A PICNIC FOR SOME
Sunday came all too soon, and Petula made several visits to the kitchen to see if the pies were done to her satisfaction.
“Here are the pies,” Serena said, handing Petula a wicker basket covered with a checkered cloth.
“Thank you!” Petula replied. She leaned forward. “Are you really in love with Jasper?”
“I beg your pardon?” Serena said, turning pink.
“There is some talk of the two of you…” Petula replied. “It’s all so romantic – you being a lady of means who has fallen on hard times.”
“Please,” Serena begged, “don’t let these stories spread. There is little truth to them, barring the fact that I lost my ranch. Where did you hear all this?”
“From Mama, actually,” Petula said. “She’s quite nervous about the effect you have on Jasper, so she’s pushing him toward Molly, who, between you and me, is quite dull and brainless.”
Serena looked away and said nothing.
“Serena,” Petula said. “I love Jasper. He’s such a wonderful brother. If he is in love with you, then I approve… because in my eyes he can do no wrong.”
“Thank you,” Serena whispered, “but you really shouldn’t be talking like this. I have a husband, you know.”
“Yes, I heard that he left three years ago and never returned.”
Serena blanched. “It sounds very frightening when you put it like that.”
“Jasper will find him…or find out about him. Don’t worry,” Petula reassured her. “Oh dear, I’m going to be late if I don’t leave now. We are to stop at Marjorie’s on the way.”
“I haven’t been able to say this to anyone, but I am worried…about Jasper,” Serena said. “He has been away almost five days and there has been no word. We don’t know how far he has gone.”
“He is the bravest man I know,” Petula said proudly, “and he will return in due time.”
When the carriage had driven away, bearing Thomas and Rebecca, Jeremiah and Petula, Serena fetched Nathan from the yard outside and went to the cottage. Patsy emerged, all dressed up. “Where are you off to?” Serena asked her.
“Well, with the Rileys away for the day, I thought I’d go into town and meet my cousin Marcie, who works at a tavern there.” She gave Serena a sympathetic look. “Why don’t you come along with me?”
“I would love to,” Serena said wistfully, “but perhaps it’s better for Nathan if I stay behind and play with him. I was thinking of making a picnic lunch for the two of us and eating it by the swing.”
“Looks like you have your day planned,” Patsy laughed. She winked at Serena. “By the way, remember when I said you looked familiar? I have met you before. At your ranch – Sweet Haven.”
Serena sighed. “So, you’ve heard too. Is there anybody that Mrs. Riley didn’t tell?”
Patsy giggled. “Actually, she didn’t tell anybody except Mr. Riley – but Chloe, the housemaid, overheard the conversation, and of course the story spread like wildfire.”
“What good could it possibly do for people to know my history?” Serena remarked, shaking her head sadly.
“We also heard about the man who attacked Mister Jasper– that he was the person who duped you out of your property…and that Mister Jasper has gone after him.”
“Oh!” Serena exclaimed. “Whatever will go around next?”
“Hmmm…,” Patsy said with a sly smile. “Everyone is buzzing about the fact that Mister Jasper is in love with you, and you with him!”
“And you believe that?” Serena asked in surprise.
“I don’t know what to believe, Serena. You are a mystery for sure, but anyway, I have to go now!”
Serena watched Patsy hurry away, and sat on the cottage steps with Nathan. Suddenly she felt very alone. She cleaned and tidied the cottage and did her laundry – washing her clothes in a large wooden tub outside – and then packed a picnic lunch for Nathan and herself. She was putting on her hat when she heard footsteps on the porch and froze, remembering how many times that sound had turned her blood to ice when she was alone at Sweet Haven.
“Going somewhere?” Trent’s hateful voice cut through the peaceful silence.
Serena pushed Nathan back into the cottage and shut the door. “Why are you here, Trent?” she asked.
“To see you, of course,” Trent grinned. “And to pay you back for what you did to me.”
“For what I did to you?” Serena asked, shocked.
Trent pointed to the wound on his head. “Yes, this was unnecessary, Serena. You should learn to be more respectful.”
“The Rileys said they had let you go and not pressed charges against you, with your word that you wouldn’t come around here again,” Serena warned him.
Trent guffawed. “Of course. But the Rileys aren’t home today, are they? So I can do as I please and nobody will ever know.”
“If you think I am alone, you’re wrong, Trent,” Serena said, hoping there was at least a stable hand who would come to her rescue.
“Steephill Ranch is deserted today because the Rileys have gone on a picnic. That’s what I heard, and that’s why I’m here.”
“Someone is coming to fetch me in a little while,” Serena said, thinking on her feet. “I stayed to finish my housework, and the carriage is returning to pick me up with the others.”
