Though Jesse was thinking it was time for him to marry, he wanted it to be his decision and not be tricked into it. So, each time Delia touched his thigh or came too close when they stood up to hug goodbye, he backed off. He knew he could take her up to his room, and she would not refuse. He liked her a lot, but he wasn’t sure if he could trust her. At first, he’d thought she was "the one." Sure, she was beautiful, but there was something in her eyes when she told him how much she cared for him that just didn’t look authentic. Was he being paranoid because of all the stories he’d heard? Maybe so. Still, it paid to be cautious.
He’d purposely left out the fact Charlie was a woman when speaking to Delia, but he wasn’t sure why. It just didn’t seem right to tell a woman he’d been seeing for lunch every day about how he was spending time with another woman.
Delia sat up quickly, her eyes wide. “I know. . I could pack a lunch for both of you.”
Jesse rubbed his forehead. “I’ll ask Charlie.”
Chapter Five
On Wednesday, Jesse picked Charlie up at Sean’s. They mounted their horses and rode side by side.
“What would you like to do today, Charlie?”
“How about we go swimming?”
“Swimming! Did you bring a bathing outfit? I don’t even have one.”
Charlie gave him a sly smile. “I don’t either. It could be interesting.”
Jesse’s mouth hung open, and he knew his eyes must have looked like saucers.
“Oh, Jesse,” she said with a laugh. “I was joshing.”
“Now, that was cruel humor. You know that I haven't been around society much over the last ten years. I thought it might be a new fad, like women riding astride as you do.”
“It’s perfectly fine for a woman to ride astride as long as she’s wearing a riding outfit,” Charlie told him. She gave him a contrite expression. “I’m sorry for the humor.”
“Forgiven,” he said with a chuckle.
“I find you interesting,” she said as they rode along. “Your lack of social interaction and knowledge, I find quite endearing.”
“You do?”
“Yes. It makes you different from anyone I’ve ever known.”
“And I find you different from any woman I’ve ever known.”
They had reached Jesse’s house. While Jesse hitched the horses, he wondered what they would do for the few hours they had together.
“What games do you play?” he asked.
“Checkers, chess, five-card stud, and hearts.”
“I have chess and checkers, and I know five-card stud. You’d have to teach me hearts.”
“Let’s start with chess,” Charlie suggested. “Where did you learn to play it? Surely not chasing outlaws.”
“My father died when I was small, and my mother went back to Sweden as soon as I left home to become a bounty hunter. We exchange letters once in a while. She remarried and seems happy. She taught me to play chess when I was about twelve.”
Charlie’s hand touched his. “I’m so sorry about your father. Will you ever see your mother again?”
“I keep saying that I’ll go to Sweden someday, but that day never comes. I’d love to see her before... well, she’s sixty-one, so before she passes—which I hope is a long way off.”
“That’s sad, Jesse. Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“No, I was the first and last born. My father died when I was an infant. It was a fair fight, my mother said. He called a man out, accused him of cheating at cards. Word had it the man was truly cheating. My father lost the gunfight, so I never met him.”
“So, you lived alone with your mom until... when? How did she manage alone?”
Jesse shook his head as he recalled the days in which they didn’t know from where their next meal would come. “My mother worked hard. She did laundry and ironing for people who could afford to pay her. Often, they paid her with food instead of money. That’s when I swore I’d be rich someday.
“I lived with her until about ten years ago.”
“And that’s when you went into bounty hunting? Sean told me what you did before we met, but he also convinced me you were harmless.”
“After the war, I didn’t have the experience to get a regular job, and a friend of mine steered me into becoming a bounty hunter. I got to travel, and I helped clean the world of criminals.”
Jesse walked to the door of the house. “Where do you want to play chess? Inside, or should I bring the set outside?”
“I put a little packed lunch in my saddlebag. We could sit over yonder under that enormous tree and eat while we play chess,” she said. “It’s far too beautiful a day to be inside.”
“I agree. I’ll be right back.” Jesse ducked into the house to round up a tablecloth and the chess game.
He spread out the cloth and sat leaning against the tree to eat the lunch Charlie had packed. They prepared to eat when a horse thundered up the dirt road and stopped with a skid in front of them.
“So, this is your favor?” Delia asked. “Another woman?”
Jesse was speechless.
Charlie looked back and forth between him and Delia before saying, “We’re just friends.” Charlie stood. “My name is Charlotte, but I’m called Charlie.”
Delia raised an eyebrow at Charlie.
Charlie continued, “My sister married Jesse’s friend, Sean, and they needed a bit of time alone, so Jesse was nice enough to spend some time with me to give them some privacy.”
Jesse stood. “Charlie, this is Delia. She and I usually eat lunch together. I
