A Lesson in Patience (3 page)

After paying for his new bride, John performed a wedding ceremony for Colby and Ginny. Colby began to object at first, saying it wasn't necessary, but John wouldn't hear any of it. He said that he couldn't turn over his charge until she was legally married. It wasn't lost on Ginny that he would have no issue turning her over to a whorehouse though.

After the ceremony, Colby loaded her up in the back of the cart, with her one bag and promptly ignored her. He was curious about her but refused to speak to her. Plus, he knew that Tim would jabber on with her, and he would find out everything he wanted to know. He wasn't disappointed.

Not long after leaving John and Jack, Tim began his questioning. He asked her every possible question, only to have her answer that she didn't know. It was useless and tiresome, but Tim never grew tired of talking.

“Maybe you hit your head. I heard once that a man didn't even recognize his wife after a fall.”

“It's possible,” Ginny replied. “We won't know until my memory returns. How about you, Tim? Are you married?” Colby flinched. Leave it to his new “bride” to bring up such a sore subject. And leave it to Tim to completely ignore Colby's discomfort.

“Yes. Fairly recently. My wife, Eloise, is pregnant with our first. She's a little worried about birthing on the ranch though.”

“I know a little about... birthing,” Ginny said. “I would be happy to help if I can.”

Colby rolled his eyes. How could she know about birthing and not know who she was? It seemed fairly impossible and the more she spoke, the more he felt he was being scammed. Wouldn't be the first time a rancher took on a wife only to find out she was just out for the money. Well Henny would be fairly disappointed with him, since there wasn't much money to speak of.

“I can't wait to introduce you. She's been lonely since moving out here. Not many women her age and all. Of course, Georgia is around,” Tim answered, while glancing at Colby.

Ginny turned to stare at her new husband's head. He hadn't spoken a word since they left, and he seemed very tense. Sighing, she decided to throw out the olive branch. “Excuse me, Colby. You have family with you at the ranch?”

It took a full minute before he answered, just not to the question that Ginny asked. “We'll camp here for the night. We lost some time today, so we'll be getting up early tomorrow.” With that, he put the brake on the cart and hopped down to attend the horses.

At least he's childish
, she thought. Ginny could be pretty childish too at times so she wasn't going to hold it against him. Not to mention, Tim would give her the answers she sought. He was worse than a woman when it came to gossip.

Working together, they set up camp. Colby had brought an extra bed roll for his new wife. Ginny set out to gather firewood, while the men unhooked the horses and led them to the creek to drink. Once the fire was started, Tim made a stew out of provisions they'd brought with them. He told her that this would be the last of their meat, and he and Colby would catch something for tomorrow's dinner.

Sitting around the fire, eating their supper, Tim explained the Miller family dynamic. “Well, Georgia is the oldest girl. She's eighteen now and many a ranch hand has come sniffing around her.” Ginny nearly laughed thinking how flattering that must be.

“Then there's Frank and Nate. Thirteen and ten and very... what's the word I'm looking for. Not exactly naughty, but...”

“Precocious?” Ginny asked.

“I don't know that word,” Tim replied.

“It means... too smart for their own good.”

Snapping his fingers, Tim nodded. “Exactly! Both them boys get themselves into a heap of trouble, but you can't help but admire the smarts behind their schemes.”

Ginny laughed. She had a couple nephews who were exactly the same way. The memory brought on the familiar homesickness, which she promptly squashed. Nothing she could do about it anyway.

Turning to Colby, she asked, “Are you the oldest then?”

“No,” was his only reply. Colby stood up and walked toward the horses.

Whispering, Tim said, “I'm sorry about Colby. He's just a little upset over being late today.”

“You mean, he's upset that he got stuck with me and didn't have more to choose from.” Ginny would call a spade, a spade.

“He's not a bad guy. He just hasn't had a lot of luck lately.”

Looking over at the solitary form patting down one of the horses, Ginny stood up and walked over to try and make things right. She knew the drill. They would eventually come together, but not before some silly misunderstandings. Maybe she could bypass all that by being civil.

“Excuse me, Colby. May I speak to you?” Ginny used her sweetest voice.

Turning to face her, she looked at him. His face was mostly shadows, caused by the firelight. Ginny had to admit that he was stunningly handsome. He was quintessentially male: buff, built and strong. Not a bad combination.

