He breathed into her face. “I’m sorry you wound up at Merrill’s place the way you did. It must have been awful for you.”
She stared up into the black pools of his eyes. She couldn’t remember Merrill’s place. Everything before this moment ceased to exist.
“The trip over here in that wagon wasn’t too trying for you, I hope,” he went on. “It’s no way for a lady to travel.”
“It wasn’t too bad,” Lily replied. Now that she thought about it, it wasn’t bad at all. It was over, and now she was here in this dizzy whirlwind of emotion.
“Would you like to sit down and have some tea?” he asked. “These two wanted to get up a parade to welcome you, but I told them you probably wouldn’t appreciate that.”
Betsy howled with laughter. “Listen to him! Get up a parade! You’re the one who wanted to string up lights and ring the church bells.”
Everybody laughed, and Noah blushed. The serious reserve split apart, and a magnificent smile radiated out of his face. Lily looked around her at the flurry of happy faces on all sides. Everybody beamed at her in the greatest delight. They all jostled and ribbed each other in the closest comradery.
Noah motioned toward the couch. “Come sit down. It’s always a party around here when another mail order bride comes to town.”
Lily sank down in the seat, and Noah sat next to her. For some reason, he didn’t let go of her hand. Their hands belonged together. Countless people touched Lily’s hand and even held it, but none of them affected her like this. She couldn’t withdraw it if she wanted to.
“I’m sorry about the way everything turned out,” Noah told her again. “Merrill will almost certainly try to get you back, and you won’t be safe anywhere. These men will defend you with their lives, but you’ll only be safe here at the forge with them to protect you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Betsy interrupted. “Lily doesn’t want to stay here. Catherine said she was a fine lady. I’m sure she wants to stay somewhere a lot nicer than this old house.”
“Where would she stay?” Cici asked. “The only other place is the Hotel, and it’s not that much nicer than here.”
“She’s not going to the Hotel,” Noah declared. “I won’t allow it. That’s the first place Merrill will look for her. What are we going to do, camp out on the front porch with our guns until his goons come around to blow us all away? No, thank you.”
“I don’t mind camping out,” Kelvin offered. “If that’s what it takes to stop Merrill forcing her into a marriage she doesn’t want, then that’s what we’ll do.”
Noah stood his ground. “No. I won’t play games with Lily’s life.”
“What’s the alternative?” Betsy asked. “There’s nowhere else to stay in this dirty old town. There’s nowhere nice enough for her besides Merrill’s house.”
“She stays here,” Cici countered. “You’ll be safe here, Lily, and Betsy and I will take care of you. You’d have everything here that you’d have at the Hotel, and it won’t cost as much, either.”
Noah started to say something else, but Lily raised her hands between them. “I don’t mind staying here. Really, I don’t. I don’t have to go to the Hotel, and I’m not as much of a lady as you might think. I grew up in the New York slums. I worked as a needle girl from my ninth birthday just to feed my mother and my little brother. The three of us lived in one tiny room that was a lot rougher than this beautiful house, I can assure you.”
A heavy silence fell over the room. Everyone exchanged startled glances. All at once, Cici exploded with laughter. She slapped Betsy in the arm. “What did I tell you? She’s just like us!” She lunged out of her seat and grabbed Lily’s other hand. “Come on! Let us take you upstairs and show you your room. You’re gonna be comfortable here. We’re gonna be great friends.”
She started to haul Lily to her feet, but Noah wouldn’t release her hand. He bowed over it and pressed it, and his mesmerizing eyes caught hold of her. “Thank you!”
7
Betsy carried a fresh pitcher of water into the guest room and set it on the washstand. “You probably want to relax for a while. You’ve had a crazy few days, I reckon.”
“A crazy few months, more like. I haven’t really rested since I left Fort Laramie.” Lily reclined on the comfortable bed. This room wasn’t the luxurious accommodation of Merrill’s mansion, but it filled her with contentment all the magnificence in the world couldn’t match.
