The Widow Jane Parker (Hearts of Texas Book One) Read online

  Jane sat with the gun still pointed toward the door. They should be coming soon, she thought. Sam was such a brave boy, so much like his dad. Samuel had been so steadfast and reliable. She knew Sam would do anything she asked of him. She wondered if he was terribly afraid having to leave the house to go fetch Mr. Armstrong. Somehow, she imagined he wasn’t as frightened as she was afraid for him.

  The old mantle clock that sat on a shelf near the dining table continued its slow tick, tick, tick. Time seemed to stand still.

  The clock struck two times. Sam and the men should be coming soon. Another streak of lightning lit the dark sky and the thunder rolled and rolled. A slight breeze drifted through the open door carrying the smell of rain.

  Ruby stirred again. She let out a little whimper and turned over. Opal gently patted her younger sister.

  Sam held the gun in a ready position as he walked at a steady pace toward the Armstrongs’. He was relieved when his eyes fully adjusted to the darkness and he could still hear the man talking to his Mama. He walked a bit further and suddenly realized he could no longer hear the man’s low-pitched voice. He glanced around to be sure the man wasn’t following him. To his relief he saw no shadowy figures.

  Sam felt fairly certain his mother could keep them safe until he returned with help. He knew she was a brave woman.

  When he came to the stand of trees along the dry creek he stopped and listened for any indication the man might have beat him here. He only heard the usual night sounds. Sam scanned the trees but saw nothing to make him hesitate in going onward. He walked slowly to avoid falling as he went down the rocky embankment. Just as his foot stepped on the rocks covering the creek bottom a shadowy figure swept past him almost making him lose his balance. He jerked to regain his balance and could make out the form of a deer fleeing up the other embankment. The sudden movement had frightened Sam. He breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw it was only a deer. Sam knew falling with a loaded gun could lead to disaster. He cautiously scanned the trees ahead but saw nothing else to alarm him.

  Jane heard the distant barking of dogs and then the pounding of horses’ hooves on the dry dirt. Soon they were riding into the yard.

  A familiar voice filled the silence. “Mrs. Parker, this is Jim Armstrong, are you and the children okay?”

  “Yes, sir, I have my gun on this one behind my door and the other one took off. I’ll have Opal light the lamp,” Jane replied.

  At her mother’s words, Opal moved to the dining table and lit the kerosene lamp.

  Jim Armstrong and Jake Rolls stepped into the house. Jake pointed his pistol toward the slightly ajar door as Jim pulled the door away from the man.

  “Step on outside and no shenanigans,” Jim Armstrong almost growled.

  The disheveled man did as he was told. His clothes were filthy; his hair looked as though it hadn’t been washed or combed in a month, and his face was covered with several months’ growth of whiskers. It would have been hard to decide which was worse, his nauseous smell or his scruffy appearance.

  Sam stepped into the room just as Jane quickly moved behind the dressing curtain and pulled her dress on over her nightgown. She wanted to hug him, hold him close, and savor his safe return. Jane knew Sam wouldn’t like it if anyone saw her. They might think he was being treated like a baby.

  Jane could hear the men’s voices as she dressed.

  “Just what in tarnation did you and that other fellow think you were doing coming in here in the middle of the night scaring this fine lady and her children?” Jim Armstrong asked seething with anger.

  “Well, uh, my friend told me to—,” the man started to answer.

  “I don’t give a tinker’s damn what your so-called friend told you to do, you tell me just what you two were up to,” Jim insisted.

  “Well, you know, we was just thinking of having a little fun with the ladies. Nothin’ too bad mind you,” the man hastened to add.

  That brought several sneers and muttered curses from the men.

  A voice Jane didn’t recognize asked, “Where did the other one go? And you better tell me straight,” he said with contempt.

  “Well, we was gonna meet up at Hico, but I ain’t so sure that’s where he headed.”

  Jane lingered where she could hear but stayed out of sight of the men.

