by Cat Cahill
“What a pleasant surprise to see a familiar face. Please, do sit.” She gestured at the seat across from her.
Appeased, he lowered himself onto the cushioned seat, setting a small case next to him. “Are you traveling alone?”
Molly nodded. It was something she and her mother had discussed thoroughly. Mama had worried, but Molly had argued that women made journeys on the train by themselves all the time now. Why, it was almost fashionable to go alone! “I’m going to visit with my aunt and uncle for the summer.” She paused as she studied Eli, wondering if she should have told him she was leaving. “I’d noticed you hadn’t been by the store in a few days. Does your travel have something to do with the reason you were away?”
Eli removed his hat and set it on top of his case before running a hand through his hair. It made him look nervous. “It did, but only because I had some work to finish up before leaving. I’m going to visit my mother.”
“How wonderful! I had a feeling you were a good son.”
Eli’s face tinged red. “I don’t know about that so much, but it’s been some time since I’ve seen her.”
“And your father?” She hoped she wasn’t being too nosy. It felt as if she was funneling all of her anxiety about the journey into this conversation with Eli. It was something of a relief to have someone she knew on this train with her.
“He passed on, about a year ago. That was the last I’ve been to Denver.” His eyes, which she’d noticed before tended to turn either brown or green depending upon the light, were more of a soft brown shade now with a sad sort of faraway look to them.
“I’m so sorry,” Molly said. “I didn’t mean to pry.” She knew how hard it was to lose a father—her own had passed several years prior. She needed to rein in her nerves before she began asking him about childhood misdeeds, or worse, past sweethearts.
“It’s quite all right. I—”
The screech of the train whistle interrupted Eli’s words, though it was muffled some from within the carriage with the windows closed. The car lurched forward, and Molly gripped the edge of her seat in one hand, excitement finally overtaking her anxiety. “We’re moving,” she said, unable to keep the glee from her voice.
She couldn’t draw her eyes from the window as the depot passed slowly by, followed by the rest of the town until they were traveling through scrubby brown hills, dotted here and there with silver-green sage and brighter green clumps of spring grasses. The rushing Arkansas River came and went from view as the train journeyed east toward Pueblo.
“It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” Molly’s words were breathless as the land flattened out. They passed a ranch, the buildings off in the distance while cattle stood nearer the train, seemingly unfazed by its motion or noise.
When Eli didn’t answer, she drew her attention away from the window to his amused face.
“I take it this is your first experience traveling by train?” he asked.
“It is,” Molly admitted. “To be honest, I’ve never left Cañon City—to my memory, that is. Oh, look!” They were passing another ranch, this one much closer to the tracks, and two little boys waved from where they played in front of a house. Molly waved back, unable to contain her joy at the entire experience. “Aren’t they sweet?” She glanced again at Eli, his smile even broader this time. “I’m sorry, you must think me quite silly.”
“Not at all. Your enthusiasm is adorable.”
She could almost insist she saw a twinkle in his eye when he spoke, and a heavy dose of embarrassment made her go warm from head to toe. “Adorable? You make it sound as if I’m a child or a fluffy kitten.”
“You’re hardly either,” he said. His gaze rested on her face just a moment too long, and Molly shifted, occupying herself with placing her reticule on the seat beside her. Those were exactly the sort of looks he gave her now and then last summer, when he walked Molly and her mother to and from the store. She’d thought for a brief while he’d held some interest in her. She wouldn’t have minded if he did. Eli was awfully handsome, with that thick hair and his tall stature. And yet, he’d never breathed a word to match those looks he’d given her—either then or in the months following when she’d catch him watching her just so every now and then. So she’d brushed it off as a misunderstanding on her part. And yet, here he was now, gazing at her with that same expression and making her heart beat a little faster.
Molly didn’t know what to make of it, and she soon found her eyes wandering back to the window and the sights to be seen on the other side of it. All sorts of possibilities wound their way through her mind. “Do you suppose we might be held up?” She turned to Eli for his professional opinion.
