’m not sure what their history is there, but they don’t care for each other very much.  Ya’ll need to listen to your wife.  Really listen to her,” Joe said. 

              Later on Jake sat in the office thinking over what Joe had said to him.  Could he have overreacted to what he’d heard Rebecca say that night?  Jake had always prided himself on being a reasonable man and looking back on it, he realized that he hadn’t been behaving reasonably.  He decided to take Joe’s advice and that night when he went upstairs, he knocked on Rebecca’s door even though it was late.

              “Come in,” Rebecca said.  Her pulse rate climbed when her husband entered the room.

              “Hi.  Can we talk?” Jake asked.

              “Certainly.  Is everything all right?” she asked as she kept covered up.

              Seeing Rebecca in the bed where they’d made love made Jake’s stomach clench with desire.  His memory replayed images of their entwined bodies and he had to force them from his mind and concentrate hard on what he’d come to say.

              He sat down on the farthest corner of the bed from her.  “Yes.  No.  I don’t know.  Rebecca, I need to know the absolute truth about the way you feel about the bar.  Did I blow things out of proportion or was I right?”

              Rebecca’s chin rose and her jade green eyes bore into his as she said, “I have grown to love the Watering Hole, Jake and all of the people who come here.  The only reason I ever said any of those things was because Ben had gotten to me.  He’s always been able to do that.  Ever since we were little, he’s been out to make me feel inferior and I get defensive.  I wanted to say something impressive.  I was foolish and cruel and I’m sorry.”

              Jake said, “You’re not the only one who was stupid and foolish, Rebecca.  I certainly was.  I’m so sorry.”

              “Thank you, Jake,” Rebecca said coolly.  “Have a pleasant night.”

              Her dismissal confused him.  When he would have moved closer, Rebecca put out a hand and said, “Don’t, Jake.  Did you really think that an apology from you would make up for the way you’ve hurt me?  Did you think that the way you treated me the whole time you were ill could suddenly be erased by a few simple words?  If you did, then you have thought wrong.”

              Jake ran a hand over his face and said, “I guess I was hoping for more reconciliation than that.”

              Rebecca looked down as she whispered, “I’m afraid that’s all the reconciliation I can give, Jake.”

              “Do you mean for forever?” Jake asked.  “Rebecca, I know I’ve been an ass, but I still love you.”

              “Don’t you dare say that to me!” Rebecca shouted.  “Everything you’ve done or said for the past two weeks has said otherwise.  You have glared at me when I gave you medicine and treated me as nothing more than a nuisance you had to put up with because you needed me to take care of you.  And now you come to me and tell me you love me?  No, no, no, Jake.  You can’t turn feelings on and off like that.  Get out of my room!”

              Jake rose from the bed, but instead of leaving, he moved close to Rebecca and said, “You’re right, Rebecca.  I’ve treated you like crap and I’m sorry for that.  Maybe you don’t believe me right now, but I’ll make it up to you.” 

              Before she could object, he cupped the back of her head and pressed his lips to hers.  She struggled against his grip at first and hit his chest with her fists, but his sensual assault never quit as he gently coaxed a response from her.  Rebecca craved him and she could feel his desire for her.  Suddenly she put her arms around his neck and kissed him back.  Her hands roamed over his chest and shoulders as he sweetly plundered her mouth. 

              Jake groaned and pressed her back into the mattress.  He was on fire as Rebecca took his weight and arched her back.  The silky skin of her thigh drew his hand and he moved it upwards.  Abruptly Rebecca started pushing him away, struggling mightily against him.

              “No!  No, Jake!  You can’t seduce me into giving you want you want.  It’s not fair,” Rebecca said.

              “You gotta be kidding me,” he said as his body cried out in protest as he moved away from her.  “You want me as bad as I want you or that would have never even happened.”

              “It’s true that I want you.  I won’t deny it, but it’s just…I can’t,” Rebecca said.

