Chapter 34

Although the next several days passed without incident, Jess remained on edge. He continued to have the strong feeling that Aaron Cooley would reappear and that there would be trouble sooner rather than later. Bryce had reported back on Monday afternoon that he had found signs of at least two campfires south of town. He had also found signs of several horses around the campsites. This worried Jess even more. Bryce had scouted out all the other directions from town in the following days, but he had found no other signs of a camp. This fact just enhanced Jess's suspicions that Aaron and whoever was with him may have been involved in the fire at the Wilsons last week. However, he couldn't prove anything. If Aaron had been telling the truth about coming from California, he could have very well come in from the south of town. But Jess really didn't think he was telling the truth about receiving a telegram from Leroy. And Aaron had ridden into town alone. That didn't explain the signs of several horses at the campsites.

Rock Springs had been abuzz with activity all week. Children filled the streets each morning and afternoon before and after school, and the upcoming dance on Friday was the talk of the town. Jess soon learned that the Fall Dance and Pie Baking Contest had been a tradition for several years. When he had been in Rock Springs several years ago, it had been springtime. So he had not experienced the town's excitement over this event before now. Ma Poole had been going through all her pie recipes and had tried out several new ones on her boarders. As far as Jess was concerned they should all win first place, but Ma hadn't decided until Friday morning which one she was going to bake today for the contest. The breakfast and dinner table at the boarding house had also been the site of spirited conversation all week. It was obvious to Jess that Lori Hanaford was a born teacher. She was excited each morning about teaching her students, and she was thrilled with their progress each evening. She also seemed to have a wonderful sense of humor and didn't mind relating some of the boys' antics that had happened each school day, which she had been able to handle with grace and ease. Jeff Turner hung on her every word. Both Jess and Ma were sure that their budding romance would end in matrimony. However, Ma expressed privately to Jess during one of their mid-morning coffee breaks that she hoped Lori would not give up teaching for several years since the parents were thrilled with the new schoolteacher.

Friday morning passed very slowly for Jess at the office. Bryce had come back from scouting out the area north of town around noon and had reported that he had seen nothing unusual. After Bryce had gone over to the café for lunch, the conversation between Ben and Jess turned again to Aaron Cooley.

"Jess, do you think that he's just gone on and has no plans to return?" Ben leaned back in his desk chair.

"That would surprise me. But it has been strangely quiet all week. I still cain't figure why he would have come to church last Sunday unless he was plannin' something." Jess was thumbing through the latest batch of wanted posters that had arrived that morning.

"So ya think there'll be trouble tonight at tha dance?"

"Cain't say. But I did want ta talk about the dance with ya. Do you usually ask one of tha ladies to dance?"

Ben burst out laughing, "Unless they come up with a new dance called "The Limp," I won't be visitin' the dance floor in this life again."

Jess realized what he had just said, "I'm sorry, Ben."

"Now don't look so serious, Jess. It don't bother me at all." He realized that his words were not making Jess feel any better about what he had just said. "I mean it. It don't bother me. I do usually go ta the dance, but I hang out at the pie table. As soon as Rev. Douglas finishes judging the pies, I want to be first in line to get a slice of one of 'em."

Jess laughed. "Okay. But I need ya ta do a little more than that this year."

"Yeah?"

"Can you watch the edges of the crowd during the dance this year? I promise I'll have Rev. Douglas put aside several pieces of the best pies for ya."

"You really do think Cooley is gonna try somethin' during the dance, don't ya?"

"I wouldn't put it past 'im. I promised Bill I'd stay right beside Caroline the entire time, but I need to know what's happening on the edges of the town square. I don't want to be caught by surprise." Jess tossed the three new wanted posters on his desk, knowing that he would need to show them to Carrie soon. But he really didn't want to do that today of all days. He didn't want to upset her just hours before the dance. If he had thought that any of the faces on the posters were of the fake shotgun rider, he would have gone straight to the General Store. But none of them seemed to fit what Carrie had described to him about the man.

