A Bride for McCain, page 21
Ross held up his hand. “Your children will be well taken care of when they are in Miss Grimes’s charge. She has been teaching for many years.”
“I’m sure she’d do a fine job,” Sissy said. “But we put our trust in Mrs. McCain and we aim to stick with her.”
Ross frowned. “You don’t have a choice in the matter. My wife will not be teaching school.”
Dave Thompson hooked his thumbs in his suspenders. “Thought you said you’d honor the contract, McCain, and let your wife teach. It ain’t like you to go back on your word.”
Ross clenched his fists. “I’m not. I promised you this town would have a teacher and it will.”
“Well, we like the other Emma Grimes,” Mrs. Crumpet shouted. “The real Emma Grimes.”
Jessica pressed her hands to her hot cheeks. This wasn’t right. Ross was trying to protect her and she didn’t deserve it.
“I’m not sending my children to her school,” Mrs. Crumpet said, shaking her head. “I don’t know this woman and I ain’t trusting my little ones with her.”
Several of the women nodded their accord. “I agree with Lydia,” Sissy said. “As much as I want my babies to learn to read and write, I ain’t sending my children to her. Emma McCain is my friend and I ain’t gonna turn my back on her.”
Jessica had never had people stand by her before. Their loyalty warmed her heart and ate at her soul. She didn’t deserve any of it.
“Wait!” she shouted.
Ross searched the crowd until his gaze locked on her. His eyes narrowed in silent warning.
Jessica tore her gaze from his, unable to bear it. “I cannot stand here and let you malign this good woman. She deserves your respect.”
“I know she’s kin to you,” Lydia said. “But we like having you as our teacher—that is, unless you don’t want to teach our little ones.”
Jessica shook her head. “I want it more than anything.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Sissy asked.
“Ross is trying to do what’s best,” Jessica said. “He’s trying to protect me.”
“By taking your job?” Jed said.
“No, by covering up the fact that I lied to everyone in this town.”
Ross smacked his hand against his thigh. “That’s enough, Mrs. McCain!”
Misery stabbed her heart. “No, Ross. No more lies.”
“Go home,” he ordered.
“No.” Jessica’s voice was clear and strong. “I have something to say.”
Ross’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve said enough.”
Jessica swallowed. It took all her strength not to shrink from him. “It was kind of my husband to try and protect me, but I think all of you are owed the truth.”
Ross climbed down from the bar and tried to move forward, but was unable to press through the crowd. The sparks in his eyes ordered her to remain silent.
Jessica ignored the warning. “The truth is I lied to my husband and everyone else in this town.”
Ross clenched his fists. “Enough!”
Jessica shook her head. “This woman up there is not my aunt. She is the real Emma Grimes. I’m not. My real name is Jessica Tierney.”
After a few angry murmurs, the crowd grew silent. Everyone looked at her.
She swallowed hard. “I lied about my name so I could take Miss Grimes’s place in Sacramento.”
Their stares bore into her. A myriad of emotions crossed each face. Shock. Disbelief.
“Why’d you lie to us?” Sissy asked.
“I was in trouble. I had to get out of the city, so I told the conductor my name was Emma Grimes so he’d let me on the train.”
“I ain’t asking why you lied to the conductor in Sacramento, I want to know why you lied to us.”
The hurt Jessica saw in Sissy’s eyes nearly broke her heart. “If I could take it all back, I would.”
Sissy’s lips thinned into a grim line.
Jessica looked at Ross. “The lie just got bigger and bigger, and I didn’t know how to get out of it. I was afraid to tell anyone.”
Sissy shook her head. “You could’ve told me. I would’ve understood.”
Tears pooled in Jessica’s eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
She wanted to melt into the floorboards. She couldn’t stand the faces of her friends and neighbors so filled with shock, disgust and sadness. She glanced up at Ross for support.
His hands were clenched at his sides. For an instant she imagined his eyes softened before he looked away. “I think you’ve said just about all you need to say. Why don’t you leave now?”
