JACK FELL DOWN
by Sidney McCabe
© 2000
CHAPTER 5
Jack planned her departure for the following Monday. On Thursday Cody took the first available moment to gather everyone together and discuss plans for a surprise dinner for her. Everyone was eager to go along with it, even Lou, but suddenly they noticed that Jimmy was shaking his head 'no'.
"Hickok, you old sad-sack," said Cody, "why not?"
"Jimmy, she'd love it." Rachel's brow was furrowed in confusion.
"I know she'd love it," agreed Jimmy. "That's the whole point, Rachel. Look, Jack don't want to leave. It's been a tough decision for her to make. I think us doin' somethin' that nice and thoughtful would make leavin' tougher. I say we all see her off, make her promise to write, let her know she's welcome to come back, and make her goodbye as easy for her as possible."
While everyone else grumbled that he was probably right, Lou studied Jimmy, her eyes wide with surprise at his insight. Even *she* hadn't seen it like that, and she knew Jack's thoughts and feelings like she knew her own. She cornered him when the others had gone, pulling on his sleeve till he turned to face her. She looked deeply into his ever-serious gaze, searching...searching...
Suddenly Jimmy laughed. "God a'mighty, Lou, what are you lookin' for with those big eyes of yours? Whatever it is, I hope you found it."
But she hadn't.
Rachel found Jack perched on the corral fence, staring off into the shadows of midday, her head cocked to one side. She tapped Jack on the shoulder and smiled at the dreamy expression on the young girl's face.
"What're you thinkin' about, young lady?" Rachel asked, leaning against the fence beside her. "Your knight in shining armor?"
In an equally dreamy voice, Jack replied, "I'm thinking of England."
Rachel laughed and watched Jack close her eyes and smile to herself.
"You homesick?"
"Always." Jack opened her eyes and her expression had turned solemn. "I'm *always* homesick, Rachel. Sometimes this dust and heat start to drive me mad, and I think if I don't feel the cool sea breeze of Searyshire I'll lose my mind." She was quiet for a moment. Then she broke into a wide, radiant grin, as sunny as the day. "But that goes away. I love it here. I love this place, I love this country. And I love Rock Creek. I love it."
She leaned her toward the Rachel with a conspiratorial air. "If I could just get to London once a month," she whispered, "I'd be happy as a lark."
Rachel laughed again, patting Jack's hand. "I wish we could bring London to you, sugar, if it meant you'd stay here."
"Alas, Mother Hen, duty calls; and if nothing else, the call of duty is one lesson drilled into the head of every English child." And Jack turned her closed eyes once more to the warmth of the sun. They sat in silence for a few moments. Then Rachel spoke again.
"What was your life like there?" She had promised herself she wouldn't ask this question. All reports had indicated that Jack did not care to discuss the details of her life, but Rachel found that she couldn't help herself, and before she knew it, the question was out. To add to her surprise, the girl began to answer.
"It was quiet," she said slowly. "I grew up in a little
village called Searyshire, just a few miles from the sea. My father owned
a bookstore and my mother ran the library. That's how I learned about
America, and horses, and the West: I read. Everything I could get my hands
on. We took trips often. Sometimes when I was walking through the waves
on the edge of the beach in Cornwall, I'd be imagining myself lost in
the Appalachians, with
only my trusty Indian sidekick to guide me. Or pretending to be riding
my faithful mount through the plains, when really we ewre riding a carriage
in Dublin." She turned to look at Rachel, her eyes dancing with amusement.
"Wasn't it silly?"
"All children's play is necessary, even if it is silly," reassured Rachel.
"Yes, well, that's a long time past now." A change came over Jack. Her eyees came back into sharp focus and she lost the soft expression. She touched a long wave that curled over her ear. "And I need a haircut."
The abrupt change of subject left Rachel feeling a little dizzy, but
she followed Jack as she hopped down from the fence and strode toward
the bunkhouse. In a few moments Rachel had a towel draped around the girl's
shoulders as Jack sat in a chair on the porch. Buck and Noah began to
engage the two women in lively chit-chat, and Ike lounged at Jack's feet,
amusing himself by untying and retying the lace of her boots.
In the distance Jack could see Kid and Lou strolling slowly over the hill,
so close their arms touched, their heads bent deep in conversation. She
watched Lou react to something Kid said, throwing back her head and laughing
with great enjoyment. She couldn't see the Kid's face, but Jack knew he
was smiling, eyes shining with adoration, delighted with the response
he'd gotten from the young woman by his side.
Down the road Jack could see the approaching figures of Jimmy and
Teaspoon, as yet only images, slightly blurry. They were on their horses,
riding alongside one another at a leisurely pace as if out for a Sunday
stroll, both of them with their faces turned to the scenery passing them
by, an easy camaraderie between them. In the bunkhouse Cody's snores reminded
her of the foghorn on the boat that had carried her from Southampton.
As Rachel and Buck and Noah lit upon the topic of the general store's
rising prices, Jack felt Rachel's strong, cool, capable hands at the nape
of her neck, straightening out the dampened, curling edges of her hair.
Ike was a comfortably annoying presence at her feet, poking her now with
a twig. The sun was warm and a cool breeze sifted through the air, stirring
the leaves into a melodious rustling. Jack felt calm and comfortable,
her insides humming with gentle energy. And Jimmy's smile was becoming
clearer as he
neared the bunkhouse.
'I don't want to go,' she thought for the hundredth time that day, and closed her eyes to concentrate on the curt snip of Rachel's scissors and the soothing laughter of friends.
Chapter 1 ¤ Chapter 2 ¤ Chapter 3 ¤ Chapter 4 ¤ Chapter 5 ¤ Chapter 6 ¤ Chapter 7 ¤ Chapter 8 ¤ Chapter 9 ¤ Chapter 10 ¤ Chapter 11 ¤ Chapter 12 ¤ Chapter 13 ¤ Chapter 14 ¤ Chapter 15 ¤ Chapter 16 ¤ Chapter 17 ¤ Chapter 18 ¤ Chapter 19 ¤ Chapter 20 ¤ Chapter 21 ¤ Epilogue ¤