A Moment in Time (22 page)

Two hours later the Barnett men rejoined Jake and the cowhands as they made their way back to the ranch. Jake threw Robert a grin and moved his mount closer.

“Did you get it?”

With the ruckus of the bank robbery, Robert had nearly forgotten what he’d come to town for in the first place. New cows weren’t the only thing they had on hand.

“I did,” he admitted.

“Then you can ‘I do’ right away,” Jake teased. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you and Alice gettin’ married.”

“Well, she has to say yes first.”

Robert kept reaching inside his vest pocket to feel for the box. He’d spent a pretty penny on the ring, but he knew Alice
would love it, and she was certainly worth it. He smiled to himself and made his plans.

When we get back, I’m gonna find her and
tell her that we need to talk. I’ll make
it sound all serious. Then once we’re alone, I’
ll tell her how much she means to me. I’
ll get down on one knee and hold up the
ring in the box. No, maybe I’ll just hold
up the ring.

Thankful for the time to figure it all out, Robert said very little as his father related the events at the bank.

Jake seemed more than a little disturbed by the turn of events. “And Marty worries about me ranchin’. I don’t suppose she ever thought that bankin’ could be just as dangerous. I hope you tell her about the robbery when we get home. Maybe it’ll settle her down a bit.”

Robert’s father shook his head. “There’s danger all around us. Marty knows that full well. She always blamed the ranch and Texas for killin’ Thomas, but the hard truth of it is that a man could die sittin’ at his desk or at the dinner table. Robert and I could have just as easily caught one of those stray bullets. Or the lookout man could have thought us a threat and shot us as a matter of business.” He paused.

“Apparently God’s not through with us just yet, eh Robert? One thing I know: When I get home I’m gonna kiss my wife for a good long time and then . . . I think I’ll clean my guns.”

“What are you saying?” Alice asked the stationmaster at the train depot in Cedar Springs.

“I’m sayin’ there’s trouble on the line, and there won’t be any passenger service out today.” He gave her a sympathetic smile. “However, there are other railroads. You could head on to Dallas and catch one of those.”

“We’ve hardly got the money for additional tickets,” Alice stated in worry. Biting her lip, she tried to figure out what they should do. By now Marty and Hannah might have returned to the house. She couldn’t very well go back to the ranch without creating an uproar.

“Well, I can refund the return passage cost on your mother and brother’s tickets. That should allow you to cover costs on another line.”

With a sigh, Alice realized this nightmare wasn’t going to go away. “All right. But how are we supposed to get to Dallas?”

The man grinned. “That one’s easy enough. One of the
Dallas freighters arrived earlier. He won’t be takin’ anything much back with him. I’m thinkin’ you could hitch a ride for free.”

She thought about it for a moment. She certainly had no way to get the Barnett carriage to take them. The driver had been hard enough to convince to bring them here in the first place. “Very well. Where can we find the driver?”

After getting instructions on where to locate the man, Alice returned to where her mother and brother waited. Simon was in an ill temper. He was decidedly upset that they were leaving Texas. He had whined and complained all the way to the train station, reminding Alice that she couldn’t take her colt with her on the train nor could she take any more riding lessons from Robert. Now played out, Simon sulked beside their mother.

“There’s a problem, but I believe we have a solution.” Alice told them what had transpired. Her mother turned over the train tickets and received the money due her before they went in search of the freight man.

The trio approached just as the driver was ready to pull out. He was an older gentleman with gray at the temples. Alice summoned up her courage. “Excuse me.”

The man looked down from his seat and smiled. “What can I do for you, little gal?”

“Our train has been canceled because of problems on the line. The stationmaster said you might be willing to take us to the Dallas station. However, we don’t have any money.”

“Oh, that’s quite all right.” He set the brake and climbed down. “I’ll take you just for the company. Been a long time since I talked to a couple of pretty ladies.” He gave Alice’s mother a nod. “I’m Roy James—no relation to Jesse James.” He guffawed as if it were the most priceless of jokes.

“Mr. James, this is my mother, Mrs. Chesterfield, and my brother, Simon.”

He again nodded toward Alice’s mother and smiled. “You can call me Roy, ma’am. Let me help you up. You can sit with me while you young’uns ride in the back.”

