Chapter Twenty
Hope walked into the kitchen to begin preparing lunch and found the back half of Jackson sticking out of the pantry again.
Her heart sank at the thought of him discovering more money missing.
Daniel had apologized the very same day with tears in his eyes as he begged for Hope’s forgiveness.
Jackson’s talk had evidently made an impact.
“Looking for something?” she asked.
Jackson jolted at the sound of her voice, and he turned around holding an armful of goods. Cordial, bread, apple cake, cheese, and some cured meat. An interesting assortment.
“I thought I’d take a ride out to the creek,” Jackson explained, his eyes darting away from hers. “I thought you’d like to see it and that maybe you’d be…hungry on the way.”
Hope smiled at him and helped him pack the food into a basket, knowing he meant a picnic. She frowned, realizing what he’d be leaving behind to spent time with her. “Don’t you think it’s better we stay here?” she asked. “Daniel…”
Jackson shook his head. “I think we need to get away for the afternoon. I’ve saddled Horse and Other Horse-”
“Sweetpea,” Hope corrected. “He seems to like his new name.”
Jackson raised his eyebrows. “Well now, how can you call him Sweetpea when he threw you into the mud?”
Hope smiled. “I’m hoping his name will encourage him to be a little more sweet-natured.”
Jackson laughed quite genuinely at this, and Hope chuckled too. With all the tension of Daniel being around, she’d forgotten how good it felt to just laugh at something silly. And especially how good it felt good to have Jackson laughing along with her. He was a different man when he laughed.
They walked Horse and Sweetpea along the pathway that led through the meadows, and Hope quietly admired the majestic beauty of the landscape around her.
Despite having endured the icy threat of winter and being buried deep in snow, wild rosebushes and juneberries had survived, now sprouted and blooming with life anew. The sight was refreshing.
“What are you thinking about?” Jackson asked her, guiding Horse back so that they could ride side by side.
“I was just thinking how everything needs a new start once in a while,” Hope observed.
“Are you meaning Daniel?” Jackson asked.
“I suppose I am,” Hope realized, her mind drifting to her brother.
Daniel had certainly seemed more resolute after Jackson had spoken to him.
He’d taken his chores more seriously, and he drifted off to town less often.
She only hoped Jackson’s words would stick in a way that her words never had.
She longed for him to shake off the heavy weight of the past and sprout anew.
“Let’s try not think of Daniel,” Jackson said with a warm smile. “I want you to enjoy today.”
Hope again noticed that Jackson seemed to have an intense desire to protect her from harm. She wondered if because he’d been a lawman it was part of his nature to save every hurt creature. Yet there was still some resistance from him, as though he wouldn’t allow himself to get too close to her.
Hope asked with a smile, “Where are we riding to?”
“The creek,” Jackson said. “Follow me.”
He gave Horse a light kick, speeding up, and Hope reacted accordingly, determined to keep up with him. Jackson might see her as a fragile woman due to all the times she had burst into tears in front of him, but she wanted him to see her for her strength too.
Jackson darted one way around a grove of chokecherry bushes, and Hope grinned as she urged Sweetpea around the other side.
She came out in front and laughed wildly into the wind, her braid whipping behind her as she urged Sweetpea into a gallop.
She heard Jackson call out to Horse to pick up the pace and he soon caught up, riding neck and neck with Hope.
In that moment, with the wind in her face and Sweetpea galloping beneath her, Hope had never felt freer. She had escaped everything that had ever weighed her down, and when she looked over, Jackson was still there at her side.
The rush of water broke through the thud of the horses’ hooves, and Hope realized they had reached the creek. She whispered to Sweetpea and they slowed to a walk.
“It’s beautiful,” she commented to Jackson, taking a deep breath.
“Ethan and I used to come swim in the creek on hot days,” Jackson explained. “It’s the only stable water source in the whole valley.”
“What do the other ranches do for water then?” Hope asked as she followed Jackson’s lead and dismounted.
“There are pipes that run from the creek and river all the way to their ranches,” Jackson explained. “Most families built them themselves years ago. A lot of them have been damaged lately, and that’s disrupted their work.”
“Do you think it’s the same person responsible for the missing steers and broken fences?” Hope asked as she tied Sweetpea to a low-hanging cottonwood branch.
