CHAPTER 14
Rowena
Rowena started in surprise as she heard someone at the rear door of the schoolhouse. The children had gone home for the day, and she was almost ready to gather up her things and walk home herself. It was a beautiful afternoon; the sun was shining and soft spring breezes were blowing, and Rowena knew a walk in the fresh air would do her good.She was thankful once again that the schoolhouse was on the edge of town and she wouldn’t have to walk past anyone to go home. She didn’t feel like engaging in polite conversation. Not today.
The beautiful day failed to ease the ache in her heart, of course. She’d heard that Jake was going to wed Poppy today, and no matter how hard she tried, the tears wouldn’t stop falling as she thought of the future that might have been hers.
Not that it mattered now. She’d written a letter with her resignation to the school board, and all she had to do was hand it to one of the board members. She would miss the children, and she’d grown to love Jackson and its quirky residents and unpredictable weather.
But there was nothing here for her now, and she had no desire to spend her days trying to avoid Poppy and Jake in the small town. It was best to treasure it as a learning experience and move on. If only her heart could also move on …
Now, as she rose to answer the door, she wondered who would be coming to see her. Perhaps it was one of the men coming to fix the door to the woodshed.
But when she opened the door, she was shocked to see Jake standing there in his best clothing. Lost for words, she could only stare at him in surprise.
“Good afternoon, Rowena,” he said. His voice sounded rough.
“Where’s your wife?” Rowena asked, looking around. The church next door was deserted, and apart from Jake’s horse grazing in the large vacant lot next to the church, the street was empty. “Why aren’t you with her?”
“There is no wife, Rowena.” Jake’s blue eyes sought out hers with a desperation that surprised her.
“Why not?” Rowena propped one hand on her hip, wondering if she should just send him away. “What are you even doing here? I’ve got to get home.”
Jake took a step back at her frosty tone, then his face fell and he sighed.
“Rowena, could we please talk for a little while?” he begged. “I want to explain.”
Rowena frowned. “I think there’s nothing more to be said, Jake.” Tears pricked at her eyes and she felt angry with herself for the effect he still had on her. “Even if there is no wife, you still made your choice.”
Jake took a step closer. “Please?” he asked again quietly. His eyes were haunted with fear and regret. “Let me explain. You’re going to hear it from someone else anyway. I’d appreciate the chance to tell you the truth before you hear the embellished version.”
Rowena sighed, allowing the anger inside to push away the tears. “All right. I can give you five minutes before I must leave for home.”
She stood back and allowed Jake to enter the room. His presence seemed to fill it up, and she was reminded again of how large he was. If only he’d been large enough to send Poppy away when she’d arrived. He’d seemed helpless to resist her, and Rowena felt disgusted by the way he’d simply allowed Poppy to take up the life she’d thrown away years before.
“Well, I’m waiting,” she said after a moment when she realized Jake had fallen silent.
He took a deep breath. “Rowena, I never wanted Poppy back in my life,” he said.
“Then why didn’t you tell her to leave?” Rowena challenged.
He looked at her with a mixture of regret and longing. “I deserve your anger,” he told her. “But at the time, Poppy had information about my past that I didn’t want to become public. She used that information to blackmail me into doing what she wanted. And I wasn’t the only one she tried to harm. Her actions affected others, too. Her mind isn’t well, Rowena. She does things no sane person would do.”
Rowena stared at him, saying nothing.
“I had to decide what I was going to do about it,” Jake went on. “No matter what I did, it would hurt someone, including me. It was the most difficult position I’ve ever been in.”
“But you thought it was acceptable to hurt me.” Rowena’s voice was quiet, the fire in her heart dying down at his words. She hung her head, and to her shame, a tear slid down her cheek.
Jake crossed the room in two strides and took her gently by the shoulders.
“No, Rowena, never! I didn’t want to hurt you. That’s why I had to allow this situation to develop to the point where the truth would come out. I was trying to protect you.” He took a deep breath and lifted her chin gently so he could look into her eyes. “Please believe me.”
She looked at him through a blur of tears. His face was so familiar, so dear, and she wanted to believe him with all her heart. But she also knew that she had to be careful. He had hurt her once and she didn’t want to give him the chance to do it again.
“What happened?” she asked.
“Poppy brought herself undone,” he said grimly. “All I had to do was allow her enough rope to hang herself, in a manner of speaking. Not that it was easy, and I had help from two brave men. She almost took her father’s life today.”
Rowena gasped. “How?”
Jake sighed. “As I said, her mind isn’t well. She’s had a difficult life and it’s made worse by her choices and character. I would love to think that she might have a change of heart in the future, but for now, she is a danger to herself and anyone who gets in her way. She’s likely to spend some time in jail, so perhaps she’ll do some thinking there.”
“So how did you get out of the wedding?” Rowena asked, curious now.
“I told the truth,” Jake said simply. “And before you hear it from someone else, I’ll tell you myself.” He paused. “A few years ago, I was accused of a crime that led to a woman being with child. The leading men of the town got together and decided that I should be run out of town.”
Rowena gasped. “That’s terrible!”
“It would’ve been if it had been true,” Jake agreed. “But as sure as I’m standing here, it was a lie. My conscience was clear. But no one else would believe it, and the rumors flew around the town until everyone had decided that I was the guilty party. I was fortunate to escape unharmed; they were very angry.”
“But why would anyone want to accuse you of a crime you didn’t commit?” Rowena could hardly believe his story.
“Because one of the businessmen of the town wanted a block of land that I owned. I wouldn’t sell it to him as I had plans for it myself. So he took matters into his own hands.”
