Mending Their Broken Hearts
"Candy, are you serious?" Jeremy was shocked. "I c-c-can't believe it!"
"I'm sorry, Jeremy. I never meant to hurt you." She replied softly.
"I think you mean you never meant for me to find out. And I wouldn't have found out, would I? If you hadn't gotten pregnant." He looked at her with tears streaming down his face.
Candy and Jeremy were at the old Bolt home place. They rode up there in her buggy because she needed to talk to him in private.
"Oh, Jeremy! I know you are hurt and I'm sorry! Yes, you are right. I never would have told you if I wasn't pregnant. This is ridiculous to say but I didn't mean to get involved with Clint Randolph. You were gone on that long business trip to San Francisco for two months. Clint and I started taking walks in the woods. One day he kissed me. Then about three weeks later, we started sleeping together." Candy told him. "We had dinner at Lottie's several times after that first kiss and took a walk together every day."
"Where did you sleep with him, Candy?" Jeremy inquired.
"What? Why do you want to know that? What difference does that make?" Miss Pruitt questioned.
"I want to know. Please tell me. Where?" He stared at her.
Candy turned away from him. "It was here, Jeremy. In your parents' cabin, I'm sorry."
"That's what I thought." He sat down on the sofa burying his face in his hands.
Candy sat at the table. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes.
Jeremy walked over to the table and crouched in front of Candy.
"Sweetheart, have you told Clint about the baby?" He asked.
"No, I haven't told him. I wanted to explain things to you first." Miss Pruitt answered.
"Don't tell him. We can get married real soon and no one will ever know that the baby isn't mine biologically. But I promise you, Candy, the baby will be mine in every other way. Please marry me, Candy. I love you and I will love the baby." Jeremy smiled brightly at her.
"Oh, Jeremy! You are such a wonderful man!" She caressed his cheek. "I can't marry you. I am going to marry Clint. He proposed last week. I was going to tell you before we left here. I never dreamed that you would still want to marry me." Candy replied.
Jeremy stood up. He was stricken."You don't love me anymore, do you? You love Randolph! I made a fool out of myself accepting a baby that isn't mine and to top it off, I proposed to my fiancée who cheated on me! Say it! I want to hear you say it. Tell me that you don't love me."
"Why do I have to say it? You know that's how I feel. I'm sorry." She cringed.
"I need to hear you tell me so I can be free of loving you, Candy. Please do that much for me." Young Bolt explained.
"Jeremy, I don't love you, anymore. It's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong." Candy spoke softly.
"Well, that hurt more than I thought it would." Jeremy sobbed.
Candy opened her arms to hug him.
"No! You can't break my heart and then try to make it all better, Candy!" He backed away.
"You wanted me to say it! So I did!" Candy barked.
Jeremy stopped crying. "Yes, I did. You're right. Thank you. Now I can let you go."
"Yes, you can let me go." Miss Pruitt spoke sadly.
"Are you ready to go home?" He asked quietly.
"Yes. Jeremy, what are you going to tell everyone?" She questioned.
" I will tell Jason and Joshua everything so they won't wonder if I abandoned you with a baby. I'll tell other people that we broke up. I'm not going to tell the world that you cheated on me." He answered.
"Your brothers would not think that you abandoned me. They know you better than that. You would never do that." Candy had tears in her eyes.
"No, I wouldn't do that." Jeremy spoke very softly as he gazed at her.
They rode back to Seattle in silence. When they said goodbye at the door of the dormitory, Jeremy reached to kiss her on the cheek out of habit, but he pulled back.
"Oh, Jeremy! How did we get here? I'm so sorry!" Candy hid her face in his shoulder.
"I guess we weren't meant to be. If we were, you wouldn't have fallen in love with Randolph." Jeremy replied.
"I suppose so. I'm sorry I hurt you. You will be alright, won't you?" Candy was concerned.
"Sure Candy. I'll be okay." He lied. "Listen, if you ever need my help. Wait, you won't need my help, will you? You will have your husband to help you. Be happy, Candy. Best wishes for you and your baby." Jeremy spoke.
"Thank you, Jeremy. I better go inside. It's getting cold." She said.
Jeremy stepped off the porch. He watched her go in and close the door.
Young Bolt ran home to his brothers. He collapsed in tears on the sofa.
