The Reluctant Bridegroom (27 page)

“No! He didn’t ask me,” she laughed. “But he’s about the only man in this town who hasn’t!”

“He’s a good man. I’d thought once that you’d make a good wife for him.”

“I know. You sized us all up for that job, didn’t you? But the rest of us lost out to Edith.” Amusement turned the corners of her broad lips up at his embarrassed reaction. “Oh, don’t worry, Mr. Winslow. Edith laughs about it now—but it hurt her badly at the time.”

“Is she married?”

“Well, let me give you a rundown.” Karen began to name off the members of the train and what had happened to them since they’d arrived in Oregon. Most of them were already married, Karen said, then added, “But four of us are still spinsters. Care to guess the other three?”

“I’d rather hear why
you
haven’t found a husband, Karen.”

She looked him squarely in the eye. “I think you know, Sky. Dave and I are going to be married—just as soon as he gets a place. I’d marry him tomorrow, but he’s stubborn.”

Sky said quietly, “Congratulations—to you both.”

“Thank you.” The answer was polite but reserved, and he wondered if she was thinking of his skirmish with Lloyd. But she went on, “Rita is working for a saloon man named Dandy Raimez.”

“I’m sorry to hear that—but can’t say I’m surprised,” he replied regretfully. “Edith is the third—who else?”

“Rebekah.” Her face did not change expression, but there was venom in every syllable.
She’s still angry at what I said about Rebekah and Lake,
Winslow realized. Not wanting to bring up the subject again, he said only, “I need to see Edith.”

“She’s teaching school in the community building. Lot Penny’s got a church going there, too. Meets every Sunday.”

“Tell Sam I’ll be back, will you?” He turned and walked out of the store, digesting the news. He walked by the Silver Moon and was tempted to go see Rita, but instead went directly to the square frame building that sat on a side street at the edge of town. Smoke coiled out of the chimney, and he paused at the door to listen. There was a hum of voices inside, and he hesitated momentarily before pushing the door open and stepping inside.

Edith Dickenson looked at him with a startled expression, then turned back to the small group of youngsters who sat in front of her on puncheon seats. There were not over ten of them, and they ranged from one who looked barely able to talk, to a tall boy of at least fifteen who looked terribly embarrassed at having to sit with the smaller children. The boy looked up as she called his name: “Henry, please go over these spelling words while I speak with our visitor.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The boy took a book from her, and she came across the room. “Hello, Sky. Let’s step outside and talk,” she suggested.

She picked up a coat and put it on, and Sky followed her outside. She took a few steps along the wooden walkway and turned to face him. “You’ve been gone a long time.”

“Had to get reacquainted with my boy.” He searched her face carefully and saw no sign of anger in her eyes. “I came to apologize, Edith.”

“Well—do it then.”

He ducked his head in surprise at her straightforward response, then grinned sheepishly. “All right—I’m sorry for the way I treated you. Back on the trail, I mean.”

“I forgive you.” Then she smiled wryly. “At least you got me to Oregon.” She hesitated, and a touch of red flushed her cheeks as she said with an embarrassed laugh, “It’s just that you’re far too romantic, Sky!” His startled expression caused her to reach out and touch his arm. “Oh, you don’t mean to
be! But in those buckskins, you could turn the head of any girl—especially a spinster like me who’s read a few too many Cooper novels! I guess I just got carried away.”

“You seemed to have gotten over it, Edith,” Sky responded dryly.

“Oh, it wouldn’t have worked, anyway. It would have been awful, living with you, Sky!” she exclaimed. “I like order—and you’re like the wind. Always will be, I reckon.” She smiled. “I got thirty-two offers of marriage—enough to do me proud for life.”

“Taking any of them?” he asked.

“Let me tell you.” She turned, looked out across the town, then back to him. “I was never so bewildered in my life as I was that first week, with all those men running after me. After the first day or two, it was really terrible, Sky! I started hiding in my room just to avoid them. Then I remembered what you’d said about Sam Birdwell—and I kept waiting for him to come and get in line—but he never did.”

“Not Sam.” Sky smiled at the thought, cocking his head. “So what’d you do, Edith?”

“I went into his store early one morning and introduced myself.” Edith’s eyes brightened with humor as she related the incident. “He was real proper, but I came right out and said, ‘Sam Birdwell, Sky Winslow thinks I’d be a perfect wife for you. What are you going to do about it?’ ”

Sky threw his head back and whooped with laughter until the tears ran down his face. “What’d old Sam say to that?” he gasped.

