Hewey had to pull his hat down tight to keep from losing it, for Alvin must have been driving all of twenty miles an hour. In an earlier time, Hewey might have suspected he had been drinking.
Alvin said, “It’s been a good day.” He knew Hewey had accepted Jenkins’s offer. “I know you’re anxious to tell Walter and Eve about it, but I need to go by my place first.”
“The news’ll keep, I guess.” Hewey was still surprised at himself for accepting the job. Now he faced the awesome responsibility of living up to his promise.
Alvin said, “I suppose you’ve thought this all out and you’re sure what you want to do?”
“Hell no, I ain’t sure. The whole notion scares me plumb to death. The only thing I’m certain of is that I don’t want to end up like Snort.”
“Nobody ought to ever end up like Snort.”
“I wonder what Spring … Miss Renfro’ll think about me bucklin’ down to be a foreman?”
“Only way to find out is to tell her.”
Hewey chewed on his lip. “If all this had happened to me four years ago, things might’ve turned out different. I might not’ve gone off and left her.”
“Maybe it’s not too late.”
“I’m afraid it may be. Farley Neal told me he was fixin’ to ask her to marry him.”
Alvin chewed on his thoughts for several silent moments. “How much money have you got, Hewey?”
“Mr. Jenkins gave me two hundred dollars. Except for what I had in my pocket, that’s about it.”
“Some people don’t have near that much to start a new life on. Of course, a bachelor don’t need much … a change of clothes now and again, a little tobacco and whiskey money.” He gave Hewey a speculative look and nearly ran out of the road ruts. “A married man, now, that’s different.”
“It takes two to get married.”
“And one of them has got to do the askin’.” Alvin gave Hewey another long look and this time let the car run off into the pasture. He had to turn the wheel hard to pull back into the ruts. “The worst she can do is tell you no.”
Hewey’s mouth went dry, yet he felt cold sweat breaking on his face. “Farley Neal is the better man for her.”
“I don’t doubt that, but you’ll never know for sure that he’s her choice unless you ask her yourself.”
“You think I’ve got a chance?”
“What would I know about women? I’m just an old horse and mule man.”
Alvin scattered the peacocks as he drove into the yard. Old Lady Faversham sat in her wheelchair on the porch. She was shouting something at Alvin, but the engine noise drowned out the words, which Hewey considered a blessing. Dust drifted up onto the porch, and she raised a lace handkerchief to her face. Hewey looked for remorse in Alvin’s pudgy face but saw no sign of it.
Cora came out onto the porch. Alvin said, “I’ll bet Cora’ll bake you a cake when she hears about your new job.”
Hewey doubted he could eat it, as nervous as he felt. The sound of voices drew his attention toward the barn, where Farley Neal and Julio were hitching a raw team to a sledge for training to the harness.
Hewey watched a minute, wondering if Farley had asked her yet. “That’s a good man yonder.”
“Yes, and so are you, Hewey. If you’re goin’ to ask her, be damned certain you mean it this time. Be sure you won’t be changin’ your mind again and ridin’ away without her.”
Hewey walked up the steps, taking off his hat for Cora and nodding a silent greeting to Mrs. Faversham. Cora responded with warmth, but her mother only stared. He asked, “Is Spring here?”
Cora said, “She’s in the parlor, Hewey. I’ll take you.”
Alvin caught his wife’s arm. “Hewey knows the way”
Hewey opened the screen door and walked into the hall. The parlor was to the right, but he hesitated, twisting his hat out of shape in an effort to calm his shaking hands. He swallowed hard and entered the room. Spring sat with hoop and needles, crocheting. She smiled. “Hello, Hewey. Did you accomplish what you set out to do?”
“Better than we had any reason to hope. I doubt that Fat Gervin gets any sleep tonight.”
“Nothing can pay for the harm he’s caused you.”
“What’s done can’t be undone. I’ve made up my mind to live with it and do the best I can.”
“You’ll do fine. You always did, after your fashion.”
