Grooms with Honor Series, Books 7-9

by Linda K. Hubalek

  “But hopefully tomorrow you’ll play “Amazing Grace” for us? If Mr. Clancy sings beside you?”

  The shocked look on Nolan’s face was worth saying yes.

  Chapter 6

  Reverend Nelson stood in front of the congregation and announced, “To end our service today, we’ll have special music by Miss Brandt, and a visitor waylaid here, thanks to our last snow storm. Nolan Clancy just finished his military career at Fort Ellis and is on his way home to Clear Creek, Kansas.”

  “Until yesterday, I didn’t know Miss Brandt played the violin—or else she would have been playing in church almost every Sunday the past year—if I could have talked her into it.”

  The congregation chuckled at his quip, but it made Holly more nervous. She’d been worrying about playing in front of an audience through the whole service. At least Nolan would be standing beside her up front.

  She could tell Nolan had grown up in church, paying attention to the scripture reading and sermon, confidently singing the hymns like everyone else. He would sing today because the reverend asked, even if he didn’t feel comfortable doing it.

  She tried to pull strength from him as they stood from their pew and made their way to stand in front of the pulpit. She could hear people murmuring, probably in surprise that she, the Cheyenne waitress, was carrying a violin.

  “Seriously, we’ll miss Mrs. Randolph and Miss Brandt, and their cooking, as they move to Billings tomorrow, but we wish them safe journeys and God’s blessing.

  “The women of the congregation have planned a potluck dinner in honor of the two women right after today’s church service. It will be held at Myrtle’s café, with my promise that they won’t have to serve and clean up after us. I realize the country folk didn’t know about this ahead of time, but I’m sure the ladies in town have prepared enough food for everyone, so please plan to join us.”

  The Reverend nodded to Holly and Nolan and then went to sit down in the first pew to listen.

  They had practiced last night, so Nolan knew she would play one verse of the melody, and then nod when he was to start singing. Holly took a deep breath and let it out before moving and adjusting the violin in place against her body. She raised her bow in place and looked at Nolan. He smiled and gave her a nod, giving her confidence to start.

  Holly closed her eyes and drew the bow to sound the first note, and then the second. Confidence grew as she continued to play and she opened her eyes to watch Nolan as he started to sing. She bit her lip, trying not to cry, thinking of playing Amazing Grace over her father’s grave, just as he’d done over her mother’s and sisters’ graves.

  “That was nice, Miss Brandt. I never would have guessed you knew how to play an instrument.” Mrs. Carson smiled before turning away to talk to someone else.

  Everyone was standing inside the church visiting after the service since it was too cold outside.

  “Think of it as a compliment, Holly, not a put-down,” Nolan whispered as he leaned down behind her.

  “Holly, that was absolutely beautiful,” Polly Campbell said as she wrapped her arms around her and gave her a quick, tight hug.

  “I haven’t heard such talent since I left Boston. Your playing reminded me of the Promenade Concerts the Boston Symphony Orchestra used to play during the summer months. Thank you for playing in the church today.”

  She’d miss the woman who moved from Boston to marry area rancher Jim Campbell. Polly had always been kind to Holly since her move to Miller Springs.

  “Thank you, Polly. I must confess I haven’t played since my father died last year, but I’m glad Nolan asked me to play for him. Otherwise, I’m not sure when I would have picked up the bow again.”

  Polly reached out to shake Nolan’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Clancy, and I enjoyed your singing today, with Holly and the hymns.

  “And I’m so glad Jim said we could make it to church today. Otherwise, we would have missed you before you and Myrtle left town. Why such a sudden decision?”

  Holly slowly shook her head. “Myrtle fell on the ice Thursday and was too sore to stand up to cook. When she came downstairs on Friday, she announced the café was closing immediately.”

  “Well, I imagine she realized she could have broken a hip and decided she better quit working while she was still in one piece,” Polly remarked.

  “And she hasn’t seen her new grandbaby yet, so I think she’s ready to slow down and enjoy her family.”

