Brave Beginnings (18 page)

Breathless, she straightened, granting him a
generous view of her breasts. She bit her lower lip on a low groan
and proceeded to rub against him, her movements growing more
anxious as she came closer to her release. His erection grew
thicker and he gripped her hips, aware of his own increasing
need.

Suddenly she grew still and cried out. He
smiled and watched as she slowly returned to Earth from her
heightened state of bliss. And then, when she opened her eyes and
smiled in return, he rolled her onto her back and entered her,
holding her tightly to him and taking his time in making love to
her.

He buried his face into the nape of her neck.
She held onto him and whispered his name. His thrusting grew more
insistent as he neared the peak, and when he finally found his
release, he moaned as his seed filled her. She stroked his back and
kissed his cheek. For a moment, all he could do was remain still
inside of her, wishing it could last but knowing it wouldn’t.

The rest of the world ceased to exist, and he
never felt a moment of greater peace. As soon as he could focus, he
slid out of her and brought her into the circle of his arms where
she rested her head on his chest and sighed with contentment. He
kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes. He was glad she
stayed with him, even though it was nearing the time for supper.
For a little longer, at least, it would continue to be just the two
of them. And nothing else would matter.

~~********~~

Larry forced aside all visible clues to his
anger as he walked into the bank. He waited in line until he could
speak with the teller. Once it was his turn at the counter, he
said, “I have a matter to discuss with your vice president.”

“Mr. Freeman is in a meeting right now,” the
teller replied.

“This is important.”

The teller chuckled though he looked
uncertain. “Sir, I can’t barge into a meeting and demand he speak
with you.”

“Then tell me where he’s at. I’ll go in there
myself.”

“But…I can’t.” The teller adjusted his tie
and gave him a pleading look. “No one disturbs the vice president
or the president when they’re in a meeting. Can’t you wait until
he’s done? He’ll be out in ten minutes.”

Larry gritted his teeth. He didn’t feel like
waiting, but for the sake of the poor teller who was perspiring
from worry, Larry said, “I’ll wait for ten minutes. But after that,
I’m going to talk to him, and I’ll go through this entire building
searching for him if I have to.”

The teller nodded, so Larry stepped away from
the counter so the teller could help the next person in line. He
stood to the side of the room and studied the building until he
found Ernest’s office. So that was where the rat hid out when he
wasn’t going through the city causing trouble.

He checked the clock over the front doors and
let out a heavy sigh. Five more minutes. Crossing his arms, he
paced the perimeter of the lobby, too frustrated to stand still. A
few people shot him questioning looks, but he ignored them. One man
recognized him and said hello. He returned the greeting but
continued to pace. There was only one person he wanted to speak to,
and another glance at the clock notified him that in two minutes,
he was going to get his wish.

To his satisfaction, he spotted Ernest
leaving a room from behind the loan officer’s desk. Good. Larry
didn’t wait for an invitation. He marched over to Ernest who was
talking to two men.

“Mr. Freeman, I must speak with you at once,”
Larry blurted out, not caring that he interrupted the men’s
conversation.

Ernest turned his head in Larry’s direction.
“Excuse me?”

“I think you heard me the first time.”

Ernest laughed and motioned to the two men.
“I’m a little busy at the moment. If you wait over there in the
lobby, I’ll be happy to talk with you when I’m done.”

Larry frowned. “I don’t care. You’re
responsible for an innocent man losing his job. I will not sit idly
by while this injustice continues.”

He glanced up at the ceiling and sighed
before he offered the two men a polite smile. “Apparently, there’s
a minor issue that demands my immediate attention. We’ll continue
this conversation at my house tomorrow night.”

Larry grabbed Ernest by the arm and directed
him to his office.

“Unhand me,” Ernest snapped and pulled his
arm away. “I will not be treated like a wayward child.”

“A wayward child is exactly the way you’ve
been acting,” he hissed in a voice low enough so others wouldn’t
hear them.

“I will not be subjected to this.”

“Too late, Mr. Freeman. You should have
thought of that before you insisted Mr. Wilcox get rid of
Chogan.”

Ernest’s jaw clenched, but he nodded toward
his office. “Fine. Come with me.”