"Jeremy! What happened? Are you hurt? Is Candy hurt? Talk to us, brother!" Jason spoke urgently.
Through much sobbing and stuttering, Jeremy told his siblings what had of them were shocked.
"Jeremy, why didn't you let us know that you and Candy were having problems?" Joshua inquired.
"I didn't know there was a problem until today, Josh. No one can fix it." He said mournfully.
"Maybe there is something we can do, Jeremy. What's the problem?" The blond brother asked.
"Candy doesn't love me anymore. I asked her to tell me so I could be free from loving her and she did." Jeremy answered.
Jason and Joshua sat down on the sofa with Jeremy between them. The youngest brother leaned against Jason as he cried again.
"I'll never stop loving her, Jason! I can't!" Jeremy sobbed pitifully.
"Your pain is new right now and it seems like it will never get better. But it will, Jeremy. It will, I promise, brother." Jason consoled him.
Time went by and Jason was right. Jeremy gradually recovered from the pain of losing his fiancée to another man.
He even dated a new young woman in town on and off. Her name was Hannah Hickman. She was his age. Hannah moved to Seattle with her parents, Floyd and Myrtle Hickman. went to work at the logging camp. He and Jason became good friends.
The family moved to Seattle from Olympia where Hannah had taken nurses' training. She went to work for Doctor Wright at the hospital.
Jeremy and Hannah made a striking couple. She had coal black hair and sparkling green eyes. When they were together they talked and laughed easily with each other.
One night when they had been seeing each other for several months, they went to the lake after dinner at Lottie's. Jeremy had drank a bit too much because he had seen Candy that afternoon at Ben's Store. It was the first time he had seen her in weeks. When he spoke to her, she avoided his eyes and left the store quickly.
Hannah and Young Bolt were seated on a blanket on the grass. They talked about how lovely the stars were and how the moonlight shone brightly on the water.
Hannah shivered and Jeremy removed his suede jacket to wrap it around her.
"Thank you, Jeremy. Your jacket helps, however, I'm still a little cold. Please put your arms around me." Hannah spoke.
"Okay, I will be happy to hold you." He smiled as he enfolded her into his arms.
Hannah turned her head toward him so it would be easy for him to kiss her. The beating of his heart against her back and the scent of whisky on his breath were driving her mad with desire.
She whispered, "Kiss me."
Jeremy kissed her firmly on her mouth. He began kissing her neck . When his hand touched the buttons on her blouse, he stopped and looked into her eyes,
"Yes, Jeremy! I want you! It's alright! " Hannah whispered urgently.
He unbuttoned her blouse and she sat up slightly to help him remove it from her body. He threw the garment to the side. Hannah put her hand on his belt buckle.
"Are you sure, Hannah?" Jeremy whispered.
"Yes, I'm very sure, darling." She replied.
Both of them stood up and undressed completely.
"My God! You are so beautiful!" Jeremy gazed at her in the moonlight.
"I want you, Jeremy!" Hannah's voice was full of emotion.
When they reached the heights of their pleasure, Hannah screamed Jeremy's name and collapsed on the blanket with a deep sigh. Jeremy groaned and stuttered Hannah's name.
As he rested his head on her chest, Young Bolt laughed softly.
"Why are you laughing?" She ran her fingers through his hair.
" I can't believe I stuttered. I'm sorry, I hope I didn't hurt your feelings." He lifted his head to look at her face.
"No, Jeremy. You didn't hurt my feelings. I think it was sweet." Hannah replied.
"I don't know about sweet, but I'm glad I didn't upset you. Hannah, I…" Young Bolt hesitated.
"What do you want to say, darling? Go ahead. It's alright." Hannah encouraged him.
"It's getting late. I need to take you home." He responded.
They got dressed fast and folded the blanket. When they got in the buggy, Hannah placed her hand on Jeremy's arm.
"Jeremy, I don't want to go home. I want to spend the night with you. Not at your cabin, of course, but somewhere. Maybe Lottie's?" She explained.
Jeremy smiled at her. "I would love for us to stay together tonight. But what about your parents? Especially your father. If I don't take you home, they will figure out what happened and your father will want to kill me."
"I'm a grown woman, Jeremy. Don't worry about my folks. I will talk to Mama. She will take care of Daddy. He won't kill you. I give you my word." Hannah stroked his arm.
