Lucy hated to think they would spend money on her when they could use it themselves. “How about we fix lunch together here, then go for a walk and see the flowers?”
Relief settled over her aunt’s face. “Splendid idea. Fanny made some vegetable soup this morning, and I’m sure it’s ready by now.”
“I like soup.” Eileen was sitting on the floor serving pretend tea to a china doll Fanny had gotten out for her.
“The bread is still warm,” Fanny said, rising from the sofa.
“Let me help you.”
“I’ll let you two girls do the cooking while I get to know Eileen better,” Aunt Sally said.
Lucy followed her cousin into the tiny kitchen dominated by a massive woodstove. The soup bubbled in a kettle and filled the room with a delicious aroma. She stirred it with a spoon Fanny handed her. “Have you lived here all your life?” she asked Fanny.
Fanny began to cut thick slices of bread on a board. “Oh yes. In this same house.”
“And your father?”
“He went away a year ago. I still miss him most terribly. Mama says he’s watching out for us in heaven and finding us the best mansion.”
Lucy smiled. “I like the way you said he ‘went away.’ It reminds me that Mama and Dad aren’t gone forever. They’ve just gone on ahead. Do you have any brothers and sisters?”
“Just one brother. Mama said she wanted a houseful, but the Lord didn’t think she could handle that many. My brother, John, has a small ranch about five miles west. When Mama heard you were here, she told him to come to Sunday dinner and we’d try to get you here too.”
“I’d like that.” Nate would never agree to sit down to dinner with Uncle Drew. She would worry about that later. “Fanny, do you have a beau?”
Color stained Fanny’s cheeks. “Not really. I was engaged once, but he went away.”
“Y-You mean he went on to heaven too?”
Fanny shook her head. “Sorry, no, I mean he left town without a word. It’s been a year, and I still don’t know what happened to him. He didn’t leave a note or anything.” Her voice thickened, and she swiped her eye with a finger.
“I’m so sorry.”
Fanny cleared her throat. “It’s all right. I’m over him.”
Lucy doubted the truth of that statement, but she didn’t say anything more about the young man because her aunt came into the kitchen with a box in her hand. Eileen scampered behind her.
Her aunt’s smile was bright. “I knew I had this somewhere, but I didn’t say anything because I feared I’d have trouble finding it. This was your mother’s. It has some mementos and a photograph or two, I think. I thought you’d like to see them.”
“I’d love to see them!” Lucy wiped her hands on a towel and reached for the box.
“Sit here at the table. You may keep it, my dear.”
Lucy’s throat tightened. “Thank you, Aunt Sally. I have so little of my mother’s. Just this locket, a watch, and the dress she was married in, really.”
Her aunt sat beside her and patted her hand. “Let’s see what’s in here.”
The box was made of wood and shaped like a small chest. Aunt Sally lifted the lid and laid it back on its leather hinges. The pungent odor of old wood wafted to Lucy’s nose as she peered inside. “A dance card?” She lifted the item from the jumble inside.
“That was from the dance where she saw your father for the first time in four years. My, he was a handsome sight that day. All the girls sighed after him, but he never had eyes for anyone but Jane from that day on.”
Lucy stared at the dance card. Her father’s initials were scrawled on every space. “It appears he didn’t give her the opportunity to slip away,” she said, smiling. “Dad had a way of taking charge.”
“I think you are a little that way yourself.”
“Perhaps.” Lucy laid the card to one side and dug into the box again.
She found an autograph book and began to thumb through it. Several girlfriends had written flowery compliments. She found her father’s bold signature and smiled. Sorting through the memorabilia made her parents seem closer. Pushing aside a jumble of ribbons, she found a locket.
“Our father gave that to her for her sixteenth birthday,” Aunt Sally said. “Her picture is inside.”
Lucy fumbled with the catch and opened it. A young woman stared back at her in the typical, nonsmiling pose. Lucy caught her breath. “It’s the same picture I have in my locket. I look much like her.”
“Indeed. No wonder Nate snatched you up. He succeeded where his father failed.”