“By train robbers? I doubt it.” Eli had leaned back slightly in his seat.
“It would be exciting, though, wouldn’t it? And I’d be sitting with just the right travel companion.” Molly nodded at the pistols Eli wore on his hips.
“And here I was looking forward to a relaxing journey,” Eli said with a grin.
Molly returned his smile before letting her gaze flit back to the window. Her imagination was now running rampant with visions of Eli taking down an entire gang of outlaws and whisking her off to safety. She bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud at her fantastic imaginings.
“What will your brother do without you to help at the store?” Eli asked, interrupting her embarrassing train of thought.
She pulled her eyes from the scenery outside the window and sat back, trying to compose herself as if she rode on trains all the time. “He’s going to take on the Fitz boy, the eldest one, for the summer.”
“The kid’s a smart one. He’ll do well.”
“I hope he will. I felt somewhat badly, leaving my post for so long.”
“I’m certain they’ll do fine, although you’ll be missed. I doubt the Fitz boy will appreciate me bringing him the newspaper.”
Molly laughed, and any of the confusion she’d felt about Eli disappeared into a companionable ease. As he pointed out snowcapped mountains in the distance and pronghorn leaping across the terrain, she could hardly tear her eyes from the window. But when she did, she found a friendly face who indulged her excitement. She’d forgotten how easy he was to talk to.
They whiled away the hours in conversation. Eli spoke about some of his more exciting adventures as a sheriff’s deputy, including the time he and Sheriff Young rescued the sheriff’s sister and future wife from an outlaw with a grudge whose gang had kidnapped them. Molly knew Penny Young well, and could only imagine the trouble she’d given those outlaws. Penny was a lively and outspoken woman, and Molly counted her among her good friends.
Molly didn’t have nearly so many exciting stories to tell, but she shared some funny occurrences at the store with Eli. Such as the time she thought she’d heard a pastor’s wife ask her to order ten Bibles, when the woman had actually asked for ten bottles. Even though she couldn’t bottle cow’s milk for orphaned babies with the Bibles, she was able to put those to good use while Molly ordered the bottles.
It was the next morning when they arrived in Denver, and Molly awoke to find the couple seated across from them standing and retrieving their things.
“Good morning,” Eli said as he stretched and stood.
“Good morning.” A hundred worried thoughts ran through Molly’s mind. She’d tried to remain awake, but had failed. She couldn’t imagine falling asleep with Eli there across from her, and yet she had. She prayed she didn’t look a mess from her upright slumber.
She smoothed her clothing and hair as best she could before rising. And as she did, the worries faded as she realized where she was.
Denver!
Eli retrieved his case and her small valise.
“Thank you,” she said as her stomach rumbled. She placed a hand over it, hoping he hadn’t heard.
A tiny smile lifted the corner of his mouth. “May I escort you off the train?”
“Please,” she said, thankful he’d said nothing about her stomach. “
My aunt and uncle should be here to meet me.”
Eli led the way down the aisle and off their car to the platform. Molly followed, trying not to get lost in the bustle of people heading to and fro. Aunt Ellen and Uncle John had visited just last year, so at least Molly wasn’t searching for people she couldn’t recognize. She quickly spotted them near the door to the depot. She pointed, and Eli led her through the crowd toward the building.
Aunt Ellen drew Molly into a hug, welcoming her to Denver. Eli shook hands with Uncle John as Molly made introductions. When Uncle John left to fetch Molly’s trunk, Eli handed her the valise.
“Thank you for an eventful journey,” he said, that warm smile making her feel as if she’d never left home.
“I don’t know if it was that eventful. After all, we ran into no outlaws. I’d hoped to keep your lawman skills from getting too out of practice,” she teased.
Eli laughed. “Might I call on you in a few days?”
Molly’s heart seemed to stutter to a stop. Call on her? Like a—
“It would be good to see a friendly face,” he added, reminding her yet again that that was exactly what she was to him—a friend.
