Authors: Cia Leah
“Sure thing.
I’m going to have some coffee, then have
some paperwork to do on the new colt.
I
keep records of everything for the people who buy them off me.”
“Is that what you do for a
living?”
“That and help train quarter
horses for the ranches around here.
It
keeps me pretty busy.”
Callie went in and heated
the water as Clint worked on his paperwork.
When she had filled the tub, she shut the door, stripped off her
clothes, and sank into the hot water.
It was pure bliss and she felt the tension of the past few weeks seep
from her body.
She missed her Uncle Ned and
being home.
Even though Clint was nice
enough and welcomed her, she didn’t feel right.
Sleeping under the same roof with him brought to mind how
handsome he was.
His black hair was
shirt collar length, his eyes a dark green, like the blades of springtime
grass.
His was tall and muscled.
She’d bet he’d make a good adversary in a fight,
but what bothered her most was the way he wore his gun.
Low on his hips like a gunslinger or
outlaw.
She dunked her head under
the water and washed her hair, the quickly washed away the dirt and grime of
her journey here.
She knew that her
Uncle Ned had rode with outlaw gangs and was always thankful he had given up
that way of life and she realized he’d done so to take care of her when her Pa
had died.
At first, she hadn’t liked
Ned, but it didn’t take long to see he loved her and provided for her out of
the kindness of his heart.
She loved
him so much and wished she was home again.
When she stepped from the
tub and dried off, she wrapped the towel around her and washed out her clothes
and hung them on the small clothesline that stretched across the room, tied to
two nails on each end.
When she turned
to open the door, she looked at the mirror above the sink.
Uncle Ned had had one, but it was all
cracked and she’d never gotten a good look at her reflection, but as she
stepped in front of the mirror, her mouth fell open in amazement.
Why she didn’t look too bad.
Her hair was the color of sunshine when wet,
but it’d be lighter when it dried.
There were dark smudges under her light blue eyes from being so tired
from her trip.
Many nights she had stayed
awake when some man had taken a liking to her along the way.
Her Uncle Ned had told her to be on guard
and she had.
Thank goodness she didn’t
have to shoot someone cause her uncle said some men wouldn’t take no for an
answer and to just kill the varmit and get it over with.
Taking a deep breath, she
walked to the door, and opened it.
Since she didn’t have anything but the towel to cover her from her
breasts down to her thighs, she hoped Clint wouldn’t think her forward or
anything, but her uncle wouldn’t let her bring anything like that with her to
make sure she stayed in her buckskin shirt and pants.
She stepped out into the
kitchen and saw Clint sitting at the table going over paperwork yet. He had a
cup of coffee in his hand and glanced up at her, as he was about to take a
drink.
The cup fell to the floor and he
jumped out of the chair.
“What the
hell!
Where are your clothes?”
Callie blushed and lowered
her head.
“I washed them after I took a
bath and hung them on the line to dry.”
“Don’t you have a
nightgown?”
“Uncle Ned wouldn’t let me
bring mine because he wanted me to stay in my clothes the whole way here.”
“I’ll get you one of my
shirts.
I’ll hand it to you in your
room.”
Callie followed Clint and
when he disappeared into his room, she stepped into hers and held the door shut
halfway.
Clint came and stuck his hand
around the door, the shirt dangling from his fingertips.
“Thanks,” she said, closing the door.
Moonlight filtered into the room enough for
her to see what she was doing.
When she
had the shirt on, she walked over and lit the kerosene lamp and sat down on the
bed.
She turned at a knock on her
door.
“Come in.”
Callie, come out here so we
can talk a minute.”
She got up and walked out
into the living room and sat down in a chair by the fireplace.
Clint leaned against the fireplace and
stared at the fire.
When he looked at
her, his eyes quickly scanned her up and down.
“Take that blanket and cover
up.”
She did what he told
her.
“I’m sorry.
I didn’t mean to offend you,” she said,
watching as he ran a hand through his hair before he sat in the chair on the
opposite side of her.
“You didn’t
offend me, but my goodness, what was your uncle thinking sending you all this
way without the barest essentials?
“He said if I kept my pants
on, no man could take advantage of me and if one did just to shoot the varmit
and kill him outright.”
Clint’s mouth fell open, and
then he burst out laughing.
“That
sounds like Ned, but we got to get you some proper clothes.
Some dresses, too.”
“A dress?”
“Yes, several dresses and
shoes and a damn nightgown.
On of those
ones with long sleeves and buttons up to the neck, and goes all the way to your
ankles!”
“Do I look that bad without
my clothes?”
“What?”
“Do I look that bad without
my clothes on?”
“Yes, I mean no!
I mean it just isn’t proper.
We aren’t married and that’s another thing
I’m worried about.
What are people
going to say when I take you to town and buy you clothes and stuff?
They’re going to think you’re a kept woman!”
Callie’s mouth fell open and
she snapped it shut as tears began to fall down her cheeks.
