Front Porch Tales 2

Well, this was all I could get typed up today...sorry it isn't much but there will be more coming soon! I really appreciate everyone who has taken time to read and comment!!!

Both men were gone before the Wheelers could think twice. Two riders reined their horses to a halt beside the coach and dismounted. “Are you folks alright?” The first rider asked while pointing at Victoria who still lay in a heap on the ground. Any other statement from either party was cut short when Victoria jumped up and started swatting the dirt from her dress. Poor Jim Wheeler’s face was a picture of relief and surprise at seeing this amazing transformation, but he noticed the triumphant smiles shared between the girl and his wife and realized at once that he had been worrying for nothing. Victoria was quick to move to the hat which still occupied the dusty road. “It is all here!” She stated triumphantly and handed the hat over to Jim after taking her own belongings back. “What exactly were you doing?” He asked with a smirk while sorting through his things. “I decided to stall for time as long as I could and then when I heard the horses coming, I decided to throw out some more acting skills.” She clamped her necklace back in place and then looked curiously at the stage. “Where is the driver?” Just at that moment, they heard a gunshot come from the North line of trees. The two riders mounted their horses and rode off in the direction of the sound. Victoria let out a deep breath and prayed that her gut suspicions were wrong.

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That evening, Victoria, Jim, Rose and the two riders sat around a table in a quaint diner. “I am so glad that the poor man is fine!” Rose stated in a quiet voice then took a sip of tea. Earlier that day the two men, who were brothers, had returned with an injured driver who informed them that there was a third outlaw who had dragged him off into the side woods. The outlaw had the intention of disposing of the driver before joining his partners but when he saw the others ride off, his mission was suddenly cut short and he hurried after them, but not before sending a bullet toward the driver who had moved to stand from where he had been held hostage.

“It was pure luck that the bullet only grazed him!” Peter Garnett, the younger brother, put in.

“What we saw today was not luck; God had that all planned out.” This statement from Jim was followed by an awkward silence which lingered until Rose changed the subject. “So, dear, did you hear back from your father?” Victoria had to refrain from giggling before saying, “I didn’t only hear from him once, but five times! He was ready to run all the way here when he heard what happened” Everyone in the group got a good laugh from this explanation.

“And how did you convince him against running all the way here?” The older brother, Jonathan, asked.

“Well, it was something akin to telling him that I had hired myself four body guards.” She stretched her arm out and made a swooping motion around the table to reveal who she was speaking about. Again, a ripple of laughter rang from their little table. Victoria glanced out the window and realized that the sun was sinking behind the trees. “I best get a room; see you in the morning.” The men stood as she pushed her chair back and headed out the door. When she had gone and the door was firmly closed behind her, the group settled back into their chairs. “Quite a girl that Victoria.” Jonathan smiled at his younger brother’s comment because he knew that Peter had been smitten with Victoria since her amazing performance earlier that day.  Who could blame him for taking notice of a pretty girl?

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Victoria walked gracefully into a giant, brick building. The Wheelers had left on the morning stage but she had discovered that the Garnett brothers lived at a nearby plantation. Peter was bad about keeping his feelings hidden and Victoria was certain that she had not seen the last of them. When she had arrived, one of the returning students directed her to chancellor’s office. The door was cracked open to allow only a slight view of a desk. A muffled, “come in”, responded to her tentative knock and she entered the room with surprising calm. Mr. Roberts, the chancellor motioned for her to take the seat across from his desk. “My name is Victoria Rose.” She said while taking the seat offered.

Lethargically, he glanced to reveal a pair of dark eyes set in a stern expression. “What year, Miss Clement?”

“Junior, sir.”

His indifference and lack of conventional etiquette did not seem to improve as he began to look through a file. “Yes, I see you have registered prior to today?” He did not wait for a reply which was hardly necessary any way because the paper he had removed from the file and was handing to Victoria had all the information recorded upon it. “I would like you to look over this and confirm that everything is correct. Once that is completed, please take it directly to the secretary’s office and Miss Lydia will direct you from there.”

Victoria took this as her cue to leave and moved toward the door where she paused. “Thank you, Mr. Roberts.” His only response was a quick nod in her direction and so she left with little respect for the chancellor but also with a great desire to get settled into her new life.

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