Cici folded a blanket across the end of the bed. “How did you get to be such a lady if you come from such humble beginnings? That’s what I don’t understand.”
“I married a rich banker,” Lily replied. “He fell in love with me, and he saved me from the slums. When he died, he left me everything. I lived like that for years, but there’s no soul in it. I don’t want to live like that anymore, and I didn’t want to remarry anybody like that again. I had plenty of offers from men just like Merrill, and I could see through every one of them.”
“Well, you can’t do better than Noah Kearney,” Betsy chimed in. “He can’t give you the life you’re used to, though.”
“I don’t want him to,” she replied. “I don’t care about the money. I’ve got money enough, and it didn’t make me happy. I want someone I can truly love. Do you know I’ve never truly loved anybody? Isn’t that sad? If I have to marry someone I don’t love, I would rather not get married at all. I don’t care if I have to live rough, as long as we have each other.”
Betsy and Cici glanced at each other and shared a knowing smile. The four men—Noah, Kelvin, Jed, and Sam remained downstairs in the kitchen. In the few short minutes since Lily entered this house, she settled into it like she’d been living here for years.
She knew and understood these down-to-earth women as the sisters she never had. She saw herself mirrored in them. They traveled across the country to marry men they’d never met, and they found the loves of their lives in this wilderness.
Now came Lily’s turn. She dreamed of Noah Kearney during the long nights since she first laid eyes on his daguerreotype. Now she met the living, breathing man, and she saw her destiny laid out before her.
This town welcomed her in all its complexity and barbarism. If she put aside the nightmare of Merrill Fox and his tyrannical madness, these people in this house right now represented her ideal for how she wanted to live her life.
They shared their hardships and their laughter and their stories. They supported and defended each other. They rallied to each other’s aid when they needed it, and they celebrated the simple joys of living.
What more could Lily ask for? She never really wanted luxury and extravagance. She only wanted comfort and togetherness without worrying about where her next meal would come from.
Now she found that. If she married Noah, these people would surround her. These women would become her closest friends. Noah would share his trials and his problems with the men downstairs. They would see each other through the hard times ahead.
While she relaxed on the bed and the other two worked around the room, a commotion kicked up outside. Betsy and Cici went to the window. Lily joined them looking down into the yard outside the forge, and her heart sank at what she saw.
Two dozen horsemen cantered out of town and into the yard. They came to a stop in front of the forge, and the four men emerged from the kitchen to face them.
All of them carried rifles, and now Sam and Noah wore sidearms, too. They spread out in a line to confront the intruders.
Jed Wilcox shouted over the noise of stamping hooves. “You boys turn around and ride back to town the way you came. You’re trespassing on private property, and we won’t hesitate to defend ourselves, if that’s what it takes.”
One of the men detached from the group, and Lily recognized the Sheriff from Merrill’s house. His horse shied and squealed against the rein when the Sheriff eased him forward.
The Sheriff sliced his finger through the air, and he snarled down at the four friends. “You men hand
over the lady you took from Merrill Fox’s house. You had no right to take her. We don’t need any trouble. Return her now, and we’ll leave the rest of you in peace.”
“We’re not handing her over,” Noah growled.
“You kidnapped her from Mr. Fox’s house,” the Sheriff countered. “You could face prison or hanging for that.”
“Merrill Fox kidnapped her,” Jed shot back. “You’re supposed to be a lawman. Why don’t you do your job for once instead of bowing and scraping for Merrill all the time? If he wants to get the law involved in this, who do you think she’ll accuse in an honest court of law?”
The Sheriff jerked his reins sideways. “I’ll take her into custody, and we can settle this the legal way if that’s what you want.”
“I said an honest court of law!” Jed thundered. “We all know you don’t represent any law but Merrill Fox’s wishes. You want to settle this the legal way? Then go get a real lawman and not some stooge with a tin star.”
The Sheriff bared his teeth, and his lips quivered in rage. “If you don’t return the lady, we’ll come and take her by force. We won’t be responsible for the consequences.”
