“No, you’re not, Penny,” Lissy said. “I saw him first.”
“But I’m older—I should get married before you do.”
Regina’s lips twitched. So that’s how it was—two sisters fighting over the same man, a man who likely had no idea this battle was being fought for him.
“Why don’t you let the poor man choose for himself?” Mr. Crowther said with a chuckle.
“But Father, he might not know what he wants unless we tell him,” Penny explained.
Regina and Ariadne exchanged a look. Oh, it was so hard not to laugh at the girl’s earnestness.
They extracted a promise from the Crowthers that the whole family would visit the shop as soon as it was open, and then Mr. Crowther gave them a ride home in his buggy. “I don’t know if anyone’s spoken to you of this, but it’s best to stay off the streets at night,” he said. “We’ve had some unfortunate happenings as of late, young women being approached and at times taken, and you shouldn’t be too hasty about heading out alone.”
“Young women have been taken?” Regina and Ariadne exchanged another look, but this one wasn’t of amusement.
“Sadly, yes. The kidnappers were apprehended, but a few things have happened since that have made us think it’s not entirely over.” He pulled the buggy up in front of the tea shop. “Thank you again for being our dinner guests, ladies.” He waited until they were inside before driving away.
“Well, it’s a good thing our door has a double lock on it,” Regina said, keeping her voice bright for Ariadne’s sake. The last thing they needed was one more thing to worry them.
***
It was difficult to sleep Sunday night. All Regina wanted was to start putting together the shop. As soon as the sun was up high enough that they weren’t fumbling around in pitch-black darkness, the sisters got up, dressed, and went downstairs. They began by sweeping and mopping to be sure they had all the sawdust up, and then they began unpacking all the many crates.
Regina couldn’t help exclaiming in delight when she saw the teacups and matching saucers, and then the smaller cups for samples. They were all lovely. They would keep a washbasin under the counter to place the dirty dishes in, and they’d wash them up as needed if they ran out. It was hard to imagine that what they’d ordered wouldn’t see them through a whole day, though—they made row upon row of cups on the shelves.
Next they unpacked the varieties of tea and arranged them all in categories. The packages were quite visually attractive—the supplier had used nice paper and twine, and everything looked neat and tidy once it was in its place.
They moved the tables and chairs into position and wiped them all down, sure they had dust on them from the train. Then they brought out the tablecloths, napkins, and curtains, which were blue gingham.
Tablecloths and napkins were easy enough, but curtains . . . well, that was different. Regina had Ariadne hold a chair while she stood on it and drove nails into the wall to hold the curtain rods. She had to redo the first one three times to make it straight, but she got better, and by the time the rods were up on all four windows, she had figured out how to keep them level.
“Wait . . .” Ariadne said, looking over their progress with a furrow between her brows. “I think we should have put the fabric on the rods first.”
Regina looked at the curtains, then at the rods, and laughed. “Oh, dear. All right—let’s try again.”
When she stepped up onto the chair, her stomach clenched again and she felt a wave of nausea. She braced her hand on the wall so she wouldn’t fall, hoping Ariadne hadn’t seen what was happening. No need to worry her sister.
They took down the rods, slid the fabric on, and then rehung the rods. “That definitely looks better,” Ariadne said as they put the last rod into place.
The sisters sat down at one of the tables and looked around. It had been a long day of unpacking, carrying the crates out back, and deciding where everything should go. They were still missing a few of those final touches, wall pictures or other things to give the place a homey feel, but they could do that a little at a time.
“When do you think we should open?” Ariadne asked.
“When do you think you could have some tea cakes ready?”
Ariadne blinked. “I suppose if I baked all day tomorrow, we could open Wednesday.”
Regina grinned. “Then let’s open Wednesday. I’ll draw up a sign for the wall at the mercantile, and we’ll ask Toria to spread the word. Everyone who comes in to shop will hear the news.”
Ariadne clasped her hands under her chin. “Are we really doing this? Is this really happening?”