              Jake took a deep breath and said, “Ok.  You’re not ready.  I get it.  But when you are, I’ll be waiting.” 

              After he left her room, Rebecca flopped back on the bed and attempted to quiet her pounding heart and heated body.  It took a long time for that to happen.

              The next day, Jake set out on a mission to woo back the woman he loved and enlisted Joe’s help.  He’d already had something in the works before for their terrible fighting had begun but there was more he wanted to do for her.  Jake knew that time was his enemy because Christmas loomed.  The night of the Christmas program that Rebecca and her fiddlers, as she liked to call them, had put together was two nights away. 

There had been another snow storm the night before the program and the snow was now thick on the roads.  Rebecca woke and saw that more of the white stuff had fallen and was eager to get out in it.  She found a note in the kitchen for her that said she was to be outside at nine that morning and to wait in front of the bar.  She was skeptical at first, but decided to see what would happen.  She quickly dressed and went outside at the appropriate time.

              Not much time passed before she heard what sounded like jingle bells.  She listened intently and as they got closer, Rebecca knew she was hearing correctly.  Joe Dwyer swung around the corner in a sleigh.  King and Rook, decked out in their Christmas finery, pulled the beautiful vehicle.  Rebecca clapped her hands and actually jumped up and down because she was so excited.

              “Well, howdy, Mrs. Henderson.  Isn’t it a fine day for a sleigh ride?” Joe asked gallantly as he hopped down from the sleigh. 

              “Why, yes, Mayor Dwyer, it certainly is,” Rebecca responded. 

              “I’m glad you think so.  Allow me to help you up,” Joe said.

              Once she was situated, Joe got back up into the sleigh and fixed a heavy blanket over her legs.  “Now, I am stealing you for the day because I want you to come see our estate.  Did you realize that you have yet to do that?” Joe asked.

              Rebecca was shocked.  “You’re absolutely right!  I’m so sorry, Joe.”

              “Nonsense.  You’ve been rather busy.  And you’ll get to meet my darling daughter, too,” he said as they started out. 

              He got the team back to the road leading out of town towards his place and then let King and Rook fly.  Rebecca laughed as the wind whipped through her hair and chilled her cheeks.  Joe started singing Christmas carols and she sang along.

              As soon as Jake ascertained that Rebecca was safely on her way, he and several of his friends came out of the bar kitchen. 

              “Ok, fellas, you know what to do,” Jake said.  “I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

              He ran around back where Joe’s magnificent Clydesdales waited.  As Jake settled behind their powerful haunches, he felt like a kid.  He started them out and was exhilarated to feel how easily they pulled the large wagon behind them.  Both horses were full of vinegar and ready to run.  Jake set them at a fast trot that ate up the miles.

              Rebecca had a wonderful time at Joe and Lacey’s.  She was impressed with their grand estate and had enjoyed hearing each of their horses’ stories.  They showed her the sight of where they planned to build another barn in the spring.  It would be bigger and better than the original.  The Dwyers served a wonderful lunch and Rebecca was enchanted by Randall, their English butler.  She thought it was funny how Joe called him Randy.

              “Do you know he still won’t tell us who his special lady is?” Joe said.  “He’s been seeing her for forever, but hasn’t made an honest woman of her yet.”

              Randall smiled and said, “All in due time, master.”

              “How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?” Joe groused at the Brit.

              It was obvious that there was much affection between the men.  Little Emily was tottering around now and talking.  Much to Joe’s chagrin, one of her favorite words was not a nice one.

              “Kids are sneaky, you know,” Joe said when Lacey blamed him for it.  “I didn’t know she was there until it was too late.  Now I’m lookin’ all around before I swear.”

              Lacey said, “Now you see why I hope our kids don’t act like him.”

              “Aw, c’mon, now.  There’s gotta be one like their daddy.  After all, you fell in love with me.  Wait, as long as it’s a boy that acts like me,” Joe said as he held his daughter.  “You hear that, Emily?  You have to be just like your Mama.  Don’t take after Daddy.”

