An Agent for Pearl

by Christine Sterling

  “I know, darlin’,” Pearl said trying to mimic Zeke’s drawl.

  “I love you, Pearl Bolton. I’m just so happy you are alive.”

  “It’s Pearl Preston,” she whispered. She heard Zeke’s chest give a little laugh as she laid her head back down against it. She closed her eyes savoring the feel of his arms around her once more. Pearl knew she was safe.

  Chapter 10

  September 1872

  Pearl was sitting in the Pinkerton kitchen sipping a cup of tea while Jacqueline copied recipes from Pearl’s recipe box.

  She couldn’t believe the changes that had occurred since June. It took nearly a month for her to recover from her ordeal. She ended up staying at the hotel, in Zeke’s room, for nearly three weeks until she could be moved.

  He stayed next to her, sleeping on a makeshift bed on the floor. He learned how to change the bandages on her arms and legs and held her when she cried from the pain.

  Mrs. Williams said something about it being improper for a man to stay with a single young woman, but when Zeke produced a marriage certificate the woman was placated. She did think it was terrible, however, that he led her daughter on, even if it was only for eight hours.

  Once Pearl was well enough to be transported, Zeke took her home to her parent’s house and helped her settle in. Pearl was a little upset that Zeke went back to the dormitory, but she understood.

  The only time they had together was when Pearl returned to the agency to resume her cooking duties. Jacqueline did most of the work, with Pearl supervising. She was happy to be back where she belonged.

  Her days were spent assisting Jacqueline and sneaking kisses with Zeke in the library. No wonder Sissy made such an effort for clandestine encounters! They were so much fun. Sissy stayed in Denver and married the doctor one week after they met! She and Pearl became good friends and had a weekly lunch date once Pearl recovered. Mrs. Williams went back to Oregon, happy in the knowledge that her daughter was finally married.

  Nights, however, were too much. Her mother was still imbibing, and her father needed more care than Pearl could manage in the evenings. With Zeke’s help they made the hard decision to transfer Mr. Bolton to a sanitarium just outside of Denver where he had around the clock care.

  Mrs. Bolton moved to a woman’s home where she could be near to her husband and get the help, she needed for her laudanum addiction.

  Pearl put the townhome up for sale and received an offer the very next day. They would settle by the end of the month.

  She had hoped to purchase the small piece of land outside of town, but when she inquired about it at the Assayer’s office, she found it had been sold. Marianne and Archie offered her the use of a second-floor apartment in the mansion until she could find somewhere to live. Pearl was truly grateful for her Pinkerton family.

  “Pearl!” Marianne called. “Where are you?”

  “In the kitchen,” Jacqueline responded.

  Marianne came in waving a newspaper. “You will never believe this.”

  “What?”

  “There is another cooking contest being held next month. You should…”

  “No!” both Pearl and Jacqueline said in unison, and then laughed.

  “What’s going on in here?” Zeke came in the kitchen followed by Archie.

  “Marianne was just telling Pearl about the cooking contest…”

  “That’s not happening. Pearl doesn’t need any more cooking competitions.”

  “I know. I just thought…”

  “Let’s have tea in my office, my love,” Archie interrupted, taking Marianne by the arm, “and you can tell me everything you read in the paper today.”

  Marianne rolled her eyes but allowed her husband to lead her from the kitchen.

  “I should probably get a fresh pot of tea made,” Pearl said jumping up from the table.

  “Actually, I was just talking to Archie. Care to take a ride with me?”

  “Where are we going?”

  Zeke grinned at her. “It’s a surprise.”

  “Oh, I like surprises,” she said, letting Zeke help her from the chair.

  They went to the foyer and Pearl grabbed her coat and hat. Zeke led her down the path to where a hackney was waiting in the street.

  He assisted Pearl inside and then climbed in behind her. Taking her hand, he lifted it to his lips and planted a kiss with such tenderness that Pearl wanted to cry.

  “I’m leaving on Saturday.”

  “Are you going on assignment?”

  “No. I’m headed back to Texas.”

  “Oh.” Pearl removed her hand from Zeke’s grasp and looked out the window as the carriage rolled slowly through the street.

  “I need to get back.”

  Pearl knew this day was coming, she just pretended that it wouldn’t.

  “I know.”

  Zeke picked up her hand once more. “How’s your skin doing?”

  “Better. I have to apply this lotion every day, but it is finally healed. There is still some scarring on my legs where the sun burned me very badly. The doctor thinks the scars may never heal.”

  “I wish I had taken better care of you, darlin’.”

