Trailblazer

by Anna Schmidt

  Grace waited for the coughing spell to abate before peppering her mother with more questions. “What did the doctor say? What does he recommend? Does he agree with Dr. Rove back home?”

  “He said your father needs to rest and regain his strength. He’s sending over some medicine—a tonic of some sort. In a day or two, he wants us to spend part of each day outside, sitting in the sun. And yes, he and Dr. Rove are in complete agreement that we have done the best we can. Now it’s just a matter of waiting to see if the change of air works.”

  “Where’s that husband of yours, Grace?” her father asked. He had collapsed back onto the pillows, and each word took effort.

  “He’s right outside the door.”

  “Well, get him in here. We’ve got plans to make, starting with getting your mother and me out of this fancy hotel.”

  Grace and her mother mostly listened while Nick and her father discussed the future, but Grace was adamant about one thing. “I don’t want to be miles away, at least not until Papa’s health shows definite signs of improving. Besides, Mama needs me. She can’t manage his care by herself—lifting him and such.”

  “I have a job, Grace,” Nick reminded her. “And that job is miles from town—as is our home.”

  “Nick’s right,” her father said. “You too have been married now for what, a couple of months? High time you started acting like it. Gracie, that means this man comes first. Your mother and I will be fine. Nick, there must be a boardinghouse in town. Mary and me can take a room there. We’ve done just fine up to now without you, Grace.”

  “But you had Angie and the boys and—”

  “There’s no boardinghouse,” Nick interjected, “but I’ve got an idea. I’ll be back in a bit.” He kissed Grace’s cheek and left.

  “That boy’s a real hard worker,” her father muttered and chuckled before closing his eyes and drifting off.

  While Nick was gone and her father slept, Grace told her mother all about the trial and especially how Bonnie and Polly had come forward about their experiences with Jasper Perkins. “They were so brave,” she said. “I mean, they’ve only known me a few months. And frankly, I never thought Polly liked me.”

  “I’d like to meet your friends,” her mother said. “Emma and Lily especially. Whenever you wrote of them, I was so relieved to know they were here with you.”

  Grace checked the clock on the mantel above the small fireplace. “They’ll just be setting up for dinner now. I’ll be right back.”

  She found Emma and Lily in the kitchen. “My mother wants to meet you,” she told them after they’d exchanged hugs and happy exclamations.

  “How about we stop by after our shift? The five o’clock will be pulling in any minute.”

  “Of course,” Grace agreed. “After supper will be fine. Bring Miss K, will you?”

  Grace turned to go and practically ran into Polly.

  “Congratulations, Grace,” she said.

  “Oh, Polly, how can I ever thank you? I’m sure I could never have been so brave.”

  Polly met her gaze, and for perhaps the first time, Grace saw something that resembled respect in the other woman’s eyes. “I did what I did for myself, Grace. I have carried that horrid secret with me for so long. I realized it had changed me. I need to rediscover the happy, innocent young woman I was when I took the job with the Harvey Company. And to that end, I’ve asked for a transfer—a fresh start.”

  There were no words Grace could find, so she reached out and hugged Polly. “Be very happy, Grace,” Polly whispered. “You deserve it.”

  She hurried away then, through the kitchen and up the back stairs. Grace thought of going after her but decided not to. They had made their peace. There was no more to say.

  As she crossed the lobby to return to her parents, Nick entered the hotel, grinning like he had a secret.

  “What?” she asked when he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her to a settee. His good mood was contagious, and she found herself smiling and feeling lighter than she had in days.

  “I caught up with the Lombards before they headed back to the ranch. I wanted to thank them for everything they’ve done for us, especially for you today.”

  “Oh, I wish I could have been with you. I want to thank them as well.”

  “You’ll have your chance, once we all get back to the ranch.”

  Her high spirits plummeted. Had he not understood? “Nick, I—”

  “You’re supposed to ask me who ‘we all’ is, Grace,” he said softly.

