COLLEEN: A Sweet Western Historical Romance

by Ashley Merrick

  Colleen was silent for a moment and then just said, "Thank you. I really do appreciate that."

  "I won't keep you. I know you're probably ready to leave for the day." He saw Julia with her coat on as the kitchen door opened for a quick moment.

  "Yes, it's that time again."

  "Goodbye, Colleen." Ricky smiled sadly as Colleen reached in and impulsively gave him a hug.

  "Thank you, Ricky. I really had fun with you."

  "That's one thing you can always count on with me, is a good time," he said with a chuckle and then watched as she walked away. He finished his beer a few minutes later, threw some money down and then headed down the road to the saloon. He knew there would be more people there and right now he wanted to be around people. Even though he wasn't heart-broken and understood the wisdom of what his sister had said, he still hated losing. It burned him that she would rather be with David than with him.

  Ricky settled in at the bar, ordered another beer and the daily special, which was a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich and a mug of chicken soup. He'd finished eating and had just ordered another beer when that pretty new saloon girl was suddenly by his side.

  "Nice to see you again," she said warmly and looked like she really meant it. At least he needed to believe that she did.

  "Great to see you again, too. Sarah, right?" He was always good about remembering women's names.

  She smiled in surprise. "Yes, it's Sarah. I'm impressed that you remembered."

  "How could I forget the name of such a beautiful woman?" he said with a smile. It felt good to pour on the charm, to flirt and to get some kind of appreciation back.

  "I hope your week is off to a good start," she asked pleasantly.

  "I've had better. I just had a marriage proposal officially rejected."

  He felt bad at the look of horror and sympathy that flashed across her face. Great, now she felt sorry for him. He should have kept that to himself.

  "Oh, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" She seemed genuinely concerned for his well-being, which was very sweet and endeared her to him.

  "I'm fine. My pride was wounded more than anything. I hate to lose."

  She looked confused at that and he explained about David.

  "Oh. Well, that's a good thing, then. If she chose someone else then she definitely wasn't the one for you."

  "That's almost exactly what my sister said."

  Sarah smiled. "She sounds like a smart woman."

  "Oh, she is, she definitely is. So, Sarah, how are you liking it here so far? Are you and your son settling in?"

  She hesitated for a moment, and looked as though she was debating how much to share.

  "It's going about as well as can be expected. It's tougher for Andrew than it is for me. Kids don't like change. He still cries for his father at night, and he hasn't been feeling well the past few days."

  "I'm sorry to hear that. I hope it's nothing serious?"

  "No, I don't think it is. I think it's just a bug or something."

  "Please join me, have a seat." Ricky gestured toward the empty chair next to him.

  Sarah hesitated for just a second after glancing around the bar to make sure she wasn't needed elsewhere.

  "It's okay. It's part of your job to socialize, right?"

  She sat down and laughed. "Yes, that's true, but I don't feel like I'm working when I talk to you."

  He liked the sound of that. Today of all days, they were words that were music to his ears.

  They chatted for at least an hour, during which time he bought two more beers and pretended that she was only talking to him because she thought he was such good company. She really was easy to talk to and smart, too.

  "I was a teacher in Philadelphia, before I had Andrew," she said at one point when he asked her what her life had been like there.

  "I bet you were good at that." He could see her doing it. Her face grew so animated when she spoke and her enthusiasm was contagious.

  "I like to think I was. I really loved it. But once I had Andrew, I stopped teaching, of course. My husband had a good job and everything was going so well, until he got sick." Her voice broke a bit and then she continued. "He just never got better. We'd bought our first house the year before and once he was gone, there wasn't any money coming in."

  "I'm sorry." Instinctively, he put his hand over hers and she jumped a little at his touch but didn't pull away. He was surprised at the effect that her touch had on him—it felt almost electric. He gave her hand a reassuring pat and then pulled it away. He really felt for her. Just as he decided to order one last beer, there was a crash and then a commotion over by the stairs that led to the apartments above, where the saloon girls lived.

  "Mommy," a child's voice called plaintively. Sarah was up in a flash and ran over to where a small, blond-haired child lay on the floor next to what looked like a puddle of vomit. Buddy, the bartender on duty, grabbed some bar cloths and went over to help her clean up. Ricky watched as a few minutes later, Buddy carried the child upstairs and Sarah followed close behind. When Buddy returned to the bar and handed Ricky his beer, he also told him that Sarah wouldn't be coming back down.

  "She needs to stay with her boy. He's burning up. She's giving him a cold bath now to bring down the fever."

  That sounded alarming to Ricky. "Do you think he'll be okay?

  Buddy chuckled. "Oh, he'll be fine in another day or two. Poor thing, there's just something going around. It's not pleasant, but it hasn't killed anyone yet."

  "That's a relief." Ricky took a sip of his beer and thought about Sarah. She was a lovely girl and had had such a rough time of it. For a fleeting moment, he pictured the three of them as a family. The image was surprisingly pleasant except for the fact that it would never happen. She was a saloon girl. It wasn't as bad as being a prostitute, but still, working in a bar where women were not welcome otherwise didn't allow for a good reputation. A mayor with a saloon girl for a wife was probably not a very good idea.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Between planning a wedding and sewing three dresses whenever she wasn't working at the pub, the following days flew by and before Colleen knew it, the Saturday of the art society benefit had arrived. David was coming by and the four of them were planning to go together. Naomi and Jed were also going, so Elizabeth was going to be riding with them.