“I'm not really in the mood for conversation, Henny.”

He had brought up the first thing that had to change. “You know, John gave me the name Henny and I never really cared for it. Would you mind calling me Ginny instead?”

His face turned to stone and his eyes took on an angry glint. “Ginny, huh? I thought you didn't know anything about yourself.”

It occurred to her that Colby thought she was lying about her amnesia. Why would she lie? Who knows, but she knew she had to put that thought to rest. “It was the name of one of the other girls in our group. I just liked it better than Henny. Sorry if that bothers you.” She had to disprove she was lying by lying. Interesting.

“I don't know what your game is... Ginny. But I need someone I can depend on. My brothers need a mother. Did I make the biggest mistake of my life today?” His voice was steady, but twinged with sadness and regret.

Ginny dropped her gaze to the ground. How could she respond to that? Did he make a mistake? Of course not. He would eventually fall in love with her and they would have tremendous, earth moving sex. But then, she couldn't tell him that. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Ginny knew she would have to play the game again. As much as she was loathe to do so, anything else could spell disaster.

Taking a deep breath and trying to determine the best “game” for this story, she answered, “Colby, I will do right by your family. I know you have no intention of honoring this... 'marriage,' so let's make a deal.”

Squinting his eyes in uncertainty, he asked, “Deal?”

“Yes, a deal. I will work for you, for a fair wage, until I've paid off the money you spent on purchasing me.” The words nearly stuck in her throat. It may have been common then, but dammit, it just wasn't right. “When I've paid off my debt, I'll move back to St. Louis and you can find someone more acceptable to fill the role.”

Shaking his head, Colby couldn't believe his ears. “So, you would be a governess to the boys and nothing else?”

“Isn't that what you wanted anyway?” she asked, hardly believing that he wasn't jumping at the plan.

Sputtering a few unintelligible sounds, Colby realized she was right. He had only wanted someone to care for the children, not a wife. If he did bed her, he couldn't very well deny their union. But, if they kept things strictly on a professional basis, and it didn't work out, he could boot her out without feeling guilty. Hell, she had practically given him permission to boot her out if he so desired.

“I suppose we could consider that. But first, I'd have to see you with the boys. If you're no good, I won't be paying ya.”

Ginny resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
Yeah, yeah
, she thought to herself. Out loud, she said, “That's certainly fair. I will tutor the boys and keep them out of trouble, and I will make sure that any man sniffing around your sister does so properly.”

“It doesn't sound like much of deal for you.” Colby worried that there must be something more.

“What do you mean? You just paid five dollars for me. I made an agreement to come out here. I pay my debts, and I don't ask for any free rides.”

“It won't be easy, you know. My brothers... they can be a handful.”

“You can't imagine how 'not easy' my life has been recently. Now, I think I'll take care of myself by the stream and get to bed. I imagine tomorrow will be a very long day.” Ginny turned and walked toward the stream.

Colby watched her back as she strolled away.
She sure is pretty
, he thought. Shaking his head to clear his errant thought, Colby got back to making sure the horses were set for the night. The last thing he needed was to get emotional about a strange girl. And this particular girl smelled of serious trouble.

*******

Kneeling next to the stream, Ginny splashed the cold water on her face. Then, she cupped her hands and began to drink. Surely there wasn't any pollution during this time period, way out in the woods. Not that it mattered. This was the only water to drink, so she would drink it. Nothing like a case of dehydration to really ruin someone's day.

Once satisfied, she walked back to the camp. Tim was already lying on his bed roll, with his hat over his eyes, snoring like there was no tomorrow. Ginny was so tired, she knew it wouldn't matter. Colby was no where to be seen, so she undid her skirt and let it drop to the ground. After removing her shoes, she laid her skirt carefully on the outside of the bedroll, and inched her way inside, hoping to God no snakes or critters had crawled in to warm up. Not feeling anything creepy, Ginny settled herself down and closed her eyes. Exhaustion took hold immediately and Ginny was out to the world.

Colby, having finished with the horses, wandered back to camp and noticed that both his companions were dead to the world. He took his time removing his boots and pants. He would keep his shirt on, just in case of emergency in the night. And of course, he had on his long drawers.