Henry again. “Was Mr. Stanton upset when Mama married my father?”
“Oh yes. The men resorted to fisticuffs. He bloodied your father’s lip before it was all done. It was at the dance when their engagement was announced. But a week later Henry was engaged too. To Mary Bristol. She’d loved Henry all her life. Everyone knew Henry was just trying to save face. He hated to lose at anything.” She smiled. “Though I will say the two men didn’t let their disagreement change their friendship.”
“I can see that about Henry. He was most insistent . . .” She broke off, aware she’d said more than she wanted.
“Insistent?”
What could it hurt to tell her aunt the truth? “My marriage to Nate was by proxy. Mr. Stanton persuaded me to marry Nate sight unseen. I’d just lost my job and we were about to be evicted from our home. I had nowhere to go, so I agreed.”
Her aunt and cousin wore identical expressions of horror. Fanny was the first to speak. “I wish you the very best.”
“Nate is very kind. I’m sure we’ll get along quite well.” Did they dislike Nate so much? “And your father, Aunt Sally? I heard such a sad story about his death.”
“Unfortunately, the story is quite true. There is much bad blood between your husband’s family and mine. Though I harbor no such unseemly emotions.”
Lucy’s love for her aunt grew. “I hope to bring healing someday.”
Her aunt smiled. “I wish you well in that endeavor, my dear.”
FLOWER BOXES ADDED a splash of occasional color as Lucy strolled with her cousin along the dusty street. Eileen had fallen asleep after lunch, and Aunt Sally had offered to stay home while the child napped so the younger women could have some time.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Fanny said when they paused outside the millinery shop. The picture window displayed hats lavish with lace. “I hope you won’t take this amiss, but you’re not at all what I expected. I believe we shall be great friends.”
Lucy’s attention had been caught by the hats that were in last year’s fashion. She turned from the window to embrace her cousin. “I think so too,” she said, smiling back. “What were you expecting?”
Fanny stared at her. “When Uncle Drew said you weren’t coming, I thought you were too uppity to associate with us. Or that you intended to take up the feud between our families.”
“I would like to heal it.” In Lucy’s dreams she saw them all gathered together for Christmas dinner. A true spirit of love and union between both families.
“I’m not sure that’s possible. Uncle Drew will never rest until he possesses that land again.”
“Is it so very valuable? I don’t understand why it matters so much.”
“Our grandfather’s death changed Uncle Drew,” Fanny said. “I remember how fun-loving he used to be. He feels people don’t treat him the same. It’s a badge of honor to him that the town was named after our family. He feels he’s lost status without the land.”
“Is that true?”
“I don’t feel it. The townspeople are very friendly to us anyway.” Fanny pointed to the bench outside the café. “Care to sit a moment?”
Lucy’s shoes were pinching her toes, so she nodded and followed her cousin to the wooden bench. As they neared the café, a man exited the building. He was in his twenties and was dressed in the latest style of a cutaway morning coat over his trousers.
The scowl he wore changed to a smile w
hen his gaze swept over the ladies. He doffed his hat and bowed. “Ladies, you’re enough to make a man forget everything on his mind.” He stared hard at Lucy.
Under his intent gaze, Lucy’s cheeks heated. “Good afternoon.”
“I don’t believe we’ve met,” Fanny said. “Are you a newcomer to our town?”
“Ah, you’ve caught me.” He replaced his hat. “I just got to town yesterday. Rolf Watson at your service.”
Since she was the matron, it was Lucy’s duty to take charge. She rose and extended her hand. “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Watson. I’m Mrs. Lucy Stanton, and this is my cousin, Miss Fanny Donnelly.”
“The pleasure is all mine.” He bowed over her hand, then pressed his lips to the back of it.
The man was smooth. Lucy could tell Fanny was interested in the handsome stranger. His blond hair fell across his forehead, and his eyes were a deep blue. Lucy couldn’t tell if the glint in his eyes was mockery or genuine admiration.