  She felt a pang of irritation. “You’re talking in riddles.”

  “There’s you,” he said, ignoring her comment and holding up his forefinger. “There’s me—that’s two. Then there’s your ma and pa—that makes four.” He waggled four fingers at her.

  “You said the foreman’s quarters are barely big enough for us and the baby,” she reminded him.

  “Yep.” He was still grinning. It was maddening. She had fallen in love with that smile, but at the moment, she found it annoying.

  “Then what?”

  “Before they built the big house, the Lombards lived in a cabin near the falls. A well-kept cabin that nobody’s using. What if you and me stayed there, and your folks moved into the foreman’s place at the ranch?”

  “But you need to work and—”

  “The cabin’s less than half a mile away from the ranch. It’ll be an easy ride to and from—for me to do my job and for you to check on your folks. Best of all, it gives us some time, and some privacy.”

  “My father will want to pay. My parents are proud people, Nick. They won’t take charity. They don’t even know the Lombards. Neither do I, for that matter.”

  Nick’s grin faded. “I just thought…”

  That was the moment Grace realized that Nick had done everything he could. For her parents, for her siblings, but most of all, for her. He had put his job at risk. He had gone to Missouri and possibly come up with a way to save her father’s life, and now he was trying his best to give her what she wanted.

  This was her husband. This man, so eager to do whatever he thought was necessary to ensure her happiness, was what true love looked like.

  She touched his cheek. “Yes,” she said softly. “It’s a wonderful plan, and we’ll make it work. Together.”

  They were lost in each other’s eyes and smiles when Aidan cleared his throat. They looked up to see the hotel manager standing next to Bonnie and Jake just a few feet from the settee. “Congratulations, Grace,” Aidan said.

  “How blessed I am to have such dear friends,” Grace replied. She stood and hugged each of them. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me and my parents.”

  “We’d like to do one more thing, if you and Nick agree,” Bonnie said.

  “Oh no, you’ve done more than enough. We couldn’t possibly—”

  “We’d like to stage a proper celebration of your marriage here at the hotel,” Jake interrupted, and Aidan nodded. He was wearing his do-not-debate-this expression.

  “Yes. With your parents here, Grace, perhaps the two of you should renew your vows,” Bonnie added.

  “Shall we say Sunday night in the dining room?” Aidan asked.

  “That’s the day after tomorrow,” Grace protested.

  “Then we’d best get busy,” Bonnie said. “Emma, Lily, and I will take care of everything.” She studied Nick critically. “You’ll need a haircut—and a shave.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Nick shook Aidan’s hand, then hugged Bonnie. “Thanks—for everything.”

  “We’ll do this up right,” Jake assured them, then smiled. “The Harvey Way.”

  * * *

  “Mama,” Grace said the next morning as her mother finished giving her father his sponge bath and got him to eat a few bites of oatmeal. “Let’s you and me take a walk through town. Th
ere are some people I’d like you to meet, people I need to thank.”

  “Your father—”

  “Is practically asleep already,” Grace said quietly.

  “Go on, Mary,” her father said, his eyes closed. “I’m not going anywhere. It’ll do you good to get out for a bit.”

  “I suppose.”

  “Good.” Grace got her mother’s sunbonnet. “We won’t be long, I promise.”

  Once they were outside, Grace smiled as her mother blinked in the bright sunlight. “It takes some getting used to,” she said. “But, Mama, feel the warmth.” She turned her face to the sky and closed her eyes.

  “People are looking, Grace,” her mother whispered.

  “I suppose I’ll need to get used to that, at least for a while. What with the hearing and all.” She linked her arm through her mother’s and headed across the town plaza. “Come on. I want you to meet Sheriff Daniels.”

  Cody was seated at his desk, bent over some paperwork, but the minute he saw Grace, he stood and smiled. “My favorite prisoner,” he teased.

  “Cody, this is my mother—Mary Rogers. Mama, this is Sheriff Cody Daniels.”