Lying on his bedroll, he watched Ginny sleep. He remembered how indignant she had gotten that afternoon when he questioned her. Her eyes had lit up with an internal fire. She was spirited. It was a good thing since life on a ranch in Wyoming Territory wasn't easy. Although she wouldn't be expected to do any truly back breaking work, she would have to keep an eye on Frank and Nate. That alone might break her fiery spirit.

As he watched her, she sighed deeply in her sleep. The act, so feminine and delicate, made him harden almost instantly. How long had it been since he'd bed a woman? Not since the last time he ventured into Cheyenne for supplies. Cheyenne was a big enough city that a man could partake of a certain female's attention with total anonymity. That had been months ago. Nine long months ago. Perhaps he should make use of a brothel when they passed through on their way back to Sherman.

Exhausted after all the tension of the day, Colby laid his head down on his arm. His mind began to work as it usually did right before sleep. He thought about giving the girl a chance. She might, after all, work out just fine. If she worked hard, she could make back what he had spent on her in less than six months. Then she might decide to stay on. It was important for others to think they were married, so they didn't try to steal her away. That was the problem with too many men, not enough eligible females. Any woman was fair game, even if she might belong to someone else.

He would discuss it with her tomorrow. It was probably time he stopped acting like a child who hadn't gotten his way. Maybe they could forge some kind of friendship. There weren't too many people to socialize with near the ranch. On occasion, Colby would bring the kids into Sherman to do some shopping. With only a general store available, the boys usually got a piece of peppermint, and Georgia sometimes picked up some fabric. That was pretty much the extent of their “socializing.”

The last of these thoughts were swirling in his head when he finally succumb to sleep. His last thought was a positive one. Everything would work out for the best.

Colby's hope that everything would work out for the best was dashed early the next morning as he tried to wake his new “wife.” After several tries, and her just rolling away from him, he finally just picked her up and threw her in the back of the cart.

Half naked, wearing only a shirt and slip, Ginny turned and looked at her keeper. Her hair was undoubtedly a mess and her temper was worse. After only sleeping a few hours before the discomfort got to her, Ginny was in a foul mood. Camping was fine, when one had a tent, a cot, and an air mattress. This “roughing it” was for the birds.

“I guess we're getting up,” she stated sarcastically.

“So nice of you to finally notice. We have a lot of miles before we get to Cheyenne. If we can get to Cheyenne today.” Obviously, Colby was in a big hurry and didn't feel like pampering any princesses.

“May I have a minute before we leave?” Ginny had perfected her faux sweet voice and was using it on her new “husband.”

Colby gritted his teeth and said nothing in return. He was now, more than ever, convinced he'd been duped. This woman would want to sleep all day and be catered to. Shaking his head, he went back to cleaning up the camp.

Ginny wandered into the woods and took care of her business. She put her skirt and shoes on, tried to pull all her loose hair back with the clips she had and drank from the stream. It only took her five minutes, but by the time she got back to the cart, Colby was waiting for her. Tim was seated next to him smiling.

“'Bout time!” Colby muttered under his breath.

“Grow up!” Ginny muttered right back at him.

The cart drew forward to what promised to be a fun-filled day.

*******

They only stopped a couple of times for bathroom breaks and to water the horses. There was no cushioning in the back of the cart, so Ginny sat on hard wooden slats. The road was decent, but that didn't make the ride smooth, so by the time they stopped for the night, Ginny's ass would be black and blue. She was sweaty from the hot sun and covered in the dust from the road. Worst of all, she was bored out of her mind. Tim had run out of things to say after the first couple of hours, and she had sat staring at a whole lot of nothing for most of the day. She had to admit that the scenery could be breathtaking, but after a while, it started to look the same.

It was nearly evening as they approached the city of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Ginny hadn't been there in modern times, so she had nothing to compare it to, but it seemed a big town for the time period. For the first time since they set out, Colby finally spoke to her.

“We'll make camp on the outskirts of town. I have some business to attend in town, so you'll stay in camp with Tim.” he said with no smile or no emotion at all.

“Okay.” What else could she say? It wasn't like she had any money to buy something in the stores. And she didn't know anyone in town so she couldn't claim she had anyone to visit. She would just be happy to not sit in the cart any longer.

Tim noticed how worn out Ginny had gotten. “Maybe Ginny and I could have supper at the Bootleg.”

Colby glanced at his friend. He wanted to dump them off at the campsite, then pick up some supplies and head over to a brothel for a few hours of “relief.” He didn't want to worry about having to pick them up afterward. He came up with a compromise.