  Pearl’s eyes flew up to Zeke’s. “It wasn’t your fault. No one knew what Thomas was capable of. You did find me. You made sure I healed. I love you for that.”

  Pearl saw Zeke lean forward and cover her lips with his own. She loved kissing him. They had never done anything beyond kissing, because Pearl knew that this day would soon come.

  Pearl reached her arms around Zeke’s neck and threaded her fingers in his hair. She heard Zeke groan and pull away. “We definitely need to stop, darlin’. I don’t know how much more I can take.” He turned and looked out the window, reaching for her hand once more to hold it.

  “The sun is twice as powerful in Texas,” he replied softly. “You wouldn’t be able to be outside more than a few minutes.”

  Pearl’s heart hurt. Was he telling her that he didn’t want to take her with him? That it wasn’t even an option?

  “I could dress in more layers,” she offered hopefully.

  “No darlin’, you won’t be going with me. You belong here, surrounded by your family and friends.”

  “But Zeke…”

  “I know you said you would never trust me… but trust me, Pearl. This is what is best for you.”

  Before Pearl could respond, the carriage shuddered as it rolled to a stop. Pearl looked out the window, but she didn’t recognize anything. All she could see were trees and grass.

  Zeke hopped out of the carriage and reached in to assist Pearl down. He kept his arm around her, prohibiting her from walking around the carriage to see where they were.

  “What’s this all about, Zeke?”

  “Close your eyes?”

  “What tomfoolery is this?”

  When Pearl didn’t do what he asked, Zeke moved behind her and placed his hands gently over her eyes. “Walk,” he commanded. Pearl took a hesitant step, her arms to her sides for balance. “Keep going,” he prodded gently. Finally, he whispered for her to stop.

  When he removed his hands, Pearl was looking at a sign announcing a parcel of land for sale. A large SOLD banner had been glued on top of it.

  Pearl spied a freshly painted farmhouse with pale blue shutters. It was the one she saw with Zeke when they were on their way to the hotel back in June. It didn't even look like the same house. Years of neglect were replaced by a house that looked like it was lifted from the pages of a magazine.

  A solid porch with a new roof wrapped around three sides of the house. The house roof had been replaced with new shingles and the windows were polished until they shone.

  The ground next to the house was freshly tilled and chickens were scratching at the dirt, looking for a treat of fresh bugs or worms. A small chicken coop stood in the back, painted the same white as the house.

  “What’s going on,” Pearl asked.

  Zeke slid his arms around her waist and pull
ed her close to him. “Welcome home, darlin’,” Zeke whispered, his breath warm against her neck.

  Pearl looked around and spied a small cabin further down the lot. It was the one she saw with Zeke when they were on their way to the hotel back in June.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You wanted a home of your own. You wanted this home. So, I purchased it for you and now it is yours.”

  Yours. He didn’t say ours.

  “I don’t know what to say,” Pearl replied.

  “Let’s go inside and look,” he prodded. He grabbed Pearl’s hand and ran across the field, pulling her with him. When they reached the door, he dug in his pocket and handed her a key.

  Pearl slid the key in the lock and turned it, allowing the door to fall open. She stepped inside. The cabin was empty apart from a wooden table in the middle of the room and a large item hidden underneath a sheet.

  “I figured you could pick out the furniture you wanted and decorate it. Connor and I came and made sure it was solid and put in some walls dividing a bedroom from the rest of the house.”

  “You did this for me?”

  “For us,” Zeke said. “I’ll be in Texas for less than a month. I need to go and transfer everything I learned to the rangers. Then I’ll be home for good. I’ll start with the police department after the first of the year.”

  “You are coming back?”

  “Of course I am. Everything I love and hold dear is here in Denver. My wife is in Denver.”

  “So, you don’t want the annulment? I just thought…”

  Zeke cupped Pearl’s face and drew her to him. His mouth covered hers, sealing in Pearl’s mind that she was his forever. When he broke the kiss, he still held her face. “My wife is in Denver,” he repeated. He turned her around. “Now go take a look at what’s over there.”

  Pearl practically skipped to the mass under the sheet. She grabbed one corner and yanked. The sheet flew over her head, catching her in it as it fell.

  Zeke laughed as she balled up the sheet and tossed it to him. When she turned back around her mouth fell open. There was the white enamel cast iron stove that Pearl dreamed about. Sitting on the stovetop stood a two tier stand that she recognized from the hotel.

  “Marianne was telling me how you insisted on having tea every afternoon once you came back to the office.”

  “I did. Now I can have tea with you here.”

  “I’d like that very much, Pearl.”

