The bed wasn't large but there had been enough room for the newly married couple to enjoy their first married night together. And they took full advantage of it too. It had been heaven, while it lasted, even though a part of her worried their wildness might actually pave the way later not to heaven but the hot place. She had enjoyed it all so much, well it probably couldn't be proper. Still, if anyone would have asked her if she had regrets or even better, would she have chosen differently if my some miracle the pair of them were back next to the lake that first time and just about to make love. No, she would not have changed a thing.
Now as they lay entwined in each other arms, cleaned up but still naked, it was just peaceful and she felt so contented. They didn't even talk for a bit, Jacob probably felt the same. However, tomorrow they would have to wake up to a completely different life than before. And there was so much to deal with and it had to start sometime with a good (and probably difficult) discussion . Ever the realist, Clara decided to begin now.
"Jacob, now what? I hate to bring this up but.............well, my father and brother will want their home back and we need to come up with living quarters for...well...tomorrow night. We have so much we need to do, plan....I think we should talk about it...now. Do you not agree?"
"Yes, Dear"
In the afterglow of their lovemaking, Jacob just wanted to lie there and bask in the memory of it all, that time when their civilised brains virtually disengaged and their throbbing, hormone-driven physical needs had taken over in a timeless dance that had driven evolution of millions of years. It was a wonderful moment, just lying there together, entwined, the silence of the...
"Jacob, now what? I hate to bring this up but.............well, my father and brother will want their home back and we need to come up with living quarters for...well...tomorrow night. We have so much we need to do, plan....I think we should talk about it...now. Do you not agree?"
He did not agree, but he kept his not-agreeing safely tucked away out of sight.
"You're right." he said cannily. That was always a good start. He had thought about this a little of course, he just didn't think Clara would like his idea to temporarily move into a somewhat out of repair, but salvageable shack on the Miggin's homestead.
"Well, there's a shack on our land but Granny said you wouldn't want to move in there because it'd be a lot of work to make it habitable, so we'd better move into Wigfalls' for a few nights. Jemima reckons they've got a room clear there right next door to hers." he said with studied laziness, like he didn't really care where they went.
He agreed ! Well that was a good start then. He even had a couple of ideas.
"Well, there's a shack on our land but Granny said you wouldn't want to move in there because it'd be a lot of work to make it habitable, so we'd better move into Wigfalls' for a few nights. Jemima reckons they've got a room clear there right next door to hers."
Clara blinked. Bad ones!
"A boarding house? Seriously? Spending money we are already desperately short of to pay for a boarding house? I think not," she sighed.
"Well, your shack it is then. If only for a few days...nights. I need to talk to Emeline about her offer to let us live upstairs from the Lick Skillet. What with her living on their ranch now, it will just be empty anyhow. And I only need to go downstairs to be at my place of employment," Clara then declared.
"Yes, Dear"
"A boarding house? Seriously? Spending money we are already desperately short of to pay for a boarding house? I think not," she sighed.
Jacob nodded sadly "You're right, I don't know what I was thinking!" he shrugged, ostensibly bowing to her superior logic, and heartily glad she hadn't called his bluff about the room next to Jemima's. Since the White Rose had closed as a boarding house, Wigfall's were rammed to the rafters every night.
"Well, your shack it is then. If only for a few days...nights. I need to talk to Emeline about her offer to let us live upstairs from the Lick Skillet. What with her living on their ranch now, it will just be empty anyhow. And I only need to go downstairs to be at my place of employment," Clara then declared.
Yes!
"I told Granny you were tough and hardworking enough to take on the shack, I can't wait to see her face when we tell her she was wrong!" he fibbed merrily. He was getting the hang of this being married malarkey pretty swiftly.
"And that's a great idea about living above the Lick Skillet. I can go out and work at the farm when I'm needed and earn extra money in town: Heck Wigfall's already told me about a job with the telegraph office that pays well, only thing is it means being out of town a couple of nights a week." he said, being careful not to mention that he had accepted the offer without asking her about it first: but it really had been too good a chance to miss.
Fortunately Jacob readily recognized his mistake about the boarding house idea. It was heartening to know he could admit when he was wrong, Clara felt.
"I told Granny you were tough and hardworking enough to take on the shack, I can't wait to see her face when we tell her she was wrong!"
Clara smiled, a little, at his glee, she too was happy to contradict Granny's theories.
"Well, just for a few days, nights at most. We are not moving in there. Just until we can move into Emeline's place," she pointed out.
"And that's a great idea about living above the Lick Skillet. I can go out and work at the farm when I'm needed and earn extra money in town: Heck Wigfall's already told me about a job with the telegraph office that pays well, only thing is it means being out of town a couple of nights a week."
Wait! What? This was news to her!
