Melinda and the Wild West (21 page)

He swished his pole from side to side to get
their attention and it was not long until a fish grabbed the moving
worm on his hook. When he felt the fish tug at the line, he slowly
reeled it in. The fish struggled and struggled with all its might
as Gilbert pulled on his line. He had to keep the line taut so this
nimble little fish would not get away. After a while, he had it
hanging in the air from his rod. Gilbert grabbed the line with his
left hand and looked at the fish with a grin.

“Now this is a fine fish!”

Jenny watched with interest, wondering what her
father was going to do next. She saw him carefully take the hook
out of the fish’s mouth and put it in a small bucket. As she
watched the fish wiggle, sadness overtook her. Before long, her
eyes filled up with tears. Her heart pounded loudly as big drops of
tears fell down her cheeks.

Jenny looked up at her father and begged,
“Pa, put him back in the water.”

Gilbert was busy putting another fat worm on
his hook when he heard her voice quiver. He turned to look at her
and saw tears trickling down her cheeks. He was confused. Jenny was
the one who had begged to go fishing in the first place.

“Pa, the fish is suffering. See him wiggling
and trying to fight for his life. He wants to go back to his
family. How would you like it if someone took me away from you? Pa,
he wants to live his life and be happy. See? He’s suffering. Please
let him go.”

Gilbert watched the tears fall down Jenny’s
face. He wrapped his arm around her and held her tight and wiped
her tears away with his handkerchief. When she looked up at him
with questioning eyes, she touched his hand gently.

That was it! Gilbert could not resist those
blue eyes. He looked into the bucket and stared at his catch. Then
he grabbed the fish and threw it back into the water.

Jenny wrapped her arms around her father’s
waist and gave him a hug. “Thanks, Pa. Thank you so much.”

“It’s the biggest fish I’ve ever caught in
this here lake. All I ever seem to catch are those blasted scrawny
Cisco fish.” He sighed. “But it’s all right. I wasn’t in the mood
of fish, anyway. By the way, did you know that God made fish for us
to eat?”

“Yes, I know, Pa. But I just couldn’t stand
watching him suffer so.”

“I understand.” He wiped a tear from her cheek
and said, “Let’s go back home and have some cookies instead.”

“All right, Pa.” Jenny leaped up excitedly
with a smile. “I’m sorry for ruining your fun.”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. You’re more
important to me than the biggest fish I’ve ever caught in Bear
Lake.”

Jenny swatted a mosquito that landed on her
arm, and then another one on her neck. She quickly became annoyed
by their persistence to have her for supper.

Gilbert noticed the pesky mosquitoes and
said, “Maybe it’s time to go home, anyway. The mosquitoes must
think you’re delicious.”

The following day, Gilbert decided to go to
the school and confront the situation and do as Jenny had
suggested—fight for Melinda’s love. So, he climbed into his saddle
and rode to the schoolhouse. As he rode along, he tried to memorize
a speech that would sound convincing, educated, and not emotional.
After arriving, he found that Melinda was not there and had
dismissed school early that day.

“She left about an hour ago, Gilbert,” said
Henry with a smug look on his face. “Besides, if you need to talk
to her about your child, you don’t come during school hours. You
make an appointment. Got it?”

He was firm and abrupt with his answer. It
was clear that Henry wasn’t happy to see Gilbert there.

Gilbert took a deep breath, trying to keep
his cool, and asked, “Where did she go? Is she home?”

“That’s none of your business, Gilbert.”

Gilbert took another deep breath and tried
again. “I know you don’t like me, Henry. But Melinda has a right to
choose whether or not she wants to speak to me.”

Henry slammed his hand on the desk for emphasis.
“She wants nothing to do with you, Gilbert. Leave her alone.”

Henry was trying Gilbert’s patience to the
very limits and Gilbert was having a tough time enduring his
unfriendly attitude.

Henry glared at Gilbert as he said, “And if
you want to make an appointment with her to speak about Jenny, I’ll
be glad to do that for you.”

Gilbert turned to leave. He had had enough
of this man’s ornery attitude. Just as he got to the entrance, he
turned and asked, “So when’s the date?”