Alice’s mother looked hesitant, but Alice gave her arm a pat. “That will work just fine for us.” Her only concern was managing to get out of Cedar Springs before someone from the Barnett ranch showed up to stop them.

Once they were settled, Mr. James put his team in motion. He smiled over at Alice’s mother. “So, headin’ home or goin’ to visit?”

“Home,” Mother replied.

The man looked straight ahead. “Got your man waitin’ for you to return, eh?”

“No. I’m widowed.”

Roy James beamed her a smile that could have brightened a dark room. “Widowed. That’s quite a coincidence. I’m a widower myself.”

And with that Mr. James began a nonstop conversation with Mother that made Alice smile, in spite of her worry. It seemed the man had taken an instant liking to her.

Robert didn’t like the way his mother looked when she greeted him at the door. He knew immediately that something was wrong.

“What’s going on?”

She glanced at his father before saying, “The Chesterfields have gone.”

“That must have been difficult for Alice. Is she all right? Should I go talk to her?”

“She’s gone, Robert. All of the Chesterfields have gone.”

He shook his head. “Why? When?”

His mother sighed. “Marty and I went over to her place after lunch to measure for curtains. While we were gone, they left. Joe said Alice came and got him and said it was imperative that they get to Cedar Springs right away.”

“But that doesn’t make sense. Why would they just leave like that without a word?”

Mother held out a folded piece of paper. “Alice left a letter for me and Marty and one for you.”

Robert took the paper with trembling hands. This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not when he’d put everything right and even bought the ring.

He unfolded the note and read the lines to himself.

Robert,

By the time you read this letter I will be on a train to Chicago. I am sorry that I wasn’t able to say good-bye in person, but I couldn’t bear the thought. You see, I’ve fallen in love with you. I know that probably comes as a shock, and believe me I didn’t set out to do so. I wouldn’t come between you and Jessica for all the world, which is why I have to go. I’m so sorry. I feel just horrible about it all.

You are by far and away the best man I’ve ever known. You made me feel as if I weren’t damaged goods, and for that I thank you. I hope you will be happy in your marriage to Jessica. She’s a beautiful woman with much to give.

Yours,
Alice

He looked up and fixed his mother with a stern look. “She says she had to go because she loves me. That doesn’t make any sense at all. She doesn’t want to come between me and Jess, but I’ve told her more than once that we aren’t engaged.”

Mother reached out and touched his face, as she often did when she wanted to calm him. “She probably felt guilty. In her letter to me, she mentioned feeling that she had disrupted our family and changed our plans. She felt that she and her family had become a burden.”

“But they hadn’t!” He crumpled up the letter. “I’m going after her.”

“Son, she probably caught the evening train. It’s too late for you to stop her now.”

Robert hadn’t considered that. “Did she ever tell you what her mother’s address is in Chicago? I could go there and bring her back.”

“I don’t have it. Perhaps Marty does,” his mother suggested.

He didn’t wait to hear more. “Aunt Marty!” he yelled at the top of his lungs.

Stomping through the house, he continued his search. “Aunt Marty!”

Marty poked her head out of her bedroom. “Goodness. What is all the yelling about?”

“Alice is gone.”

“I know. She left me a letter and her Bible.” Marty shrugged. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am.”

“Sorry isn’t what I came for. I want her mother’s address in Chicago.”

“I don’t have it. I don’t recall ever even seeing it. When Alice learned the truth about her mother and sent her a letter . . . well, I never asked.” She pushed open the bedroom door. “Jake, did you ever see an address for Mrs. Chesterfield?”

Jake was sitting at the end of the bed and pulling off his boots. “No, can’t say that I did.”

“That’s just great. Now I’m gonna have to go to Chicago and scour a city bigger than Dallas to find her.”

Marty took hold of his arm. “Robert, what did Alice say in her letter to you?”

“That she had to go because she loved me and didn’t want to come between me and Jess.” He gave the door a fisted punch. “But she didn’t come between us. There was no ‘us.’ ”

“Alice was always very sensitive about hurting people. She couldn’t bear the thought that she might cause someone pain. I’m sure she felt any delay or doubts you might have in marrying Jessica were her fault.”

