A Chance at Love

  “You’re the best friends a girl could have.”

  They grinned. She kissed them on the cheek, then they left to go and change.

  Loreli finally ventured downstairs a half hour later. Art Gibson and Matt Peterson were just getting the piano back into its spot. When they looked up and saw her, both men dropped their eyes as if ashamed. “You should be ashamed,” she told them. “Where are your wives? I want to thank them for the food that we didn’t get to eat.”

  “Gone,” Matt Peterson confessed.

  “Took the children and told us to get home the best way we could,” Art added.

  Loreli thought that a very apropos punishment. “Good for them. Where are Tweedledee and Dum?”

  Art pointed to the back porch.

  “Thanks.” She then added grudgingly, “And thanks for bringing in the piano.”

  Out on the porch, Jake and Trevor were being patched up by of all people, Rebecca Appleby and Millie Tate. Millie was working on Trevor’s split lip, and Rebecca was stitching the jagged cut over Jake’s left eyebrow. When Rebecca looked up and saw Loreli, she stopped and said defensively, “Since no one was here to help them—”

  “You go right ahead. If I get that close, I may take an ax to them.”

  Trevor said, “Aw, lassie—”

  “Don’t you lassie, me, Trevor Church.”

  “Loreli—” Jake said.

  “And I’m not speaking to you either, Jake Reed.”

  He grinned, then grimaced as Rebecca pulled the stitches tight.

  “Are you spoken for, gentle lady?” Trevor asked Millie.

  “No,” Millie tittered.

  Loreli rolled her eyes, then went back inside the house.

  Upstairs in her room, Loreli took off her dress, then hung it in the armoire. She removed her shoes, her fancy stockings and garters, then donned a dress more suitable to the life she was leading now. It had been a while since she’d gotten all gussied up, and hanging up the dress reminded her of that. She had a hard time remembering the last time she’d danced or kicked up her heels. It was sometime before joining the wagon train in Chicago, she realized. Since then, there’d been no visits to gambling dens, no playing high-stakes poker, and no being feted and catered to for being the one and only Loreli Winters. Maybe it was because the wedding had been such a debacle, but she suddenly missed her old life. Here in Kansas, the days moved slow as molasses, and porch-sitting in the evening was what folks here did for entertainment. Of course, she’d known all this when she agreed to marry Jake Reed, but today for some reason, the prospect of spending the next twelve months here with a husband who’d never love her loomed heavily. Maybe Trevor’s arrival was responsible for her sudden melancholy. He represented her old life—a life filled with good times, good food, and good money. With Trevor she’d seen the world, and could again, but she thought about the twins. No matter Loreli’s melancholy, she’d made them a promise, and one did not break promises to loved ones. Shaking off her mood, she ventured back downstairs.

  Rebecca was still about, as was Mule-Faced Millie Tate. Both women were out on the porch drooling over Trevor. Loreli knew it was an easy thing to do, the man could charm the robe off a nun. However, Rebecca and Millie were babes in the wood in the world of Trevor Church, but neither woman probably knew that.

  When Loreli stepped onto the porch, she asked them, “Where’s Jake?”

  Rebecca’s eyes never left Trevor. “Out back with the twins. He’s cleaning up the mess.”

  Loreli planned to go see if he needed help, but first she had a question for Trevor. “When are you leaving town?”

  “But he just got here,” Millie replied with a pout.

  Loreli ignored her. “When are you leaving?”

  Trevor, bruised and battered but no less handsome, said, “Mildred is right, lassie. With such lovely nurses about, I may stay forever.”

  Loreli snorted. She knew better than to believe that. Too bad Millie and Rebecca didn’t know him as well as Loreli. “Tomorrow, you go back to wherever you came from.”

  “Aw, Lorie, you can’t be still mad.”

  “I am, Trevor, so don’t test me. A lot of people went to a lot of trouble to make today special, but why should you care?”

  “She’s always been excitable,” he told Millie and Rebecca, “but not even she would send an old friend back into the cold cruel world in my condition.”

  “If you’re still here by tomorrow this time, your condition will be much worse,” Loreli corrected him.