“What others?” Trent asked, advancing menacingly.
Serena cast her eyes about for a weapon, but the porch had none.
“Looking for something?” Trent asked, and Serena could smell his foul breath as he came even closer.
“Mama!” Nathan called out, and Serena’s heart missed a beat as Trent started toward the door.
“Please, do what you will with me, just spare my child,” she begged, her mind searching for ways of escape. I can run, she thought, but not without Nathan. I should have locked us inside, she lamented silently as she moved toward the door.
“You’re no match for me, Serena,” Trent said, grabbing her.
Serena stifled a scream for fear of frightening Nathan, and instead ran down the porch steps and toward the grove of trees ahead. Trent ran after her, as she’d hoped he would. If I can outrun him, Serena thought, I will double back and lock myself inside the cottage with Nathan and bar the door with a chair, but Trent was gaining on her and she could hear him panting and puffing not far behind. Then, she heard him fall and dared to turn around and look.
“Jeremiah!” Serena gasped. “Oh, thank God!”
“I got him neatly on the back of his head,” Jeremiah said with a grin of satisfaction.
“What are you doing here? I saw you go off with the others.”
“We spied Trent when we were driving out of the gate, but he didn’t see me come after him because he was on a horse and I was on foot.” He looked at Serena’s flushed, frightened face. “I’m sorry. I should have gotten here sooner, but I had a long walk.”
“Oh, Jeremiah, thank you!” Serena breathed. “Nathan is alone – I have to go to him.”
“Trent will be out for a while, but we need to lock him up somewhere.”
Serena looked at her rescuer apologetically. “I’m sorry, Jeremiah. I must go to Nathan. I’ll get some rope and come back. Perhaps we can tie him up.”
“No,” Jeremiah said. “I’m going to turn him in. I’ll head off to the stables and get a horse and wagon while you go and tend to Nathan.”
“But what about Trent?” Serena asked, her voice echoing her fear.
“He won’t come to in a hurry,” Jeremiah replied, throwing Trent a look of utter disdain.
Serena had already started running toward the cottage, calling out to Nathan as she did so. “Nathan!” she cried, bursting through the cottage door, but there was no reply.
“Nathan! Nathan!” Serena’s cries rent the air as she ran through the cottage and out the door again, flying down the steps and running this way and that.
“Serena!”
She heard his voice, and turned to see Jasper. He was carrying Nathan on his shoulders. “Jasper!” Serena gasped, and fell to her knees, weeping.
“Mama!” she heard Nathan sob and felt his thin arms around her neck, even as she felt Jasper’s strong arms lift her up and hold her against him.
“I’m sorry, Jasper. I can’t do this anymore. It’s too risky. I can’t wait for you to find Daniel. I have to leave…now.” When he said nothing, Serena turned to look up into his face. “Where did you go?” she asked.
“To find your husband,” he replied.
“But you didn’t, did you?” Serena remarked, overcome by a feeling of gloom and trepidation.
“I found the man he had gone to North Carolina with – Martin. Well, I didn’t meet him. I was told where I could find him. I would have gone to see him today, but something made me return to Steephill, and now I know why.”
“You knew Trent was here?”
“Trent? No! He returned?” Jasper asked, his voice rising.
“You said you knew why something made you return.”
“That’s you, Serena, not Trent.”
Jeremiah appeared, looking baffled. “He’s gone!” he announced to Serena, who pressed closer to Jasper.
“He was out cold,” Serena said softly. “How could he be gone? You said yourself that he wouldn’t come to in a hurry.”
“Maybe he has an accomplice who got him away before you went back,” Jasper remarked, after Jeremiah had told him what happened.
“He couldn’t have gone far, even if there was someone to help him get away,” Jeremiah replied.
“I need to go away from here,” Serena whispered to Jasper. “My being here is putting you all in danger.”
“What did Trent want?” Jasper asked.
“He was threatening me…like he has always done.”
“How did he know you were here in the first place?”
Serena shook her head. “I don’t know, Jasper. Perhaps the same person who helped him get away also told him I was here.”
“Which means it’s someone from here – from Steephill Ranch,” Jeremiah remarked.
“Trent knew I’d be alone here today,” Serena said suddenly. “So you’re right – his informer has to be somebody from here.”
Jasper took Nathan from Serena’s arms and walked up the porch steps. “Come, Serena, sit down on this chair for a while,” he said.
Serena walked shakily up the steps and Jasper took her hand and led her to the chair while he sat on a step with Nathan.
“I’m going to ride out to look for Trent,” Jeremiah said.