“How about I have them put together a meal for y'all to take to camp? That way, if my business goes long, you won't have to be waiting on me to return.”

Ginny watched as Tim gave Colby a sideways glance. Colby turned and stared daggers at his friend in return. Then, they started talking in code.

Tim started with, “What kind of business do you have this late?”

“There are a few people I want to meet with,” was Colby's response.

“What about?”

“The ranch, alright?” Colby's voice was low and suggested that Tim drop the topic in front of their guest.

Tim wasn't about to let it go, instead forging on and forgetting that Ginny was in the back of the cart. “Maybe I should go with you. Might need my help.”

Colby couldn't believe his ears. He just wanted a couple of hours. It wasn't like Tim would go with him anyway, since he was so in love with his new bride. Struggling for an excuse that wouldn't alert his new “wife” to his plans, Colby said simply, “You won't want to go.” Then he whispered, “I doubt Eloise would approve.”

Of course, Ginny overheard the comment and figured out the plan. As much as she wanted to torture Colby for his childish behavior, she wasn't going to deny him his only chance to get laid any time soon. If this story went the way they usually did, it would be some time before they were having sex with each other. And, since he was the mega-hunk, she knew he wouldn't have some nasty disease from using what was currently available.

In the spirit of harmony, Ginny said, “I'm really pretty tired guys. I wouldn't mind having dinner brought to the camp, then hitting the sack early. That is, if you wouldn't mind staying with me Tim?”

Turning in his seat, Tim smiled at her. “Of course not, darling. We can dine at our camp and relax.”

“Thank you.”

Colby felt a little guilty about leaving them. He did need to collect supplies before they journeyed back to his ranch, but his plans to visit the brothel were pretty selfish. “I just need a few supplies. How about we all have supper at the Bootleg? Then I can run out in the morning for the supplies.”

Ginny looked perplexed. Was she wrong about his plans? Or was he trying to martyr himself on some “no sex” cause. She figured it was choice number two. Turning her head to roll her eyes, she came back with a compromise of her own.

“I know you want to get back to your ranch as soon as possible, so how about a quick dinner? Then you should still have time to get your... uh... supplies tonight.”

Colby turned in his seat and looked at her. She was being awfully sweet by allowing him some time alone. And she was doing it without making himself or Tim feel bad about it. Did she know what he wanted to do? No, impossible. She was most likely an innocent, or at least extremely inexperienced. She might know what men and women did in privacy, but she wouldn't know how crucial it was that he bed a woman or explode.

“That sounds like a good idea. That way I don't have to cook dinner and you can still get your... supplies.” Tim smiled at Colby, then turned and shined his smile on Ginny. Ginny could only return his smile.

Once again, Colby was thinking too much. She couldn't know and if she did, what did he care? They had already agreed that their arrangement was to be only professional, so she would have no say in who he slept with anyway. What he couldn't figure out was why he felt so guilty about it.

“Fine.” Ginny was realizing that Colby was a man of few words.

The cart stopped outside a nondescript brick building. There were a few other buildings around, but they were clearly outside the main part of Cheyenne. Tim came around and lowered the end of the cart and assisted Ginny to her feet. After sitting so long in the cart, she decided it would be prudent to walk around a bit to get some feeling back in her feet and legs. Colby and Tim watched her as she circled the cart, stretching her back by sticking out her chest. Both men continued to stare as she bent down and touched her toes.

“What are you doing?” Colby asked, sounding his usual perturbed.

“Stretching. I'm a little sore after sitting all that time.” Ginny wasn't going to start a fight. She answered nicely and kept a smile on her face.

“Well, don't know about you two, but I'm hungry. Let's go inside.” Tim just had a way to keep things even.

They entered the building and sat down at an open table in the front. There were few diners, so the bartender was able to come around quickly and take their orders. Both men, having been there before, knew exactly what they wanted, but without a menu, Ginny had no idea.

Both men ordered a steak dinner, then turned to stare at Ginny. Like a deer in headlights, she just stared at each man in turn, including the bartender. Finally, she relented.

“What's good here?” she asked with a false cheerfulness that she hoped covered her exasperation.

Each man then turned and looked at each other. The bartender decided to take pity on her and answered that his wife made the best damn fried chicken this side of the Mississippi.

“Sounds good to me. I'll take the chicken.”