“You want to come and take her?” Jed asked. “You better be ready to eat lead, ‘cuz we’ll never give her up as long as even one of us is left alive.”
The Sheriff yanked his reins, and his horse reared in alarm. It plunged away with a frightful screech, and the whole army of desperadoes galloped off toward town.
Betsy’s shoulders sagged. “Well, that’s it, then.”
“I wonder if we’ve got time to write a letter to the folks back home,” Cici remarked.
“Oh, will you two be quiet!” Lily whirled away from the window. “Come on! There’s no time for that!”
She lunged for the door and pounded down the stairs. She exploded into the kitchen to find the four men standing around the table.
Jed and Kelvin shoved bullets into two more rifles. Noah checked his pistols and spun the cylinders before he crammed them into his holsters. Sam Dolan counted sticks of dynamite stacked to one side.
Jed glanced up when Lily charged into the room. “You heard ‘em. It’ll turn to a firefight before long. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re back inside an hour.”
“You better get back upstairs,” Kelvin remarked. “There’ll be bullets flying all over the place. The whole downstairs’ll be full of it. It won’t be safe for you down here.”
Lily strode up to the table. “I’m going out there with you.” She picked up a rifle, jacked down the action, and sighted along the barrel. Then she picked up a pistol and popped open the cylinder to check that it was fully loaded.
The four men stared at her. Betsy and Cici appeared in the doorway. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going out there,” Lily announced. “This is my fight, and by God, they’re gonna taste lead from me, too. They’ll find nothing left but a dead corpse to take back to Merrill before I let them take me alive.”
She grabbed a shotgun and cracked it open. She took out one of the shells and examined it. Jed frowned. “Do you know what to do with that?”
“Of course, I do,” she returned. “Do you?”
He glanced at Noah. Noah looked at Kelvin. Kelvin put out his hand to take the gun away from her. “This is a bad idea. You’re the one they’re coming after. Go upstairs and leave this to us.”
“All the more reason I should help you fight them off,” she returned. “What do you think—that you’re gonna defeat all those men with just the four of you? We need every gun hand out there. I can shoot as well as any of you. My late husband taught me. He thought it was amusing to see a lady shoot a gun. It looks like it wasn’t such a big joke after all. I’m going with you. I only wish I had a pair of pants to change into.”
Sam gasped. “A pair of pants!”
“You’re wearing them.” Lily shot her eyes down his burly frame and back to his startled face. “Do you think wearing a dress makes me less of a shot? I’m going with you.”
Cici barreled into the room. She planted her petite form next to Lily and grabbed a rifle. “I’m coming, too. If she can do it, I can do it, too.”
Jed threw up his hands and spun away. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! This is going way too far.” He rounded on Noah. “For Heaven’s sake, man. Will you talk some sense into her? You know we can’t have her going out there in the middle of an almighty gun battle.”
Lily saw her chance slipping away. She seized Noah’s hand, and the words tumbled out of her in a breathless rush. “Please, Noah. I’m not a hot-house flower, and I know how to handle a gun. Give me a chance to prove it. You’re all risking your lives for my sake. At least let me give us a fighting chance to come out of this alive.”
Noah’s eyes sparkled down at her, and the blood flushed across his cheeks. He shot a sidelong glance at Jed. “We do need all the guns we can get. We might as well take her. It can’t hurt, you know.”
Sam shifted from one foot to the other behind Lily’s back. “There may be something to what she says. I don’t like our chances as it is. A few more guns might just tip the scales in our favor.”
“No amount of guns will tip the scales in our favor,” Jed snapped. “We’re all gonna die out there. At least you three women will be safe.”
“Safe!” Lily exclaimed. “Who said anything about safe? They’re coming to take me back to Merrill’s. Do you call that safe? What do you think they’ll do to Betsy and Cici after you four are dead? Do you really think they’ll be safe?”
Jed pulled his head down between his shoulders. “At least it would be us defending you instead of the other way around.”
