Rosalind: A Thanksgiving Day Bride (Brides of Noelle Book 8)

by Danica Favorite

  “You know I don’t like leaving town and going all the way to the Whiskey River Saloon. We need to find somewhere closer.”

  Stiles was starting to sound like a whiny child. And it was clear, from the conversation, that Sharp was calling the shots.

  “We don’t have time to pick a new place. I’ll see you tonight.”

  Sharp didn’t wait for an answer but headed back toward the road, where he adjusted the sign advertising the property as being available. Once he’d gone down the road for a while, Stiles went over to the sign and pulled it out of the ground then tossed it aside.

  “This is my land,” he said. “Gertrude will have her house on the hill.”

  Then Stiles stomped off, not looking back as he headed into town. When Rosalind was certain no one would discover her, instead of going to Minnie’s, she turned back to go to the boarding house. There was enough distance between her and the two men that even if they saw her walking down the road, they would assume she was coming from Minnie’s. But now that she knew that they might have a way of catching Sharp and Stiles, or at least hearing enough about their plan that they could find enough evidence to put them away as well, she had to tell someone.

  Hawk wasn’t at the boarding house. Nor was he at the assayer’s. Rosalind made her way to the sheriff’s office, where an angry crowd had gathered.

  “How could you let a criminal get away?”

  “We aren’t safe in our own town.”

  The crowd was so thick that, as she got closer to the door, she knew it would be impossible to get inside.

  Rosalind looked around and realized that there was no way she was going to be able to get into the sheriff’s office. But the sight of the angry crowd made her wonder what had happened.

  Who had escaped? And how?

  She went across the street to Nacho’s, hoping that Hawk would end up there as he always did. With the train in town, they were hoping the boarding house would get enough business from people who didn’t care about the Crearys’ reputation, so Rosalind was working fewer hours. Jane, however, was enjoying her time out of the house, so her schedule hadn’t changed.

  But when Rosalind entered, looking for her sister, she spotted instead a harried Fina, who appeared to be working by herself.

  “You look busy,” Rosalind said. “I know I’m not supposed to be working today, but let me give you a hand.”

  Helping Fina would at least give her something to do while she waited either for the crowd in front of the sheriff’s office to clear out, or for Hawk to show up.

  “Thanks,” Fina said. “I know things are busy at the boarding house, so I appreciate you being willing to help.”

  Rosalind looked around. Her sister had started helping out here from time to time, and Rosalind had thought Jane had said she was working today. “Where’s Jane?”

  Fina gave her a strange look. “She said she had to help at the boarding house today. She’s not there?”

  Rosalind hadn’t been by the boarding house, but they hadn’t been that busy when she’d left. As far as Rosalind new, they had no guests. But she supposed, with the arrival of the train, someone might have been on the train needing a place to stay, and Jane would have been asked to remain to help.

  But a new group of people entering the restaurant interrupted her musing about her sister. She had more important things to worry about than why her sister wasn’t at work.

  She got everyone seated and handed out menus, falling very easily back into her role. As she served some of the guests, she could hear chatter about an escaped prisoner. Reggie? Higginbotham? As much as she tried to listen in and get more information, she was too busy to catch all the details. With each new person who entered the restaurant, Rosalind scanned the faces, hoping that Hawk or Sheriff Draven would be among them. But whoever this escaped prisoner was, they had their hands full.

  Finally, as Rosalind went into the kitchen to pick up another order, she spied Fina, taking a short break.

  “I can’t believe how busy you are,” Rosalind said. “Has it been like this all day?”

  Fina nodded. “Ever since the train got here. Nacho says he’s never seen the restaurant this busy. I wish Jane had been able to come in, but I understand how busy the boarding house is.”

  “I’m sorry,” Rosalind said. “I don’t think any of us were prepared for how busy we would be once the train got here. Later tonight, I’ll sit down with Jane so we can work out a better schedule for the boarding house that won’t leave you without help. I’m glad there was a ruckus outside the sheriff’s office that made me come here instead of there.”