"Well, I hope this comes ta a head soon. I'm not real shor' the town council will hire Bryce for more than the two weeks they agreed to." Ben was serious now. He had noticed that the town council was always careful about approving things that cost extra money.

"Yeah, I've thought the same thing, Ben. I hav' the feelin' that they won't stand for me staying in town and letting Bryce scout the area much longer. They agreed 'cause they saw the need to protect Caroline. But if nothing happens by the end of next week, they're not gonna see the need any longer." Jess had stood up from his desk and was now pacing the room as he had done so often since he had released Aaron Cooley from jail.

The afternoon passed as slowly as the morning had, but finally it was time to leave work. Jess hurried back to the boarding house to put on the clothes that he normally wore to dances back in Laramie.

"My don't you look nice, Jess." Ma said as he rushed down the stairs toward the front door of the boarding house.

Jess smiled at her, "Well, a man's gotta git all duded up when he has a date for the dance, don't he?"

"Of course."

"Ma are ya sure that you can git your pies over there without my help?" Jess paused at the front door.

"Donnie's gonna help me. And Jeff and Lori have offered also. You go have a good time with Caroline." Ma brushed him on his way, "Ya don't want ta be late fetching her, do ya?"

"No, Ma'am." Jess couldn't help but be elated that Caroline had readily agreed to go with the dance with him. He was excited about spending the evening with her even though Aaron Cooley never left his mind entirely.

He knocked on the Simpson's door only to be greeted by Bill and Julia. "Come in, Jess. Caroline will be down in a minute." Bill announced.

"I'll go see what's keeping Carrie and Mandy." Julia said as she climbed the stairs.

Amanda looked over Caroline one last time, "I keep telling you that you look gorgeous, Carrie. I've never seen you so flustered over what to wear to a dance."

Caroline looked in the mirror one last time, "You really think that this green one is the best."

"He'll think you look beautiful. But he probably won't be tickled if you're still up here when the dance starts." Amanda shook her head at her sister, "Course if you ask me, I think that Jess Harper would think you look beautiful in any dress."

"I don't know why you keep saying that, Mandy. I heard Papa tell Ma the other day that he was only allowing me to go tonight because Jess promised to look out for me."

"Well, that may be what our father said, but I am very sure that Jess would have asked you to the dance even without all of this." Amanda hadn't wanted to bring up the situation, but she didn't understand why her sister didn't recognize just how much Jess Harper was interested in her. "I don't know why you don't see it. It's written all over his face every time you're near him."

"Well, we'll see."

Amanda headed toward the bedroom door, "And if you want to know what I think, I think you're mighty interested in him, too. Your face lights up every time you see him or hear him or even hear his name mentioned."

Just then they heard Julia calling them as she came down the hallway toward their bedroom, "Girls, you two must be ready to go. Jess is here, Carrie."

"Just like you're doing now." Amanda whispered to her sister as they rushed down the hall to go downstairs.

"Oh, hush." Carrie whispered back, but she smiled at Mandy when she said it.

Bill and Jess were still standing near the front door talking as the women came down the stairs. His eyes met Carrie's while she was still coming down the last few steps. Once again he was taken with her beauty. He didn't mean to stare, but he loved how she looked in the dark green dress. He recovered his composure in a second and gave her his most endearing smile, "Hello, Caroline, you look lovely."

"Hello, Jess. I apologize for keeping you waiting."

Before they could say anything else to each other, Julia said, "Well, I think we are all ready to go except for the pies. Bill, Mandy, could you help me carry them?"

Jess turned to Bill, "If you don't mind, I think that Carrie and I will walk on down to the town square." Then looking at Julia, "Unless you need us to take some of the pies over."

"Oh no, Jess. I made three. So we can get them. You two go on and we'll be right behind you."

"Alright then. Julia, Bill, Amanda, see you all there." Jess was glad that he and Caroline could walk down to the dance by themselves.