  “Seth, I think you better stay here just in case that other fellow decides to come back, and we’ll take this one with us to track his friend,” Jim addressed the man she didn’t recognize.

  Jane felt a little uneasy at having another stranger in her house even if he was Jim Armstrong’s son. She had heard the Armstrongs mention him numerous times.

  “I can go or stay,” the man answered.

  “You’ve probably had enough riding for one day. I would feel better with you here to protect Mrs. Parker and the children,” Jim answered.

  Jane heard boot steps on the porch.

  “Mrs. Parker, I want my son, Seth, to stay with you and the children while we track the other fellow and turn them in to the sheriff.” Jim turned and motioned the man forward. “This is my son, Seth. He just rode in from the Army today. Seth, this is Jane Parker. She is the lady I told you about that takes care of your mother and cooks for us and the hands.”

  Seth tipped his hat to Jane. “Mrs. Parker, I’ll camp here on the porch and keep an eye out in case the other one decides to come back.”

  Jane thought Seth strongly favored his father. They were both slender built but muscular, about six feet tall, light brown hair, and had the same smoky blue eyes.

  Jane saw the lightning flashing, and the thunder rolled louder. The cool breeze from the approaching rain filtered into the stuffy house. Maybe the stench would soon be gone, Jane thought.

  “Mr. Armstrong, I’m afraid you and the men are going to get caught in this storm. Maybe you should wait until it passes over before you go,” she suggested with a worried look.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll be all right. It looks to be moving pretty fast and won’t last long. If it gets too bad, we’ll find shelter somewhere,” Jim reassured her.

  “Thank you for coming to help us.”

  “I’m just glad we got here before anything bad happened,” Jim answered.

  Jim turned, mounted his horse, and the men departed in silence.

  Jane watched Seth lead his horse toward the barn. He was a striking man for sure, she thought.

  Jane gathered up several quilts and a pillow. She watched the approaching storm and knew Seth would get soaked on the porch. She spread the quilts inside the front door. To her surprise, it didn’t bother her to have this stranger under her roof after all since she had met him.

  Jane felt as though she knew him from hearing his mother talk about him and reading excerpts from his letters describing army life out west. He seemed to enjoy that life in spite of the danger, which he managed to adequately gloss over.

  Seth stepped onto the porch and saw the pallet laid out inside the front door. He glanced at Jane as she looked up at the sound of his footsteps. He found Jane Parker to be an attractive woman and wondered if the men had come for her or her and the older girl who was a young beauty. They must have been watching the place to know there was no man around to interfere with their intent. Whatever their motive, he was glad she had the courage to send Sam for help and hold them off until they arrived. Seth smiled to himself; Jane Parker, with her unwavering nerve and pistol, must have come as quite a surprise to the two outlaws.

  “No need in getting soaked on the porch,” Jane said and turned away as he entered the house. “Thank you, Ma’am. Try to get some rest, it has been a long night for you and the children,” Seth replied.

  “Do you need anything else?” Jane asked, as she sat on the side of the bed.

  “No, Ma’am, everything is fine,” Seth answered. He stretched out on the pallet and laid his loaded gun on the floor next to the pillow.

  Jane blew out the lamp and lay listening to the sound of the first drops of rain falling gently on the roof and parched earth. She was certain sleep would not come easily.

  Jim Armstrong, his two men, and the stranger rode several miles before taking shelter at the abandoned Draper place. The storm moved on in about a half-hour, and they continued their search for the other man.

  They found the man that had stayed outside in Hico at the local saloon. The man was identified as Lewis Boston, better known as Lucky. He had been indulging in several vices and gave no resistance when the sheriff from Hico arrested him as he slouched over the bar in the Silver Spur Saloon.

  The man with Armstrong said his name was Jackson Polk.

  After both men were arrested, the sheriff turned them over to Armstrong and his men to be escorted back to Clairette. The two men gave no trouble on the ride back and the party arrived near daybreak. When Sheriff Tully tried to put the men in jail, Lewis Boston decided to make a run for it. Apparently, Lucky had sobered up enough on the ride back to Clairette to realize once he was locked up it would likely be a very long time before he would be free. Running was his last mistake. Sheriff Tully and Jim Armstrong got off simultaneous shots that both hit the target. He fell dead in the street. Jackson Polk walked meekly to the jail cell.

