Joe’s First Love
Returns
By: Valena
The
day has started out warm and the heat had built up until it was now stifling.
Joe had collected the mail and was headed to the saloon for a cold beer. He
tipped his hat to a pretty girl who passed him on the sidewalk. That beer was
certainly going to taste good, he could almost taste it.
He came past the dress shop and
moved into the shadow of the saloon. He pushed through the swinging doors to
the dark interior. It was not much cooler in there, no breeze at all. He moved
over to the bar, and Ted put a cold beer in front of him.
"Hey Joe. You know that
this heat is good for business, but I am tired of this constant heat." Joe
smiled at him, and took off and laid his hat on the bar.
"Know what ya mean Ted. A
man could get sunstroke out there." He took a big swig of the cold beer,
enjoying the way it cooled his throat. Ridding it of the dust there. He turned
around leaned against the bar, looking around the room.
"Hey Ted, who is
that?" Ted looked across the room to a table in a corner, where a young
redheaded woman in black jeans and yellow shirt sat.
"I don't know Joe. Never
seen her before today. She just rode in. However, I can tell you, that she has
trouble written on her. Joe turned and looked at him.
"Trouble? Maybe cause she
is so pretty."
"I don't mean that, I am
talking about that gun on her hip, and the way she walks. It's a gunmans'
walk." Joe let out a laugh.
"A girl gunfighter? That
is funny." Ted just shook his head and went to pour another drink for
another customer. “You sure come up with some funny ideas sometimes.”
Joe watched the girl, and her
eyes turned and met his. Something familiar about her. He turned back around
and drank his beer, he did not want to be caught staring.
A few minutes later, he was
ready to go; he picked up his hat and headed out the door. He bumped into the
girl at the door. He backed up.
"Sorry miss." She
looked up at him and then smiled.
"Joe?" He returned
that smile.
"Melissa?" She nodded
and he grabbed her and hugged her. "It has been so long." He stepped
back and looked down at her.
"Yes it has Joe. How is
your family?"
"All doing fine. How is
your father?" A sad look came to her face.
"He died almost two years
ago Joe. A fall from a horse."
"I am sorry, he was a nice
man. So are you staying in town?"
"For a while, maybe a
couple days. Going to the hotel now." Joe took her arm and led her
outside. Away from the curious glances from those inside.
"No you're not, you are
staying with us. No arguments either."
*~~~~ *~~~~~ *~~~~~*
At the dinner table, Melissa
talked and laughed with the Cartwrights. Ben seemed a little quiet. He had been
since he found out what she was. However, Hoss and Joe more than made up for
it. Adam was his usual stolic self.
"So did you ever go back
home?" Hoss with his round open face, much likes a kid. He sure had grown,
since she was little or so it seemed.
"No, don't want to either.
Nothing there for me. No one would probably speak to me now. But I will find a
place and settle in the west, where daddy was from. Found a cousin in
"Well it is a start, how
much land?" Ask Ben as he glanced at Adam.
"One thousand. Not much,
but it will do me."
Melissa felt the undercurrent and did
not care for the chill. Thinking to herself, she would move on the next day. It
had been nice to seem the Cartwrights again, but she could not stay there.
Again, she was being judged, but this time by people she thought would care and
understand. How wrong she was.
"Melissa, do you still
like fishing?"
She turned to Joe, and saw that smile,
which had only improved with age. He was one devilishly handsome man. It was
then she remembered the promise she had made herself when they were kids. That
she would marry him when she grew up. After they had left, her father had
teased her about Joe. She blushed.
"Yes I do. When I
can."
"How about we go fishing
in the morning, and have a picnic there? I'll even put the worms on your hook
for you." Melissa smiled.
"Well, I would consider
it, but I am leaving first thing in the morning."
"You can't. At least a few
days with us. We love having you here.
"For me, Melissa? I
promise I won’t push you in the mud." Melissa nodded and smiled.
"Okay for one more day,
then I must be going. I have to be in
"Come for a walk with me.
It is cooler now, and I like looking at the stars." As they walked out,
Hoss smiled his gapped tooth grin.
"That ain't all he likes
lookin at. They make a nice lookin couple, huh Pa?"
"No they don't. She isn't
the same girl, she uses a gun now."
"Ah Pa, she’s the same,
can't you see it. That gal just needs to find ah way to quit. Don't think she
wants to be a gunfighter. I kin tell." Ben smiled at his trusting middle
son, who could find the good in the devil.
*~~~~~ *~~~~~~ *~~~~~*
The night was cooler, there was
a slight breeze. The stars twinkled in the sky and the old moon was smiling
down. Joe held Melissa’s' hand and together they walked towards the corral.
Melissa, liked the grown up Joe. He was just what she thought he would be when
he grew up. She would bet he had many girlfriends too. She glanced up to see
him watching her.
Joe stopped and turned to face
her. "Melissa will you stay around here for awhile? I have a cabin near
the lake. It's mine; I built it with the help of my brothers. It's nice. If you
stay, you can stay there. I know my father and Adam ain’t too thrilled with you
being here."
"Oh Joe, I would like to
spend some time with you. However, maybe they are right. I am trouble. It
follows me like fleas do ah dog."
"Follows me too, so we
deal with it together." They were silent a moment looking into each others
eyes. " You sure are a pretty girl."
He
leaned down and his lips touched hers. She moved closer and he wrapped his arms
around her, and her arms around his neck. The kiss deepened. Adam had been
standing at the kitchen window, after going to get some coffee. He did not like
what he saw, he saw trouble.
Joe, pulled away slightly, his
heart pounding. He knew what he was feeling, and he would find a way to make it
all come out right. She would be safe on the ranch, and she could retire. Good
thing he had that cabin, a good starting point. He took her hand and they
continued their after dinner walk.