“What date?”

“Of your marriage.”

Henry grinned. “That’s none of your
business.” He walked up to Gilbert and stood up close to his face,
as if daring him to challenge him. “Remember, Melinda’s my girl,
not yours.” Then with a haughty attitude, he gave Gilbert a firm
shove out the door.

That was it. Gilbert had kept his cool long
enough. Without another word, he stepped forward and took a swing
at Henry that landed right on his nose. Henry stumbled backwards,
landing on a student’s desk with a surprised look on his face as he
held his bleeding nose with his hand.

Then Gilbert turned and abruptly walked away.
This was not what he had planned. He had planned a perfect speech
to convince her of his love and now he had just battered the man
she was going to marry. Why had he lost his temper? She would never
see him again after this fiasco. Why hadn’t he just gone to her
home instead of confronting Henry? After hearing about this
incident, she would be ashamed to speak to him.

Gilbert stomped off toward his horse, hopped on,
and rode out of town, feeling completely defeated.

Two and a half weeks passed since Melinda’s
recital and she still heard no word from Gilbert. She had invited
him to call on her after the recital and he had not done so, and it
appeared that he never would. Melinda’s emotions were on the edge
and she wanted to cry. Gilbert seemed to be avoiding her.

Aunt Martha had invited him over twice for
Sunday dinner, and he had refused both times, saying he was too
busy. It was not like Gilbert to refuse a meal. What was wrong? If
Gilbert was not avoiding her, then what was his real excuse for not
coming to dinner? When Melinda asked Jenny about her father’s
absence, her answer came as quite a surprise.

“We weren’t busy, Miss Gamble. We didn’t do a thing
but sit around and read. He didn’t even tell me that we were
invited over to your house for dinner.” Jenny lowered her head in
despair and continued, “Also, Pa said we wouldn’t be visiting you
any longer and I’m not sure why. He’s so moody lately.”

The following day, Melinda excused class
early so she could help Aunt Martha take Uncle William to the
doctor in Montpelier. When she went back later to get some tests
she had forgotten to grade, she met Henry. His nose was red and
swollen and he had stuffed a handkerchief up one nostril. He was
quite a sight.

When she inquired about what happened to his
nose, he said in a most innocent manner, “You want to know what
happened? I’ll tell ya what happened. Your boyfriend confronted me.
He just walked in here and picked a fight with me. And I didn’t do
a thing to provoke him. He punched me for no reason whatsoever.
He’s not the man for you, Melinda. He’s got a violent temper. When
I told him to leave, he just up and slugged me. You wouldn’t be
happy with such a fellow. You need someone that’ll be gentle with
you.” He hesitated for a moment and then said, “Like me.”

Melinda was shocked. This was not the
Gilbert she had gotten to know. He was not violent. She was very
confused by the idea of him punching Henry without provocation.

Melinda decided to take a walk and think. She had
only one month left of school and then she would return to Boston
for the summer and not see Gilbert for three months. And when she
returned, would he still avoid her? Were his concerns that he
expressed to her still bothering him? If he still felt the same
way, her heart would break and she could not bear to see him while
he felt indifferent towards her. The memory of his kiss lingered
within her and she could not get it out of her mind. The way she
felt that day was indescribable.

Melinda’s heart was aching inside and her
chest was tight and full of emotion. Maybe walking would help her
feel better. If she did not feel better after this walk, then she
would write a letter of resignation to the school board and she
would not return in the fall.

One thing continued to bother her most of
all. Gilbert had not told Melinda whether or not he had enjoyed her
recital. The recital meant a lot to her. She had worked hard, and
he had not gone out of his way to tell her what he thought about
it. Were they not friends, at least? She resolved not to think
about it any longer and knew if she walked among nature, she would
feel better. In fact, she could not wait to return to Boston after
all.

As Melinda walked through the thick grove of
quaking aspens and pines, she noticed a squirrel scampering toward
a tree and climbing as fast as its little feet could go. Melinda
was amused as she came over the hill and around a bend, her eyes
still glued on the scampering squirrel. Not looking where she was
going, she bumped into an object. It was not an inanimate object,
though. This object happened to be human. She had stumbled right
into Gilbert and he caught her by the shoulders as they
collided.