She sniffed and wiped the tears away. “I’m willing to stay and be the teacher you all wanted me to be. Perhaps I could teach the adults like I promised.”
“I don’t think so,” Lydia said.
“I may have lied about my name, but I never lied about my commitment to the children.”
“How can we believe you?” Sissy asked.
“I don’t know. I suppose I’ll have to earn your trust all over again.”
“Once a liar, always a liar,” Harriet said, loudly enough for everyone around her to hear.
“Can’t say she’d be the kind of person I want my children to look up to,” Dave admitted.
The crowd murmured in agreement. Their anger was so real she could almost taste it.
Miss Grimes cleared her throat. “Once you’ve all had time to think about this, I’m sure you’ll find forgiveness in your hearts. None of us are saints and we’ve all made mistakes.”
“I don’t need time to know that what she did was wrong,” Harriet shouted.
“That’s enough,” Ross said. “Everything that needs to be said has been said. Everyone go home. Miss Grimes will reopen the school on Monday.”
Jessica pressed her hand into the pit of her stomach, trying to quell the sick feeling. She stepped down from the whiskey box and stood quietly by the wall as the people filed past her and out of the saloon. No one spoke to her or looked at her. She was invisible.
Emma Grimes was one of the last to leave. As she passed, she paused and took Jessica’s hand in her own. “It’ll be all right, dear. They’ve all just had a bit of a shock.”
Tears spilled down Jessica’s face. “I don’t know, Miss Grimes. When I came here today, I was sure I could win their trust again. Now I’m not so sure.”
Delicate creases formed around the corners of her eyes when she smiled. “Time, dear. Time heals all wounds.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Miss Grimes winked. “We’ll talk later, dear.”
When the schoolteacher left, Jessica realized she was alone in the saloon with Ross. He stood by the bar staring at her.
His face was an unreadable mask as he walked behind the bar, picked up a whiskey bottle and poured himself a drink. “You couldn’t keep quiet, could you?”
Jessica straightened her shoulders. “I had to tell the truth.”
“Since when did the truth become so important?”
She ignored the barb and walked toward the bar. “I had to tell them.”
“If you’d kept quiet, no one in town would have been the wiser.”
“Why do you care what people think of me?”
“You and I are through, but I thought at least I could save you the public humiliation.”
“You mean that little lie you told was meant to help me?”
Ross scowled and slammed down the drink. “Yes. I decided you can stay in Prosperity until you can find a family member to live with.”
Her shoulders sagged. “There is no one else, Ross. Father was my last blood relative, and you already know the terms of his will.”
He stared into the depths of his glass. “I’ll give you enough money to see you through.”
She managed a shrug. “Charity’s not my style.”
He slammed the glass against the bar again, sloshing liquid over his hand and the mahogany wood. “Fine! I tried to be the nice guy, take the high road, but if you want to go it alone, I’m not going to stop you.”
Her heart ached so badly she could barely breathe. She raised her head high. “I’m not giving up on us.”
Ignoring her comment, he raised his glass to her in a toast, then gulped down the remains. “Tell me, Jessica, why is it that I’m attracted to beautiful women who can do nothing but lie to me?”
Jessica clenched her fingers. “Don’t compare me to Caroline.”
“Why not? You two are so much alike.”
She whirled around. “I’d never do anything to intentionally hurt you.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“Caroline and I both may have lied to you, but always remember, she left you. You are pushing me away.”
He swallowed another glassful of whiskey in one gulp. “If I don’t, you’ll destroy me.”
Her heart softened. “I won’t destroy you, Ross. I love you.”
He squeezed his eyes shut. “Stop it, just stop. I’ve already told you, I’ll give you money.”
“I don’t want money, I want to stay. Please, can’t you forgive me?”
He glared at her.
“What about Patrick?” she said. “The boy loves me.”