“It really is,” Regina told her. “We’re well and truly on our way.”
Chapter Twelve
Early the next morning, Regina heard pans and bowls rattling around downstairs, and she smiled. Ariadne was already hard at work preparing the tea cakes for the next day’s grand opening. It was good to see her sister so focused on a project and so excited about it. She hoped this would give Ariadne a sense of self that had been missing for so long.
When Regina moved to sit up, she felt nauseated again, along with a sharp pain in her abdomen. She’d been working too hard—that was clear. She decided that she could sleep in another hour. After all, she was useless in the kitchen, so it’s not like Ariadne needed her. Staying out of her sister’s way was likely the very best thing she could do for her.
Her dreams were odd—filled with bright colors, loud noises, and hundreds of people pushing and shoving to come up to her and yell right in her face. When she opened her eyes, she felt as though she hadn’t rested at all, and everything seemed fuzzy. The pain was quite a bit worse, and she didn’t even want to try to sit up this time.
At least she could smell cake baking downstairs. Ariadne was having success with her task.
***
Jake was leading two horses from the stables out to the pasture when he saw KC Murray riding up to the main house. He knew this wasn’t really his project and he should likely allow the man to speak with his boss privately, but his curiosity won over, and after he’d gotten the horses into the pasture and the fence was closed, he walked that way to see what was going on.
Mr. Clark waved Jake closer when he saw him approaching the front porch. “Jake, KC rode out to check on Hoss, and sure enough, Hoss admitted to the vandalism. He says he’s sorry, and he’ll pay for the replacement wire. That’s in exchange for some jail time. I think that sounds fair, but you’re the one who’s done the repairs. What do you say?”
Jake nodded. “As long as he swears he’ll never do the like again, that’s fine with me.”
KC nodded. “I’ll let him know, and I’ll collect the money and return it here. He seemed ready to make it right—I think it had been weighing on his mind.”
“I’m glad of that, but only because it teaches a lesson,” Mr. Clark said. “He’s not a bad fellow, but he has an awful lot to learn about the way the world works and how to get ahead in it.”
“Hopefully, the mercy you’ve shown him makes him decide he wants to be a better man.” KC nodded. “I’ll be on my way then.”
“Thanks for everything,” Mr. Clark told him.
As KC rode away, Mr. Clark leaned on the railing that surrounded the porch. “You know, Jake, I’ve had this ranch for quite a while now, and I’ve made a long string of decisions regarding it. What kind of cattle to raise, who to sell it to, how much to sell for beef, and how much to keep for breeding. Some years have been better than others, that’s for sure.”
Susie walked around the corner of the house, scuffing her feet in the dirt. She climbed the porch steps, sat in one of the chairs, and tucked her feet beneath her. “You should listen to what he’s saying,” she said, pointing at Mr. Clark. “It’s quite interesting. But then I need you to come with me.”
Jake looked from her to Mr. Clark, wondering why she needed him.
“Fuzzy’s been with me for a long time, and he’s seen me through some pretty st
ormy weather,” Mr. Clark was saying. “You’re younger and newer, but you’ve proven your worth to me time and again. I’ve been thinking about a division of labor of sorts, and I wonder what you’d think if I put Fuzzy in charge of the timber and you in charge of the cattle. You’d be a foreman on my ranch, with a raise, and we could build you a cabin on the land as part of your pay. This would allow me to spend more time with my family, and give me the ability to stay on top of things without quite so much anxiety. What do you say?”
Jake blinked. “I’d be honored to accept,” he said after a long moment. “I’m surprised at the offer, but it’s a good sort of surprise.”
“You deserve it,” Mr. Clark said, clapping him on the shoulder.
“Thank him, and then you’d best be on your way,” Susie said. “You’ve got some other things to take care of.”
Jake glanced at her. Mr. Clark didn’t seem to notice a young girl sitting on his porch—Jake must be the only one who could see her.