That was why she was here, she chastised herself. To meet men who might see her as more than a “friendly face.” In the meantime, it would be nice to see Eli. “That would be most welcome,” she said.
As he tipped his hat and strode away, Molly found herself sighing. It would be nice to visit with him again, provided she put aside any of the confusing feelings that seemed to arise when he was nearby. After all, she was here to find a man who didn’t confuse her in the least.
A man who wanted to marry her.
Chapter Four
Eli couldn’t breathe.
It was incredible how a short, plump woman twenty years his senior could somehow cut off all breath when she hugged him, but Ma was perfectly capable of just that. He pressed her away gently and sucked in a great amount of precious air when she finally let him go.
“I can’t believe you’re here!” Ma grabbed both his hands and beamed up at him. “It’s been so long, I almost forgot I had a son.”
“I’m impossible to forget,” he said with a grin.
“Hmm, especially with that hair on your chin.” She reached up and pinched his chin before he swatted her away. “I don’t like that. I always told your father to wear a beard or be clean shaven. Anything in between makes you look like a ruffian.”
“I suppose I shouldn’t tell you about the pickpocketing I’ve taken up in my off hours, then?”
Ma shook her head. “You’re the spitting image of your father, right down to his sense of humor.” She squeezed his hands tight in hers. “I’ve missed you, my son.”
“I’ve missed you too, Ma.”
“Come, eat. I saved you some of the breakfast Mrs. Gowan made. I thought you might be famished after your travels.” She led the way through the small house to the kitchen in the rear.
Eli followed gratefully after shedding his coat, hat, and gun belt. Mrs. Gowan, the housekeeper and cook who’d been with Mrs. Jennings since her husband had passed, was putting on a stew to cook for the noon meal. She paused just long enough to hand Eli a covered plate.
“Now,” Ma said as she sat in the chair across from him. “Tell me if you have your eye on any young ladies in Cañon City, because Mrs. Graves’s daughter is quite free. She isn’t particularly charming, or, well . . . much of anything else, but Mrs. Graves says she’s adept at setting a table and arranging flowers.”
Eli nearly choked on the piece of ham he’d been chewing. He reached for the linen napkin on his lap to cover his mouth.
“As your father always said, a beggar cannot be a chooser. You’re twenty-five years old. You have a good job—although quite dangerous. I don’t know why you couldn’t have gone into business with your father instead. But at least it’s respectable and it pays decently. It’s high time you took a wife and started a family. Since you’re in town, I’ve taken the liberty of sending a note around to Mrs. Graves—”
“Ma, please! I don’t need your help.” Eli crushed the napkin into his lap as his mother’s eyebrows knitted together. “I’m sorry. I am grateful, it’s only that . . . I have a girl I’m sweet on.” He said the last words in a rush, and as soon as Ma’s face lit up, he wished he could take them back.
“Oh! You do!” She clasped her hands together like a little girl about to receive a candy. “Tell me all about her. What’s her name? Where is she from? Who’s her family?”
Eli shook his head, desperate for the barrage of questions to end. Behind Ma, Mrs. Gowan hid a grin as she stirred the stew.
“I’ll tell you about her later. What I need to know now is more about these debts Pa supposedly owed.” He pushed the remainder of the eggs and ham onto his fork.
Ma’s face changed instantly. Her fingers traced the edge of the pretty yellow tablecloth in a nervous manner. “The man who’s been coming by to collect the payments—he says your father owed his company several business debts.”
“Which company?” Eli pushed his plate aside.
“I don’t know. The man didn’t say.”
It was just like his mother not to ask such a thing. “What’s the man’s name?”
“Mr. Smith,” Ma replied, now clasping both hands in her lap.
Eli sighed. There must be scores of men named Smith in Denver. “Did he leave a card, in the event you wanted to find him?”
Ma shook her head.
“The man was quite rude,” Mrs. Gowan said as she swooped up Eli’s plate and fork.
“He wasn’t rude,” Ma said, almost defensively. “Only . . . short, I suppose. He speaks as if he’s in a hurry. He keeps his buggy waiting out front. It’s a fine buggy, too. And he’s blue-eyed and quite well-dressed. But always in a hurry.”
