Chapter Four
Oklahoma Territory, Mid January December 1883
His parents’ reactions were as Brian expected, shock and horror, then fury that Ben had been able to remove Hallie from the convent in the first place.
Peter paced the room in front of the fire. Trixie and Mart sat watching as Helen pressed her hand to mouth, as if to restrain sickness. Brian stood, his coat still on. He had never taken it off, blurting out the news as soon as he was indoors. Trixie had been working on her quilt but her hands were frozen in place. Mart’s hands loosely held the book he had been reading. Bobby was poking his head out of his door, woken by his oldest brother’s appearance.
Trixie swallowed. Hallie was doing this on purpose, she knew it. Hallie was determined to bring shame to the Belden family.
“I can’t believe she’d do this to us,” Trixie said quietly.
"I knew she could be mean, but this is beyond meanness. This is pure spite and hatred,” Mart sighed.
Peter clamped his pipe between his lips but it wasn’t lit. “If she wants to bring shame on herself, that’s her decision,” Peter finally said. “But it will not shame this family. No one is to acknowledge her as a Belden. Brian, will you wire Harold in the morning?”
Brian nodded. “I hated to be the one to tell you, but I promise, she was very proud of all of this. And she said some pretty ugly things that had she been a man, I would have hit her for.”
“Spite brings nothing but misery,” Helen said unhappily. “Brian, why didn’t Lillian come with you?”
Brian hesitated. “It’s awfully cold out, I didn’t want her riding in it.”
“We can’t get to know her if you don’t bring her around,” Helen chided.
Brian nodded his acknowledgement. “Next time, certainly. But this wasn’t a social call, Ma. I had to tell you about Hallie.”
Peter sighed and shook his head. “The girl is no longer one of ours,” he said sadly. “I fear she hasn’t been for a long, long time.”
***
Dan lay half asleep when he heard the footsteps he had been waiting for. Trixie appeared in the doorway with a smile for him and he held out his hand.
“You are a sight for sore eyes,” he murmured. She sat on the bed, and made a quick glance over her shoulder before leaning into a long kiss that left them both warm and smiling.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t get over here,” she said. “The snow has been crazy!”
“It’s alright,” he took her hand and kissed it. “I figured that’s what it was, I was watching it come down.”
“It’ll be like this for a while,” she sighed. “Sometimes we’re trapped for almost a week.”
Dan reached over and brushed a stray curl from her eyes. “I wouldn’t mind being trapped in our cottage with you for a week,” he whispered.
Trixie’s cheeks flamed red and he laughed.
“I’ve been thinking, Trix,” he said, still holding her hand. “The cottage won’t be finished until about April, and it’s only January, but what say you about getting married now?”
Trixie’s eyes bulged. “What?”
“I’m tired of this dancing around, Trixie. We don’t need a big wedding with a fancy dress for you. Just you, me and the pastor. We can live here until the cottage is ready.”
Trixie swallowed and pulled her hand from his, standing. Without speaking she began to walk the room.
“Well, I can see that idea doesn’t spark you,” he said. “Want to tell me why?”
“I’m not finished with my trousseau,” she blurted out.
Dan burst out laughing. “Like that matters to me?”
“Our families would be furious if we deny them a wedding,” she pointed out. “I’m the only daughter and you’re the first son to get married.”
Dan’s dark eyes watched her intently.
“Besides, there’s Diana, and Madeleine, and they’ll never forgive me if they aren’t at the wedding. It’s too hard to arrange travel though in the snow, and even with the almanacs, there’s no telling what sort of storm might come up,” she said nervously, standing at the window and staring out, her back to her betrothed.
Dan reached for the almost empty glass of water next to his bed, took a sip, and replaced the glass to its position. His handsome face was calm but his dark eyes were steely.
“Why don’t you want to marry me anymore, Trixie?” he asked.
She whirled around to face him, her face gone white. “What?”
“You obviously don’t want to marry me,” he said quietly, his eyes tormented. “You’re making up excuses, just like you have every time I mention getting married sooner than spring.”
Trixie flew to his side, grasping his hands, her blue eyes earnest. “Dan, I don’t want to not marry you, I do! I think about it all the time, but it’s terrifying!”
“Why?” he asked. “I’ve never hurt you, Trix. Why would you be scared?”
Trixie swallowed. “Because I’m not my mother. I’m not a good cook, I forget the laundry, I’m clumsy, I can’t manage numbers?Dan I don’t know how to run a household!”
“Is that it?” he asked, puzzled, but the hurt was fading from his handsome face.