“Hmm?” he asked, hoping she’d give him just a bit more of a clue as to what he was supposed to be doing.
“Yes, you do,” Mr. Clark said, taking that as disagreement. “You don’t need to be so humble about it. You’re a hard worker, and you ride for the brand. Come time for the roundup this fall, I know I can count on you to bring all my beef home.”
They hadn’t yet taken the herd to the higher pastures, but that was something Jake looked forward to. He loved that time spent on the trail.
“Are you ready to come with me or not? You heard what you were supposed to hear, and now you need to come with me and do what you need to do.” Susie was definitely getting impatient.
“Sir, you can definitely count on me. Right now, though, I’m afraid I need to go. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“All right,” Mr. Clark said, sounding a bit bewildered. He was a good boss—he’d trust that Jake would get his work done when he got back.
As Jake raced for the stables, he called out to Susie, who was running alongside him, “Now, what’s going on?”
“You need to ride for JT and take him to see Regina,” she said.
“Regina? What’s wrong with Regina?”
“She’s super sick, but she doesn’t know it. I tried talking to her, and then I tried talking to her sister, but I’m not assigned to them—I’m only assigned to you, so you’re the only one who can hear me.”
“You’ve been checking in on her?”
“Of course. I’ve been curious. And boy, I’m sure glad I did. She’s got a fever, and she’s moaning in her sleep.”
Jake didn’t bother to saddle Butternut all the way. He simply threw on a bridle and rode bareback, like some of his Indian friends had when they were boys. He tore down the road like there was something after him, taking the fork that would lead him to the cabin where JT lived.
The doctor only needed a few words of explanation before he was convinced he was needed. He grabbed his bag and dashed outside. “I can’t ride bareback,” he said as he threw a saddle blanket over his horse’s back. “Sorry for the delay.”
“Understandable,” Jake said, trying to be patient, but in reality, he was twitching to go. He and Regina had barely started to grow their relationship. They hadn’t had time for moonlight walks or romantic picnics or all those other things they were supposed to do, according to those novels women were always reading or some such nonsense. At least, he’d always thought it was nonsense until he met Regina, and now he wanted to do every one of those things.
JT mounted his horse, and the two raced down into Creede. Each pounding hoof beat took them closer, but it seemed to Jake they would never get there.
When they arrived at the tea shop, Jake paused for a second, noticing how very different everything looked. He almost wondered if he’d opened the wrong door. Then he saw Ariadne at the stove.
“Where’s Regina?”
“She’s upstairs sleeping. She’s usually up by now, but she’s been working so hard, I decided not to bother her.” Her eyes fell on JT. “Who’s this?”
“The doctor.” Jake headed for the stairs and took them two at a time, ignoring Ariadne’s further questions.
He tapped lightly on the door, then opened it. Regina lay in the bed, her face covered in a sheen of sweat. She was asleep, but she was tossing her head from side to side, and one hand was pressed against her stomach.
JT looked up and met Jake’s gaze. “Send someone for Hannah, please,” he said quietly.
Jake ran down the stairs and caught a man who was passing by on the street, who promised to ride for Hannah immediately. She had a touch with people that no one could surpass, and JT relied on her quite a bit when things got tricky. When Jake came back inside, Ariadne was standing at the foot of the stairs, her face white.
“What’s the matter with her?”
“I don’t know yet, but I’m thinking she must be pretty sick. Do you know what time it started?”
“I didn’t even know she didn’t feel good,” Ariadne said, tears in her eyes. “She didn’t say anything, and I thought she was just sleeping in this morning. I checked on her, and she didn’t open her eyes, and I didn’t want to bother her.”
“It’s all right,” Jake said, seeing that she was blaming herself. “JT is an excellent doctor, and Hannah will be here in a few minutes. She’s one of the best nurses I’ve ever met. They’ll take good care of Regina. You’d best be keeping an eye on those cakes—when Regina wakes up, she’ll want to know what progress you’ve made.”