  Colleen took a final twirl in front of the mirror and was satisfied with what she saw. It was more difficult to fit your own dress, but she'd used Julia as a rough guide, as she still wasn't showing much and they were about the same size. As she'd hoped, the rich blue tone was flattering on her. It made her skin look creamier against her dark hair. Julia had helped her with her hair and it was partly tied back with a ribbon and fell in soft waves down her back. She created a similar style on Julia, except instead of a ribbon, she’d made a delicate braid that framed her face and then the rest of her glorious red hair tumbled down her back. The yellow fabric Elizabeth had discovered looked stunning on Julia—she was positively glowing. Liam whistled appreciatively as he strolled into the kitchen in his suit.

  "You ladies are looking mighty fine, I must say." He walked over to Julia and gave her a quick kiss and then lightly patted her stomach. "How are you feeling?" She had been having bouts of morning sickness the past few weeks that struck at any hour.

  "I'm okay. I just had a piece of toast to try and settle my stomach. There's nothing left in it," she joked.

  He frowned at that. "Maybe we should take separate buggies, just in case we want to leave early."

  Julia looked about to protest but then sighed and agreed. "That probably is a good idea. Just in case."

  David arrived a few minutes later and they set off. When they arrived at the Bozeman Hotel, where the benefit was being held, there were already rows of buggies lined up outside and when they made their way in, there was a festive air and a sea of women in beautiful dresses and men looking elegant in their suits. Julia had explained that the women on the arts society board took
care of preparing the food for the event and there was an assortment of appetizers, cheese and crackers, stuffed mushrooms, various breads and spreads as well as some sliced meats like ham and bowls of mixed, salted nuts. There was also a bar set up in a corner, with one of the men on the board acting as bartender and pouring whiskey and wine.

  "Would you ladies like something to drink?" David asked.

  Colleen hesitated. She guessed that it was probably fortified wine. Ricky had laughed when she’d admitted that she didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as the wine they had shared at Donovan’s. He’d explained that good wine was difficult to come by, but the fortified wine was plentiful.

  “I’d love an apple cider,” Julia said. Colleen decided to order the same.

  David and Liam walked off to the bar and returned a few minutes later with a couple of whiskies, and two glasses of water for Julia. Colleen took a sip and then saw Elizabeth, Naomi and Jed coming towards them. Elizabeth looked adorable in her dress. Her golden blonde hair was piled high on her head and a few tendrils framed her face. The style made her look older and more sophisticated, until she smiled and then immediately looked her age.

  "This is even more elegant than I imagined!" she breathed. Enthusiasm radiated from her and it was contagious.

  "Are any of your friends here?" Colleen asked. She had noticed Elizabeth scanning the room.

  "Not yet, I don't think. Oh, yes, there's Meredith. I have to go say hello." She was gone in a flash, off to see her friend.

  Colleen turned her attention to Naomi and Julia, who were chatting while Jed wandered off to talk to the men. "How's everything going?” Julia asked Naomi and Colleen knew she was asking about Jed.

  "It's been a good week. A few mild memory lapses here and there but no disappearing acts, so that's something." A moment later, Naomi said, "I'm going to go try some of the food. Care to join me?" She started walking towards the food table.

  The men were busy talking, but Julia and Colleen followed Naomi and each filled a small plate and then found an empty table to sit for a bit. There were more people at the event than Colleen had expected. She mentioned as much and Naomi chuckled.

  "There's a growing interest in art and music here and with all the growth that is happening to the town, quite a few people have the means now to explore those interests."

  As they sipped their drinks and nibbled on hors d'oeuvres, a small band began to play soft music. Julia was unusually quiet and Colleen saw her grimace when she thought no one was looking.

  "Is it your stomach again?" she asked softly.

  "Yes, I was afraid of this." She looked miserable.

  "Crackers usually help, right?"

  Julia nodded. "I should have grabbed some. I didn't think." Colleen stood. "I'll be right back.” She brought Julia's plate with her and walked back to the food table and found the crackers and bread. She took a little of both and as she was about to turn back, she heard a voice she recognized and froze as realized they were talking about her. Mabel was chatting with another woman and obviously hadn't seen her come up behind them.

  "I don't know what I was thinking. I thought if he knew Ricky had proposed, that he'd give up and I might finally have a chance. But instead, it drove him right into her arms. I think he must have gone to buy a ring after he saw me and asked her that night."

  Colleen was steaming as she sat back down and handed the plate to Julia. So, David only proposed because he heard that Ricky had? Would he have proposed so soon otherwise? Did he really want to marry her or did he just want to make sure she didn't marry Ricky?

  Colleen really wasn't very happy about the situation. When David came back over to the table and sat down with them, she had a hard time being civil. He seemed to quickly realize that something was wrong.

  "Is everything okay?" he asked.