“I told Uncle Ned this wasn’t right to push
me off on some man who didn’t know me.
I’ll just go back home!”
“No!
You can’t!”
“Why not?
I have enough money in my pockets to get back
there.”
Clint felt like a heel.
“Ned sent you to me and I’ll take care of
you.
We’ll go to town in the morning
and we’ll get married so people won’t talk, then I’ll buy you some clothes.”
“We’re getting married
already?
I don’t know you and I don’t
want to…”
“To what?”
“You know,” she said,
watching as it dawned on Clint what she was talking about.
“Oh, well now, you can still
sleep in your room and me in mine.
I
won’t take advantage of you.”
“Because I’m ugly!”
“You aren’t ugly!
Damn this isn’t going too well.
Why don’t you go on to bed and get some
sleep?
I know you are tired and let me
take care of everything else?”
“You aren’t mad at me, are
you Clint?”
“No.”
“I think you are nice and I
hope I can make you happy.
I can cook,
clean, wash clothes, muck out stalls, and just about anything else.
I can even hunt too.”
“You aren’t my slave,
Callie.
Just go to bed and sleep and
we’ll take care of everything in the morning.”
“I’ll make you a good
breakfast.”
“I’m looking forward to it,
but you leave the coffee pot alone.”
She laughed, getting up from
the chair.
“I promise.
Good night.”
“Night, Callie.”
Callie went to her room,
turned the lamp low, and crawled into bed.
The mattress was soft and comfortable and as she turned over and hugged
her pillow, she couldn’t help but wonder how the rest of her life was going to
turn out.
“Night Uncle Ned.
I love and miss you,” she whispered, and
fell fast asleep.
***
Clint sat before the
fire.
Damn it, Ned, you sent me a girl
still wet behind the ears without an inkling of what life with a man is
like.
You old coot, you’re probably up
there in heaven just laughing your ass off, but you knew I’d do right by her
and I will even though marriage is the furthest thing from my mind.
He got up, stoked the fire for
the night, and walked to Callie’s door, which wasn’t latched.
He opened it a little ways and looked in on
her.
She was sleeping soundly.
Her hair was spread over the pillow and she
had one hand tucked under her chin.
She
was beautiful and he knew she was already wrapping herself around his heart in
one day even if she didn’t know it.
He shut the door and went to
his room, undressed, and fell into bed.
Tomorrow was his wedding day.
He
shook his head at the thought, and fell asleep.
Chapter
Three
Callie was as nervous as a
whore in church, as her uncle used to say.
She stood in the church at the altar in front of the preacher, holding a
small bouquet of daisies, and repeated her vows.
When the preacher said Clint could kiss the bride, her heart about
dropped to the floor.
She looked at him
in his suit and thought of how handsome he was and she couldn’t believe the
pretty white muslin dress he had bought her.
She felt like a fairy princess.
When he reached out and took
her by the arms, she swore her heart quit beating as he gave her a quick kiss
on the lips.
She barely felt it, but
that slight touch made her heart start beating triple time.
She lowered her head and knew her cheeks
were fiery red.
“Well, Mrs. West, are you
ready to go back home?”
“Yes,” Callie said, and
after they signed the necessary papers and Clint taking their copy of their
marriage license, they walked outside hand in hand.
As Clint helped her into the buckboard, she couldn’t help but think
it was a fine day for a wedding, even though they had no one there but the
preacher and his wife.
“You okay?”
Clint asked, jumping up on the buckboard and
taking the reins in his hands.
“Yes.”
“You’re being awful quiet.”
She watched as he turned the
wagon around and they headed out of town.
She didn’t miss the curious stares of the people on the sidewalks.
“I’m just overwhelmed.
Everything went so fast this morning and now
I’m a married woman and a little nervous.”
“I don’t expect you do be
any different.
I just want you to be
yourself.
You sleep in your room and
I’ll sleep in mine.”
“Then you don’t want me?”
“I didn’t say that, but we
hardly know each other.
Let’s just take
it one day at a time and I want you to be happy, Callie.
Looks like all we got is each other.”
“That’s true.
I can make a real fine wedding dinner when we
get back home.
I can’t wait to cook
that steak you got.”
“Me either.
I’m getting mighty hungry.
Been a long time since we had breakfast.”
She glanced at Clint.
“You like my cooking.”
“Oh yeah.
Never tasted any as fine as yours.”
“That makes me happy and
thanks for all the things you bought me today.
I didn’t expect it.”
“You
gotta have clothes, shoes, and some nice things for a change.
Ned would kill me if’n I didn’t treat you
good.”
She
laughed.
“Yeah, he would.
I wish he could have been here today.”
“Me
too, but he knows, so don’t worry so much.”
“I’m
sure he knows I’ve arrived by now.
Hopefully I’ll get a letter from him.”
“Maybe,”
Clint said, urging the horses faster.
He couldn’t wait to get back home.
He hated towns, just like he hated not telling her Ned was gone.”