“Oh, Jake! That’s horrid.”
Jake shrugged. “It was hard at the time. But I’ve made a new life here and I’m happy now. The only problem was that when Poppy arrived, she decided to accuse me of the same thing. She even had a letter from the sheriff in the other town to uphold her claims, or so she said. I suspect the letter was a very recent forgery once she realized she could benefit from this situation. She wanted me to offer her a respectable life, and she didn’t care how she got it. Regardless, she had a plan to convince the people of the town that I had committed this crime and that I had done the same thing to her. If I wanted to avoid her accusations, I had to agree to her plans.”
Rowena gasped. “What an awful predicament! How did she dare to think she could get away with such blatant lies?”
“I don’t know. She’s a skilled manipulator who’s used to getting her own way by force or by fraud. I just wish I’d seen that in the beginning. She was charming and attentive back then and I thought we could have a good future together. She deceived me just as she was working on deceiving the people of this town. She had plans to slander others, too.”
“Is that why she was hostile to me?” Rowena asked.
Jake nodded. “Someone must have told her that you are part of my life now, and she didn’t like it. But the wedding was a good chance to bring the truth out while everyone was together. I just didn’t expect her to have a gun.”
“A gun?” Rowena’s eyes went wide. “Who takes a gun to their wedding?”
“Someone like Poppy.” Jake’s smile was grim. “She was going to get her own way no matter what. Fortunately, she’s a terrible shot.”
“Did you say she tried to shoot her father?” Rowena was confused. “Isn’t he the man who was hiding in our barn and was so sick he was about to die?”
Jake nodded. “He is, but he somehow managed to get himself to the wedding and played a part in putting a stop to Poppy’s plans.” He shook his head. “What a day. Almost married, almost shot, and having to tell half the town about my past.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Rowena asked, dropping her eyes. She was disappointed that Jake had hidden the truth from her.
Jake fell silent. “I know you might find this hard to believe, but I intended to,” he said. “I just hadn’t found the right time. And I didn’t want to spoil your happiness, Rowena. When we walked through the meadow that day, you were so happy. We both were, and I didn’t want to ruin that. I know it’s not an excuse, but I had no idea that Poppy was about to descend on us and wreak havoc. I’d have done a lot of things differently if I’d known that.”
“You did tell me about her,” Rowena admitted. “But I still would’ve appreciated knowing the other things about your past.”
“Would it have changed the way you saw me?” Jake asked.
Rowena fell silent. “No,” she said at last. “I trusted you to tell me the truth.” She looked up at him. “Is that the only thing you should’ve told me? Is there anything else?”
“No.” Jake reached out to take her hand. “I promise.” He took a deep breath. “Rowena, I know we got off to a bad start, and I wouldn’t blame you if you don’t want to see me again, but I have to know. Is there any chance we could try again?”
Rowena’s heart melted at the look in his blue eyes. Hope mingled with longing, and she wanted to throw her arms around his neck and tell him it would be all right.
But caution prevailed. “I think we could try it,” she said after a moment. “And if there are no more madwomen, forced weddings, shootings, or scandals, we might be safe.” She gave him a small smile. “Do you think that might be possible?”
His face broke into a broad smile of relief. “More than possible.” He drew her closer. “I think we’ll find that the excitement will die down after a while and things will go back to normal. Will that be too dull for you?”
She laughed for the first time in what felt like weeks. “I think dull would suit me very much.” She turned to the desk behind her and picked up an envelope. “I guess I won’t need this now,” she said.
“What is it?” Jake asked.
“My resignation. I was about to hand it to a member of the board.”
Jake’s face paled. “You were planning to leave?”
“Why would I stay here in the same town as a woman who hates me and the man who chose her over me?” Rowena countered. “I’d go home where I was welcome.” She paused and glanced at Jake. “Besides, there will still be gossip. Telling the town about your past will only add fuel to the fire, not calm it down.”
Jake looked fierce for a moment. “Let them talk,” he muttered. “I know the truth and so does God. And I have as much right to be here as anyone else. I’m just going to hold my head high and ignore it.”
Rowena looked at him with admiration. “That’s brave of you, Jake. I’m not sure I’m that robust. Women’s gossip can be nasty.”
Jake’s eyes softened as he looked at her. “I’m sorry you were dragged into this, Rowena. But the only way forward is either to leave or ignore it. Some people already see you as an unfortunate victim of the villainous Jake Brooks.”
“I wish people wouldn’t so readily assume the worst about a person,” Rowena said. “Surely there were people who knew you would never do anything to hurt someone, especially a woman.”
“I do have loyal friends,” Jake agreed. “And I’m grateful for them.” He took a deep breath. “But this is not about other people. I came to see you, Rowena. I wanted to know if …”
“If what?” she asked, almost holding her breath.
“If you would be willing to give me another chance,” he said quietly.
The unspoken plea in his eyes almost broke her heart, but she paused for a long moment. “I think I could consider it,” she replied at last.
“Have I been able to change your mind about leaving?” Jake moved closer, his eyes full of tenderness and longing.
Rowena felt her cheeks warming up. “I might be able to put it off for a little while.”
“Must I work harder to convince you to stay?” Jake asked as he held out his arms in invitation.
Rowena felt her heart pounding in her chest and she could hardly look at him. His arms crept around her, drawing her close, and he held her for a long moment. Then he bent his lips to meet hers, and as the fire ignited by his touch swept through her veins, she knew she was where she belonged. Everything was just as it should be.