Jackson nodded, his smile fading and a shadow crossing his face. He unstrapped the picnic basket from Horse and started looking for a good spot.
“Do you know who it is?” Hope asked as she walked with him, the rush of water growing louder.
Jackson flicked out his riding coat for them to sit on, meaning Hope had to sit quite close to him. She blushed as her elbow touched his, and distracted herself by unpacking the bread, butter, and cheese.
“Victor Langford,” Jackson answered, his expression darkening. He added in a low voice, “Though I don’t have any proof, only my suspicions.”
“Is he from around here?”
“Not originally,” Jackson said, the tight lines around his mouth telling Hope that he wasn’t very comfortable talking about the man.
“He moved in about five years ago and started buying up all the available land. Before we knew what was happening, he was the most powerful and wealthy rancher in the valley.”
“Why would he need to sabotage other ranches then?”
Jackson thought for a moment before turning to look at her. “Today was meant to make us forget our troubles, not talk about even more of them.”
“Well then,” Hope said with a smile as she jumped up and walked to the water’s edge. “How shall we distract ourselves?”
“A swim in the creek would turn you blue. That water’s still cold as a glacier,” Jackson cautioned. “But I wouldn’t mind rescuing you if you fell in.”
Hope felt her cheeks flush at the thought of Jackson carrying her out of the creek. She had been rescued by him enough times now to know the power in his strong arms and the gentleness of his touch as he held her.
“I wouldn’t need rescuing,” Hope replied, defiantly flicking her braid over one shoulder. “I’m sure I could swim if I had to.”
“I’ll teach you when it’s warmer,” Jackson offered.
Hope smiled at the thought of their future together, slowly filling with quiet activities. She watched him pick up stones, inspect them, then flick them across a still stretch of water.
“What are you doing?” she asked as she picked up a stone of her own.
“Skipping stones,” Jackson replied. “Ethan and I always used to see who could get the most skips.”
“Will you teach me?” Hope asked, finding this rare glimpse of a more light-hearted Jackson intriguing.
He was a man so serious and hard on himself, yet he found pleasure in such simple things, like watching the water flow down the creek or tossing stones into the water.
She wondered how many other skills and interests she would still learn about, because even though their marriage was not a romantic one, they were still two people learning to be together.
She was finding she liked Jackson enough to be content to be his friend, even if she did occasionally find herself longing for more.
“You’ve never skipped stones before?” he asked with a smile. “You haven’t lived until you’ve tossed a stone across the water!”
Hope giggled while sidling up next to him.
“You want to find a smooth, flat one, like this,” he said, slipping his stone into the palm of her hand. “Hold it loosely, and then flick with your wrist.”
Hope tried to imitate his every movement, but her stone plopped into the water with a splash and scared away some nearby birds.
“Try to bend your knees a little so you’re closer to the water,” Jackson instructed, his hand on her back as he positioned her.
“I can do it,” Hope said, trying to shake him off, but Jackson was so close she almost didn’t want to.
His hand loosened its grip of her fingers around the rock, and he guided her arm in a swinging motion. “Like this,” he said before stepping away from her.
Hope followed his instructions and managed to get her rock to skip a couple of times along the surface of the water before sinking.
“I did it!” she said, delighted at her success, though she wished she’d failed so that Jackson would step up closer to help her again. “Thank you, Jackson.”
He seemed surprised by the warmth of her gratitude.
With her parents dying young and her brother fighting his own struggles, Hope had always needed to pick up skills on her own.
She’d never had a patient teacher to guide her through the difficult parts of things before.
She looked at Jackson with new appreciation.
“What is it?” he asked.
“What about that swim next?”
Jackson chuckled and shook his head. “I’m telling you, it’s too cold for you, Hope.”
They stared into the bubbling, gurgling waters near their feet for a moment. Hope stooped and began unlacing her boots, the excitement of everything new she was experiencing spurring her on. She pulled off her stockings and drew up her skirts.
“I wouldn’t,” Jackson warned with a laugh.
Hope ignored him. She took a deep breath and strode out into the water, stifling a gasp as it immediately felt like ice was pricking at her feet. The numbness quickly started into her toes and spread to the rest of her feet until everything ached.
“I told you,” Jackson said, laughing at her expression.