“What'll you drink?” the bartender asked flatly.

The men ordered beers, so Ginny followed suit. When both men stared at her incredulously, she asked, “What do you want me to drink then?”

Colby shook himself and looked at the bartender. “You heard the lady. Three beers, thank you.”

With that, the bartender disappeared behind the counter and stuck his head through a hole in the wall to call out their orders.

“You like beer, Ginny?” Tim asked.

“I don't know. I just had no idea what they had and it seemed the safest thing to order.”

With that, Colby snickered. “You could have had a sarsaparilla or something like that.”

At this point, Ginny had had enough. “Look guys, I'm sorry if I'm so dumb that I don't know what a restaurant serves without a menu, and I don't know the proper beverage for a young woman like myself.”

Tim immediately looked contrite. “Nah, Ginny. It's nothing like that. We've been coming here for a long time now and we didn't think that you wouldn't have known what's good. Sorry.”

Ginny looked over at Colby to see if he had an apology waiting. She would have to wait since he was busy examining his fingernails for dirt.
Just let it go, Ginny. Just let it go.

The beers arrived in large, glass mugs. It was warm and a little flat, but it would do. At this point, Ginny was too tired to care. Honestly, she just wanted something to eat and then off to bed, although she admitted that sleeping on the ground again was not her first choice.

Dinner came soon after and Ginny had to agree with the bartender. It was the best damn fried chicken she had ever had, this side of the Mississippi or not. She attacked it like she hadn't eaten in days, not knowing when her next good meal would be. It was served with sliced up, fried potatoes. No other vegetables were to be seen anywhere on the plate. Ginny had the feeling that it wouldn't be long on this diet before she had constipation issues. Maybe she could ask Colby to pick up some apples when he went into town to gather supplies. Unless he couldn't fit it in with his whoring.

The thought actually made Ginny smile. If she were truly the heroine, she should be righteously mad that her man was sleeping with a prostitute. However, he wasn't technically her man yet and she couldn't work up any indignation over someone she didn't even like at the moment. On the other hand, they were, for all intents and purposes, married and he should take their five minute marriage ceremony, vows included, seriously. At this thought, Ginny laughed out loud.

Turning to stare at her, Colby lifted an eyebrow questioningly. Before he could ask the obvious question, his friend got to it first.

“What's so funny, Ginny?” Tim was smiling as well.

“Oh, I just thought of something... humorous, you know.”

“And that was...?” Colby asked, the only one not smiling.

Taking a deep breath, trying to decide if she should be truthful, Ginny's smile grew larger. Now she was trying to hold back a major case of the giggles. Tim started to laugh watching her and Colby's frown just got more pronounced.

“Well, I was thinking about our wedding ceremony...” Ginny snickered out the last word, before she burst out laughing. Tim kept laughing, but not because he knew what exactly was so funny. Mostly, he laughed because Ginny was laughing.

“And what was so funny about that?” Colby inquired, keeping a straight face and not seeing any humor whatsoever.

Calming down, mostly because her new husband looked so dire, she replied, “Well, it was just so silly. I seriously doubt that John is a minister of any kind or that it will be recorded anywhere. Seemed kind of superfluous.”

“What's that mean, Ginny?” Tim asked, without any reserve.

Before Ginny could answer, Colby chimed in. “It means unnecessary. Although I don't disagree with you Ginny, I don't quite understand why that is so funny.”

With all the power of a bucket of cold water being poured on her head, Ginny felt all the silliness dissipate. Taking a steadying breath, she responded as best she could without getting angry. “It's been a long day. I'm tired and more than a little punchy. I just got to thinking about it and it seemed funny at the time. Thank you so much for pointing out how wrong I am.”

Colby felt her sarcasm like a slap to his face. Rather than apologize for his being such a stick in the mud, he just nodded his head in acknowledgment. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence.

After the meal was completed and paid for, all three returned to the cart and made it to camp before full nightfall. Ginny had only enough time to find wood for a fire and go to the outdoor outhouse before it was too dark to do much else. Tim completed the camp by laying out the bedrolls, starting the fire and filling his canteen from a nearby stream.

Once all was settled, Colby announced, “I'll take one horse into town tonight and see if I can arrange for some supplies that we'll pick up tomorrow. Don't bother to wait up.” With that, he took one of the unhitched horses and left.