"Okay, thank you, honey. Let's go to Lottie's. I have a key." Jeremy replied.
They slipped quietly into the saloon. Jeremy got a room key. They giggled like children as they tried to sneak up the creaky staircase.
When the young couple were in their room, Hannah frowned. "Jeremy, I'm hungry. I should have said something before we came upstairs. I guess I was too concerned about us getting up the steps quietly."
"I think you were too busy laughing. We both were." Jeremy chuckled. "I'll go get us something. Be right back."
"Thank you, Jeremy." She said as he left the room.
When Young Bolt returned, he had roast beef sandwiches, pickles, and a bottle of champagne. It was too late to make coffee. Hannah had set up an area for them to eat with a bedside table which she had moved away from the bed and a chair on each end of the table.
As they were eating, Hannah got gravy on her mouth from the sandwich. "Oh, dear, I don't have a napkin or a towel."
"Let me help you, sweetheart." Jeremy left his seat and went to her.
He leaned down and very gently kissed her lips removing the gravy from Hickman kissed him so hard that he panted for breath momentarily when she stopped.
"I love you, Hannah. Do you love me?" Jeremy whispered.
"Yes, Jeremy, I love you." Hannah cried. "I love you so much."
Jeremy picked her up and carried her to the rocking chair that was in the room. He sat down holding her in his arms. Jeremy rocked her gently in the chair.
Hannah fell asleep in Jeremy's arms. He undressed her to her pantaloons and placed her carefully on the bed. He removed his clothes down to his pink long John's and got in bed. When he laid down, Hannah turned toward him and placed her head on his chest.
Early the next morning, Hannah woke Jeremy by kissing his neck several times. They made love and fell asleep afterwards.
When Lottie knocked on the door at 7 am, they were startled awake.
"You kids are gonna be late to work if you don't hurry. I have covered for both of you until 8am. Get moving!" The saloon keeper said pleasantly.
"Thank you, Lottie!" They called out in unison.
The couple dressed quickly and left before anyone saw them. The breakfast crowd had already gone.
"Jeremy, did you have a good time last night on your date with Miss Hickman?" Jason asked.
The three brothers were in the office tent at the camp.
"Yes, I did, Jason. Hannah had a great time too." Jeremy grinned.
The oldest brother smiled. "Uh, oh! Josh, I believe our baby brother is in love!"
"I think you are correct, Jason. You will notice how calm he stays when I grab him in a playful headlock!" Joshua put his arm around Jeremy's neck and pretended to squeeze.
In return, Jeremy pretended to kick his brother in a painful area.
"Okay, boys!" Jason laughed heartily. "Let's get to work!"
The brothers and their crews were working on the same area today. They were in the middle of moving logs to the flume when Joshua saw an unusual sight.
"Look, Jason! Jeremy! What are they doing way up here?" He asked.
The oldest and the youngest brothers turned around to see what Joshua was talking about. Lottie and Doctor Wright were approaching them in the doctor's buggy.
"Corky! Swede! Billy! Each of you take charge of a crew until we get back!" Jason shouted over the noise of the men working.
"Okay, Jason!" Corky yelled.
"Be glad to, Jason!" Billy shouted.
Swede came running to Jason and his brothers. "I'll be happy to stay here and lead a crew, Jason. May I ask what the trouble is? You might need my help with that. I saw the ladies coming in the buggy. I know that means something is wrong."
"I appreciate that Swede and you're right. We might need your help. Come with us. Brothers, let's meet the ladies part of the way." Jason spoke.
The four men proceeded down the hill toward Allyn's buggy. When the doctor saw them, she stopped.
"Hello, Allyn! Hello, Lottie! What's the trouble?" Jason inquired.
The women said good afternoon. Then Allyn explained the reason they were there.
"Jeremy, I think I should speak directly to you about this situation because it is about Candy." Doctor Wright said.
"Oh, God! Candy's not injured is she? Doctor, is she d-d-dead?" Jeremy was trembling.
"No, Jeremy. Candy is not injured or deceased. She has missed her last two appointments with me. She is almost eight months along. Soon it will be time for her to have a weekly appointment. I'm concerned because she has missed two consecutive appointments without any type of explanation or rescheduling of the appointment." Doctor Wright advised.