“You’re new to town yourself, I hear, Mrs. Stanton.”
“How did you know that?”
He shrugged. “Small towns only have small interests to talk about.”
She didn’t like the derision in his voice. In fact, she didn’t like him very much at all. The stare he kept shooting at her sent prickles down her spine. She shouldn’t be so silly. Her fear was just a reaction to the discovery of the coins.
She took Fanny by the arm. “Well, we must be going. Nice to meet you, Mr. Watson. I hope you enjoy your visit here. What was your purpose, by the way?”
“I didn’t say,” he said, an edge in his voice. “Quite boring business, I’m afraid.”
“How long will you be in town?” Fanny fluttered her lashes at him.
“However long it takes for me to conclude my business,” he said. “I wonder if I might call on you, Miss Fanny? Would you agree to take supper with me tonight?”
Say no. Lucy gave a light squeeze to her cousin’s arm, but it was no use. Fanny lifted her head and smiled. Her eyes were bright and her dimples flashed again. Lucy could have groaned.
“I should like that, Mr. Watson,” Fanny said. “But my mother will have to give permission.”
“I’ll stop by and introduce myself,” he said smoothly. “About five?”
“That will be splendid,” Fanny said breathlessly.
Lucy watched him tip his hat and stroll down the street. “I wish you wouldn’t go with him, Fanny.”
“You sound like you’re fifty instead of twenty-two.” Her cousin’s face suffused with color. “There’s not a man in town who interests me. It’s about time we had some new and interesting men appear. I liked him. Why didn’t you?”
Lucy considered the question and didn’t know how to answer. He’d been perfectly polite. How did she tell Fanny that it was intuition? “Didn’t you find him much too forward?”
Fanny shrugged. “He’s obviously from the city. Perhaps they are used to seeing something they want and going after it.”
“If he wants you, I’m even more alarmed.”
“Don’t be such a matron. Let’s get back to the house so I can tell Mama about Mr. Watson. I’m sure she’ll be delighted.”
Lucy gripped her cousin’s arm when Fanny turned to retrace their steps. “Fanny, he didn’t ask where you lived. It was as if he already knew.”
Fanny’s expression clouded, then cleared. “I’m sure someone inside the café told him. You know how people talk.”
Lucy followed Fanny slowly. Something about the entire conversation seemed off.
THE SUN WAS touching the tops of the trees as Nate and Jed rode back into the yard. Lantern light spilled from the kitchen window, and he smelled the woodstove. “Bet your sister has supper ready for us.”
“You going to tell her?” Jed’s freckles stood out on his white face. He looked tired.
“Yep.”
Jed shifted uneasily. “She’s gonna be mad that I told you.”
“I’m her husband and your brother. We’re all in this together.”
Jed’s smile came then. “I always wanted a brother.” He looked down at his hands. “I tried to be the man of the house, but Lucy wouldn’t let me. She still thought I was a kid.”
“She’s like your mama. Mothers are like that. So I hear.”
“Lucy always seems to know what to do.”
“I’ve noticed that about her.” For a little lady, she had a will of iron. He wondered where it came from.
“She’s more like a mom than my real mom.” The lad dismounted and led his horse toward the barn.
“Hang on.” Nate leaped to the ground and handed his reins to Jed. “Curry them and do the chores. I’ll be inside.”
Jed straightened and smiled as he realized Nate was giving him full responsibility. “Yes, sir. I mean, thanks, Nate!”
Still smiling, Nate knocked the mud off his boots at the door, then entered the cabin where he caught a whiff of something that made his mouth water. “Beef stew?” he asked when he saw Lucy at the stove.
She turned and wiped her hands on the checkered apron that covered her blue dress. “It’s nearly ready. Where’s Jed?”
“Doing chores. Where’s Eileen?”
Eileen’s face peeked around Lucy’s skirts. “I’m here.”
“Want to help Jed with chores?”
“Can I get the eggs?”
“Yep. Be careful not to break them.”
“I’ll be careful,” she promised.
