Читать книгу Want Ad Wedding - Cheryl St.John - Страница 11
ОглавлениеDaniel’s last sip went down the wrong way and he choked. He coughed and cleared his throat. “Me? I don’t think so.”
“Why not? You don’t have dead bodies in your basement. You aren’t a lawman, so your life isn’t at risk. You don’t have an old father to take care of and you don’t scratch your neck all the time.” Noah listed all the reasons for which Daniel had just rejected the last husbands under consideration. “She knows you. She is fond of you, am I right?”
“She’s fond of him,” Will supplied. “She tucked her arm right into his and chatted with him all the way to the boardinghouse.”
“That doesn’t mean she’d want to marry me.”
His friends raised their eyebrows at Daniel’s ardent objection.
“She doesn’t see me like that. Never has.”
He’d thought of nothing but that walk to the boardinghouse, about the delicate curve of her cheek and the sweep of her lashes. She was still the prettiest thing he’d ever seen. She’d been wearing her pale hair caught up on her head, but he remembered it curling around her shoulders as a girl. Leah had always been full of life. She’d ridden with them, run alongside the riverbank barefoot, practiced shooting at tin cans and held her own.
Some nights during the war while he’d been sleeping on the ground in the cold and rain, he’d dreamed of seeing the sun glint from her hair as it had that afternoon. He’d heard the sound of her full-throated laughter that turned his insides to warm honey. And then he’d awaken and the present would grasp him in its cold, unforgiving fingers. The notion that she was here in Cowboy Creek now, looking for a man to marry, tied him in knots.
Will tossed the dregs of his coffee into the fire and it hissed. “You’re one of the three wealthiest men in Cowboy Creek, probably in all of Kansas.”
“I wouldn’t want her to marry me for my money.”
“You’re reasonably handsome. To a woman,” Noah added.
Daniel signified his annoyance with a snort.
“You already have a house ready and waiting for a wife,” Will said. “Don’t try to say you didn’t build that house with a woman in mind. You want a wife. She needs a husband. You can help establish her in town.”
“That seems so...” Swallowing hard, Daniel sat with elbows on his knees and rubbed his chin. “Calculated. Impersonal.”
“Any marriage she makes now will be calculated,” Noah pointed out. “And marrying you is more personal than marrying a stranger. You’re already friends.”
To her they were friends. To him she was the woman who had always been just out of his reach. This idea seemed like a backhanded way of fulfilling his boyish dreams. But the war had changed him. He was no longer the naïve, lovelorn boy he’d once been.
“Who else do you trust with Leah?” Will asked.
Daniel scraped a knuckle on his jaw as he thought. No one. He didn’t trust anyone with her welfare...her future. Nor did he want her marrying another man. “I’d...” He stopped short and considered. “I’d have to propose to her. Court her.” He glanced up and regarded the two men. “Would I have to court her?”
Will grinned.
He would have to swallow his pride to ask her to marry him. And even if he did, there was no guarantee she’d have him. “What if she won’t have me?”
“If she won’t have you, then I’ll court her,” Noah said. Which told them all how profoundly he believed Leah would marry Daniel. “Let her decide for herself.”
He would do it. He would ask Leah to marry him. He would lay out all the reasons why he was the best choice. And then he’d let her decide.
Daniel felt something more than he’d felt for a long time. He didn’t want to let himself think of Leah in the big house he’d built on Lincoln Boulevard just yet. He didn’t want to picture her in the rooms he’d walked through when the house was a mere shell, before burnished flooring, paint and fixtures had made it a home. He’d always had a faceless woman in mind. As he’d surveyed the land and overseen construction he’d planned that one day he’d share the home with a wife. But Leah’s image, with her bright blue eyes and soft pale hair, was all he could envision now. He had his doubts about the wisdom of this decision, but along with his reluctance he felt more than he’d felt in a long time.
He felt hope.