  Fina shook her head. “I don’t think that will calm down anytime soon. Dr. Deane didn’t think it was good for the prisoner who got shot to be in jail with his injuries, so he took the man to his house. The doctor left him unattended, even though it was just for a short time, but he managed to escape. They’ve sent out search parties looking for the man, but no one has seen him.”

  At least now, Rosalind knew what had happened. “I assume Hawk went on one of the search parties?”

  “Probably,” Fina said. “He was in here when they found out, and one of the men yelled at Hawk for not killing him.”

  Rosalind took a deep breath. She’d seen the twitch in Hawk’s face when he’d been teased at the depot for not killing Higginbotham. With Higginbotham’s escape, Hawk was probably regretting his decision.

  “He wanted to find out who else they were working with. We might have caught Reggie and Higginbotham, but they weren’t working alone.”

  Fina nodded. “That’s what Draven said. I hope they find him, and soon, because this town isn’t safe with men like him around here.”

  “He can’t do much harm,” Rosalind said. “I’m surprised he was even able to escape. He seemed badly injured when I saw him.”

  “Then we will hope he is found soon,” Fina said.

  Nacho held up a tray of steaming food. “Your order is ready,” he said.

  Rosalind took the tray and went back out to serve the guests. The crowd had thinned some, and now it felt almost like their normal rush.

  Jane entered the restaurant, looking harried.

  “Where have you been?” Rosalind asked. “Fina said the boarding house was busy. What’s going on?”

  Jane grabbed an apron and pulled it on over her dress. “It’s a long story,” she said. “I’ll explain everything later.”

  Before Rosalind could press her sister further, Jane darted into the back, and with food to serve, Rosalind didn’t dare follow her. She continued passing out the delicious smelling food, noting that many of the guests were new to her.

  How amazing that the first train to Noelle would bring so many new people.

  None of them could have predicted what a success the train would be, and any fear that the town would be in trouble quickly dissipated. If the main goal of the troublemakers had been to hurt the town’s businesses so that they would sell out to the railroad and leave, they would have to find another way.

  The town was bustling, and even though she didn’t know exactly how the other businesses were doing today, if the busyness at Nacho’s were any indication, everyone in Noelle would be just fine.

  And maybe, now that everyone was more prosperous, the town could finally come together.

  With Jane’s arrival, the guests became more manageable, and soon the restaurant was quiet. They’d have a couple of hours before the dinner rush, but for now, Rosalind was content to sit down, put her feet up, and eat some of Fina’s delicious food.

  She found a spot at her usual table, and Jane brought them both a plate.

  “So what happened at the boarding house?” Rosalind asked her sister.

  Jane let out a long, exhausted sigh. “We’re booked up. Horatio and Sam had to mediate some fights that had broken out between people who wanted rooms that were already taken. Our things have been moved into mother’s room, and Horatio will be sleeping in the kitchen. We’ve even made pallet
s in the barn. Horatio is looking for Hawk to see if the Sawyers can stay in the assayer’s office quarters so we can use their room as well.”

  “Did you find him?” Rosalind asked. “I need to talk to him, and it’s important.”

  Jane shook her head. “No. He’s out with one of the search parties, looking for Higginbotham. There were nearly a dozen lawmen on that train, and yet no one can find an injured man.”

  If he was working for Stiles and Sharp, would they have taken him into their homes and hidden him? Surely not. Neither of their wives seemed like the type who would welcome an injured outlaw.

  Rosalind glanced at the clock. She knew of the saloon they been talking about only by reputation. No respectable human being would dare enter it, and if she didn’t leave soon, she would miss the meeting.

  But a woman like her would be out of place there.

  An older woman entered the restaurant, chattering excitedly in Spanish about food from her homeland to her companion. Or at least that’s what Rosalind thought she was saying. She’d picked up a few words here and there from Fina and Nacho, but she couldn’t follow an entire conversation.