He followed him to the room and waited for
Ernest to shut the door before he spoke. “Why did you insist that
Mr. Wilcox fire Chogan?”

“That is a matter between me and Mr.
Wilcox.”

“It can’t be because he’s an Indian. That
might be why no one else will challenge you, but something happened
to make you single him out. What was it? What did he do to make you
hate him?”

Ernest narrowed his eyes at him. “I don’t owe
you an explanation.”

“Hmm…” Larry crossed his arms. “Just as I
thought. It’s personal.”

“What do you want with me?”

“You know what I want. Tell Mr. Wilcox to
hire Chogan.”

“Sorry, but I can’t do that.”

“Of course, you can.”

“No.” Ernest went to his desk and sat down.
“I can’t.”

“You mean you won’t.”

He shrugged. “It depends on how you look at
it, I suppose.”

Larry clenched his fists and approached the
desk. “Now you listen to me, you lying rat. Mr. Wilcox and others
in this town might be afraid of you, but I’m not. I’m going to get
to the bottom of this, and when I do, you won’t be so smug.”

Ernest chuckled and leaned back in his chair.
“You have no idea what kind of connections I have.”

“And you’d be surprised by mine.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning there is more than one way to skin a
cat. You may think you’re the big man in town, but there’s always
someone bigger coming right around the corner.”

“Are you implying that you’re that someone?”
Ernest asked, not looking in the least bit disturbed by the
warning.

“No. I don’t kid myself on how influential I
am,” Larry replied. “If I was, Chogan would still have his job. But
I will find a chink in your armor.”

“Is this the part where I’m supposed to be
shaking in my boots?”

Larry thought for sure his teeth would break
because of the way he kept grinding them. “You are pathetic. You
made Wilcox get rid of a hard working and honest employee, and all
for what? To settle a personal grudge? That employee, by the way,
has a wife and her aunt to support.”

Ernest rolled his eyes. “That aunt did very
well when her husband died. The man wasn’t exactly a pauper.”

After studying Ernest for any signs of
remorse and finding not even a flicker of it on his face, Larry
decided further conversation would be a waste of time. Ernest
wasn’t the least bit sorry for what he’d done, nor was it likely he
ever would be. Men like Ernest who thought they were above reproach
didn’t have the capacity to care about anyone else.

“You mark my word,” Larry began in a low
voice, “your day of reckoning will come, and I hope I’m there when
it does.”

Ernest yawned. “Is that all or must I persist
in listening to more of this drivel?”

With a low growl, Larry stormed out of the
office. It wasn’t over. Sooner or later, he’d have the last
laugh.

***

By the end of the week, Chogan knew he didn’t
have a choice. He had to work. It was more than about making money;
it was a matter of being able to hold his head high. But he never
imagined he’d have to resort to removing trash and horse droppings
off the streets.

“You’ll also sweep the sidewalks,” the man
with graying hair said. “It’s not a glamorous job, mind you, but
it’s a necessary one.”

Chogan examined the broom, dustpan, gloves,
and bag. For a moment, he recalled the summer when he’d been
selected to lead the buffalo hunt. He’d killed a buffalo that year
and earned a feather. His position in the tribe wasn’t that of a
chief, but he’d been respected. And now he was worse off than a
scout retrieving water for the hunters.

With a heavy sigh, he accepted the job,
knowing he had no other option if he wanted to work in Bismarck.
Anthony helped him look for a job, but no one wanted to hire him.
Anthony understood just as well as he did why they wouldn’t hire
him, and it wasn’t only because of Ernest.

It was better to do the job no one wanted to
do than to sit idly by and have others provide his food. So he took
the items he needed to do his task and decided he’d give this job
the same care and attention he’d given his other jobs.

***

Julia glanced at her aunt when the doorbell
chimed. “Are you expecting anyone?”

Her aunt looked up from her book. “No.”

Erin got ready to stand up, but Julia stopped
her. “I’ll get it.” She left the parlor and peered through the
window by the door. She smiled. “It’s Millicent,” she called out as
she opened the front door. She laughed. “Why, you’re certainly
cheerful today.”

Millicent blushed as she stepped into the
house. “Conrad asked to court me!”