She nodded, her eyes welling with tears. Dan tried to hide his smile but he couldn’t quite manage it. Reaching up, he brushed her tears away with his thumb.
“Trixie, I’m not worried about if you can run a household. What I’m worried about is that I want you by my side, and I want you to want to be there, and you haven’t been acting like that’s what you want.”
“I do, Dan, I promise,” she said, breathlessly. “I’m just no good at domestic things!”
“We can work that out,” he said gently. “That’s the least of my concerns.”
“Are you sure?” she asked mournfully.
“Yes,” he insisted. “Besides, I’ll be back at work soon and I need to see you everyday. The thought of coming home to you is what I want. I just want to be sure you want it too.” And that you’re not thinking about coming home to my brother, he added silently.
“I promise, it is,” she smiled at him. “It’s just very overwhelming, Dan. Ma has always taken care of everything and lately she’s been having me cook, and plan and I always feel like I fail at it!”
“What does she say?” he asked, running his hands over her unruly curls.
“She assures me I’m doing fine.”
“Do you think she’s lying?”
“Well, no,” Trixie answered.
“All right then,” he smiled. “Your mother doesn’t seem the type to lie to begin with, so I’d take her at her word and trust her opinion. Besides, it’s not your house skills I’m marrying you for,” he flashed her a smile that made her warm all over.
“Why are you marrying me?” she murmured.
“Because I love you, you crazy woman,” he pulled her to him for a long kiss.
***
Ben Riker leaned back in his chair, smiling coldly at Peter Belden and Johnston.
“So you gentleman want to rent my store.”
“We were hoping you’d donate it to the cause of educatin’ the youngsters,” Johnston said.
“Well, I am all for education but in these tough times, everyone needs a profit,” Riker said, calmly hooking his thumbs in his belt loops.
“The reason we need to use the store is because there is no money to build a new schoolhouse,” Peter said calmly. He longed to pull Riker from that chair and teach him a lesson the arrogant young man wouldn’t forget.
“I would think that were plenty of open stores around,” Ben drawled.
“It appears you own them all,” Peter replied.
“Well now, is that a fact.” Ben smiled. “Looks like my real estate venture will start paying off.”
“Look, Riker, fact is, we ain’t got money to pay. And I think it’s sacrilegious you’d charge for students.”
Ben kept his smile polite, cold and superior. “Well, Mr. Johnston, it’s a shame you feel that way. Tell you what, I’ll make you a proposition.”
The men waited.
“You can use the store, rent free. As long as I’m allowed to provide the funding for the new schoolhouse.”
Peter and Mr. Johnston exchanged wary glances.
“What’s the catch, Riker?” Johnston. “No one gives nothin’ for free.”
“No catch,” Ben smiled. “Not yet, anyway. Is there a schoolteacher hired?”
“Young lady arriving in a couple of weeks,” Peter replied.
Ben nodded. “I see. So it wouldn’t be possible for me to choose the schoolteacher.”
“There are no eligible young women in the area,” Peter replied, tensing. Would Ben suggest Hallie? “Hence the young lady coming from Missouri.”
“Well, gentlemen, why don’t you give me a few days to think on it?” Ben smiled widely, his gleaming white teeth setting Peter on edge.
***
Ayla sat in front of the fireplace, staring at the crackling flames. William sat at the table, working his sums. Jasper was in the barn, tending to the animals.
She kept thinking Matthew Wheeler’s offer over. It was more than generous, more than fair. But why? Why would Matthew Wheeler make her the offer? He was a wealthy businessman, surely no fool. Why give something away?
His gorgeous socialite wife was in New York, she knew. Was he looking for a mistress? A ready-made family to keep out here? Jasper was courting his daughter, Madeleine. Jasper would never ask for such a favor, she knew. Had Madeline offered? Madeleine was lovely girl, not that much younger than Ayla herself. And she was from a world of wealth and privilege. Could she really envision a future with Jasper, a former circus performer that loathed farming?
A knock at the door startled her, brought her out of her reverie. William looked up as Ayla walked to the door, pulling her shawl around her tighter in response to the cold. The small fire barely kept the one room tolerably warm, and most nights, William slept curled up in his mother’s arms.
The bitter cold wind blew in when she opened the door but she knew the man. She stepped aside for Bill Regan to come in, shutting the door quickly.
They stared at each other for a long moment, before Ayla asked William to finish his homework in his loft. The boy obeyed, after staring at Regan for a long moment.
“What are you doing here?” she murmured.
“I heard,” he said. “I needed to see you.”
She looked away. “Why are you here, Bill?”