“Oh, he blushed and hemmed and hawed at first, but then he said, ‘Well, Miss Dickenson, I’ve always admired Sky’s judgment—so I guess I’ll have to come courting’—and that’s what he’s been doing.”

“He asked you to marry him yet?”

“No—but he will in a day or two. I can tell that he wants to—but I’ll have to help him along.”

Sky put his hand out. “He’s a lucky man, Edith!”

“Thank you, Sky.” She extended her own hand in a handshake.

“You’ll have to talk him out of this mayor business. He could get hurt.”

“You know him better than that, Sky.” Edith shook her head. “Sam says it’s a question of who’s going to run Oregon City—the crooks or the decent people.”

“Let somebody else do it.”

“Try telling that to Sam! He says somebody’s got to stand up against Poole. I wish you’d talk to him.”

“Won’t be here, Edith.”

She stared at him. “You’re leaving?”

“Got to do something about Joe.” He told her of his plan to go back to the Mission, and added, “I’ll try to talk him out of it—but I never had much luck talking Sam out of things.” He looked at her with admiration. “I guess you can do more than I can, Edith.”

He left her and went to the feed store where Mike Stevens, the owner, greeted him warmly. They had coffee, and Sky cut right to the point. “Mike, you still want to buy my place?”

“Why—I sure do, Sky!” Stevens had been buying up land on the outskirts of Oregon City. For some time the two men dickered over the price, but at last they agreed and shook hands. “I’ll need a few days to get the cash, Sky.” Stevens said. “A week from today be okay?”

“Sure, Mike.”

Leaving the feed store, Winslow rode back toward the center of town. As he crossed over the muddy street, he heard his name called and turned to see Lot Penny approaching with a wide smile on his face. “Sky! When did you get back?”

“Just pulled in, Lot. I hear you’ve got a church started.”

“Sure have! And we been havin’ a real move of God. Come on, let’s have some coffee and I’ll tell you about it.”

They spent half an hour over coffee at a small cafe, and half a dozen men greeted Sky as they sat there. Lot bubbled over with enthusiasm, saying happily, “I’ve been threatened
with a beating if I keep on preaching, Sky!” He slapped his leg and laughed. “I shore do like to get the devil stirred up!”

“Who’s threatening, Lot?”

“Oh, feller named Jim Rook.”

“Rook? Bouncer at the Silver Moon?”

“Sure. Dandy Raimez got mad ’cause one of his fancy girls got saved and quit. He didn’t say so, but I figure he’s told Rook to see to it that none of his other girls get religion.”

“Rook’s a bad one, Lot. Kicked a man to death over in Portland before he came here to work for Dandy.”

“So I hear,” Lot replied, unconcerned, and took a sip of his coffee. “Sky, you was pretty hard on Rebekah—but I’m wonderin’ if you heard what she’s up against now?”

“Just heard she hadn’t gotten married like most of the others.” He looked at Penny and asked, “Is it because of her kids?”

“Not a bit! Larry Melton wanted to marry her—and I hear that he’s a good man.”

“None better. What happened?”

“You know a man named Carl Morton?”

“Don’t know anything good.” Morton was a savage man who lived in a shack ten miles out in the woods, with four small children who were shy as animals. He brought the half-clothed urchins with him from time to time, usually when he came to get drunk. He boasted of wearing out two wives and claimed he’d wear out half a dozen more. The huge Tennessean was of mountain stock, and when he drank he was dangerous. He had been in two shootings in Oregon, and the word was he’d come here after he’d killed more than one man back in Tennessee.

“He got to town last week, Sky. Heard about the women coming for husbands and swore he’d have one of ’em. Most of them was married already, but somebody let slip about Rebekah, and he just barged in and told her she was goin’ to marry him—then went out and got roaring drunk. When he
heard about Melton askin’ Rebekah to marry him, he picked a fight with him. Beat him nearly to death!”

Sky’s lips tightened. “Ingerson do anything about it?”

“Not likely!” Lot snorted. “Said it was a fair fight. But no man in this territory’s got the nerve to stand up to Morton. He’s the kind of man that’d ambush a man if he couldn’t get him any other way. Rebekah’ll have to go with him for sure.”

“Sorry to hear that, Lot.”

The answer displeased Penny. “That all you got to say, Sky?”

Winslow looked surprised. “Why, it’s none of my business, Lot.”

Penny stared at Sky, disappointment etched in his homely face, but he said nothing more.

“I’m selling out, Lot.” Sky changed the subject. “Going to take Joe out of this mess!”

