“You were right. I wouldn’t have written about it. I don’t really wish to burden you with it even in person. I’m still having trouble accepting that you’re really here. Are you likely to be sticking around?”
Ransom didn’t like her answer. She was trying to keep him out of her business. He couldn’t really blame her, but he still didn’t have to like it.
“Is he going to bring danger to you or the children?”
He watched as she swallowed convulsively and her gaze flicked around rapidly, although she tried to quell her reaction. “No.” She didn’t go into detail but they had reached the house and he had seen her gaze shift to the gun that was still propped against the doorframe.
“Are you saying no because you’ve learned how to load and shoot so quickly?”
Her gaze flew to his and she let out a nervous laugh.
“Could I get you a cup of tea? Have you eaten? The children should be getting home any minute.”
“Hannah, don’t try to change the subject. I think we should talk about this.”
“Really, Ransom? Shouldn’t we rather start with welcome home? How was your travel? Why didn’t you tell me you would leave me so quickly? And why didn’t you tell me you were returning? Do you really expect me to bare myself all the way down to my very soul without you adding a few details? I feel a little like you’ve become my imaginary best friend. I should have told you all about it in a letter. But now that you’re here in the flesh I really don’t feel like confiding in you that I’m prepared to shoot my uncle if he sets foot on our land.”
Ransom blinked. She had a valid point. He had given her his heart; he just hadn’t told her, and had only now realized it himself. He felt as though she had slapped him, but that was a foolish reaction. He was the one who had left her. She had a right to her reactions.
“Very well. Could you please at least tell me this before I allow you to retain your own council?”
She eyed him warily.
“From the extent of the information you have, is it likely that this threat could pose a danger in the next few days?”
Ransom watched as her eyes warmed incrementally, as though she appreciated his question. He studied her while she contemplated it.
“The children are registered as Delaneys at the school, and no one knows my maiden name. Unless he got his hands on the marriage license, which my lawyers had assured me he wouldn’t be able to do, it should take him quite some time to track us. But he has his ways, so I wouldn’t put it past him. Still, though, none of our names, either old or new, were on our train tickets and I posed as a matron rather than the children’s older sister. Even if he has the right names, it should take him several more days to track us. On the other hand, did you get my letter about the drunk on the porch?”
At his nod, she sighed and explained. “When you arrived I was crying because I blame myself. I fear I have brought danger to the children because I couldn’t handle the responsibility.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I sent home for one of the maids to come help us. While I went to some effort to ensure the communication couldn’t be traced to us here and had her go to a different town first before coming here, she wouldn’t have been that terribly difficult to follow, I’m sure. She’s an inexperienced young maid. I couldn’t ask her to practice very much subterfuge. And I’m fairly certain that drunkard who maybe wasn’t a drunkard was actually here to ascertain if I am who I am before my uncle comes himself. Even if he wasn’t, I’ve received word from a lawyer I retained to facilitate communication with my contacts in Boston, that he has been questioned by my uncle via telegram. It’s only a matter of time before he arrives in the flesh.”
“How bad is it if it really is true that your uncle has found you? Are you in danger? Are the children?”
“Not necessarily. He has never actually hurt anyone that I know of for certain. But he has made me extremely uncomfortable since I turned fifteen. And none of the female servants care for him. It is possible that he’s just a harmlessly lecherous man. But he has always coveted my father’s money.”
“Were you left with a grand inheritance?” Ransom was surprised.
Hannah lowered her head. Ransom wasn’t the only one who had kept secrets.
“Maryanne and I were well provided for, but it’s Brent I’m most concerned about. He is to inherit the bulk of our father’s estate. My father’s Will stipulated that his guardian was to control his inheritance until he reaches the age of majority. But it also stipulated that it could only be me if I was married. So I got married. But I’m afraid my uncle will challenge it in an effort to gain access to Brent’s inheritance.
“What “it” will he challenge?”
“Our marriage,” she answered, her voice tight and scared. “And the Will, I suppose, too.”
Ransom watched her steadily, waiting for her to continue.
“I don’t really know much of anything in detail, as you can see but, no, I don’t think any danger is immediate.”
“Fine. Then thank you for the welcome. I would love a cup of tea.”
Chapter Twelve
Hannah’s heart constricted and her hands felt fluttery as she bustled around the kitchen making tea for her husband. Her husband! He had returned. She had been wishing for it for weeks, months even. Really, from the day he left she had been shocked to be left alone but she hadn’t been longing for him, specifically, until later. As they had written their letters back and forth, she had developed increasingly warmer feelings for him. She tried to caution herself. He wasn’t necessarily the man she had envisioned from his letters. She mustn’t give him her heart. She needed to preserve her heart and think about the children.
She plated a few cookies as she filled the teapot with boiling water, grateful for the mundane tasks to get her thoughts back together. She glanced up at him and then away. He looked so good. She was relieved that he had shaved. He looked civilized and normal. But so very handsome. She had seen some of the men passing through town who had been off hunting or searching for riches. They had been rough and unkempt. The fact that Ransom had taken the time to clean himself up told her he had a level of respect for her that she appreciated.
