Chapter 7

Note: The dress mentioned in this chapter is inspired by the fan art of *lily-fox. : - )


In town, Woody headed straight for the post office, or at least he would have done had he not been stopped every so often by people he knew from when he used to work there. Bo stayed at his side, acknowledging others when Woody introduced her, but otherwise remained rather quiet.

Inside the post office, Woody paid for a telegram service and handed the clerk the letter Bo had seen him writing so fervently not more than an hour ago. With the postal business complete, Woody turned to Bo.

"How about we go and get some lunch at the cafe across the square? I hear the owner's wife is quite a cook," he added, Bo putting her arm through his as they left the building. "And then, perhaps, we can do a little shopping."

"Woody, all this expense?" Bo looked up at him, and he smiled at her.

"Have you forgotten I'm a man of means now, Bo? That land belongs to me. And I know it must be worth something for Brad to act in the way he did."

Bo cringed slightly at the use of the name so carelessly dropped into the sentence, and Woody sucked in his breath.

"Oh Bo, I'm sorry."

"It's fine." She reassured him with a gentle pat on his arm. "It's just something I need to get used to, after all."

"Maybe over lunch I can tell you what the letter was about, now it's sent and out of the way." Woody said, trying to make it up to her.

"I'd like that." Bo had been curious after all, and they entered the cafe across the square, arm in arm still.


Many minutes later they were seated at a quiet table in a far corner, sipping coffee as Woody related the contents of his thoughts and telegram to an inquisitive Bo.

"The telegram I sent, Bo. It was to Jessie."

Bo couldn't hide her shock. "Jessie? Whatever were you telegramming her for?"

"Because I don't know where she lives, Bo. I only know the location of the place she used to work."

"So you sent a telegram to her work? Why?"

"Because I kept thinking about what you said. There will be a salvation to the crisis, and you were right. What better way to break the bond the Miller's have over you than to sell the land?"

"Sell the farm?" Bo gasped, and Woody shook his head.

"I'm not selling the farm, Bo. It's the only place I have to bring in money. No, I intend to put a fence up across four of the fields – the ones for the sheep and the cattle, and then the one with the oak tree on the slope, and then we'll need another as a paddock area."

Bo looked at him. "A paddock?"

"Yes. It's all so simple, Bo. We build a small stable area for horses, and we move the ones from the stable where Jessie works, over to the farm. Jessie can look after them, and we can take on any stable hands that happen to be working where she is at the moment."

"Woody..." Bo was quiet for a few moments, then said, "I think that's so wonderful."

"You do?"

Bo put her hand over his. "I do. That's such a kind thing to do. I know how much you fretted for Jessie's problem. I'm sure she'll jump at the chance."

"Well, we'll see. I need to await what her letter says before I go doing anything rash."

"Well, even if you wanted to sell the land, there's nothing to stop you. And we really should clean up the farmhouse..." Bo mused aloud, and Woody laughed softly at her sudden enthusiasm.

"You're right, Bo. We really should. Perhaps..." he thought for a moment. "Perhaps we could live in the farmhouse when it's looking better, and I could rent the cottage to Jessie? Then she wouldn't have to travel for miles every day?"

"Where do you come up with such ideas?" Bo was gazing at the cowboy with a smile plastered over her face.

"I don't know. They just came to me, like a bolt of lightning."

"Maybe it's Mr Hayward, pointing you in the right direction." Bo suggested, and Woody chuckled.

"Maybe he's looking out for us, Bo. Maybe this is his blessing."


After their lunch, they took a walk around the town, passing the church where Bo had entered so many months previous to find her calling to Charlottesville. She gazed fondly at the place, remembering what the life out working for missionaries had taught her to be thankful for, and then they moved on.

She gazed into the shops at all the material possessions, noticing a pretty red frock in one window. She stared at it for quite some time, noting the detail on the skirt, as Woody wrapped his arm around her waist.

"You like it?"

Bo nodded slightly.

"I could...buy it for you, if you wanted."

"No Woody, it'd be too expensive." She refused to even consider the notion.

"Bo...you're my girl now, remember? You can have anything you want."

"You mean that?" She turned to glance up at him, and his look was genuine.

"Anything, mademoiselle." He teased, and she rolled her eyes, turning back to look at the dress.

"It is beautiful," she conceded after a few moments more, and he pulled her away from the window and into the shop on hearing this.

"Then we better buy it for you, with shoes to match, hadn't we?"


Later that evening, on their return to the cottage, Bo put on the new red dress again whilst alone in the bedroom. She couldn't believe how generous Woody had been with his emotions and his money that day. She'd rarely had any gifts from Brad, who lived on the breadline daily, and his father had been no help to his son when it came to money. So the dress, while unexpected entirely, was also somewhat of a note to how different Woody was to Brad.

She sighed, taking off the dress slowly. She'd save it for best, she decided, folding it neatly and storing it in the box it had come in, putting back on her usual pink attire and picking up the small bag that sat on the floor. She tipped it up and out fell a jumble of things – a thin neckscarf, two boxes; one large, one small; a pair of gloves, and a paper wrapped parcel.

She put the scarf and gloves to one side and opened the paper parcel, gazing at the jewellery inside it. There was a small red bracelet and a small silver locket nestled there, and she fingered them for a moment before laying the package open on the bed next to her. She picked up the larger of the two boxes, taking out the red bonnet that was folded neatly inside it. Woody had brought her red shoes too, all this in favour of accessorizing the beautiful red dress.

She glanced down at the bed, noting the small box that lay unopened. She didn't remember him buying her anything else. Just as she picked up the box, turning it over, about to open it, she heard footsteps on the stairs and Woody burst into the room, waving a telegram, just as she clicked the small box open.

"Jessie said yes!" Woody shouted gleefully from the door, and then noticed exactly what Bo was doing. He bit his lip, and watched her.

"Oh Woody, that's great!" Bo enthused happily, and then noticed his expression change in a moment. "What?" She looked down at the box in her lap and gasped. "Is this...?"

His reply was stuttered. "Silver? Yes."