His eyes shot daggers. “Stay away from Patrick.”
“I won’t leave that boy.”
“I’ll break your neck if you hurt my son.”
Jessica turned and pushed open the saloon doors. “Patrick’s lost one mother, he’s not losing another.”
“Like hell. You stay away from him.”
She stepped outside.
“Where are you going?”
“Home.”
“We’re not going to live under the same roof.”
Her throat ached. “Then you’d better find someplace else to live, because I’m not leaving our home.”
She walked away, pausing only briefly when she heard the whiskey glass crash against the wall.
Chapter Seventeen
When Jessica left, Ross went looking for the only company he was fit to keep—a bottle of whiskey. He sat down at one of the back tables in the saloon and began to drink. His plan was to get drunk—good and drunk—and he did.
Ross didn’t know how long he sat in the corner of the saloon or how many tumblers of whiskey he tossed back. He was vaguely aware of ordering a second bottle, of hearing the whispers of other patrons, but he ignored it all. The only thing he cared about was making the ache inside him go away, but it never did.
Jessica consumed his thoughts. With each fresh glass of whiskey, he tried to wash her from his mind, but couldn’t manage the task. He couldn’t erase the image of her smile, the way the light sparkled in her eyes, the softness of her skin. She was in his blood.
A sudden rush of water, as cold as a mountain spring in January, wrenched him from his solitude. He bolted straight up, his heart thundering in his chest. Ready to fight the person who would dare try to sober him up, he reached for his pistol.
Sam stood directly over him, scowling.
His friend picked up the empty whiskey bottle. “I think you’ve spent enough time with this. I’m tired of watching you feel sorry for yourself.”
Ross propped his enormously swelled head in his hands. “Go away.”
Sam sat in the opposite chair. “Yep, I’d say you’ve made a real fool out of yourself. Couldn’t have done a better job if I set out to do it myself.”
“I’m going to put a bullet in your head if you don’t go away.”
Sam laughed. “Buddy, you ain’t got the strength to lift a gun, let alone shoot straight.”
“Try me.”
Sam waved to the bartender. “Bring us a pot of hot coffee, the blacker the better, and some fresh bread.”
“No food,” Ross grumbled.
“You’ll eat it even if I have to shove it down your gullet.”
“Why the hell are you here? Can’t you see I want to be alone?”
“The way you’re acting, you’re going to get a lifetime of alone.”
“Back off.”
“The best damn woman ever to come into your life is waiting for you and you couldn’t care less.”
“If she’s the best, then I’m in trouble.” His mouth tasted like he’d swallowed a field of cotton.
“You don’t mean that and you know it. If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t have gotten stinking drunk. I ain’t seen you this drunk since Gettysburg.”
Ross lifted his head and sat back in his chair. He’d forgotten just how bad too much liquor could make a man feel.
Sam leaned back in his chair, his arms folded over his chest. He shook his head. “You are a sorry sight.”
Ross grunted. Sam’s hair was slicked back and he smelled faintly of bay rum. “You smell bad.”
Sam’s smile evaporated. He raised his arm and sniffed. “I took a bath this morning and put on some of Jed’s best bay rum.”
“What the hell for?”
“Soon as I get you cleaned up, Miss Grimes and I are going for a stroll down Main Street.” He sighed. “Never thought there’d be another woman that could make my toes curl like my wife did, but Emma Grimes has got my body humming in places I’d damn near forgotten about.”
Ross grunted. “Take it from me, women aren’t worth the trouble.”
Sam grinned. “Oh, they’re worth it. You know it as well as I do.”
“Make your point.”
“You love Jessica.”
“Like hell.”
“You love her so bad, your heart feels like it’s been split in two with an ax.”
“You’re wrong.” The denial sounded weak even to his ears.
The bartender set a pot of coffee on the table and two cups. “Bread will be here in a minute.”
“Don’t bother,” Ross croaked.
Sam shook his head. “Bring it. He’s gonna need something in his stomach when he goes looking for his wife.”
