The Diary of Jerrod Bently - J.W. Osborn (mobi ebook reader TXT) 📗

After being shot at by a would be outlaw, Sam was a little jumpy, and her hand went instantly to the handle of her knife.
“I am looking for Sam Dodge,” the voice behind her said. She recognized that Scottish burr and turned around to face Angus Watson. “You are looking at her,” she said. Angus was stunned. “No, lassie,” he said “Sam Dodge the ramrod of this outfit.”
“Mr. Watson,” she said “I am Sam Dodge. Samantha Ann Dodge.” It did not seem to phase Angus Watson that the person he knew as Sam Dodge was really a lovely young woman instead of the “young man” he thought her to be.
“I want to get married,” he said. Sam went on brushing her stallion. “Then get married,” she replied. Then it hit her. “Who is the bride?” she asked recalling that she was the only female on the crew.
“Oh, lassie,” Angus said reverently “She is the most beautiful woman I have ever known. I want to marry her properly, not as she has told me of how her people marry.”
“Trade horses for a wife?” Sam asked knowingly.
“Aye lassie,” Angus replied “I am so deeply in love with this woman. I want to marry her and take her home to Scotland with me.” Sam was trying hard to keep a straight face. “So, I take it you have met an Indian woman.”
“Ah yes,” he replied rapturously “And never have I met one so fair.”
“Bird that Talks,” Sam thought to herself “That squaw Grandfather is plagued by.”
Noticing her thoughtful expression, Angus cut in on her silence. “Is there something wrong, lassie?,” he asked. Sam turned back to grooming Trouble. “No,” she said “ But I think I can help you.”
“You know where I can find a priest who will marry us?” Angus inquired hopefully.
“Well,” Sam said “ He isn’t a priest, but he is a preacher and that is the same thing in my book . He should be here pretty soon.”
“Then I shall propose to my lady love and we will prepare for our wedding.” Angus said joyfully and as quickly as he had appeared, he vanished into the woods. Sam left her horse for a moment and went to the back of the chuck wagon and crawled inside to her bunk where she took out a piece of paper and wrote a note to her Grandfather. This she placed in Floyd Jack’s hand as he was about to climb into the wagon seat. “Give this to Scrub Pot when you get back to town and tell him I need him to get back here as quickly as he can.”
“Sure , Miss Sam,” Floyd replied as he snapped the reins over the backs of the mules. “I saw you talking to Watson,” he said “Is he all right? He seemed a little dazed when he come in there this morning.”
“Couldn’t be better,” Sam replied “Now get back to town and give that note to my Grandfather. ”
The wagon rumbled away. There was going to be a wedding in camp, and Watson would be gone away with his new wife and Sam could move the herd on across the territory without any hindrance from him.


The Church Social


Old Pede was at least a hundred years old give or take a few years, but he still got around, still liked to tip the bottle, but always turned up in time at the Johansen Livery to groom any horse that needed grooming and clean all 27 stalls. He’d done this for almost forty years. Hap Johansen’s pappy hired him, Hap Jr. Grew up hearing Pede’s strange stories about Indians, snakes and insects, and Hap the III, well he was more interested in Jake Titus’s daughter, Suzy than he was in old Pede.
Pede, though he liked to drink, he did his best to attend church and had agreed to help out with the social, as one of the many odd jobs the man did around Portersville. Early Sunday morning, it rained. The streets of Portersville were muddy, but undaunted by the weather the ladies of the First Methodist Church left the service after 9:00 to prepare for the long planned and prepared for, Church Social that afternoon. Victoria Langford was relieved when she glanced up at the sky and saw the sun peeping through the moving clouds. May be it would dry out enough for her to have Old Pede and his grandson set up the tables and chairs outside and hang a few of the paper decorations the children had made in Sunday School. Covered dishes had begun to arrive and the bearers were directed to the modest church hall where a long table waited and in the middle of that very table, in a place of honor was Victoria’s three layer jam cake. It was beautiful. Frosted with butter creme frosting and decorated with sugar roses and piping. It was a mouth-watering treat to be sure and for the lucky person who held the winning raffle ticket, it would be a delectable prize. As Victoria checked her list of things to do, she glanced over at her masterpiece sitting in its place of honor and smiled. It looked a little like a wedding cake, similar the one she shared long ago with Jack Langford. She had thought they’d be together forever, but the “death do them part” came too soon on the battle field at Shiloh. He’s been gone for over ten years and the memories no longer filled her with grief and loneliness. Victoria only remembered the good of the few years they’s had together and moved on with her life. Now, the thought of Doc Stevens always seemed to make her smile. Maybe he’d show up early and help her get things arranged. It would be good to have him and Nate Travis to help. Still the fact that Doc had not come out and asked her to the Social bothered her a little. Why hadn’t he just come out and asked? He’d dropped enough hints but that was all.
“Where would you like me to set up the chairs, Miss Victoria?” It was Nathan Travis who just walked in to the church hall. “It is clearing up a little outside, but I don’t trust it yet,” the ranger added.
“Good morning, Captain Travis,” Victoria responded “ I am glad you could come. Have you seen Doc this morning. I had hoped he’d be in church.”
“No Ma’am,” Nathan said “Can’t rightly say I have seen him for a while. Must be busy over at the jail. Is Mrs. Bradford here?”
“Yes,” Victoria said with a smile “And when I told her you were coming to help us get ready for the party, she was pleased.”
A broad smile crossed Nate’s face “That is mighty fine to know, Miss Victoria,” he said. “I have been wanting to see her since we went out for a buggy ride the other day.”
He was such a handsome fellow and Victoria knew that her friend had grown quite fond of him since they’d become acquainted, but she also knew that Texas Rangers were discouraged from marrying, due to the dangerous nature of their work.

Now over at the church everything was going well. The weather was clearing up and it might just turn out to be a nice day after all. But, not everybody was having a good day.
Doc left his hotel room and went over to the sherif’s office to make sure that Ned Travis had been given his breakfast and a chance to read a little from the bible. Doc had had a thorn in his side since his old friend, Nate Travis had mentioned Victoria Langford and the church social in the same breath. Maybe Doc was more annoyed with himself for feeling so jealous. But that jealousy over thinking Victoria was going to the social with Travis had to be caused by only one thing. He was in love with her and he’d once sworn that he’d never get involved with such things again. The tragic loss of his young wife years ago had been more than he could take. He’d loved her and she’d died. But then, Victoria had suffered a similar loss and that was where Doc began to empathize and understand that he was not alone in the loneliness that grief leaves us with. “I don’t know how you let me know this, Lord,” he said to himself as he walked down the street “But she is the one and I don’t have to have courted her for years to know.”
“What did you say?”, a voice said from inside the door of the sherif’s office.
“Ah, nothing,” Doc replied as he walked in. “Howdy, Pede. How’s our guest?”
“Well,” the old man began “I brought him the breakfast that Mrs. Johansen made for him and he wolfed it down like he was starving. But he told me to keep my bible shut.”
“Figures,” Doc replied. “Thanks’s Pede,”