Bent Over A Barrel Bundle: Western Cowboy Romance (Full Length Novels), Page 3

  “I’m sorry my son couldn’t come to meet you,” Jenny said to interrupt her thoughts.

  “I guess he’s busy,” Mary replied in a resigned voice.

  “He is…,” Jenny replied. “And you have to understand that my husband believes that work on the farm is the most important thing. It makes him strict, but he means well.”

  It was a telling comment and gave Mary an insight to life on the farm. She guessed it was why Jenny looked so tired and downbeat that her husband put all his energies into work. It probably didn’t leave much room for the relationships in his life and she suddenly felt a little sorry for the woman sitting next to her on the wagon seat. It probably wasn’t an easy life. It made her wonder if she did the right thing in coming.

  She wasn’t quite sure what to say and remained quiet as she looked around at the surroundings they were passing through. Most of the buildings appeared slightly worn and ramshackle, with a few being completely dilapidated. It was her first occasion in such a small place and she again wondered if she would be able to cope with the change from the life she led in Boston. It wasn’t exactly getting off to the best start, that was for sure, and she again turned her mind to what she was going to do.

  “How much will the room cost?” she asked.

  “I went and asked yesterday,” Jenny said. “It’s not really a guesthouse as such, but the old lady is happy to rent out her spare room. I guess it brings her in some much needed money and she is prepared to let you stay there for one dollar fifty cents a week.”

  It seemed that Jenny was going out of her way to help if she went to the effort of finding a place to rent, but Mary knew that the little money in her pocket would disappear quickly at the rate of a dollar fifty a week. She let out a sigh as she contemplated her situation.

  “You won’t get anywhere cheaper around here,” Jenny went on. “And it’s not as if this town has a lot of places to choose from.”

  “What is the population?” Mary asked.

  “I’m not sure exactly, but it can’t be more than a few hundred,” Jenny replied. “It’s a lot smaller than Boston.”

  A rueful smile played on Mary’s lips at the comment.

  “There’s no doubt about that,” she replied.

  The conversation ended as Jenny concentrated her efforts on pulling on the reins to guide the horses around a corner. In the silence Mary again turned her thoughts to what she was going to do. She reckoned if she was careful that her money would last around two weeks or so. With no real idea of how long she would have to stay in town, she guessed she would need to find some way of making money. That meant getting a job and there was only one thing she could think of.

  “Does this place have a schoolhouse?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Jenny replied.

  “Can you show me where it is please,” Mary went on.

  “It will be closed now,” Jenny told her.

  “I know that,” Mary said. “I just want to know where it is.”

  “We’re almost at the room you can rent,” Jenny replied. “We can stop there first and I’ll show you the schoolhouse afterwards.”

  “Sure,” Mary agreed.

  The rest of the short journey passed in silence and she looked at the property they eventually stopped outside. The white-painted exterior was peeling and a bit worn, but the building looked solid. Jenny jumped down from the seat first and Mary handed over her case before getting down herself. She took the luggage piece back and the pair of them walked up to the front of the house.

  The door opened before they got there and Mary looked at the old lady standing waiting for them. Her lined face and grey hair showed that she was probably in her eighties at least, but she stood up straight and still appeared healthy and strong.

  “This is Mrs. Lester,” Jenny introduced her.

  “And you must be Mary,” Mrs. Lester replied and smiled. “Such a pretty young girl.”

  “Thanks,” Mary said and returned the smile. “It’s nice to meet you and thank you for letting me stay in your home.”

  “A polite girl as well,” Mrs. Lester went on. “Come in, come in.”

  She ushered them in the hallway and closed the door. Jenny and Mary followed as they were taken along to a neat and tidy lounge, where they sat on wooden chairs.

  “So…, how long are you here for?” Mrs. Lester asked.

  Mary looked to Jenny and it was the older woman that answered the question.

  “As I told you yesterday, Mary will be coming out to live on the farm once it is ready. She will likely be here for a few weeks at least.”

  Mrs. Lester nodded her head.

  “Well, you’re welcome to stay for as long as you like,” she said. “My place isn’t much, but it does me fine. The room you will be staying in is small, but it’s comfortable and you should have no problems. You are welcome to use the kitchen to cook if you want and don’t just have to stay in your room. It will be nice to have some company, so feel free to come in here whenever you want.”

  “Thanks,” Mary said. “Can I see the room?”

  “Of course, of course,” Mrs. Lester replied.

  She got to her feet and led the way through to the back of the property. The door she opened led in to a bedroom and Mary stepped inside and looked around. It definitely was small, but the bed looked comfortable and the place was tidy.

  “It’s lovely,” she said politely.