“I’m not going anywhere but home.”
“If I was you, I wouldn’t show my face around your house unless you’re fixing to make things right with Jessica.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Peg’s gunning for you. She’s meaner than a wounded bear and looking to pound your hide. Patrick’s not too happy with you, either.”
Ross curled his fingers into a fist. “I told that woman not to hurt my boy.”
“She ain’t hurt him one bit. Fact is, she’s been covering for you. She told the boy you were at the mine last night so he wouldn’t worry when you didn’t come home. He doesn’t know his father’s been swimming in whiskey for the last twenty-four hours.”
“I’ll have to thank her,” he grumbled.
Sam filled a cup with the hot brew and pushed it toward Ross. “Start drinking. As soon as you’ve finished a few cups and eaten, I’ll walk you home.”
Ross accepted the cup of coffee and took a sip. It tasted bitter, thick, but he forced himself to take another gulp. He wasn’t about to go looking for Jessica, but he was ready to shake off the groggy, powerless feeling liquor brought with it. After he’d finished the cup of coffee, he refilled it, then tore a slice from the loaf. His stomach flip-flopped when he tasted the first bite. After a third cup of coffee and a few more bites of bread, Ross began to feel human again.
But as the effects of the liquor faded, his emotions roared to life. His chest tightened and his eyes burned with unshed tears. “Sam, how did things turn into such a damn mess?”
“Life ain’t clean and neat, Ross. You know that better than anybody. Messes are gonna happen. It’s up to us to decide how we’re gonna clean them up.”
“What if I don’t want to clean up this one?”
Sam’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Ross. “Can you really say you’d be happier without her?”
“She lied to me.”
“Yeah, she did, but have you ever made a mistake you’d do anything to fix?”
Ross stared into the black depths of his cup. “It’s not the same.”
“Ain’t it?”
Ross smacked the palm of his hand against the table. “How can I ever trust her again?”
“I don’t know. You’re gonna have to figure that one out. But my guess is she’ll never give you a reason to doubt her again.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I ain’t looking at her with angry eyes. I see how much she’s hurting and how much she loves you.”
Ross swallowed. “I want her so much it frightens me,” he whispered.
“I know.”
Suddenly, he felt very tired and alone. “I was watching folks last night in the saloon, laughing and carrying on, and I couldn’t understand how they could be so happy. Didn’t they understand that the bottom had just fallen out of everything?”
“I felt that way when my Sarah died. Other folks’ happiness made me mad.”
“Mad as hell.”
“I couldn’t bring my wife back, but you can bring yours back. Stop being a horse’s behind and go get her.”
Sam was right. Ross could have a second chance with Jessica if he wanted one. “I don’t know what to say to her.”
“Worry about the words when you see her. They’ll come when the time’s right.”
“Where is she?”
The saloon doors opened and closed with a whoosh. “I’m right here.” Jessica stood in the doorway.
She was so pretty and so fine. He stared into sapphire eyes, ensnared by their beauty. He was torn between anger and happiness.
“What do you want?” he demanded, his voice rough with emotion.
Her gaze didn’t waver from his as she walked toward their table. “To talk to you. Sam, would you excuse us?”
Sam stood and scooped up his hat. “Be happy to, ma’am. I got an appointment, anyway.”
Jessica smiled at Sam. “I just left Miss Grimes at the schoolhouse. She’s anxious for that walk.”
Sam puffed his chest out like a peacock. “Well, that’s mighty fine. If you two will excuse me, I got a lady to court.” He put on his hat and left.
She sat down in Sam’s chair. Ross eased back into his own. Damn but she was a beautiful woman. He wanted to look calm and composed, but he felt as nervous as a schoolboy. The scent of lilacs drifted over to him.
Her foot brushed an empty whiskey bottle on the floor under the table and she pushed it away. As she watched it roll across the floor, she said, “I expected better of you, Ross.”
