Chapter Three
Thinking about Paulina being in trouble was a little too much for Buck to think of and he just needed some air. Paulina was sleeping and Lark was sleeping. He could get some more coffee and perhaps talk with his family in hopes of relaxing. The doctor said she was going to be alright. He just needed to believe it. Buck slipped out the door and walked quietly down the stairs. He could hear Lou talking and Jimmy too. He sat down on the steps and listened.
"I remember when Buck first brought Paulina to meet us all," Jimmy said.
"That was a bit of a disaster, wasn't it?" Lou asked with a quiet laugh.
Lou was right. It was a bit of a disaster. Buck had met Paulina in the middle of May and it was July when he brought to Rachel's weekly Sunday supper. He had never brought a girl home to meet his family before. He wanted it to go perfectly, but it had gone every way but. He could not help smiling. The rest of the family really did not know the half of what happened that night with Paulina. Buck needed to remember times like that one. He needed to remember the happy times and believe that there were many more to come.
"Oh Buck, are you sure they will like me?" Paulina asked as Buck helped her into the buckboard.
"No, but I like you," Buck said with a mischievous smile.
Paulina hit him on the chest. "I'm being serious," she said. "Nobody's family ever likes me. I always say something stupid and then they hate me."
"Relax, you're gonna do just fine," Buck said smiling. He hopped up on the buckboard and sat beside her. "There is one thing I need to tell you before we leave."
"What's that?" Paulina asked curiously.
"I only told Rachel today that I was bringing someone with me to introduce to the family," Buck said hesitantly. "She had no idea we've been seeing each other."
Buck flicked the reins and the horse trotted along the road out of town. He looked over at Paulina, who was processing the information. A wry smile spread across her face.
"I'm a well guarded secret?" Paulina said with a hint of glee. "I've never been one of those before."
"I just wanted to warn you," Buck said. "They're all probably going to be looking you over really close."
"Do they do that with all the girls you bring home?" Pauline asked playfully.
"I don't know," Buck answered. "I've never brought home a girl before."
Paulina's eyes grew wide. "Stop the wagon," she said. She jumped off and started pacing.
Buck secured the reins and jumped down. He gathered Paulina in his arms. She beat his chest with her fists.
"It's gonna be alright," Buck said softly.
"No, no it isn't," Paulina said. "I'm a strange girl and they aren't prepared for it. They're going to tell you they don't like me. It won't even take long. They'll probably even say it to my face."
She broke his hold. "Take me home," she said. "This just isn't going to work tonight."
Buck was struck paralyzed at the thought. He could not come alone to dinner. He watched her pace and think. He loved watching her think. There were moments of hope and delight, but mostly it was scowls and frowns. He did not think anyone could be so beautiful when they scowled, but Paulina was one of a kind.
"Dammit, I have to go or I'll never be able to show my face," Paulina said. "Every time you show up to dinner without me will color their expectation. Any hope I have that they will like me, which is slim already, will be gone."
She climbed back in the wagon and crossed her arms. "I'm angry with you," she announced.
"It will be fine, you'll see," Buck said smiling hopefully. "We'll be the first ones there. You'll be able to meet Rachel and you'll hit it off."
"Are you sure we'll be the first people there?" Paulina asked.
"Yes, I'm always the first one there," he said with a hint of bitterness in his voice. "There's a good chance that it will only be the four of us. Kid and Lou, their children, and Lou's siblings Jeremiah and Theresa are usually slightly late when they are there at all and well, Jimmy hardly ever shows up anymore either."
Buck could not have been more wrong about the situation. He knew everything was different as soon as he pulled up to Rachel's house. Teaspoon and Jimmy were sitting on the porch. They were both keenly interested in the passenger on his buckboard. Buck could tell from the other wagon that Kid and Lou were here already too, but most surprising was the US Army branded horse tied to the hitching post. Buck swallowed hard. He turned to Paulina and gave her a nervous smile.
"I don't want you to get upset," Buck said after letting out a deep breath. "We're not the first ones here."
Paulina took a deep breath and let it out. "Alright, I can handle that. It just means I'll have to get used to more people right from the start."
Buck winced. "We're the last to arrive," he said as calmly as he could.
"Oh," Paulina said and bit her lower lip.
"There's more," Buck said sheepishly. "It looks like Cody is home from the army."
"Who's Cody?" Paulina asked.
"He's been gone for so long I didn't even think it was possible he'd be around," Buck tried to explain. "He used to ride with us for the Pony Express."
Paulina closed her eyes. "This is your whole family, isn't it?" she asked.
"Yes," Buck said, "But I'm sure they're gonna love you as much as I do."
"I can do this," Paulina repeated to herself over and over. "I can really do this."
"I'm sorry, Paulina," Buck said. "I didn't mean for you to end up in this position."
"You're lucky I love you, Buck Cross," Paulina said trying to be angry but she couldn't. She collapsed into his embrace instead. "I am so nervous."
"Everything will be fine," Buck said hugging her close.
The introductions had gone fine. Everyone was on their best behavior. Mostly they were trying to figure out the woman that Buck had lost his heart to.
Paulina felt comfortable around his family almost immediately. Perhaps that is why everything started to unravel as quickly as it did. Buck should have warned her. There were topics that were off limits to discuss at the supper table. None of them seemed so dangerous, really.
It all started when Cody was talking about his wife and daughter. Cody had been away for a while so he gave the full report. He told everyone of his wife, Louisa and how they met and fell in love.