Hoping her hands didn’t betray her nerves by spilling their contents, Hannah brought the tea and cups to the table along with all the other accompaniments.
“I should be helping you, shouldn’t I?” Ransom was about to get to his feet.
“No, no, you’ve just arrived. I’ve got this.”
“I’m so very tired, my mind isn’t working quickly enough,” he excused.
“It’s fine, I promise.” Hannah was happy to have another adult there despite her nerves in his presence.
“The children are well?”
Hannah smiled over his attempt to make conversation despite the obvious desire to question her shining in his eyes. She followed his lead.
“Yes, they are well. They have all adjusted to school. Maryanne was the one I was most concerned about as she had the most ambivalent feelings toward the obligation. But even she has decided school isn’t so bad. She loves to learn. Brent, on the other hand, loves to make mischief with the other boys. And Francine just loves being with the two of them and the other students. She’s so easy going. She hasn’t been the least bit of trouble at all.”
“Then why are you suddenly biting your lip as though there is something to be concerned about?”
Hannah laughed. “How do you know me so well even though we’ve barely met?”
Ransom quirked his eyebrow at her and Hannah felt heat flood her face. She realized he felt the same way as she did. Their letter writing had made them known to each other.
“I still haven’t been able to get the children to speak about their grief. I haven’t been able to fully overcome my own in order to discuss it with them. But they seem to be doing so well. Shouldn’t little Francine be longing for her mother? Shouldn’t Brent be angry that his father was taken away from him
?”
“They’ve had you,” he pointed out gently.
“But I’m not enough,” she wailed softly, tears filling her eyes. Her heart and stomach clenched as he grasped her hand.
“You are enough. Even if you didn’t know what you were doing, your love for them obviously shined through and reached them. Children are more resilient than adults. That’s probably why your grief has been choking you while they’ve seemed to carry on their merry way.”
She chewed on her lip some more before he reached up and soothed her teeth away with his thumb. Heat flooded her, filling her with a nameless longing. She shoved the unwelcome sensation away. Now wasn’t the time.
“The thing is, with your adult understanding and concerns, you have been choked with your worries for the children as well as your sadness for your loss. You’ve been mourning for your parents as well as the life that you knew. The children haven’t had nearly as much to concern themselves with. They have been distracted by all the newness of their lives here. But they’ve also been secure, knowing that you were taking care of everything. It is you that hasn’t had that sense of security, which is probably why you have been struggling with your grief. Your parents likely represented security in your life before their death. You were unused to being responsible for everything. So your feelings are completely understandable.”
Hannah laughed, and even she could hear the relief behind the joyous sound.
“How did you get so smart?” she asked.
“I’ve had the luxury of all the time in the world to think while I worked very hard at an extremely mundane task.”
“So what HAVE you been doing, and why couldn’t you tell me about it?”
Ransom chuckled. “I didn’t tell you before I left because we had just met, and I didn’t know or trust you.”
“Even though you married me?” she asked drily. He offered her a sheepish grin in return.
“I trusted you with my niece and everything else that I own, but not my claim. It’s ridiculous, isn’t it?”
Hannah wrinkled her nose. “Claim? You mentioned that before. You mean like for minerals or something?”
“Yes, exactly, for minerals or something. Gold to be exact.”
“You’ve been panning for gold?”
“You don’t need a claim to pan for gold, anyone can do that. No, I have a chunk of land in the beautiful heart of Oregon that has a lovely, wide vein of gold drifting through its hills.”
Hannah felt her eyes widen with surprise. She wasn’t sure what surprised her more – the news of his gold or the clear pride ringing in his voice. She had to smile.
“Why are you so proud of yourself over it?”
Ransom grinned. “Because I accomplished it completely on my own. I found the right piece of land. I found the right rock. I dug it out with my own two hands and a pick. And I’ve protected it from anyone else finding out.”
“Why don’t you want anyone to know?”
“Because we’re now in Nebraska. I’m not there to protect it.”
Hannah knew her mouth was opening to form a silent, “Oh,” but wasn’t able to prevent it or the rapid blinking, so big was her surprise.
“So what you’re telling me is that you’re risking everything by coming home.”
Ransom’s eyes lit up as though he were delighted with her perception. “Well, not everything. I brought quite a bit of gold along with me,” he replied with a pleased grin. “And I boarded everything up so no one could just stray into my mine. Of course, the boards give away that there’s something to hide. But it’s quite a secluded spot. And winter will close in shortly. It’ll be fine.”
“What would happen if someone else starts mining there while you’re away?”
“Well, they’d be stealing from me.”
“Could they take over your claim?”
“Only until I showed up.”
“But legally, they couldn’t somehow take over your claim?”
“No, I have a deed to the land.”
“And if someone were to steal your gold, will you be destitute?”
“No, there’s more than enough money in the bank at this point. Besides, we have this place.”