  “Trevor, I have an extra room in my shop. You’re welcome to recover there,” Millie said, to Loreli’s amazement.

  He smiled at her. “What a lovely offer, Millie.”

  Rebecca’s face soured. Apparently she didn’t find the offer lovely at all. “You’re an unmarried woman, Millie. What will people say?”

  Millie, looking cow-eyed at Trevor, replied, “I don’t care, Rebecca. It’s my duty as a Christian to open my home to someone in need.”

  Millie’s shop won’t be the only thing he’ll want the spinster seamstress to open, Loreli thought to herself, but that wasn’t Loreli’s concern. If Rebecca and Millie wanted to compete against each other for the heartbreak Trevor was sure to bring, so be it.

  Loreli shook her head at their gullibility, then headed around to the back of the house.

  Jake’s head pounded every time he bent to pick something up. He thought he might pass out, so he stopped a moment to catch his breath. The brides had done most of the cleaning up, and he made a mental note to thank each of them personally, but there were still chairs that had to be taken back into the house, Loreli’s plates to put back in the hutch—those not broken in the melee—and a beautiful woman to apologize to, he added as he looked up and saw Loreli approaching.

  He waited for her to come closer. His head was ringing like a bell. He promised himself he’d never fight again; at thirty-seven, he was far too old for such painful activity.

  Dede and Bebe were helping him, and as De walked by him to put one of the old chairs back on the porch, she stopped and said, “Uncle Jake, you don’t look so good. You want me and Bebe to give everybody their water tonight?”

  Jake thought himself blessed to be loved so unconditionally. “Yes, but I need to talk to you two first. Girls, what I did—the fighting—was wrong.”

  “We know Uncle Jake,” Dede said. “In Sunday school, we learned you’re supposed to turn the other cheek.”

  Jake nodded. “That’s right, but I didn’t, and I was wrong not to.”

  Bebe protested, “But he said you smelled like a hog, Uncle Jake. One time, I socked Anthony Diggs for telling me I smelled like a hog, my sister smelled like a hog, and you smelled like a hog too, Uncle Jake.”

  Loreli dropped her head to hide her smile.

  “The teacher made Bebe stand in the corner all day,” Dede said.

  Jake tried to keep a straight face. “Why didn’t the teacher tell me about this?”

  “Teacher doesn’t like Anthony either,” Bebe said.

  Dede added, “Nobody likes Anthony.”

  Jake looked at Loreli and saw her smile. “Well, regardless, I shouldn’t have been fighting. It didn’t scare you two, did it?”

  Bebe answered, “Nope, because me and De knew you were going to win. Didn’t we, De?”

  Her sister nodded. “Yep. We weren’t scared.”

  Jake smiled. At some point, and he couldn’t put his finger on exactly when, the twins had gone from being nieces to being daughters, his daughters—and he loved them as much as he loved his own life. “How about you go give the animals their water. Miss Zora left us all some ice cream. We’ll dig into it as soon as you get back.”

  Their eyes widened with glee, and then they took off at a run for the pens.

  He turned his attention to Loreli. Their eyes met and held, then he volunteered a soft, “I’m sorry.”

  His talk with the girls had tempered Loreli’s anger—somewhat. Who can stay mad at a man
big enough to confess his failings to two eight-year-olds? “Yes, you are, Jacob Reed.”

  He grinned a little around his swollen jaw and lips. “My head’s killing me.”

  “It’s what you deserve.”

  “I know, but it doesn’t make me feel any better. Where’s your Irishman?”

  “Rebecca and Millie are fighting over him on the front porch, and he’s not my Irishman.”

  “He was at one time.”

  “I don’t deny that, nor that he and I had some real good times, but that was in the past. The last time we were together was three years ago in Mexico City. I was stranded there after he took all of my money and ran off with some poor gullible senorita.”

  “How’d you get home?”

  “Playing poker. Only thing I had to bet were the diamond studs in my ears. Won those back and three hundred dollars to boot by the end of the night.”

  “That was the last time you saw him?” Jake asked.

  “Yes, and he still owes me.”

  “How long is he staying?”