“Gettin’ hurt myself has made me realize the hurt I caused you a long time ago. I wish I could undo that.”
“As you said, what’s done can’t be undone.”
“Just the same, if we’d married like we planned, look where we’d be now. We’d have us a farm of our own. We’d be somebody.”
“And you’d be miserable, trying to make a farmer of yourself. You were a cowboy. You still are.”
“That black bronc fixed it to where I can’t be the kind of cowboy I was. But I’m about to try my hand at bein’ a foreman. It pays better, even if it ain’t as much fun.” He told her about accepting the offer from Morgan Jenkins.
She said, “You can do it if you set your mind on it.”
“The Circle W’s a pretty place, in a wide valley with mountains all around … about the smilin’est country I ever saw. I wish you could see it.”
She put down the crochet work. “That sounds like an invitation.”
Flustered, he said, “I guess it is.” He searched her face for a sign of acceptance but did not see it. He felt as if the floor were sagging beneath his feet. His weakened leg must be giving way, he thought.
She said, “If I didn’t know you better, I might even think it was a proposal.”
He meant it to be, in his own awkward way. He waited for her to say more, but she did not. She turned her eyes away from him. Disheartened, he took that for an answer.
He said, “All the way from town I wondered how I could get up the nerve to ask you, and I’ve done a poor job of it. I’m just a stove-up cowpuncher workin’ for wages. You’ll be a lot better off with Farley Neal.” Breath came hard, for his throat had tightened to the point of choking him. Turning, he walked out the door to the hallway, then onto the porch.
Alvin and Cora looked at him in surprise over his quick retreat. Twisting the hat in his hands again, Hewey said, “Alvin, if you don’t mind, I wish you’d take me over to Walter’s right now.”
Disappointment came into Alvin’s eyes. “Sure, if that’s what you want.” He turned to Cora. “I may be late for supper.”
Hewey walked to the car, his head down. He heard Old Lady Faversham say with satisfaction, “Good riddance if you ask me.” He felt his eyes burn.
Footsteps told him Alvin was coming, so he opened the car door and took his seat.
He was startled by Spring’s voice. “You didn’t give me time to answer.” She was standing beside the automobile.
“You didn’t have to say anything. I saw the answer in your eyes.”
“If you thought you saw doubt there, you were right. I haven’t forgotten how close we came once, and how hard it was to see you leave. I wouldn’t want to go through that again.”
“With Farley, you won’t have to.”
“He asked me, and I told him no. I like Farley very much, but I don’t love him.”
Hewey took a deep breath. “You don’t?”
“I’ve loved only two men in my life. One went to the war in Cuba and died. The other … just went. How do I know you wouldn’t go again, Hewey?”
“I’m four years older, and I hope I’m four years smarter. I went off the last time lookin’ for somethin’ … I didn’t know what.”
“But you didn’t find it?”
“If it was ever there, it’s gone.”
“What if some morning you wake up and the wind calls you, and you decide to go again?”
“I’m not claimin’ it’ll be easy. There’ll be times it’ll be tough. I’m liable to need help.”
“You’ll have Snort Yarnell”
“Most of the time Snort doesn’t even know how to help himself. If you’ll go with me, Spring, I’ll never leave you again. Never.”
Eyes shining, she reached over and clasped her fingers around his hand. “Then tell me about that smiling country.”
He got out of the car and took her in his arms.
On the porch Old Lady Faversham cried, “Cora, do somethin’. A fox is loose amongst the chickens!”
Preacher Averill closed the Bible and smiled. “What the Lord hath joined together, let no man put asunder. Now, Hewey, you may kiss the bride. And if you don’t, I’m fixin’ to.”
The wedding ceremony was conducted on the big porch of the Lawdermilk house to accommodate as many as possible of the
couple’s family and friends. A considerable overflow watched from the yard. About the only person Hewey could think of who had not shown up for the event, other than Fat Gervin, was Old Lady Faversham. Alvin said she was in her room, down with the vapors.
