The Diary of Jerrod Bently, J.W. Osborn [the false prince series TXT] 📗

part,” she said as she looked down and the hooped petticoat.
“I know,” Victoria agreed as she lifted the wedding dress for its place on the bed. “This thing weighs a good twenty pounds,” she added as she sifted through the layers of lace and satin and found the bodice. “Are you ready, Sam?”, she asked. Sam nodded and Victoria lifted the dress over her head and let her push her arms into the long sleeves and wiggle into tight high necked bodice of the gown. The volumous skirts fell over the hoops all around her like an avalanche of satin, lace and pearls. “I feel like a wide church bell,” Sam said disparagingly “and you were right. It weighs a ton.“
Victoria picked up the round white hat box and opened it. Inside was a simple wedding veil attached to a small white cap. She carefully placed it on Sam’s head. Then stepped back to look at her niece. Thinking that it was not even remotely like Sam to be dressed this way, she decided to let her niece speak first.
“I hate it.,”Sam said as she glared at her reflection “It is not me.”
“Sure isn’t.,” Victoria agreed. Sam looked at her.
“I don’t want to hurt Aunt Lillie’s feelings,” she said “But this looks really awful and I don’t want to wear it.”
“Sam,” Victoria said sympathetically “Your wedding is about you and Jerrod. You don‘t have to wear this thing if you don’t want to. “
”Lets stick to what we decided we’d wear,” Sam said. “I think Jerrod would agree.”
“But I still think he’d like the underwear you have on,” Victoria giggled.
“Me too,” Sam agreed wickedly “Maybe I will wear that much of this stuff under what ever I decide to wear, But NO BUSTLE.”
“Of course not,” Victoria said “Now we have to show this to your aunt. We promised and then you will have to tell her the truth.”
“I will,” Sam replied “I know she meant well, but this is just way too much dress for my liking.”
Leaving Sam alone in her bedroom scrutinizing her reflection, Victoria went down stairs to the kitchen to find her sister in law. Lillie was sitting at the large table in the middle of the room, enjoying her afternoon tea while Esparanza baked corn bread to go with the chilli Doc was making outside over and open fire. “Would you like to come up stairs, Lillie,’ Victoria asked. “Sam has the dress on.”
“Wonderful,” Lillie chirped as she set down her cup and rose t her feet “I am sure she is a vision of loveliness. You know, Victoria, that dress was very expensive, but worth every penny so I might see my niece married in such a creation before I die. God knows, her brother doesn’t seem interested in marriage.”
Politely Victoria listened to the woman rattle on and finally admitted to herself that like her husband, she was counting the days until Lillie would return to her beloved Philadelphia and hopefully stay there. “I am sure she just loves how it looks,” Lille bantered as the climbed the stairs. Victoria was very glad that she could not get a word in sideways. With Lillie’s chattering on as she was, Victoria would not have to tell her that Sam did not want to wear the gown.

Ely Jax looked doubtful as he carried up another armload of fire wood from the wood shed and dropped it close to the fire pit, where Doc was adding spices to his bubbling pot. He had been at this for hours and told us all that his chilli was the best in Texas and that now since he’d be living in the Oklahoma Territory, he’d be the best chilli cook there too. I had grown used to Victoria’s cooking and Esparanza’s, but I went along with Doc that morning when he started the fire and started cooking. Little Fox had come over to help, and bought with him venison and some kind of spices that smelled pretty bad, but Doc seemed to know what he was doing, when he added it all to his pot. “Well how hot is it going to be?”, Floyd Jax asked.
“Did you see that stuff I just dropped in there,” Doc said as he stirred the spicy smelling concoction.
“No,” Floyd replied.
Doc grinned “May be that is just as well.” There was an air of festivity at the ranch, with our wedding coming up on Saturday afternoon. Everyone was enjoying themselves, except for Sam, and of course at this point I was helping Doc cook and had no idea what was happening up there on the second floor of the ranch house. But when I saw her run out the back door, pull Trouble out of the paddock and then ride off toward Bear Claw, I got worried. Something had gone very wrong.


Scrub Pot had not lived in his cabin for a while. It had been closed up for months, until we came in from Waco. There were some things there that he put away, but now wanted to give to Sam. The old man had been through trunks and boxes and laid out the carefully wrapped treasures on a rough wooden table in the middle of the room. All most in reverence, he unrolled a dusty piece of deer skin and a tear come to his eye as he looked down at a beautiful white doe skin dress. It was exquisite, the delicate leather so well preserved for all these years. It was the wedding dress made for a Blackfoot maiden to wear on her wedding day. It had been so long ago. His wedding, his beautiful bride , his Alice. Gently he touched the still bright and colorful bead work on the front of the dress. “I remember your gentle ways, Alice,” he whispered in the stillness. The next to wear this dress was Sarah Stevens, the day she married his son, Joseph and then he had put it away along with the beaded head band, and white moccasin boots all made from the same tanned and bleached deer skin. He was feeling sentimental. His granddaughter was to be married and for some reason, he’d wanted to see the dress again. How long had it been? Sam was nineteen years old now, she would turn twenty next spring. He gently lifted the dress in his hands, the beautiful delicate fringes falling into place on the arms and down the sides. He remembered the joy of that day long ago and wondered if Sam would want to wear it. He would not insist as it seemed that Doc’s sister had just moved in and taken over the entire ranch, let alone Sam and Jerrod’s wedding. He carefully rolled the beautiful garment back inside its protective cover and left it sitting on the table. He would mention it to Sam tonight at dinner. He reached for his hat and placing it on his head then stepped outside . He would saddle his horse and ride over to The Flying S to see just what it was that Doc was up to. “He’s one who keeps life interesting,” the old man muttered to himself as he crossed to his corral gate to get Wakeeze. A short while later, he rode out, planning on taking the long way across the miles over to Grants Creek. He wanted to spend as little time around Lillie Stevens-Black as he possibly could. As he left, Sam arrived and was disappointed when she let herself into the cabin, and found him gone. She would get back on her horse and track him down. She would find her Grandfather and he would make things right again, he always had and that was one of the many reasons why she loved him as she did.
Now Doc and the boys were getting a little rowdy outside, and Esparanza was not one to tolerate men who were unruly. Lillie was up in arms over Sam’s not finding the wedding dress as lovely and perfect as she did. Victoria had given up trying to reason with the woman and was relieved when Lillie stalked away from her and went to her room, but not before she bellowed for Essie to come and attend her. But Essie did not come. The young lady was preoccupied.

“I haven’t been in a hay loft just to be lazy since I was a kid,’ Brian Dodge said as he tickled Essie’s cheek with a shaft of long timothy. She swiped at it. “Stop that,” she admonished. “Don’t you think we should go back to the house. We fell asleep out here and I am sure that your Aunt is looking for us both.”
“Essie,”, Brian said “Forget her. All that matters is you and me.” She could not deny that she had loved the feeling of lying in his arms in the sweet smelling hay. “I am just a maid, Brian,” she said “I am not like you and your aunt will never sit still for us being together, married or not married.”
Brian drew her close and gently kissed her lips. “Essie,” he said “She has no hold on you or me. Don’t you understand. I want to marry you. I can support us both and we can make a good life together, but it won’t be in Philadelphia.” She drew away from him, breathless for a moment. “California?”, she asked.
“No,” Brian replied “Here. In Texas. I was born here, so was Sam. Both my parents are buried over at Bear Claw in the Indian Cemetery . There is only my grandfather left and I want to know him better before he is gone too.”