* * *
Leah woke early and ate breakfast in Aunt Mae’s dining room with the other brides and the full-time boarders. Gus Russell had stark white hair and still stood straight. The lines at the corners of his wise dark eyes were evidence of his years in the sun. “Cowboy Creek got a windfall when you young gals showed up,” he said.
Old Horace wore his long gray hair pulled back with a leather thong. He had been tall in his day and was still lean, but his back was hunched so he was always looking up. “Why if I’d a knowed these fillies would be so purdy, I mighta got a haircut and throwed my hat in the ring.”
“Wouldn’t any of these young ladies want a dried-up old coot like you,” Gus countered.
Old Horace bristled. “I still got my charm. Down in Mexico I was quite a ladies’ man.”
Gus stabbed a piece of sausage from a platter. “The Mexican War was over twenty years ago and you were an old man then.”
“Did you fight for the annexation of Texas?” Hannah asked.
“For two years,” Horace replied.
“Mr. Gardner is showing me the church this morning,” Reverend Taggart said to his daughter. “I thought you might like to join us.”
“If you don’t mind, I’m still tired from the trip,” she answered. “Is it all right with you if I rest this morning?”
“That’s perfectly fine,” her father replied. “You rest. I imagine you’ll want to check out available locations for your shop when you’re up to it.”
She gave him an affectionate smile. Hannah was a talented seamstress and made all of her own clothing.
Leah cast her a curious glance. “You’re planning a shop?”
Hannah nodded. “I’ve always wanted to have my own dressmaking establishment. This place seems like the perfect opportunity, with new businesses cropping up everywhere and more women arriving. I might not have many customers at first, but I’m sure business will flourish as the town grows.”
Which reminded Leah of her own plans for the morning. She was going to visit the newspaper about an advertisement. “The newspaper office is right next door to us here, isn’t it?” she asked.
“I’m heading there right after breakfast,” Prudence replied. She wore a plain brown dress, with her ever-present cameo at her throat.
“We might as well walk over together then,” Leah suggested.
“Actually I went late yesterday, too,” Prudence said. “I got a position.”
“My, my, isn’t that news?” Aunt Mae exclaimed. “What if you get a husband who lives outside town, dear?”
Prudence glanced at the others around the table. “I will choose one who either lives in town or nearby.”
Old Horace squinted at her. “Do you have newspaper experience?”
“D.B.—er, Mr. Burrows has assured me my help is quite welcome.”
“Perhaps Mr. Burrows is in the market for a wife,” Aunt Mae added with a wry lift of one eyebrow. “Wouldn’t that be convenient?”
Prudence pursed her lips in exasperation. “I don’t think so.”
“Well, I’m significantly impressed you’ve found a position so quickly,” Pippa said. “Perhaps you could employ your curious side and find the latest news on all the residents.”
“We got news for ya,” Old Horace chimed in.
“Facts are what we need,” Gus reminded him “That newspaper has a reputation for blowing the truth out of proportion. Why, this town was still a row of clapboard buildings and tents, and The Herald was already calling it a boomtown.”
“It is a boomtown, you old fool,” Old Horace rebutted.
“If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be going.” Prudence set down her napkin and stood.
Leah watched her go. She was the least friendly of all the women who had traveled west together. Leah understood Prudence was widowed, as well, so perhaps she was still grieving and not ready for friendships. Everyone handled grief their own way. “May I help you with the breakfast dishes?” she asked Aunt Mae.
“Goodness, no. You’re a paid renter, even if the town is paying your rent for a few weeks. The dishes are my job.”
“Thank you. It was a nice meal.” Leah took care of a few last-minute things, and then walked next door.
D.B. Burrows was a tall fellow with muttonchop sideburns and pale skin. He was standing at a worktable when she entered. “Morning,” he offered.
“Good morning. I’d like to place an ad, please.”
“Miss Haywood will get all the information,” he told her.
Leah hadn’t seen Prudence sitting behind a partition until she stood and reached for paper and ink.
Leah recited what she’d planned for her ad.
“There aren’t many women around here yet,” D.B. said.
