The Gray Dove Ch. 03

After the service, Miss Lorraine took Jessie aside and they made their final goodbyes. Jessie and Luke were leaving on an early train in the morning so there would be no farewells at the station.

"I don't know how to thank you for everything you've done for me over the years," Jessie said, tears welling in her eyes. "I don't know what would have become of me that first day if you hadn't seen what happened and took me in."

"Oh, honey. I'm not sure you wouldn't have been better off. There's no telling what kind of life you might have had if you hadn't been branded a saloon girl, right off the bat," Lorraine said, smoothing a hair back from Jessie's forehead and laying a hand against her cheek. "But I'm real glad that I've had the chance to know you, honey. You always were a special one; I saw it and so did every man who came through those doors."

"There's no use in wasting time wondering "what if". And, besides, if I hadn't been at the Gray Dove, I'd never have met Luke," Jessie said softly, looking at her husband talking to Wally Hayes across the room. "I know how lucky I am, Miss Lorraine. I know I've found something that a lot of the other girls will never have. And I'm going to work hard to make sure that I never take it for granted."

"Well, it's time for me to go. I have to sign for a whiskey shipment over at the saloon in a half hour. Now, this is my wedding gift to you. I want you to take this to help start off your new life," the older woman said, pressing an envelope into Jessie's hand. "You deserve every bit of it and I don't want to hear any arguments. And, your trunks have been delivered to The Palace Hotel and put in the fanciest room in Reno, all for your wedding night."

"Oh, Miss Lorraine, you shouldn't have done that. You've done too much already," Jessie protested, thinking of all the new pots, pans, blankets, bedding and other things that had been deemed a necessity for setting up housekeeping that her former employer had showered upon her over the last week.

"I didn't. It's a wedding present from Bill Tate," Lorraine winked. "He came in asking for you the night after you told us you and Luke were getting married. He asked if he might have one last bit of time with you, for old time's sake, but I told him you were officially an EX saloon girl. So he said to tell you he was happy for you and wanted to do something special for you, since you'd made him feel like a king whenever he was with you."

Jessie blushed and smiled, and then said softly, "Please tell him thank you for me. But, I hope you don't mind if I tell Luke that the room was a gift from you."

Miss Lorraine threw back her head and let out a laugh, then pulled Jessie into a hug, kissing her a fond goodbye before leaving the house. Jessie and Luke also left moments later, walking down to the Palace Hotel and being escorted to their room. Luke carried her over the threshold and closed the door behind them.

The two took in the opulent room with the mahogany and marble furniture, rich oriental rugs and expensive bedding. They discovered that they even had their own indoor privet, complete with running water and a deep, white porcelain bathtub .

"Darlin', don't get used to this. In a few weeks we'll be sleeping on a straw mattress in the back of a wagon until we get the cabin built," Luke said, smiling down at his wife.

"That's exactly why we should enjoy it now," Jessie said impishly, turning on the faucet and beginning to unbutton Luke's shirt.

In a short amount of time, they were both in the tub and enjoying themselves immensely. Jessie was facing her new husband and straddling his thighs as she ran a soapy washcloth over his chest. Luke slid his hands down her back and over her bottom, cupping it and pulling her closer to his quickly stiffening cock. In a short amount of time he was buried inside her wet, wet pussy. They were sliding against the slippery surface of the tub AND each other as Jessie rode him, enjoying every ridge and vein that caressed deep inside her. Needless to say, water was splashed and they only made a pretense of bathing, but they found the experience very much to their liking and decided that one of their goals for the ranch in Montana would be to one day have running water and a porcelain bathtub!

A little while after they'd gotten out of the tub there was a knock at the door, and Luke opened it to discover the front deskman and the bell boy, each bearing a tray of food. Jessie remained in the privet, as she was clad in a thin robe that only accentuated her curves, instead of covering them. They were told that the steak dinners with all the trimmings had been arranged by a friend, as a gift to the newly married couple, and the meal was set up on the round, marble topped table in the middle of the room. When Jessie heard the men leave, she came out of the privet and stood looking at the candle lit feast in amazement.

The two agreed that it was the best steak they'd ever had, with Luke privately thinking that the sight of Jessie wearing a thin robe that revealed a goodly portion of her ample cleavage only added to the flavor.

"It sure was nice of Miss Lorraine to do all this for us," Luke said, sighing in satisfaction as Jessie refilled their coffee cups. She just smiled at him, then her eyes widened and she ran over to the bureau drawer, pulling out her small handbag.

"What're you looking for, Darlin'?" Luke asked as his wife crossed over to him and, to his delight, sat on his lap.