“Rude,” Mrs. Gowan said with a nod at Eli.
“A rude, blue-eyed man named Smith who works for an unknown company, has a fine carriage, and dresses well.” Eli wanted to drop his head against the table. “Do you know when he’ll be by again?”
“He comes unannounced.” Ma stood and pushed her chair under the table.
“Because he’s ill-mannered,” Mrs. Gowan said under her breath.
Eli bit his lip to keep from smiling at Mrs. Gowan’s remark as he stood too. Clearly, she was one who didn’t put up with such nonsense as unannounced callers who demanded payment for mystery debts. “Did this Mr. Smith at least tell you how much Pa owed?” Eli asked his mother.
Ma’s face drew a pinched look. “That’s just it. The first time he visited, he said one thousand. I heard it clear as day.”
Eli tried not to wince.
“Then, just a couple of weeks ago, he said ‘thousands.’ That was when I wrote to you.”
An anger traced its way through Eli’s veins, burning slowly as he began to piece together this man’s ruse. “Did Pa ever say a word about debts?”
“Not a one,” Ma replied.
“Took this Mr. Smith nigh on a year to come around, too,” Mrs. Gowan added from where she’d moved on to adding flour to some mixture in a bowl.
She was right. None of this made any sense, and if Eli were a gambling man, he’d bet his meager savings that this Mr. Smith was lying through his teeth. All to steal money from a widow. He highly doubted Smith was the man’s real name.
Eli pushed his lips together to keep the simmering anger contained. He needed a plan, an investigation of sorts. He’d speak with the city’s police, gather names of the most prominent businessmen in town—and the known confidence men, too. He’d ask around, find out if any other widows were being extorted. He’d search through his father’s business papers, in case Pa really had owed money. The fire inside eased some, and Eli felt the strain in his muscles relax. He’d find the truth, one way or another. And if this man was stealing money from his mother, Eli would put him behind bars.
“Now that we have that unpleasantness out of the way, I want to know
about this girl you’re sweet on.” Ma looped her arm through Eli’s and led him to the parlor.
Eli’s face went warm again. “Ma, can’t I get some rest first?”
“Nonsense. It isn’t even noon! Who ever heard of taking a rest in the morning?”
“People who slept upright in a train carriage, if I could call it sleeping at all,” Eli grumbled.
Ma sat on the worn but comfortable settee she’d had for years. She patted the space next to her and Eli sat, a flood of memories winding their way through his head as he did. Years of listening to his father read the newspaper or the Bible out loud as Eli and his sisters sat comfortably on this very settee. Spying on his eldest sister and her beau holding hands. Telling his parents of his plans to leave Denver to try his luck in Cañon City while they sat here. He hadn’t known then that he’d wind up as a lawman. Eli smiled. So many good memories, all bittersweet since the passing of his father.
Ma waited expectantly, for once not saying a word.
Eli sighed. She’d never let him retreat upstairs until he gave her something to satisfy her curiosity. “It isn’t as if we’re courting,” he said, in the vain hope she’d dismiss the entire conversation and let him go.
“Oh? And why not?” Ma narrowed her eyes some, creating tiny wrinkles in her round face. “If she doesn’t see you as the finest man she could possibly marry, she isn’t worth your time, Eli.”
Eli shifted. He’d rather be anywhere and doing anything other than this. Even being held at gunpoint by a madman murderer who’d escaped the federal marshals escorting him to the state penitentiary—which had actually happened a couple of years prior—was preferable to telling his mother about the one woman he wanted but couldn’t seem to gather the courage to tell.
“It isn’t so much that . . .” he said.
“Good.” Ma tilted her head. “Now who is she?”
Eli’s eyes drifted longingly to the hallway where the staircase led to two small garret bedrooms upstairs. “Her name is Molly. Molly Hill.”
Ma’s eyebrows rose at his familiar use of her Christian name.