  “Wish I knew, but I told him I want him gone by this time tomorrow. Millie wants him to move in with her.”

  Jake raised an eyebrow, even though it hurt. “Mildred Tate?”

  “Yep, but I think Rebecca’s campaigning for the position too, so who knows how it will turn out in the end.”

  Loreli could see Jake slowly wavering. His eyes were closed. She told him, “Why don’t you go lie down for a while. And use my bed. That board you call a bed will only make you feel worse.”

  “Where will you sleep?”

  “Don’t worry about me. You just go. The girls and I will see to the rest of this.”

  He looked into her eyes. “I had to hit him, Loreli. A man has his pride.”

  “I know,” she responded softly, “Go on to bed before you keel over.”

  He smiled and nodded, “I’ll see you later.”

  “Okay.”

  When he left, Loreli headed to the pens to see if the girls needed help with the watering.

  The girls did need help, and by the time the hogs, the milk cows, and the rest of the Reed menagerie were given water, Loreli’s and the twins’ clothes were wet from the sloshing buckets and their shoes were damp and muddy. Being a farmer’s wife was neither easy nor glamorous, she thought to herself as she added fresh water to the bowls of Rabbit and Pal, but Loreli didn’t have an aversion to hard work, and so finished the task without complaint.

  Once the chores were done, she and the girls washed their hands under the pump, then grabbed bowls for the vanilla ice cream left by Zora in a churn on the porch. While the girls watched excitedly, Loreli filled their bowls. She was in the midst of filling her own when a slow-moving Trevor stepped onto the porch. It was apparent that the ramifications of the fight had caught up to him, just as they had Jake.

  Loreli eyed his battered presence for a silent moment. “Do you want some?”

  “Yes. Soft food is all I’ll be able to handle for a while.” He slid a hand over his tender jaw. “I think that farmer of yours loosened a couple of my teeth.”

  Loreli cracked, “Be glad he didn’t loosen your fool head from your fool neck.”

  She sent him inside to fetch another bowl from the hutch. When he returned, she spooned him out a generous portion of the cream and handed him the bowl and a spoon. “Let’s go to the front porch. We need to talk. Rebecca and Millie are gone, aren’t they?”

  “Yep.”

  Loreli told the girls, “Trevor and I will be out front. Will you be all right?”

  Engrossed in their ice cream, they nodded.

  “Well, come get me if you need anything. Your Uncle Jake’s lying down, so no playing in the house until he gets up.”

  “Okay, Loreli,” Dede said.

  Satisfied, Loreli led Trevor around the house to the front porch. After they were seated, she asked, “How did you find me?”

  “Olivia. I happened to be at your house when your wire arrived. I’d just gotten into town a few days before. Stopped by to say hello, and she said you weren’t there. She told me you were having a lot of items shipped, and when I asked where, she told me. She was worried about you.”

  “Olivia sent you?”

  “Not really. I volunteered. You, married? Had to come and see for myself. Caught the train, rented a buggy after I arrived in this god-forsaken town, and here I am.”

  “You could have wired me so I would know you were coming.”

  Trevor smiled. “And miss the surprise on your face? Not a chance.”

  “Do you have my money?”

  “Money?” he asked, eating the ice cream slowly. “What money?”

  “Mexico City? My handbag? The senorita?”

  “Ah, yes, the lovely Francesca. She turned out to be married, you know.”

  “Good. I hope her husband was nine feet tall.”

  “Almost. Last time I’ll ever jump from a second-floor window. It made me feel almost as bad as I do now.”

  She shook her head. “Last I heard, you were in Cuba.”

  “I was for a while. Went home to see my mother for a bit. Traveled around Europe, then wound up back here.”

  “How is your mother?”

  “Lady Jane is well. Her husband is still a bastard, though, and since I am too, my visits with her are rarely long ones.”

  Loreli met the Lady Jane once, many years ago, and found the Irish noblewoman quite remarkable. In spite of being ostracized by her immediate family for having an out-of-wedlock child with a Black seamen, the lands and money left to her by her grandfather made her wealthy enough not to care. “Send her my regards the next time you see her.”