"This," Jessie said, holding up the envelope that her former employer had given her after the wedding. "Miss Lorraine said that it was a wedding present for us."

Tearing the envelope open, Jessie gasped and Luke whistled at the amount written on the check.

"A thousand dollars! Oh my heavens!" Jessie stammered.

"I had no idea I was marrying myself an heiress," Luke said in awe. Jessie had already shown him the balance of her bank account and that, coupled with this, was nearly as much as Luke had saved over the last ten years. He had mixed feelings about the money, feeling that it was a man's responsibility to provide for his wife. But he remembered the pride that had shown in Jessie's face when she told him what she was bringing to the marriage, knowing that it was important to her feelings of worthiness. Some day, Luke hoped that she would understand that her worth to him was in her goodness and kindness, her passion and her love for him. But, for now, he decided to keep his mouth shut and be happy for his wife.

"It's so strange," Jessie said, finally looking up from the check. "All those years ago, Mama and Papa and I were going to California to live on a ranch. Papa had been hired on to oversee the finances of a big ranch that was owned by a man that he'd had gone to school with. We were all so excited, it sounded like such a grand adventure. And now, after all this time, I'm going to be a rancher's wife. It's a little like fulfilling their dreams."

"I'll tell you this much, Jessie Morgan," Luke said, holding his wife close, "You've fulfilled every dream I've ever had just by saying "I do" this afternoon."

Carrying her to the bed, the two quickly undressed each other and stretched out on the luxurious sheets. For the next few hours, they made tender, passionate love until they finally fell into a deep, sated sleep. Jessie woke once during the night, disoriented for a moment at being in a different bed in a different room. But, the feeling of Luke's warm body pressed against her back, accompanied by his strong arm around her waist penetrated her senses and she felt safe and content, feelings that she had never experienced in a man's arms before. Closing her eyes once more, she snuggled closer against him and drifted back to sleep.

They woke the next morning and hastily dressed and had Jessie's trunk taken to the train depot. Luke had had the trunk with his tack, saddle and tools sent ahead to Kalispell a week ago, so his remaining clothing was packed in with Jessie's things in her trunk and valise. After a quick breakfast in the hotel's dining room, Jessie and Luke walked to the depot, arriving just as the eastbound train was pulling in. They purchased their tickets and Luke assisted his wife into the car, finding seats for them near the rear. The couple received several glances from others on the train, ranging from admiration to amusement. The tall, handsome cowboy and well dressed, auburn haired beauty were a study in contrasts, but their love for each other was clear. Several women speculated that Jessie was the daughter of a wealthy rancher whose heart had been stolen by the cowboy. Nothing about her would have ever revealed the life that she'd led at the Gray Dove.

Jessie and Luke discussed their trip. It would take four days by train to get to Kalispell, where they would meet up with Matt. Josh and Nancy and their children were coming by wagon from the Dakotas and, as best as Luke could estimate, should arrive about two weeks later. The three men had decided that they would work together to build one large cabin for all of them to get them through the first winter, however that had been before they had had any idea that both Matt and Luke would be bringing wives to the mix. Jessie giggled at the thought of all of them living under one roof and trying to have any kind of privacy. By the end of the winter, their family relationships would either be permanently cemented or they would be at each other's throats!

Luke had set a telegram to Matt announcing his marriage in the briefest of terms. "Bringing along a bride. Luke", but Jessie would be a complete surprise to Josh and Nancy. She was still nervous about being accepted by the family that she had just married into, but Luke's reassurances went a long way towards easing her fears.

Finally, the parting whistle blew and the train jolted forward. Jessie clutched Luke's arm and her eyes sparkled with excitement. She looked out the window and her eyes locked onto a large wooden sign just visible over the tops of the buildings that were sliding past. It was a sign with a large, gray dove painted on the front. A sign that she had seen every day for the last six years. It marked the place that had been her home for all that time. "No," she corrected herself, it was the place that she had lived, but it had never been her home.

She had thought about that every now and again over the last few years. She realized that she hadn't really had a home since she was twelve years old. Not a home in the truest sense of the word. A place that she could call her own, that was created on a foundation of love and acceptance, the kind of home in which her Mama and Papa had raised her. A place where the people that she loved most dwelled under one roof. Now, after all this time, Jessie was heading to a place she had never seen before, to live with people she had never met, and she knew that it would all be fine. It would be fine because Luke was with her. He was her husband, her lover and her best friend. Together they would be able to build the kind of life that Jessie had dreamed of for over half her life. Finally, after all these years, Jessie Morgan was going home.