  “So, that puts you in a bind doesn’t it, Holly.” Polly reached out with one arm to give her shoulders a squeeze.

  “Yes. I was so lucky when Myrtle took me in last year, but I’ve asked around, and no one needs help during the winter. So, I’ll try my luck in Billings.”

  “I’ve offered her a job in my café in Kansas, but she hadn’t accepted it yet,” Nolan added to the conversation.

  “I assumed you were just nice, Nolan,” Holly stiffened at his comment.

  “No, I’m sincere in my offering. If you can’t find a place to stay and a job in Billings, I’ll pay your way to Kansas.”

  Polly cocked her head to one side, studying Nolan, then her. “Holly, I think you should take Mr. Clancy’s offer and travel with him now, instead of looking in Billings.”

  “Polly! That’s not what he offered.” Holly knew her face blushed bright red at her friend’s suggestion.

  “But I’d be fine with that, too. After all, I vowed to protect you,” Nolan briefly placed his right hand over his heart. “Now I’ll leave you two alone to visit. I’ll go over to the café and be sure the stoves are stoked and ready for the potluck. And I’ll take your violin case with me now if that’s all right with you.”

  “Thank you, Nolan. It’s on the pew in front of us.”

  Polly watched Nolan wander to the church door before turning to Holly.

  “I think you should go with Nolan to Kansas.”

  “What? No! I barely know the man.”

  “But he’s sincere, Holly, and, he likes you.” Polly winked at Holly.

  Holly quickly looked side to side, hoping no one heard Polly, especially Nolan if he stopped to talk to someone instead of leaving.

  “He is very nice, polite and...”

  “Handsome?” Leave it to Polly to finish her thoughts.

  “He knew my father when we were all at Fort Ellis, so he feels obligated to watch over me.”

  “Well, he’s doing a fine job of ‘watching’ you then, the way he stares at you when you don’t know it.”

  “He’s probably repulsed by my heritage.” Although Nolan said, she had beautiful hair.

  “Nonsense. He’s not the type to be prejudiced, or he would be acting differently.”

  “I’d prefer to stay near Myrtle since I’ve known her a lot longer than a few days like Nolan.”

  “Yes, I suppose that is wise, but...I really like the man. I think he’d make a nice husband—not that I want to lose my Jim.”

  Polly and Jim were a good match, even though their backgrounds were so opposite. Holly noticed Myrtle was looking around the sanctuary.

  “I see Myrtle is looking for me, probably wanting to go back to the café.”

  “It has to be hard on her today, telling everyone goodbye, hating to leave but knowing she should.”

  Polly pulled her into a hug again. “In case we don’t get the chance to talk privately again, please have a safe trip to Billings and write to tell me what you’re doing and where you’re staying.”

  “Holly, I’m ready to leave.” Myrtle put a hand on Holly’s arm.

  Polly hugged Myrtle next. “Thank you for all your good meals when we traveled to town, Myrtle. I hope you both can travel back to Miller Springs this summer to see us. Maybe you can talk Holly into bringing her violin along and doing an encore performance at church, too.”

  “You never know, but I would like to come back and visit. Holly, can we go now?”

  Holly nodded at Polly and took Myrtle’s arm to guide her to the door. It seemed th
e older woman had aged overnight now that she decided to close the café.

  Myrtle paused at the church doorway to look toward the cemetery. “Do you think we could walk to Fred’s grave before we leave?” The cemetery was nearby, but drifts would hamper the elderly lady’s walking down the rows to his tombstone.

  “How about we ask Nolan to go with us this afternoon? I think it would be good for you to have his arm to hold on to besides mine.” And give Nolan time to shovel a path directly to Mr. Randolph’s grave, too.

  “Promise? I may not make it back here this summer.”

  “I promise, Myrtle.” Holly would do anything to be sure Myrtle visited her late husband’s grave. She thought of Nolan’s promise to her. Was his promise to her as sincere as Holly’s was to Myrtle?

  ***

  Nolan clutched the violin case to his chest as he trudged through the snow. The case had a handle, but it was so old he was afraid to use it for fear it might break off.