"I guess her name would be hard to forget since you already knew a Louise," Paulina said trying to make a joke. "The way you describe her, she sounds like she looks a lot like Louise too."
She looked around the table at the blank stares and Kid and Jimmy rolled their eyes.
"Not that it was because of Louise that you fell for her," Paulina back pedaled. "I'm sure she's lovely and wonderful in her own right and I'm going to shut up now."
"So how old is the baby now?" Buck asked trying to change the subject and save Paulina.
Cody gave his head a subtle shake to knock loose his thoughts and then he smiled. "Well you'll remember her name is Arta and she's just a year and a half old. She's just the cutest thing you ever did see."
Buck clasped Paulina's hand underneath the table and she instantly relaxed. She perhaps relaxed a little too much. It was during dessert that Buck's family decided to interrogate Paulina. None of the questions were mean or too probing. The one thing that tripped her up never occurred to Buck to warn her about.
"So what do you do for fun, Paulina," Rachel asked.
"Well, I like to travel around, trains mostly, I don't care for steamer ships really," Paulina said. "Oh, and I read a lot on my trips. I sometimes pick up those dime novels at the newsstands and shops around."
"I'm a keen reader of dime novels myself," Cody said. "Which ones are your favorites?"
"Well for my money, the ones written by J.D. Marcus are the best," Paulina said.
Buck's look of comfort turned to absolute panic as Jimmy shifted uncomfortably in his seat, Lou and Kid looked ready to explode. Everyone else frowned and became really interested in their dessert.
"That man don't write nothin' but trash," Lou growled.
"Well, I mean they aren't works of great literature by any stretch of the imagination, but they are fun to read," Paulina said defensively, "Especially the one about 'Wild Bill'. That character was so memorable. I've always wondered why he stopped at just one book about him."
Paulina looked around the room. Buck watched as she slowly realized she had done just as she feared.
"Oh God, Buck," Paulina whispered to him near tears. "I did it didn't I. I said something stupid and now everyone hates me."
"No one hates you," Buck whispered back. "I should have warned you, I'm so sorry."
Paulina quickly looked around the room. "I'm so sorry for whatever it was I said wrong."
The room was really quiet and Paulina looked so uncomfortable. "Please take me home," she said quietly.
Buck stood up and pulled out her chair. Paulina ran from the room before Buck could explain. She stopped on the porch and Buck caught up with her.
"I'm so sorry, Paulina," Buck said pulling her into a hug. "It didn't occur to me that this would ever come up."
"What did I say, Buck?" Paulina asked.
"J.D. Marcus wrote the 'Wild Bill' story about Jimmy as a sort of revenge," Buck said. "It's almost gotten him killed more times than any of us care to count."
"Oh my God," Paulina said mortified. "I've got to go back in there and apologize."
Before Buck could stop her, Paulina marched back inside the house. Everyone was still sitting at the table. It didn't look like anyone had continued eating.
"I just wanted to apologize," Paulina said startling everyone. "I had no idea what you went through, Jimmy. I really didn't. Buck just told me. I am so sorry, all of you."
Buck stood behind her in support and he looked around at his family which was starting to soften to his lady.
"It's ok," Jimmy said and smiled. "Why don't you sit back down and finish enjoying this delicious cake Rachel made."
Paulina looked back at Buck and smiled. They both retook their seats at the table.
"Just how long have you known Buck, Paulina?" Jimmy asked in continuation of the earlier interrogation.
"Almost three months," Paulina answered shyly.
"He hid you from us for three months?" Jimmy asked astounded.
"Well, he probably didn't want us all to scare you away," Cody said mischievously.
"Did you know Buck snores?" Jimmy revealed.
"And don't ever take his medicine pouch," Cody warned. "I learned that the hard way. Although it seems if your belief in the spirits were real, Buck, you would have noticed it was gone."
"Come on," Buck said. "She doesn't need to hear all that stuff."
"Ha ha ha, nice try, Buck," Lou taunted him and turned to Paulina. "You know, for a while he couldn't help a lady without getting kidnapped or held at gunpoint."
Buck hid his face in his hands.
"Then there was that time with the goat," Cody reminded them.
"This isn't happening," Buck lamented.
"He can't seem to stay on Tompkins' good side," Kid added.
"Hey, in all fairness, neither can anyone else," Buck defended.
Paulina giggled and she took Buck's hand in her own.
Buck smiled. He knew right then that if Paulina could accept him embarrassing stories and all, perhaps they were really meant to be together. Buck stood up from the top step and walked down the rest of the stairs. He accepted a hug from Rachel and Lou went into the kitchen to make more coffee.
"How is she doing, Son?" Teaspoon asked for all of Buck's family waiting in his parlor.
"She woke up briefly but she's asleep now," Buck answered. "Lark's sleeping too."
"You want us to get the doc?" Jimmy asked.
"Nah, he said he'd come back in the morning," Buck answered. "He said if she woke up, it was really good. He said, she was probably going to be fine in about a week or so."
Buck looked up at the ceiling. He did not know how to do this. He did not know how to ask his family to stay. There was not a reason for them to stay. The doctor had said she would be fine, but he just wanted them around. He wanted to lean on them, because he was still scared. He just did not know how to ask.
"Well it's late," Kid said looking around the room.
Buck down cast his eyes and nodded sadly.
"So, there's no reason for us to leave until the morning," Kid finished.
Buck looked up relieved.
"We can take turns sitting with her if you like," Rachel offered.
Buck nodded and offered a weak smile. "Thanks. I should get back upstairs and make sure Lark is alright."
