Jesse by Barbara Goss (namjoon book recommendations txt) 📕

When Jesse finally took Charlie back to Sean’s, Sean pulled Jesse aside.  “Thank you for helping out.”

Jesse winked. “I wanted to make sure you two had enough time to... um... ”

“Nah, nothing like that yet.  We need to get better acquainted before that happens.  I wanted Charlie out of the way so we could discuss what to do with her.  She has her bonnet set on staying here, in Sunset Creek.  Sophia wants her to stay, but I can’t see us getting to know each other with a third person always around.”

“I see,” Jesse said.  “You two need to get better acquainted.  Have you decided?”

“Yes.  I finally got Sophia to agree that Charlie needs to go back home.”

“Where is home?” Jesse asked.

“Niagara Falls, New York. They bought one-way stagecoach tickets to get here.  I agreed to pay train fare, but the nearest rail line is Cheyenne.  How will I get her there?  I can’t leave Sophia alone so soon.  She doesn’t know anyone here.”

“I’ll take Charlie to Cheyenne.  Maybe I can pick up a few new pieces of furniture while I’m there.”

“You’re a good friend to offer, Jesse, but it wouldn’t be decent for the two of you to travel alone together.”

“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that.  I’ve been out of society too long, I guess.”

Sean sighed. “I’ll figure something out.”

Jesse hadn’t been sure if he should offer his services or not, but he liked Charlie.  He still had feelings for Delia, too.  Delia was feminine and lovely, but Charlie was cute and fun.  Being with Charlie was like being with Judd or Sean—he felt right at home with her.  Delia was beautiful, but Jesse hoped there was more to her than her appearance.  So far, he had seen nothing exciting about her other than her exquisite beauty.

“If you need some time alone with Sophia, I’ll take Charlie off your hands for a few hours.  We had fun today.  We never made it to town—we did target shooting, instead.  She’s a crack shot.”

 “Are you sure she won’t be a burden?” Sean asked.

“Not at all.”

“You’ve just given me an idea, but I need to talk to Sophia about it first. For now, let’s make one day a week your day with Charlie. How would Wednesday be for you?”

Jesse shrugged.  “Fine.  I still haven’t decided if I want to work again or not.”

“You mean go back to bounty hunting?”

“It’s all I know, Sean.”

Charlie had loved her time with Jesse and thought him amusing for such a tough-looking fellow.  She hoped she’d see more of him if she stayed in Sunset Creek.  Jesse was a lot more personable than Sean’s friend, Roy, and she didn’t care for his wife, Gwen, either.  Mac was nice enough, but his wife, Ida, was high and mighty acting.  So far, Jesse was her favorite of Sean’s friends.

As she changed out of her riding outfit, she wondered why Sean and Sophia seemed to push her at Jesse.  She supposed they needed some time alone.  She’d have to make a special point to take more horseback rides through the meadows.

She slipped into a cotton dress and cringed as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror.  Charlie much preferred pants to dresses.  Had she meant to be born a male?  She dismissed the thought when she realized that she loved the company of men more than women.

What bothered her was that lately, whenever she mentioned staying in Sunset Creek, Sophia and Sean exchanged odd looks.  Did they want her to leave?  She loved it there.  New York had nasty winters, and while she loved her parents, she longed for her independence.  As Sophia’s older sister, she should have married first, but the men in New York seemed to prefer more feminine women.

Sophia had been engaged to a man named Simon, but he had left her for her best friend, Melinda.  Rather than stay in Niagara Falls where Sophia would run into them often, she became a mail-order bride.  Luckily, Sean had turned out to be a proper gentleman, and she thought they’d fall in love in no time. Still, Charlie felt like a fifth buggy wheel.

She turned and prayed with all her might that she’d be able to stay in Sunset Creek and that she might meet someone with whom to spend her life, as Sophia had.  So far, the only single man she’d met was Jesse, who was definitely a candidate.  She smiled.  Definitely.

Jesse continued with his daily lunches with Delia, but on Tuesday, he had to explain why they could no longer have lunch on Wednesdays.  He tried to find the right words while packing away the remains of their lunch. “I enjoy our lunches together, but I have to make a slight change in our schedule.”

Delia sat up straight and frowned.  “Why?”

“Every Wednesday I plan to do a favor for my friend, Sean.”

Delia seemed to relax, and she lay her head back against the tree.  “What kind of favor?”

“Sean has a houseguest from the wedding named Charlie, and he wants some alone time with his new wife, so he asked if I’d entertain Charlie once a week.”

 “How nice of you.”

Jesse felt he had picked just the right words.  He enjoyed his lunches with Delia, but one thing bothered him: he got the impression that she wanted more from him than he wanted to give at that point.  He’d always been careful when it came to his romantic liaisons.  Women could be tricky characters.  His male friends talked, and he heard many stories that caused him to be cautious.  He hadn’t had many affairs, just a few when he was in his late teens and later, with a woman named Ellen.  On the trail, men sat around telling stories of women who purposely became with child to