He was beginning to frown, obviously not understanding where she was going with her questions. She told him.
“So, you didn’t really risk all that much by coming home, did you?”
“Well, I risked someone finding out about my strike and going in and helping themselves to it.”
“Sure, but you would be fine if that happened, though, right?”
Finally he returned her smile. “I’d be more than fine. Because I’m home.”
Hannah sighed with relief. He was home. And that was exactly where she needed him to be. She didn’t know if she could trust that he would stay put, but it was a relief to have him there for as long as he would stay. She was about to question him further when the opening door interrupted them.
***
“Uncle Ransom?” The joyful cry from the doorway came as a shock to the two adults in the room. The time had flown by and Hannah hadn’t realized it was time for the children to get home. Before they could respond, Francine had run across the room and thrown her arms around him. It was a far more exuberant welcome than he had ever received from his young niece. He knew it was a result of her association with his wife. One more reason for him to be grateful for his marriage.
Ransom felt a little awkward hugging the small girl, but she seemed content to lean against him so he didn’t want to disappoint her. He could feel his grin thinning out as he saw the other two youngsters hanging back shyly by the door, exchanging uncomfortable glances between themselves and their older sister.
“Hello there.” His greeting felt a little lame but he realized, as the adult, it was his place to try to make them feel comfortable. It must have been the right thing to do because they both seemed to relax a little bit and stepped into the room.
After one more glance at Hannah, Brent stepped forward, clearly making an effort to be a man, with his hand outstretched. “Hello, Mr. Delaney.”
Ransom grinned as he shook the boy’s hand. “You don’t need to be quite so formal with me, Brent. I’d be happy if you called me Ransom.”
The boy looked bashful but bobbed his head in a nod.
It was an awkward scene and Ransom once again berated himself for having left the family so abruptly after they had arrived. While this was his house, it wouldn’t have felt that way to them since they hadn’t really seen him there. He looked at Hannah feeling more than a little helpless.
She must have been able to tell because despite the fact that he was fairly certain she was still feeling irritated with him, her eyes filled with sympathy and she stepped forward to take control of the awkwardness.
“Welcome home, Maryanne, Brent, and Francine. How was school?”
Francine answered right away from under Ransom’s arm but he had to stifle a chuckle over the incredulous expressions on the faces of the other two.
“It was the best, and it’s even better now,” Francine said, making Ransom’s arm tighten around her.
Ransom met his wife’s gaze and grinned over the wry expression on her face. She wasn’t considering it the best day ever apparently.
“I baked some cookies today.” She said, changing the subject. “Would the three of you like to take a few outside so that Ransom and I can talk?”
“But he just got here,” Francine protested before turning in his arms. “You aren’t going to go away again tomorrow, are you?”
Guilt flooded him once more. “No, sweetpea, I will be here long enough for you to get good and tired of me, I promise.”
“I’ll never get tired of you, Uncle Ransom,” the child vowed. Ransom’s heart squeezed. A child’s love was the purest gift. He had been a fool to risk it all.
“Since I just got here, Hannah and I have a few things we need to discuss before we all sit down to our supper. But I promise I’ll still be here whe
n you come back in.”
Ransom was uncomfortable with the wide, serious eyes on Hannah’s little sister and surprised by how readily she and her brother both accepted Hannah’s edict that they go outside while the adults talked. Francine wasn’t so easy to convince.
“Do we have to stay out until the dinner bell, Hannah?”
“No, not that long. Maybe half an hour or an hour. Do you think you could entertain yourselves that long?”
The little girl shifted her gaze between her uncle and his wife and then burst into a grin. “If you give us each an extra cookie.”
Hannah laughed. “You drive a hard bargain, but I’ll allow it this once,” she answered as she added three more to the napkin she had folded the other cookies into and ushered the children back out the door.
Ransom felt nerves tighten his belly as she turned back toward him. She was such a beautiful young woman despite the weight she had lost. If anything, the air of maturity she now held around her made her even better looking than when he had last seen her. He needed her to accept him into her life. He had already given her his heart while he was on his mountain in Oregon. He only hoped she would accept it.
***
Hannah’s stomach tightened as she turned back toward her husband. He had looked so handsome as he had tried not to be awkward with Francine. Hannah had fallen a little bit more in love with him as she watched him greet the children despite how uncomfortable he appeared to be. But a part of her wanted to hold on to her anger.
“Do you know how hard I’ve had to work for the last three months? I know this is your house, but I am having a hard time accepting that you think you can just waltz in and out of it without a “by your leave.” You left the day after we arrived. You left me to deal with three orphaned children. And a large house. And chickens. Do you know I had never seen a chicken in real life with its feathers still on? I had to learn how to collect their eggs so that I could teach the children how to do it. My city-born-and-raised little brother and sister have had to learn how to do chores from me, and I don’t even know how to do it. And finally when I couldn’t take it anymore, I sent for a maid. And now, when I could finally start to feel comfortable, now, now you show up?”
A Bride for Ransom Page 13