  “I shall.” He then set his bowl aside, and said, “Lorie, if you don’t allow me to lie down somewhere, I’m going to pass out right here.”

  “I’ll get you a blanket,” she tossed back.

  “Oh, come on, have a heart and take pity on a poor beaten fellow, will you, please? Is there an extra bed?”

  Loreli sighed. “Yes, give me a moment to put on fresh sheets.”

  “Bless you, my child.”

  Loreli put Trevor in Jake’s room. She’d gone up to ask Jake if he minded the arrangement but he’d been asleep, and she hadn’t wanted to wake him. So, Trevor would get the opportunity to spend the night in a hog farmer’s bed, probably one of the few beds in the world he’d not been in before.

  By the time she got him settled in Jake’s room, it was bedtime for the twins as well, so she heard their prayers and tucked them in. Giving them both a kiss, she slipped from their room and closed their door.

  The house was finally quiet, and Loreli let the silence soothe her. She stepped out onto the porch, then collapsed into one of the chairs. What a day! The night rolled in bringing with it the familiar sounds of crickets and the unwanted assault of mosquitoes. She slapped at a few to keep them from snacking on her neck and arms, but for the most part, she simply sat.

  Trevor was the last person she’d expected to make an appearance in this new life of hers. She had loved him, and loved him well. He had sheltered her, healed her, but now she was a woman full-grown, no longer the nineteen-year-old she’d been when they first met. Back then, she thought the world revolved around him; he was the funniest, boldest, and, yes, wildest man she’d ever known. Now, however, even though she knew a future with Jake would never come to be, Jake owned her heart—and no matter how many times she tried to deny the fact, or attempted to set it aside, the truth remained: Loreli Winters, gambling queen, was in love with a hog farmer named Jake Reed. She didn’t know what to do with the knowledge, though. Telling him was not an option. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel obligated toward her in some way, or feel as if his plans to find a replacement for her had to be changed. He didn’t love her, she knew that, but deep inside she wished he did.

  Loreli yawned as the day caught up with her too. She went inside, closed the door behind her, and trudged up the stairs to her room. She could hea
r Jake’s snores ruffling the shadowy silence. The moonlight streaming in through the open curtains gave off just enough of a glow for her to see by. Quietly, she removed her clothes, leaving on her thin chemise. She padded over to the bed and eased her way beneath the lone blanket, hoping not to disturb Jake, but he rolled over and mumbled, “Hello.”

  Her smile was soft. “Hello, yourself. Trevor’s in your bed.”

  “Long as you’re not in it with him, it’s all right. Girls asleep?”

  “Yes. How’s your head?”

  “Throbbing, but I think I’ll live.”

  “Then go back to sleep.”

  “Come closer.”

  She scooted over until they were lying like nested spoons.

  He draped an arm over her and said, “That’s better.”

  Sheltered against him, she smiled. “Good night, Jake.”

  “Night, Loreli.”

  And they both slept.

  The next morning, since Jake wasn’t up to cook, Loreli fed the girls ice cream and cake from the wedding for breakfast. She had no intentions of attending church. Jake came down in the middle of the unconventional meal. “Ice cream?” he asked.

  Bebe nodded. “Yep. Loreli says it’s full of all kinds of good stuff like eggs and cream.”

  Jake eyed Loreli’s amused face and his sore head began to throb. He really wanted to discuss why serving ice cream and cake for breakfast was not encouraged but the thought of doing so only made his head worse. “I suppose one morning is not going to harm anyone. Get me a bowl too.”

  Loreli grinned, then went to fetch him a bowl.

  “Where’s our guest?” Jake asked.

  “Still asleep, as far as I know. Haven’t heard a peep out of him all morning.”

  “Maybe he snuck away in the middle of the night,” Jake said.

  “I doubt it. His horse is still in the barn.”

  “Too bad.”

  Loreli eyed him. “I won’t have any more fighting.”

  “As long as he keeps his insults to himself, I have no problem agreeing to that. Just make sure you tell him too.”

  “Oh, don’t worry. I will.”

  “Why does Mr. Trevor talk funny, Loreli?” Dede asked.