  Pearl ran her fingers over the cool surface. It even had a bread box. On closer inspection she noticed a nick in the enamel that looked strangely familiar. She turned a questioning gaze to Zeke. He simply shrugged. “They couldn’t sell it, so I got it at a bargain.”

  “Eighteen dollars is not a bargain.”

  “Who said I paid eighteen dollars for it? I managed to talk him down to ten.”

  “Ten dollars? How did you manage to do that?”

  “It was easy. Warner didn’t want to have to move it again. So, I got a few agents and we moved it for him.”

  Pearl jumped into his arms and planted kisses on Zeke’s cheeks. “I can’t believe it.”

  “Just think of all the wonderful dinners you can create on that stove.”

  “Dinners for my husband.”

  “Yes. Dinners for your husband.”

  “Have I told you how much I love you, Ezekiel Preston?”

  “You just did, darlin’.”

  As Zeke leaned down to kiss her again, she thought that maybe Mrs. Williams was correct. A cooking competition was the best place to find a husband. She’d certainly found hers.

  Epilogue

  One year later

  Pearl spied the wagons pulling into the yard.

  “Zeke!” she called. “I think everyone is here.”

  Zeke came down the steps carrying Violet in his arms. Their daughter had just turned six weeks old and was the spitting image of her father. He handed the baby to Pearl and gently kissed her forehead. “She’s all clean,” he said, kissing Pearl on the cheek. “I’ll carry the tray out to the back yard. Do you need any more help?”

  “I’ll be out with the rest and I think that is it.” Zeke picked up a tray with two pitchers of lemonade and headed out to the porch.

  Pearl pulled back the bonnet that was falling over Violet’s face. Zeke named their daughter when the baby opened her eyes and they were the same light color as Pearl’s – blue with a hint of violet. He also insisted on partaking in every aspect of care for their daughter. Even some of the more unpleasant ones. Violet cooed and waved her arm in the air.

  Pearl captured her daughter’s arm and pressed kisses against her hand. She had never loved anyone more than she loved the little bundle in her arms.

  “Let me take Violet, so you can go visit with your guests.” Mrs. Bolton held her arms out to receive her granddaughter.

  Pearl’s father passed peacefully in his sleep, never having a chance to meet his granddaughter or knowing that Pearl was pregnant. With help from her family and doctors, Mrs. Bolton beat her addiction to laudanum. Zeke offered her a place to stay at the farmhouse and she was delighted to be around Pearl and the baby.

  Pearl gently placed a squirmy Violet in her mother’s arms. “Let me get my wrap and we can go outside.” With her wrap in place, Pearl picked up two platters – one filled with tiny spicy pepper cream and cucumber sandwiches between slices of freshly made bread and the other with the petit fours enrobed in decadent icing.

  The chef of the Ameristar hotel was pleased to teach Pearl how to make them. Pearl was able to wrangle his recipe for pimento cheese spread as well to make the sandwiches she loved. Soon Pearl was sharing her recipes and baking treats for the restaurants in town. She made a promise to Zeke that she would never enter another baking contest as long as she lived.

  As Pearl walked to the porch with her mother and daughter, she spied many of her Pinkerton friends, and new ones, coming for an afternoon of fun at the farm.

  The carriages were pulling in as chickens scurried across the yard looking for a safe spot to hide. Bullet, their young collie, ran from wagon to wagon greeting the guests.

  “Don’t park in the garden!” Pearl called as the wagons spread out.

  She saw Archie assisting Marianne from their carriage. Their son was not quite four months old. Marianne placed little Andrew on her shoulder and bounced him as she waved to Pearl. Archie pulled out a basket and a blanket and followed his wife towards the porch.

  Pearl spied Bronco and Claudette with their son, Victor, who was named after Claudette’s father. He was just over a year old and walking between his father’s legs. Bronco laughed as he hunched over, letting his son hold onto his fingers to walk.

  Jacqueline and Connor arrived. They were recently married, and Pearl couldn’t wait to hear about their new married life. Given Jacqueline’s zeal for adventure and Connor’s Irish heritage, she imagined that it wasn’t as quiet as it appeared.

  Several more wagons and horses pulled up. Pearl walked the length of the porch to the steps that led into the back yard. Zeke raised his hand and walked over to assist her into the shaded gazebo he built just for her.

  Soon the yard was filled with friends, husbands and babies. Her friends, her husband and her baby. Her life had certainly changed. The shy, pale girl who thought no one would ever want to marry her had everything her heart desired. She was truly blessed. She whispered a little prayer and went to join her friends in celebrating life.

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