“No!” Serena said firmly. “Please, Jeremiah, no!”
“I’ll be fine,” Jeremiah assured her.
“I will never forgive myself if something happens to any of you. This is what Trent wants to do –torture me by harming you. Please don’t take the bait.”
“I have to agree with Serena,” Jasper said. “There’s no point pursuing Trent right now. Let him get away with believing he has one up on us. We will get him eventually.”
“We shouldn’t have let him go the last time,” Jeremiah lamented.
“We gave him a chance and he didn’t take it,” Jasper said, his voice grim. “Next time there won’t be a chance.”
“There’s something you must know,” Serena said to Jasper, and Jeremiah tactfully wandered away while still remaining in their line of vision.
“Come here, Nathan!” Jeremiah called out in a lighthearted tone. “Let me show you something.”
Serena nodded gratefully at him and then looked at Jasper. He reached out to take her hand, but she remained aloof.
“Please, Jasper,” Serena whispered, “we must be careful. Your mother has seen…and knows… what has transpired between us.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Jasper replied, looking confused.
“The night of Petula’s ball,” Serena said. “Your mother saw us. As did Jeremiah.”
“Jeremiah protected us by saying it was Molly, not you, who was with me,” Jasper replied.
“Yes, that was so kind of him…but he didn’t know that your mother had already seen us together, and she gave me a warning today that I must heed. So please, Jasper, forget me. I don’t know what to do right now because I need this job in order to take care of Nathan, but staying here puts you all in danger from Trent.”
“I will speak to Mother,” Jasper said, his voice hard.
“No, please don’t do that, Jasper. She will think I am trying to cause trouble between the two of you, which I most certainly am not trying to do at all.”
“It would seem that Mother is trying to cause trouble by attempting to run my life.”
“She wants the best for you, Jasper. You’re her eldest child and therefore you have to fulfill a certain role. You can’t do so if we continue to…” Serena’s voice trailed off. “You know, Jasper, I’m tired. I’m tired of running away and trying to survive on my own. I wish I didn’t have to leave my home to Trent. Sometimes I wish I had the courage to go back and reclaim it.”
“You mentioned that he took your ranch from you. How did he do it? Did you give it to him in repayment for a loan or something?”
“No,” Serena replied, shaking her head. “I just told him he could have it if he would please stop trying to assault me.”
“Yet now he’s back trying to assault you again. Why?”
“I suppose we shall find out when he picks on me again,” Serena replied.
“Something obviously triggered it,” Jasper said.
“Jasper, you need to know something else. Everyone here is talking about…you and me…the ball…”
“Could that have been the trigger for Trent to come around here?” Jasper asked, frowning.
“I really don’t know,” Serena replied. “It’s not like he was in love with me or anything. For heaven’s sake, he is as old as my father!”
“Then it’s something else,” Jasper reasoned. “It has to be.” He looked intently at Serena. “Your ranch – had you signed it over to him? Were there any documents to prove it is his now?”
Serena shook her head. “No. We signed no papers. He just told me the ranch was in debt and that he had worked hard to help me take care of it, and therefore I owed him. When I couldn’t pay him, he came after me for payment…of another kind…which I obviously refused.”
“Was the ranch really in debt?”
“I have no way of knowing. I was naïve. I allowed Trent to run the place for me while I tried to learn the ropes. I was concentrating on taking care of Nathan and managing on my own.”
“I think we need to do some digging. Obviously, Trent is feeling threatened for some reason.”
“He shouldn’t. I told him he could take whatever I had, but begged him to leave me alone. That’s when I ran away.”
“But the fact is, Serena, the ranch is still yours. There are no documents to prove otherwise. I will help you to reclaim it. It is your right and above all, it is Nathan’s rightful inheritance.”
Serena’s eyes widened. “I never really thought of it that way,” she said. “It’s true. My parents worked so hard to keep it going, and yes, Nathan deserves to have it.”
“So, what we need to do is to find out why Trent is threatened right now.”
“How do we accomplish that?”
“Leave it to me,” Jasper said. “And you take care of yourself while I’m away. Jeremiah will look out for you.”
Serena dropped her head into her hands. “I do wish my life wasn’t so complicated. I wish I could just be happy and at peace.”
Jasper’s eyes softened and he took her hand. “Serena, would you and Nathan come out with me? Just for a few hours? I’ll make sure I get you back before Mother and the rest of the family returns.”
“Your mother…if she found out…,” Serena began, but Jasper interrupted her.
“I want you to forget your problems for a while. We can take Jeremiah with us too. There’s a rodeo at a neighboring farm and there’ll be dancing afterwards. How long has it been since you let your hair down…literally?”