  "I don't want to talk about it. We can discuss it later." She turned her attention back to her plate of cheese and crackers.

  "Okay, but if you don't tell me what's wrong, I won't be able to fix it. I really thought that this was going to be to be a fun night."

  "I am going to have fun tonight," Colleen said firmly and then added, "We can discuss this on the way home."

  David sighed and a moment later walked over to the food table, filled his plate and then sat back down next to her and ate quietly. Meanwhile, Colleen turned her attention back to Julia.

  "Are the crackers helping?" she asked. Julia didn't look quite as miserable as she had before.

  "Yes, I think so. I should be okay in a few more minutes."

  "I heard that there's a silent auction. Maybe we should walk over and take a look," Naomi suggested.

  In spite of the fact that she wasn't really speaking to David, Colleen did have fun and the rest of the evening went by fairly quickly. There were a number of interesting items available at the silent auction and Colleen was surprised and delighted to find that hers was the winning bid on new guitar. If the wedding went through as planned, she would give it to David as a wedding present. If it didn’t, then she would learn how to play it herself. She had Julia make the bid though, so that David wouldn’t know about the gift until the wedding.

  "Elizabeth certainly seems to be having a good time," Julia commented.

  Colleen glanced over at the direction that Julia was looking and sure enough, Elizabeth was surrounded by three young men."I told her that she would be the belle of the ball, and that certainly seems to be the case," Colleen chuckled.

  Naomi looked over at Elizabeth and wasn't smiling. "Two of those young men are fine. They go to school with Elizabeth. But the other one is much too old to be showing interest in such a young girl."

  "He's probably just being friendly," Julia said.

  "Hopefully." Naomi still didn't seem very happy about it. "I'm going to go check on Jed."

  As soon as she was out of earshot, Julia turned to Colleen. "I've been dying to ask you, what is going on with you and David? If looks could kill, he'd be dead right now."

  Colleen chuckled. "I overheard Mabel talking to somebody when I went up to get you some crackers," she began, and then filled Julia in on what she had heard.

  Julia looked shocked. "Don't be ridiculous. Of course David loves you."

  "Well, it does seem a little bit suspicious that the same day that Mabel told David about Ricky proposing, he proposes."

  "He probably would've asked you sooner if he thought you would say yes," Julia said.

  "I don't know about that."

  "Trust me, he is in love with you. He might not know that yet, but it's obvious to me and to anybody else that sees the two of you together. "

  That surprised Colleen. "Do you really think so?"

  Julia sighed. "Yes. But I have a question for you. Do you think you might love him?"

  Colleen was quiet for a moment. "Maybe. I'm starting to think so, which is probably why this bothers me so much. I just hope it's as serious to him as it is to me. That he isn't just looking for a wife but it's really me that he wants."

  "I don't think you need to worry about that."

  "I hope you're right."

  They enjoyed the music for a while longer, but then Julia looked as though she really needed to get home and Colleen didn't really feel like staying without her. They all left at about the same time and as soon as they drove out of town, David spoke. "So, are you going to tell me what you're so upset about?"

  "I overheard something."

  "That doesn't sound good."

  "Mabel was telling someone that she told you that Ricky had proposed."

  David was quiet for a moment, and when he spoke he sounded confused. "She did, that's true. Is there something wrong with that?"

  "Well, she was also upset. She thinks that because of what she said that you immediately went to buy a ring and then proposed to me. Evidentially, that wasn't what she’d had in mind."

  "I'm not sure that I'm following you. I've never been interested in Mabel."

  "I know that, but she appa
rently thought she might have a chance if Ricky and I got married, so she wanted you to know."

  "I see. So she was upset, thinking that what she’d said made me propose?"

  "Exactly, and I have to admit it got me a little bit upset, too. Did you only propose because Ricky had already asked me? Would you have done it anyway?"

  David reached for her hand, slowed the buggy and said, "Yes, I was planning to ask you anyway. It was just a coincidence that Mabel happened to mention that to me. Of course, it did make me a little bit nervous. But I had already picked out that ring a week earlier and I was just picking it up after they got it sized."

  "Really?" Colleen wanted to believe him, but wasn't fully convinced.

  "Yes, really. Don't you remember I told you that I had something special planned for you? "

  Colleen thought about that for a minute, and she did remember.

  "That's right, you did. I'm sorry for doubting you."

  "If it were up to me, I would marry you tomorrow," David said, and Colleen could tell by his voice that he meant it.

  She chuckled. "The wedding is only a week away."

  "It's going to be a long week."

  They rode quietly the rest of the way home, but Colleen’s mind was spinning. An idea had come to her and the more she thought about it, the more it seemed to make perfect sense.

  As David pulled into the drive, Colleen turned to him and said, "Let's do it. Let's get married tomorrow."

  "Very funny," David said.

  "I'm serious. Everyone who is coming to our wedding would be invited to your mother and father's surprise party anyway. I was just thinking that this could be the perfect way to surprise them. If we quietly get married tomorrow with just Julia and Liam there to stand up for us, that's all I need. Then we can have what seems like the big wedding next weekend, yet when everyone gets back to your parents’ house, it'll actually be a surprise party for them. They'll never suspect it."