  Sheriff Tully shuffled through a stack of wanted posters. The first one he found was on Lewis Boston, Lucky, for robbery in Sherman. Next, he found one on Jackson Polk for the same robbery. There were posters on each man for robbery in Dekatur. Then the sheriff found posters on the pair that had broken into Jane Parker’s home, and that made the hair on the back of his neck bristle. Robbery and Rape in Fort Worth.

  Chapter Two

  For two more nights Seth Armstrong slept on Jane’s front porch. She assured him that, with one man dead and the other in jail, she and the chi
ldren would be fine. He did not listen.

  As Jane and the girls walked along the dusty road toward her house, she could hear the distant sound of hammering and could see Seth and Sam on the front porch. She was curious to see what they were hammering.

  “Mrs. Parker, Mrs. Parker,” she heard the sound of Sheriff Tully’s voice from a distance behind her and turned to see him riding his horse toward her. She stopped to let him catch up with her and the girls.

  “Mrs. Parker, I need a private word with you,” Sheriff Tully said, as he rode along beside her and the girls and dismounted. Sheriff Tully was not a large man, standing about five feet ten inches tall, with a medium build, but his facial expression and the demanding quality of his voice commanded respect.

  “Opal, you and Ruby run on ahead and see what your brother and Mr. Seth are up to,” Jane told the girls.

  They skipped on, kicking up the loose dirt as they went, anxious to see what was happening at their house.

  Jane turned her attention to the sheriff when the girls were out of earshot.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “As you probably already know one of those scallywags decided to run the other night and was brought down for his actions,” the sheriff said with no trace of regret in his voice. He did not add that his and Jim Armstrong’s shots had hit him in the back and back of the head when he refused to stop. She did not need to know the gory details of the event that led to Lewis Boston’s finish.

  Jane nodded, indicating she already knew of his demise.

  “His name was Lewis, Lucky, Boston from up around Sherman and had a long record of questionable behavior and downright law breaking. I guess you might say Lucky ran out of luck. Now the other fellow is not much better but did have the good sense to take his medicine. His name is Jackson Polk, also from the Sherman area. They may be cousins, but I don’t know for sure. Anyway, Judge Daniels will probably want to talk with you about what exactly took place at your house when he comes to town next week.”

  Jane nodded her consent.

  “I expect Jackson Polk will get a number of years for this episode and previous unlawful deeds he and Lucky inflicted on innocent folks,” Sheriff Tully continued.

  “Good,” Jane replied. “I am grateful for Mr. Armstrong and his men and you for taking care of them so quickly,” Jane said sincerely.

  “Just glad no harm came to you and them children,” Sheriff Tully replied in a serious tone, especially thinking of the last wanted posters he had found. “Never understood why some men turn into scoundrels and can’t seem to see the error of their ways. We sure don’t need the likes of them around here,” the sheriff said. He shook his head to indicate his lack of understanding such men.

  Jane nodded in agreement. “Thank you again, Sheriff. I’ll be to town on Thursday.”

  When Jane neared the house, she could plainly see a patchwork of window frames that held new fly screen where there had been none before. Sam and Seth were hanging a similar frame on the front door. The frames had a long board down the middle and three cross boards spaced evenly up the frame. She smiled slightly at the appearance but quickly understood the purpose of such peculiar looking door and window frames.

  Seth turned as he heard her approach the porch.

  “What do you think?” he asked, as he nodded toward the frames.

  “I think it’s a very fine,” she paused, “creation,” she added.

  “Well, I must admit it’s not the prettiest house decoration, but it will provide a measure of safety for you and the children. The new screen will keep out flies and mosquitoes. Anyone trying to come in will have to make a hell of a racket.” Seth seemed to catch himself and realize the word he had just used. “Beg your pardon, Ma’am, I am more accustomed, to talking to soldiers than ladies, I’m afraid,” Seth apologized.