  Jane started to get up, but Rosalind smiled at her sister. “No. You’ve been working hard. I’ll take care of her.”

  “Bienvenido,” Rosalind said, gesturing to a table.

  The older woman’s face lit up as she replied to Rosalind in Spanish. The most Rosalind had been able to understand was gracias, because the woman spoke so fast. Rosalind used to tease Fina about talking too fast, but Fina told her that Rosalind spoke too fast in English, so it was a question of fluency and understanding.

  “Despacio, por favor,” Rosalind said. “Solo hablo un poco.”

  She hoped those were the right words to explain that she only spoke a little Spanish and that the woman needed to speak more slowly for her to understand what she wanted.

  The woman’s companion smiled at her. “It’s no trouble,” she said. “Mama was just so delighted to find this lovely restaurant and people who spoke her language. She misses her home in Mexico, but there’s nothing left for us there.”

  Rosalind smiled at the delightful woman, who was now patting her mother’s hand and saying something else to her in Spanish that Rosalind didn’t understand. It was clear she loved her mother, and even though the mother and daughter had just arrived, Rosalind could see herself becoming friends with them.

  “Let me get Nacho and Fina. They own this restaurant, and they’re going to be so happy to meet you. You should also check out the Sweet Shop because they also speak Spanish, and I’m sure they will also make your mother feel very welcome.”

  The woman gave her a warm smile. “Thank you. And thank you for making an attempt at including my mother. It makes me think we made the right decision in coming to Noelle.”

  Rosalind went into the back to get Nacho and Fina, and as she did so, she realized how she would get into the saloon. If she disguised herself as an old woman, stopping on her travels, and unable to speak English, no one would bother her. Hopefully, she wouldn’t run into someone who spoke Spanish and tried to question her.

  Once Nacho and Fina were greeting the young woman and her mother, Rosalind went over to Jane.

  “I need your help. I’m going to disguise myself as an old woman, so Stiles and Sharp don’t recognize me. I overheard them talking about meeting at the saloon, and since I can’t find Hawk to tell him, I’m going to go.”

  Jane stared at her. “That doesn’t sound like a very good idea. Have you heard the stories about that place? I don’t know a man who is willing to step foot in there, much less a woman.”

  Rosalind turned and looked over at the old woman, who was chatting animatedly with Nacho and Fina. No one bothered with an old woman, because they all thought she was harmless. And if Rosalind dressed in ragged enough clothing, no one would think she was worth robbing.

  “This might be our only chance to find out what they’re up to. If they had nothing to hide, they wouldn’t need to meet so far outside Noelle and in such a seedy place.”

  Jane opened her mouth like she was going to argue, then closed it.

  “It’s dangerous,” she said.

  Rosalind placed her hands over her sister’s. “I know. But Hawk is nowhere to be found, and everyone else is busy looking for Higginbotham. Do you really want them to continue putting this town at risk?”

  “You don’t even know if they’re behind it. You’ve got no evidence. One of the things I think is wrong with this town is that we’re so quick to point fingers and place blame. Our family has certainly suffered for it enough. We were a convenient scapegoat, and the evidence some people had made us look guilty. So don’t be so quick to jump to conclusions. You could end up putting yourself in danger for no reason.”

  The fervor in her sister’s voice made Rosalind feel guilty. How had poor Jane suffered over their family’s bad reputation? Rosalind had found it easy enough to ignore many of the voices, but just because it was easy for Rosalind, didn’t mean that Jane or Cordelia could do the same.

  “It’s not like we’re spreading rumors about them,” Rosalind said. “We’ve kept the terms of the investigation confidential, and all of the parties who suspect them have refrained from making accusations without evidence. We’re looking for evidence. And based on the conversation I overheard, I think this may be the chance.”

