She nodded and the two ladies went upstairs to pack. When they came back down Cade had the horse and buggy ready to go, with Thunder tied on behind the buggy. He helped both ladies into the buggy and they headed for the ranch.
Both ladies were quiet on the way there, which Cade could understand, but was also a bit concerned about. He reached over and took one of Elsie's small hands in his. "Are you all right, Elsie?"
She looked up at him with sad eyes. At that moment, he realized just how vulnerable his little future wife was. At not much over five feet tall, with beautiful blonde hair and gorgeous blue eyes, she was small, or as she liked to call it, petite.
What she lacked in size, though, she made up for in spunk. She was a real dynamo. To everyone who saw her, she seemed so strong, though he'd always known she had a softer side and appreciated the help and guidance he gave her, though she'd never admit that to anyone. He doubted she even admitted it to herself. But he didn't care. He'd seen her flourish, even thrive, and always seemed happy when he kept a watchful eye on her. She was headstrong, and occasionally he had to rein her back in a bit for her own good.
Maria had always said the two of them made quite a pair. She was barely over five feet tall, while he was just under six feet. His dark brown hair and brown eyes offset her blonde hair and blue eyes. He often wondered what their children would look like. But they got along well, and that was the important part. She was more carefree, even to the point of being reckless at times, while he was more the steady and careful type. Wyatt often compared them to the tortoise and the hare. Cade often thought the comparison, though funny, was fair.
But now he was concerned about her. She hadn't said anything since they'd left Sherman. She was looking at him, had obviously heard his question, but hadn't responded yet. He put his arm around her and slid her over closer to him. Keeping an arm around her protectively, he tried again. "I know this has been a very difficult morning, Elsie. Are you all right?"
She nodded slightly before leaning her head on his shoulder. "I will be. It's just a lot to absorb."
"I know. If there's anything I can do to help you, let me know. That goes for Maria and Wyatt, as well. I'm sure they'll both feel the same way. If any of us can do anything for either of you, please tell us."
She nodded. "I've just been thinking about all I have to do. I have to make the arrangements for the funeral, and I have to get Mama and Papa's wills. What do I do with them?"
"They had wills, for sure?"
"Yes. Papa showed me one time where they are, and told me the mercantile would go to me. I could still live above it, and that's probably why he taught me everything I'd need to know to run it. He showed me how to keep the books. As a matter of fact, he's had me doing that part of the time to make sure I know how to do it. He showed me how to order merchandise to replace what we sell. He had me do that a couple times, as well, to make sure I know how to do it. So I know I can do it now. It's just not going to—"
She paused, and he knew what she was thinking. "It's not going to seem right for you to be running it without your mother and father there, helping, I know, honey. That's why I said you should take some time and give it some thought. Wait until your head has cleared a little bit to make these decisions."
"But I have to run it, Cade. What else would I do?"
"Honey, you have to do what feels right to you. If you want to run it, that's fine. If it's too painful for you to do it without them there, that's understandable. You could sell it, or you could rent it out for a period of time. That would give you some time to decide for sure what you want to do. I'll back you in whatever decision you make, but it has to be what feels right to you."
"Thank you, Cade," she whispered.
"I'm so glad you're here for her, Cade," Gertrude said from the back seat. She addressed her niece next. "Elsie, Cade can be a real help for you, if you allow it. You're lucky to have such a good man. Don't be too stubborn to let him help."
Cade had to bite his tongue to keep from chuckling. Aunt Gertrude knew his Elsie well, it would appear.
There was one other thing he wanted to talk to her about, but he wasn't sure exactly how to bring it up. He finally decided just to come straight out with it and hope for the best. "Elsie, before we get back to the ranch, I have something I want to talk to you about."
"What's that?"
"Our wedding. I know we're planning a fall wedding, which is several months away yet. If you want to keep it there, that's fine, but I thought maybe you might want to move it up. I won't push you, but I want you to know that if you want to move it up, I'm fine with that. We can get Maria and Wyatt and go back and find the preacher and get married yet today if you'd like."
Her eyes were wide when she looked at him. "Why would I want to do that?"
"I'm not saying you should want to, honey, but simply telling you if you do, I'm fine with it. Truthfully, I'd love it. But again, you don't have to make any important decisions right away, just keep it in mind over the next few weeks. While you're sorting things out in your mind, if you decide you'd feel better staying here than over the store, that's fine. I could certainly understand it. If you decide to stay here and would feel better if we were married, we sure can do that."
"Thank you."
"I know you're hurting, and I'd love to be able to hold you in my arms as you go to sleep so I can comfort you and reassure you, remind you I'm here for you. People know we're planning a wedding anyway, so no one would question it if we move it up now after what's happened. I love you with all my heart and am anxious to make you my wife, but like I told you when you agreed to marry me, I will not push you. Just keep the offer in mind."
"All right, I will. Thank you." She was quiet during the rest of the trip, and he assumed she was simply thinking back over her morning. He knew she had a lot on her mind.