Serena looked at Jasper. “I can’t think of letting my guard down, when Trent is on the loose, Jasper,” she said.
“I think it’s just what you should do,” Jasper replied.
“Misty Creek isn’t a very big place. Your mother and everyone else will learn the truth.”
“Go on, wear something pretty and I’ll wait right here for you.”
Serena relented. I could do with a few hours of fun, she thought to herself; dressing hurriedly. She wore a sky blue dress and her fair hair fell in waves down her back. Jasper’s eyes spoke volumes as she walked out of the cottage with Nathan in tow.
“You dressed up too!” she exclaimed when she saw him.
“Yes,” Jasper replied. “I left Jeremiah here to keep watch. I needed to freshen up.”
“Are you ready?” Jeremiah called out from the pony trap.
“Yes,” Serena replied, feeling suddenly reckless.
Jasper swung Nathan up into his arms and the little boy clung to him.
Serena glanced at the dark haired, handsome man sitting next to her in the pony trap and watched him bounce Nathan on his knee and point out passing sights. For a moment she allowed herself the luxury of a fantasy in which she had a complete family again.
“This is fun,” Jeremiah remarked, smiling at her. “I think we all needed this after the recent events with Trent.”
“Let’s not talk about him for the next few hours,” Jasper said, and Serena nodded.
At the rodeo, Jasper took Nathan around, showing him the horses and the bulls. He greeted other ranchers and cowboys, but didn’t introduce Serena because she begged him not to.
“What is that tent?” Serena asked.
“Ah, that’s where the dance floor is,” Jasper replied.
“Here, let me take Nathan from you, Jasper,” Jeremiah offered, holding his arms out for the little boy. “You mustn’t let that music go to waste.”
“I do love the fiddles,” Serena breathed as Jasper led her onto the floor and they began to dance.
“You are so beautiful,” Jasper said, as he twirled her around. As his arm circled her waist, she felt that familiar surge of heat light up her body. She wanted to move closer to him, but she also wanted to cut loose and run. His fingers on the small of her back were burning through her dress and she was breathless with suppressed desire.
Jasper’s eyes were like two live embers as they roved over her body; sending arrows of desire into the deepest recesses of her being. Serena felt guilty. She had given Rebecca her word that she would keep away from Jasper, yet here she was, dancing with him. Before she knew it, they were out of the tent and in the thicket beyond, where Jasper enveloped her in a deep embrace, his lips seeking hers with urgency and passion.
“Oh, Serena, I’ve missed you so,” Jasper groaned, his hands moving up her back.
Serena came to her senses quite suddenly, and with a moan of protest, pushed Jasper away. “We said we wouldn’t do this,” she whispered, her voice heavy and hoarse with suspended passion.
“The pull is too strong, Serena, and I am powerless to resist it.”
“Nathan!” Serena exclaimed. “We have to see if Nathan is alright.”
“He’s with Jeremiah. Of course he’ll be alright,” Jasper said gruffly, attempting to hold Serena back. She began to run away, circling the tent to where she had left Nathan with Jeremiah, watching a barrel racing contest in progress.
“Serena!” Jeremiah said, hurrying toward her with Nathan in his arms.
“What happened?” Serena asked, seeing the urgency on Jeremiah’s face.
“Look…over there!”
Serena looked in the direction that Jeremiah was pointing toward, and froze. Trent was there…with Patsy.
“Patsy!” Serena exclaimed with a gasp. “That’s who his informer is. But why Patsy?”
“We will have to find out,” Jeremiah replied.
“What’s going on?” Jasper asked, running up to them, alarmed by the grave looks on their faces.
“Trent…with Patsy…”
“Patsy? Our Patsy?”
“Yes,” Serena replied through clenched teeth. “The very same.” She bit her lip. “I thought she was my friend.” She shook her head. “I was wrong.”
“I’m going to follow her and Trent,” Jeremiah said.
“No,” Jasper countered, “I will. You take Serena and Nathan home.”
“I don’t think it’s safe for any of us to follow those two. We don’t know who else they have as allies.”
“Alright then, Jeremy and I will follow them,” Jasper said. “You go on home in the pony trap, Serena. Will you be alright driving it alone?”
“I will,” Serena replied. “But what if I’m seen? Your parents might not like the fact that I went off in it in the first place.”
“If you’re seen, you may tell them that you wanted to go into town, and that I insisted you take the pony trap,” Jeremiah said.
“They’re moving away,” Serena pointed out.
“Quick, Jeremy,” Jasper said. “Let’s go.”
“What will you do if they have horses?” Serena called out, but the two Riley men had begun to make their way through the crowd, toward Patsy and Trent.