Page 48 - Homestead By Ann Newhouse

With that she hurried away. I was sorry if my actions causing her stress. I would have to go and see her later that night and apologise. I would tell her that it’s not acceptable to fear her father the way she does, and that I’ll try to sort things out. I called later in the day to Sofie’s office to invite her to have dinner with me. Agreeing reluctantly, she told me to come to her cabin where she would cook the meal, and we could talk. Johanna inquired about Mitch. She asked me to pass on a letter to him. I got the impression she had the hots for him, but I wasn’t yet sure the feeling was mutual.
I felt excited as I approached Sofie’s cabin. As usual she was a vision to behold. She was wearing a short summer dress with a low neck that showed off her beautiful cleavage, and long slender legs. She had her hair in a long plait which gave her an almost childlike look. I wanted to take her there and then. Instead I kissed her and complimented her on how she looked, adding how delicious the aroma of her cooking smelled. After eating, we sat side by side in front of the wood burning stove. With a beer in hand, Sofie explained about her past relationships and why her father put the fear into her. Two years before, Sofie had fallen in love with a lad who worked in the Homestead but lived in the town of Truth. His name was Jerry Stone and he was one of the cattle hands who went on the drives regularly. They had been planning their wedding, against her father’s wishes. He had wanted Sofie to wait a few years. They had planned to live in Truth when they were married. Jerry intended to manage the family business in the town. This angered John Tirrell. They had a few arguments about it and Jerry told John, that when Sofie became his wife, her place was with him.
“A few weeks before the wedding Jerry went on his last drive for the Homestead. There was a terrible accident and Jerry was killed. It turns out there was a stampede, which spooked Jerrys horse. It threw him, and he was crushed. I know it can happen, but rumours from the men on the drive suggested that it may not have been an accident. My father sacked all the men that were on the drive, everyone except Mitch.”
Sofie started to sob . . . “I don’t want to believe my father was responsible for Jerrys death, but I do have my doubts. When I see him controlling Josh and the way he rules us, I know he may be capable of such terrible deeds. You need to be careful so don’t argue with him. Wait until he says he trusts you, then we can tell him about us,” she added. I tried to comfort her, but I was so angry at her father for putting her through this ordeal, and I found it hard to control my emotions. We kissed and cuddled a little before I left, sneaking out carefully in case her father was spying on her.
A couple of evenings later I met Johanna on her way to the restaurant for dinner, alone. “Evening Johanna,” I called.
“Ned good evening, are you eating in the restaurant tonight?”