With a look of shock and surprise on his
face, he exclaimed, “Melinda!” Catching his breath, he saw that he
had startled her as well. “Are you all right?”

After getting her breath back, Melinda abruptly
pulled herself away from his grasp. She felt hurt, angry, and
saddened, and with all of this meshed into one emotion, she snapped
at him.

“No, I’m not.”

Gilbert was surprised by her attitude and
his eyes widened in disbelief. “What’s wrong, Melinda?” he asked as
he saw her stiffen. He noticed that her eyes were unreadable and
her attitude was cool.

“You don’t know?” Melinda answered with
impatience.

“Are you angry because of what happened
between me and Henry?” he asked with caution.

“Of course not. That has nothing to do with
me. That’s between you and Henry.”

“Then why are you ornery with me? Have I
done something wrong?”

“Have you done something wrong? Now that’s
an understatement. Yes, you have. I thought we were friends.” When
Melinda’s eyes moistened against her will, she turned her head so
Gilbert would not notice.

“We are, Melinda.”

Gilbert’s eyes searched her face for an
answer. If she was not upset about the little fiasco he had had
with Henry, then why did she sound so upset? Her attitude
definitely confused him.

“Well, friends don’t forget one another,
especially during a special event in their lives.”

Gilbert’s heart throbbed with pain. He was in
agony. Didn’t she understand how deep his feelings were for her?
The turmoil of the last couple of weeks had been difficult for
him.

Trying to hide his feelings from her, he
said solemnly, “Oh, yes. Congratulations. I’m sorry I didn’t tell
you sooner. I haven’t gone into town for a couple weeks.”

“Congratulations? For what? I was talking
about my recital. You didn’t come by to see me and tell me what you
thought about it. That was a special time for me because I hadn’t
sung here before and I was excited to do so. I worked very hard and
it was important to me, but you didn’t even care to say a word
about it. Right after the recital you disappeared and I haven’t
seen you since.”

Gilbert’s heart was aching and his features
were laced with pain. Standing in front of Melinda like this was
very hard. All he wanted to do was enfold her in his arms one more
time. She was so achingly beautiful. But he listened as she
spoke.

“And another thing, why didn’t you come over
for Sunday dinner? You never refuse a meal. Are you avoiding
me?”

Melinda’s frustration was obvious. Her eyes
continued to moisten and that frustrated her even more. She did not
want Gilbert to see her become emotional. She blinked back the
tears and waited for an answer.

“Yes, I was avoiding you.”

Melinda was so hurt by his answer. She
quickly turned her head and looked toward the mountains, trying
very hard to blink back the tears that stung her eyes. Her hands
trembled with anxiety and the pain in her heart intensified.

“Melinda, I didn’t accept the dinner invitation
because I figured Henry wouldn’t like it.”

Her head jerked back and she faced him with
confusion. “What does Henry have to do with this?”

Gilbert took a deep breath, trying to muster
up the courage to tell her how he felt. “Melinda, if you were my
fiancée, I would not like it at all if you had dinner with Henry.
In fact, I wouldn’t even like it if I knew you two met in the woods
like this.” He paused. “If he knew what was in my heart, Melinda,
he wouldn’t like it.”

Gilbert knew exactly what was in his own
heart. Could Henry possibly feel as deeply for a woman as he did
for Melinda? How he loved this woman standing in front of him! If
she only knew how it broke his heart to stand before her like this,
longing to hold her in his arms once again.

“Fiancée?” Melinda burst out with emotion.
Her frustration elevated and she was confused, not to mention
perturbed by his statement. Her throat became constricted as she
spoke. “Did you say fiancée? I couldn’t marry Henry. I’m not in
love with him.” She shook her head in exasperation. “How could I
marry Henry when I’m in love with another? You are such a fool,
Gilbert.”

Then she turned on her heels and quickly
marched away with tears trickling down her cheeks. Her hands were
trembling and her heart pounded furiously. She wiped the tears away
with her sleeve but they persisted to form beyond her control.