  Moving across to the bed, she set her case down.

  “So you’ll take it?” Mrs. Lester said.

  Mary nodded her head and reached in her pocket to take out her money. In Boston she was used to paying her rent in advance, but it seemed that things were different here.

  “Put that away dear,” Mrs. Lester told her. “You can pay me at the end of each week.”

  Mary smiled and put the money back in her pocket.

  “Mary wants me to show her the schoolhouse,” Jenny said.

  “Interested in carrying on your studies?” Mrs. Lester enquired.

  “I was hoping to be the one doing the teaching to be honest,” Mary replied and smiled. “I worked at a school in Boston.”

  “Well just wait a minute and I’ll get you a key for the house,” Mrs. Lester went on. “It will be easier for you that knocking on the door and waiting for me when you need to get in.”

  Before anything else was said, she walked to the door of the bedroom and disappeared through it back to the hallway.

  “What do you think of the place?” Jenny asked.

  “I’ll be fine here,” Mary answered.

  “You’re sure?” Jenny went on.

  “Do I have a choice?” Mary replied and the slight irritation of her words was all too evident. The sigh of the older woman made her feel a bit guilty. “Sorry, I…”

  “No, you’re right,” Jenny interrupted.

  The reappearance of Mrs. Lester stopped the conversation going any further and they turned to her.

  “Here’s the key,” the elderly woman said.

  She handed it over and the three of them made their way back out the room towards the front door.

  “I won’t be long,” Mary said.

  “No need to rush on my account dear,” Mrs. Lester said.

  She watched as the other two walked out the front door of the property and returned to the wagon. They got up on the seat and travelled in silence as they rode in the direction of the schoolhouse. Mary was careful to note the turns as they made their way towards the outskirts of the small town.

  “There it is,” Jenny eventually said.

  Mary looked at the one-room building sitting in the middle of a small piece of land. A large tree to the side towered over the schoolhouse and a rope hanging down from a branch was as much as there was for the children to play on. A white-picket fence ran around the entire border of the land and a single gate opened onto a path that led right to the door.

  “Do you know the name of the teacher here?” Mary asked as they came to a stop at the gate.
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  “No, sorry,” Jenny replied.

  Mary said no more as she got down from the wagon in the growing darkness of early evening and walked across to the fence. What she was looking at was her chance to make some money, but there was no way of knowing whether a teaching job was available. She wasn’t going to find out until the following day, so turned back to look at the wagon.

  “Come on, I’ll give you a ride back to the room,” Jenny said.

  “You don’t have to,” Mary replied. “I’d like to stretch my legs, so I’ll just walk back.”

  The wagon ride showed her the route between the school and Mrs. Lester’s home was fairly simple, but she just wanted to walk it to make sure she knew the way properly.

  “You’re sure,” Jenny said.

  Mary nodded her head as she spoke.

  “Thanks for meeting me and for your help.”

  “It was the least I could do,” Jenny replied. “I’ll come back and see how you are getting on when I can.”

  “Sure,” Mary went on. “Goodnight.”

  She walked away from the wagon and knew that Jenny would likely be watching until she disappeared into the darkness. Retracing the journey to get back to where she was staying was relatively easy for her to do and she kept her pace slow to give her the chance to look around. There were a few lights flickering in the windows of some of the properties she passed by, but she didn’t see any of the residents. Mrs. Lester’s home was still in darkness and she walked up to the front door and used the key to let herself in.

  “Is that you Mary?” the elderly woman shouted.

  “Yes,” she replied.

  “Did you see the schoolhouse?” Mrs. Lester asked.

  Mary walked to the door of the living room and looked in.

  “Yes I saw it,” she answered. “Do you know the name of the teacher?”

  “That would be Annie Townsend,” Mrs. Lester answered. “A free spirited soul if ever I met one, but an excellent schoolmistress by all accounts.”

  It was a slightly odd comment and she wanted to ask what the elderly woman meant by free spirited, but she didn’t get the chance.

  “Have you eaten since you arrived in town?” Mrs. Lester went on.

  “No,” Mary admitted.

  “Well, seeing as it is your first day here, you can help yourself to some bread and milk if you want.”

  “I don’t want to be any trouble,” Mary went on.

  The elderly woman laughed.

  “I’ll let you know when you are becoming too much trouble,” she said cheekily.

  Mary couldn’t help herself joining in the laughter.

  “Just help yourself,” Mrs. Lester said. “There’s an oil lamp on the kitchen table.”

  “Thanks,” Mary said. “Can I get you anything?”

  “No thanks, I’ve eaten already,” Mrs. Lester told her. “The kitchen is just the door opposite.”