"Jacob, when did you find out about this new job? First I have heard about it," she frowned.
"If it is for the telegraph then why do you have to be out of town at night then? " she wanted details of course.
"Yes, Dear"
“Jacob, when did you find out about this new job? First I have heard about it," she frowned.
"Only today" he said, cuddling up to her and stroking her beautiful curves to try and keep her in a good mood. "I asked Heck to tell me if he heard of any good well-paying jobs that came up around town and he mentioned this opportunity." he explained smoothly, like it was no big deal.
"If it is for the telegraph then why do you have to be out of town at night then? " she wanted details of course.
He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it, before rubbing the back of her dainty little fingers against his cheek. "It's just inspecting the lines" he yawned, "... not worth coming back to town to go out again, so we camp out and carry on the next day, cover more ground that way." He was hoping that he was making the whole affair sound very much like a boring day working in an office.
While she like the cuddling and him being so close, Clara managed to keep her concentration on the matter at hand - this sudden new job for the telegraph company. Yes, it would mean extra money and that was good though he did not even mention the wage?
"I asked Heck to tell me if he heard of any good well-paying jobs that came up around town and he mentioned this opportunity," he declared.
"If it is so good and well paying then why is the job open?" Clara thought she had a valid question then.
"It's just inspecting the lines" he yawned, "... not worth coming back to town to go out again, so we camp out and carry on the next day, cover more ground that way."
"Inspecting the lines? And up until now no one has needed to inspect the lines? Why would they hire now?" she did not get it.
"Yes, Dear"
If it is so good and well paying then why is the job open?" Clara thought she had a valid question then.
"Oh, urmm... I think he said the other feller that usually goes is getting too old to cut the mustard anymore, so they need someone to replace him. Anyhow, the whole thing'll be good for me in a business way, build up some contacts with Western Union. Hack says he'll teach me all about the lines and climbing the telegraph poles and everything: why , it'll be 'money for old rope'" he yawned, trying to give the impression that as much as he would love to talk about the job, he just couldn't keep his eyes open.
"It's just inspecting the lines" he yawned, "... not worth coming back to town to go out again, so we camp out and carry on the next day, cover more ground that way."
"Inspecting the lines? And up until now no one has needed to inspect the lines? Why would they hire now?" she did not get it.
"Oh yeah, they inspect 'em on a regular basis, it's just that the time's come round again. Every couple of months... or... [yawn]... years or something..." He didn't dare tell her the real reason they wanted to inspect the lines: Indian trouble. and the reason that he hadn't mentioned the wages: it wasn't that they were laughably small, it was that they were suspiciously high: danger money.
"If your friend," Clara didn't much care for Jacob's friend Hector, so did not say his name, "is so good at climbing and knows everything why doesn't he take the job?'
But she was a realist to know that Jacob did not know the language of the telegraph - what was it? Morse code or something... So he could hardly jump into Hector's job. So she asked another question and then listened to his take on it.
"Oh yeah, they inspect 'em on a regular basis, it's just that the time's come round again. Every couple of months... or... [yawn]... years or something..."
"Gosh...all the yawning. Did I wear you out that much tonight?" she actually managed a devilish grin without too much effort, this was hardly the Clara of even a few months ago.
"Very well, we can certainly use the money," she conceded because marriage was a partnership and they had to work together.
"But promise me you will be careful. I do not know what sort of a climber you are," she was going to worry no matter what.
"Yes, Dear"
"If your friend," Clara didn't much care for Jacob's friend Hector, so did not say his name, "is so good at climbing and knows everything why doesn't he take the job?'
"They can't spare him at the office, hes... [yawn]... best operator."
"Oh yeah, they inspect 'em on a regular basis, it's just that the time's come round again. Every couple of months... or... [yawn]... years or something..."
"Gosh...all the yawning. Did I wear you out that much tonight?" she actually managed a devilish grin without too much effort, this was hardly the Clara of even a few months ago.
"Hmmm, I can never get tired of you... us... just the whole day's been... so... we'll never forget today. Still, gotta think of tomorrow. This'll be good money, get saving for the baby..." It wasn't hard to pretend to be tired because now he'd started, he realised just how exhausted her really was. They had spent most of last night getting Granny's wedding ring off her finger, there'd been little time for sleep.
"Very well, we can certainly use the money," she conceded because marriage was a partnership and they had to work together.
It was hard to tell if the noise that Jacob made was a snore or just a vaguely positive grunt.
"But promise me you will be careful. I do not know what sort of a climber you are," she was going to worry no matter what.
As he started to drift away into dreamland, Jacob was pleased that Clara had jumped to the conclusion that the biggest danger in this job was going to be falling off the top of a telegraph poles, rather than the main task of negotiating with the surrounding tribes not to molest the strange sacred trees that lined the prairie.