Music from Cora’s piano came through the open parlor windows, and a gentle south breeze brought the pleasant prospect of barbecue from an open pit which Julio Valdez tended past the yard fence.
Though it was custom and his right, Hewey was shy about kissing Spring in front of so many, so he gave her a quick peck and an unspoken promise of better when nobody was watching.
Alvin was first in line to kiss the bride and pump Hewey’s hand. Walter and Eve were next. Eve hugged Spring, then Hewey. She said in a shaky voice, “I’d almost come to the givin’-up point. This goes to show the power of prayer.” Tommy was behind his parents, followed by Blue Hannigan and his wife.
Snort Yarnell kept almost at arm’s length from Spring, taking her hand cautiously as if it were an eggshell. Eyes sorrowful, he turned to Hewey. “I never thought you’d do it, old pardner. First Old Grady and now you.”
“But I ain’t dead.”
Snort cast a furtive glance back at Spring. “You might as well be. Things ain’t goin’ to be the same.”
“Everything changes. You know you’ve got a job with me out yonder in the mountains.”
“I’ll be there. Got to go get a little drunk first, and I sure do dread it.”
C. C. Tarpley had a strong grip for a man so recently given up to die. “Hewey, I owe you more than I can ever pay, but I brought you a gift.” He handed Hewey a pocket watch. “Bought it in Midland. Cost me three dollars.”
“You’re a way too generous, C.C. I don’t know what to say.”
“Ain’t no need to say anything. I’ve carried it myself for the past year or so. It keeps good time.”
Merchant Pierson Phelps and Dutch Schneider had come out from town together. Phelps gave Spring a bolt of fine cloth, enough to make several dresses. Schneider brought a bottle of champagne. “Save it for when it is just the two of you alone.”
Sheriff Wes Wheeler did not kiss the bride, but he took off his hat and bowed as he squeezed her fingers. “I hope, ma’am, that you can keep him out of jail.”
“I shall make every effort, Mr. Wheeler. Between Mr. Jenkins and myself, we’ll try to keep him too busy to get into any trouble.”
Morgan Jenkins and his driver came along in their turn. Jenkins said, “Sorry I can’t stay for the barbecue and other doin’s, Hewey, but me and Peeler have got to get started if we’re to make Alpine by dark.” He pointed toward a new black buggy beside the picket fence. “That’s yours to use on the ranch, but don’t feel like you’ve got to be in any hurry about gettin’ there. The day after tomorrow would be soon enough.” He reconsidered. “Aw, take a little longer if you want to. Them cattle won’t be runnin’ off.”
Alvin Lawdermilk had given the couple a pair of matched grays for the buggy. They trotted westward along the wagon road at an easy pace. Hewey said, “I thought we’d make camp at the Pecos River tonight.”
He and Spring had spent their wedding night at the Lawdermilks’, a poor place for privacy, especially when it seemed half the men in Upton County showed up to steal the bride and then give the couple a joyous and noisy shivaree that lasted until almost daylight. There had seemed little point in going to bed, and Hewey had not.
He held the reins in his right hand and took Spring’s hand in his left. “Every time I saw you, I wanted to ask you to take me back,
but I was scared to death you’d turn me down. I was ready to promise you just about anything.”
“And I was afraid you were going to ask me and I couldn’t say no ’til you did promise me just about everything.”
“We’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for.”
“We have the rest of our lives to do it.”
“I feel kind of bad about Farley Neal, though.”
“He’s a fine man. He’ll find someone, or someone will find him.”
Jenkins and Peeler had taken most of Spring’s boxes and her trunk in their automobile, leaving only the immediate necessities to be carried in the buggy. Hewey glanced at a basket just behind the seat. “Cora put enough barbecue and fried chicken in there to last us a week if we decided to stretch the trip that long.”
Spring leaned to kiss him, her lips soft and warm. She rested her head against his shoulder and said, “We’ve spent four years getting this far. I’m not in a hurry to reach the ranch.”
He put his injured left arm around her. It did not even hurt. “I’m not either,” he said, and pulled the team down to a walk.