“Because I need to apologize,” he blurted out. “I did come back for you, once, but your father wouldn’t let me near you. I never abandoned you, and if I had known about—”
“Stop,” she said quietly, looking him in the eye. “It’s old history, Bill, no sense in revisiting it.”
“Ayla, I’ve never forgotten you. I had no idea what you’ve been through. When you turned up here, it was like God giving us a second chance.”
“I’m married!” she croaked.
“Was,” he said. “Ayla, I’m not being hard or trying to be insensitive here, but with your husband gone—”
She gaped at him. “William Regan, you think that because my husband is dead, I’m free to be with you? I spent ten years with the man, I cared for him! He helped me raise my son, he took in his nephew?I’m not going to just move past that and run to you! We haven’t seen each other in ten years! We were kids! What makes you think we can just pick up where we left off?”
Regan reached out and touched her face gently. “Because I still love you.”
Ayla hesitated, her eyes full of longing, then shook her head. “Bill, this is crazy. I’m grieving for my husband and you shouldn’t be here. Jasper doesn’t know anything about our past and I’m not about to dishonor his uncle’s memory by taking up with you when my husband just died!”
Neither saw William crouched low up above in the loft, listening carefully.
Ayla ran her hands over her hair. “Bill, please go. This is, this is madness. I need time to mourn my husband.”
Regan noted how she never said his name, never professed to love her dead husband.
“I’ll be waiting,” he said simply, turning to go.
Before he could reach for the door, it opened and Jasper came in. “Who’s here? I saw the horse—hello, Regan!”
Ayla’s eyes widened. “You know each other?”
Before Regan could signal Jasper not to speak, Jasper blathered on. “Sure, he’s Madeleine’s cousin, and groom for the Wheeler horses. How do you know him?”
The pieces all clicked in her head. Ayla’s face drained of color and then flushed a deep red.
“How dare you,” she hissed, turning to Regan.
Jasper looked completely puzzled as Regan’s heart sunk.
“Mr.Wheeler’s offer?that incredibly generous offer to buy the land and let us stay?you asked him to.”
“Not exactly,” Regan said.
Jasper looked back and forth between his aunt and friend in confusion.
“What am I missing?”
“How dare you interfere with my life, Bill!”
Regan held up his hands. “Ayla, I was trying to help. I wanted to make sure you were going to be okay!”
“We will be fine!” she shouted, her fists balling. “And I don’t need some misguided charity from you! Not after all this time!”
Jasper stepped in front of Regan. “Regan, I think you better go. I don’t know what I’m missing here, but I don’t think it’s good for you to be here right now.”
Regan nodded. He looked at Ayla. “I’m sorry, Ayla. I didn’t mean to offend you. But I wanted to make sure you would be taken care of. All of you.”
Regan left, pulling the door behind him. Jasper turned to his aunt.
“Want to tell me what that was all about?”
“No,” she whispered, turning away from him.
“He’s William’s father, isn’t he,” Jasper said calmly.
Ayla whipped around, eyes wild. “Why would you say that?”
“Uncle Joseph told me a long time ago he didn’t father William. He didn’t tell me the whole story but I’m not stupid. Red hair, green eyes. Obviously some history there between you two, because it’s not possible you’ve spent time with him since we’ve been here.”
“Does Madeleine know?” Ayla demanded. “Do they all know?”
Jasper hesitated. “I don’t know. I've never heard anything about it."
Ayla swallowed. “Jasper, you might want to talk to Madeleine. Because if she’s been allowing you to court her for the sake of Regan, you have a right to know.”
“She wouldn’t do that,” Jasper said immediately, a surge of anger at the impliacation hitting him. “Madeleine’s not like that!”
“No? I never would have thought Bill would manipulate his cousin try to buy our land.”
“Ayla, calm down. I saw the way he looked at you. Regan must know about William. I think he really was trying to help.”
“Help?” she demanded. “Jasper, my husband is dead! I don’t know what to do, if I should take the offer or not. I almost thought it was the right thing to do but what if Bill engineered this, as some sort of ploy? I can't even see straight, I'm so angry!”
“I think you’re overreacting,” Jasper said, cutting her off. “Look, this is a hard time right now, but I think he means the best. I think you should have some tea and calm down. Let’s talk this through, make a plan.”
Ayla turned and walked away from him, into her room. Tears poured down her cheeks. Was Regan manipulating his cousin as a way to get Ayla back into his life? Did he relaly think she'd just go along with a plan like that?
 
*** Author’s Notes
- A huge thank you to Julie, my editor! As always, she did a marvelous job editing and named the story.
- Word Count, 2,617
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