“I imagine you’re right,” Ariadne said, wiping her eyes. “I’ll keep myself busy and out of the way.”
“And I’ll let you know as soon as I know anything,” Jake promised.
He went back upstairs, wondering if there was any way he could be useful to the doctor.
JT shook his head, his face grim. “It’s her appendix,” he said. “I need to operate, and it has to happen now. You sent for Hannah?”
“I did. How can I help?”
“Run over to the mercantile and get me some sheets or some yards of muslin. I can tell these ladies have just moved in—they don’t have much by way of bedding. We’ll have to operate right here. I have all my instruments, but that bedding is a must.”
Jake nodded. “I’m on it.”
He ran down the stairs and out the door, nearly bowling over an elderly lady as he dashed into the store. “Sheets? Muslin?” he yelled out.
“Muslin’s on the fabric table,” Toria replied. “What’s going on?”
“Emergency appendix operation at the tea shop,” he called out. He grabbed the bolt of muslin off the fabric table and dashed to the front of the shop. “Charge me for whatever this costs,” he yelled out as he ran out the door and back to Regina’s side.
Ariadne had taken her batch of cakes off the heat and joined the doctor upstairs. Together, they spread out the new lengths of muslin and created a fresh bed for Regina, tucking the clean material under and around her. The blankets she’d been sleeping on were all damp with sweat.
Then JT asked Ariadne to help drape Regina with muslin as well, removing her damp nightgown. Jake was more than happy to turn his attention to the window.
“We’re going to administer a bit of ether,” he said. “She’s asleep and I believe she’s delirious, but she can still feel pain. The ether will help ease her through this.” He put some liquid on a cloth and asked Jake if he would hold it over Regina’s nose and mouth. Almost as soon as Jake did so and she took her first deep breath, her thrashing stopped, and she seemed more peaceful.
“This next part might be difficult for you, Miss Ariadne,” JT said. “If you feel the need to step out, I advise that you do it.”
She nodded, but didn’t reply. Jake noticed that her lips were pressed together.
JT raised the portion of muslin that covered Regina’s abdomen, keeping the rest of her covered as he exposed that section. Then he took up his scalpel and traced along a path only he knew. At first, Jake t
hought nothing had happened, but then he saw a line of blood rise from the skin, and he knew that an incision had been made. Ariadne left the room, and Jake was tempted to do the same, but he knew he was needed to hold the ether.
Hannah arrived a few minutes later. She set her rooster in the corner of the room, where he hunkered down and went to sleep, and she came to the doctor’s side.
“I can take over with the ether if you like,” she told Jake, but he shook his head.
“I’m fine. You do whatever else needs to be done.”
The next hour was one of the hardest of Jake’s life. They found that the appendix was grossly swollen and nearly ready to burst, but they were able to remove it intact. Jake averted his eyes several times and wondered how the two of them could stay so calm. When they were finished, they sewed her back up, and Hannah bathed her patient’s arms and face with cool water.
“And now we see how she does,” she said to Jake. “Surgery is always risky, but if JT hadn’t acted so quickly, she would have died, no doubt about it. I understand you fetched JT and brought him here. How did you know to do that?”
Jake thought about all the things he could say. Finally, he left it at, “I just had a feeling.”
Chapter Thirteen
The pain was immense, unlike anything Regina had ever experienced before. It rolled over her like a stampede of horses, knocking her breath out of her lungs. She didn’t know what was happening or why she felt the way she did. All she knew was that she needed it to stop.
She opened her eyes and saw Jake sitting beside the bed.
“What’s wrong with me?” she whispered. “And why are you in my bedroom? My mother would have a fit if she knew you were in here.”
Jake smiled. “You had your appendix out,” he replied. “And I hope your mother would understand, given the circumstances.”
“My appendix?” Regina tried to lift her head, but it was so heavy. “I had an operation?”
“Yes, you did,” came a new voice. Regina turned her head to see a pretty young woman with long braids standing next to the bed. “Are you in pain?”
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