A short distance away, a lone
shadow stood watching from the trees. The gaze of the shadow was full of
hatred, loathing.
*~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~*
The next day the two young people were
at the lake fishing. Melissa had already made her mind up; she would leave in
the afternoon. She could not stay at the Cartwright place, even for Joe. She
had not expected to fall for him, again. Nevertheless, she could not help
herself, who could resist that handsome devil?
Joe sat beside her, holding his
fishing pole, and a blade of grass between his lips. His hat pulled down low to
shade his eyes. Melissa turned to him, and reached down, and picked up a worm,
and dropped it in the open front of his shirt. He jumped, grabbed the worm and
dropped it on the ground, turning to her.
Melissa just smiled at him, innocently.
“What’s the matter Joe?”
“You telling me that worm, just up and
jumped on me, by itself?” Melissa was trying to keep a straight face, and so
was Joe.
“I don’t know what you mean, sir. I
didn’t see any worm jumping.” He tugged on one of her curls, and he reached
over with the other hand and started tickling her. She started laughing, a
laugh that brought a smile to Joes lips. He turned his attention to tickling
her good. She rolled trying to get away from him. However, he held on to her.
When he suddenly got an elbow in the
mouth, he stopped. He let her go and she rolled onto her back, breathing hard.
She looked up at him and touched his cheek.
“I’m sorry, did I hurt you?”
“I’m fine.” He leaned down and gently
brushed her lips with his, and smiled. “That helped a lot.”
She sat up and looked out over the
water. “Joe….”
“Yes?”
“I’m leaving after we get through
here. I don’t want to make trouble for you, with your family.” He turned
towards her, his look serious, and he touched her chin, turning her towards
him.
“No, I want you to stay here.”
“But I can’t Joe. Don’t you see, the
problems? You know how Gunfighters, live and die.” A look of anguish came over Joe’s handsome
face.
“No, it won’t be like that for you.
You just quit, come, and live on the ranch with me. Just use your real name.”
“It’s not that simple, people know
who I am, by sight, and some by name. Eventually I would endanger all of you.
You know, gunfighters don’t retire….” She whispered… “they die.” She leaned in
and kissed him on the lips. “They can’t afford to love, and risk those they
love. My father did not tell me these things. All I knew was the excitement; he
wove into his stories, which made me want to experience it for myself. I did
not know.” He lowered her eyes, and ran her fingers over the grass at her side,
not looking at Joe.
“I wish I could change it for you.”
He took her by the arms, and turned her to him, and pulling her close he held
her. “I would do anything for you.”
“I know Joe,” she replied against
his shoulder, “as I will do, to keep you safe.”
“What do you mean, Melissa?” He caressed
the back of her head, smelling the perfume that was light on her hair.
“Joe, I do love you. However, we
can’t be together. Perhaps I should return to my family’s estate back home. No
gunfighters there.”
“I would go with you, or to
She looked up, green eyes meeting
green. Thank you Joe, for the offer. You would never be happy anywhere but
here. You belong here, on this land, with your family. That love would turn to
hate eventually, because I made you leave here. I don’t want that to happen. I
made a mistake, I chose wrong three years ago.”
“I love you Melissa. I wish I could
give you enough reason to make you stay with me. Even if you would let me go
with you. I am good with a gun.” She smiled sadly, put her hand up, and brushed
at his errant curl that hung on his forehead.
“Yes, Joe. Nevertheless, you are not
cut out for that life. Your family is right; they only want to protect you, as
I do. I would not pull you into my life, into an early death. Can’t you see
that I love you enough to let you go, and it’s breaking my heart, knowing you
will marry someone else?” He pulled her closer, kissing her fiercely. There
were tears in his eyes as he pulled back.
“Then if I love you as much as I say,
then I must let you go. Then perhaps one day you will return to me.” She wiped at his tears with trembling
fingers, as tears coursed down her cheeks. She looked at him, trying to
memorize his features, his voice. Then she stood up, and walked towards her
horse. He stood too, and watched her go.
His heart was breaking, he straightened his shoulders, and as she rode out, he
moved to his horse and mounted slowly, and turned and rode towards home.
*~~~~~~*~~~~~~*~~~~~~*
Ben was sitting by the fireplace
reading, while Hoss sat there eating an apple, and playing checkers with Adam.
They heard the sound of a horse riding up, footsteps and then the door opened.
Ben looked up and saw his baby at the door, and came quickly to his feet. He
hurried over to the door, as Joe removed his gunbelt and hat, and put it on the
Stanza by the door.
Ben reached out and placed his hand on
Joe’s shoulder. Joe looked down. Adam got up and Hoss and they moved over to
their younger brother. “Joe? What’s wrong son?”
Joe turned and looked up at his father; Ben saw the tears and the
sadness there. He glanced at his brothers, who were standing by Ben.
“Pa, Melissa is gone.” Ben was not
sure what to say, that would not hurt Joe more. Though he thought it was for
the best.
“Joe…”
“Maybe she had to go somewhere, and
she will come back after that.” Replied Hoss.
“You don’t understand, she is gone, not
coming back. I told her I loved her, I ask her to marry me, and she said she
couldn’t. Didn’t want me to get hurt, because of her…” His voice broke, and he
cried, “Pa I love her.” He said as Ben pulled him into his arms, holding him.
His brothers stood there, putting a hand on their baby brother’s shoulder.
Hoss hoped that Melissa would come
back, for his brother’s sake. He liked her. Adam was glad she was gone, his
brother got into enough trouble on his own. However, he hated to see his brother
sad. Ben of course just wanted his son happy, even if it was with Melissa.
However, what could he do?