They arrived back at the ranch not much longer after that conversation. Wyatt came in from the barn and Maria came out of the house. Both were there to greet them when he stopped the buggy. He lifted each of the ladies up and helped them down, and Maria had them tightly wrapped in a hug the second their feet touched the ground. "I'm so sorry for your loss, both of you," she told them sincerely. "You let me know what I can do to help you. Let's get inside. I have some nice hot tea and cookies for you."
Cade smiled. He knew Maria would be like a mother hen to them, which he figured is exactly what they needed right now. The men followed them into the house. Wyatt expressed his condolences, and told them he would do anything to help them, as well. The ladies thanked him, and he went back to the barn, leaving Cade to tend to the ladies, while he tended to the animals and ranch hands.
With Maria's help, the ladies settled in easily. Cade helped them make all the arrangements for her parents' funeral, and was there with her, supporting both of them through all of it. He suggested she take a few days to decide what she wanted to do from there, but his headstrong bride-to-be was having none of it.
"Cade, I have to get back into town and get the store open. Our customers have gone without being able to buy their supplies from us for five days. If I don't get it opened again real soon I'll be losing all our customers that Mama and Papa worked so hard to get. I can't do that. I'll be going back home this afternoon and the store will be open tomorrow."
He sighed, and took one of her hands. "Elsie, I understand why you feel you have to reopen the store and, if it were my family's business, I would probably feel the same way. My concern is that the sheriff hasn't had any luck figuring out who did this terrible thing."
"I understand your concern, Cade, and I thank you for it. But I can't let Papa down. He worked hard to build it up and taught me how to run it. If I don't keep it open, I'm not honoring him."
He took her in his arms and held her a few moments. "Then I'll take you two back into town this afternoon and help you get the store ready. Before we do that, though, I'd like to take you both outside and let you show me how you handle a gun."
"I assu
re you, Papa taught us both. We know what we're doing."
"I believe you, honey, but you know me. I'll worry about you, but I'll feel a little better if I see for myself that you can both defend yourselves."
Gertrude, who was standing at the window, turned to face her niece. "He deserves that, Elsie. We both know we can handle a gun just fine, but if the tables were turned, you would be concerned about him. He'll feel better knowing we can keep ourselves safe. I think it's only fair."
Elsie turned back to her intended. "You're right. I'm sorry. We'll go get our guns."
"Thank you. I'd like to see how you handle them, make sure you know how to clean them, load them, and then we'll do a little target practice. It really will ease my mind, I think, if I see it myself."
She nodded, and the two ladies ran upstairs to their rooms. They returned a few minutes later, and proceeded to unload and clean their guns. They then reloaded them and took them outside. He watched as they repeatedly hit the targets they were aiming at. He felt much better about them having guns with them, but was still worried.
He took them into town in their buggy, with Thunder tied behind again. They went into the store and he helped get it cleaned up and stocked so it was ready to reopen. Sheriff Fitch saw them come into town and went to talk with them.
Cade was counting on finding the sheriff and talking to him before he went back to the ranch, so he was glad he'd come to the store. "Have you found anything at all yet, Sheriff?"
"Unfortunately, Cade, I haven't found a thing. No one seems to have seen or heard anything, which is highly unusual. I don't know if they really did sneak in unnoticed, or if the neighbors are afraid to talk, but either way, I have nothing to go on. I went over this store with a fine tooth comb, and I haven't found anything inside to give us any clue, either. I sent telegrams back east, and Elsie's right. That first store is still operating, and they've had no problems there, so I don't think it's anything that involves that store. I've talked with a lot of people in town here, and no one knows of any problems Henry or Velma have been having with anyone."
"So what happens now? Are the ladies safe to stay here and reopen the store?"
"I can't honestly say, Cade. I'm going to keep looking into it, but frankly, I'm running out of places to look, or people to talk to. I have telegrams out to sheriffs all over the area, so maybe someone will hear something and get back with me. In the meantime, all I can say is I'll keep checking on the ladies as often as I can during the day. I'll keep looking for any clues, and I'll keep listening."
"Thank you, Sheriff, for checking on them when you can. If someone is watching the store for some reason, I'm sure your frequent visits will make them think twice."
"I hope so." He turned to the ladies. "If either of you hears anything at all, come and get me. Don't try doing any investigating on your own, please. Come get me and tell me what you heard, and I'll check it out."
"We will, Sheriff," "Elsie promised. "Thank you for all the work you've done. Would you please keep me informed if you find anything?"
"Of course. In the meantime, you ladies be careful. At least for the time being, I would make sure you're both in the store when you're open. One lady alone may be asking for trouble until we find out who was behind these horrible deaths."
"We understand, Sheriff," Gertrude said. "We'll stay together, at least at first."
Cade caught the look that passed between the two ladies, and made a mental note to ask Elsie about that. There was something she wasn't telling him, and that worried him.