“But they weren’t, and she didn’t even give me a chance to tell her that. I can’t help what folks assumed, including Jessica. I never proposed to that girl, and I told her weeks ago that I couldn’t marry her.”

Marty looked perplexed. “Why didn’t you tell Alice?”

“I tried, but there was never a chance. I’d ask her to go for a walk with me or go ridin’, but she always refused and kept her brother or mother with her so we couldn’t be alone. I figured when I got back from Fort Worth, I’d show her the ring I got her and propose—even if I had to do so at the dinner table.”

“That would have been something,” Marty said with a hint of smile. “Well, what are we to do? We don’t have any way of finding her mother, short of perhaps hiring someone in Chicago. There’s no sense in your going up there blind. We could send a wire and have them intercepted on the way.”

“That’s a good idea.” He turned on his heel and headed back through the house. Despite the late hour, he was determined to go to Cedar Springs and start the process.

“But it’s so late,” his mother said. “Why don’t you wait until morning? That train won’t get to Chicago for at least a couple of days.”

“Your mother’s right,” Father agreed. “The stationmaster will have closed things down, and you won’t be able to find out exactly what connections the Chesterfields will be making.”

“I could go to his house.” Robert didn’t like the idea of delaying. “It’s not like hundreds of people catch the train here. He’s bound to remember what their plans are.”

“Robert, listen to reason. Get cleaned up and have yourself something to eat.” His mother motioned to the stove. “We kept food warm for you. Eat and then get a good night’s sleep and head out early in the morning.”

He knew she was right but hated to admit defeat. To delay his search made him feel that Alice was slipping beyond his reach. He started to refuse her suggestion but finally agreed. “I guess morning will be soon enough.”

Mother smiled. “Of course it will be. You’ll see.”

Alice swallowed back an angry retort as the stationmaster in Dallas explained that the train had pulled out only minutes ago.

“When is the next train?”

“Headin’ north? Tomorrow,” the man informed her. “Best if you take a room for the night.”

“I can’t afford that,” Alice declared. “I have just enough money for our tickets.”

“One of the pastors here takes in folks from time to time. He and his wife have spare rooms.” The man smiled. “They’d most likely put you up for the night. You could leave most of
your things here if you like. I can lock ’em in the office and then you wouldn’t have to carry them all over town.”

Alice knew there was no other choice. She took the name and address of the parsonage and asked for directions. The stationmaster cheerfully related the information, which further frustrated Alice. How could anyone be so happy in the face of her sorrow? How dare the world go on turning when her heart was clearly breaking?

“We will take only what we need for the night,” she told her mother. “Pack it all here in my bag, and I’ll carry it. We have a bit of a walk.”

“Pity that Roy didn’t stick around,” Mother replied. “I know he would have driven us. Do you know he asked to call on me?” She gave a laugh. “I would have said yes if I lived here.”

“We can move here, Mama,” Simon insisted.

“Well, either way,” Alice said, taking a few things from her bag to make room for her mother’s and brother’s articles, “we have to go to Chicago and get your things.” She knew full well that once they were in Chicago there wouldn’t be money enough to return to Dallas.

The reverend Goodman and his wife, Ophelia, were an older couple who lived not far from the station. They were kind and easygoing and instantly welcomed the sad trio into their house.

“We’ve got a couple of extra rooms,” the pastor told them. “And we believe it a part of our ministry to offer them to folks in need.”

“We thank you for that,” Alice’s mother said. “We were to have taken the train from Cedar Springs to Chicago, but apparently there was some sort of trouble on the line. The stationmaster sent us here to Dallas, but the train we might
have taken had already departed. So we find ourselves rather abandoned.”

“Well, you are no longer orphaned,” the man declared. “Ophelia and I are happy to help. Now, are you hungry?”

“I am,” Simon said. His misery had only deepened with each new problem.

“We could all stand a meal, if it’s no trouble,” Alice replied. “We have no money, however.”

“Nor would we take any.” Mrs. Goodman
tsk
ed. She moved to take the single bag that Alice had brought. “Let me show you where your rooms are. You can wash up, and by the time you return, I’ll have supper for all of you.”