Betsy appeared at his side and pressed his arm. “It will be. Come on, you two. I’ve got some old clothes you can change into.”
8
Betsy laid a set of battered old clothes on the end of Lily’s bed. “These are Jed’s old work clothes. They might be a little big, but at least they won’t slow you down.”
“Thanks,” Lily exclaimed. “I’m sure they’ll be perfect. Anything will be better than this dress.”
Betsy scanned her up and down. “It’s a beautiful dress. I’m envious.”
“Don’t be,” Lily remarked. “You could be envious if I had made it myself or done anything to earn it, but since I didn’t, you have nothing to be envious about. It was just dumb luck that my husband fell in love with me instead of the next penniless needle girl at the sewing table.”
“I’m sure there was more to it than that,” Betsy countered. “I’m sure your looks couldn’t hold him for long. He must have fallen in love with your indomitable spirit, just like everyone else in this house has.”
Lily blushed. She picked up the beaten cotton shirt to hide her burning cheeks. “Hush.”
Betsy gave her a sad smile. “Get changed and meet us downstairs. We don’t have much time.”
She shut the door behind her. Lily peeled off her dress and laid it aside. She pulled the stiff canvas pants over her stockings and underwear. She unlaced her corset and buttoned the shirt over her chest. She left her long braids wound in knots behind her head where they belonged.
She checked her appearance in the looking glass. She certainly didn’t look like a fashionable New York lady now. She looked like she belonged in a Frontier gun battle, and that’s exactly where she was going.
Just then, a soft knock thumped on the door. She jumped out of her skin. “Come in.”
The door glided open, and Noah Kearney poked his head around it. His eyes flew open when he saw her. Then he grinned, and his smile beamed glorious light out of his face. His smile banished the serious reserve that usually kept his emotions buried deep beneath the surface. “I never expected to see the lady I planned to marry dressed like that.”
Lily looked away. “I bet you never expected to see the lady you planned to marry fighting Merrill Fox’s horde, either, did you?”
The smile drained off his face. “No. I didn’t.”
Sh
e dared steal a peek at his face. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? Are you sure you don’t mind me going out there to fight alongside you and the other men?”
He cocked his head. “Would you change your mind if I said I did?”
She thought it over. “I might change my mind about fighting. I might agree not to if it really bothered you, but I also might change my mind about marrying you. I would wonder if you really were the right man for me.”
“That’s what I mean.” He drew near her and laid both hands on her shoulders. “Listen. I’m proud of you for going out there. It shows me you’re the woman I want to marry, too. I just don’t want you to get hurt out there.”
“I don’t want you to get hurt, either,” she replied. “That’s why I have to go. You’re less likely to get hurt if I do this. We both are.”
“I know, and I’m okay with it.”
“But are you happy about it?” she asked.
“Yes, I am. I’m glad you’re the kind of woman that can do something like this. It makes me think…..” He broke off.
She peered up at him. “It makes you think what?”
He shrugged. “You know a doctor’s life isn’t easy out here. I get called away all the time. I’m away from home for days, tending patients all over the territory. It’ll be hard on you. Are you sure you want to sign on for that? Brimstone is a war zone with gunfights breaking out all the time. Maybe you should reconsider.”
She spun around with a surprised gasp. The moment she saw his face, a rush of excitement gripped her. She seized his hands and drew near him. “I want this. I want all of it. I’m more sure of that than ever. I don’t care how hard it is. I didn’t expect building a life on the Frontier would be easy, but now I know it’s right. I know it in my heart.”
Noah breathed down at her. His sparkling eyes darted around her face, and he squeezed her hand back with equal pressure. “I want this, too. I never thought I could want a woman as much as I want you. I thought you would come out here, and we would have a few talks, maybe a few walks. I thought we would talk things over and decide what to do. I didn’t think it would be like this. I didn’t think anyone could enchant me this way.”
The Doctor's Bride (Brides 0f Brimstone Book 3) Page 5