  His mind kept switching back and forth between two thoughts since he left the church.

  Holly was a talented musician, even if she wouldn’t acknowledge it, and he was starting to fall for her.

  Everybody probably noticed he’d stared at her the whole time he was singing. Sure, he needed to watch his accompanist, but he liked watching her expressions while she played.

  Even if she had no professional schooling, she was better than a local fiddle player was. After they practiced “Amazing Grace” last night, Holly went upstairs and played several famous composer’s pieces, both with slow and very fast tempos. He couldn’t personally name which piece was by Bach, or Handel or someone else famous, but he knew they weren’t folk tunes.

  Did she learn to play by ear, or did she have sheet music at one time?

  Too bad there wasn’t a symphony in Montana Territory for her to play in as Mrs. Campbell talked about back in Boston. But then her heritage would stop her from trying out or being accepted.

  Holly wore a black dress today that almost matched her hair. He guessed it was her good dress she dyed for her father’s mourning. Nolan knew the date was just past the anniversary of his death, but Holly either preferred to continue wearing it or didn’t have the money to buy material to make a new dress.

  What color would she pick for a new dress, say something special, like for her wedding? A deep blue or dark red would look nice with her coloring.

  And why were his thoughts jumping from her musical talent to what she’d wear for her wedding?

  It had to be because he was thinking about churches and weddings he’d witnessed at home. He’d been in a church today, and he’d seen a pretty lady standing up front. Yes, that must be it.

  When he was growing up, a local rancher’s wife, Cora Hamner, who was also originally from Boston like Polly Campbell, invited brides-to-be out to her ranch to pick a gown for their wedding. It started out because she’d brought five trunks of dresses to the ranch when she ran away from Boston. She had no use for all the fancy dresses on the ranch, so she started offering them to brides who needed a new dress for their wedding.

  He didn’t know if Mrs. Hamner still gave away dresses, but Holly would be a deserving woman who would need a new dress for her wedding...if it happened to be at the Clear Creek Community Church. Nolan could picture Holly standing in front of Pastor Reagan saying her vows with...whom? Him?

  The idea of offering Holly a job in Clear Creek became more appealing every time he thought of it. Would something develop between them? What if it did, but then it didn’t work out. Then maybe she wouldn’t want to work in the café and have to look for another job, or want to move away from Clear Creek.

  The blast of cold air hitting him from inside the café jolted him out of his thoughts. He’d used the key to open the front door and now quickly shut the door behind him to keep the cold air from entering the building. Wait. It was excessively cold in here considering he’d stoked both the dining room and kitchen stoves before leaving for church.

  He followed the cold air through the kitchen to the back door, which was wide open. Holding on to the door above the lock, he examined both sides. The inside of the door looked fine, but someone had forced entry from the outside. Shoot. It looked like the intruder had used a crowbar to enter.

  Nolan shut the door then looked at the floor, seeing wet smudges where someone walked to the staircase up to the second floor. Should he charge up himself or get the sheriff first? The room was cold enough that the intruder had probably been here more than an hour ago.

  He pulled his revolver out and listened, but he didn’t hear any sounds in the café beside his own breathing. Nolan cautiously tiptoed up the stairs, keeping his eye trained on the far side of the top of the stairs.

  No one seemed to be there, but he didn’t holster his gun. The sitting room didn’t look any different, so Nolan looked into Myrtle’s bedroom, whose door was wide open. Her clothing trunk lid was open and resting against the wall. It looked like someone rifled through it, probably looking for cash. Did the burglar find something of value or had Myrtle hidden her money elsewhere, or on her person?

  Then he eased through Holly’s open bedroom door expecting to see her trunk open, too. It was worse. Her things had been thrown around the room as if a twister had hit the trunk. Her three treasured portraits were on the floor, one ripped in half; the other two looked like a wet boot had tried to grind them into the floorboards. Thank goodness, she’d had her violin with her at church, or Nolan was sure it would have been broken in half. Had her money been stashed in her trunk or in her reticule?