"That doesn't sound like Candy. She would want to do everything she could to be sure that her baby is healthy." Jeremy replied.
"Yes, I agree, Jeremy. That's why I feel it is necessary for me to visit Candy at her home. I'm also afraid that it is necessary to have you and your brothers accompany Lottie and me to Candy's cabin." Allyn said.
Jeremy was worried. He glanced at Jason. The oldest brother put his arm around Jeremy's shoulders.
"Don't be scared, Jeremy. I'm sure Candy is alright." Jason told him. "Allyn, we will be glad to go with you. Why do you feel that our presence is needed?" Jason asked.
Allyn Wright looked at Lottie. "Honey, do you want me to tell them?" Miss Hatfield inquired.
The doctor nodded. "It might be easier for Jeremy to hear it from you."
Jeremy was frightened. "Jason!" He whispered as he clutched his brother's arm.
"It will be alright, Jeremy. Joshua and I are here." Jason reassured him.
Joshua put his hand on his younger brother's shoulder.
"I'm here too if you need me, Jeremy." Swede spoke.
Jeremy looked at his brothers and his friend. "Thank you."
"Tell us, Lottie, please." Young Bolt spoke.
"Alright, Jeremy. The last time Candy was in the doctor's office, she had lost weight instead of gaining as she was supposed said she didn't have much appetite due to some late term morning sickness. She was pale and disheveled which she said was due to not sleeping well the night before. Also, Jeremy, Candy had several bruises on her forearm as if she had used it to keep someone from hitting her in the face." Lottie explained.
"Hitting her! That bastard Randolph has been hitting her! That's why she missed her appointments. She is ashamed for anyone to see her beaten!" Jeremy was livid. "I'll kill him for hurting her! How could that jackass treat her like that!"
Jason and Joshua held tightly to their brother. "Try to settle down, Jeremy. We understand you being angry but you need to focus on helping Candy not on revenge against Randolph." Jason advised.
Jeremy took some deep breaths. " You're right, Jason. I'm not gonna kill the guy. I will focus on helping Candy. I might beat the hell out of him, but I won't kill him."
"Doctor Wright, why didn't you tell us all of this two months ago?" Joshua asked.
"I didn't say anything then because Candy hadn't missed any appointments and her explanations made sense. She told me the bruises were from catching herself when she fell. I should have said something sooner. I deeply regret that I didn't." Allyn explained.
"That makes sense, Doctor. I understand why you didn't say anything before today." Joshua replied.
The two ladies and the four men traveled to Candy's home. On the way, Jason commented that Randolph had not been at work for several days. Lottie said she had not seen Candy in town in quite some told the group about seeing her at the store yesterday.
When the group arrived at the Randolph house, it was quiet. There were no signs of anyone being at home. The Bolts and Swede went to the door. When Jason knocked on the door, there was no response.
Swede glanced at Jason. He nodded. Swede gave the door a big shove with his shoulder and it opened.
Joshua motioned for the doctor and Lottie to wait in the buggy. Jeremy ran into the cabin calling Candy's name.
"Candy! Candy! Where are you? Answer me, please! It's Jeremy!" He called out.
Suddenly, Jeremy and the other men heard a muffled sound. Was it crying?
"Jeremy?" A weak voice spoke.
"That's her! I'll look in the bedrooms first." Jeremy told them.
"Okay, Jeremy. Let Joshua go with you. Swede and I will search for Randolph." Jason spoke.
The men split up and searched the dwelling. In a minute or two, Jeremy and Joshua found Candy in her bedroom on the floor.
The two brothers knelt beside her. Jeremy gently lifted her upper body into his arms. He cried as he stared at her face. She had a black eye, a bruise on her cheek, and her lip was busted.
"Candy! Oh, Candy! Why did I let you marry this idiot? Why didn't I fight for you?" He spoke softly.
"I'll go get Doctor Wright and Lottie." Joshua spoke.
"Thanks, Josh." Young Bolt kept his eyes on Candy.
Joshua ran out of the room shouting to Jason that they had found her.
"Sweet girl, it's Jeremy. Can you hear me?" He asked softly.
The red head stirred a bit. "Jeremy, he tried to kill us. He thinks the baby is yours."
"Why does he think the baby is mine?" He questioned.
"Because I told him so." She replied.
More to come….