              Rebecca laughed at how Joe kept contradicting himself.

              Lacey said, “He doesn’t need anyone else around to have a conversation.  He carries one on all by himself.”

              Joe stood Emily up on his lap and said, “It’s called the gift of gab and it’s why people elected me and why Black Fox listens to me.”

              “I think it’s more likely that he just does what you want because it’s the only way he can get you to shut up,” Lacey teased him.

              “You know what, darlin’, ya’ll wouldn’t know what to do if I ever shut my mouth.  Especially at certain times when we're--’”

              Lacey slapped a hand over his mouth and Joe laughed.  Rebecca enjoyed the playful couple and played with Emily out in the snow.  Mid-afternoon found them sitting in front of the fire in their parlor drinking a little brandy.  Joe had given Rebecca a couple of photo albums to look through and she found herself getting very drowsy.  She couldn’t keep her eyes open and drifted off.  Joe and Lacey smiled at each other and put Emily down for a nap.

              When Rebecca woke up, she was disoriented.  She looked around and realized that she was still at Joe and Lacey’s.  The fire still burned in the hearth, too.  Joe looked up from where he sat on the sofa looking over a couple of breeding charts.

              “Well, there she is,” he said.

              Rebecca sat up and said, “What happened?”

              Joe laughed.  “Ya’ll had a nap, that’s all.  Me, too for a little while.”

              “I am so sorry.  How rude of me,” Rebecca said.

              “It’s not rude.  Luke naps here all the time when he comes out.  Don’t worry about it.  Lacey’s getting dressed for tonight.  We’ll be leaving shortly,” Joe said.

              “The program!” Rebecca said in a sudden panic.

              “Relax, Becky.  There’s plenty of time.  You’ve seen the way King and Rook move.  We’ll get there in no time flat,” the Texan told her.

              The Standardbred team pulled up to the Watering Hole and shook their heads.  The movements set off the jingle bells on their harnesses and made a merry sound.  Rebecca found the front door locked so she ran around the back and up the outside steps.  She needed to get dressed. 

              Jake let Joe and Lacey in the front door.  “Thanks for keeping her away today,” he said to them. 

              “It was our pleasure, Jake,” Lacey said.  “We all had a good time.”

              “We sure did,” Joe said.  “We even had a nap.  I like naps.”

              “You always did,” Jake said.  “We’d go fishing and Joe always ended up under a tree snoring away.  It was so loud that he scared away the fish.”

              Joe said, “That’s just an excuse for being a poor fisherman, Jake.”

              They continued to bicker until they heard the apartment door open and close.  Then Joe and Lacey ran back the hallway to the office and shut the door.

              When Rebecca came out to the bar area she stopped dead in her tracks.  Her eyes ran over the shining new bar that was extended another ten feet beyond the old one.  It was a beautiful bar.  As she came out from behind it, she saw that there was a piece of paper lying on one of the stools.  She picked it up and saw a drawing of a very elegant saloon stool.  At the bottom Jake had written, “Twenty new stools ordered”.

              Rebecca put the paper back down and continued into the barroom.  She almost didn’t recognize the place.  It had been redone with more stylish lamps and wall hangings.  There was a large section hung with Lakota dream catchers and an authentic Lakota dress, shirt, and leggings.  A bow and arrow hung high above the other display items.  Rebecca smiled as she realized that Owl and Marcus must have provided those for the bar.

              She turned to the right and jumped as she saw Jake standing up near the piano.  It had been moved off to one side and a large curtain hung across the other side.

              “Hello,” he said.  “Did you have a nice day today?”

              Rebecca said, “What is all this?”

              She noticed that Jake was wearing a new gray suit and thought that he looked good enough to eat.  Rebecca reined in her unruly mind as Jake walked over to her.