  “Clancy?” Sheriff Matters called from the bottom of the stairs.

  “Come up here! They’ve been robbed!”

  Matters’ boots quickly clomped up the stairs, and Nolan stepped back into the hallway so the sheriff could see where he was.

  The sheriff rubbed his face and sighed. “This isn’t the way Myrtle needs to remember her last days in the café, with a robbery.”

  “One guess who did this?”

  “The two men who bothered Miss Brandt before. Unfortunately, I came over here because I was going down the alley checking all the businesses. Two horses were taken from the livery, so I was following the footprints from the livery back down the alley.”

  “Did you find any other businesses or homes broken into?”

  “Nope. The prints pretty much go from the café straight to the livery.”

  Nolan leaned down to pick up Holly’s photos and then wiped the fronts and backs on his trousers to get the moisture and dirt off them.

  “These are Holly’s only photos of her family.”

  “We rarely have problems in Miller Springs. If those men hadn’t met Miss Brandt in the café...”

  “This is not Holly’s fault.” Nolan cut the sheriff off quick.

  “But you know how some people don’t like Indians.”

  “Again, her heritage shouldn’t matter. She’s a good human being.”

  “I know that I’m just saying...”

  “Well don’t.” Nolan was steamed, not only with what happened to Holly’s possessions but with what the sheriff implied.

  The sheriff looked around the room, rubbing his chin as if he was wondering what to do. “People will be walking in the door any minute with their food. I hate to ruin Myrtle’s party...how about we clean up here as best we can and don’t tell the ladies until afterward?”

  Nolan wondered why Matters didn’t ride after the thieves, but the sheriff had been in church too and just found the problem. The men had an hour or more lead on his trying to track them. If they left by the main road in and out of town, there would be other tracks with people coming into church today from both directions.

  “I’ll put these things back in the trunk if you want to go downstairs and stoke the stoves. Better tell the livery man to keep the news to himself if he’s coming over for lunch.”

  “The man lost two horses...”

  “And you didn’t want to ruin Myrtle’s pa
rty...”

  “Yeah. Let’s keep things quiet until afterward if we can.” Matters turned to walk down the steps while Nolan quickly picked up Holly’s things and laid them back in the trunk. What should he do with the portraits? They might be able to glue the torn photo back together, but he didn’t have time for it now. He put them on top of her belongings and closed the lid. After looking around the room to see if he missed anything, he rushed to Myrtle’s room to shut her trunk and head down the stairs.

  “Sheriff? You beat us over here. Where’s Nolan?” Myrtle asked as she started to take off her cape.

  Nolan heard Matters say, “He went out back for a minute.”

  “It’s cold in here,” Holly added.

  “Must not have gotten the back door latched and it blew open. I’ll go check.”

  Nolan chose this moment to walk into the dining room from the kitchen. “Sorry about that, I didn’t get the door quite shut, and it did blow open. I’m sure it’ll warm up again soon.

  “May I take your ladies’ capes upstairs? Your guests will be arriving momentarily, so you need to greet them.”

  “Where’s my violin?”

  Nolan froze a minute wondering where he laid the case when he crept upstairs. It’s on the kitchen table.

  “It’s in the kitchen, so I’ll take it upstairs when I take your wraps.” Nolan moved to Myrtle to help her out of her cape, hung it over his arm, and reached to help Holly next.

  “I can take them upstairs, Nolan,” Holly reached for Myrtle’s wrap just as the front door opened again.

  Jim and Polly Campbell walked in the door with some other area ranchers he’d met this morning, the Dunn’s, as well as the Pendell’s, who worked for the Dunn’s on their Green Valley ranch.

  “Your friends are here now, Holly, so I can take everything upstairs.” He gently pulled Holly’s cape off her shoulders, nodded to the ranchers, and then walked into the kitchen to go upstairs.

  The dining room had filled by the time Nolan walked downstairs. It was nice to see Holly’s shy smile as people complimented her violin solo. Myrtle was still limping from her fall the other day, but still happily telling women where to set their dishes on the table they’d use for the buffet line.