Chapter Two
Cade wasn't really happy about them reopening the store without knowing who killed her parents, but he knew his fiancée. She was a stubborn little thing, and when she made up her mind to do something, it would take more than concern on his part to talk her out of it. In this particular case, though, he had to admit, even if he didn't like it, that he understood how she felt. Without a definite threat, did he really have a right to keep her from reopening the store her family had worked so hard to build? He'd just have to watch them closely and keep his eyes and ears open. Hopefully one of them would speak up, or he'd figure it out on his own, and soon.
He escorted both of the ladies next door to the restaurant for supper once their store was ready to open in the morning. He then went with them as they went upstairs to their living quarters above the mercantile, so he could make sure everything looked okay there, as well, before he would consider leaving them alone for the night. It didn't appear as though anyone had been in their living quarters searching for anyone or anything, so he felt as confident as he could, and went back home to the ranch.
When he left, the ladies looked around them, and Elsie soon had tears in her eyes. Her aunt went to her and put her arms around her to comfort her. "Are you sure you want to do this, Elsie?"
Elsie squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. "I have to do this. It's going to be hard, I know, but I have to. Papa would want me to."
"I think he would understand if you took some time off first to grieve, Elsie."
"We've already been closed several days. That's a lot of business we've missed. If people go to the other mercantile in town, if they like it, we may not see them in here again. I can't take that chance."
"People liked your parents really well, Elsie. I think they'll come back."
"I hope so." She looked around their living quarters and got teary eyed again. "No, I am not going to keep the store closed another day, Aunt Gertie. I don't think I could stand to stay in here all day and night."
"I know," Gertrude said, looking around herself. "Everything reminds you of one of them, doesn't it?"
"Yes, it does. I can see Mama standing at the sink, and Papa sitting in the chair by the stove, looking at the new catalogs as he got his order ready."
"I was thinking about the same thing," Gertrude admitted. "I agree. Maybe opening the store back up and getting back into a normal routine will be good for both of us."
"Thank you, Aunt Gertie. I couldn't make it through this without you."
"I'm glad I was here for you, Elsie, but you would have been fine. You have a wonderful man, and he loves you. I'm sure he would have been right at your side."
"I know. Cade is wonderful. I'm not sure he would have let me come back here to live and open the store back up if you wouldn't have been here, though."
"He may not have, but I'm not sure I would have blamed him. A single lady living alone might not be very safe. What are you going to do when I move back east? I'm surprised he hasn't mentioned that yet." She suddenly froze, and turned to look at her. "You haven't told him I'm leaving, have you?"
"No, and please don't tell him, either, until we have to."
"Good heavens, why not, my dear?"
"You just said yourself he wouldn't want me living here and running the store if you weren't here with me."
"And I couldn't blame him. He's concerned about you, Elsie. Surely you can see that?"
"Yes, of course I can see it. But what am I supposed to do with the store?"
"I don't think you're giving Cade enough credit. I think if he knew I can't stay much longer, he'd help you come to a decision as to what to do."
"But that's the problem. I've already come to that decision. I'm going to run the store. If he knew you were leaving, he wouldn't have wanted me to move back here and open it up again. Then we would have had an argument, and you know I try to avoid those at all costs. He never listens to what I'm trying to say."
"Elsie, you know he listens to everything you say. What you mean is if he still thinks you're doing something dangerous, he explains his feelings to you again, while you're over his knee. And I for one am glad he does. You need a good man to rein you in a little bit once in a while. You don't always think things through before you do them, and that can be dangerous."
Elsie frowned, but Gertrude knew that in her heart, her niece knew it was true. Cade did love her, but he kept a watchful eye on her and didn't allow her to get away
with some of the dangerous stunts she used to do when her parents weren't looking.
She tried again to get her niece to see the point she was trying to make. "Elsie, you know as well as I do that Cade will not allow you to live here alone and run the store by yourself. You need to tell him that I've already promised your cousin I will go stay with her family when it's about time to have her baby. Since her mother died, she needs someone there to help take care of her house and husband, along with their four children, until she gets her strength back to do it herself. The garden will be coming on about then, and she'll have all the canning to do, as well. I have to go help them."
"But if I run it until you have to leave, Cade will be able to see that I can do fine with it. Then he'll have to let me keep running it."
Gertrude sat down at the table across from Elsie. "No, he wouldn't have to; not if he thought it was dangerous. That's why I'm telling you to tell him now. He knows how important it is to you, and he can take some time to come up with a solution. If you wait until right before I leave, he won't have time to make any other plans. Then he'll have to close it down, at least until he can come up with a solution. At least tell me you'll think about what I'm saying."
Elsie took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "All right, I'll give it some thought. But what kind of solution could he come up with? I'm afraid his solution will be to close it. That would be like slapping Papa in the face."
"If you tell Cade those feelings, I don't think he would close it. At least not without trying something else first. He's a very caring man, but also a very smart man. I think he deserves a chance."
"Maybe. I'll think about it."
When they went to bed not much later, they both had their gun close by. They fought memories of her parents all night, and Elsie worried about what Cade would do when he found out Gertrude was leaving in a couple weeks. Neither of them got much sleep.
Ranch Life is Great Page 2