  Mary nodded her head then turned to walk to the door. She could just make out the lamp on the table and when she got closer saw the lighter beside it. The flare of the flame made her close her eyes for a second and when she opened them again she looked around. The bread was sitting on a counter and she walked across to cut a couple of slices. She then moved to the small fridge and saw the butter and milk inside. Taking them out and setting them down beside the bread, she then hunted for a knife and glass.

  It didn’t take long to find them and she quickly finished preparing herself something to eat then put the butter and milk back in the fridge. She didn’t realize quite how hungry she was until she lifted the bread and wolfed the first slice down. The milk tasted fresh and she quickly finished it and the other slice of bread. She tidied up then extinguished the lamp before leaving the kitchen to walk to her room.

  There was a lamp sitting on the dressing table, but the tiredness of a long day made her just open her case in the darkness to find her nightgown then get undressed to put it on. The rest of the unpacking could wait until the morning and she simply put the case on the floor and got in bed. She stared up at the ceiling as thoughts wandered through her head. The small room certainly wasn’t where she expected to be when she got off the train that afternoon and the concern that she may have made a mistake in coming to Oakford surfaced in her mind again. She tried to shrug it off, but it stayed at the forefront of her thoughts as she snuggled under the covers to get comfortable.

  “Welcome to your new life Mary,” she eventually murmured in a resigned tone and it was her last conscious thought before sleep claimed her.

  Chapter 4

  After watching Mary walk back towards where she was staying and disappear out of sight, Jenny remained sitting on the wagon for a while staring at the empty schoolhouse. Not that she was really interested in it, but the darkness closing around her provided the privacy she needed to reach behind the seat of the wagon to search for the hidden bottle of cheap alcohol. She still checked around to make sure she was alone before bringing it out from under the covers. She then drew the cork out and lifted the bottle to her lips. The taste and burn of the liquid as it slipped easily down her throat was much needed and she savored it until she finally stopped drinking and wiped the back of her hand across her mouth.

  She let out a satisfied sigh as she put the cork back in place and hid the bottle under the covers again. Her drinking wasn’t exactly getting out of hand, but she was finding that she needed the alcohol more and more to get her through the day in recent months. Not that she wanted anyone to find out about it and that definitely included her husband. She could just imagine the lecture she would get from James if he ever cottoned on to the fact that she was secretly drinking on almost a daily basis.

  She’d managed to keep it hidden so far and intended to keep it that way. As she encouraged the horses to a walk the urge to take another drink came over her, but she resisted it. Her route through the town took her back past Mrs. Lester’s home and that made her think of Mary. It didn’t sit right with her that she left an eighteen year old girl on her own in a strange town, but her husband was insistent on the matter and once he decided on something, it was impossible to change his mind. That was doubly so when it came to the farm and she remembered the gossip she became aware of at their old home.

  James Addison loves his cows more than his wife.

  It was a cruel rumor although Jenny suspected it probably wasn’t that far from the truth. James’s dedication to the land was more than his commitment to her that was sure. That seemed even more the case since they moved to the new farm although it wasn’t always that way. She didn’t exactly pine for the passion they shared when they first met, but she certainly missed the closeness and lovemaking they shared in the early years of their marriage.

  “Where did it go,” she let out quietly as she guided the horses towards the outskirts of the town then on to the open countryside beyond.

  She slowed the wagon to a complete halt when she was halfway back to the farm and reached for the hidden bottle behind the seat. Popping the cork, she tossed it away then enjoyed the last few mouthfuls of alcohol before doing the same with the empty bottle. Giving the last of her money to Mary meant she wasn’t sure when she would be able to afford to buy more alcohol, but there was still one bottle hidden in the stable at the farm so she wasn’t overly worried about it. She sat staring up at the stars for a few minutes before taking a stick of gum from the pocket of her shirt and popping it in her mouth. The minty taste and smell would cover any evidence of her drinking and she chewed for a few seconds before whipping the reins to get the horses moving again.

  Ten minutes later she was guiding them towards the small stable on the farm. The sound of a door opening caught her attention and she looked to the house to see Tom stepping outside. It didn’t surprise her that it was her son coming out to meet her. She didn’t think her husband would be remotely interested in the arrival of Mary. Bringing the wagon to a stop, she got down and was expecting the question before it was spoken.

  “So, w
hat’s she like?” Tom asked when he got to her.

  Jenny smiled as she reached out to place a hand on her son’s cheek. It was nice that he showed a keen interest in the woman he was going to marry rather than concentrating all his efforts on the farm like his father. The last thing she wanted was for him to end up like James. Her voice was quiet when she answered