“I was hoping you’d stick around and give Sam Birdwell a hand. He’s going to need all the help he can get.”

Anger touched Winslow and caused him to say sharply, “Lot, I’ve got a boy to take care of. I can’t be responsible for these people!”

Lot was not a man to give in that easily. “You mean you can’t be your brother’s keeper, Sky?” he asked quietly.

Winslow got up abruptly, his eyes flashing. He looked down at Penny, and his voice had a hard edge. “Charity begins at home—that’s what the Bible says, doesn’t it?”

“No, it don’t say that. It says, ‘Bear ye one another’s burdens.’ And I’m thinking you’re less of a man than I figured, Sky.”

Winslow glowered at him, then turned and left the cafe. Lot stared after him, mulling over his words. After a while he got up and left, his shoulders bowed and his eyes sad. “That boy’s in a bad shape,” he mumbled as he turned toward the church.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“AS LONG AS WE BOTH SHALL LIVE”

When Joe turned and looked over his shoulder at the house, there was a rebellious set to his shoulders that Sky did not miss. It had been a bad week for both of them; and as they made their way down the trail toward the main road that led to Oregon City, the doubts that had gnawed at Sky all week were stronger than ever. Joe had begged him not to sell, and he could understand the boy’s reluctance to leave the only home he’d ever known; what had come as a shock was his own reluctance to leave. The house he’d built with his own hands had come to mean more to him than he’d realized, and as he’d put the place in shape for the new owner, a hundred times he’d found himself regretting his decision to sell it.

To his surprise, the memories of Joe’s mother had ceased to be associated with the place itself. The bitter thoughts of her were replaced by memories of the good times he’d had with Joe here. It had become a citadel and a refuge for them both from the world. Now as they rode around the timberline and the house was lost to sight, he thought,
By the Lord—I hate to leave this place!
He could not bring himself to admit his feelings to Joe, telling him instead of the good times they’d have when they got to the Mission.

Rain had not fallen for a week, and the streets were dried out in town. “Let’s go down and see Sam, Joe,” Sky said. They found the storekeeper inside, sitting at his desk and staring
at the wall with a worried expression on his face. “Sam, you look like you’re goin’ to a funeral,” Sky remarked.

“Oh, hello, Sky. Hey there, Joe.” Birdwell got up and turned to face them. “You still aiming to sell out to Mike?”

“Sure.”

Birdwell chewed his lower lip and jammed his hands into his pockets. “Blast it, Sky, you sure picked an awful time to pull up stakes. We need every good man we can rake up to win this election. I was countin’ on you to help.”

“Wish you’d stayed out of that race, Sam,” Sky replied, then went on with a doubtful look in his eyes. “In the first place, it’s going to be hard to win—and if you do get elected, Poole will give you trouble. He’s got a stranglehold on this town, and he’ll fight with everything he’s got before he turns loose.”

“ ’Course he will, Sky—and that’s why the rest of us were hopin’ you’d be around to give a hand.” He hesitated, then added, “Guess you haven’t heard about our new candidate for sheriff.”

“Who is it?”

“Tom Lake.”

Sky snorted. “He’s no lawman, Sam.”

“Oh, we all know that, but he’s made lots of friends in the short time he’s been here—you know how people look up to a doctor. What Travers and Sellers and Clay Hill figure is that once Tom’s elected, we can hire some toughs to be his deputies. They can do the scuffling and he can sort of do the bookwork. What’d you think, Sky?”

“I think you’re all crazy! Why, all Poole will have to do is shove one of his hard hands at him. If Tom don’t take him on, he’s finished as a sheriff. If he does, he’ll get killed! Did
you
think up this nutty idea, Sam?”

“Well—as a matter of fact it was Clay’s idea—but we’ve got to have an honest man in the office.”

“You’ll have a dead man, Sam.” There was utter finality in Winslow’s voice, and it had an effect on Birdwell. “Anyway, I think you ought to get out of the thing.”

Birdwell was not an imposing man; Oregon City was filled with rough men who could have tied him in knots with one hand. But the firm light in his brown eyes did not waver as he spoke. “
Somebody
has to make this town a place fit to live in. I’m no politician, Sky—just like Tom Lake is no gunman. But a man does what he has to do. Maybe it’s giving Poole and Ingerson a big laugh—two men like me and Tom standing up against him and his toughs. But somebody’s got to care—and I
care
about this town, Sky. I want to live here the rest of my life. I want to have a family—maybe a boy like Joe here. Don’t figure I could look at myself as any kind of a man if I didn’t try to fight this thing.”