              “This is a thank you for giving me the swift kick in the ass I needed on more than one count,” Jake said.  “You may not have meant what you said, but you were right.  When Pa and I worked the place together, we always talked about how we’d keep making improvements.  Once Pa wasn’t able to work it with me, I guess I sort of lost interest in expanding it because it was something we were supposed to do together.  We were partners, you know?”

              Rebecca nodded.  “That makes sense.”

              “So when Pa retired, a little bit of my heart went out of updating the place and I guess I was preserving it the way it was,” Jake said and took her hand.  “But then you came along and you were ready to jump in to help and I had a new partner, only I didn’t see it right away.  When I heard the things you told Ben, I was really hurt because I thought that we were in this together.  It felt like I’d lost another partner.”

              “No, Jake.  You didn’t.  I was right there all the time, even when you were so awful to me.  I know that I was awful to you, too, and I’m sorry for the mean things I said to you.  I was trying to explain and you wouldn’t listen to me, so I just acted as you had accused me,” Rebecca said.

              Jake nodded.  “I know.  It’s ok.  I understand that now.  I’m sorry that I didn’t listen to you right at that moment, but I remembered the things you said.  That’s funny coming from the guy with a horrible memory, but I did.  That’s why I had all of this done; to show you that I was listening.  I promise that from now on I’ll listen before I get mad and that I’ll keep on listening until we work out whatever problems come up.”

              Rebecca’s eyes reflected the new lighting as she looked up at Jake and she looked so beautiful in her red dress that Jake thought his heart would stop.  “I can’t ask for more than that and I promise you the same thing, Jake.”

              Jake said, “I have one last thing to show you.”  He took her by the shoulders and moved her over to where a long cord hung.  “Go ahead and pull that.”

              Hesitantly she reached for the cord and tugged on it.  The curtain fell away to reveal a stunning baby grand piano.  Rebecca couldn’t move.  She hadn’t seen that kind of piano since before her family had lost everything.  It brought back wonderful memories of all the happy hours she’d practice piano alone, playing just for the joy of making music.

              Slowly she walked over to the piano and ran her fingertips along the graceful lines of the instrument.  Rebecca opened the keyboard lid and played a chord.  The sound quality was exquisite.

              “Do you like it?” Jake asked anxiously.

              The glowing smile she gave him spoke to him louder than any words she could have uttered.  “It’s divine, Jake,” she said.

              “It’s used, but very good quality.  Tessa’s father, Geoff helped me find it,” Jake told her.

              “Why?” she asked.

              “Why did he help me find it?  Because I asked him to,” Jake said.

              Rebecca laughed.  “No, why did you get this for me?  And when?”

              Jake smiled and said, “The very first night I heard you play I knew you needed a piano that was worthy of your gift.  Don’t get me wrong; our old piano has held up really well and we’ll still use it for the rowdy stuff, but this one is for only you to play.  I know it’s a little early, but Merry Christmas, Rebecca.”

              Rebecca wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his chest.  “It’s the most wonderful thing anyone’s ever done for me.  Thank you.”

              Jake hugged her back and then said, “Rebecca, look up.”

              She saw the mistletoe suspended from the ceiling.  “You are sneaky.”

              “You can’t blame a guy for trying, can you?  It’s called thinking positively,” Jake said with a chuckle.

              Rebecca’s eyes twinkled as she said, “I guess we have to keep up the tradition.”

              “We sure do,” Jake said. 

              Their kiss was filled with restrained passion and forgiveness.  When it ended, Jake said, “Play the song you played that first night.”

              “Happily,” Rebecca said.

              Jake pulled a chair close as Rebecca sat on the bench and ran her fingers over the keyboard.  When she played it was for love; love of the music, love of the fine new piano, but most of all for the love of the man sitting close to her.  Jake closed his eyes as he had that first time, but instead of seeing his mother, he saw the family that he and Rebecca would have together.