Lucy grabbed the egg basket and handed it to her. Once the door slammed, Nate pulled out a chair. “Coffee?” He hated to launch into questions. It would do his heart good if Lucy would willingly take him into her confidence.
She poured him a cup of coffee and set it in front of him. “Is something wrong?”
“You tell me. Jed came back to get me a rope about midday.”
She flushed. “I know I said I wasn’t going to meet my family today, but I changed my mind.”
He hadn’t even been wondering where she’d gone. “You went to Larson’s?”
“No. I went to see my Aunt Sally. I met Fanny too. My uncle wasn’t around.”
At least she hadn’t spent any time with Larson. “Your aunt is a sweet lady. It’s not her fault that her brother is the way he is.”
“You’re not mad?”
He shook his head. “Your uncle and I are at odds, but I have no quarrel with your aunt and cousin.”
He took a sip of his hot coffee. “Jed interrupted an intruder.”
She’d started back to the stove, but she whirled to face him again. “Was he hurt?”
“He got the gun out of the barn and ran him off. I was proud of him. He found the guy peering in the back window, then stopped him as he entered the back door.”
“D-Did Jed know what he wanted? Maybe he was looking for food?”
She wasn’t going to tell him about the coins. But why would she? They were still strangers. She had to wonder if some of the lies Larson had told her might be true.
He held her gaze. “You know what he was looking for, Lucy.”
She went scarlet, then white. “He was from Indiana?” she whispered.
He nodded. “He tried to get Jed to tell him where the coins were.”
“Jed told you.”
“I wish you would have.”
Her blue eyes pleaded for understanding. “I didn’t want to worry you until I figured out what to do.”
He took her hand. Soft yet so competent. “We’re married. It’s a husband’s duty to figure things out and shoulder the burdens. You need to let go a little of that iron control.”
“I’ve always been the one to decide how to handle problems. Asking for help doesn’t come easily.”
Stubborn woman. Even now she wasn’t admitting she should have come to him. “Where are the coins?”
She hesitated. “Safe.”
He pressed his lips together. “I’m not going to steal them, Lucy.”
“Of course not. I-I’
d rather leave them where they are.”
“And where is that?”
She caught her lower lip between perfect white teeth. “In the pickle barrel.”
A bark of laughter escaped his throat. “Only a woman would put something that valuable in pickles.”
“I thought I’d talk to the sheriff and see if he could telegraph the Wabash police. Maybe we could find out who they belong to.”
She didn’t want to keep them? He studied her transparent expression and saw only concern to do what was right. “It sounds as though they belong to you. Your father purchased them for a price the owner was willing to sell.”
She turned back to the stove and stirred the stew, then turned toward him again. “I’ve been thinking about that. What if the man who sold them to my father had stolen them? And the real owner is trying to get them back?”
“There’s one hole in your theory. If whoever is after them is the legitimate owner, he would have shown up with the police and would have proven his ownership.”
Her expression fell. “I didn’t think of that. So whoever broke in today knows their value and wants to steal them. But how would he know?”
“I don’t know. I’ll see what I can find out.”
“You’ll go with me to talk to the sheriff?”
She still didn’t trust him to take charge. He suppressed his irritation. “I don’t trust the sheriff. He’s friends with Larson. This needs to be kept very quiet or you’ll have every thief in Texas creeping around in the dark.”
She shuddered. “Then what?”
“I’ll talk to Pa and get his advice. Let me handle it, Lucy. Just let go of your worry.”
She chewed her lip. “I’ll try.”
NINETEEN
Lucy could almost feel the coins vibrating from their place in the cellar.
Eileen and Jed were both asleep, and the lantern’s dim glow left shadows dancing in the small room. She cast surreptitious glances at Nate as he sat reading his Bible by the fire. She’d seen his disappointment in her failure to tell him about the coins. How did she make it right? This problem involved events that had happened long before she’d ever met him. He shouldn’t have to shoulder a burden like this. She wanted him to like her—to think she was capable and strong. Asking for his help undermined her competence.
Blue Moon Promise Page 14
