Chapter Eight

"Leaving? Where are you going?" Elizabeth asked Thomas as he stood there with a bag over his shoulder and his horses reins in his hand.

"I figure it's time for me to go see what I can get into," Thomas replied as he looked out over the foggy sunrise.

"I'm gonna miss you, Thomas," Elizabeth said sadly. She stepped away from Brody and hugged Thomas tight.

Thomas hugged her back and felt his throat tighten, "I'll miss you too, Liz." he admitted.

Elizabeth pulled away and busied herself, picking at the flowers of a potted plant beside her, to hide the fact that she was fighting tears.

"You leaving now?" Brody asked.

Thomas nodded, "Yeah. Everybody at the ranch house was still asleep. I'm hoping to have some adventures like you, Brody. Live out of saddlebags and prove how tough I can be."

Brody nodded as he took a draw off his cigarette, "You'll always have a place here if you decide to come back."

"Thanks, Brody." Thomas replied. He mounted the horse and gave a final wave to Elizabeth who was standing wrapped in Brody's arm with tears on her cheeks and he rode away.

He knew he should just leave without stopping in town but he couldn't leave without at least telling Sally goodbye. The streets were fairly empty this early in the morning as he dismounted and hitched his horse in front of Doctor Montgomery's house.

He knocked on the door and waited several long moments but no one came. He knocked harder and he heard footsteps coming toward the door. The door flew open and a ruffled looking Doctor Montgomery stood there in his robe with his gray hair sticking in every direction and his eyes full of sleep.

"It's too early for visitors!" he snapped.

"If ya don't mind doc, I'm getting ready to leave town and I'd like to tell Sally goodbye before I go."

Doctor Montgomery muttered under his breath but moved aside and let Thomas come in, "Make it fast. I'm going back to bed," he muttered and he walked away back up the stairs.

Thomas took off his hat, ran his hand through his thick blond hair and walked into the small room that Sally was in. She was awake and sitting up in the bed with tears on her face, "You're leaving?"

Thomas nodded as he put his hat back on his head, "Yeah. I'm gonna ride around for a couple of years. See what I can see."

Sally squared her shoulders, held her head high and glared at him with enough ice to make him feel suddenly cold, "Are we not good enough for you anymore?"

Thomas sighed, "It's not that, Sally." he assured her. "You're too young to understand..."

"Too young to understand what, Thomas?! Too young to understand that you don't care about any of us and just want to go have some fun?"

"Sally..." he said patiently, after all, she was just a kid.

"Don't talk to me like I'm a child, Thomas!" she snapped. "I know a heck of a lot more than you do!"

"I'll come back one day and visit, Sally."

"No, you won't. You'll go out there and get your fool head blown off. You think you can be like Brody but you can't."

"I didn't come to fight with you, Sally."

"Too bad... What am I supposed to do without you, Thomas? I love you," Sally admitted as a tear slipped down her cheek and she swiped at it angrily.

Thomas let out a long breath as he fought the urge to hug her tight and take all her pain away. This was why he had to get away, "You're only thirteen, Sally, you don't know what love is."

Her eyes flashed with anger, "Yes I do, Thomas Cooper, and I love you."

"In a few years, Sally, you'll be old enough and you'll meet somebody and he'll sweep you off your feet. He's just not me."

"Get out!" Sally exclaimed as she swung her hand and tried to strike him. "Get out of here right now or else I'll tell Brody that you hurt me!"

"You wouldn't..." Thomas said as his eyes narrowed.

"Oh yes I will. You get out of here or I'll tell him you did things to me."

"I ain't touched you," Thomas countered, feeling his anger grow. He knew she was only saying these things because she was young and hurt but that still didn't give her any right to threaten to lie about him.

"Leave if that's what you want to do, Thomas. I hate you anyhow." Sally flopped down on the bed and buried her face in her pillow.

Thomas felt an ache in his chest as he reached down and touched her golden hair with just the tips of his fingers, "Bye, Sally." he whispered, though he knew she would ignore him. 'Someday you'll understand why I had to leave,' he added silently.

With a heavy heart he put his hat back on and walked out of the doc's house. He jumped on his horse and headed out of town, unsure of when, or if, he'd ever come back.

***

A week came and went quickly. Ellie was still waiting on word from Otis that just didn't seem to be coming. She wondered if he was going to help her get home or she if she was going to have to find her own way.

She and Jacob hadn't done any more than have simple conversations over dinner since the night he'd given her back her glasses. She was kept busy with housework, watching the babies and caring for Sally, and Jacob was kept busy trying to fill the void that Thomas had left on the ranch.

Ellie wondered when she would get her first payday for her job. She truly didn't want to take the money but she knew that was her only way home because she certainly wasn't going to steal anything from Jacob's family. Just thinking about leaving made her heart hurt but she knew she had no choice.

She made her way down the hall to Sally's room with a tray loaded down with fresh cut apples, eggs, bacon and toast for her breakfast, "Good morning, Sally." she called as she walked into the girl's room.

"Morning," Sally mumbled, though she didn't return Ellie's smile. "I see you're still stealing my sisters dresses," she added, looking Ellie up and down.

Ellie looked down at the blue calico dress she was wearing and shook her head, "This is your sisters dress but I'm not stealing. I don't intend to keep it."