  “It’s my pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” he said.

  Mary studied him for a moment. “I have to admit, young man, when my daughter got it into her head to come all the way out here, I feared for her safety. Ruffians and outlaws and such. But you seem capable of putting the order into law and order.”

  Cody blushed. “Well, now, ma’am, these days, the Wild West is not nearly as wild as it once was.”

  “Aidan Campbell has insisted on throwing a party for Nick and me tomorrow at the hotel, Cody. I do hope you’ll come.”

  “Got my invite right here,” he said, holding up an envelope on his desk. “Tommy delivered it this morning. Looks like everybody in town will be there.”

  “You should bring your wife, young man,” Mary said.

  “Not married, Mrs. Rogers. Maybe you’ve got another daughter as spirited as Grace here?”

  “I have another daughter, but she’s far too young for you, Sheriff,” Mary Rogers teased. “Perhaps one of Grace’s friends?”

  Grace was stunned. Her mother knew how to flirt. She was flirting with Cody. Her eyes twinkled and her cheeks had more color than Grace had seen in them since her parents had arrived. For the first time, she saw her mother as her father must have first seen her. What a pretty and spunky young woman she must have been.

  Cody grinned and winked at her. “Well, I hope maybe you’ll save a dance for me, Mrs. Rogers?”

  “Maybe I will.” She turned to Grace. “We should let the sheriff get back to work, Grace. You said there were others you wanted me to meet?”

  Cody walked them out, tipping his hat when Grace’s mother glanced back at him and waved. Grace led the way down the boardwalk to the mercantile. When they entered the store, Mr. Tucker was busy with another customer, so Grace gave Mary a tour of the wares. “And he even sells ladies’ hats.” She pointed to the selection, noticing the brown straw Nick had picked out for her that day was still there. “Here, try this one on.” She plucked the hat from the shelf and set it at a slight angle on her mother’s gray hair, then held up a hand mirror Frank kept on the shelf. “It’s lovely, Mama.”

  “Well, now I understand why it hasn’t sold,” the store owner commented as the other customer left and he joined them by the display. “Every hat needs the perfect model.”

  Grace made the introductions, again surprised by how the years seemed to have fallen away as her mother smiled at Frank Tucker. “It’s a lovely hat,” she said, removing it and handing it back to him.

  “I could box it up for you,” he offered.

  To Grace’s amazement, instead of refusing the offer outright, her mother turned the price tag over and seemed to be doing some mental figuring. “No, thank you. It’s very nice, but the last thing I need is a new hat.”

  “Mama, if you—”

  “Tell you what, Mrs. Rogers,” Mr. Tucker said. “I’ve got new stock coming in the end of next week, and I need the space. This hat has been here for several months now. If you want it for half the price, it’s yours.”

  “For the party, Mama,” Grace urged, digging in her pocket for her change purse. “And in this sun, you’ll need a hat like this one with a broader brim,” she added. She counted out the money, adding extra to the pile. Mr. Tucker lifted an eyebrow. “I still owe you the balance on that pocketknife,” she said.

  She was now completely broke, but since Nick’s job was secure and he didn’t have to make the land payments, their worries were gone.

  Frank counted out the amount necessary to pay for the hat and pushed the rest back to her. “Wedding present,” he muttered and turned away to place her mother’s hat in a box.

  Grace realized to argue with him would be to insult him. The way this man was always giving people special deals, she had no idea how he stayed in business. But then maybe because people knew he was fair and generous, they were loyal customers who chose to shop with him rather than at other stores in town.

  Her mother made sure he and his wife planned to attend the party, and when he told her his wife had died a few years earlier, she promised him a dance. After they left the store, she said, “Two good hardworking men who should be married. What’s the matter with the women in this town?” She shook her head. “I simply do not understand that.”

  They walked back to the hotel. Along the way, people stopped Grace to say how happy they were for Nick and her and how relieved they were that she had been set free.