“I understand that,” Leah answered. “Hopefully, people will read it and remember me when my midwife services are needed.”
D.B. wiped his hands and moved to stand beside Prudence. He stood a little too close in Leah’s opinion, but the young widow didn’t seem to mind as she showed him what she’d written. “That’s good,” he praised.
This seemed awfully quick, but maybe theirs would be the first marriage, just as Aunt Mae had suggested. Or Leah was reading more into their new employer and employee relationship than was there. She paid for the ad. “Do I remember seeing the doctor’s sign on this street?”
D.B. nodded. “Keep walking the way you came here and on past the jail. Across the street on the corner is Doc Fletcher’s place. If he’s not in, there’s a chalkboard.”
“Thank you.”
Quincy Davis spotted her as she passed, and he came out to greet her. “Morning, Miss...”
“Mrs. Swann,” she supplied.
“Mrs. Swann. I trust Aunt Mae has made you comfortable?”
“Yes, indeed.” She glanced across the street and spotted Gus and Horace settling onto chairs in front of a building. The sign above the door read Booker & Son—Purveyor of Dry Goods from Nails to Cloth.
“Is that the mercantile?”
“It’s one of ’em. The largest, in fact. Gus and Old Horace loiter there all day, except when they go back to the boardinghouse for lunch. Sometimes if I don’t see them, I can hear clanging and I know they’re playing horseshoes behind the store. There’s a lot between the store and the church.”
She continued on her way and found the doctor in his office. He was rail thin and his hair was balding on top, but he still had gray fringe around his ears.
“How do you do?” Leah said. “I’m Mrs. Swann.”
“Welcome to Cowboy Creek.” He had smile lines in both cheeks and his dark eyebrows were thick. “You’re one of the widows? You ladies are the talk of the town, you know.”
“Yes, sir. I’ve come to introduce myself and tell you a little bit about me. I’ve had midwife experience and I’m hoping to put my knowledge to use.”
“I’m sure you’ll be quite useful,” he replied. “As soon as we have more women and babies on the way. Right now there is only Opal Godwin here in town, but I know of two more women on nearby ranches who might appreciate your services.”
“I wanted to make sure I wasn’t stepping on your toes before I called on Mrs. Godwin,” she said.
“Goodness, no. I’ll be happy to be relieved of those duties. I have more than enough to keep me busy with all the rowdy cowboys, snakebites, scrapes and cuts, and the occasional construction accident.”
“That’s good to hear. Not the part about the snakebites and the accidents, of course. The part about you being relieved to turn over some of your cases.” She paused and he studied her. “There is one more thing I need to mention.”
The doctor waited.
Leah’s nerves fluttered. She hadn’t told anyone yet. Saying the words aloud brought back her past losses. “I’m going to have a baby myself.”
“I see.” He nodded. “Best you find yourself a husband soon then.”
“Yes,” she agreed. “But I’m concerned for my baby.”
“Of course you are.”
“No. What I mean is, I’ve lost two babies before it was time for them to be born.”
“I’m real sorry to hear that, ma’am. Would you like me to check your health now?” he asked. “How did you fare on your trip?”
He did a routine exam, asking questions about the circumstances leading to previous issues and finding her healthy. “I see nothing that would warn us of a problem,” he said.
“This time feels different,” she said. “I don’t know how to explain it, except I don’t feel the same way I did the other times.”
“I trust your intuition, but I caution you to get plenty of rest and not overtax your body.”
“That’s my plan,” she assured him. “I don’t want anything to happen this time.”
“I think you should come see me every few weeks,” he suggested. “We’ll keep a close watch.”
“Thank you, Doctor Fletcher.”
“Now head back to your room and rest.” He grinned. “Doctor’s orders.”
Leah said a silent prayer of thanks. This time was going to be different. This time she would have a child to hold in her arms and love. Her heart ached with the joy of gain and the sorrow of loss. One crucial component remained—the reason she’d come to Cowboy Creek. She still had to find a father for this baby—a husband.
