CHAPTER
FORTY-TWO
Sun sneaking in her window woke Piper. She jumped out of bed and pulled on her jeans. She didn’t want to miss another meal. She had found a leftover biscuit and ham the night before while they were getting coffee down Kermit. Poor man would probably have a brutal headache this morning.
But she didn’t. She felt great. Braxton Crandall was looking in new directions for a wife, and Suze was standing in line, waiting to see if their friendship might blossom. Truda was making eyes at Dr. Jack. Love was in the air, along with the scent of honeysuckle. A glance at her clock said she might still get the horses fed and watered in time to make breakfast at the Big House. Best of all, Jamie had told her he loved her. Twice.
She felt like bursting out in song. But not “Go Tell Aunt Rhody.” A happier song, even as she did feel a tremor of sorrow for Puddin. She would think about the sweet horse the way she’d told Kermit. Running through a field of clover. Happy. As happy as Piper was. She ran a comb through her hair and jerked on her shoes. The day was waiting.
Not until she opened her door into the hallway did she notice the folded paper on the floor. She made herself pick it up. Nobody slipped good news under doors.
Her heart sank when she saw Jamie’s handwriting. She shut her eyes a moment and wished fervently for nothing more than a sweet love note, but she knew better. Her fingers trembled as she unfolded the note.
Dearest Piper. I do love you. More than you can imagine, and that is why I’m leaving. I cannot stand in the way of your happy future with Braxton Crandall. You will have everything you ever dreamed of having. And more. Things I could never give you.
“But what about the most important thing?” Piper muttered as though the paper could hear and transfer her words to Jamie’s ears.
He told me you were promised to him and promises should be kept.
“I never promised him anything.” Her voice was louder this time. Angry.
Please promise me that you will be happy.
“Not without you.” Tears slid down her cheeks. “Not without you.”
Love always, Jamie.
“But you didn’t let me tell you I love you.” She was whispering now.
“Are you talking to yourself?” Suze came out of her room and over to Piper. Her smile disappeared. “Hey, you’re crying. What’s wrong?”
“Who? Braxton?” Suze frowned.
“No. Jamie.” She shook the letter at Suze. “Left me this and went without saying goodbye. Says Braxton told him we were getting married.”
“Braxton did tell him that. Yesterday.” Suze took the letter and read it. She looked up. “You’ll just have to tell him differently.”
“I can’t. He left.” She pushed past Suze to look outside. The tent was gone.
Suze grabbed her and turned her around. “Think, Danny. The man doesn’t have a horse. He doesn’t have a car.”
Piper stared at Suze, barely taking in her words. “He shouldn’t have left without talking to me. Maybe he wanted to go.”
Now Suze shook the letter at her. “Does this sound like he wanted to go?”
“But he went.”
“Go after him.”
“Miss Aileen won’t like it.”
“Probably not. So you’ll be in the doghouse for a while. That’s better than letting your heart break into a million pieces. And I don’t think Mrs. Breckinridge will send you home. She likes you. Better, she likes Jamie. You heard what she said last night.” Suze smiled and pushed Piper back toward her room. “Go put on your riding boots. I’ll saddle Dickens.”
Keep walking. If you truly love her, keep walking.
Every step, Jamie wanted to turn around. To go back. Talk her out of marrying Braxton Crandall. But that would be wrong. He wanted her to have a good life. The kind of life Crandall could give her.
The river was up after the downpours the day before. He might have crossed it if he’d had a horse, but what he really needed was a boat. So he slung his pack over his shoulder and headed for the swinging bridge. Once he got to the hospital, he might find a ride to Hazard, where he could catch the train.
He liked the swinging bridge. Maybe someday he’d write a story about a man and woman meeting on such a bridge. Loving the feeling of being suspended in the air. Loving each other. He pushed the thought away as he stepped off the bridge. Not a good time to think about writing romantic stories. Better to consider a western guy chasing bandits through some canyons. With a dog barking to show him the way.
But the barking wasn’t only in his imagination. He looked back and saw a pup in the middle of the bridge. Poor little guy must have followed Jamie onto the bridge and then lost courage. He was crouched on his belly, whining now as he looked at Jamie.
Nothing for it but to go back out on the bridge and rescue the pup. His tail almost wagged off when Jamie picked him up. “Scamp. That’s what they should name you. And now what to do? Take you back to the barn or on to the hospital and see if somebody there will take you home.”
The pup squirmed up to lick Jamie’s face.
“No telling what trouble you could cause at the hospital. Granny Virgie would like you, but I’m thinking Nurse Thompson wouldn’t.” Jamie sighed. “Okay. I’ll get you back across the bridge. Then you’ll have to find your own way home.”
But when he put the pup down on firm ground again and tried to shoo him away, the pup sat down and swept the grass with his tail.
“I think he likes you and wants you to stay.”
Jamie looked around. “Piper.”
She dismounted and led her horse toward the bridge. “I saw you from the river.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I might ask you the same thing.”
“Didn’t you get my note?” The pup looked up at him and barked before he put his head down with a huff of breath.
“I got it. I didn’t like it. You could have at least said goodbye.” She glared at him.
“You’re right. I took the coward’s way out. I didn’t think I could bear telling you goodbye in person.”
“Oh?” She tied her horse to one of the braces of the bridge and moved past Jamie to step out on the bridge. “The first time I came here, I wished you were with me. I wrote you about it, remember? How you would probably run across the bridge and have it shaking so much I’d scream.”
“Come on. What kind of guy do you think I am?” He stepped back on the bridge beside her.
“I don’t know. What kind of guy are you?” She didn’t wait for him to answer. “A guy who says he loves me and then runs away, like those words meant nothing?”
“It’s because I love you that I left. Crandall can give you the moon. With me, you’d have nothing.”
“No, Jamie. Braxton can give me things.” She reached to take his hand. “You’re the one who can give me the moon. And the stars. And every dream we can dream.”
“I might not be able to make those dreams come true.”
“Then we’ll dream new dreams.” She stepped nearer him. “I’m not going to marry Braxton Crandall. I’m going to marry you.”
He twisted his lips to keep from smiling. “But I haven’t asked you yet.”
“You will.”
“Oh yes.” He started to go down on one knee right there on the bridge.
“Not yet.” She stopped him. “I have more time here as a courier, and we did promise Mrs. Breckinridge to be circumspect. No romantic behavior allowed.”
“True.” His smile matched hers. “But Mrs. Breckinridge is nowhere to be seen, and the only witnesses we have right now are one pup that should be named Scamp and one horse named Dickens. They won’t tell on us.”
“I think you’re right.” She stepped into his embrace, slid her arms around his neck, and lifted her face up to him. “Let’s try a kiss without a plucked chicken between us. It has to be better.”
Indeed it was. So fine that he knew if he ever did write about a man and woman meeting on a swinging bridge, the story would be sure to have a happy ending.