  “You’ve found your place here, Grace,” her mother said. “Anyone can see that. It’s not just Nick. You’ve found friends you can rely on, and that gives me a good deal of comfort. I worried knowing you were so far away and all.”

  “So you agree I made the right decision?”

  “I didn’t say that. You took a huge risk, and as it happens, it has paid off. Do not go puffing out your feathers thinking you know best.”

  And suddenly, the girlish Mary Rogers who had flirted with both a man half her age and one a few years older was once again Grace’s mother—stern and rigid without a trace of a smile.

  Grace hugged her, not taking the rebuke to heart, and opened the door to the hotel.

  Chapter 20

  The day of the party, Nick arrived at the hotel around noon, but Lily and Emma refused to let him anywhere near Grace.

  “It’s bad luck, cowboy,” Lily said, wagging her finger at him.

  “We’re already married,” he reminded her.

  “Not the Harvey Way, you’re not,” Emma chimed in. “Now scoot. We’ve got a lot to do and not near enough time to get it done.”

  He thought about heading over to the saloon where Slim and the others were quenching their thirst, but he wasn’t in the mood for any more of the good-natured ribbing he’d suffered through the night before in the bunkhouse. Besides, he was wearing his best suit and shirt, not to mention a collar that was far too stiff and tight for his taste. He wasn’t about to risk having beer spilled on any of it. He wandered out to the veranda that surrounded the hotel and was surprised to see John Lombard sitting in one of the rocking chairs.

  “Nick! You look like you could use a drink. All I can offer is a glass of this lemonade.” He nodded toward the pitcher on the small table beside him. “Help yourself and have a seat.”

  Nick did as his boss suggested. “Long day,” he muttered as he downed the lemonade and then refilled his glass.

  “I expect it seems that way,” Lombard said. “Truth is, it’s no longer than any other.” He set his chair to rocking and stared out at the horizon. “I remember the day I married Rita. I thought we’d never get through it.”

  “Grace and I are already married,” Nick said, wondering why it was he seemed to have to keep reminding everybody of that.
“So I don’t understand why—”

  “It’s the ladies, Nick. They do love their little superstitions—traditions, they would call them. My advice? Play along. And because you and Grace are just going through this for her folks and friends, all you have to do is relax and enjoy the celebration.”

  Nick grunted.

  “You want me to get started with the branding tomorrow?” he asked after a while.

  “It’ll wait. Next week’s plenty of time.”

  “What about that outfit you had me look into out in California?”

  Lombard studied him for a moment and then smiled. “Okay, Nick, let’s talk business—and get your mind off whatever’s got you jumpy as a cornered jackrabbit.”

  An hour later, Nick saw Aidan close the doors to the dining room and post his assistant manager as sentry with strict orders to allow no one in. Nick’s mood darkened like thunderclouds over the mountains. All this fuss when what he thought he’d agreed to was a simple repetition of their vows, a short reception to follow, and then they could be on their way home to the ranch—and to christen their cabin by the falls.

  He loosened the collar that was beginning to feel like a noose, shoved his hands in his pockets, and paced.

  After what seemed like forever, the door to the room where Grace’s parents were staying opened, and Mary Rogers slipped out. She headed across the lobby to the reading room.

  “Ma Rogers,” he called out, drawing the attention of a few hotel guests lingering in the lobby.

  Grace’s mother glanced from him to the closed door and back again. “Nick, why don’t you keep Jim company while I go help Grace get ready?” She took his arm and steered him back to the room she’d just left. “Go on now. It will help pass the time,” she assured him.

  She stopped just shy of shoving him into the room before shutting the door behind him. From the bed, he heard Jim Rogers let out a combination of chuckle and cough.

  “It won’t be long now,” his father-in-law assured him once he’d cleared his lungs.

  “It’s a circus,” Nick grumbled.

  Jim motioned for him to come closer. “Want to help me with a little surprise for Grace?”