"That makes it all better then," Sally snapped sarcastically.

Ellie closed her eyes and counted to ten to calm her temper. She didn't understand how someone as kind as Jacob could have raised someone as mean and hateful as Sally, "Here's your breakfast," Ellie replied, setting the tray down on Sally's lap. "I'll just sit here while you eat and then once your done I'll help you bathe and we can go sit outside for a little while."

"Fine." Sally stabbed violently at her eggs with her fork. Sally's moodiness had gotten worse since her accident. Whether that was from pain and being cooped up or from Thomas leaving, Ellie wasn't sure.

"So, are you in love with my brother?" Sally asked after several minutes of silence.

Ellie looked up from her book and shrugged, "I don't know your brother well enough to love him, Sally. I just work here, helping with the day to day chores and caring for the babies and you and your sister."

"Well Jacob loves you," Sally said with bitterness. "I can tell. He watches every move you make and he talks about you all the time."

Ellie was surprised by how her heart seemed to swell at Sally's words. What was wrong with her? She had no right to want Jacob to love her or to love him back, "I think you have an overactive imagination," Ellie replied as she looked back down at her book, "Now finish your breakfast. It's too pretty of a day to be cooped up in the house."

"If my damn leg wasn't broke I'd be out there pounding fences," Sally said with a pout as she munched on a piece of apple.

Ellie glanced over her book, "Don't talk with your mouth full and don't curse. It's not polite."

Sally stuck her tongue out at her and Ellie fought back the urge to slap the girl across her cheek. If Liza had ever acted like this that is exactly what Ellie would have done to her. But then Ellie reminded herself that Sally had not had a woman around to help raise her or teach her what was right and wrong for a woman.

"Good morning, Sally," Susie said walking into the room.

"Good, you're here! Look Miss Bradshaw, my sister is here. She can help me clean up and get outside. I won't need your help after all," Sally said with mock politeness.

Ellie looked over at Susie who nodded, "I can help her. I don't mind." Ellie stood up and patted Susie on the shoulder, "Good luck," she whispered in the quiet girl's ear and Susie gave a rare smile.

"Thanks," she whispered back. Sally made a face as Ellie walked out of the room, "Why are you so mean to everyone lately?" Susie asked gently as she sat down on her sisters bed.

"Because my damn leg hurts," Sally replied, taking a bite of her buttered toast.

"Your leg hurts because you messed up. That's hardly our fault," Susie reminded her.

"He left me, Sue." Sally said sadly. There was only one person she ever opened up in front of and that was her twin sister.

"Sal, he was never with you. He couldn't leave you."

"I'm tired of never having anything good happen to us, Sue. Mom and dad and our sisters got killed. Brody ran off. We never knew if we were going to have food or shoes come wintertime and we're covered in calluses from all the hard work we had to put in on that stupid farm that never amounted to anything. We finally come out here and all I ever hear Jacob say is that I can't do things because I'm a girl and then Thomas runs off and leaves me so he can go have some whore--"

"Life is what it is, Sally. You complaining isn't going to change it. And you shouldn't say that word, it's not nice." Susie scolded.

"What word?" Sally asked with a amused smile. "Whore?"

Susie blushed and nodded, "Yes, that word." She picked at the tan fabric of her skirt. "Sally, Thomas is too old for you. He's a grown man."

"In three years I'll be a grown woman!"

"You'll meet somebody else," Susie assured her as she stole a piece of her apple.

Sally glared at her, "I don't want somebody else. He'll come back someday."

"And you'll just wait 'til then and go running into his arms when he does?"

"After I make him crawl for a while first," Sally said with a wink and both girls giggled loudly.

"Can you stop being so mean to everyone? Life has been hard but it's finally turning around," Susie said as she grabbed a comb and began running it through her sister's hair.

"I'll try," Sally promised.

Susie sighed, "I suppose that will have to be good enough."

***

Ellie was standing alone in the kitchen since Elizabeth had kept the babies at her house today. Ellie was staring out the window and allowing herself to dream for a moment about what her life could be like here. She allowed herself to imagine Jacob coming up behind her, putting his big hand on her shoulder, turning her around and kissing her passionately.

She felt a delicious little tremor run through her. This dream was a good one. She really thought she could hear his boots coming up behind her. And that really felt like his hand on her shoulder....

That was his hand on her shoulder! He turned her around and she put her hands on his broad, rock hard chest to steady herself. She could smell the scent of soap and dust clinging to his clothes. She looked up at his face and saw the passion in his eyes as he looked down at her.

"Jacob...." she whispered.

Her body felt as if it was catching fire and she licked her lips. His eyes followed the movement and then he lowered his mouth to hers. He sucked at her bottom lip, causing a moan to slip from her mouth. The kiss turned hungrier as he pushed her mouth open and tasted her with his tongue.

Ellie thought for sure she was going to collapse as her legs weakened. His arm circled around her waist as he buried his other hand in her hair, pulling her head closer. The room was spinning when Jacob finally pulled away. Both of them were flushed and breathing harshly as they stared at each other.

"Come for a ride with me?" he whispered.

Ellie's thoughts were racing too quickly for her to speak so she simply nodded.