  “No harm done,” Jane assured him. “I have heard that word on a number of occasions and the children aren’t near enough to hear.”

  Seth smiled at her response. Jane Parker was a wise woman as well as brave. He admired both qualities and didn’t mind her looks either. The two nights he spent sleeping on her porch had afforded him an occasional glimpse of Jane with her rich auburn hair undone and shining in the lamplight as she brushed it. He could make out the swell of her full breasts and curving hips under the cotton nightgown she donned just before bedtime. She was still an attractive woman and would probably be downright pretty if she had time and the desire to fix up a bit. Her eyes reminded him of a blue gray winter sky. Her mouth was supple when she smiled, a mouth that would bring great pleasure to kiss. Seth calculated in his head that Jane was probably about his age, thirty-three. Seth quickly brought his thoughts into check, as he had no business pining after Jane Parker. He was too accustomed to army life and feared he would make a poor family man.

  “I truly appreciate all you’ve done for us these past few days. I know the children and I will rest much better with the,” she nodded toward the new frames, “protection you have provided. Do let me pay you for the materials, and I can cook you a fine meal of your choosing for all of your hard work,” she suggested.

  “No pay, these were discarded boards I found at the farm, and the screen didn’t cost much. The fine meal I will accept,” Seth replied with a smile. “I know you are an excellent cook from the meals I’ve already enjoyed at Pa and Mom’s house.”

  Jane felt a slight blush on her cheeks at his praise of her cooking. “What is your favorite meal?”

  “Well,” Seth pondered, “if Sam could catch a nice mess of fish to fry up crispy with some mashed potatoes and some kind of greens that would be mighty pleasing.”

  Jane smiled, “I’m sure Sam will be happy for the chance to go fishing. Do you eat desserts?”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” Seth emphasized the yes. “I am mighty fond of chocolate pie with a heap of golden meringue on top,” he smiled and gave a slight smack of his lips.

  Jane laughed at his response.

  “I’ll send Sam fishing Saturday morning and send word as to his luck.”

  “I just might join him to be sure we have fish Saturday night. Where does he fish?”

  “At the big bend in the creek about a half-mile east of here.”

  Saturday morning Sam had just finished eating a hardy breakfast when Seth rode into the yard. Sam rushed out to meet him and before long they were on their way to the creek.

  Jane set three large washtubs on the crude table outside the kitchen door. The girls filled the first washtub with hot sudsy water and two tubs with rinse water. Jane and Opal took turns washing or doing the final rinse and wringing the clothes out so they would dry faster. Ruby did the first rinse, as she was still too young to thoroughly wash or wring out the clothes. She often had to be prodded to rinse the clothes instead of just playing in the water. By mid-morning the clotheslines were sagging with the week’s laundry.

  The girls dusted their meager pieces of furniture, swept, and mopped the wood floors. The house was one large L-shaped room. In the front there were three beds, a wardrobe holding their few good clothes, and two trunks that held their everyday clothes and household linens. A rock fireplace sat across the southwest corner of the room to give heat to the big room and kitchen. Jane’s treadle sewing machine stood near one of the front windows to take advantage of the light when she sewed. The small part of the L was the kitchen. The wood cook stove and a few cabinets lined the back wall. Jane was grateful she had her mother’s old round oak dining table with its claw feet and five of its six cane-bottom chairs that remained intact. It wasn’t much of a house, but Jane was grateful to have a roof over their heads.

  Jane made a large pitcher of sweet tea with a hint of fresh peppermint that grew near the kitchen door. She put it in the window cooler and made sure to keep the surrounding cloth wet so the tea would be cool for supper.

  She hummed as she baked two chocolate meringue pies, one for supper and one to send home with Seth.

  Seth pushed his chair slightly away from the table and declared, “I think you can tell by the pile of fish bones on my plate that I thoroughly enjoyed that superb meal, Jane.”