  Jane nodded slowly. “I suppose it’s true that you haven’t maligned them to anyone in the community. I suppose I’m just very sensitive about it, given the way things have been for us. We want an easy answer, and I don’t fault you for that, but we have to ask ourselves the price of knowing. I want justice for our father just as much as anyone else.” Then Jane let out a long sigh. “I just don’t want to hurt any more innocent people while doing so.”

  “You’re right,” Rosalind said. “And I promise, whatever happens, whatever I discover, I’ll turn that information over to the law, and I won’t allow gossip about them to cross my lips.”

  Jane gave her a soft smile. “You’re not the gossiping type. And I still don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go to that place. But I’ll do what I can to help you be safe.”

  At least Jane wasn’t going to oppose her. It wasn’t that Rosalind wanted to go, or that she was looking for trouble, but if, for the sake of argument, Stiles and Sharp were innocent, getting information about whatever they were talking about, might be what they needed to find additional suspects.

  Rosalind and Jane checked out with Fina, then went back to the boarding house where Jane helped Rosalind disguise herself as an old woman. Then Jane went over to Woody’s to borrow one of his donkeys to ride to the saloon. She even put some saddlebags on him to make it look like she’d been on a long journey.

  She hoped it would be enough to keep people from asking too many questions.

  Rosalind got to the saloon before Stiles and Sharp and looked around, wondering where they would sit. So far no one was paying any attention to her. She spied a table in the corner which would be perfect for nefarious business dealings. But would that be where the men would choose to sit?

  A large man wearing several different kinds of furs approached her. “Are you looking for something?”

  Rosalind spoke in rapid Spanish, though she knew most of her words were nonsense.

  The man leaned into her. “Comida? You mean food?”

  Rosalind nodded. “Si. Comida. Food. Por Favor.”

  The man looked at her funny. “Ma’am, this is a saloon. We don’t have food here.”

  Rosalind pointed to her mouth and made eating motions. “Comida. Por Favor.”

  The man must have realized that she didn’t understand him. Then he gave her a closer look as if he was trying to peer under the scarf she kept wrapped around her head that partially covered her face. “What’s a woman like you doing here?”

  Rosalind once again launched into her nonsensical string of Spanish words, repeating comida several times. For a momen
t, the man looked like he was debating throwing her out. Then he groaned and gestured to a table.

  “I’ll never hear the end of this, but I also know I’m not going to live with myself if I send an old woman away without food.”

  He escorted her to a table, and she sat, looking at him expectantly.

  “I know you can’t understand what I’m saying, but I’ll see what I can find for you. This isn’t a restaurant. But there isn’t another one for miles. You’re so thin, you probably haven’t eaten for days.”

  The man seemed nice, and Rosalind felt guilty for duping him. She’d probably make a terrible criminal, so it was a good thing she wasn’t planning on turning to a life of crime.

  She sat in her chair, and rested her head on the table, hoping she hadn’t been wasting her time.

  The man came out with the plate containing a chunk of bread and some dried meat, and what looked like some very old cheese.

  She smiled at him as he set the plate in front of her. “Gracias,” she said.

  The man smiled at her as he turned away. The door opened, and Stiles and Sharp walked in.

  They took the table in the corner that she’d been eyeing, and she was glad that this man had put her nearby.

  As the man turned back to the bar, another man called out, “Walt, you gone soft? You’re acting like that beggar is the Queen of Sheba.”

  Another man laughed, and Stiles and Sharp turned to look at her. But Walt shook his head. “No. Maybe. But something about her reminds me of my dear, departed mother, and I figure she’s probably somebody’s mother. So maybe it wouldn’t hurt to help her out.”

  One of the men at the bar laughed. “Helping some old lady isn’t going to make up for all your sins,” he said.

  Walt grinned. “I never said I was trying.”

  Maybe he thought he was a lost cause, but Rosalind would always be grateful to him for giving her the chance to sit in on this conversation.

  But, realizing that everyone was watching her, she tore a hunk off the bread and shoved it in her mouth.