“He did?” Erin asked from the parlor.

“She’ll want all the details,” Julia said and
shut the door.

“Oh, I don’t mind telling her everything.”
Millicent quickly removed her hat and coat and hung them up. “It
still seems like a most splendid dream.” She grabbed Julia’s arm
and asked, “That must sound silly, I know, but I fear if I wake up
it’ll be a day like any other. I’d be sorely disappointed if it was
a dream.”

Julia laughed. “I felt that way when I
married Chogan. It was too good to be true.”

“Exactly. So you do understand.”

She nodded and directed her to the parlor.
“I’ll bring out the coffee and cookies. Don’t you dare start in on
your news until I return.”

“I’m sure we can find other things to discuss
to fill the time,” Erin assured Julia, her eyes twinkling as she
moved over on the couch to make room for Millicent.

Julia rushed through the task of getting the
coffee pot, cups and plate of cookies on the tray so she could be
sure they didn’t start the conversation without her. When she
returned, she was happy to see Erin was describing the book she was
reading to Millicent. Julia poured the coffee and handed the women
their cups before she sat across from them.

“I’ll lend it to you when I’m done,” Erin
promised. “I think you’ll like it.”

“It certainly sounds good.” Millicent took a
sip of coffee. “I do so enjoy books featuring adventures in far off
places. I don’t have a desire to travel, mind you. I’m quite
content with where I’m at, but I love to imagine venturing
off.”

“You surprise me,” Julia commented, stirring
a spoonful of sugar into her cup. “I didn’t think you had such an
adventurous spirit.”

Millicent chuckled. “Keep in mind, I said I
take joy in reading about it, not living it. I much prefer my safe
world. I could never be as brave as you.”

“Brave?” Julia asked.

“Oh, you went across North Dakota in
unfamiliar territory.”

“Yes. But I had Aunt Erin and Chogan with
me.”

Erin shook her head. “Don’t be so modest. You
were ready to rush right off by yourself to find Gary. You didn’t
give any thought to your safety.”

It was true, so Julia didn’t deny it. “The
important thing is Gary was alive. Enough about all that.
Millicent, tell us about Conrad. How did he ask if he could court
you?”

Millicent blushed as her smile widened. “He
came by to discuss politics with my father. You know how my father
loves such talk.”

“Do I ever!” Erin shook her head in
amusement. “He’s been that way ever since he was a child. It’s a
wonder he never pursued a political office.”

“He says he’d rather be the spectator.” She
giggled. “The way he talks, you’d think he was discussing a circus,
though he does take it seriously from time to time.”

“And what of Conrad?” Julia asked. “How does
he view it?”

Millicent turned her attention to Julia. “Oh,
quite seriously. But that’s to be expected since his brother is the
state senator, don’t you think?”

“It might not matter so much how Conrad
handles it as long as his brother takes it seriously. It is his
brother’s job after all.” Julia raised her cup to her lips.

“It sounds like your father gets along well
with Conrad then,” Erin said.

“Oh, I should say so. They have the
occasional squabble, but one can tell it’s in good fun,” Millicent
replied.

Erin finished her cup of coffee and set it on
the table. “So Conrad talked to your father. Then what?”

“Well, he asked my father for permission to
court me!”

Julia took a good drink from her coffee and
inwardly chuckled at the way Millicent bounced on the couch. “I
assume your father called you into the parlor so Conrad could
ask?”

“He did,” Millicent said. “He found me
helping Mother clean the bedding and told me Conrad wished to speak
with me. Oh, I was so nervous. Even now, my hands tremble at the
memory.”

Erin shot Julia an amused look.

Julia secretly agreed that Millicent had a
tendency to be dramatic, but it was how Millicent was, and they
found it an endearing quality.

“I went to the parlor, hardly able to stand
the suspense,” Millicent continued. “He gave me a most charming
smile and held my hands. He asked how I was doing, and I said fine.
Then he said he must speak his heart right away, so I encouraged
him to do so. That’s when he stated his intentions. I had to stop
myself from appearing too eager, but inside my heart was bursting
with joy. Of course, I said yes, and we made plans to meet his
parents. I hardly slept a wink all night. I should be tired today,
but I’m wide awake.”